NPR美国国家公共电台 NPR 2014-02-12(在线收听

 A proposal to reverse a cut to military pensions in last December’s budget agreement easily cleared its first procedure hurdle in the senate. As NPR’s Ailsa Chang reports many senate Republicans want to see cuts elsewhere in the budget before they vote to support the final bill. 

 
An issue is a 1% reduction in cost of living adjustment for military retirees under age 62. The current senate proposal reverses that cut but it does not offer any way to make up for the lost savings which is amount to six billion dollars over 10 years. Republican Roger Wicker of Mississippi let the bill proceed but he says he will withhold supports during the final vote if savings are not found elsewhere. 
 
What we need to stay with the six million dollars is budget saves because we have obligation to do something about the debt. 
 
Meanwhile House Republicans are looking to reverse the military pension cut in exchange for increasing the debt ceiling. Ailsa Chang, NPR News, the Capitol.
 
Federal judges in California have given that state another two years to comply with court order to reduce its prison population. As NPR’s Richard Gonzales explains the judges also appointed a compliance officer to monitor the state progress.
 
The court appointed a compliance officer will held the power to release prisoners early if the state does not meet a timetable for reducing its inmate population. California currently has more than 117,000 prisoners, houses and facilities designed to fit only 81,000 inmates. The order is a latest in the long-running legal battle over prison conditions. The order also delays in April deadline that would require the state to reduce its population by more than 5,000 prisoners. The judges say California is expected to develop other reforms including a change in sentencing laws to bring down the inmate population. Richard Gonzales, NPR News, San Francisco.
 
Looks like officials in Georgia are taking steps to make sure that what happened in the parts of that state during a winter storm last month. It is not happened when a weather system most do this week. Georgian governor Nathan Deal going ahead of issuing a state of emergency for north Georgia counties even though the storm is unlikely to beat it high until midweek. 
 
We are facing two different waves of bad weather. The first one will come in this evening and it will be followed by a second wave that at this time it appears to be more serious than the first. 
 
Warning issue is well ahead of forecast storm comes on the heels of storm the cold of Atlanta in less than two weeks ago leading the clogged highways. Drivers stuck overnight in their cars and school buses trapped.
 
AOL will announce a plan to change the way allegiant company 401K matches as it brought about faith. Company CEO Tim Armstrong in a match to employee saying we heard you want this topic. Armstrong was NNNN workers the new plans to payout the NNNN match at end of year in lump sum. He said the raising healthcare costs include what he called the birth of the two “distressed babies”. 
 
On Wall Street small gains started weeks, the DOW was up seven points.
 
This is NPR.
 
Another group of Syrian refugees have been safely evacuated from the besieged city of Homs. According to one official with the Syrian Red Crescent, upward of 300 people moved out of the city today from rebel-held neighborhoods. They have been under intense government bombardment. There are evacuations bring around a thousand number of people out the city since the Friday when a truce began in there.
 
The 4th official day of the 2014 Olympic Games have come to a close as NPR’s Sam Sanders reports the medal count is currently in the three-way tie.
 
Canada, the Netherland and Norway at the end of Sochi day four each of these countries set seven Olympic medals. The United States is right behind them with five. Monday was a very good day for Canada. Canadian Alex Bilodeau placed first in man’s moguls, a ski event. The win gives back-to-back Olympic Winter Games gold medals. Canadian Charles Hamelin also won gold in the man’s 500 meters short tracks speed game race. In biathlon, Frenchman Martin Fourcade took first in the 12.5-kilometer pursuit. Biathlon is a combination of skiing and shooting. The US did win one medal Monday. Julia Mancuso took third in Woman’s super-combined alpine skiing. On Tuesday, more medals will be handed out. Among them freestyles game, speeds game and luge. Sam Sanders, NPR News, Sochi.
 
When it come a co-operative executives giving back, last year’s winner was Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla. According to Chronicle of Philanthropy which follows co-operative giving, the couple’s donation of 18 million shares of Facebook stock that will be more than 700 million dollars top last year’s list, combine the most 50 generous donors contributed 7.7 billion dollars.
  原文地址:http://www.tingroom.com/lesson/npr2014/2/248964.html