美国有线新闻 CNN 2013-11-27（在线收听）

 In Congress, the so called nuclear option doesn't refer to weapons. It refers to a procedure rule in the US Senate. It takes a simple majority, 51 votes. For the Senate to confirm the presidential nominee but it takes 60 votes to hold the confirmation vote or it used to. Yesterday, the Senate passed the nuclear option. Now, vote to vote only takes 51. The idea of requiring 60 votes was ensure to debate in the US Senate. To make sure that minority party in the Senate right now, Republican didn't give muscled out by the majority party, right now the Democrats. Some senators arguing that 60 votes requirement was stopping anything from getting done. The new 51 vote rule only applies to executive judicial nominees, not to supreme court nominees and remember, the majority party won't be the majority forever. When the power shift happens, senators from that party would get to experience the other side of this nuclear option rule. Next up, a potential deal between the US and Afghanistan. American forces were first sent to that country after the 911 terrorist attack in 2001. Sine he was elected, President Obama has promised to end that US combat mission in Afghanistan by the end of 2014. The White House says that time frame is still on track but this mean deal could mean some American forces in Afghanistan after 2014.