NPR 2009-07-01

After a long battle, Republican Norm Coleman has conceded defeat to Democrat¹ Al Franken in Minnesota Senate race. That follows a state Supreme² Court ruling in favor of Franken today. NPR's Cathy Shaw reports.

The unanimous court ruling came after an extended battle between Franken and Republican Norm Coleman. Coleman, a one-term senator, conceded this afternoon at a press conference in St. Paul. It ended close to eight months of recounts and legal challenges.

"The Supreme Court of Minnesota has spoken. I respect its decision and I will abide³ by its result. It's time for Minnesotans to come together under the leader it has chosen and move forward."

Franken, a former comedian⁴ and "Saturday Night Live" star won the 2008 election by 312 votes out of close to three million cast. The victory opens a way for him to be seated next week when the Senate returns after the July 4th holiday. He will give the Democrats⁵ control of 60 seats. That's enough to overcome Republican filibusters⁶ if the Democrats stay united and that is a big if. Cathy Shaw NPR News.

Health experts are rejecting a call to pull NyQuil and a number of other medications that combine acetaminophen with other drugs off the market. But they say drugs such as Vicodin and Percocet which combine the popular painkiller⁷ with stronger medicines should be eliminated because of their role in deadly overdoses. The decision by the Food and Drug Administration panel came at a 20 to 17 vote today. The use of acetaminophen is the leading cause of liver damage in the US, sending 56,000 people a year to hospital emergency rooms. The FDA has been looking at ways to rein⁸ that in.

The top US commander in Iraq says he is personally encouraged by the departure today of US troops from Iraqi cities. General Ray Odierno says he is hopeful that Iraq will emerge as a stable long-term partner of the US. More from NPR's Mary Louise Kelly.

General Odierno briefed reporters via a video conference from Camp Victory on the outskirts⁹ of Baghdad. Asked for his personal thoughts as he watched US troops exiting Iraq's cities, the general said he remembers the dark days of 2006 when he first arrived in Iraq as a corps¹⁰ commander.

"When the violence was so high, it was hard to see a way out. Today, I have a lot of hope that Iraq is gonna be able to move forward as a secure stable sovereign Iraq."

That could be a partner for the US in the Middle East. Still General Odierno acknowledged there is a lot of hard work ahead as the US moves toward the larger deadline of pulling all US troops out of Iraq by the end of 2011. Mary Louise Kelly, NPR News, Washington.

Consumers were a bit less confident this month. That’s according to a key business research group. The New York-based Conference Board in its monthly assessment¹¹ of consumer confidence says its index fell from 54.8 to 49.3.

On Wall Street today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 82 points.

This is NPR.

A North Korean vessel¹² that was tracked for days by a US warship¹³ is headed back the way it came. Though still not clear is whether the ship is returning to North Korea. The vessel which left North Korean port earlier this month is suspected of carrying illicit¹⁴ weapons and is the first vessel monitored under new UN sanctions put in place to punish the country for a recent nuclear test as well as missile firings. A US official says it's believed the ship was headed to Myanmar. The ship was off the coast of Vietnam at last word.

The federal government has put aside $154 million from its economic stimulus¹⁵ package to clean up and restore water ways in costal areas. NPR's Christopher Joyce reports.

When Congress included coastal¹⁶ projects in this stimulus package, environmental groups in coastal states flooded the government with projects and ideas. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric¹⁷ Administration has now selected 50 projects from 800 proposals. These projects range from tearing down old dams and levees that block waterways and wetlands to removing abandoned fishing nets and traps that continue to kill fish. And millions of dollars will be spent to clear algae¹⁸ from coral reefs and rebuild the shellfish beds that have been damaged by pollution. Recent scientific study say shellfish beds and underwater grasses in coastal waters are in steep decline, a trend NOAA officials hope to reverse. Christopher Joyce, NPR News.

President Obama said today a new consumer financial protection agency being launched by his administration is designed to protect Americans from unscrupulous practices by financial firms. It will also make sure financial products sold by those companies and individuals are easier to understand. The president said today he sent a proposal to Congress that would create a new agency which has the role of making sure the information about mortgages is simple.

1 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

2 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。

3 abide   

vi.遵守；坚持；vt.忍受

参考例句：

• You must abide by the results of your mistakes.你必须承担你的错误所造成的后果。
• If you join the club,you have to abide by its rules.如果你参加俱乐部，你就得遵守它的规章。

4 comedian   

n.喜剧演员；滑稽演员

参考例句：

• The comedian tickled the crowd with his jokes.喜剧演员的笑话把人们逗乐了。
• The comedian enjoyed great popularity during the 30's.那位喜剧演员在三十年代非常走红。

5 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》

6 filibusters   

n.掠夺兵( filibuster的名词复数 )；暴兵；（用冗长的发言）阻挠议事的议员；会议妨碍行为v.阻碍或延宕国会或其他立法机构通过提案( filibuster的第三人称单数 )；掠夺

参考例句：

• This Republican leadership has waged 78 filibusters and we still have six months to go. 而这届参议院上台才一年半，共和党领导层已经应用了78次。 来自互联网
• Yes, there were filibusters in the past-most notably by segregationists trying to block civil rights legislation. 没错，过去也有使用阻挠立法手段的——尤其是种族隔离分子阻止民权法案使用过。 来自互联网

7 painkiller   

n.止痛药

参考例句：

• I shall persuade him to take the painkiller.我将说服他把药吃下去。
• The painkiller only provides him a short respite from his pain.止痛药仅仅让他在疼痛中有短暂的疏解。

8 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。

9 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

10 corps   

n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组

参考例句：

• The medical corps were cited for bravery in combat.医疗队由于在战场上的英勇表现而受嘉奖。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

11 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

12 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

13 warship   

n.军舰，战舰

参考例句：

• He is serving on a warship in the Pacific.他在太平洋海域的一艘军舰上服役。
• The warship was making towards the pier.军舰正驶向码头。

14 illicit   

adj.非法的，禁止的，不正当的

参考例句：

• He had an illicit association with Jane.他和简曾有过不正当关系。
• Seizures of illicit drugs have increased by 30% this year.今年违禁药品的扣押增长了30%。

15 stimulus   

n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物

参考例句：

• Regard each failure as a stimulus to further efforts.把每次失利看成对进一步努力的激励。
• Light is a stimulus to growth in plants.光是促进植物生长的一个因素。

16 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

17 atmospheric   

adj.大气的，空气的；大气层的；大气所引起的

参考例句：

• Sea surface temperatures and atmospheric circulation are strongly coupled.海洋表面温度与大气环流是密切相关的。
• Clouds return radiant energy to the surface primarily via the atmospheric window.云主要通过大气窗区向地表辐射能量。

18 algae   

n.水藻，海藻

参考例句：

• Most algae live in water.多数藻类生长在水中。
• Algae grow and spread quickly in the lake.湖中水藻滋蔓。