CNN 2009-03-27

From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I am Naamua Delaney. Thanks for checking in with us and here is a look at what's happening NOW IN THE NEWS.

Today President Obama hosts an online town hall meeting to answer questions from the public about his 3.6-trillion-dollar budget, the economy and what's been done to fix it. The event is expected to begin at 11:30 AM Eastern.

Treasury¹ Secretary Timothy Geithner is back on Capitol Hill today. Geithner is expected to unveil plans to expand the power of government watchdogs, among the expected proposals setting a limit on risk-taking at companies considered vital to the nation's economy. Large firms would have to have more cash reserves on hand and the government will be given the power to take over non-banking financial institutions.

No much time to lose in Fargo, North Dakota. As residents and volunteers scramble² to fill sandbags and build dikes. The Red River could crest³ at a record of 41 feet sometime Saturday. Evacuation plans are ready just in case. North Dakota isn't the only state bracing⁴ for dangerous weather, southern states are on watch for extreme thunderstorms.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton continues her trip to Mexico to talk trade and the growing drug violence on both sides of the border. Drug cartels are blamed for more than 6200 killings⁵ in Mexico last year. Clinton says the Unite State shares the blame for Mexico's drug wars and pledge to boost cooperation to improve security in both countries.

Ahead of next week's G-20 summit, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is in Brazil where he is to meet with the country's president. His visit comes on the heels of his stop in New York and at the UN where he denounced corporate⁶ greed and protectionism. He also called for a coordinated⁷ response to reshape the world economic order and its regulatory structure.

IBM is expected to announce that it plans to lay off about 5,000 employees; these cuts make up four percent of IBM's workforce⁸ in the United States. This comes after January layoffs⁹ when IBM cut thousands of workers.

All right, be sure to stick with CNN.com 24/7 for news from around world and of course we will have updates right here throughout the day.

1 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

2 scramble   

v.爬行，攀爬，杂乱蔓延，碎片，片段，废料

参考例句：

• He broke his leg in his scramble down the wall.他爬墙摔断了腿。
• It was a long scramble to the top of the hill.到山顶须要爬登一段长路。

3 crest   

n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖

参考例句：

• The rooster bristled his crest.公鸡竖起了鸡冠。
• He reached the crest of the hill before dawn.他于黎明前到达山顶。

4 bracing   

adj.令人振奋的

参考例句：

• The country is bracing itself for the threatened enemy invasion. 这个国家正准备奋起抵抗敌人的入侵威胁。
• The atmosphere in the new government was bracing. 新政府的气氛是令人振奋的。

5 killings   

谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发

参考例句：

• His statement was seen as an allusion to the recent drug-related killings. 他的声明被视为暗指最近与毒品有关的多起凶杀案。
• The government issued a statement condemning the killings. 政府发表声明谴责这些凶杀事件。

6 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

7 coordinated   

adj.协调的

参考例句：

• The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

8 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

9 layoffs   

临时解雇( layoff的名词复数 )； 停工，停止活动

参考例句：

• Textile companies announced 2000 fresh layoffs last week. 各纺织公司上周宣布再次裁员两千人。
• Stock prices broke when the firm suddenly announced layoffs. 当公司突然宣布裁员时，股票价格便大跌