CNN 2009-03-20

Good morning, from the CNN Center in Atlanta, I’m Reggie Aqui. Thanks for checking in. Here is what’s happening NOW IN THE NWES.

From outrage¹ to plans for punishment, lawmakers are now trying to fix the AIG bailout fallout. AIG CEO Edward Liddy says he’s asked those who received $100,000 or more in bonuses to return at least half of it, but he says he will not release the names of those executives for their own safety.

New jobless claims numbers are out just this morning. And the Labor² Department reports new jobless claims actually fell last week to 646,000, but it is definitely no time to celebrate. Continuing claims hit another record high, with about 5.5 million people are now drawing unemployment benefits for more than one week.

It was six years ago this week that President Bush announced the invasion of Iraq. It was in the early hours of March 20th, 2003 when coalition³ forces launched air strikes against key targets of Saddam Hussein’s regime, not long after that, ground forces moved into Iraq from Kuwait. Last month, President Obama released a timeline for the drawdown of the US military presence in Iraq.

And an audio recording⁴ purported⁵ to be from the Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin⁶ Laden⁷ has been now posted online. On that recording, the voice on the tape calls for Somalia’s new president to be overthrown⁸. The voice also talks about America’s so-called confrontation⁹ with Islam across the Middle East, including Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Back to home now, a federal appeals court will hear arguments later today to decide whether Bernard Madoff should be, should remain in prison before his sentencing in June. He faces up to 150 years behind bars for his role in a multi-billion-dollar Ponzi scheme. Meanwhile, Madoff’s accountant was released from custody¹⁰ Wednesday after turning himself in on fraud charges in connection to the Madoff case.

And that’s what’s happening in the news right now. Please stick with us here at CNN and CNN.com/live as we bring you the news updates throughout the day.

1 outrage   

n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒

参考例句：

• When he heard the news he reacted with a sense of outrage.他得悉此事时义愤填膺。
• We should never forget the outrage committed by the Japanese invaders.我们永远都不应该忘记日本侵略者犯下的暴行。

2 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

3 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。

4 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

5 purported   

adj.传说的，谣传的v.声称是…，（装得）像是…的样子( purport的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• the scene of the purported crime 传闻中的罪案发生地点
• The film purported to represent the lives of ordinary people. 这部影片声称旨在表现普通人的生活。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

7 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

8 overthrown   

adj. 打翻的，推倒的，倾覆的 动词overthrow的过去分词

参考例句：

• The president was overthrown in a military coup. 总统在军事政变中被赶下台。
• He has overthrown the basic standards of morality. 他已摒弃了基本的道德标准。

9 confrontation   

n.对抗，对峙，冲突

参考例句：

• We can't risk another confrontation with the union.我们不能冒再次同工会对抗的危险。
• After years of confrontation,they finally have achieved a modus vivendi.在对抗很长时间后，他们最后达成安宁生存的非正式协议。

10 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。