NPR 2009-07-30

House Democrats¹ reached a deal today on details of a health care bill. A vote in a key committee is now expected by the end of the week. NPR's Andrea Seabrook reports.

Conservative Blue Dog Democrats bargained for changes to the bill going through the Energy and Commerce Committee right now. Arkansas Mike Ross, the Blue Dog's leader is on the committee.

"We cut the cost of the bill of more than $100 billion. We protected small businesses. We ensured that any public options are on a level playing field. We have saved rural hospitals."

The agreement sets the stage for a vote by the full House in September after the summer recess². But Ross cautioned that his deal doesn't necessarily mean the debate will be smooth from now on.

"This was a significant victory that I am quite sure had left a lot of rabbles very unhappy right now.” Andrea Seabroo, NPR News, the Capitol.

Meanwhile, the Senate Finance Committee today also reported progress on health care legislation, estimated to cost $900 billion and cover 95% of the uninsured without adding to the federal deficit³.

Four-term Republican Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison told a Texas radio station today she will resign from the Senate this fall to run for Texas Governor against GOP incumbent⁴ Rick Perry. But later on Capitol Hill, Hutchison hedged on just when she might vacate her seat. NPR's David Welna is on Capitol Hill.

Senator Hutchison told reporters at the Capitol she intends to announce during the August recess that she is running for Governor of Texas. But she added she would not be saying anything about the timing⁵ of her departure from the Senate. She said she hoped Texas Governor Rick Perry would not seek reelection since his staying in the race would oblige her to leave the Senate early.

"I would stay all the way through the election, but for... it being very difficult with the governor continuing to run. And he is really trying to hang on too long and maybe he'll rethink."

Hutchison’s Senate term expires in 2012. If she resigns before the end of the year, Texas would hold a special election in May or June of next year to replace her. David Welna, NPR News, the Capitol.

The Centers for Disease Control today issued recommendations on who should be among the first to get vaccinated⁶ against swine flu. The CDC's Doctor Anne Schuchat says five groups have been identified.

"These are groups that had higher risk of disease or who had greater burden of complications. And there are five groups that will be very helpful for our planning purposes going forward."

As for the five groups, pregnant women, health care workers, children six months and older, people at risk of complications from flu and healthy 19 to 24 year olds.

On Wall Street today, the Dow fell 26 points to close at 9,070. The NASDAQ lost seven points to close at 1,967. The S&P fell four.

This is NPR News.

Orders for durable⁷ goods fell in June. The Commerce Department reports orders for big-ticket, long lasting⁸ products were down 2.5% last month, the biggest drop in five months. The auto⁹ and commercial airline industries saw the steepest declines.

The 911 caller who tipped off Cambridge police to a possible break-in at the home of Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates says she feared for her safety in the controversy¹⁰ after Gates' arrest. From member station WBUR in Boston, Bianca Vazquez Toness has the story.

According to the police report, Lucia Whalen identified the possible burglars in front of Gates’ home as black men. Bloggers vilified¹¹ Whalen as a racist¹². The police tape, however, showed that she only identified them when she was pressed by police and said maybe one of the men was Hispanic. Whalen was shaking today as she told reporters she never imagined her words would be scrutinized¹³ by the entire nation.

"Now that the tapes are out, I hope people can see that I tried to be careful and honest with my words."

Whalen said she spoke¹⁴ out to finally put the controversy to rest. For NPR News, I'm Bianca Vazquez Toness in Boston.

A Minnesota man arrested this month for traveling to Somalia to join a terrorist group, has pleaded guilty to providing material support to a terror organization. According to the FBI, Salah Osman Ahmed is one of several young men recruited in Minnesota to train with an Islamic militia¹⁵ in Somalia. Salah told the judge today he went to Somalia to fight invading Ethiopians and ended up fighting with the Islamist militia al-Shabab.

1 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》

2 recess   

n.短期休息，壁凹（墙上装架子，柜子等凹处）

参考例句：

• The chairman of the meeting announced a ten-minute recess.会议主席宣布休会10分钟。
• Parliament was hastily recalled from recess.休会的议员被匆匆召回开会。

3 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。

4 incumbent   

adj.成为责任的，有义务的；现任的，在职的

参考例句：

• He defeated the incumbent governor by a large plurality.他以压倒多数票击败了现任州长。
• It is incumbent upon you to warn them.你有责任警告他们。

5 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

6 vaccinated   

[医]已接种的，种痘的，接种过疫菌的

参考例句：

• I was vaccinated against tetanus. 我接种了破伤风疫苗。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child? 你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？

7 durable   

adj.持久的，耐久的

参考例句：

• This raincoat is made of very durable material.这件雨衣是用非常耐用的料子做的。
• They frequently require more major durable purchases.他们经常需要购买耐用消费品。

8 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

9 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

10 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

11 vilified   

v.中伤，诽谤( vilify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was vilified in newspapers. 他在报纸上受到了诽谤。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She was vilified by the press for her controversial views. 因她持有异议，新闻界对她横加挞伐。 来自互联网

12 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

13 scrutinized   

v.仔细检查，详审( scrutinize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The jeweler scrutinized the diamond for flaws. 宝石商人仔细察看钻石有无瑕庇 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Together we scrutinized the twelve lemon cakes from the delicatessen shop. 我们一起把甜食店里买来的十二块柠檬蛋糕细细打量了一番。 来自英汉文学 - 盖茨比

14 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

15 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。