NPR 2008-03-19

From NPR news in Washington, I’m Carl Kasell.

 

The Federal Reserve is expected to announce another cut in interest rates later today, but analysts¹ remain divided on how far the Fed will go. NPR’s Dave Mattingly reports.

 

The question on Wall Street isn’t if the Fed will cut the federal funds rate; it’s by how much. Some analysts are expecting the Fed to announce a half point cut in the rate banks charge each other for overnight loans; others are predicting a more aggressive cut of a full percentage point to help calm nervous investors². Ken³ Mayland is the chief economist⁴ of ClearView Economics. “We are still really on the borderline of a recession and things can go either way.'' The Fed has been lowering interest rates since last September, amid mounting evidence of a weakening US economy, the latest being the Fed's stepping in to help JPMorgan Chase purchase Bear Stearns. Dave Mattingly, NPR News, Washington.

 

The Supreme⁵ Court enters a debate over the Second Amendment⁶'s right to bear arms. Being challenged is the District of Columbia’s ban on handguns. At issue is whether an individual's right to own guns is protected by the Constitution. The issue is so controversial that it has divided even the president and vice⁷ president. NPR’s Nina Totenberg reports.

 

More than five dozen friend of the court briefs have been filed in the case, including one filed by a majority of the House and Senate and also signed by Vice President Dick Cheney. That puts the vice president at odds⁸ with President Bush and his Justice Department. Administration sources say Cheney did not advise the Justice Department or the White House Counsel's office before signing the brief. Cheney contends that he’s acting⁹ not as a member of the executive branch, but as president of the Senate. The brief he signed argues that any gun that is a lineal descendant of guns used when the Second Amendment was enacted¹⁰ cannot be banned. The Bush administration argues that if that standard were in force, it would cast doubt over many federal laws including those that outlaw¹¹ machine guns and assault weapons. Nina Totenberg, NPR News, Washington.

 

Vice President Dick Cheney spent the night at Ballad¹² Air Base in Iraq. The vice president told troops that the Middle East will remain a place of stagnation¹³, resentment¹⁴ and violence ready for export as long as freedom is suppressed. He also praised President Bush’s decision on the Iraq troop surge. He said sending the 30,000 extra troops has led to more effective raids to root out enemies, as well as get better intelligence. The vice president plans to meet with Iraqi leaders before continuing his Middle East tour today.

 

Japanese share prices rose today. The Nikkei Average was up by 1.5 percent or 176 points. Oil prices held steady in Asian trading. U.S. light crude for April delivery rose by 43 cents to $106.11 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

 

This is NPR News.

 

Michigan is a step closer toward holding a re-vote over January Democratic nominating contest. The state legislature is considering a proposal for a privately¹⁵ funded Democratic primary on June 3rd. Meanwhile, Florida Democrats¹⁶, who also had been reconsidering a re-vote, have ruled out a do-over. They say they will appeal to the national party to restore delegates stripped because it held its primary too early. From Miami, NPR’s Greg Allen reports.

 

Florida's Democratic Party says it has given up on a plan to hold a mail-in primary. The idea proposed last week was immediately rejected by the state’s Democratic Congressional Delegation¹⁷. They said problems with verifying signatures and possible discrimination against voters from disadvantaged communities could lead to legal challenges. In a statement, state Party Chair Karen Thurman said a consensus¹⁸ has emerged among Florida Democrats that they don’t want to hold another vote and that a solution will have to come from national party leaders. Because Florida violated party rules by holding its primary in January, the Democratic National Committee penalized¹⁹ the state by stripping it of all its delegates. With Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama still locked in a tight race, Democrats worry that unless Florida and Michigan’s delegate problems are resolved soon, they could lead to a battle at the Democratic convention in August. Greg Allen, NPR News, Miami.

 

States financially strapped²⁰ are looking to take away government health insurance and benefits from millions of Americans already struggling with a failing economy. A review of the budgets of all 50 states by the Associated Press revealed that coverage²¹ would be eliminated for hundreds of thousands of poor children, disabled as well as the elderly. Despite the dire²² conditions, only a handful of states were seriously considering tax increases.

 

I’m Carl Kasell in Washington.

 

1 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

2 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

3 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

4 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

5 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

6 amendment   

n.改正，修正，改善，修正案

参考例句：

• The amendment was rejected by 207 voters to 143.这项修正案以207票对143票被否决。
• The Opposition has tabled an amendment to the bill.反对党已经就该议案提交了一项修正条款。

7 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

8 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

9 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

10 enacted   

制定（法律），通过（法案）( enact的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• legislation enacted by parliament 由议会通过的法律
• Outside in the little lobby another scene was begin enacted. 外面的小休息室里又是另一番景象。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

11 outlaw   

n.歹徒，亡命之徒；vt.宣布…为不合法

参考例句：

• The outlaw hid out in the hills for several months.逃犯在山里隐藏了几个月。
• The outlaw has been caught.歹徒已被抓住了。

12 ballad   

n.歌谣，民谣，流行爱情歌曲

参考例句：

• This poem has the distinctive flavour of a ballad.这首诗有民歌风味。
• This is a romantic ballad that is pure corn.这是一首极为伤感的浪漫小曲。

13 stagnation   

n. 停滞

参考例句：

• Poor economic policies led to a long period of stagnation and decline. 糟糕的经济政策道致了长时间的经济萧条和下滑。
• Motion is absolute while stagnation is relative. 运动是绝对的，而静止是相对的。

14 resentment   

n.怨愤，忿恨

参考例句：

• All her feelings of resentment just came pouring out.她一股脑儿倾吐出所有的怨恨。
• She cherished a deep resentment under the rose towards her employer.她暗中对她的雇主怀恨在心。

15 privately   

adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地

参考例句：

• Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
• The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。

16 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

18 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

19 penalized   

对…予以惩罚( penalize的过去式和过去分词 )； 使处于不利地位

参考例句：

• You will be penalized for poor spelling. 你拼写不好将会受到处罚。
• Team members will be penalized for lateness. 队员迟到要受处罚。

20 strapped   

adj.用皮带捆住的，用皮带装饰的；身无分文的；缺钱；手头紧v.用皮带捆扎(strap的过去式和过去分词)；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带

参考例句：

• Make sure that the child is strapped tightly into the buggy. 一定要把孩子牢牢地拴在婴儿车上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The soldiers' great coats were strapped on their packs. 战士们的厚大衣扎捆在背包上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

22 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。