It's "Someone Who Will Love You In All Your Damaged Glory. "And I love that phrase, damaged glory, and it comes in the context of a story where a drunk woman slurs into the narrator's ear, you deserve someone who will love you and all your damaged glory. What does that phrase, damaged glory, mean to you?

What I like about it - what I think it invokes - or evokes. Does it invoke or evoke?

I think it evokes.

Yeah. What I think the phrase vokes (ph) and then you can edit in an en or an E.

turn 0 : The phrase 'damaged glory' refers to someone's flaws and imperfections, which should be embraced and loved.

What does the phrase 'damaged glory' embrace?

Answer: Flaws


I also translated my previous novel, "The Corpse Washer" - I translated it from Arabic to English.

But with this novel, you chose to have someone else translate it into English. Why?

Well, in all honesty, the subject matter of the novel is quite intimate and has a lot to do with my own memories of my home city and what it means also to be an Iraqi living in the U. S.  and watching the - my new country bomb my homeland. So it's very traumatic. So when Jonathan Wright offered - as soon as the novel came out in Arabic, he offered to translate it. I - he's an experienced, excellent translator, so I said, why not, you know?

I think I hear you telling me you could not go through that story twice.

turn 2 : The traumatic memories of the author made it hard for him to translate the novel himself, so he had someone else do it

How did the author choose the translator for the novel?

Answer: Offered


Oh, wow, it's like turning off a switch. And suddenly I was running down these trails in the dark and I didn't know where I was and I didn't know where I was going and it was getting colder. And all I could see was the distant glow of Vegas. And I was thinking, wow, I really like that city right now. I wish I were there and I didn't know how to get there.

Yeah, you obviously were able to find your way to asphalt and you were able to get back to civilization. Very nice - of course, I'm a sucker for daughter daddy stuff in the book - but you really do say that marathon running - or the training even - reminds you of the preciousness of every moment, moment after moment.

Yeah, it does. It puts you in the minute and being out there every day - bad weather, good weather, light, dark - I started this morning about nine miles ago in the dark and it was cold. And you just find yourself saying, you know, there are things in life that are important and that are worthwhile that require a little bit of sacrifice and a little bit of struggle and a little bit of suffering. It doesn't mean you shouldn't do them. And running reminds you of that all the time.

Tom Foreman - "My Year Of Running Dangerously" - thanks so much for being with us.

turn 2 :  The speaker is using running as a metaphor for the struggles and sacrifices that are necessary in life and the importance of embracing them, even when they are difficult.

What does the speaker use as a metaphor for the struggles and sacrifices that are necessary in life?

Answer: Running


Now, there's also the toll, you know, that this takes on judges. I mean, that's precisely what Judge Arrington said. He said, seeing the same black faces walk in and out of his courtroom year after year takes its toll.

When you first became a judge in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, did you feel like it was something that you brought home with you, that you felt a weight on yourself?

Oh, no doubt about it. I mean, I'm a control freak, and I'm goal oriented. I took recidivism personally. Every time I saw that same guy or that same woman come back in, it was a failure on my part.

And I did. And it hurt me. And I've cried. I've made defendants cry. I had the whole courtroom crying once because my sense of hurt was so real and so immediate.

turn 1 : THE WHOLE COURTROOM CRYING BECAUSE OF THE HURT WHICH IS REAL AND ITS HURT

Answer: Hurt


I don't know many, but I know they exist - the person that doesn't really want fiction. They want nonfiction. They want something smart to read. I'm thinking more along the lines of, like, Ron Chernow's "Hamilton" that everybody became obsessed with, that read like fiction but was actually the book that's going to impress people that you read this summer.

That's right. There's literally a picture of Lin-Manuel Miranda on the beach reading that, but it's an old. . .

(Laughter).

In any case, yes. So there's a wonderful book that I think actually kind of brings together a lot of our - of our genres. And it's called "Murder By The Book. "It's by Claire Harman. And it's about a murder in Victorian London in which a minor aristocrat is murdered by his valet. Now, it actually does sound like fiction, right?It's nonfiction. But what's so wonderful about it is this guy's defense was that he had read a popular novel, and the book made me do it, which is kind of a wonderful thing if you think about what fiction can do.

turn 3 : 'A' does not literally believe that a novel inspiring a murder is a wonderful thing. he is simply saying it is impressive the way fiction can influence people.

What is the book called that 'A' recommends as a nonfiction book that reads like fiction?

Answer: Impressive


A busy week at the U. S.  Federal Reserve. The central bank announced it would end its stimulus program after six years. And later in the week, the Fed's chair, Janet Yellen, gave a speech about diversity in the field of economics. She said the profession, which seems to be dominated by white men, would benefit from a wider variety of viewpoints and pointed to what she called a leaky pipeline that's prevented women and minorities from making it into the top ranks of academia. We're joined now in our studios by labor economist Julianne Malveaux. Dr.  Malveaux, thanks very much for being with us.

DR.  JULIANNE MALVEAUX: It's absolutely a pleasure. Thank you, Scott.

What do you make of that leaky pipeline analogy?

It's absolutely the case. When you look at the research from the past, white males were the norm. It was not until the '70s that folks like Janet Yellen and others introduced women into, essentially, the research - just the research. I think that some of my work and others began to introduce black women, but by and large you're talking a white male space.

turn 1 : (2) -- Dr. Malveaux is expressing her pleasure at being invited to the show.

How is Dr. Malveaux feeling about being on the show?

Answer: Pleasure


Well, I have. You know, I was born and raised here in San Diego, and we just love it. But yeah, if - regardless of where the location would be, I would be willing to go anywhere - anywhere in the world for that matter, Afghanistan, Pakistan, anywhere that somebody may be able to offer me a job.

I saw some photographs of you in your condo. You've been packing up there, and I noticed behind the moving boxes, hanging in the window were some Christmas lights and some red ribbons. Are you still going to find some ways to celebrate the holidays despite everything that's going on?

Oh, sure. You know, I mean, the last couple of Christmases haven't been all the greatest, you know, because of the situation as well. And so, we're almost kind of getting used to it, but this one just hurts especially bad. But my wife and I are members of the Salvation Army church in Alcahone. You know, so, you know, we haven't forgotten really what Christmas is all about.

It's not about us and each other and the gifts, and at least that's what we want to think right now. But we're really just remembering the birth of our savior.

turn 2 : Despite their tough situation, they are not forgetting the true meaning of Christmas.

What holiday are they trying to remember the true meaning of?

Answer: Christmas.


So not just a lost city, a lost civilization?

That's right. He emailed Michael back in Roatan, and I'll never forget we were returning from breakfast and this normally phlegmatic kind of skeptical scientist who is rolling his eyes at the whole idea that there is going to be lost city comes running out of his room, racing in his flip-flops, waving his arms and yelling, there's something in the valley. My God, I don't know what it is, but you've got to come and look at it. So we all went rushing over to this room and looked at these images. And I looked at them and I was actually thunderstruck myself. I mean, there is no mistaking what we were looking at.

We're talking with Doug Preston, an author and contributing writer at National Geographic, The Atlantic and Smithsonian magazines. He also writes for The New Yorker. "The El Dorado Machine" is in the May 6th edition. You're listening to TALK OF THE NATION from NPR News.

And eventually, other target areas were also mapped and also revealed enormous structures - entire cities.

turn 0 : A civilization that has become unknown to other civilizations over the years.

What kind of city was discovered by the scientists?

Answer: enormous


Well, I am born and raised in Barquisimeto, Venezuela. I study computer science. Once I started finishing my school in 2010, I started to think, OK, what's next in my career?Started applying to big tech companies like Google, Facebook, Microsoft. And I got an offer from Google and came to the Valley in 2011.

So how did the idea for Code For Venezuela come about?What was the goal of the group?

It's a group of friends that - we've known each other for three or four years now here in the Bay Area. And right about late last year, we started, like, really brainstorm - hey, you know, what can we do that's not only financial that could really impact the country?

Can you give me a sense of what some of the projects are that you've tried to work on so far, that you're trying to innovate now?

turn 2 : brainstorm implies being too wise or being able to solve problems from with good ideas and not a storm that happens in the brain

How does "brainstorm" relate to the ability to solve problems?

Answer: problem


And I understand you are going to stay with us for at least a - the half hour to kind of help us understand the context of this, so we thank you for that. But let's just start with this week. I think a lot of people feel that this has been a particularly violent week. You've been tracking all known instances of gun violence in the United States since 2013, so what do you think?I mean, does this week stand out?

The last eight days really do. We've had four incidents of over 10 killed or injured, and that's unusual in an eight-day, 10-day period. We've had nine incidents over the last year and four of them in the last eight days.

And the archive home page keeps a list of statistics. And I do want to mention to people that this is available to the public. That's part of the purpose of your archives - so that the public can have sort of a shared set of facts here. It lists 253 total mass shootings in 2019 as of today. First of all, how do you define mass shooting?And secondly, how does this year compared to others so far?

Well, we define mass shootings as any incident where four or more victims are shot or killed. And we make that distinction because we believe that it's very important that we look at the injured as well as those killed. So anything that is four or more, that reaches that threshold - that's considered a mass shooting.

turn 1 : AGREE WITH THE TURN AND IMPLIED MEANING AND BELIVE THAT EVERYONE

Which word describes the threshold for an incident to be considered a mass shooting according to A?

Answer: Threshold


(Laughing) You would think, but its this weird sort of a - the more I get to know them, the more they become different objects with such different ingredients that I love them more with each passing day.

(Laughing) So I have a burrito specimen here with me in the studio. And I'm going to unwrap. . .

Is it in wax paper or tinfoil?

It is in both tinfoil and wax paper.

turn 2 : The implied meaning is that A is inquiring about the details surrounding B's special person.

Which person is PersonA inquiring about?

Answer: B


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.

How can you describe the state of someone who is not currently watching Game of Thrones anymore?

Answer: Treasury


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

Is the ACLU a fig leaf for Nazis?

No, sir. We are the premier defenders of freedom of speech and racial justice and the rights of all people in the U. S.  For almost a hundred years, our mission has been to defend the rights of everyone, even people we hate. And ultimately, this is about making sure the government never has the authority or the ability to censor speech because it finds it loathsome or disgusting. There are ways for government to regulate speech. It's got to be neutral. There are time, place, manner restrictions that are perfectly appropriate and legitimate. And yet, it can never be because we don't like what folks say.

What about when the marchers are armed, though?Doesn't that make a difference to public safety?

turn 3 : The composition of Congress and Senate may undergo substantial changes over the next two election cycles as more and more sexual harassment allegations continue to surface against longstanding members of Congress.

What type of allegations are brought against longstanding members of Congress?

Answer: Sexual


Let me move on to another issue. I was covering both the Democratic and Republican Conventions, and one of the biggest applause lines during the Republican Conventions had to do with drilling for oil. Drill now, drill now, drill now. There is a serious set of distinctions between Senator Obama's policy towards energy and the McCain campaigns policy towards energy. Very briefly, very briefly, describe them to me, as they would affect consumers.

OK, I would say three distinct differences. One, the emphasis of McCain has been on drilling. The facts show that he U. S.  consumes 25 percent of the world's oil and has 3 percent of the reserves. So it's obvious that we cannot drill our way out of that problem.

Obama's focus has been on what can we do in the immediate run, and in the long run, to wean our dependence on oil. And that means investing in an extensive program to convert the economy with green jobs and research, deployment, development of alternative energy. And it also means efficiencies, conservation, raising fuel standards and things to reduce our demand.

So emphasizing the whole portfolio of energies and reducing our demand, but we know that ultimately we've got to move to a different source of energy, and that's the only way to do it. And that is a very big difference between the two candidates.

turn 1 : Drilling for oil is not a viable solution to the problem of oil consumption

How does Obama propose to wean the US off its dependence on oil?

Answer: Green


The response that I'd make to that is a couple of things. Part of it is a culture clash. In the West, we are very fetishistic about originality. We want to touch the object that the master touched. This goes back to the days of reliquaries when people had bits and pieces of saints that they carried around with them. The old saw in the East, as it's my grandfather's knife, I replace the handle. My father replaced the blade. It's my grandfather's knife.

For people in other parts of the world, the role of objects is not to somehow through the object itself bring you close to history. It is a visual cue that provides memories of history. The history and heritage resides in the mind. And that's what these reconstructions can certainly provide and have provided for hundreds and hundreds of years. Indeed, most of the sites in Sicily today are 19th century reconstructions.

I never knew that. I mean, I've been to Syracuse and all over Sicily and I was seeing reconstructions?

Absolutely. If you were in Syracuse, you certainly did. Naxos is a very good original site, but many of the other sites are significantly reconstructed.

turn 0 : Implied meaning: the West's obsession with originality is a cultural clash with the East's approach to objects, which is to replace the parts of objects and thus keep them alive in memory and history.

Which site in Sicily is mentioned as a good original site?

Answer: Naxos


No.

So give an ABC, a little ABCs of how, let's say, Plan B works.

Yeah, so it depends on when you take it. You have to be aware when the fertile window is. So it's five days before ovulation and then about maximum one day after ovulation. And if you take it before the LH surge has started, then it works by either blocking follicular development and ovulation or by postponing it.

But if LH has started to rise, then it's too late, and it has no effect, and ovulation will occur. And it has no effect after ovulation, no effect on the fallopian tube or on the endometrium, that is the uterine lining. And actually if a woman has miscalculated, so she's already pregnant, it has no negative effect on the pregnancy, on the fetus or on the newborn baby. And it can't interrupt a pregnancy, but it has absolutely no effect.

turn 1 : So give an ABC, a little ABCs of how, let's say, Plan B works

Answer: Five


The speaker has suffered through days of public humiliation at the hands of his fractious troops. But sometimes what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. And by surviving all of this, he has probably strengthened what's always been a rather tenuous grip on the speakership. In the end, he did the right thing - we talked about this in the past - and kept government and borrowing authority going forward. And probably he'll have a better weekend this weekend than he had last.

Certainly more free time. I think a lot of people are wondering this weekend: is Senator Ted Cruz a new national figure or a diminished one, after events of this past week?

You could say he's both. Certainly he is new hero of the Tea Party and others who wanted to stop the Affordable Care Act, Obamacare, by any means necessary. At the Value Voters Summit, for example, here about a week ago, he absolutely dominated the presidential preference straw poll on social conservatives. But within the establishment of the Republican Party, in the financial community and among party fundraisers, he has come to be regarded as dangerous.

And a hard word and that raises this question. Against what's been the stereotype, the image for many years, Democrats appeared unified over these past few weeks, and the Republicans who looked like they were - what's the old joke they used to make about Democrats - a circular firing squad?What's happened to the two major parties?

turn 0 : "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" - This is an idiomatic expression that means that going through difficult experiences can make a person mentally and emotionally stronger, rather than referring to actual physical strength.

How does the turn "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" relate to the PersonA's situation?

Answer: Strengthens


We noted that you're a writing fellow at the Beckley Federal Correctional Institution. Is there a great story in every prisoner?

I think there's a great story in every human being. And that - so that - the same is true. There's a great story in every prisoner.

But the thing that I love about teaching there is just how - obviously, how much it means. The guys who are in my class - being able to sit down once a week for two hours and focus on their writing. And they've told me just to be in a quiet room, too, where, you know, I'll give them a writing assignment, and then we're quiet - they've told me that that, in many ways, is one of the things that is most valuable to them.

Without giving away the end of the novel, does Jodi go on with you in your life now?

She does to less of a degree. I mean, I think when I found the end of the book, I was able to let her go in some ways. I definitely still think about her.

turn 3 : give away in this context means to tell someone something without much warning, usually a secret

Answer: Tell


Right. We should just say. . .

And. . .

. . . Four is the guy who drives this big roller that actually does the work of making the road. And Nine, the kind of party guy, is riding this four-wheeler out ahead to look for interference. It's his job to actually look around.

Yeah. But everywhere he goes, he sort of sows chaos and even though he thinks he's doing the right thing by engaging. And - but Four has been, you know, in many similar situations. And he's a veteran of this work. And so he just says, our job is to do the work - touch as few lives as possible in that way, engage as, you know, as little as possible and get out. And. . .

turn 2 : He causes chaos and trouble but he does not actually sow it

Answer: Engaging


Thirty years ago today, a democracy movement was snuffed out in China's Tiananmen Square. Tanks opened fire on demonstrators, killing young protesters. This was a pivotal moment in modern Chinese history. And NPR's Deborah Amos covered the crackdown. She joins us to share some of her memories from that time 30 years ago.

Hi, Deb.

Hi there.

So you arrived in the country just after this massacre. Why did the Chinese government allow foreign journalists in?

turn 0 : Snuffed out has the implied meaning of stopping.

What anniversary is being discussed in the dialogue?

Answer: thirty


Well, I think perhaps the most concrete thing here that's been agreed to involves the tariffs that were supposed to take effect on Tuesday. You know, the Trump administration has already put tariffs on a lot of the things that we import from China. They were supposed to go up on Tuesday. That will be suspended. That's the word that was used, but the tariffs that are already in place apparently will remain in place. And there are still additional tariffs that are supposed to take effect in December, and it's not really clear whether they will take effect.

Also, China has agreed to buy more agricultural products from the United States. The president said 40 to $50 billion worth. You know, farmers, of course, have been really hurt by this trade war, and the president has been really anxious to help them out.

The president and his advisers have been clear they wanted a big deal, not something piecemeal. Does this count - phase one of a big deal?

You know, I think it's progress. It means, you know, this is - phase one means there's going to be a phase two and possibly a phase three, which means there's more work to do. I mean, one of - the important thing to point out here is that, apparently, this deal isn't written down on paper yet. That has to be done over, President Trump said, the next three weeks or four weeks or five weeks. And, of course, the devil is always in the details with things like this, in trade talks.

turn 3 : The details will be hard to work out and difficult to deal with.

Which part of the deal is not yet written down?

Answer: Phase-two


Well, what it does is it does away with the prohibition against rating on pre-existing conditions, meaning that if you have a pre-existing condition - and about a third of us do - that you could be charged a much higher rate for insurance. So let me give you an example. Somebody is working, they have insurance, and they have a catastrophic illness - cancer, some other calamity. They have to stop working because they need to get their condition taken care of. If they're out for 60 days, they lose their insurance. And now, they have to pay whatever the insurance company decides is the premium because they are - now have a pre-existing condition. Somebody in that situation may never be able to accumulate enough money to pay the very high premiums and get back on the cycle of having continuous insurance coverage.

Now, of course, Speaker Ryan looks forward to what are called now high-risk pools. These would be plans that are essentially devoted to try and accommodate people who have expensive and pre-existing conditions. You're not convinced that would do it.

Well, I think that the problem with those is in the fine print. First of all, very often they are not adequately funded. And many of the high-risk pools have lifetime caps, lifetime limits.

What kind of reforms would you like to make?

turn 2 :  (3) Please choose a confidence score ( marks how confidence you are that there is implied meaning in this turn ) :   4 : You are not sure whether everybody will agree that this turn has implied meanings but you believe that most of them will Please write a implied meaning ( More than 8 words! ) :

Which turn in the dialogue mentions Speaker Ryan's plan for people with pre-existing conditions?

Answer: Turn2


You really take us through every single phase of a relationship.

I went through every single phase in the writing of this thing, so. . .

Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. I went through a breakup with a longtime, like, best friend. And it was, for the first time in my adult years, really in a place where I didn't have anyone to text after the show to be like, it went great or, like, I tripped. But, like, it was a strange sort of loneliness. And I wanted the songs to show that because I felt like I was going to feel less lonely by sharing in a way.

turn 3 : The author wrote songs to show that sharing can help with loneliness.

How did the author deal with their loneliness?

Answer: sharing


A lot of people are very skeptical of the talks. The government, before even going to Geneva, voiced their concern that they're not going to Geneva to negotiate or deal. They just wanted to go to Geneva to make sure that the Houthis will comply when the U. N.  see a resolution. So to begin with, the political parties were in Geneva not to talk, not for dialogue, not to negotiate. They were there for blinking contests.

And what's the mood there in the capital?

A lot of people are depressed 'cause pretty much everybody was hoping that there's going to be some sort of a truce, especially now that it's the month of Ramadan. It is the holy month for four weeks where people fast. People - they don't actually have food to begin with. But it's a religious month where people fast, so we were hoping for some sort of a cease-fire, some sort of a truce where the blockade will be lifted so that the aid will come in, so that the commercial vessels now stuck at the seaports will be allowed to move in. Yemen imports 90 percent of its food, so we're in dire need of those commercial vessels to be allowed into the country. Unfortunately, the Geneva talks ended without the lifting of the blockade, without a truce being agreed upon.

We should explain to our listeners that blockade has been led by Saudi naval forces to keep weapons out of the hands of rebels. You have said that you're both anti-Houthi and anti-airstrikes. How do you solve one problem without the other?

turn 2 : "fast" - The word "fast" is being used in a religious context to mean abstaining from food and drink during daylight hours as an act of devotion. It is not being used to describe moving quickly.

Which month is mentioned as a religious month in the dialogue?

Answer: Ramadan


Yeah, Charles Bergquist is usually the victim of doing it.

Well, thank you, Charles.

And this year, it's September 20th?

September 20th. It's a Thursday night and the winners are going to be coming and great secrecy from five continents.

turn 0 : Charles Bergquist is often blamed for mistakes or problems.

What is the name of the person who is usually the victim of mistakes or problems according to the conversation?

Answer: Charles


And let's just say, it was a fishing expedition. It was financed by Trump's opponents in both parties. Some fishing expeditions do come back with fish. And if this one actually did and some of that finds its way into the hands of special independent prosecutor Bob Mueller's investigators, then the dossier might, in some sense, inform their questions about Russian interference because all of this was about Trump's ties to people in Russia.

Right. And those questions about Russian interference will also be front and center in the upcoming hearings that we mentioned for the tech giants - Facebook, Twitter and Google executives who are going to be before Congress over two days this coming week. What will they be grilled about?

You know, in recent days, we have learned a good deal more about how extensive the Russian involvement in social media was, particularly the number of ads running on Facebook and how they were targeted. And some of this was using some of the people in Facebook who work with advertisers - big advertisers - and who help you target exactly the people you're trying to reach.

So this might have been - it appears to have been one of the main ways in which these Russian elements were trying to put a big thumb on the scale in the 2016 election.

turn 0 : (1) Fishing expedition: a search for information or evidence that is conducted with little or no direction and is likely to be fruitless.

What was the purpose of the fishing expedition mentioned in turn 0?

Answer: Election


Well, I would say that he is a guy that tends to see silver linings in dark clouds. And, you know, this is a man that, in private business, had 10,000 lawsuits over his career, so I think he has a unique ability to sort of quarantine in his mind the impact some of these things have.

And what's the risk in that?

Well, I think the implications, again, is that it's not just about Zelenskiy. It's not about the Ukraine. It's not about Rudy. It's - the can has been opened. Now we have to see if there's good soup inside or worms, right?They're going to be looking for stuff - the House Democrats - that are not going to be very glowing and positive about the president. So if we think these revelations are not good - and now they might get an expedited subpoena power with the impeachment process under way. It's not good.

Does the seriousness of this cast a shadow on the White House?Are they concerned about what, for instance, is going to be coming out today?

turn 0 : He is a guy that sees positive outcomes in times of trouble. He has the ability to not think about the impact some lawsuits have.

What unique ability does the guy mentioned in turn 0 possess?

Answer: Resilience


The other thing that we're doing is making a mouse that has Beatrice's exact genetic variant so that we may be able to recapitulate what Beatrice has so - you know, with the muscles and that sort of thing - and then study that mouse in great detail. And also. . .

You're - I mean, you're making an actual, physical, fur-covered mouse?

Yeah. In fact, I just saw a picture of four of the pups today. They carry Bea's identical variation. Mice live to be 2, and so if they develop heart problems or vascular problems or other problems, we'll be able to know that - if we're not able to find other Beatrices.

A lot of people, I gather, are very happy for you and certainly, for Beatrice, but is this necessarily a good example for other families that have a sick child?

turn 1 : The listener is surprised that the speaker is creating an actual, physical mouse with Beatrice's genetic variant for research purposes.

What is the listener's reaction to the PersonA's plan of creating a physical mouse with Beatrice's genetic variant?

Answer: Reaction


Anyway, let's talk about Oprah, her TV show, her magazine, popularity in general taking a hit?Do you think it's because she picked a candidate in this race?

I think, that's probably partially what it is. I mean, she does have a very mainstream audience of women, who - a lot of them supported Hillary Clinton, so I'm sure that has something to do with it. But I also take it just a sign of the time. I mean, she's been dominant for a very long time, and you know, there comes a time when that ends, or it certainly begins to fall off a little bit, and I sort of think it's a combination of both.

I don't think it's just her support of Obama, because if you think about it, she really has not really been out there supporting him since January. She did her thing and she pretty much stepped away from it. But I think that when you combine that with the fact that she's dominated for 20 years, and Ellen now is sort of the popular person with all the celebrity guests, I just think it's time to pass the mantle on some level.

Oprah can pass the mantle anytime and still be a billionaire.

turn 3 : Pass the mantle means by passing one recognition to another person.

How does PersonB describe Oprah's financial status?

Answer: Billionaire


And how long ago was this?

This was in the beginning of 2007.

And then, what happened with these new terms of your loan?

Well, I was pretty upset about my son and real focused on that and sort of trusted a friend of a friend. And the new terms, I didn't find out until much later, were very bad. I have a balloon payment after five years. I paid 20,000 to get into the loan. I have to pay 20,000 to get out of the loan, and my payments are 1,625 a month.

turn 3 : Not a payment on a balloon, but a very large payment to make.

Answer: Balloon


Is this situation just overshadowed by other refugee and humanitarian crises in the world?

I think so. I think its a challenge that, you know, Uganda is the third largest refugee-hosting country in the world now, but I think most people dont realize that. When we think about refugees, we often think about the Syria crisis, which is the world's largest. We think about people who are crossing the Mediterranean. But we're not thinking about the now almost a million people who've crossed this land border into Uganda but have also fled from South Sudan into Kenya and Ethiopia and even into Sudan.

We're also in a situation where the administration has sent very limited aid budgets to Congress. And fortunately because the commitment that Congress continues to show, they've actually rejected those steep cuts to humanitarian aid and provided strong funding - robust funding for humanitarian assistance. But we need to see that funding really get out of the bank accounts in D. C.  and get out to the ground, where it's needed.

Has Uganda been been so welcoming?The international community has thought there's relatively little reason to get involved.

turn 1 :  I think so. I think it's a challenge that, you know, Uganda is the third largest refugee-hosting country in the world now, but I think most people don't realize that. When we think about refugees, we often think about the Syria crisis, which is the world's largest. We think about people who are crossing the Mediterranean. But we're not thinking about the now almost a million people who've crossed this land border into Uganda but have also fled from South Sudan into Kenya and Ethiopia and even into Sudan.  Implicated meaning: Most people are not aware of Uganda's significant role as the third largest host country for refugees, as their attention is primarily focused on the Syrian crisis and refugees crossing the Mediterranean. The situation involving almost a million people who have crossed into Uganda from neighboring countries is often overlooked or not given enough consideration.

Which country is the third largest hosting country for refugees in the world?

Answer: Uganda


Do these reports of surveillance irritate some special sensitivities in someone like Chancellor Merkel, who - after all - grew up in the East German police state?

Oh, definitely. I mean, this is a very serious situation in the trans-Atlantic relationship. I mean, these reports have started to come out in the summer, but it has been taken to a new level now because I think what Americans underestimate is A, how sensitive not just Chancellor Merkel but Germans in general - and Europeans, actually, in general - feel about privacy violations, particularly as they're handed out in Germany, where some people actually lived through two dictatorships in a row and are very concerned about government surveillance and snooping.

But you've reported in Der Spiegel, though, that Germany does its own surveillance, doesn't it?

Oh, that is true. And I don't think anyone in Germany, or even in Europe, would deny the idea that each and every country has its own intelligence apparatus. And there are some countries in Europe - like the United Kingdom, for example - that is even accused of spying on other Euro member-states. However, I think there are stricter standards among allies. I have spoken to many people that are very familiar with intelligence issues; and they all agree that there is, to the best of their knowledge, spying on American leaders, and spying on members of Congress, and spying on trade delegations. So just to say, well, everybody does it, I don't think that really does justice to these new revelations.

turn 3 : (4), the speaker acknowledges that each country has its own intelligence apparatus and that some countries, like the United Kingdom, are accused of spying on other Euro member-states. However, the speaker goes on to argue that there are stricter standards among allies, and that there is a difference between spying on American leaders and members of Congress versus spying on trade delegations. The implied meaning is that spying on American leaders and members of Congress is not acceptable and violates the standards among allies. This is different from the literal meaning, which is that there are stricter standards among allies.

How does the speaker differentiate between spying on American leaders and members of Congress versus spying on trade delegations?

Answer: Difference


The resignation of Michael Flynn as national security adviser came after leaks from anonymous sources inside the intelligence community. Anonymous sources have always been a source of tips for reporters, but they've been especially prominent in the first days of the Trump administration. Last night, President Trump called the American news media the enemy of the people. NPR's David Folkenflik joins us. David, thanks for being with us.

Always.

When The Washington Post broke this story, they cited nine current and former officials and said they spoke on condition of anonymity. What kind of editorial decision-making goes in to having a report like this appear?

You can be sure that this rocketed up to the very top of the news hierarchy at a newsroom like The Post. Just the very fact that they took nine sources that they clearly went out of their way to try to check, cross-check, double-check and question what they were about to report that the stakes were that high, that the ramifications of what they were going to report would be so significant that they were going to take this very seriously indeed. And I think you can see that by the solidity of the reporting as far as we know so far. And I think that's also a reflection of how uncertain this story has been to date. You know, if - you may remember before the election, The New York Times had reported that the FBI had found that there were no signs of, you know, such contacts. And I think on this subject, there's a care being given by The Post, by The Times and by other serious news organizations.

turn 3 : This statement implies that the newspaper was taking extra precautions to ensure the accuracy of their reporting.

Which word describes the level of seriousness with which The Washington Post approached their reporting on the Flynn leaks?

Answer: Serious


That's Odysseas Papadimitriou, CEO of the personal finance website WalletHub. We've heard about credit card debt being a problem for middle and working classes before, but it's now become an issue for the upper-middle class. Papadimitriou says they're in the sweet spot for this type of easy lending.

It is the consumer group that wants to take on some additional debt and also has the income and the assets to justify so.

On top of that, recent numbers show that people approaching retirement age are also accruing larger amounts of credit card debt.

You know, they're away from retirement enough years to feel like, I will make up for it later on. Let me go and make this purchase. And then they end up later on in retirement with credit card debt.

turn 0 : The sweet spot means they are in a good situation financially to lend to others.

Which group is in a good financial situation for lending?

Answer: Upper-middle


Yeah, I'm glad you like that one. That's one of my favorite and I really overdrew that one.

You were - you've become one of the best-known cartoonists in America, but even still, what's your acceptance versus rejection ratio?

Oh, yeah (laughter). This is classically bad. This is, you know, across the board for everyone at The New Yorker. We're supposed to turn in 10 gag ideas, you know, at a sketch level, and on a really good week they'll buy one, so 90 percent rejection is doing great.

I noticed the book is dedicated to your parents. . .

turn 2 : (3) A: "This is classically bad. This is, you know, across the board for everyone at The New Yorker. We're supposed to turn in 10 gag ideas, you know, at a sketch level, and on a really good week they'll buy one, so 90 percent rejection is doing great."

Which percentage of gag ideas are typically rejected at The New Yorker?

Answer: 90


Sure, the dollar's stronger today, and it really underscores what has been happening for several months now. The equity market is much lower today, and the dollar is stronger against most major currencies. And the reason for that is because it's what we call a risk averse trade or basically buy the safest thing you can find play. So, when the equity markets go down, people like to buy dollars.

And then large part is in this because so many other currencies around the world are doing even worse than we are.

Well, yeah. I mean, the other countries are doing worse, that's for sure. Europe has some serious problems, Japan, China, but what it boils down to really is where's the safest place to put your money on a short term basis. And time and time again, that ends up in short-term treasury bills in the United States because they're backed by full faith of the U. S.  government. Certainly, if you look across the planet, growth rates have dropped dramatically in the month of January, for instance. In Canada, they were down about 14 and a half percent, in Europe, down seven percent. But places like Brazil were down 30 percent, and Russia was down 45 percent.

Some economists read this as a bet that the U. S.  wasn't just the first country to fall into a mess but will also become the first one out of it. Do you agree?

turn 2 : The information does not boil down, but it gets to the most practical facts.

How does the information reach its conclusion?

Answer: Analyzing


That's an excellent question, and we're particularly challenged in this regard. On the Princeton campus, we have the only Civil War memorial in the world, as far as I know, that lists the names of students who died both for the Southern cause and the Northern cause but without indicating the side for which they died.

So the official Civil War memory as it was encoded on this campus was what we would call a reconciliationist memory. Each boy was equally right. Each boy was fighting for the side that he believed in. And it's a way of remembering the Civil War that completely erases slavery as the cause of the war and the great moral stake of that war. So this tension between remembering and commemorating is front and center in a monument on our own campus.

And so what are your thoughts on that tension?

(Laughter) I don't think we need to change our Civil War monument. I think it's an artifact of a particular historical time, and I think it's a wonderful starting point for a conversation about why Princeton chose to remember her alumni in that particular way.

turn 1 : The Civil War monument on Princeton campus erases slavery as the cause of the war and the great moral stake of that war.

What does the Civil War monument on Princeton campus erase from its memory?

Answer: slavery


You know, let's come back to the Large Hadron Collider because if you talk about things, if you talk about this theme, there's much more to the universe than meets the eye, the other one that you know well is the prediction from string theory and similar theories that there are extra dimensions. And one of the ways to look for things like extra dimensions or shadow universes is to look for the leakage of material from our universe into their universe.

And let me use the LHC. One way to look for evidence of extra dimensions would be to carefully look at collisions that take place at the Large Hadron Collider and look for some of the energy to disappear. And what's interesting about that technique is when I put there's - when I say there's much more to the universe than meets the eye, the top of my list would be neutrinos, and we now know neutrinos exist. We can't see them with the eye, but we can build detectors to detect them. And the original evidence for the neutrino was missing energy in beta decays that were observed in the early part of the last century and then poly-hypothesize this particle, the neutrino. And eventually, we built detectors that were sensitive enough. So this technique of looking for energy leaking out of our universe going elsewhere is a very powerful technique for looking for things that we can't see.

Michael Turner, a pleasure as always to come have you come on and explain this stuff to us. Thanks a lot, Michael.

Glad to be on.

turn 1 :  the speaker is discussing the possibility of extra dimensions and shadow universes, and how we can look for evidence of them at the Large Hadron Collider by observing the disappearance of energy. The actual meaning is not just about staying silent or not making noise, but rather exploring the concept of extra dimensions and the technique of observing energy leakage.

How can we look for evidence of extra dimensions at the Large Hadron Collider?

Answer: Disappearance


Asa, reading the article, it sounds like you wanted to get off after the first day.

I wanted to get off after about the third day. I realized once we had moved around a bit that the majority of the experience ended up being waiting, rather than getting on trains or riding them. And the other thing I found is that once you're on board, it's very loud. And even though I had expected to be talking to my father on board, it was really difficult to have conversation. We'd have to kind of shout at each other. And so most of the time I was lying. I'd be reading, or listening to music if possible. And the views we saw were incredible. Some of the most beautiful places I've ever been. But you can only take so much of just lying in the same place, especially when it's very loud and you have to wait on hot tracks for a train to come, not knowing if it's going to be there. And I had had about enough of that after the third day.

We should explain you guys slept in motels, too.

Yeah, that is true.

turn 2 : This turn does not mean that the speaker is proposing to explain that they slept in motels, but rather that they are suggesting to mention it as an additional piece of information to the conversation, which is a different meaning than the literal one.

How did the speaker intend to use the information about sleeping in motels in their conversation?

Answer: Explain


The federal investigations looming over the Trump administration kicked into high gear this past week, yielding legal consequences for not one but four of his associates. Former campaign Chairman Paul Manafort was convicted on eight counts in federal court while, at virtually the same time, Trump's personal lawyer Michael Cohen pleaded guilty and implicated the president. Add to that news that prosecutors reached immunity deals with two Trump allies - David Pecker, the publisher of the National Enquirer, and Allen Weisselberg, chief financial officer of The Trump Organization. To sort through what all this means, I'm joined by Anne Milgram, a former state and federal prosecutor and former attorney general of New Jersey. Welcome to the program.

Thanks for having me.

And let's talk about that immunity. Prosecutors have worked out deals to get cooperation from at least these two men that we know about. What's the upshot of that?

So the upshot with Pecker, I think, could be enormous for the government in terms of getting evidence about Donald Trump. We understand that he had - he's friends with Trump for 20 years or more and that they've had a long relationship. What I think is one of the most interesting questions here is not just that he's cooperated related to the Cohen piece but also what other evidence he may have. Were there other deals made?Were there other stories that they caught and killed, as they say in the business, where they pay people to not actually publish a story and not have it go public?So that, I think, is particularly interesting.

turn 0 : Kicked into high gear isn't literal. It's a phrase meaning the investigations started to produce some results and seemed likely to produce more.

What does the phrase "kicked into high gear" mean?

Answer: Progress


She says, look, we've got to do something some investment on sort of global warming issues, energy, independence issues. Let's use the recession to start creating a green economy.

Now, when you look at someone who is no longer in the race, John Edwards, he was often portrayed by supporters and portrayed himself as someone who was going to make ending poverty the center of his campaign. How would his approach have differed from both Senators Obama and Clinton?

Well, actually it turns out at the end of the day, the Edwards approach is fairly similar to sort of a combination of the Clinton and Obama proposals, and that's not surprising. Because John Edwards was the person who came out with a plan first - I thought it was the best plan - and the other candidates fit in in a lot of issues, actually copied John Edwards. In fact, John Edwards was - has truly been a forcing figure during this election, compelling Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, both, to be more progressive than they might otherwise have been.

Well, let's talk a little bit about political philosophy. We've talked a bit about trickle-down economics, but then there's also the model of the government getting directly involved. Certainly ending the great depression by creating jobs itself - everything from jobs for writers and artists to road building, infrastructure. That does not seem to be a model that's been followed, certainly not to that extent - in decades. Is that even on the table, the whole prospect of the government actually stepping in and doing job creation itself?

turn 2 : "John Edwards was - has truly been a forcing figure during this election, compelling Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, both, to be more progressive than they might otherwise have been." - The literal meaning is that John Edwards has pushed Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton to be more progressive in their policy proposals. The actual meaning is that John Edwards has had a significant impact on the policy proposals of the other candidates and has influenced the overall political discourse during the election.

Which candidate has truly been a forcing figure during this election?

Answer: Edwards


And what exactly is happening in Tulsa?

Well, so all of this water from upstream that's coming from northeast Oklahoma is heading downstream into Tulsa. They have these aging levees. Many of them were built in the 1940s. The Keystone Dam is releasing huge amounts of water, and that has led to thousands of people being evacuated from their homes in the Tulsa area.

And then if you go down river, as you get closer to Arkansas, some communities, like Braggs and Webbers Falls, have been totally emptied out. One mayor earlier this week told people that if they refuse to evacuate, they should write their identification on their arm.

Wow. I mean, it does sound as though it's just an overwhelmingly awful combination of floods and tornadoes and bad weather. What are people saying as you are out and about interviewing people and, I guess, just talking to your own neighbors?

turn 1 : The levees are old and unable to handle the amount of water released from Keystone Dam, resulting in many evacuations.

Answer: Old


It's just instinct.

It's just instinct.

I'm a photographer. I'm going to take a photograph.

Exactly. I'm thinking it's another person. Like, two people just passed me. I haven't identified him as a shooter until I looked through the lens. I didn't get scared - really scared until it was quiet, and I'm in the corner. And I'm assuming he's advancing at me and he's going to pass me. And I just kept saying to myself - I just kept praying just, please don't pass me; do not see me.

And it wasn't till I heard some voices saying, where did he go?Where did he go?And that's when a police officer across the street came into my field of view. And I could see him, and I was like, relieved, that if he's in the open, then the threat must be gone. So that's when I felt better about it.

You know, after police shot him, you were still working. You were still covering this. There are photos, I'm looking at online, where you are photographing the body on the ground. You were careful not to show his face. That's your training, too.

turn 3 : A describes his fear and relief during a shooting incident

How was PersonA feeling during the shooting incident?

Answer: scared


Right. We're all talking about the wrong thing anyway. Most gun deaths are caused by the guns that people aren't trying to ban right now. You know, we're focused again on assault rifles. They don't kill that many people. In the spectacular shootings, we see the use of so-called assault rifles. But it's - handguns are responsible for most of the gun-related suicides. And that's half the - half the gun deaths in this country. And in the low-level street violence that you see in many cities, it's mainly a handgun issue. So we're not even talking about the things that are causing most of the deaths. But in the media climate in which we exist, these spectacular events get all of the attention. And the shootings on the streets of Chicago - one dead, two dead at a time - they don't get any attention. But that's the - that's the - that's the real center of the gun problem in this country.

Do you think the shootings we saw in San Bernardino do represent something different in - forgive me - the mass-shooting scenario. . .

Right.

Something different than what we've seen, and for that matter - obviously it's speculated at this point - but people who might not have been directed by any kind of authority overseas but inspired by something like that?

turn 1 : Turn (2) implies a question, implying that the speaker is asking if the shootings in San Bernardino represent something different than what we've seen in other mass shootings, and if they could be potentially inspired by something like a foreign authority-directed attack.

Which event is PersonB asking about in relation to the possibility of being inspired by a foreign authority-directed attack?

Answer: San-Bernardino


Now, the Russian government doesn't get many chances in this context internationally, on the global stage, to do the right thing. I have been criticizing the Russian government while I am here. What more can I do to satisfy you or any of these critics who hold these positions?The reality is there is nothing that will satisfy them because it is their suspicion, it is their skepticism, it is their distrust of the Russian government as an institution which is motivating this.

I mean, do I have to detail for you the ways in which the Putin government has earned (laughter) some suspicion?

No, no. Absolutely not. Again, I agree with you. This (laughter) - look, look; this is why I have been criticizing the Russian government. There's no distance between us on that. I'm not saying Vladimir Putin is an angel. I'm not even saying Vladimir Putin is a decent guy. What I'm saying is you have to understand there doesn't need to be a quid pro quo here for it to make sense.

Edward Snowden. Elsewhere in the program, he talks about his work at the NSA before he leaked classified information and tells us what's keeping him from returning to the U. S.  to face trial.

turn 2 : He is not saying that Putin never does anything wrong and is very nice.

Which government institution is being distrusted by the critics according to the speaker?

Answer: Russian-government


But you're reporting the car companies don't want this to end up in the courts. How come?

So it takes a long time to bring a car to market. It takes five years to introduce a new product for these automakers. So they're planning years in advance. If you know what the regulations are going to be in five years, you can make decisions about what kinds of cars you want to bring to market.

If you don't know because it's up in the air and a judge could issue a ruling at any time that will change the regulation of your entire industry, then there's a lot of uncertainty. So even some carmakers who, again, were kind of skeptical about the original rules are really adamant now that they definitely don't want this feud, this back-and-forth, to continue.

They just want clarity. NPR's Camila Domonoske, thank you so much.

turn 1 : Car companies want to know the future regulations to plan ahead

Answer: Regulations


What changed your mind because you did start college for a while?

Well, ever heard of the Three Cs?Civilian Conservation Corps, that was started by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, at that time the president of the United States. And he started that program to get young boys like me off the street and try to put them in places where they could learn a trade. And I joined that, and that's when I started to learn about gasoline engine, diesel engines and heavy equipment.

That probably served you pretty well when you went into the military. How did you get into the military and what did you do once you went in?

After I left the CCC camp, I went to the Norfolk Navy Yard in Portsmouth, Virginia. That's where I learned to run engine lathe and I made part for ships. And I wanted to volunteer for the Army, but I was drafted. And drafted and was sent to Camp Ellis, Illinois where I take my basic training and went to - overseas in a quartermaster service company in Germany, first France.

turn 3 :  "And drafted and was sent to Camp Ellis, Illinois where I take my basic training and went to - overseas in a quartermaster service company in Germany, first France." - The phrase "take my basic training" is a figurative expression meaning to undergo or complete the required military training, rather than actually taking or carrying something.

How did the speaker undergo their required military training?

Answer: Training


Can I say [expletive]?

Nope. You sure can't. So we're going to call them useless. Giertz lives on a houseboat in Sweden and has found fame through posting videos of her useless robots online.

The first one that I did with a robot arm is called the Breakfast Machine. And it's basically a robot arm that I programmed to pour cereal and milk into a bowl and then feed it to me with a spoon. But all it does is, like, pour the cereal everywhere.

It throws the packet on the floor and it pours milk everywhere, including over me. And it doesn't actually manage to feed me anything. But it does hand me an empty spoon, so it succeeded in that part at least.

turn 3 : (4) The robot arm did not actually succeed in feeding the person, despite handing them an empty spoon. The actual meaning is that the robot arm is not very useful or effective.

Which part of the robot arm's task did it successfully complete?

Answer: Spoon


OK.  Give us the background now. He has been charged with eight felony counts, including perjury and obstruction of justice.

Correct.

Remind us what happened.

Well, this all began quite some time ago. We're talking about a case that involves the firing of a couple police officers. And supposedly, these police officers were fired because they were investigating misconduct on the part of the mayor. And the mayor came up with a settlement, an $8. 4 million settlement that was paid out of the city's coffers.

turn 2 : a request for a reminder of the timeline of events leading up to the current situation.

What was the reason for the police officers' firing?

Answer: investigating


He says it's incumbent on the press and on the media not to make it easy for celebrities to have these terribly serious transgressions alleged and be able to skate by on their charm, on their fame, on their accomplishments outside the arena of these allegations. He said, you know, it is precisely the inconvenient moment where you have all these stars - and Woody Allen is in South of France because of the debut of his new film.

And you have stars like Blake Lively, Jesse Eisenberg and others who are there, Steve Carell. And he says we should be hearing them asked what it's like to work with an alleged child molester - and by the way, those are his words, not mine - rather than asked, you know, what costumes were you wearing?How did you like your outfits?What was it like to work with this great director?

How do you feel about that?

turn 2 : That's his argument. He says it's uncomfortable but these questions need to be asked, otherwise powerful people can get away with terrible things."  Implicated meaning: The speaker acknowledges that the questions being proposed might cause discomfort, but they are necessary to prevent powerful individuals from evading consequences for their atrocious deeds. Without asking these challenging questions, there is a risk of enabling the privileged to escape accountability for their actions.

What is the reason for asking uncomfortable questions?

Answer: Consequences


Yeah. It's very strange. We are being admonished to go everywhere and spend. And we're also told that spending is what got us into this ditch in the first place. And further, that once we're done spending and get out of the ditch, we really need to stop spending so much and start saving.

So it gets even more confusing because there's going to be some magical moment at which we are to stop shopping and start saving.

Seems like we're in that magical moment, but it's not magical.

(Laughing) No, it's not magical. But I think we're still at the moment where we're supposed to be at spending. And of course, that's not happening.

turn 0 : The advice we receive about spending and saving is contradictory.

Answer: Magical


Now, Mr.  Trump often points out that the school, at least on the website, had an overwhelmingly favorable rating from former students. But the plaintiffs say that it wasn't like that at all.

Really, that's exactly what they say. They argue that the whole point to this school was to keep selling students increasingly expensive seminars. First, there was a free introductory course where students were told they could make tens of thousands of dollars in just a couple of months using Trump's investment techniques.

But to learn those, they had to sign up for another seminar that cost about 1,500 bucks. And at that seminar, they were sold another course that cost as much as $35,000. They claim that students were encouraged to go into credit-card debt and even cash out their 401(k)s to pay for these top-level courses.

The settlement was reached. Well, one of these suits was about to go to trial on Monday, wasn't it?

Yeah, it was, though attorneys for Trump wanted it delayed because he was too busy with the transition. But, clearly, his schedule wasn't going to get any easier once he became president. So the judge in the case was urging both sides to settle.

turn 3 : The literal meaning of this turn is that the settlement in the lawsuit had already been reached. However, the actual meaning is that the settlement was being discussed and was close to being reached.

Which turn in the dialogue has a literal and an actual meaning?

Answer: turn


Absolutely not. In fact, the people of my state should know we are doing everything in our power to defend them. If it comes to a legal fight with the Trump administration, we're prepared to have it. I've had some experience with taking on the Trump administration litigation. We have yet to lose a case yet, and I don't plan on starting with this issue.

Attorney General Bob Ferguson of Washington state, thanks so much.

Oh, thank you, Scott. Have a great day.

And we contacted the Department of Justice for comment on Mr.  Ferguson's remarks about Attorney General Sessions. We have yet to receive a response.

turn 3 : (4) The literal meaning of turn (4) is that the reporter contacted the Department of Justice for comment, but the implied meaning is that the reporter wants to highlight the lack of response from the Department of Justice, which can suggest a lack of transparency or accountability.

Which issue does turn (4) suggest a lack of transparency or accountability about?

Answer: Response


That's right. They said they would, and they're going to do it. Universal background checks for gun buyers is one of the bills they're going to vote on. These are measures with broad public support, many having arisen since the most horrific mass shootings we have seen in recent months and years.

Senator Bernie Sanders entered the 2020 race for president this week - I think $6 million he raised within 48 hours or something. But he touched off a recurrent question about if he's really a Democrat in all ways, maybe. This week, he refused to call Nicolas Maduro a dictator.

You know, terminology and labels are not ultimately where people live, but they can have meaning and effect when it comes to campaigns. We certainly saw that in 2016. Sanders only calls himself a Democrat when he's seeking to be the party nominee for president. The rest of the time and in Congress, he calls himself an independent. And that may be more accurate.

The phrase democratic socialist that Sanders uses a lot - that has quite a few fans, especially among younger voters, who seem to take this word socialist in stride. Older voters still remember the years when to be a socialist was to be on the wrong side of the Cold War in many people's minds. And voters of all ages will be taking part in those primaries and caucuses starting in less than a year.

Thanks so much. Ron Elving, thanks for being with us.

turn 2 : "Sanders only calls himself a Democrat when he's seeking to be the party nominee for president." - The literal meaning of this turn is that Sanders identifies as a Democrat only when he is running for the party's presidential nomination. The actual meaning is that the speaker is implying that Sanders is not a true Democrat.

How does Sanders identify himself when he's not seeking to be the party nominee for president?

Answer: Independent


So along the way, you met a lot of interesting characters. And I want to particularly talk about a sommelier named Morgan Harris. He plays a big role. He's kind of like your wine shepherd. Tell us a little bit about him.

Ah, my wine fairy godmother. I mean, he's just amazing. He was my - he was really my mentor. He had this magnetic passion for wine. I mean, the first time I met him, I basically sat through a 2. 5-hour monologue that was an ode to everything from the great Rieslings of the early 20th century to the $1,200 bottle of champagne he thought would be a religious experience.

So this is a question - because he is this sort of wine evangelist if you will, he believes wines can recontextualize people's places in the universe. First of all, what does that mean?

And second of all - I mean, do you think that wine really has the power that he says it does?

turn 1 : "Ah, my wine fairy godmother." Here, the speaker is using the metaphorical term "wine fairy godmother" to describe Morgan Harris's significant influence and guidance in the speaker's journey with wine. The literal meaning of "fairy godmother" is a mythical character who grants wishes and provides guidance and support.

Which metaphorical term does the speaker use to describe Morgan Harris's influence and guidance with wine?

Answer: Wine


On the whole, that - it's been amazing. The volunteers, the support has been amazing. Obviously, there's a small percentage of people who are detractors and don't like the idea at all. But I think most of them are just kind of misinformed on what the status is of the asylum-seekers. And, you know, they want them all to go home, and that's just not possible. But on the whole, it's been really positive.

Well, you mentioned that some residents of your community are curious about the status. I wonder, has Customs and Border Protection told you not just what you're supposed to do with these people but how long you should plan on them being there?

Well, first of all they're - they have a legal U. S.  status, so there's nothing that we're supposed to do with them.

OK.

turn 2 :  The asylum-seekers have a legal status, which means the speaker is not responsible for them.

What is the legal status of the asylum-seekers mentioned by the speaker?

Answer: Legal


And he says the Pakistani government helped conceal Osama bin Laden and set him up. That's not true?

I mean, the truth of the matter is it was hard for us to believe that they didn't know given his location. But in all of the lead up to the raid and in all the materials that we captured when bin Laden was killed, there wasn't a shred of evidence that the Pakistanis knew. So was there a suspicion that they knew where he was?Yes. But we never found any evidence to support that. And in the notion that they set him up is, I think, a fiction.

Robert Gates, the former Secretary of Defense, now president of the Boy Scouts of America, meeting at their annual convention this week in Atlanta. Mr.  Gates's memoir "Duty" is out in paperback this week. Mr.  Gates, thanks so much for being with us.

My pleasure, thank you.

turn 1 :  A's turn is an example of an expression whose actual meaning is different from its literal meaning. The literal meaning of A's words suggests that there was a suspicion that the Pakistani government knew about Osama bin Laden's location, but no evidence was found to support this suspicion. However, the actual meaning is that there was a strong suspicion that the Pakistani government knew about bin Laden's location, but no concrete evidence was found to confirm this suspicion.

Which statement in the dialogue expresses the difference between the actual meaning and the literal meaning of PersonA's words?

Answer: turn-1


Correct. It was one of the first ones to come out like that, and so I had no idea it was different from any other game. I just thought it was another game. And he, within three months of playing it, he started - it started affecting his real life negatively. He lost his job. He got evicted from his apartment. By the way, he was 20 years old when he started playing this, so he was an adult. But very quickly it showed negative effects. His personality changed. He started becoming a different person. He became withdrawn, antisocial, depressed. His focus became gaming, and he no longer was concerned about his real life or his future.

When you think about your son, do you think that there were other underlying issues, whether it was depression or some other condition, that caused him to be susceptible to this?I mean, how do you balance that thought out?

I agree with that 100 percent. He had ADD, and from my experience, since 2002, probably 99 percent of the gamers that we've talked to who have problems with gaming have ADD. It seems to make them more susceptible.

Attention deficit.

turn 2 : People with ADD are more susceptible to problems with gaming.

Which condition makes gamers more susceptible to problems?

Answer: ADD


Yes, they are in re-settlement areas. For example, in Mozambique you have 258,000 people, 90,000 of whom have been displaced over the past month or so. In Malawi you already have 700 cholera cases that have been reported. You have about 152,000 people who have been affected. So they are moving away from their home areas into re-settlement camps.

Let's move to Kenya in the east of Africa. The talks between President Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga continue today outside of Nairobi and the negotiations are being mediated by former U. N.  Secretary General Kofi Annan. Since the post-election violence began in late December, more than 1,000 people have been killed and hundreds of thousands have been displaced. There are also reports of a wave of sexual violence against women who've been displaced by this turmoil. So Cassandra, what's going on here?

Since the violence after the disputed elections on December 27th, we're seeing that this situation has put women and girls at great risk of sexual assault. We know that always in situations of conflict women and girls are in danger. And in Kenya it is no different. We are hearing reports from Nairobi, from the Nairobi general hospital, that there may be as many as double the number of cases of rape within the days following the eruption of the violence.

And what we know is that for every case that is being treated or is being reported, there are many more victims who fail to seek help.

turn 2 : "put women and girls at great risk of sexual assault" is a figurative expression, meaning that women and girls are in danger of being sexually assaulted, and not a literal placement of women and girls in a dangerous situation.

How is the statement interpreting the phrase "put women and girls at great risk of sexual assault"?

Answer: Danger


When I got toward the end of my research, I tried to contact all the women that I had spoken with and just said, hey, would your husbands be willing to talk?The interesting thing about it was when I spoke to the women, they were all so enthusiastic and passionate. When I talked to their husbands, they were really nice, but they were so clearly disinterested in the topic. It wasn't that they didn't know that their wives are never frustrated with them. It just didn't seem particularly important to them. And I don't mean to imply that they were cold to their wives or indifferent to their wives. It just really didn't register as such a big deal.

Like a fact of life - like, this is just the way things are.

Yes, absolutely. In fact, one of the women that I interviewed said to me, my husband sees we have an issue with this. But he considers it my problem. So he says to me, there's really nothing I can do, and it would be helpful if you weren't so bothered by this.

Wow. Let me ask you this. The amount of child care that men take on was actually rising in the 1980s and '90s. But then we did see it level off. So what happened?It seemed like we were sort of making some progress in this issue.

turn 3 : Level off here means that there is some downfall in the amount and does not mean levelling something.

How does "level off" in turn 3 differ from its usual meaning?

Answer: Downfall


I have - I guess it's a practical question because I'm remembering a number of executions that were stalled because there's been this shortage of drugs available to carry out executions. Has that changed?

It has not changed. But Attorney General Bill Barr says the Justice Department no longer wants to use that three-drug cocktail. Instead, he says, Justice is going to follow the protocol already deployed by states like Georgia and Texas. They use just one of those drugs. And Bill Barr says that method has been upheld by federal courts already, so he says it's not out of line with the Eighth Amendment ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

And, Carrie, this decision by the federal government would seemed to run counter to what we're actually watching happen in a number of states, isn't that right?

Exactly. Across the country, the population on death row in states has been shrinking for many years. There were just 25 executions last year. They seem to happen more often in southern states. And the Justice Department says it now takes on average more than 20 years between a state death sentence and an actual execution. So in many states, people are dying of natural causes before they can be executed.

turn 2 : to run counter with something means that the opposite of what was predicted to happen actually happened despite the circumstances

How does the federal government's decision seem to go against what is happening in a number of states?

Answer: Opposite


You know, I'm not sure exactly where the cuts will take place. I know they've got several issues in mind. I think it's definitely a reflection upon the times right now, and how difficult the environment is for financial service firms.

You wrote in your piece today that the bonus pool is still the sixth largest on record. How much money was it overall?

Overall, it was 18. 4 billion, but it was down from about 33 billion last year. So it's a decline, but it's still, like you said, the sixth largest, so there's been thoughts that the past compensations have gotten a little excessive. So there's definitely an argument that that was the case.

And all of this in the wake of a bonus scandal at Merrill Lynch. What's been going on there?

turn 1 : The fact that the bonus pool is the sixth largest on record contradicts the idea of financial service firms facing difficult times.

Which argument contradicts the idea of financial service firms facing difficult times?

Answer: Compensations


OK. So, speaking of the Senate and Senator Obama, he will resign his seat on Sunday. His replacement will be appointed by the governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich. Who are the likely candidates, and who's likely to actually be appointed?

Well, the most likely candidate and the person most likely to be appointed is Jesse Jackson Jr. , the congressman from Chicago. But there are a range of candidates, and it's quite interesting because, as you know, the governor is in political hot water himself. His numbers are very low. There's all sorts of talk of investigations and the like.

So, the question is, would he, potentially, maybe appoint somebody who's a close ally in the state legislature?There's the 73-year-old Emil Jones. Then, what about pressure from the Hispanic community?There's Congressman Luis Gutierrez. And there's also talk about Tammy Duckworth - Tammy Duckworth, who runs the Veterans Affairs Department for Illinois, and she is a double amputee and close to Obama. But there are also people who might be potentially opponents for the governor going forward, like the attorney general, Lisa Madigan, or the treasurer. So, there's all these kinds of angles to the game that are very interesting. But it looks at this moment, most likely, that you're going to end up with Jesse Jackson Jr.

OK.  And Juan, what was your best political conversation of this week?

turn 0 : Senator Obama is leaving the Senate to become president

Which political figure is leaving the Senate to take up a new role?

Answer: Obama


What's missing from that?

I mean, a deeper understanding of why Syrians rose up in the first place. I mean, this is a regime that's been in power for 50 years. It has outlasted eight U. S.  presidents since Nixon. Think about that. And Bashar's organizing elections again in 2021, and he intends to run. So there's a chance he will probably outlast Trump, even if Trump wins a second term.

Sam Dagher is author of the book "Assad Or We Burn The Country. "He also contributes to The Atlantic. Sam, thank you so much for being with us.

You're welcome, Noel.

turn 1 : The Syrian regime's longevity is a sign of their power and oppression, and Bashar's reelection will likely outlast Trump's presidency.

How long has the Syrian regime been in power?

Answer: 50


North Korea is on the verge of a nuclear breakout. It has an arsenal estimated in the mid-teens. It's been assiduously testing ballistic missiles. It does have reach. It could target America's regional allies. The real inflection point here is that by 2020, they could have a hundred nuclear weapons instead of the mid-teens with long-range ballistic missiles that could reach the U. S.  homeland, which would make it a game-changer for the United States.

Well, how?

Well, it would allow them to directly target the United States. And that's a level of vulnerability we've never had from a state like North Korea. I mean, when I got into this business, I couldn't have conceived of a state like North Korea, essentially a failed state, having a nuclear arsenal approaching half the size of Great Britain's.

We're left with, really, three bad options - one - you know - bomb, negotiate or acquiesce. And the military option is so prohibitively costly it could lead to a catastrophic second Korean War. And when we can't - when we won't negotiate, we end up in that third box of acquiescing to the development of North Korean capabilities. And I believe there's a moment - a conjunction of factors that call for a pivot to serious diplomacy.

Well, what would that serious diplomacy look like?I mean, I - the United States would have to - what?- accept a. . .

turn 3 : (4) A: "And I believe there's a moment - a conjunction of factors that call for a pivot to serious diplomacy." - The literal meaning would be that the speaker thinks it's time to switch to more serious diplomacy with North Korea. However, the implied meaning is that the speaker believes that the current situation with North Korea calls for a change in approach and a greater emphasis on diplomacy rather than military action or acquiescence to North Korea's nuclear capabilities.

What is the PersonA's opinion on the current situation with North Korea?

Answer: Change


Well, many millions have lifted out of poverty and many millions seemed to have been lifted into the pockets of the top leaders. And so that, I think, reporting of socioeconomic inequity and privilege is a source of corruption in the Communist Party that really has to be managed or dealt with in some decisive form by President Xi.

And is there going to be realignment?And you look towards the new leadership in South Korea. The United States, of course, has had a longstanding security relationship with South Korea, going back to the war there in the early 1950s. And, of course, you mentioned the treaty with Japan and United States have been - had bases there since 1945. There - is there going to be any fundamental change in those relationships, do you think?

The change is not coming so much in the U. S. -Japan or in the U. S. -Korea alliance relationships at this stage. There are some rising tensions that have emerged in the South Korea-Japan relationship that present, I think, a challenge for U. S.  policymakers. You know, one of the aspects of the U. S.  pivot or rebalancing policy is that it suggests that we want allies to work together or horizontally with each other more actively.

But Korea and Japan are increasingly facing divisions over history issues and with a woman South Korean president and a Japanese prime minster, who has raised questions about some of the comfort women issues; it suggests that we've got potentially a rocky road ahead.

turn 0 : This means that the leaders are corrupt - there is nothing quite literally going into their pockets.

How does PersonA suggest the reporting of socioeconomic inequity and privilege is a source of corruption in the Communist Party?

Answer: Source


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.

Answer: Studies


I find it interesting that the thing that I think is their signature model, which is the pinching effect, they didn't care about or seem to want to protect that.

It was - so the pinch to zoom, it's something that they've litigated with HTC against, I believe, in the past. They were using - they had a handful of other different user interface features. There's one, double-tap to zoom, so when you double-tap, say, a little article on the New York Times homepage, it'll, you know, expand to take up the full screen.

And that was in the core - the jury agreed that was something they owned.

Correct.

turn 0 : Apple did not protect the feature that is most associated with their product.

Answer: Apple


Well, the thing that's on the drawing board right now is the economic stimulus plan, and I think we do need a very large plan that would include increases in government spending and tax cuts.

To add to this troubled economy, we now have the latest unemployment figures out this morning from major metropolitan areas. Here's how they look. In November 2007, 18 areas reported jobless rates of at least seven percent. In November 2008, that number jumped to 121. Which areas have seen the highest unemployment rate?

Well, the most significant problems are in the industrial Midwest. As we all know, the auto industry is having a great deal of difficulty, and layoffs have been very severe. Also, in parts of the country where the housing market has been hit hard - California, Florida, Arizona, Nevada - there, too, employment has fallen, unemployment has risen.

And which areas are seeing the lowest unemployment numbers?

turn 1 : The unemployment rate has dramatically increased in various metropolitan areas.

Which economic plan does PersonA mention needs to include increases in government spending and tax cuts?

Answer: Stimulus


That's correct. Yes, well, the last thing we've heard it was just outside of Port Fourchon, which is at the lower end of LaFourche Parish. So the winds have been picking up a bit and that's what we're getting ready for here. So far, however, we are putting stuff up on the web and we haven't stopped all night.

I hear people on the radio behind you, you must be at a sort of emergency control headquarters or something?

No, no, not us; we're just communicating with our reporters. We have reporters out in different parts of the parish, and we're trying to keep in touch with them as we can, and get what information they're getting as travel with the authorities.

What are you going to do when your internet connection goes down?

turn 1 : The speaker assumes that the background noise suggests an emergency control headquarters

What assumption does the speaker make about the background noise?

Answer: Emergency


Absolutely. They used to end up there in the French Riviera and big mansions in Europe. Now they tend to also end up in Europe but not in big mansions but in the criminal court - in The Hague.

And has that had the effect of making it more difficult sometimes to get rid of certain people?

Absolutely. They are - they don't trust now any promises that they will not be prosecuted or taken in front of a judge. And also, you know, the standards of human rights internationally have changed. And there is a very active community - globally - that chases after dictators and people that have violated human rights and have committed the crimes against humanity, which is the case for many of them.

Now, isn't the logic of that - the humanitarian logic of that - that knowing they might have to face criminal charges will discourage dictators from striking out at their own people?

turn 1 : It is being implied that the criminals are having a difficult time.

Which group of people are being discussed in the dialogue?

Answer: Criminals


That food has made this humble eatery among the best restaurants in the city, topping the lists of every Houston publication and more recently, after a visit from Anthony Bourdain in 2016, the country.

We'll let you choose what we eat.

OK, wonderful. Thank you.

Creamy chai is set on the table - then vegetable fritters and spicy samosas.

turn 0 : "among the best" represent there are other restaurants in the city that are considered to be the best.

Answer: Houston


Well, they've arrested these two men. One is an official in the office of the governor of the province. The other is the president of the university. Those would seem to be two pretty prominent individuals. Does anyone know what's happened to them, where they are?

That's still murky right now. We know they've been arrested. We don't know where they're being held, and according to Iraqi officials, they've apparently been arrested on charges of committing violence, committing terrorism. We don't much - really much more than that.

So we have this day in Iraq. It begins with this pretty normal thing, a visit from a - from the leader of a neighboring country, and then this kind of a development, which doesn't sound normal at all. It leaves you kind of wondering, one step forward, one step backwards.

Sure, but, you know, what it really illustrates is how uneven the security situation in Iraq is. Sure, you're seeing signs of progress. You're seeing neighboring leaders and neighboring countries visit. You are seeing violence levels down, but there are still large parts of Iraq that could explode at any moment. And it really shows how little the security situation is in many areas.

turn 2 : (3) In turn (3), the speaker implies that the recent events in Iraq are not normal and that there is a sense of uncertainty and instability, despite some signs of progress.

How would you describe the recent events in Iraq according to the implied meaning of turn 3?

Answer: Uncertainty


So they set up a system of community courts - without lawyers - to sort of repurpose a system that really had only been used for small claims mitigation in traditional Rwanda, called gacaca, and have open, communal - what we might call a town hall - format for trials. And then the idea was to hold people accountable and have a system of punishment. And this system banked very heavily on encouraging confession and rewarding it. But the confessions were supposed to be also verified by the community.

And what was the specific role of the victims or their surviving family members?They had to be there. And then, after verifying a certain account, were they expected to then make a public state of forgiveness or reconciliation?

They weren't necessarily in a position to verify. Many of them knew that so-and-so was always said to have killed their family members. But they weren't direct witnesses because, by virtue of their survival, that usually meant that they were either somewhere else or well-hidden or had escaped or. . .

Not present, yeah.

turn 2 : Survivors of the genocide did not have direct knowledge of the crimes committed against their family members.

How did the survivors verify the confessions?

Answer: Not


What do you think, though, the message is to other countries like China and Russia right now?I mean, we have important talks on the horizon with North Korea. We are in between secretaries of state. We don't even have an ambassador, for example, to South Korea. Ivanka Trump is now doing some of the South Korean diplomacy. What state is our diplomacy in right now?

Well, you know, whenever you file - change a secretary of state, it is disruptive because Rex Tillerson had a year to develop relations with his counterparts and heads of state and government. And that's now been disrupted. On the other hand, the question foreigners always ask is, does the secretary of state speak for the president?And there were questions raised about that because of some of the things President Trump is reported to have said about Rex Tillerson. I think the good news is that by designating Mike Pompeo and expressing confidence in him, I think it will reassure foreign leaders that when Mike Pompeo is secretary, he indeed will be speaking for the president. That's a plus.

Former national security adviser Stephen Hadley, thank you so very much for joining us.

Nice to be with you.

turn 0 : The United States is in a weak diplomatic state.

How would you describe the United States' diplomatic state?

Answer: Weak


This is rhetorical. Like what to the Negro is the Fourth of July?A flag should be stitched with a fuse. Jefferson said, for each generation, a flag. Maybe he said constitution. I once raised a high-top flag of my hair, a fist, a leather medallion of the motherland.

I studied heraldry and maniples, which are not what you might guess, little sails and banners down to the vein of a feather. Because his kids were rebel cities, my father loved like Sherman. Because I wanted history I could touch like the flank of a beast.

What's that phrase - each flag should come with a fuse?

(Laughter) The flag should be stitched with a fuse, yes.

turn 2 :  The phrase "stitched with a fuse" is figurative, meaning that each generation of people should be prepared to fight for their rights and freedoms. The speaker is not literally suggesting that flags should be physically stitched with a fuse.

What is the figurative meaning of "stitched with a fuse"?

Answer: Fight


He had been released the year before - in June of 1914 - from an institution that was known as the Colored Waifs Home. And this was a reformatory - it was part reformatory, part orphanage. And Armstrong was sent there for at least the second time in early 1913 after he had been arrested for shooting a pistol into the air.

And it was at - while at that reformatory that he began to receive his first formal music instruction. He played in the marching band there. They would parade around the city and play at events on the lake and stuff like that. But when he came out, he was, you know, faced with the challenges of being 13 or 14 years old at the time and needing to provide some income for his family. He grew up in dire poverty, of course.

You take a look at this, like, 8 seconds of film, I guess it is, and maybe it's the power of suggestion, but it certainly looks like Louis Armstrong. And you (laughter) - you really do get a sense, even from this 13-year-old youngster, of just overwhelming charisma.

Yeah, that has been sort of the reaction. The overwhelming reaction to my story is - you know, I fully expected people to try to pick it apart because it's kind of a ridiculous thing to propose. But overwhelmingly, people have said, holy smokes, we think this, you know - it looks like him. He smiles the beautiful Louis Armstrong smile that later became famous. Yeah, it's been fascinating to me.

turn 1 : Despite facing challenges of poverty, Armstrong received music instruction at a reformatory.

Which institution did Armstrong receive his first formal music instruction from?

Answer: Reformatory


Yeah. I mean, maybe you should - give it a shot. And then let me try it after.

That is so good.

Converted her. Fan of grapefruit.

You know why?'Cause it doesn't taste like grapefruit.

Right. Is it good?Is it to boozy?

turn 4 : (5) Refers to asking if the new food is good or too strong in terms of alcoholic content.

What aspect of the new food is PersonA asking about in turn 4?

Answer: Alcoholic


The British artist David Hockney is one of the most famous artists in the world. One of his works recently sold for $90 million, smashing the record for a living artist. But he's also led an extraordinary life, breaking barriers as a gay man and defying the expectations of the art world at every turn.

In the new novel, "The Life Of David Hockney" (ph), author Catherine Cusset imagines the thoughts, feelings and words of Hockney at pivotal periods in his life to try and puzzle out the man. She joins us now from our studios in New York. Thank you so much for being with us.

Well, thank you for inviting me.

In the forward to this book, you wrote that David Hockney took hold of you, which is why you wrote the novel. Explain what that means.

turn 3 : Author Catherine Cusset imagines the thoughts, feelings and words of Hockney are made from understanding of  David Hockney.

What is the reason for Catherine Cusset to write the novel?

Answer: understanding


I'm Farai Chideya, and this is News and Notes. Illinois Senator Barack Obama declared he was running for president back in February of 2007. Back then, he was the dark horse, long-shot candidate. Some people looked at him, and talked only about race. Other voters and pundits seem to try to avoid the topic.

Now, the economy is in meltdown, and much of the political debate has turned to mortgages and finance. But race is still there say the polls, and author and commentator Tim Wise says so as well. Wise is an anti-racism activist whose latest book is called "Speaking Treason Fluently: Anti-Racist Reflections From an Angry White Male. "Welcome to News and Notes.

Thanks.

So, your latest essay is called, "This Is Your Nation on White Privilege. "

turn 0 : Dark horse is implying an unexpected person or candidate and not an animal that's dark

What was the name of the latest essay by Tim Wise mentioned in the dialogue?

Answer: This-Is-Your-Nation-on-White-Privilege


(Laughter) I'd imagine it'd be pretty smelly by that point.

So how did you plot this optimal route?

Yeah, so plotting the route sort of started by picking where exactly we wanted to go. So we sort of sat down and we actually spent a few days, you know, setting out some criteria. So once we chose 50 stops around the U. S. , that's when the algorithm kicked in.

All right, I understand landmarks you have listed like, you know, Statue of Liberty or Lincoln's home in Springfield, Ill.  or Taliesin - Frank Lloyd Wright's home in Wisconsin - C. W. Parker Carousel Museum in Kansas?

turn 1 : "the algorithm kicked in": In this context, "kicked in" is a figurative expression that means the algorithm started working or began to be used. It does not mean that the algorithm literally kicked anything.

Which expression is used figuratively in the dialogue?

Answer: Kicked