在防止美国跌入所谓的“财政悬崖”这个问题上，奥巴马总统表示他愿意做出让步。此前，奥巴马决定对美国富人征收更高的税费，但就在今天，他表示他会改变这一决定。奥巴马还表示，前中央情报局局长大卫?彼得雷尔斯和他的传记作家发生了婚外情，其因受到泄漏国家安全机密的质疑引咎辞职。

 

 

 

“By his own assessment, he did not meet the standards that he felt were necessary as the director of CIA with respect to this personal matter that he is now dealing with his family and with his wife. And it’s on that basis that he tendered his resignation, and it’s on that basis that I accepted it.

 

“大卫?彼得雷尔斯承认，作为中情局局长，他的行为违反了其职责的道德准则；现在他正和家人处理他的婚外情。因此他选择引咎辞职，我同意了他的申请。”

 

 

 

Another urgent matter is unfolding on the hill. Leading Republican members of Congress are calling for a Watergate-style congressional committee to investigate the attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya, an attack that killed the US ambassador to Libya and three others in September. NPR’s Michele Kelemen reports. 

 

同时，华盛顿特区还发生了另一起紧急事件。针对发生在利比亚班加西领事馆的遇袭事件，国会共和党领袖要求国会委员会组织像水门事件一样严格的调查。九月份的袭击导致了美国驻利比亚大使和另外三名领事丧生。NPR记者米歇尔?科勒曼报道。

 

 

 

Arizona Senator John McCain says it’s essential for Congress to conduct its own investigation into what he says was the inadequate security in Benghazi and the way the administration officials initially characterized the attack. He singled out US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice for giving, in his words, false information to Americans. And he made clear that he doesn’t want to see her nominated as the secretary of state.

 

亚利桑那州参议员约翰?麦凯恩表示，针对班加西领事的安全问题，以及当局官员对此次袭击事件的初步判断，国会有必要亲自进行调查。麦凯恩提到美国驻联合国代表--苏珊?赖斯，他认为赖斯向美国人散布虚假信息。他明确提出，不希望赖斯被提名为美国国务卿。

 

 

 

“We will do whatever it’s necessary to block the nomination that’s within our power as far as Susan Rice is concerned.”

 

“只要苏珊?赖斯被提名，我们会尽职权内最大努力阻止这件事发生。”

 

 

 

Senator Lindsey Graham says he is dead set against promoting anybody involved in, as he puts it, the Benghazi debacle. Michele Kelemen, NPR News, Washington.

 

参议员林赛?格雷厄姆则表示，提名任何牵扯到班加西惨案的人，他都会竭力反对。华盛顿NPR记者米歇尔?科勒曼报道。

 

 

 

Senate Democrats have increased their majority in the next Congress by one more senator today after Maine independent Senator-elect， Angus King announced he will caucus with them. Details from NPR’s David Welna.

 

今天，在缅因州独立人士安格斯?金当选参议员后，民主党人在参议院的席位增加了一名。安格斯?金宣布，他将参加党团会。NPR记者大卫?维尔纳报道。

 

 

 

Independent Senator-elect King waited eight days after winning in Maine to announce his decision to caucus with the Senate Democrats. 

 

独立参议员安格斯?金在缅因州当选后等待了8天，才宣布决定加入参议院民主党，

 

 

 

“Because doing so will allow me to take independent positions on issues as they arise and, at the same time, will allow me to be an effective representative of the people of Maine.”

 

“这样，对所有的议题，我可以有独立的立场，同时也可以成为缅因州人有力的代表。

 

 

 

King will succeed retiring Republican Senator Olympia Snowe. Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid hailed his decision to caucus with the Democrats.

 

安格斯?金将会接替退休的共和党参议员，欧林匹亚?史诺的席位。对于其加入民主党，参议院多数党领袖哈利?瑞德表示欢迎。

 

 

 

“I couldn’t be happier with any person coming to the caucus than Angus King.”

 

“我很开心安格斯?金能加入党团会，他是我最期待的人选。

 

 

 

King is one of nine newly elected senators who will join the Democratic majority. The outcome of Arizona’s Senate race remains uncertain. David Welna, NPR News, the Capitol.

 

安格斯?金是九个新当选参议员之一，他会加入民主党。亚利桑那州的参议员竞选结果仍未见分晓。国会大厦NPR记者大卫?维尔纳报道。

 

 

 

Meanwhile, Nancy Pelosi confirmed she will run again for House minority leader.

 

南希?佩洛西也表示，她会再次竞选众议院少数党领袖。

 

 

 

At last check on Wall Street, Dow was down 63 points at 12,691, NASDAQ off eight points, S&P 500 down five.

 

华尔街股市最新报道，道指下跌63点至12，691，纳指下跌8点，标普下跌5点。

 

 

 

This is NPR News.

 

这里是NPR新闻。

 

 

 

Israel has launched air strikes on the Gaza Strip and assassinated a leading member of Hamas. The attack evoked outcry from Egypt and the country’s influential Muslim Brotherhood.

 

以色列空袭了加沙地带，暗杀了一名伊斯兰抵抗运动组织哈马斯的主要成员。埃及和当地影响力强大的穆斯林兄弟对此次袭击表示强烈抗议。

 

 

 

Anti-austerity demonstrations across Europe has stranded travelers in many places and turned violent in some of them with dozens of arrests and injuries reported in Spain. From Brussels, Teri Schultz reports protesters want relief from budget cuts, but business leaders warned the strikes will hurt more than help their cause.

 

据西班牙报道，欧洲各地反对紧缩计划的游行已阻碍了多地的旅游发展，一些地方甚至发展为暴力事件，许多游行者被逮捕，还有很多受伤。布鲁塞尔泰瑞?舒尔茨报道，这些游行者希望缓解预算削减，但是企业负责人表示，罢工对他们的事业有害无益。

 

 

 

Hundreds of people rallied outside the headquarters of the European Union after a downtown march. The European Trade Union Confederation, the main organizer of what it calls “the day of solidarity,” welcomed coordinated strikes in several countries against the cost-cutting measures it says are causing recession, poverty and social anxiety, Here demonstrators are shouting “All Together! All Together! Yes! Yes! Yes!” Striking workers are reported to be lining on train tracks in France and have seriously hindered rail and air traffic in Belgium, Spain and Portugal. In Brussels, BusinessEurope, an umbrella organization of industrial，and employers’ federations, say unions have the right to strike, but this massive action will just harm economic activity and struggling companies. From NPR News, I’m Teri Schultz in Brussels.

 

许多抗议者在市中心游行后，聚集在欧盟总部外面。“团结日”的主要组织者--欧洲工会联盟欢迎各国协调有序的反削减成本措施的罢工，欧洲公会联盟表示，这些措施导致了经济衰退，社会贫困和公众焦虑。游行者在这里大呼“团结！团结！加油！加油！加油！” 据报道，在法国，罢工工人排队站在铁路上；在比利时，西班牙和葡萄牙，铁路和航空已严重受阻。在布鲁塞尔，工业联合组织欧洲商会以及企业负责人联会表示，工会有权罢工，但是如此大规模的罢工只会危害经济活动和陷入困境的企业。布鲁塞尔NPR记者泰瑞?舒尔茨报道。

 

 

 

The owner of the company tied to the deadly meningitis outbreak in the US reportedly is refusing to testify before Congress. According to the Associated Press, Barry Cadden says he will invoke his Fifth Amendment right to avoid self-incrimination. Cadden co-founded the New England Compound Center, which distributed back pain steroids that were later found to be contaminated. Hundreds of people got sick, 32 of them died.

 

据报道，美国一家公司和致命的脑膜炎疫情有牵连，但其负责人拒绝在国会作证。据美联社报道，为了避免自证其罪，巴里?卡登会援用美国宪法修正案第五条。卡登是新英格兰复方药物中心的联合创始人，该中心分销专治背痛的类固醇；随后，这种类固醇被发现含有毒性。数百人服用这种类固醇后患病，32人丧生。

 

 

 

I’m Lakshmi Singh, NPR News, Washington.

 

这里是华盛顿NPR新闻，我是拉克什米?辛格。