NPR 2011-01-05

In response to a very public embarrassment¹ for the Pentagon, the Navy has stripped a senior officer of his command of the USS Enterprise. A disgraced captain, Owen Honors, was removed from his post this afternoon several years after he produced and showed the crew racy videos. NPR's Tom Bowman reports the commander of US fleet forces today said the videos brought Honors' character into questions.

Commander Admiral John Harvey said he talked about his profound lack of good judgment². He said, "I've lost confidence in his ability to command the Enterprise," and he told reporters that Captain Honors was being permanently³ relieved from the command of the Enterprise.

That's NPR's Tom Bowman reporting.

A judge in Texas has overturned the conviction of a man who spent 30 years in prison for the rape⁴ and robbery of a woman. NPR's Wade⁵ Goodwyn reports a DNA⁶ test has proven Cornelius Dupree Jr. innocent of the crime.

Dupree always maintained he was innocent, and DNA evidence proved him correct. Dallas has exonerated⁷ more than 21 men, nearly all black, of rape charges. The county's astonishing raids of exoneration⁸ are due to the fact that the county kept DNA evidence for decades in refrigeration units, and the state's first black district attorney has cooperated with the Innocence⁹ Project. Wade Goodwyn, NPR News, Dallas.

President Obama is back in Washington from his holiday vacation in Hawaii. He faces immediate¹⁰ tests of his power influences in a new Congress with a much stronger Republican component¹¹ rose in a town. NPR's Paul Brown reports the president is also changing his White House staff as he prepares to run for a second term.

Mr. Obama returns from his Hawaii vacation to a Republican party committed to repealing¹² his signature health care legislation, and GOP leaders say at very least they will try to take the law apart piece by piece. But if Republicans lead the House in a new Congress, Democrats¹³ have the majority if a smaller one in the Senate. The president is fresh off several legislative¹⁴ victories, including extending unemployment benefits and repealing the law banning gays from serving openly in the military. Mr. Obama is sending Senior Advisor¹⁵ David Axelrod to Chicago to manage a campaign for a second term. He's bringing his 2008 campaign manager David Plouffe to the White House. He also needs to name a new chief of staff. Paul Brown, NPR News.

A federal appeals court says it cannot decide whether California's ban on same-sex marriage is constitutional until the state's Supreme¹⁶ Court decides whether the ban's supporters can defend it when state officials won't. It stems from a ruling over the summer when then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger refused to appeal a San Francisco judge's decision to strike down the ban.

At last check on Wall Street, the Dow was up 12 points at 11,683.

This is NPR News.

This hour, President Obama's expected to sign legislation that will overhaul¹⁷ the food safety system, giving the federal government new powers over inspections¹⁸ and companies that produce tainted¹⁹ products. Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius in a conference call with reporters calls it the most significant advance in food safety in decades.

"It will bring our food safety system into the 21st century, improving health, saving lives, and helping²⁰ Americans feel confident that when they sit down at their dinner table, they won't end up in the hospital."

Former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel has cleared another hurdler in his quest to become Chicago's next mayor. NPR's Cheryl Corley reports a Cook County Circuit Court judge has ruled that Emanuel can stay on the ballot²¹.

The Chicago Board of Elections had already ruled in Emanuel's favor, and now the courts have done the same, ruling that President Obama's former chief of staff does meet the residency requirement to be an official candidate. Election law requires candidates to be a resident of Chicago for one year prior to the election, which is scheduled for February 22nd. Objectors trying to knock Emanuel off the ballot argue his time in Washington means he's not eligible²² to run for mayor. Emanuel's response: He never gave up his Chicago residency while he served in the president's administration, always intended to move back to Chicago, continued to vote and pay property taxes here too. The battle isn't over, though. Emanuel critics say they'll appeal to a higher court. Chicago Mayor Richard Daley announced in September he would not seek a seventh term. Cheryl Corley, NPR News, Chicago.

On news of more upbeat economic data out today, the Dow's up 13 points at 11,684, but the NASDAQ is off 12 at 2,680.

I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.

1 embarrassment   

n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫

参考例句：

• She could have died away with embarrassment.她窘迫得要死。
• Coughing at a concert can be a real embarrassment.在音乐会上咳嗽真会使人难堪。

2 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

3 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

4 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

5 wade   

v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉

参考例句：

• We had to wade through the river to the opposite bank.我们只好涉水过河到对岸。
• We cannot but wade across the river.我们只好趟水过去。

6 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

7 exonerated   

v.使免罪，免除( exonerate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The police report exonerated Lewis from all charges of corruption. 警方的报告免除了对刘易斯贪污的所有指控。
• An investigation exonerated the school from any blame. 一项调查证明该学校没有任何过失。 来自辞典例句

8 exoneration   

n.免罪，免除

参考例句：

• Empathy for the criminal's childhood misery does not imply exoneration of the crimes he committed as an adult. 对罪犯悲惨的童年表示怜悯不等于可以免除他长大成人后所犯的罪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Exoneration or rehabilitation should be made known as widely as were the original wrong decisions. 原来在什么范围内弄错的，也应该在什么范围内宣布平反。 来自互联网

9 innocence   

n.无罪；天真；无害

参考例句：

• There was a touching air of innocence about the boy.这个男孩有一种令人感动的天真神情。
• The accused man proved his innocence of the crime.被告人经证实无罪。

10 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

11 component   

n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的

参考例句：

• Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。

12 repealing   

撤销，废除( repeal的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• In addition, repealing the alternative minimum tax would also help. 此外，废除替代性最低税也会有所帮助。
• Repealing the investment tax credit. 取消投资税款扣除。

13 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》

14 legislative   

n.立法机构，立法权；adj.立法的，有立法权的

参考例句：

• Congress is the legislative branch of the U.S. government.国会是美国政府的立法部门。
• Today's hearing was just the first step in the legislative process.今天的听证会只是展开立法程序的第一步。

15 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

16 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。

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 inspections   

n.检查( inspection的名词复数 )；检验；视察；检阅

参考例句：

• Regular inspections are carried out at the prison. 经常有人来视察这座监狱。
• Government inspections ensure a high degree of uniformity in the standard of service. 政府检查确保了在服务标准方面的高度一致。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 tainted   

adj.腐坏的；污染的；沾污的；感染的v.使变质( taint的过去式和过去分词 )；使污染；败坏；被污染，腐坏，败坏

参考例句：

• The administration was tainted with scandal. 丑闻使得政府声名狼藉。
• He was considered tainted by association with the corrupt regime. 他因与腐败政府有牵连而名誉受损。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

21 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。

22 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。