美联社新闻一分钟 AP 2013-01-02

（单词翻译）

1. There is a White House meeting on the fiscal¹ cliff Friday but no sign a deal is in the works. The meeting could be a make-or-break moment for negotiations² to avoid across-the-board first of the year tax increases and deep spending cuts.

2. A longshoremen's strike looms³ this weekend that threatens to bring commerce to a standstill. Major ports from Boston to Huston could be shut down because the contract between longshoremen and port operators is expiring.

3. Desert Storm commander General Norman Schwarzkopf is dead at age 78. He died Thursday in Tampa, Florida from complications from pneumonia⁴. Schwarzkopf led the coalition⁵ that drove Iraqis out of Kuwait in 1991.

4. "Voices of Valor⁶" helps veterans reintegrate into society and process traumatic experiences through music. Guided by musicians and a psychology⁷ mentor⁸, they learn to write and record a song and then hold a CD release party.