CNN 2009-04-17

Good morning from the CNN Center here in Atlanta, I'm Melissa Long. It is Thursday, April 16th. Here is a look at some of the stories making news this morning.

It's been a long week for the crew of the Maersk Alabama. They are finally back home. The nineteen men were reunited with their families at Andrews Air Force Base overnight and then they were whisked away to a hotel to have some privacy. Their skipper, who was taken hostage by those pirates, now awaits the final leg of his journey home. Captain Richard Phillips arrived in Kenya as the USS Bainbridge blared "Sweet Home Alabama". Phillips is finally off the ship and in the hands of Maersk which has chartered a flight to bring him back to the United States.

President Obama is bound for Mexico for a meeting with his counterpart. It's his first trip to Latin America as president. Issues on the agenda include border drug violence. More than 10,000 people have been killed there in drug-related violence since 2006.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is traveling to Haiti. She is there on the heels of welcome news. The impoverished¹ nation is about to receive 324 million dollars in international pledges. Yesterday, Haiti's prime minister said her country needs even more help, but the commitment is more than she expected in this global recession.

The hot button issue same sex marriage now on the front burner in the state of New York, Governor David Paterson has just introduced a bill to legalize same-sex marriages. Now this measure died in 2007 and still faces strong opposition². Gays and lesbians can already marry across the border in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont.

Friends and family in Tracy California will remember eight-year-old Sandra Cantu at a memorial service today. The eight-year-old disappeared in March. Her body was found last week in a suitcase. Police have charged the mother of one of Sandra's friends with killing³ her.

You are up-to-date on the big stories of this Thursday, April 16th. Do stick with CNN and CNN.com for news from all around the world.

1 impoverished   

adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化

参考例句：

• the impoverished areas of the city 这个城市的贫民区
• They were impoverished by a prolonged spell of unemployment. 他们因长期失业而一贫如洗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

3 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。