NPR美国国家公共电台 2013-03-24

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　　From NPR News in Washington, I'm Korva Coleman.

 

　　It took all night, but the Senate passed a budget just before dawn today. The vote was 50:49. It's been four years since the Senate last adopted a budget blueprint¹. And Republican leader Mitch McConnell praised his colleagues for it.

 

　　I know everyone is exhausted² and you may not feel it at the moment, but this is one of the Senate's finest days in recent years and I commend everyone who's participated in this extraordinary debate.

 

　　The White House is praising the Senate's $3.7 trillion proposal. But NPR's Allison Keyes tells us it's very different than the plan approved by the Republican controlled House.

 

　　White House Spokesman Jay Carney says at a statement that the Senate's plan will create jobs, cut the deficit³ in a balanced way and eliminate tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans to reduce the deficit. And while he praises both the House and Senate for passing budgets. He says the Republican proposal makes deep cuts to education and manufacturing, while asking seniors and the middle class to pay more. He criticizes the Republican plan for not reducing the deficit, but closing tax loopholes for the wealthy. That, Carney says, is not an approach the White House supports. He says it's time for the leaders to come together to find common ground. Allison Keyes, NPR News, Washington.

 

　　The Federal health law known as Obamacare turns three years old today. And as NPR's Julie Rovner reports debate over the measure is still raging.

 

　　Backers of the law like Health and Human service Secretary Kathleen Sebelius are relieved that it survived last year's election and supreme⁴ court ruling. They are looking ahead to October when enrollment⁵ begins for potentially millions of Americans.

 

　　We really have an opportunity now to put the law in full gear.

 

　　But opponents like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, haven't given up the hope of repealing⁶ the measure.

 

　　The biggest mistake in modern times, in my judgement, was the passage of Obamacare, which seeks to turn America into a Western European country.

 

　　The budget bill just passed by Congress didn't defund implementation⁷ effort as House Republicans wanted. But it didn't give the administration the additional money it asked for, either. Julie Rovner, NPR News, Washington.

 

　　Politicians in Cyprus are rushing to finish a new legislative⁸ package that will save their country from bankruptcy⁹. Cypriots need to come up billions of dollars to secure a rescue loan from European countries. A prior plan was rejected this week by lawmakers, that's because it took up to 10% of money from people's savings¹⁰ in private banks.

 

　　The Pentagon says it's reached an agreement with Afghanistan on control of an Afghan prison. The U.S. is to transfer control of the Parwan facility on Monday to Afghan officials. The prison houses dangerous inmates¹¹. The U.S. was concerned that some of them would be released.

 

　　New Pope Francis paid a visit to predecessor¹² Pope Emeritus¹³ Benedict, the XVI today. They made(应该是had，口误) lunch together and they had a private talk at the papal summer residence south of Rome.

 

　　You are listening to NPR News from Washington.

 

　　A late winter snowstorm is coming out of the Rocky Mountains and headed for the Midwest. The National Weather Service says heavy snow is falling from Colorado and will reach Ohio. This will mean heavy rain further south along the Gulf¹⁴ Coast. It could shape up to be the third major snowstorm to hit the Midwest in a month. As much as eight inches of snow could fall.

 

　　Protesters say they will continue to demonstrate against the long list of proposed school closures in Chicago. NPR's Cheryl Corley reports the Chicago Teachers Union which has been at odds¹⁵ with the city's mayor, is calling for all opponents of school closings to join them in a rally next week.

 

　　No school close. No school close.

 

　　That's been the chant of angry demonstrators ever since the Chicago public school said it plans to shut down 54 schools and programs. That will make it the largest school shakeup in the country. The school district faces a $1 billion deficit and says the schools on the list are under utilized¹⁶. Joshua Marburger teaches at one of them.

 

　　None of the board has been at our school. How can you make a decision to close school without even being there.

 

　　The Chicago Teachers Union will rally against the proposed school closures on Wednesday. School officials say they will hold public hearings before a vote in May. Cheryl Corley, NPR News, Chicago.

 

　　Russian financier Boris Berezovsky has been found dead at his home in England. The cause of death is not known. Berezovsky was a severe critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin. He lived in England because he was wanted in Russia for charges of fraud. Berezovsky had been one of the Russia's oligarchs. He gained incredible amounts of wealth in the 1990s by handling the assets of the former Soviet¹⁷ Union.

 

　　I'm Korva Coleman, NPR News.

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