美国有线新闻 CNN 2013-03-16

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Start at the White House, you know who lives there, this week, he is heading over to the U.S. capital building, except for, when they are invited to make a speech to Congress, it's a trip that presidents don't make too often. President Obama is making it three times this week, he went to Capital Hill yesterday and he's scheduled to go back today, and tomorrow, he is waiting with members of Congress, House and Senate, Democrats² and Republicans. And he is planning to talk about some of the big political issues facing the country. Guns, immigration, the federal budget.

Congress is getting ready to debate the budget. If they want to pass one, members of the House and Senate and president Obama will all have to work together. Representative Paul Ryan, the Republican chairman of the House Budget Committee announced his budget proposal yesterday. Senate and Democrats are planning to announce theirs today, and president Obama could release his budget proposal in early April.

Next up, we're heading across the Atlantic Ocean to Vatican City, the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church. The head of that church is the Pope, and the conclave³ to select the new Pope started yesterday. 115 cardinals⁴, other Catholic leaders from around the world have gathered to the Vatican. Yesterday they made their way into the Sistine Chapel⁵ and then the doors were shut behind them. The cardinals stay in isolation⁶ during the voting process.

"As the cardinals come in, they will take a vow⁷ of secrecy⁸, there'll be no cell phones, no pagers, no newspapers, no messages to the outside of any sort, because it's very important that they keep their considerations here private. Then when it comes the time for a vote, each of the cardinals will get a piece of paper, which he will write upon, and say in effect, this is my vote for the Pope, he will fold his piece of paper twice, he will hold it overhead and then walk right down the center aisle⁹ alone to the front where he'll kneel at the altar for a moment, then he will drop his paper into a receptacle, upon the altar."

All right, this is how the results are announced, black smoke from yesterday's vote means the cardinals didn't select a new Pope, when one is elected, you'll see white smoke.

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