NPR 2010-05-20

Senators are voting this afternoon on whether to wrap up debate on a financial regulatory overhaul¹ bill. There's NPR's Audie Cornish.

If senators vote to limit debate, then only amendments² that are key to the issue of the financial industry bill will be allowed. The goal, says Majority Leader Harry³ Reid, is to pass the bill as soon as possible. The legislation tries to create a system for dissolving failing financial giants and creates a consumer-oriented agency to safeguard mortgages and other loans. But Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says the bill ignores areas ripe for reform, like the struggling mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

"So they can call this bill whatever they want, but there's no way, no way it can be viewed as a serious effort to rein⁵ in Wall Street or to address the problems that caused the crisis."

A final vote on passage of the bill could come by the end of the week. Audie Cornish, NPR News, the Capitol.

Communities in the states along the Gulf⁶ Coast should expect more than just long-term environmental effects from the BP oil spill. NPR's David Schaper reports from New Orleans on a new economic forecast for the Gulf region.

A new report from Moody's Investors⁷ Services indicates that the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is already triggering an increase in spending in Gulf Coast communities related to clean-up and containment⁸ operations, creating a short-term boost to local economies. But the economic outlook is much more grim in the long term. While the report cautions that the long-term impact is still somewhat uncertain, economists⁹ say Gulf Coast communities that are heavily relied on tourism and sales taxes may see those revenues decline in the future. Property tax values could also decline along the Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida coast, and the negative impacts on those revenue streams to cities, towns, counties and school districts could hurt their credit ratings, too. That would mean higher interest rates if and when they try to borrow money. David Schaper, NPR News, New Orleans.

The oil slick in the Gulf has prompted rare talks between the US and Cuba. State Department officials say they've been holding working level talks to discuss the island's readiness. Shifting ocean currents have some scientists worry that the massive oil slick in the Gulf will end up heading south toward the Florida Keys, Cuba and eventually up the East Coast.

President Obama says he could use some help from Republicans in order to get an overhaul of the nation's immigration laws through Congress.

"If they're willing to come forward and get a working group and get this moving, I'm actually confident that we can get it done, and the American people—including the people of Arizona—are going to prefer that the federal government takes responsibility and does what it's supposed to do."

Mr. Obama was speaking at a joint¹⁰ news conference with Mexican President Felipe Calderon. Both leaders were critical of Arizona's controversial immigration law, but the president said it's a response to Washington's inaction on the issue.

Stocks have been slipping today on more worries about the global economy. The Dow Jones Industrial Average just before the close down 40 points at 10,470.

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Three American women whose children have been held in Iran since their arrest last July have arrived in the Iranian capital. The Iranian government says it's allowing them to visit their children as a humanitarian¹¹ act. Iran has accused the children of spying. A lawyer for the mothers is expressing hope though that the three Americans might soon go free.

Arizona's new immigration law isn't the only issue facing the state. Voters there have overwhelmingly approved a tax increase to help fund education, health care and public safety. NPR's Ted⁴ Robbins has details on the tax hike.

The rest of the country have been watching Arizona deal with its tough new immigration enforcement law. But the state has also been dealing¹² with one of the worst budget crises in the nation. The Arizona legislature would not vote to increase revenue, but it did put the question on the ballot¹³. Arizona voters Tuesday agreed to raise the state's sales tax by one cent. The vote was not close. The tax hike passed by a nearly two-to-one margin¹⁴. The tax is expected to bring in nearly a billion dollars in its first year. The increase expires in three years. Most of the money raised will go to public schools which have seen major cuts over the last few years. Ted Robbins, NPR News, Tucson.

Federal Reserve officials are offering a somewhat brighter view of the economy than they did at the start of the year. Fed officials say in a new forecast that they think the economy can grow by up to 3.7% this year, and the latest forecast sees the unemployment rate dipping to as low as 9.1% by year's end that's currently at 9.9%.

Again, stocks have been slipping today. The NASDAQ down 14; the S&P 500 down three.
 

1 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。

2 amendments   

（法律、文件的）改动( amendment的名词复数 )； 修正案； 修改； （美国宪法的）修正案

参考例句：

• The committee does not adequately consult others when drafting amendments. 委员会在起草修正案时没有充分征求他人的意见。
• Please propose amendments and addenda to the first draft of the document. 请对这个文件的初稿提出修改和补充意见。

3 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

4 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

5 rein   

n.疆绳，统治，支配；vt.以僵绳控制，统治

参考例句：

• The horse answered to the slightest pull on the rein.只要缰绳轻轻一拉,马就作出反应。
• He never drew rein for a moment till he reached the river.他一刻不停地一直跑到河边。

6 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

7 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

8 containment   

n.阻止，遏制；容量

参考例句：

• Your list might include such things as cost containment,quality,or customer satisfaction.你的清单上应列有诸如成本控制、产品质量、客户满意程度等内容。
• Insularity and self-containment,it is argued,go hand in hand.他们争论说，心胸狭窄和自我封闭是并存的。

9 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

11 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

12 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。

13 ballot   

n.（不记名）投票，投票总数，投票权；vi.投票

参考例句：

• The members have demanded a ballot.会员们要求投票表决。
• The union said they will ballot members on whether to strike.工会称他们将要求会员投票表决是否罢工。

14 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。