NPR 2008-06-06

Defense¹ Secretary Robert Gates has ousted² the Air Force's top military and civilian³ leaders today，holding them accountable after an embarrassing string of events. At Pentagon news conference, Gates accepted the resignations of Air Force Chief of Staff General Michael Moseley and Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne. Gates citing two incidents, one in which a B-52 mistakenly, armed with nuclear-tipped cruise missiles, flew across the country, and another in which ballistic missile fuses accidentally wound up in Taiwan. "Rather than an isolated⁴ occurrence, the shipment of the four forward-section assemblies to Taiwan was a symptom of a degradation⁵ of the authority, standards of excellence⁶ and technical competence⁷ within the nation's ICBM force.” Gates says he has also asked former Defense Secretary James Schlesinger to lead a task force that will recommend ways to ensure accountability in terms of the Air Force’s handling of nuclear weapons.

The self-confessed mastermind of the 9/11 attacks told a military judge at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, that he welcomed the death penalty for taking part in the attacks. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed told the judge he has wanted to be a martyr⁸ for some time. Mohammed is one of five detainees arraigned⁹ today for their role in the 2001 attacks. NPR's Jackie Northam reports from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

This was the first time in several years that Mohammed and the other detainees have been seen in public. Mohammed sported a long, gray, bushy beard and thick,owl-like eyeglasses, a far cry from how he looked when he was arrested in Pakistan in 2003. In fact, he told a sketch¹⁰ artist in the courtroom to track down a picture of him from that time. Mohammed, who under trial rules, has the right to approve any pictures done of him, felt the court's artist made his nose too wide in a picture and wanted her to redraw it. Much of the hearing was taken up with the judge and prisoners talking about whether they want to represent themselves. Cultural differences, faulty  translation skills and  miscommunications between defense lawyers and their clients led to protracted  and circular discussions. Jackie Northam, NPR News, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Two and a half percent of all homes were in some stage of foreclosure in the first quarter. NPR's Chris Arnold reports.

Foreclosures are rising even faster than many economists¹¹ have predicted. Mark Zandy heads up Moodyseconomy.com. He says last year, the first wave of foreclosures involved many speculators or people who just bought way more homes than they could afford. But now, "These are solid,er, steady homeowners that are, that are falling delinquent¹², going into foreclosure and, and being asked to leave their homes. And it's not just subprime, it's not just flippers, it's prime borrowers." Zandy says with home prices down 15 to 20 percent or more in many places, many homeowners end up owing more than their houses' worth. That makes them very vulnerable if, say their employer cuts back on their work hours or they are between jobs. Zandy expects to see upwards¹³ of 1.25 million foreclosures in 2008. Chris Arnold, NPR News.

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An Israeli man was killed in a Palestinian mortar¹⁴ attack today and a four-year-old Palestinian girl in Gaza was killed in a subsequent Israeli air strike. NPR's Linda Gradstein has more.

The mortar shell landed outside a paint factory in a kibbutz, a few miles from Gaza. A 51-year-old Israeli man was killed and several others wounded from shrapnel. The Islamist Hamas movement claimed responsibility. Shortly afterwards, Palestinian medical officials said a four-year-old girl was killed and her mother wounded in an Israeli air strike. Hamas officials said the Israeli missile targeted a group of gunmen in southern Gaza, but missed them. Relatives of the girl said she and her mother were in the yard of their home when they were hit. An Israeli army spokesman said they are investigating the incident. An Israeli government spokesman said Israel will not allow the current situation of daily rocket fire on southern Israel to continue. Linda Gradstein, NPR News, Jerusalem.

 Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee¹⁵ Barack Obama has several scheduled appearances in Virginia today. In the town of Bristol, not far from the Tennessee border, Obama today said he is proud of the nation for giving him the opportunity to be the party's presidential nominee, a day after Hillary Clinton's campaign announced she would declare Saturday she is throwing her support behind Obama. The candidate also took on John McCain, the man he will likely face off against in November. Obama is attending an event in Northern Virginia today as well.

Officials in New York have taken a man into custody¹⁶ today after he scaled  the New York Times building in midtown Manhattan reportedly to draw attention to the issue of global warming. The French man, identified as Alain Robert, unfurled a banner at a nearby construction site as workers cheered. Police took him into custody at the top of the building.

On Wall Street, the Dow climbed 213 points today.

1 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

2 ousted   

驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺

参考例句：

• He was ousted as chairman. 他的主席职务被革除了。
• He may be ousted by a military takeover. 他可能在一场军事接管中被赶下台。

3 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

4 isolated   

adj.与世隔绝的

参考例句：

• His bad behaviour was just an isolated incident. 他的不良行为只是个别事件。
• Patients with the disease should be isolated. 这种病的患者应予以隔离。

5 degradation   

n.降级；低落；退化；陵削；降解；衰变

参考例句：

• There are serious problems of land degradation in some arid zones.在一些干旱地带存在严重的土地退化问题。
• Gambling is always coupled with degradation.赌博总是与堕落相联系。

6 excellence   

n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德

参考例句：

• His art has reached a high degree of excellence.他的艺术已达到炉火纯青的地步。
• My performance is far below excellence.我的表演离优秀还差得远呢。

7 competence   

n.能力，胜任，称职

参考例句：

• This mess is a poor reflection on his competence.这种混乱情况说明他难当此任。
• These are matters within the competence of the court.这些是法院权限以内的事。

8 martyr   

n.烈士，殉难者；vt.杀害，折磨，牺牲

参考例句：

• The martyr laid down his life for the cause of national independence.这位烈士是为了民族独立的事业而献身的。
• The newspaper carried the martyr's photo framed in black.报上登载了框有黑边的烈士遗像。

9 arraigned   

v.告发( arraign的过去式和过去分词 )；控告；传讯；指责

参考例句：

• He was arraigned for murder. 他因谋杀罪而被提讯。
• She was arraigned for high treason. 她被控叛国罪。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

10 sketch   

n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述

参考例句：

• My sister often goes into the country to sketch. 我姐姐常到乡间去写生。
• I will send you a slight sketch of the house.我将给你寄去房屋的草图。

11 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 delinquent   

adj.犯法的，有过失的；n.违法者

参考例句：

• Most delinquent children have deprived backgrounds.多数少年犯都有未受教育的背景。
• He is delinquent in paying his rent.他拖欠房租。

13 upwards   

adv.向上，在更高处...以上

参考例句：

• The trend of prices is still upwards.物价的趋向是仍在上涨。
• The smoke rose straight upwards.烟一直向上升。

14 mortar   

n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合

参考例句：

• The mason flushed the joint with mortar.泥工用灰浆把接缝处嵌平。
• The sound of mortar fire seemed to be closing in.迫击炮的吼声似乎正在逼近。

15 nominee   

n.被提名者；被任命者；被推荐者

参考例句：

• His nominee for vice president was elected only after a second ballot.他提名的副总统在两轮投票后才当选。
• Mr.Francisco is standing as the official nominee for the post of District Secretary.弗朗西斯科先生是行政书记职位的正式提名人。

16 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。