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1. Gay marriage advocates are celebrating their victory in Connecticut today. A judge issued a final ruling allowing same-sex couples to marry. Within minutes, the New Haven¹ City clerk began issuing marriage licenses² and at least one ceremony has already taken place.

2. Treasury³ Secretary Henry Paulson says the 700-billion-dollar Wall Street rescue plan has a new goal. Instead of buying troubled assets, the money will be used to prop⁴ up financial markets that provide consumer credit like car and student loans. The consumer credit market has been frozen since Wall Street's September meltdown.

3. Louisiana authorities say a woman recruited for a Ku Klux Klan initiation⁵ ritual was shot and killed after she tried to back out. Forty-four-year-old Raymond Foster is charged with second-degree murder. Seven other people are also being held in connection with the case.

4. This isn't the comic book Spiderman. Skyscraper⁶ climber Alain Robert scaled a 33-story building in 45 minutes in Jakarta, Indonesia. He accomplished⁷ the feat⁸ with only his bear hands and without any safety equipment to the delight of hundreds of spectators.

WORDS IN THE NEWS

1. prop up: phr v.

to help an economy, industry, or government so that it can continue to exist, especially by giving money

2. Ku Klux Klan: 三K党

a secret American political organization of Protestant white men who oppose people of other races or religions

3. back out: phr v.

to decide not to do something that you had promised to do.