NPR 2010-04-14

President Obama is urging world leaders who’re meeting in Washington today to act and not just talk about safeguarding nuclear materials. NPR’s Scott Horsley has more.

 

President Obama called nuclear terrorism one of the greatest threats to global security. And it’s a threat, he says, no one country can solve on its own. Enriched uranium and plutonium is now scattered¹ around dozens of countries. Mr. Obama warned unless steps are taken to safeguard that material, it could wind up in the wrong hands with deadly results.

 

“Terrorist networks, such as al-Qaeda, have tried to acquire the material for a nuclear weapon, and if they ever succeeded, they would surely use it.”

 

The U.S. has agreed to help other countries secure or get rid of nuclear stocks with money and technical advice. Leaders are planning a follow-up meeting in South Korea in two years. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.

 

The White House says the president will go to Poland this weekend to attend the funeral of the late Polish President Lech Kaczynski. The Polish leader, his wife and 94 other people died in a plane crash in Russia last weekend. The president will travel to Krakow, Poland on Saturday night for the Sunday funeral. Mr. Obama also plans to meet with Senate leaders from both parties next week to discuss a Supreme² Court nomination³. As NPR’s Ari Shapiro reports, the president is vetting⁴ people to replace retiring Justice John Paul Stevens.

 

Next Wednesday morning, four key senators will visit the White House. Majority Leader Harry⁵ Reid of Nevada and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, along with Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy from Vermont and Ranking Member Jeff Sessions of Alabama. President Obama hosted a similar meeting a year ago before he nominated Sonia Sotomayor to replace retiring Justice David Souter. This week, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs knocked down rumors⁶ that a nomination could come right away.

 

“Look, guys, we will have many weeks to spin the big wheel and play the name game.”

 

He then repeated “many weeks”. Justice Stevens said he would like to see his replacement⁷ confirmed over the summer, and President Obama and Senator Leahy say they share that goal. Ari Shapiro, NPR News, Washington.

 

West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin says he’s asked a former federal mine official to lead a state investigation⁸ of the disaster at the Upper Big Branch mine. Twenty-nine miners were killed there in an explosion last week. The body of the last victim was taken from the mine before dawn today. Manchin told the Associated Press he is asking J. Davitt McAteer to become his special advisor⁹ on the incident.

 

Consumer Reports magazine is urging motorists to avoid buying a certain Toyota model, the Lexus GX 460. The magazine testers say that in certain conditions the rear part of the car slides and could roll over in an accident. Consumer Reports rated the car “don’t buy”. Toyota says it will meet with the automotive testers and emphasizes that the car meets U.S. government testing requirements.

 

On Wall Street just before the close, the Dow was up 14 at 11,020.

 

This is NPR.

 

A new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association pinpoints¹⁰ specific epilepsy drugs that may be associated with suicidal thoughts and actions. NPR’s Joanne Silberner has more.

 

The association between epilepsy drugs and a low but measurable risk of suicidal thoughts and actions has been known for several years. Harvard Medical School researchers identified 827 suicide attempts or actual suicides among several hundred thousand people using anticonvulsant medications, and they found a range of risks depending on the drug. Among the highest were oxcarbazepine and tiagabine. Gabapentin (Neurontin) was also on the list. The lowest risk was topiramate. The risk might be worth it for epilepsy, they say, but people taking the drugs for chronic¹¹ pain or bipolar disease might want to consider different drugs, and they caution people should talk to their doctors before making any changes. Joanne Silberner, NPR News.

 

Astronauts in the space shuttle Discovery have installed a new storage tank on the International Space Station. It carries ammonia, but there’s been a glitch—one of the tank’s valves is stuck and the tank can’t be pressurized properly. NASA engineers are working on the problem.

 

The Commerce Department reports the U.S. trade deficit¹² grew in February. Consumers bought more goods from overseas, such as electronic devices. The difference between what the U.S. sold overseas and what it imported was nearly 7.5%. The gain in imports suggests consumers are spending more money, and that in turn points to a recovery in consumer spending. That’s good news for the struggling U.S. economy.

 

1 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

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 nomination   

n.提名，任命，提名权

参考例句：

• John is favourite to get the nomination for club president.约翰最有希望被提名为俱乐部主席。
• Few people pronounced for his nomination.很少人表示赞成他的提名。

4 vetting   

n.数据检查[核对，核实]v.审查（某人过去的记录、资格等）( vet的现在分词 )；调查；检查；诊疗

参考例句：

• Scripts had to be submitted to Ministry of Information officials for vetting. 必须把脚本提交给信息部官员审查。 来自互联网
• Their purpose in clicking deeper into a site is one of vetting. 他们深入点击网站的目的是一种诊疗。 来自互联网

5 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

6 rumors   

n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷

参考例句：

• Rumors have it that the school was burned down. 有谣言说学校给烧掉了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Rumors of a revolt were afloat. 叛变的谣言四起。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

8 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

9 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

10 pinpoints   

准确地找出或描述( pinpoint的第三人称单数 )； 为…准确定位

参考例句：

• The bombs hit the pinpoints at which they were aimed. 炸弹精确地击中了目标。
• There's really no point in arguing about pinpoints. 为芝麻绿豆般的小事争论实在毫无意义。

11 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

12 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。