NPR 2012-01-31

 The leading Republican presidential candidates, Mitt¹ Romney and Newt Gingrich, are keeping up their verbal attacks as Floridians prepare to vote in tomorrow's potentially game-changing primary. Meanwhile, a new report shows that unregulated Super PACs are outspending the candidates on TV ads in the Republican race. NPR's Peter Overby says the findings come from the Wesleyan Media Project at Wesleyan University in Connecticut.

 

The media project says the Super PACs fueled by unregulated contributions spent 15 million dollars this month alone. Political scientist Erika Franklin Fowler's in charge of the project. She says the Mitt Romney campaign and the pro-Romney Super PAC Restore Our Future are dominating the airwaves.

 

"Let's talk about campus. Romney had over 2,000 spots in that media market alone, compared to 51 for Gingrich."

 

The Super PAC supporting Newt Gingrich got a five-million-dollar contribution last week, but that money is just now showing up on TV. Peter Overby, NPR News, Washington.

 

Several Americans are sheltering in the US embassy in Cairo, waiting for permission to leave the country in the wake of a growing dispute between the US and Egypt. State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland explains the embassy's unusual decision.

 

"They’re in the embassy because they feel that they are more comfortable there in this circumstance where they had sought to leave the country and they are unable to do so."

 

Concern's rising after Egypt's military rulers began to crackdown on non-governmental organizations, and several of the groups are US-funded.

 

Belgium's biggest trade unions are on strike across the country. They’re demanding that European Union leaders meeting today in Brussels scale back austerity measures. The strike has caused some disruption to travel. Brussels International Airport reported flight delays and cancellations. 

 

European leaders gathering² for today's summit are expected to sign off on a new treaty that has been under discussion for nearly a year. John Psaropoulos reports from Athens the treaty aims to impose stricter economic governance in the eurozone by preventing excessive deficits³.

 

The treaty would bind⁴ eurozone member states to almost zero deficits, just half a point of GDP, a far cry from the three points allowed until now. According to a draft of the treaty, they will also have to lower their overall national debt by about 5% a year. Sanctions for deviance include loss of European subsidies⁵ and penalties. In theory, this fiscal⁶ discipline is preventive medicine to stop other eurozone members from falling into Greece's debt trap. Greece now faces debt of more than 160% of GDP, considered on sustainable. It has reached a tentative agreement with private sector⁷ bondholders to write off almost three quarters of that debt. But critics of the new fiscal rules doubt they are enforceable. For NPR News, I'm John Psaropoulos in Athens.

 

At last check on Wall Street, Dow was down 39 points at 12,622.

 

You’re listening to NPR News.

 

The East Haven⁸, Connecticut police chief reportedly is retiring after four officers were accused of systematically⁹ mistreating Latino residents. Chief Leonard Gallo's attorney says the retirement¹⁰ takes effect February 10th.

 

The Associated Press is reporting more than 100 people were hurt in a 6.3 magnitude earthquake in Peru. However, the injuries are said to be minor¹¹. The quake hit along the county's central coast about 170 miles south of Lima.

 

Florida authorities are still trying to determine what caused the pile-ups south of Gainesville on Interstate 75 that led to the deaths of at least ten people. As Florida Public Radio's Trimmel Gomes reports, even up until this morning, highway patrol had to order the lane closures of the highway due to fog and smoke.

 

The highway on Sunday had been closed for a time before the accidents because of the mixture of fog and heavy smoke from a brush fire that may have been intentionally¹² set. Lieutenant¹³ Pat Riordan with the Florida Highway Patrol says road closures could continue tonight if there is limited visibility.

 

"Expect delays, and if you can take a different route by all moves, you know, there are some other main roads that are, you know, leading through or for. You got our 95 on the East Coast. Yet, you had 19 on the West Coast."

 

At least a dozen cars and 16 tractor-trailers were involved in the deadly crashes. Investigators¹⁴ are still trying to find out who may have caused the brush fire since there were no prescribed burns or lightening in the area. For NPR News, I'm Trimmel Gomes. 

 

Big tech companies banding together to block email phishing scams in which legitimate-looking emails are sent to users to trick them into giving away personal information. The companies are proposing a system known as DMARC.

1 mitt   

n.棒球手套，拳击手套，无指手套；vt.铐住，握手

参考例句：

• I gave him a baseball mitt for his birthday.为祝贺他的生日，我送给他一只棒球手套。
• Tom squeezed a mitt and a glove into the bag.汤姆把棒球手套和手套都塞进袋子里。

2 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

3 deficits   

n.不足额( deficit的名词复数 )；赤字；亏空；亏损

参考例句：

• The Ministry of Finance consistently overestimated its budget deficits. 财政部一贯高估预算赤字。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Many of the world's farmers are also incurring economic deficits. 世界上许多农民还在遭受经济上的亏损。 来自辞典例句

4 bind   

vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬

参考例句：

• I will let the waiter bind up the parcel for you.我让服务生帮你把包裹包起来。
• He wants a shirt that does not bind him.他要一件不使他觉得过紧的衬衫。

5 subsidies   

n.补贴，津贴，补助金( subsidy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• European agriculture ministers failed to break the deadlock over farm subsidies. 欧洲各国农业部长在农业补贴问题上未能打破僵局。
• Agricultural subsidies absorb about half the EU's income. 农业补贴占去了欧盟收入的大约一半。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

7 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

8 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

9 systematically   

adv.有系统地

参考例句：

• This government has systematically run down public services since it took office.这一屆政府自上台以来系统地削减了公共服务。
• The rainforest is being systematically destroyed.雨林正被系统地毀灭。

10 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

11 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

12 intentionally   

ad.故意地，有意地

参考例句：

• I didn't say it intentionally. 我是无心说的。
• The local authority ruled that he had made himself intentionally homeless and was therefore not entitled to be rehoused. 当地政府裁定他是有意居无定所，因此没有资格再获得提供住房。

13 lieutenant   

n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员

参考例句：

• He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
• He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官，递上了一张简短的便条进去。

14 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》