NPR 2009-06-17

President Obama is weighing in today on the disputed presidential race in Iran, though he also appears to be treading cautiously, not wanting to, as he put it, meddle¹ in Iranian politics. President said he welcomed the decision by Iran's supreme² leader to examine the vote count between incumbent³ Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and moderate candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi. Though in an interview with CNBC today, the president also said he is not sure there is a huge difference between the two.

"The difference between Ahmadinejad and Mousavi in terms of their actual policies may not be as great as has been advertised. Either way we are going to be dealing⁴ with an Iranian regime that has historically been hostile to the United States."

President's comments come as thousands of Mousavi's supporters took to the streets of Tehran for a second day to protest the election results.

Responding to concerns expressed by officials about the legitimacy⁵ of Friday's presidential election in Iran, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister says that while he does not believe there was any fraud, he cannot say for sure. Alison Roberts reports from Lisbon.

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Mehdi Safari⁶ had a ready response for US officials questioning his country's election results.

"Obama should talk about the other countries. They respect him, but they don't have the freedom of speech. In Iran, it is a democracy. The people have participated."

Speaking to Portugal's Radio Renascenca, Safari said that while he believes there was no fraud in Friday's election, he is not himself in a position to judge. The ongoing⁷ demonstrations⁸ against the declared results are legitimate⁹ if unauthorized, he said, but arson¹⁰ or violence must be punished and foreign governments stop trying to manipulate the situation. He cited declared turnout of over 80%, more than twice that in the recent European parliament election, has proved that Iran's vote was the more democratic. For NPR News, I'm Alison Roberts in Lisbon.

General Motors has reached a tentative deal to sell its Saab division. Jerome Vaughn of member station WDET has more.

GM has signed a memorandum¹² of understanding with Koenigsegg Automotive for the purchase of Saab. The purchase price has not been released. Koenigsegg is a small maker¹³ of expensive sports cars in Sweden. The company has just 45 employees. It will take over Saab which has about 3,400 employees. Saab filed for bankruptcy¹⁴ protection in Sweden in February. General Motors followed suit in the US earlier this month. GM's restructuring plan includes the sale or elimination¹⁵ of the Saab, Hummer, Pontiac and Saturn¹⁶ brands. The European Investment Bank is expected to provide about $600 million in funding for the Saab sale. GM says the deal should be completed by the end of the third quarter. For NPR News, I'm Jerome Vaughn in Detroit.

Republican senator John Ensign has reportedly admitted to having an extramarital affair with a member of his campaign staff. In a statement to the Associated Press today, the Nevada republican said "I deeply regret and I’m very sorry for my actions." Ensign has been considering a presidential bid in 2012.

This is NPR.

The price tag for President Obama's overhaul¹⁷ of the nation's healthcare system keeps climbing with the latest analysis by a couple of senate sources, putting the cost at a whopping $1.6 trillion over ten years. Senate staffers-one democrat¹¹ and one republican submitted their estimates today. Earlier this week, a budget officer has said a senate committee version of healthcare reform would cost about a trillion dollars over ten years while only covering about a third of the 50 million people in the US who currently lack health insurance.

Bond has been raised $15 million and a hearing has been continued for the man accused in the shooting death of abortion¹⁸ provider Dr. George Tiller in Kansas. From member station KMUW in Wichita, Carla Eckels reports.

51-year-old Scott Roeder remains¹⁹ jailed in Wichita on a 20 million dollar bond at an amount raised from five million. A transcript²⁰ has been released of a recent telephone call between attorneys and a judge in the case of Roeder. And the document makes public for the first time why the Missouri man's bond was raised. Judge Warren Wilbert cited comments Roeder made to news media about other possible anti-abortion events. Roeder told the Associated Press that he knows there are many other similar events planned around the country as long as abortion remains legal. Sedgwick County district attorney Nola Foulston told the judge prosecutors²¹ were concerned about community safety because Roeder can reach out to several people and blogs. The new day for Roeder's preliminary hearing is June 30th. For NPR News, I'm Carla Eckels in Wichita.

On Wall Street today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 107 points to close at 8,504. The NASDAQ was down 20 points today.

I'm Jack²² Speer, NPR News in Washington.

1 meddle   

v.干预，干涉，插手

参考例句：

• I hope he doesn't try to meddle in my affairs.我希望他不来干预我的事情。
• Do not meddle in things that do not concern you.别参与和自己无关的事。

2 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。

3 incumbent   

adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的

参考例句：

• He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
• It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。

4 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

5 legitimacy   

n.合法，正当

参考例句：

• The newspaper was directly challenging the government's legitimacy.报纸直接质疑政府的合法性。
• Managing from the top down,we operate with full legitimacy.我们进行由上而下的管理有充分的合法性。

6 safari   

n.远征旅行(探险、考察)；探险队，狩猎队

参考例句：

• When we go on safari we like to cook on an open fire.我们远行狩猎时，喜欢露天生火做饭。
• They went on safari searching for the rare black rhinoceros.他们进行探险旅行，搜寻那稀有的黑犀牛。

7 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

8 demonstrations   

证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威

参考例句：

• Lectures will be interspersed with practical demonstrations. 讲课中将不时插入实际示范。
• The new military government has banned strikes and demonstrations. 新的军人政府禁止罢工和示威活动。

9 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

10 arson   

n.纵火，放火

参考例句：

• He was serving a ten spot for arson.他因纵火罪在服十年徒刑。
• He was arraigned on a charge of arson.他因被指控犯纵火罪而被传讯。

11 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

12 memorandum   

n.备忘录，便笺

参考例句：

• The memorandum was dated 23 August,2008.备忘录上注明的日期是2008年8月23日。
• The Secretary notes down the date of the meeting in her memorandum book.秘书把会议日期都写在记事本上。

13 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

14 bankruptcy   

n.破产；无偿付能力

参考例句：

• You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
• His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。

15 elimination   

n.排除，消除，消灭

参考例句：

• Their elimination from the competition was a great surprise.他们在比赛中遭到淘汰是个很大的意外。
• I was eliminated from the 400 metres in the semi-finals.我在400米半决赛中被淘汰。

16 Saturn   

n.农神，土星

参考例句：

• Astronomers used to ask why only Saturn has rings.天文学家们过去一直感到奇怪，为什么只有土星有光环。
• These comparisons suggested that Saturn is made of lighter materials.这些比较告诉我们，土星由较轻的物质构成。

17 overhaul   

v./n.大修，仔细检查

参考例句：

• Master Worker Wang is responsible for the overhaul of this grinder.王师傅主修这台磨床。
• It is generally appreciated that the rail network needs a complete overhaul.众所周知，铁路系统需要大检修。

18 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

19 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

20 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

21 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

22 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。