At 18 years old, I moved from Charlotte to the mountains. And I've lived in Appalachia - in Jackson County, N. C.  - ever since. And it's the same thing here. You know, I think poverty - it's the same condition no matter where you're from. You know, I talked a little bit in that essay about that man from Baltimore saying desperation is a way of life.

This was a documentary on the BBC that was talking about poverty in Baltimore.

Yeah. I think anybody I grew up with could have said that. Anybody that I'm friends with now in Hazelwood, Haywood County, could say that. That's the reality of people who have nothing. They all know what it's like to miss a meal or to have the lights turned off or to have to decide - do I make my car payment, or do I pay my health insurance?That's a common theme that bridges the gap all across this country. And the unifying thing about that is poverty.

You also talk about addiction. The opioid crisis, as we know, is enormous right now. And you say that people just want to be listened to. What is the story that we aren't hearing?

turn 2 : In (3), the speaker is using the phrase "bridges the gap" to describe the common experience of poverty that unites people across the country. The actual meaning is that poverty is a unifying force that brings people together despite their differences in geography, culture, or background.

How does the speaker describe the common experience of poverty that unites people across the country?

Answer: Poverty


The billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein has been taken into federal custody related to sex trafficking. According to The Daily Beast, who first reported this story, Epstein was arrested yesterday and will appear in court tomorrow to be charged in connection with sex trafficking minors. This comes more than a decade after accusations first surfaced that Epstein had paid dozens of young girls for sex. But he avoided federal criminal charges and significant prison time in a plea deal that continues to draw criticism for its lenient terms. For more on this, we called Pervaiz Shallwani, one of the Daily Beast reporters who broke this story. And he's with us now.

Thank you so much for being with us.

Thank you for having me.

And I'm just going to start by saying that the details may be disturbing to some listeners because this does involve accusations about the treatment of young girls. So, having said that, Pervaiz, as briefly as you can, what are the allegations that first surfaced against Epstein in 2007 and 2008?

turn 2 : He was happy to attend the talk show

Which turn suggests that Epstein appeared on a talk show?

Answer: No


Yeah. So they did the - this is an amazing study and a beautiful video because of their research. They have really lovely time-lapse movies of cucumbers growing. And, you know, you think of plants as planted. . .

They stay there.

. . . stationary, kind of boring.

They don't move. Right.

turn 3 : The speakers agree that plants do not move.

Which statement do the speakers agree on?

Answer: Move


And we shall not - I certainly won't see his like again. He was also incredibly fun. And so that's the thing to try to hold onto.

He wrote a lot of letters by hand, didn't he?

He wrote tons of letters. I bet there are a hundred thousand - hundreds out there signed, all the best, George Bush. Many of them are compiled in a lovely volume he did. His - you know, he was the son of a mother who insisted that he not talk - that one not talk about oneself. He was - so when it came time to write a book after he left the presidency, he didn't. . .

Oh, right.

turn 0 : I won't see someone like him again because he was unique and special, and not because he was dead.

Which aspect of the person being discussed does turn 0 emphasize?

Answer: Uniqueness


What is that called again?Just remind me.

It's called "Pieces Of Her," by Karin Slaughter. But if you're waiting for the next book like that that's coming out, the hottest off the press, I would recommend "Bunny" by Mona Awad, which is also very funny and very sharp and an extremely readable page-turner, which is coming out in June.

I also think about summer reading as escapism fiction. You know, you want to go to another world or back in time or fantasy novels. What about that?

So for, you know, people who are, like, maybe missing "Game Of Thrones". . .

turn 3 : "maybe missing" implies not currently watching Game of Thrones anymore.

Answer: Hair


So when did it start to go bad?

Well, when they started cutting the shifts back. You know, they had three shifts. And when things started going bad, we started opening at seven o'clock in the morning just to accommodate to the third shift people so that they could come here, have a bite to eat and a drink before they went home.

And then third shift, you know, they did away with that. So then we started - we quit opening up early because of that, and so that really cut back on our business. Then, they got rid of the next shift. They are only one shift. It just like gradually has gotten worse and worse. So now, we're concerned, what about now, when there's going to be nobody.

Was this - I don't know - was this a dream to own your own business, own your own restaurant?

turn 1 : cutting shifts back means that they cut hours someone has to work, or removed a shift someone is working

Which term describes the reduction in work hours?

Answer: Cutting


We're seeing - from last night, there were lots of videos showing intense artillery airstrikes on this place. It's just a few piece - few hundred yards wide. And you know, you can actually kind of look out across it - it's such a small area - with binoculars. Reporters there are seeing ISIS flags on what's left of the buildings. There's a collection of squalid tents. But people are hiding out in tunnels and caves, we're hearing.

Wow. I mean, it just - it speaks - this moment speaks so much to the larger story. I mean, if this family who might be holding these children want to stick it out and want to remain committed to ISIS and the ideology and they're not going anywhere, I mean, it just creates an impossible situation.

Exactly, for this father - and also, it's a broader lesson that, you know, it's very difficult to bomb an ideology into oblivion. A lot of the people that have been coming out of this area in recent weeks, you know, remain faithful to ISIS and especially because they've been bombed by, you know, a U. S. -backed force that they see them as the enemy now. And they've been saying that they're going to still support the group and raise their children in the beliefs of the group. So whilst, you know, ultimately this territory probably will be taken back, the broader question of ISIS as existing in its ideology continues.

NPR's Ruth Sherlock - Ruth, thanks so much.

turn 2 : In this turn, the speaker is making a broader point about the difficulty of eradicating an ideology, even if a military force takes back territory from a group like ISIS. The literal meaning of "it's very difficult to bomb an ideology into oblivion" suggests that the speaker is talking about the limitations of military force against an idea rather than a physical target.

How does the speaker describe the difficulty of eradicating an ideology?

Answer: Difficult


I was struck by a phrase in Chris Arnold's piece about the dollar being the bedrock currency for much of the world. Is that jeopardized?

Very much so. Treasury debt is the only risk-free asset in the world. It undergirds the world's financial system, it's in everybody money market's funds. You know, China, among many other countries, buys Treasury bills like crazy - over a trillion dollars. So, if you'd have to start factoring in risk, even if it's political risk, into our debt, you know, two things happen. The rest of the world becomes less enchanted with buying it, and our interest payments - what the government has to pay to issue that debt will rise substantially.

Can I get you to play out your scenario about what happens if October 17 comes and there's no agreement?

I don't think that much will happen on October 17th. I think there's a little wiggle room. What happens on October 17th is the government loses its borrowing authority and it can only pay out the cash it has on hand. However, if we got to the end of the month and the United States missed a bond payment, I believe that you would have an event that is three, four, five, six times worse than the Lehman Brothers of five years ago. Because the banks rely on treasuries to trade with each other overnight. That's how they fund themselves. And if you take away trust in the financial system or U. S.  debt, it will be cataclysmic. The banks will freeze up. There will be no borrowing. It'll be like Lehman. The stock market will go down. It has the potential to be a true out-and-out disaster.

turn 3 :  "Banks rely on treasuries to trade with each other overnight" does not mean that banks trade physical treasuries with each other at night. Instead, it means that banks use treasury securities as collateral to borrow money overnight from other banks.

What do banks use as collateral to borrow money overnight from other banks?

Answer: Treasury-securities


Windsor Castle was restored in exactly that timeframe. The day from the fire to the celebration of the reopening of the restored castle was a span of five years. I know people are feeling more positive than they did yesterday because more of the cathedral seems to have survived than seemed possible at the time. And it's a good starting point to think that five years is a reasonable timeframe for the project.

Architect Francis Maude - he's a director at Donald Insall Associates in London.

Thank you for speaking with us.

My pleasure. Thank you.

turn 0 : The implied meaning is that there is hope that the restoration of the cathedral will take a similar timeframe to that of Windsor Castle. The literal meaning is that the restoration of Windsor Castle took five years and it's a reasonable timeframe for the project.

How long did it take to restore Windsor Castle?

Answer: Five


Thank you.

So what originally did the Consumer Product Safety Commission say was wrong with this stroller?

They were concerned about the front wheel of the stroller. It's a three-wheeled stroller, and they were concerned with the wheel falling off suddenly. It's attached to the stroller with a quick release, the same thing that attaches the wheels on bicycles. And so parents would be out running, jogging with their strollers, their kid in the middle. And the wheel would spontaneously fall off.

So the agency spent months investigating. And in 2017, they decided that Britax should recall the stroller, that it wasn't safe. And they even sued to try and force the company to recall the stroller. Tell us why that didn't happen.

turn 2 : "They were concerned about the front wheel of the stroller." is a statement that provides an explanation of the Consumer Product Safety Commission's concern regarding the stroller. Its meaning is clear and straightforward.

How was the front wheel of the stroller attached?

Answer: Quick


Well, they do do some of it. Delta in the most recent quarter had about 300 million dollars in gains from fuel hedges, but the biggest problem is other airlines just don't have the cash or the credit to put into this. Southwest has the luxury of very strong financial balance sheet so they can put their money to work years ahead of time. Other airlines, you know, if you're cutting costs, if you're fighting for survival, if your cash is tight, your employees are getting laid off, you know, it's hard to say hey, we're going to buy some fuel for 2012.

And Delta was in bankruptcy proceedings, it had to unload everything it could to deal with its debt.

That's right, very costly. Delta actually had good fuel hedges leading into the 2004 bankruptcy. They had to sell those to raise some cash in the bankruptcy, but selling early meant they lost out on a whole lot of profits that they could have had later on.

Scott, you're a travel writer but you do write for the Wall Street Journal, so maybe you can answer this question for me. On the day that Southwest reported things going very well, its stock actually fell by a dollar to just under 15 dollars a share. Now, how does that work?

turn 3 : The other airlines don't have the financial means to invest in fuel hedging, suggesting that they are not in a strong financial position.

Which airlines are not in a strong financial position?

Answer: Other


We're trying to create the largest long-term study of aging in dogs that anyone has ever done, with the goal of trying to understand how genes and environment determine healthy aging in dogs.

So it's not just that old rule of thumb that one year is seven years in a dog's life?

On average, that's true. One of the amazing things about dogs, though, is that there's tremendous variation. If you go to the dog park, you'll see large dogs and small dogs. They also vary tremendously in their lifespan. And we're trying to understand why they vary so much.

Big dogs, I'm told, live shorter lives than small dogs.

And that's unusual because if you compare different species of mammals, from elephants to mice, it's the large species that live longer. So dogs are doing things in reverse.

And no indication as to why that might be yet?

turn 1 :  (2): This is a rhetorical question that implies that there may not just be a "rule of thumb" when it comes to aging in dogs.

Which turn implies that there may be more to aging in dogs than just the "rule of thumb"?

Answer: 2


Now, Senator Obama is scheduled to address the convention on Sunday, last week we spoke to Richard Prince, of the Maynard Institute, who said, that the presidential forum, that was scheduled for Thursday was quote, "all but dead. "Of course, Senator Obama is traveling internationally. How did you secure him coming for Sunday, and given that Sunday is essentially the very last day of the convention, do you expect turnout that's going to be significant?

Well, the talks with both presidential candidates have been taking place for a while, and the invitations were extended many, many months ago. And so, talks have been taking place, and you know, with schedules it's really difficult to nail that down. With this Middle East and Europe trip coming up for Senator Obama, that came into the mix, just in recent weeks. It came down to a choice between having the Senator come on Sunday, or not at all.

So the Senator McCain invitation is still out, but it has not been accepted or rejected?

Right. We're still working on it.

turn 0 : The organizers faced difficulties in getting Obama to attend the convention.

What issue did the organizers face in regards to Obama attending the convention?

Answer: Schedules


OK.

. . . It's a big question.

OK. So it does seem that it's been reported that the president's advisers are at odds. His national security adviser, John Bolton, is hawkish, seems very skeptical about any negotiations with Iran while the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, seems to want to de-escalate the conflict. Now, obviously, everyone should be very careful about committing troops to any conflict, so let's just take that as a given. But how do you interpret what's going on in the administration around this very sensitive and consequential issue?Some would argue that these things should have been worked out by now.

Well, as far as any discussion with regards to the military option - and there are four instruments of national power, primarily - diplomacy, information, military, economics. It's the dying principle that we follow here as a nation. I believe and many others believe that the military option anywhere at any time should always be the absolute. . .

turn 3 : "It's the dying principle that we follow here as a nation." The phrase "dying principle" here does not refer to a principle that is in the process of dying or fading away, but rather to the fundamental principle that should always be followed, even in dire circumstances.

Which principle does the phrase "dying principle" refer to in turn 3?

Answer: Fundamental


I'm just - I'm 84, but - and I'm going to just keep going until suddenly I notice that somebody has approached with a hook, and the curtain is closing. But I continue to do basic research, as for example biogeography of ant faunas of the Pacific, and writing on the general subjects that we've been addressing today.

You talk in your book about having the summer off as a kid with lots of time to do what you want. Do kids need unstructured time?

They need a lot. They need a lot. I would say that generally speaking if you have a bright, inquisitive kid, and very few are not innately that way, and you were given a choice, two months of summer camp with advanced, more advanced preparation in various subjects with college on the horizon in mind, between that and cutting them loose in the woods or in a very interesting natural environment, and I say cutting them loose not entirely but if you know where they are, take the latter for heaven's sake. It's the latter where they will dream and beginning to form in their own mind those ideas, those conceptions, those misperceptions to be corrected that make up a strong mental ability and character.

Dr.  Wilson, thank you so much for taking time - it's always such a pleasure to have you on SCIENCE FRIDAY. Thank you for joining us.

turn 2 : The kids will begin to think of ideas as they explore on their own.

Which activity fosters mental ability and character in children, according to Dr. Wilson?

Answer: Stimulus


Is there any recourse here whatsoever, and is there any way to see from here on out how companies are actually using this bailout money, to be very clear about where and who it's going to?

Well, if your question goes beyond executive compensation to how the money is being used, yeah, we have a special inspector general that is overseeing it. We also have the General Accounting Office doing some review. We do have a problem with the General Accounting Office; can it get bank records so we know what they're using their money for?No, we need to clarify that in the law. You know, the oversight is meant to be strong through the special inspector-general. As a practical matter, will it be?We're going to have to wait a month or two to find out.

Charles Grassley is the Republican senator from Iowa. Thank you very much.

Thank you.

turn 0 : Companies are misusing bailout money and need to be held accountable and punished for doing so.

How is oversight being conducted for the use of bailout money?

Answer: Inspector


How. . .

. . . they're going to get cold.

Will this rise that you're predicting be noticeable in 100 years?Will the change affect the weather then?

You know, if the driving forces are, you know, according to some of the scenarios that are out there, yes; according to some of the others, no. And it remains to be seen what climate is actually going to do.

turn 3 : Turn (4): "And it remains to be seen what climate is actually going to do." This response is a figurative way of saying that the future is uncertain and unpredictable. The literal meaning of the words is that the speaker does not know what the climate will do, but the figurative meaning is that the future is always unknown and there are many factors that can influence it.

What is the figurative meaning of PersonA's statement in turn 3?

Answer: Uncertain


Well, as we often say in cosmology or theoretical physics, that idea might be crazy enough to be true.

How would it work?

Well, the idea that is talked about in this paper is that there's kind of a parallel universe out there with very similar laws of physics to ours, but it only communicates with our universe by a very feeble interaction. So it's almost invisible. So it could be occupying the same space. But without very sensitive experiments, we cannot perceive that. And this paper talks about such an experiment done at a laboratory in Grenoble, France, where they bottle neutrons. They bottled about a half million neutrons in an ultracold neutron trap, and they monitored them for about five minutes, and they see some of them disappear.

And the idea is that they could be leaking into this parallel universe?

turn 3 : The literal meaning of this turn is that B is asking if the neutrons could be physically leaking into another universe. However, the implied meaning is that B is asking if the neutrons could be disappearing because they are interacting with the parallel universe proposed in the paper mentioned by A. This implies that the parallel universe is not a physical location that can be entered or exited, but rather a theoretical construct that can only be detected through indirect means.

How is the parallel universe proposed in the paper detected?

Answer: Feeble


. . . back in the - I think the big telescopes like Hubble and other ground-based telescopes will be used to observe the impact site if any debris appears. In fact, back in 2009, there was an impact of a much larger asteroid on Jupiter that caused a really - a debris cloud on Jupiter that was about as big as the Pacific Ocean.

Wow.

And the newly repaired Hubble was used to observe that impact, and a lot was learned about that impact from Hubble observation.

So folks are really tweaking it up now. I mean, and having a good weekend, you just need a nice clear sky, and you too might discover something.

turn 3 : B is making a sarcastic remark about the difficulty of discovering something new with telescopes.

What type of remark is PersonB making in turn 3?

Answer: Sarcastic


It's a natural product obviously. So a big thing in bikes is getting them aligned. And they said one of the things that took them years to figure out at Valid Cycles was how they get these poles all straight. So they had to build their own jig. I know that our bike geeks out there are going to like this.

Bike geek. They're going to love this.

Yeah.

But one of the question I need to ask you, as a bike geek yourself. . .

turn 0 : The people that are very involved with and interested in bikes will like them.

Which group of people will appreciate the content being discussed?

Answer: interested


Well, yes. As you said, I'm at 17,000 feet in the Atacama Desert. And this place is wonderful for viewing because it's so high, so the - most of the atmosphere is - well, it's not most below us, but a lot of it is below us. And the air is very dry, and the wavelengths that people want to study, the stars and galaxies at - up here, there's very dry air, and the wavelengths are not - they're coming through clear because water vapor absorbs wavelengths that they're interested in, so they want to get as far away from water vapor as they can. So they're up high. And there's other places here besides the Atacama that are in the Andes - very high, very good viewing - or seeing, as they call it in astronomy.

And is that why, as you told us, that half of the world's major telescopes are in Chile?Is that why they're all there?

Well, yeah. It's because it's a great location. And the one I'm at right now is not one of the major telescopes. It's a smaller one. It's called CLASS - the Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor. And what it's doing is looking for signals, traces of the earliest moments of the universe that were laid down in something called gravitational waves. Those gravitational waves have a certain property known as a polarization, and it should be possible to see that polarization left behind in the wavelengths that they're studying at CLASS. That's what they're doing here.

So where else have you been on this trip?

turn 0 : The Atacama Desert is a great location for viewing stars and galaxies because of its high altitude and dry air.

How is the air in the Atacama Desert for viewing stars and galaxies?

Answer: Dry


Well, what happened is I - we plan an escape. It was really, really dangerous. The movement that we're struggling in became tribal and so, you know, you see soldiers who are turning on each other. And so we decide, look, I rather go and die where my family members are. We were, like, around - between two to 400, I think, and only 16 people survived. And the way some died of starvation, dehydration and a lot of things that attacked us on the way that we weren't prepared for.

You wound up at a place called Waat.

Yeah, when I arrived in a place called Waat and I met a British aid worker called Emma McCune. And so Emma McCune was the one who smuggled me into Kenya and put me in school, so she disarmed me.

So when you heard the news that 3,000 child soldiers may be gradually released in South Sudan, what did that make you feel?

turn 2 : Implicated meaning: In this context, "disarmed" does not refer to physically taking away weapons from the speaker, but rather, to the act of helping the speaker move away from a violent and dangerous situation and giving them a chance at a better life. It implies that Emma McCune provided emotional and practical support to the speaker, and helped them escape the violence they were trapped in.

What did Emma McCune provide to the speaker besides helping them move away from a violent situation?

Answer: School


When I met him a couple of months ago, I said, listen. You have fought against Islamic radicalism. And you have saved Benghazi and eastern Libya from the terrorist threat. But if you try to run for office, you will lose all that because Libyans are difficult to govern. And I said to him, do you have any aspirations with that?He says, no. I want to rise above this. So I think he sees a real threat to Libya by the existence of these elements. And unfortunately, the international community and the United Nations, they are supporting a government that has no power. And in the end, that government that has no power is being run by militias.

Some people would counter that, actually, Haftar's forces are also comprised of militias with little ideology, some elements within them are so-called extremists and that he is no better than the forces he's purporting to counter.

I mean, I hate to disagree with this. I mean, Haftar is not perfect. I don't say he's perfect. But he has a Libyan army. They might have started off as militias. But now they are inducted into regular army. And more important, they try to paint Haftar into a warlord. You know, he's not. He has been authorized by the only representative body in the country, which is the Libyan Parliament. And so, please, don't get me wrong. I am not enamored with Haftar. And the last thing I want to see in Libya is another military dictatorship. I don't want to see that.

So why is Haftar making this move to take Tripoli now?

turn 2 : They are not painting but describing the man in a certain way.

Which word suggests that Haftar's portrayal as a warlord is inaccurate?

Answer: inaccurate


A few hundred?

A few hundred?

A few hundred, yeah.

There is a composition on this recording "Fur Elise". . .

turn 1 : The literal meaning of turns (1) and (2) is asking a question about the number "a few hundred". The implied meaning of these turns is that B is surprised by the number A mentioned.

How was PersonB's reaction to the number mentioned by A?

Answer: Surprised


We just have this mythology about America being a melting pot and, you know, welcoming of immigrants. And we have our democratic ideals. And yet the true history is one of racism, of white supremacy. And peoples of color have never been particularly welcomed into this country. A lot of people still don't even know the history of the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II, so I want to go out of feeling youthful, you know, in my old age. And I think that that's something that I can talk about, you know, educate people. So what else can we do?

Chizu Omori is a writer living in Oakland.

Thank you so much.

Well, thank you for allowing me to speak up.

turn 0 : Melting pot doesn't refer to an actual pot, but is a metaphor for the country's population being a mix of different ethnicities and national origins.

How is the melting pot metaphor used in America?

Answer: Metaphor


It stores the equivalent of ones and zeroes. We came up with the idea in a bar in Hamburg a few years ago because the institute where I work is - keeps some of the world's big, biological databases. We store the information, we archive the information, and we serve it to research biologists around the world over the Internet for them to do their research.

And the data that's coming to us is increasing exponentially. It's quite a headache for us to keep hold of all of that because our budgets don't increase exponentially.

Yeah, did you actually try this out on some DNA?

Yeah, we tried it out in a real - it's sort of compared to the databases we store, it's a small example, but compared to what people have done before, it's a pretty big example. We wrote a computer program that embodied a code that would convert the zeros and ones from a hard disk drive into the letters that we use to represent DNA, and then we - our collaborators in California were able to actually synthesize physical DNA.

And what did you store in that DNA?

turn 1 : when something is a headache in this context it means its annoying

How would you describe the data's increase in this context?

Answer: Exponentially


Yes. I don't think the government contends that she was a spy. She pled guilty to one count of failing to register as a foreign agent. But still, in her statement of the offense, the activities she undertook weren't necessarily covert or spycraft. There's no allegation she's a member of Russian intelligence. And I think that's worn out, although she did pled guilty - plead guilty and is accepting responsibility for not registering as a foreign agent.

Yeah. What was she trying to do then?

She was trying to build bridges between the two countries, and through civil society groups, which I think happens with a lot of foreign nationals and foreign students.

Well, build bridges or - I'm going to mix metaphors here - or create a road in for Russian interests?

turn 2 : build bridges implies engaging in good human relationship and connections

Answer: Connection


Business casual, if you will.

Yes - something that would be your business suit. And then the casual part of it would be you can take the jacket off, and there's a short-sleeve, button-up shirt underneath.

There have been prototypes developed of these new uniforms. And they've made some adaptations from what the originals look like. Tell me about that.

So they started out with sort of just a straight jacket that kind of hit at the hip. And the feedback was that soldiers really wanted a slightly longer jacket, like, almost, you know, like, a little bit of a skirt coming out from the hip and then a belt. The belt was really important. So the latest update of that has the belt added.

turn 1 : The business suit has a casual element to it with a short-sleeved shirt.

How can the business suit be modified for a casual look?

Answer: Jacket


I saw that statistic in National Review.

Oh, that's another fine magazine.

And give me some credit for reading National Review.

I personally - I think. . .

turn 1 : A: Oh, that's another fine magazine.  This turn is an example of sarcasm. The speaker, A, uses the phrase "another fine magazine" to indicate that they do not believe that National Review is a fine magazine, despite what the previous speaker, B, has implied. The literal meaning of the phrase is positive, but the actual meaning, conveyed through the speaker's tone and context, is negative.

What was the tone of PersonA's statement about National Review?

Answer: Sarcastic


So I can't say anything definitive. But my understanding is that Mr.  Mueller basically laid out, here are the elements. As you read in the introduction, we can't conclude it wasn't obstruction, and we're essentially turning it over to Congress to look at that and, I must say, to the voters; ultimately, I think the voters in 2020 are going to be the people that decide what was right and wrong in this case.

Now, there was an interesting point in the press conference today with Attorney General Bill Barr. He defended his conclusion that there was no obstruction by pointing out that the president has at times been very cooperative in this investigation - he provided access to documents, he let his senior aides testify freely. Let me ask you, does that mean in your mind that the president could not have had a corrupt intent?

Well, I think, you know, he was sort of cherry-picking the evidence. We know, for example, that the president wanted to dismiss Mr.  Mueller, wanted to shut down the investigation, wanted Attorney General Sessions to unrecuse himself to take control of the situation. We know that when he first heard of the investigation, he leaned back in his chair and said, this could be the end of my presidency. And so I don't - I mean, clearly, there was cooperation. Although, on one of the very major aspects, the president refused to testify or his lawyers, anyway, refused to testify.

Do you think it was a mistake of Robert Mueller not to have subpoenaed the president to sit down for an interview?

turn 3 : Turn (4): "subpoenaed the president to sit down for an interview" is an idiom that means legally compelling someone to appear and give testimony. It does not mean literally inviting someone to sit down for a friendly conversation.

Which idiom means legally compelling someone to appear and give testimony?

Answer: Subpoenaed


What would be risky about it, from the Nicolas Maduro point of view?

Well, there'd certainly be retaliatory measures from the U. S. , very likely more sanctions. There would be a massive outcry from Guaido's dozens of other international allies. The EU's warned that this would be a major escalation in tensions. And there'll be a lot of anger from the multitude of Guaido's supporters here in Venezuela.

Guaido himself says that any attempt by Maduro's government to detain him would be - as he put it - without doubt, one of that government's last mistakes. So we don't know, Steve. I mean, it's not clear that Maduro's concluded that he's in a strong enough position to do this. But it is a possibility.

And I guess we don't know if Guaido intends to go to a border crossing and present his passport or if he intends to sneak in some way. Is it known what path he plans to take?

turn 1 :  "There would be a massive outcry from Guaido's dozens of other international allies." - The use of the word "dozens" is figurative, indicating that Guaido has a significant number of international allies, but not necessarily just dozens.

Which word indicates that Guaido's international allies are significant in number but not necessarily just dozens?

Answer: Significant


I grew up in a small town where there were no poets. There were brilliant carpenters and electricians and people who did things with their hands. I wanted to make something with my hands too. I just wanted to make something a little different.

And so I needed models to sort of tell me that I could do that. Now, I am hopefully urging on another generation, the next generation of young, passionate, risk-taking, truth-telling writers to say, don't be afraid of this, you can do this, just have the resolve to do it, and it'll work itself out.

Even if you're working at Kinko's overnight?

Even if you're working at Kinko's it will, you know, you - there are jobs everywhere for poets of passion, you know?Some of them are in the academy.

turn 3 : No matter where a person works they can find inspiration to write a poem.

How can a poet find inspiration to write a poem?

Answer: Inspiration


Hi, how are you Tony?

Fine. Congratulations to you for making some money when everybody's struggling. That's good news, isn't it?

It is. It's excellent news. It's a recession-proof business, so I'm very thankful for that.

What is it that makes it recession-proof, in your view?

turn 1 : Everybody isn't struggling, but enough people are to make it notable that Person A is making money.

How is Person PersonA's financial situation perceived by others?

Answer: Notable


Well, tomorrow, it's going to be a lot of pomp and circumstance. There'll be a wreath-laying at Westminster Abbey. There'll be a state dinner in the evening with the Queen at Buckingham Palace tomorrow, a meeting with Prime Minister May. Of course, she's a lame duck, so we're not expecting a lot there on the policy front. The big thing tomorrow is going to be street protests.

And what are we expecting there?

Huge numbers. There are going to be buses coming in from around England. The streets are going to be jammed. Londoners, of course, very progressive - this is a cosmopolitan city. And they tend to really dislike this president. His anti-immigration policies, his things that he said about women - it just really rubs Londoners the wrong way.

We'll be seeing a lot of things that - a lot of signs, clever signs, which is what British protesters are known for. And we'll also see Tuesday morning the Trump baby blimp make a reappearance. This is the blimp of Trump in a diaper and crying and looking - he's in the form of a baby. Very popular, and I'm sure we'll see lots of people out there when that goes aloft in Parliament Square.

turn 0 : There will be a lot of formal events but street protests will be the highlight.

Which event will be the highlight of tomorrow's schedule?

Answer: Protests


Thank you.

Eduardo, the group of survivors quickly formed a community, sharing tasks, rotating sleeping positions so everyone would get a chance at a more comfortable spot in the wrecked plane. Can you talk a little bit about that?- those first few days.

Yeah. As you can imagine, it has been the most awful, terrible days of my life. It was awful and long nights. We have a very small space. We were 29 people at the first. And we have no warm clothes (ph), no water. We have to melt snow. It was very difficult because the weather was very cold. And the snow was all over the kerosene of the engines of the plane. We are surrounded with our friends, who died. And that first night was really impossible to describe.

Of course, the aspect of the story that has gained the most notoriety was the decision you all made that in order to survive, you would have to start eating your dead friends. And you didn't flinch from describing this in the book. Fairly early on, you say that hearing your cousin Adolfo say out loud what many were thinking - that you were going to have to eat the bodies - gave you a kind of relief. How so?

turn 1 : MY CAT IS VERY VERY BEAUTIFUL BIRD AND VERY CALM

Answer: Beautiful


Well, the first one was, of course, a really bad jolt that brought down all the buildings; things were swaying. The second one for some reason was - people panicked even more because I guess the memory of the first one was so fresh. Although it didn't kill as many people, and it was technically supposed to be an aftershock of the first one, still it sent people back to the shelters. People were sleeping out in the open again. And then just as things were starting to get back to some sort of normalcy, the panic level suddenly went up again.

Is the ground still shaking every now and then?

Oh, yeah, this is a roller coaster. I mean, it just - we haven't had any big aftershock today, but last night, yesterday morning - and we don't know if the aftershocks are just merging into one, you know, of the first one and the second one.

We're talking you on Skype. Has the world media left at this point?

turn 1 : very good His words implied a threat. War implies fighting and death.

What did the first earthquake bring down?

Answer: buildings


And why do you think Mr.  Mueller should be fired?

Well, I think there have been a number of instances when bias has been demonstrated within the Mueller probe; also, the manner in which the team has been put together, the relationship between Mr.  Mueller and Mr.  Comey; and then finally, some of the details of the intelligence memo that we hope is made public this week would seem to indicate that no prosecution could ever be brought from the Mueller probe. And thus, its utility has been outlived.

Could you cite a single example of bias?

Sure. Andrew Weissman, the No. 2 member of the Mueller probe, attended the Hillary Clinton election night party. You would think with all the talented prosecutors to be asked throughout the federal system, we could likely assemble a team without having to pick the people who were engaged in the 2016 election to the extent that they would be at one of the candidates' election night parties.

turn 3 : The selection of Mueller's team members may not have been impartial

What is the reason for PersonA's concern about Andrew Weissman's attendance at the Hillary Clinton election night party?

Answer: Bias


You're a breast cancer survivor. Your husband passed away. One of your other children was in a serious accident, and yet when you deal with the Imus ordeal, you say I've never felt so powerless in my life. Why did that touch you so much?

You know, Farai, one of the things that maybe people didn't know is that here I had a team of 10 players, and five of those young ladies were freshmen. Less than a year before that, they were sitting on bleachers at a high school graduation. Some of them that came to me had braces on their teeth. They had dreams and aspirations of becoming doctors and psychologists and musicians and all the like.

And here while they had done something that they should be commended for because throughout the year, the year had been a tremendous struggle. They had been pushed to the brink, and yet somehow they survived. And beyond surviving, here they were standing before a national audience and being honored as one of the top two teams in this nation.

And I was so proud of them because I could remember seeing some of them cry or think that they couldn't and then to see their faces on television or USA Today and, you know, this is what it's all about - for us as leaders and as parents and as people that care about our young people - to take them to places that they don't think that they can go, have them accomplish those things, and then with that level of security and confidence, they can take on the world.

turn 3 : Helping young people achieve their goals gives them confidence to take on the world

What gives young people confidence to face the world?

Answer: Imus


Well, it's not as if Senator Gregg didn't know that President Obama is a Democrat and this is a democratic administration.

So, I mean, what was it that changed his mind all of a sudden?

Well, that's an excellent point. I would just add to what you said in - you know, in a very direct fashion, that he clearly knew about the stimulus package. He had recused himself from voting in the Senate as a potential nominee for a commerce secretary position. I think that what really changed it for him had a lot to do with the census issue, Madeleine. And this is the case here that the census is run by the commerce secretary. It comes under his mandate.

And what you heard from black and Latino elected officials in the Congress was great concern that Judd Gregg, who had once voted to eliminate the Commerce Department, said, you know what?We're concerned that he is not going to be open to doing the kind of count that we think is necessary to get a full estimate of the presence of minorities in this country, which of course will influence congressional districts and how they're drawn, influence funding for - especially for social programs. And the argument has long come from minority communities that they have been undercounted.

turn 0 : Senator Gregg should have behaved as if aware that Obama and administration are Democrats

What was the concern of black and Latino elected officials regarding Judd Gregg's potential appointment as the Commerce Secretary?

Answer: Census


It is. And there's actually - turns out, there's a lot of responsibility with that because there are spectators everywhere. There are cameras everywhere. There's high winds, of course. They have to watch out for that. And anybody who doesn't stop when the yellow jersey stops, they're - they get in big trouble. And anybody who pees when there is too much wind or when they're in a group stuck somewhere, there are repercussions for people who sort of break these secret pee rules.

What other anecdotes do you have from other sports?

Well, the way I like to put this is there are nearly 3 billion gallons of urine evacuated on earth every day. And my reporting discovered that it seems like most of it ends up on an NFL field somewhere. Really, at any given moment, on an NFL sideline, there are probably a handful of players relieving themselves. They're sort of hiding in plain sight, whether they're going behind a towel or just going into their football pants or going behind an equipment case. You know, there are maybe 10 different techniques that football players relieve themselves during NFL games.

And wait, did you actually say that some of them just pee their pants?

turn 0 : "yellow jersey" - this refers to the leader of the Tour de France race and is not a literal yellow-colored shirt.

How does the term "yellow jersey" relate to the Tour de France?

Answer: Leader


And I guess the hope of getting to Europe has been extinguished for these people.

The European Union member states have effectively criminalized search and rescue operations on the Mediterranean Sea. And we think that this is a mistake, particularly in the light of how things have changed over last three months. The fact that the Libyan coast guard is taking people back into what is now an active war zone is simply unacceptable.

Elinor Raikes, the Europe and North Africa regional director for the International Rescue Committee, thanks so much.

You're welcome.

turn 0 : extinguished implies to become hopeless and not to put out firr

How have the European Union member states impacted search and rescue operations on the Mediterranean Sea?

Answer: Criminalized


Absolutely. In fact, there is. It's very simple. If you go to the grocery store and you buy some blue food coloring, you can take it home. And I caution you to be very careful. It will stain the rug in your house, as I am. . .

Yeah.

. . . living proof of.

I hate it when that happens, you know.

turn 3 :  B: "I hate it when that happens, you know." The literal meaning suggests that the person simply dislikes it when something similar happens. However, the actual meaning could be that the person is using the phrase "when that happens" in a broader context, expressing frustration or annoyance with situations that lead to unwanted consequences or accidents in general.

How can the actual meaning of PersonB's statement be described?

Answer: Frustration


Yes, ma'am.

So locked down, and what is the forecast for the Christmas shopping season?

It's going to be negative for the first time in many, many, many years. The consumer just can't spend money. Consumer bankruptcies are on the rise. Consumers have 14 trillion in debt, negative saving. They can't pay their credit card bills. They can't pay their home loans. They can't pay their auto loans. The banks are not offering financing. They've got a negative wealth effect from housing to the tune of 8 trillion. The consumer is in lock down. They just don't have money.

Well, any bright spots out there because they do have to spend money on some things. Maybe the dollar stores are doing well?

There's definite bright spots. If you're Wal-Mart, you're doing fine. If you're Costco, you're doing fine. If you're Family Dollar, you're doing fine. If you're Dollar Tree, you're doing fine.

turn 2 : The economy is doing very poorly, and consumers are struggling to pay their debts and bills.

Answer: Fine.


Indeed, and the longer this regime stays, the bigger this possibility is. I think any solution to the Syrian crisis will have to assure the different communities in Syria, at the top of which are the Alawites of their future in the country. Many Alawites today do not feel that what the Bashar Assad is doing to their country is excusable. At the same time, they are afraid to basically jump the ship and go against him for fear of being, sort of, killed and massacred by the majority Sunnis in the country. And so a political process will have to address the aspirations, the needs, the fears of these different minority communities in Syria.

A political process we've seen very little of. There's nothing going on.

Not much. There is a U. N.  envoy, Mr.  Lakhdar Brahimi, who was both an U. N.  and Arab League envoy, who is trying, you know, to initiate such a process. But given, in my view, the fact that this regime looks at things in Syria as a zero-sum game, there is, indeed, a very little likelihood of the success of the political process.

Marwan Muasher, former foreign minister, deputy prime minister of Jordan, with us from studios at the Carnegie Endowment in Washington. Thanks very much for your time.

turn 0 : There is little progress in the political process of finding a solution to the Syrian crisis.

Which process is mentioned to have little progress in finding a solution to the Syrian crisis?

Answer: Process


Well, yeah. But you see what I mean?Because it is about perception and how we need to be - to understand what we're seeing before we can really see it, that's really key to understanding this whole issue of climate change and why we see or don't see what's right in front of us.

What drew you to monarchs in the first place?

I had really wanted to write about the subject for a long time. I live in southern Appalachia. I am surrounded by neighbors and friends - people I respect very much - who don't really understand climate change or believe in it, even though, as farmers, they're getting socked by it. We've had unprecedented, disastrous weather time and again. So it's such a strange contradiction that the people in our continent who are first to feel the harm of a changing climate are the last to be able to talk about it.

That was such a conundrum and such rich territory for a novel to tread, that I was just looking for the right way to get into the subject. And one morning, I just woke up with this vision in my eyes of millions of butterflies covering the forest behind my house. I just - I mean, I didn't actually see it. I imagined it. I woke up and there it was, and I knew that was it.

turn 2 : Farmers who are most affected by climate change are the least likely to believe in it

Which group of people are first to feel the harm of a changing climate?

Answer: Farmers


Did you hear anything from President Obama or Speaker Boehner that screams deal to you?

As is true of so much of life, the great philosopher Yogi Berra said it best: It's deja vu all over again. This problem is what caused the debt crisis last year, with the president and his supporters saying you have to increase tax rates on the wealthy and the House Republicans saying you cannot raise tax rates on the wealthy and you have to close loopholes. If they don't figure out a way around this, we are going to have the same kind of nail-biting fight that we had last year, which resulted basically in them kicking the can and creating the fiscal cliff.

Yeah. Well, do you see room for compromise there. I mean, if you were carving the pie?

Well, here is the problem. The professor who spoke to Ari just before said that if you close loopholes on the wealthy you would collect more tax revenue. That is true. But if you're serious about closing the deficit, that is not enough. It just isn't. It doesn't create enough revenue. And that's where the Democrats have fundamentally been saying if you don't raise rates, then everything else is pointless, because it'll all be on the margins. And that's the problem.

turn 2 : (3) "Do you see room for compromise there" - This phrase implies that there is potential for the two sides to come to an agreement.

Which phrase from PersonB implies the possibility of the two sides coming to an agreement?

Answer: Compromise


So there you are standing in the checkout line, that one with a big sign above it that says express, 10 items or less. You notice the basket of the woman in front of you. You silently start tallying. OK, eight or nine items, fine. But wait, she has a six pack under her hand, and under her other arm is a bag of pretzels. And then she's going for that pack of gum. And you're fighting the urge to scream: You had no business in the express line.

If that's you, then John Trinkaus feels your pain. He decided that instead of complaining about it, though, he'd study it. Trinkaus researches not only the express line, but how many people stop at stop signs and the average wait at the doctor's office. My next guest is Marc Abrahams, editor and co-founder of the Annals of Improbable Research, and the founder and master of ceremonies for the Ig Nobel Prize. He'll explain the data details and why it's the simple things that count. He joins us from WBUR in Boston. Hi, Marc.

Hello, Flora.

Tell me - give me some other names of his studies, because they're all really funny.

turn 1 : John Trinkaus studies seemingly mundane things, but they can reveal significant patterns.

How does John Trinkaus's research help reveal patterns?

Answer: Details


I don't know what a - difference between an executive order and a proclamation is.

Well, proclamations seem to be more rare. They do kind of echo of something royal, but it has basically the same effect as an executive order.

And how would this change what somebody who wants to apply for asylum must do?

Well, it's trying to bar asylum for people who enter the U. S.  in between ports of entry.

turn 3 : Bar asylum for people who enter between ports of entry

What is the purpose of the proclamation?

Answer: Restrict


Money.

If you go to Moscow today - I'm not talking about the provinces and I'm not talking about provincial cities, but Moscow, the very center of Moscow - is in some ways Riyadh or a kind of oil-rich capital. That's what Russia is today in terms of its economy at the highest levels. The very high elites, which all congregate in downtown Moscow and have their country homes in - outside, have enormous amount of money. The highest concentration of billionaires in any city in the world is in Moscow of all places, and when I lived in Moscow, you could barely buy a potato or an onion or get a box of matches, and this is reflected in the most glamorous state-controlled theater of all, the Bolshoi.

Just to interrupt our conversation for a moment, we are seeing black smoke emerging from the Vatican, which means there was no pope selected in the most recent vote, so onto tomorrow. But in any case, on back to the Bolshoi Ballet.

And, David Remnick, as you look at the influence of all that money, one of the accomplishments of the Bolshoi, you say, is that it has managed to make itself ideologically independent.

turn 3 : The Bolshoi Ballet's independence is a notable achievement in a country where money and politics often influence the arts.

Which achievement of the Bolshoi Ballet is being discussed?

Answer: Independence


You also call this the start of a new era in America's modern history - in what way?

Well, the Clean Air Act really changed, in many ways, the conception of government's role and gave to the federal government both the power and the responsibility to protect Americans' health. One of the most revolutionary pieces of this very innovatively designed law was a provision which elevated public health as a priority above all others in the setting of air quality standards for the entire country. It put public health over and above corporate profit and cost in determining what amounts of pollution would be allowed in Americans' air.

But that hasn't stopped it from being challenged, right?How has it weathered those challenges?

Well, it's been up and down over the years. And I think what we're seeing right now is a really sort of unprecedented assault on the Clean Air Act and the enforcement of the Clean Air Act by the Trump administration. Obviously, I think, we've all become familiar over the last few years with the idea of climate change denial. But I think what we're now seeing in the Trump years is actually air pollution denial.

turn 3 : "unprecedented assault on the Clean Air Act" - This turn has a figurative meaning, as it refers to the Trump administration's efforts to weaken or dismantle the Clean Air Act, which is seen as an attack on the law itself and its purpose.

Which law is being referred to as having an "unprecedented assault" on it by the Trump administration?

Answer: Clean


Why does the American Civil Liberties Union defend the rights of Nazis?Membership and donations have boomed since the 2016 election, as the ACLU has taken on a number of high-profile cases challenging Trump administration policies on immigration, deportation and voter suppression. But some supporters of the organization have questioned the ACLU's defense of the free-speech rights of hate groups, especially following their defense of white nationalist rally at Emancipation Park in Charlottesville a couple of weeks ago, when Heather Heyer was killed. A board member of the ACLU's Virginia affiliate resigned, tweeting - what's legal and what's right are sometimes different. I won't be a fig leaf for Nazis.

We're joined now by the national executive director of the ACLU, Anthony Romero. Mr.  Romero, thanks so much for being with us.

It's my pleasure, Scott. Thank you for having me.

Is the ACLU a fig leaf for Nazis?

turn 3 : The literal meaning of "Is the ACLU a fig leaf for Nazis?" is to ask if the ACLU is providing cover or protection for Nazis. However, the implied meaning is to ask if the ACLU is endorsing the actions of Nazi groups.

What is the implied meaning of the question "Is the ACLU a fig leaf for Nazis?"

Answer: Endorsing


Well, how did they react to you as a person?I mean, you're a glamorous Los Angelina, and so what did they think when you showed up?

I think that it's interesting, because I was in a program called Cross-cultural Solutions, where they send volunteers to different areas. I was the first African-American that had been at this school. So I think they were confused. I mean, and these people in the town, they were just like are you from Ghana?Or are you Yabo(ph)?Yabo is a foreigner, and most likely, more than usually, a white foreigner. But I had a couple of people call me Yabo.

But they would sort of ask like where are you from, and one of the program's administrators would have to explain, she's an ancestor of Africans, and then they would say, oh, okay. So it was definitely some confusing sort of looks that I got.

But the kids were - you know, kids are very, you know, easy to sort of get along with. These kids were, you know, absolutely adorable. They didn't understand what I was saying a lot of the time, but they really connected to me. I mean, I would bring bubbles and jumping ropes and stuff like that, stuff that they had never seen before. So, you know, I was quite popular at the school, I have to say. I mean, particularly with my bubbles, that brought even the junior-high-school kids out…

Oh, I'm sure.

turn 2 : The subject is actually from Los Angeles where as the reply is regarding an African

Which program did the subject participate in?

Answer: Cross-cultural-Solutions


I really feel disappointed that a member of the House took the time to attack the people that are contributing to the campaign of President Trump, an attack that we are fueling or helping to fuel hate among Hispanics. In my office, half my personnel is Hispanic. I love Hispanic people. They're family-oriented. My wife - all of us got scared. I said people are going to come to attack us.

But you do know that this is public information.

Yes. But we are not contributing to fuel any hate. We are contributing because we want President Trump to be reelected. I like the job he's doing as president. I love the way he loves America, the same way that I love America. I named my company Great America Companies in 1972 when I first immigrated to America because I felt this was a great place.

President Trump has used the words invasion and killer, according to new statistics, over 500 times when speaking about immigration and immigrants since 2017. That is as president. People see his rhetoric as divisive and specifically when speaking about Latino immigrants. Does that not concern you?

turn 0 : They are contributing to and/or worsening hate among Hispanics because they are contributing to Trump's campaign, allowing him to continue doing so. Trump wouldn't be able to continue his devisive rhetoric if people didn't contribute to his campaign, so they are being blamed and attacked because of them.

Which group of people is being blamed and attacked in turn 0?

Answer: Hispanics


Thank you so much, Scott.

Let me put this bluntly. In the 1970s, Argentina was in the grip of what was called the Dirty War. People being disappeared. Which side was man now known as Pope Francis on?

I think he was on the wrong side. I think he didn't understand the consequences of what the junta meant to do when it came to power. He had been very involved as a young man in politics. He was interested in communism.

But then he turned really to the right. He was an admirer of Juan Domingo Peron, the soft man of Argentina - to put it somehow. And he joined or was on the margins of a right-wing peronist group. And there were a lot of his priests who were very much on the left-wing side. And what happened is that he essentially failed to protect two of his most radical priests by demanding essentially that these priests leave the Jesuit order.

turn 3 : A: "He joined or was on the margins of a right-wing peronist group." - This is an idiomatic expression that means he was involved in or affiliated with a political group that supported the ideas of Juan Domingo Peron and his political movement.

How was Pope Francis affiliated with Juan Domingo Peron's political movement?

Answer: Margins


Yes, yes. And he stood up here and if you can see over in the distance you can see a copula - that's where the Confederates were. That's only a half a mile away. Some sharpshooters go up here, shooting at anything that moved along here. So somebody took a shot, and as you can see from this monument here, the guy standing next to Lincoln was hit and he was wounded. Imagine that that sharpshooter back there had been just a little bit more accurate. He could've very easily have killed the president. And then what?I mean, you know, can anybody name who would've become president?I don't think so. It would've been the Vice President Hannibal Hamlin.

Whoa.

Has anybody ever heard of a Hannibal Hamlin?

It sounds like a burger place.

turn 2 : Implied meaning: The speaker is indicating that they are experiencing physical or emotional discomfort, and may be implying that they require sympathy or understanding from the listener. The tone and context of the situation may affect the implied meaning, as the speaker could also be indicating a desire for rest or respite, or they may be seeking permission or justification for their actions or behavior. Additionally, the speaker may or may not be seeking medical attention or advice.

How was the speaker feeling during turn 2?

Answer: Discomfort


Yeah. Despite the ongoing uproar and concern created by the firing of James Comey, you have a lot of bipartisan support for Christopher Wray. He said a lot of the right things this week when it came to what what senators wanted to hear, what they were asking about. He said he would be independent if he ran the FBI. He said he would not pull any punches.

And he was asked several times, what would you do if the president asked you to do something illegal or unethical?He said, first, I would try to change his mind, and if he didn't do that, I would quit. So Democrats seem to hear what they wanted to hear. And there could be a vote on his nomination in the next couple of weeks.

Republicans released a revised health care bill - as popular as the first one was?

Just about, it seems, with the public. But I think where it matters more is, is it more popular within the Republican caucus?And it seems to be a tad more popular right now. But this bill is still right on a danger zone in terms of whether or not it can pass. You have two senators in the Republican caucus saying they're not going to vote for it. They can't lose any other Republican support and still get this bill passed.

turn 1 : (2) He said he would try to change his mind, and if he didn't do that, he would quit - Implied meaning: He would not follow the president's orders if they were illegal or unethical.

What was Christopher Wray's response if the president asked him to do something illegal or unethical?

Answer: Quit


You definitely - I mean, mosses definitely occur down there and hepatics, as well. But as far as I understand, there's a very limited flora down there. It's not like the Canadian Arctic, where we're in an Alpine sector of the Canadian High Arctic. So there's a lot of diversity, a lot of meso- and microhabitats for the bryophytes to survive in.

What would you - what would be a home run, a grand slam for you in this field?What would really you like to find?What would, you know, besides. . . ?

I think what would be really fascinating is that if you could go under a melting glacier that was 100,000, 150,000 years, maybe 200,000 years old, and you actually found macrofossils, what would be called macrofossils underneath the glacier and be able to rejuvenate them. That would be pretty amazing.

Yeah, about the mosses that you found. Are all mosses like this, or is this a particularly hardy species of moss that you've discovered in the ice there?

turn 1 : They are asking what would be the best thing for the person to find.

Which type of fossils does "A" hope to find under a melting glacier?

Answer: Macrofossils


And what's the story about how your parents met?

Well, they met in art school in Charlotte. . .

(Singing) In the '60s, black boots, mini skirt, blonde curls. Then when you went to art school. . .

And my mom would go and see him play. He was in a jazz funk band called Fungus Blues. And she would go. . .

turn 2 : A is trying to add some humor to the conversation

What emotion is PersonA trying to convey with the use of singing in turn 2?

Answer: humor


(Laughter) Well, listen. This was an amazing victory for Alabama. It was a victory, I think, for decency - common decency. And it shows that Alabama was willing to put principle over party. I was very excited that my district overperformed. And I was particularly excited about the African-American turnout. You know, I think that people understood that the stakes were high. This administration has had a negative effect on our community. It's reversing a lot of the Obama-era progress that we've made. And I'm just very pleased that people showed up and showed out.

Was the role of women especially important?

Absolutely. You know, it was shown that Doug received 57 percent of all female votes. And that included 98 percent of the African-American women vote. The issues that matter most to my district affect the family and affect our children. And so I think that you really saw a major outpouring of women, especially African-American women, in this election.

On the other hand, as there always is with those journalists, Roy Moore was an especially polarizing figure, even among Republicans. Do you draw any significance from what you were able to accomplish in this election with what you think Democrats ought to be doing for 2018?

turn 1 : The listener asks whether women played a crucial role in the election.

Which demographic group received the majority of female votes in the election?

Answer: African-American


It's great to be with you, Ira. Thank you.

I'm just looking at the abstract of your study, and some of these numbers are amazing. Seventy-two percent, 72 of all Americans think that global warming should be a very high or medium or a priority for the president and the Congress. That crosses all party lines.

It does. It includes 84 percent of Democrats, 68 percent of independents and 52 percent of Republicans. So yes, there is this difference between Democrats and Republicans. But nonetheless, a majority of Republicans do think that global warming should be a priority for our elected officials.

So why are we all under the impression that there is not this majority?

Ah. Great question. So one of the things that became very clear to us early in our research was that Americans don't speak with a single voice on this issue. And in fact, what we've identified is what we call a global warming's six Americas, that essentially you can look at the country and find that there are six very different communities within the United States, that each respond to this issue in very different ways. One group we call the alarmed. That's only about 12 percent of the public.

turn 2 : The chaos caused by Brexit has unified European citizens and strengthened their attachment to the EU.

What is the percentage of Republicans who consider global warming a priority according to the study mentioned in the dialogue?

Answer: 52


We have frozen nonessential travel. We've frozen nonessential hiring. And we've also given all of our staff - 2,500 of them across the state - a 60-day notice of a furlough - that is unpaid leave time - to be taken sometime during the fiscal year.

You have asked state legislators to intervene. Have they, and are you optimistic it might make a difference?

It's going to be a very heavy lift in that overriding the veto requires three quarters of the legislature in combined session. So 45 of Alaska's 60 legislators need to override the veto.

The governor's argument is that these cuts are, A, necessary for the budget and, B, that they would allow the University of Alaska to be - and I'll quote him - "smaller, leaner but still very, very positive and a productive university. "If I'm hearing you right, you are not in agreement.

turn 0 : The travel has not been frozen in the sense of encased in ice - it has just been suspended, metaphorically.

How has nonessential travel been affected?

Answer: Suspended


I'm - so far, pretty much silence, but I also think that this is very different from the past allegations. This is something that will be much harder for Republicans to defend without looking even more craven than most voters. . .

OK.

. . . Will tolerate. You know, we can't base our foreign policy on whether foreign leaders are willing to do political favors for the president.

And we'll have to leave it there. Representative Tom Malinowski, Democrat of New Jersey. Thanks so much.

turn 0 : "without looking even more craven" implies that Republicans look craven for sure.

What will be harder for Republicans to defend without looking even more craven?

Answer: Foreignpolicy


There's a number of them that the federal prosecutors mentioned, things like excessive purchases with cash in some pharmacies, purchases from well out of the region of the pharmacies. And these are opioid purchases we're talking about - excessively high percentages of sales of fentanyl patches and opioid oxycodone painkillers from some pharmacies and some of the larger pharmacies that RDC dealt with. So those are some of the things that the feds highlighted.

Two RDC executives face charges. What are they accused of?

Basically sort of being players in this whole, you know, alleged kind of ignorance or willing ignorance, I should say, of RDC's role in the opioid epidemic, the things we talked about - you know, just sort of closing your eyes to pharmacies that were obviously pushing painkilling prescription meds onto the streets in big numbers. And the allegations are that the former CEO, Larry Doud, and former compliance officer were key in allowing this to happen internally and just ignored all the signs. One has pleaded guilty and is cooperating. And Doud is facing the criminal charges.

You've talked a lot about the pharmacies here. And so I'm wondering, what about them?And what about the doctors making the orders?Are they being held accountable?

turn 3 : "held accountable" - This turn's actual meaning is different from its literal meaning because "held accountable" means being responsible or answerable for something, but it does not necessarily mean someone will be physically held or restrained.

Answer: Responsibility


Yeah, yeah. And I'd like to say that this particular story, by the way, I'm kind of happy with the headline I came up with for that. I called it "The Tasting of the Shrew. "

We get it.

Uh-huh.

We Shakespeare fans.

turn 0 : The title of the story is a clever play on words based on the play

How is the title of the story related to Shakespeare?

Answer: Play


Yeah. They're like, oh, my God. Make that face again. That's so funny. But it's not like that. And the reason I talked about it and shared when I did was because there started to be all these compilations of my tics that were made by the fans, which they just thought it was, like, goofy Billie is making a bunch of faces. And they're funny. Let's make a video about it, which is, of course, out of love. And they think that's funny. And they didn't - they don't know, you know?

O'CONNELL: Especially if they think you're doing them on purpose, then it's totally out of love.

They think I'm doing it on purpose. But I felt almost, like, attacked in a way, which was kind of stupid. But it's something like I've lived with my whole life and, like, not been open about because I didn't want it to label me, you know?

Sure, you don't want the whole - that to be the second sentence of every every paragraph about you.

turn 1 : "Especially if they think you're doing them on purpose, then it's totally out of love." - The implied meaning here is that the fans' intentions are good, and they are not trying to harm Billie by making videos of her tics.

Which emotion does the statement suggest the fans have towards Billie?

Answer: Love


The flu hits with the regularity of seasons. But it's hard to know when it will peak, and how it might spread. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention want to forecast yearly bouts of influenza the way that meteorologists predict storms. So they've set up a contest every two weeks through March, in which competing teams submit predictions for when the flu will peak and how intense it will be.

Mark Dredze is a professor of computer science at the Johns Hopkins University. He analyzes social media data, to try to learn about health trends. Professor Dredze, thanks so much for being with us.

I'm happy to be here.

So how do you use social media to make a prediction on a medical matter?

turn 3 :  implies a respectful and inquisitive inquiry into how Professor Dredge uses social media to make predictions.

What is the tone of PersonB's question towards Professor Dredze?

Answer: Inquisitive


Absolutely. I mean, people should waste less of what they buy. I mean, it's estimated that the typical family in the U. S.  tosses out about $1,600 of groceries a year. And the report out today from the U. N.  finds that food waste may contribute up to 10% of the human-made greenhouse gas emissions. So we have a whole bunch of tips on our website to help you shop smarter and waste less in your own homes.

That's NPR's Allison Aubrey.

Allison, thanks for sharing this with us.

Thanks so much.

turn 0 : not literally produced or created in a lab, but emissions are a by-product of the human's food waste

What is contributing up to 10% of the human-made greenhouse gas emissions according to the report mentioned in the dialogue?

Answer: Foodwaste.


So what's the difference between steganography and - I'm interested in the origin of the word steganography. Can you take that apart for us?

Well. . .

Stega-, sounds almost like a dinosaur.

Certainly. It goes back to the Greeks, and it basically means hidden writing. So - and what it often gets kind of mixed together with or lumped together with, is encryption, and it's kind of - they're like close cousins, and they're trying to do the same thing, but they have slightly different approaches.

And that was my next question. What is the difference between steganography and encryption?

turn 3 :  the speaker is suggesting that steganography and encryption are similar and related, rather than literally saying that they are "close cousins".

What phrase did the speaker use to describe the relationship between steganography and encryption?

Answer: Close-cousins


About the South, I think what's missing is an attention to the ways that we have progressed but the paradox of that progress here for many folks. We're not getting to those deep structures because the South is so glittery now. We have Starbucks, and we have Whole Foods. And there are cranes in the sky, as Solange Knowles would say, all across the South. We're in the newest New South. There are lots of stories about growth and progress. But, again, at what cost?On whose backs?

And so about Memphis, I think what we miss is that because we have seemingly healed in the form of a museum, in the form of commemoration, in the form of reckoning with this assassination that we're on the upswing, that we're moving forward. But as I mentioned earlier, I feel that time has stood still and gone backwards and circled around us in a lot of ways here and that what gets missed is that there are people in the middle of this play of politics, in the middle of this history who are crushed but that still are striving in ways that are remarkable and beautiful. There is joy. There is dancing. There is singing. Sometimes, I hop into a church just to hear the sounds of joy that come out. And I think that gets lost in the way that we talk about the city in the national media.

Zandria Robinson is a sociology professor at Rhodes College and a Memphis native. Thank you very much.

Thank you.

turn 0 : Despite the progress and growth in the South, there are still underlying issues that need to be addressed.

What is missing in the South despite the presence of Starbucks and Whole Foods?

Answer: Cost


Well, I have to tell you, since September 11th, 2001, I haven't had a vacation. And I don't know about rest and relaxation, you know?My rest and relaxation is prayer, just trying to keep afloat, so that things don't get any worse. So, you know, I'm doing everything I can to not be stressed out about the economic situation.

Cathy Walker is a doctor living in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. Thank you, Cathy.

Thank you.

If you'd like to be a part of our real economy project, let us know. You can find us at npr. org/daydreaming.

turn 1 : B abruptly changes the topic to introduce a doctor living in Pennsylvania

How is the doctor introduced by PersonB related to the topic of PersonA's stress and relaxation?

Answer: Unrelated


Thank you for having me with you.

So, let's start with what exactly they are.

Okay. Fibroids are non-cancerous tumors. They're growth of muscle within the uterine wall. And sometimes they can be the size of a dime, and because of their location, they give you severe symptoms. And rarely, they can get to be the size of a basketball before they're recognized.

That's sounds pretty horrific.

It can be. It's amazing how much difficulty they can give to women that, in general, women can have severe menstrual bleeding - the kind of bleeding that keeps you home from work or keeps you from being able to do your daily activities - or they can press on a lot body structures. And they are very common, and it's surprising that so few women know that they have fibroids and that their symptoms may be related to them.

Now, research shows that about 25 percent of women in America are going to show some symptoms of fibroids, but they occur a lot more often in black women than white women. How much more often and why do scientists think that is?

turn 0 : Thank you for having me with you. Implicated meaning: Expressing gratitude for the invitation or hospitality.

Answer: Thank


What is your guideline?When do you tell an officer he or she has to start recording?

NOPD policy requires them to record the entire encounter until any police action has ceased. So what we're finding out though sometimes the cameras aren't on. Sometimes they aren't wearing the cameras. And those are clear violations, but then there were also supervisors telling officers things like turn it off during, you know, sensitive matters, but not defining what a sensitive matter could be.

We're also hearing complaints that only parts of interactions are being recorded. That's one of the things we're hearing now. So the misconduct is occurring off-camera, but then they're recording, you know, perfectly professional encounters on camera. So that's one of the things we're also hearing now. And. . .

That's a big complaint and, of course, you wouldn't have any - ironically or incongruously - you wouldn't have a video record of that misconduct, but you would have a video record of them doing it right.

turn 2 : Officers are selectively recording only parts of interactions, thereby hiding misconduct that occurs off-camera and only recording interactions that appear to be professional.

Which interactions are being selectively recorded by officers?

Answer: Interactions


And that leads you to conclude what about guns?

Well, they are extraordinarily dangerous implements, and they have their place and they're effective tools for what they're designed for. But right now we've got very powerful weapons with lots of capacity on our streets that frankly don't belong on our streets or in our forests. You know, defending yourself from somebody breaking into your home is one thing, but you don't need a long rifle with 30 rounds attached to it to do that. So, you know, certainly some other kind of handgun will defend you just fine from somebody breaking into your house, but those other weapons are really meant only to be on the offensive and not just on the defensive. And so, you know, we ought to do everything we can to make sure that we keep guns out of the hands of those that are criminally intent and those that are mentally ill, violently mentally ill.

Senator Morse, what implications do you see in what happened to recall you?

Well, I think it's important to remember that this is really purely symbolic. The Democrats still maintain control of the Senate in Colorado. Obviously, we still have the House. These laws remain in place. So, really we just have the NRA attempting to send a message here. And I'm personally not listening.

turn 1 : means that powerful weapons with lots of capacity on our streets should not be allowed because they are meant to be used in an offensive manner;

How are the powerful weapons with lots of capacity on our streets intended to be used?

Answer: Offensive


We don't know what, if anything, he has told the investigators thus far. But we do know, as we suggested earlier, a lot of the questions. For example, where did the guns come from?Where did the explosives come from?And where did the money for those things come from?

Well, first of all, if he is coming in and out of consciousness - which is what we understand is going on right now, in the hospital room - they really can't question him. He has to be sort of sitting up and reasonably aware of what's going on. Now, this had happened in the Abdulmutallab case, in 2009. That's the young man from Nigeria who was on Flight 253, going over Detroit, and he was wearing an underwear bomb.

And for the first 50 minutes - five, zero minutes - that he was in custody, they questioned him without Mirandizing him because they wanted to know if this is part of a broader plot. But then they Mirandized him. . .

Were there other bombs on other planes?Yes.

turn 1 : The suspect's condition may affect the interrogation process.

Answer: Interrogation


Inside of his house, family pictures decorate the walls and the fridge. Les has 15 great grandchildren. He grew up in an orphanage, and he couldn't wait to leave to join the military. And so in early 1944, he boarded a ship and crossed the Atlantic Ocean to go to the frontline.

I loved that sailing on, of course. It was so dramatic. You could see all these ships bobbing up and down on the ocean. And destroyers were weaving in and out of them to make sure they uncovered any mines or anything.

When he got to England for the first time, he met other paratroopers who'd already seen combat. Les was a rookie with something to prove.

It was hard to make friends.

turn 1 : Sailing across the ocean during wartime was a perilous experience.

Answer: Sailing


Well, the Chinese leadership has continued to see dialogue first with Kim Jong Un. They've had two publicly announced meetings with him. One of them came right in advance of North Korea's announcement that it was going to pursue a satellite launch. We don't know whether that subject was discussed in China. But, you know, the indicator suggests that China is still trying to figure out if there is a way that it can influence the situation in North Korea without taking measures that would enhance instability. The Chinese priority is basically to maintain stability in North Korea.

And so it was - it's willing to prop up that terrible regime if it will prevent that regime's collapse and the horrible situation that might ensue.

I think it's certainly the case that if you're, you know, looking at why North Korea still is there in the middle of this otherwise prosperous region, the hand of China is the critical explainer for why North Korea is still able to survive.

Xi Jinping has been in power just a brief time in Beijing, but in that time, we have seen increased pressure on the Senkaku Islands. These are the disputed islands unoccupied, uninhabited islands in the East China Sea. Japan has controlled them for, what, 100 years. China claims them as well. There had been confrontations in the past where patrol boats and fishing boats had exchanged even water canon spray. But this time, a Chinese patrol craft flew over the islands, and that's a different situation.

turn 1 : China is willing to support North Korea's terrible regime to prevent its collapse and the horrible situation that might ensue

Which country's leadership continued to see dialogue first with Kim Jong Un?

Answer: Chinese


Yes, sitting out there frozen feet, but it was the best frozen feet I've ever had because of what of happened in front of me. Seeing him take that oath and just seeing the people in that crowd go crazy and all people in wheelchairs would never thought they would see this. Seeing their reaction and seeing the white people their reaction, seeing America and the whole world. I know they will have the same reaction. It's about time.

Here's another quick question for you. I would think, Patti, that UNCF would really stand to be a beneficiary of having someone like Barack Obama in the White House.

That's what I'm saying. And this show airs the same week that this greatness happened to America. And so now people will say, OK, let us help our kids so that they know that they can say I could become the next president.

Here's my last question. I know that you talked a little bit about Jennifer Hudson and she's about to make her first public performance at the Super Bowl.

turn 0 : No one's feet were literally frozen, it just means that it was really cold outside and people's feet felt cold.

What was significant about the people's reaction?

Answer: Reaction


Yes. So, given the fact that I had been able to, you know, prove myself under harsh circumstances, prove my judgment, my composure, my, you know, warrior spirit, if you will, despite all this and despite the medals that came and the valor devices and everything - you know, there's a position called a combat controller. And the officer version of that is a special tactics officer. It would have been right up my alley. Despite everything that I had just proven, I was barred from even applying for that job.

Major Hegar, I got to ask you a couple of questions. I want it understood they in no way question your valor, your physical, mental or emotional capabilities. But, you know, the U. S.  Marine Corps, for example, has a 12-week course for officers that's a prerequisite for leaving infantry units. And the first two women who tried to make it through that course last year didn't.

Right.

Do you think standards should in any way be changed so that you get more equal numbers of men and women?

turn 3 : This statement implies that the interviewer is suggesting the standards be changed to encourage more equal numbers of men and women, instead of asking a question.

What is the interviewer implying about changing standards to achieve gender equality?

Answer: Suggestion


Yeah, we do. That's actually one of the more - you know, as amazing as the landing system was with the Sky Crane and everything, the rover is a great work of engineering itself, and in particular the drill is the first time we've taken a - it's essentially a hammer drill for the home enthusiast there. You know, you can use it to drill into concrete with.

It both rotates, and it vibrates. And you're exactly right. One of the things anybody who has a hammer drill at home notices is that they break bits. And so we actually have carried a set of spare bits, just two that are on the front of the rover, and actually without essentially any - I mean, we have to tell it to do it, but the spacecraft of the rover has the ability on its own to release the bit that's currently on the drill and to put a new one on, all while it's on Mars.

No need to go to Sears on Mars, then.

That's right, that's right.

turn 2 :  "No need to go to Sears on Mars, then" is an idiom that means there is no need to go to a store for tools on Mars because the rover has the ability to replace its drill bits on its own. It is not referring to an actual Sears store on Mars.

What is the idiom that means there is no need to go to a store for tools on Mars?

Answer: None


As the biggest impact there?

From the tech sector in today's economy?

Yes.

Yeah, just job loss. It's been a major - I mean, specifically, you're looking at places that are - manufacturing is taking a hit. Companies are looking to do more with less. You are seeing just in recent news, other technology companies like HP and others are making some type of adjustments to - not only their work force but also to their strategies, in a good way though.

turn 1 : The tech sector has had a negative impact on the economy

What has been impacted negatively in today's economy?

Answer: Manufacturing


Yeah, they weren't the sharpest.

All right, so now tell us about the most powerful horse in history. And this, as I understand it, goes all the way back to Roman times?

Right. This was, I think, the most politically influential horse. So it was proudly Incitatus, which is the horse of the Roman emperor Caligula. And according to historians of the time, his stable was made of marble, he had a collar of gemstones and his meals were oats mixed with gold flakes. And senators were forced to dine with him. And according to legend, Caligula planned to appoint him counsel before the emperor was assassinated. So it's almost as bizarre as the 2016 United States presidential election.

(Laughter) A. J. , I have to say, at least when it comes to horse racing, you got your money out of reading that Encyclopedia Britannica.

(Laughter).

turn 3 : (Laughter) A.J., I have to say, at least when it comes to horse racing, you got your money out of reading that Encyclopedia Britannica.  Implicated meaning: B is using figurative language to convey that A.J. gained a lot of valuable knowledge or useful information about horse racing by reading the Encyclopedia Britannica. It suggests that A.J.'s extensive reading paid off in terms of his understanding of the topic, rather than implying he literally received money.  (5) A: (Laughter)

Which book did A.J. read extensively to gain knowledge about horse racing?

Answer: Encyclopedia


Excellent. How did all of this get started, this particular legend?

Well, it started with a legend in Mexico where two little children were working in their family garden. They were wishing for nice gifts from their parents, but they could not make up their mind what they really wanted, so all of a sudden, a fairy godmother appeared, and she granted them one wish and one wish only. So the kids thought and thought what they really, really wanted for Christmas. So, they finally decided and told their fairy godmother that their only wish for Christmas was that every child in Mexico and in the entire world would have a very merry Christmas.

So the fairy godmother was really, really surprised at this. These two little poor kids had said that is all that they would wish for. So the fairy godmother was really lost at what, you know, what she could really provide for them. She thought and thought, and finally she thought of Pancho Clause. Pancho Clause would bring joy and happiness to all the kids in Mexico and in the entire world, and this is how Pancho Clause was born.

So you dress up as Pancho Clause each year, what do you wear?

turn 2 : Pancho Clause was not literally born - it is just the origin of the legend.

Answer: Lost


I suspect that for many, many years, antibodies worked brilliantly. Infections have been really solved. And it didn't really matter very much how long you took your antibodies because they were - you got better, and it wasn't important. We are now worrying about resistance emerging. And so we now want to think much more carefully about how best to use the antibiotics we got so that they don't lose their activity.

I have a personal query about something else that we're always told - that we're not supposed to drink when we're taking antibiotics. Is that something that is also a folk wisdom or is there some scientific fact in that?

There are one or two antibiotics where they interact with alcohol. And they're not many of them. And by far, the majority of antibiotics that are prescribed have no interaction with alcohol. However, as a physician, I can never - you can never get me to say it's good to take alcohol. That's not what we're paid to do.

(Laughter) Indeed. Tim Peto, professor of infectious diseases at Oxford University, thank you so much for joining us.

turn 2 : "they interact with alcohol" - the word "interact" implies a specific type of effect or relationship, rather than a straightforward physical interaction. Also, the speaker's hesitation to endorse alcohol suggests an implied meaning beyond the literal interaction.

Which word in the dialogue implies that the interaction between some antibiotics and alcohol is more complex than a straightforward physical interaction?

Answer: Interact


Good morning.

We have begun to see pictures of refugee camps blanketed with snow and children wearing painfully thin sweaters. Can you tell us what living conditions are like for Syrian refugees at the moment?

Well, here in Lebanon, it is dire. In fact, UNICEF officials say that 10,000 children are at risk because of this freezing cold. Inside Syria, an activist group posted videos of eight children - mostly infants - who froze to death. This is the worst winter storm in decades. Even here in Beirut last night, we walked home in a freezing hailstorm. Now, we're on the coast. Syrian refugees living in higher altitudes, they're trudging through the snow looking for anything to burn to keep warm.

Aid agencies have been preparing for the winter for the past few weeks. Why have they not been able to get warm clothing, if not at least heat, to a lot of the refugees?

turn 1 : The speaker is not asking for a literal description of the living conditions of Syrian refugees, but rather for an explanation of why aid agencies have not been able to provide them with warm clothing or heat.

How is the speaker requesting an explanation regarding the aid agencies' failure to provide warm clothing or heat to Syrian refugees?

Answer: Explanation


What is at the top of your to-do list right now today?

Right now, we continue to monitor Dorian. As you well know, you know, we continue to go up our East Coast. We're positioned to support all four states. Florida is looking fairly good right now, however, they still have some impacts.

But we really don't want our citizens to, you know, fall asleep on this storm. Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, they're going to feel the blunt of Hurricane Dorian - a lot of rain, a lot of surge and a lot of wind primarily down on the coast. But, you know, these things can that create weather hazards well inland, so - and they're doing a great job of being prepared for that. So we're focused on supporting our states, supporting our locals.

Four states is a long stretch of coastline. This storm is so big. How does that affect your preparations?

turn 1 : Monitoring Hurricane Dorian is our top priority today.

Answer: Monitoring


Because presidents that are about to be removed from office see the writing on the wall. Richard Nixon had a very good sense of his waning support in the Senate. And when he saw it collapse, he realized that if he hung on, he would be removed, and he would lose his presidential pension.

Interesting. So one of the complaints that President Trump is making and that his supporters are making is that this is a purely partisan process. Has that complaint been made before?Is that what people normally say?Or is there something about this particular circumstance that's different?

The reason that impeachment was kept on the shelf for over a hundred years after the Johnson impeachment process was that it was viewed by all sides in the American political community as highly partisan. But it doesn't always have to be the case. And in the Nixon era - a period when I think we saw a model impeachment process - the democratic leadership bent over backwards to make the process as bipartisan as possible.

We keep hearing all kinds of comments from - particularly from former Republican members about what members of their caucus say privately. But there's no way to know how to evaluate that. We do know that publicly, the Republicans are insisting that this is partisan. The Democrats are insisting that no, it isn't. It's a constitutional matter. Do you see from where you sit a way to bridge this difference of perspective?

turn 3 : The person wants to know what can be done to find a common thing the two political parties can agree on.

How does person 3 want to address the difference of perspective between the two political parties?

Answer: Common