0419:As It Is-VOA: Babies Now Permitted on US Senate Floor

Original littleflute 漂泊者乐园 2021-10-05

漂泊者乐园 VOA慢速英语听力 As It Is

(1) Babies Now Permitted on US Senate Floor

(2)Russia Urges Study-Abroad Students to Come Back Home

(3)US Orders Engine Inspection after Deadly Airplane Accident

(4)Black Men Arrested in Starbucks Call for Action, Not Anger

(1) Babies Now Permitted on US Senate Floor

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., left, carries her baby Maile Pearl Bowlsbey as she heads to the Senate floor to vote, and is greeted by Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., at right, on Capitol Hill, Thursday, April 19, 2018 in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Lawmakers in the United States Senate may now bring their young babies with them to work.

The Senate voted Wednesday to permit children under the age of one in the chamber while their parents cast votes.

The Senate chamber is where lawmakers discuss and vote on legislation. It has 100 wooden desks -- one for each senator.

The reason for the historic change of rules was the birth of Senator Tammy Duckworth’s baby. The Illinois Democrat gave birth to her second child, another girl, on April 9.

Duckworth, a 50-year-old former Army colonel who lost her legs in the Iraq War, is one of only 10 lawmakers who have given birth while in Congress. And she is the first sitting Senator to do so.

Duckworth wants to be able to continue to vote on issues as she takes care of herinfant daughter. But the Senate requires voting to be done in person. So, Duckworth proposed that babies be permitted in the chamber.

No lawmakers objected to the proposal. Duckworth said the ruling helps “bring the Senate into the 21st century.”

Although no one voted against it, senators in both political parties expressed concern about the new rule. They worry that babies might disrupt Senate customs.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., with her baby Maile Pearl Bowlsbey leaves the Senate floor after a voting on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, April 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Senator Pat Roberts, a Republican from Kansas, said, “I’m not going to object to anything like that, not in this day and age.”

However, he does not believe it is “necessary” for babies to be on the Senate floor during voting. He suggested that lawmakers with babies could instead cast their votes from a small room near the chamber. “I’ve done it,” he said.

Other senators offered the cloakroom suggestion as a compromise, as well.

In answer, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar noted that Duckworth mostly gets around in a wheelchair. The cloakroom is not wheelchair accessible.

Some senators then proposed making an exception just for Duckworth.

However, Klobuchar and other allies said the Senate should aim to make work life easier for parents. “We strongly believe...that it should be a permanent rules change.”

Klobuchar, a Democrat, said she spent several weeks privately promising both Republicans and Democrats that the new rule would not mean diaper-changing or nursing on the Senate floor.

Senator Orrin Hatch, a Republican from Utah, said he had “no problem” with the rule change.

“But what if there are ten babies on the floor of the Senate?” he asked.

Klobuchar answered that having ten babies on the floor “would be a delight.” She noted if that were the case, it would likely mean more young senators had been elected to office.

The average age of senators is over 60.

I’m Kelly Jean Kelly.

The Associated Press reported this story. Ashley Thompson adapted it for Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor.

Are there rules in your country that permit lawmakers to go to work with their young children? Let us know in the comments section.

______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

cast - v. to make (a vote) formally

infant - n. a very young child

disrupt - v. to cause (something) to be unable to continue in the normal way

cloakroom - n. a room in a public building where coats and other belongings may be left temporarily

accessible - adj. able to be reached or approached

delight - n. a strong feeling of happiness : great pleasure or satisfaction

(2)Russia Urges Study-Abroad Students to Come Back Home

A journalism student attends a lecture at Moscow State University. (Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP)

Russia has launched a campaign to urge students studying abroad to return home to continue their education.

The campaign is led by a government agency in charge of shaping Russia’s image and supporting citizens living abroad. The launch was announced April 16.

The agency is officially called the Federal Agency for CIS Matters, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation. Some Western intelligence agencies suspect it of being a front organization for Russian spying and recruiting.

The marketing campaign is called “Highly Likely Welcome Back.” The name appeared to be targeting comments made by British Prime Minister Theresa May. May has said a British investigation found it “highly likely” Russia was responsible for the poisoning of a former Russian double agent and his daughter in Britain.

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May visits Salisbury on March 15, 2018, the British city where a former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned two weeks earlier.

Officials from the United States and other countries have also accused the Russian government of ordering the poisoning. The March 4 attack in the British city of Salisbury seriously injured former Russian military intelligence official Sergei Skripal and his daughter.

Russia has denied involvement in the attack.

The incident led many Western nations to expel dozens of Russian diplomats. Russia answered by expelling diplomats from Western countries.

The state-run RIA-Novosti news agency reported that an official involved in the new campaign said it is aimed at fighting anti-Russian feelings in other nations.

The official said government politics in many countries – especially in Europe – “have increasingly taken on a harshly expressed anti-Russian character.”

The marketing campaign seeks to answer the influence of “Russophobic attitudes” on citizens and students living abroad, the official said.

Russia’s Education and Science Ministry reported that, in 2014, about 60,000 Russians were studying outside Russia.

Another official told the Kommersant newspaper there were concerns that young Russians may experience difficulties in nations expressing “unfriendly” feelings about Russia.

The Moscow Times has reported that an agency official said the program was mainly designed to seek the return of Russians studying in Britain.

Genri Sardarian is head of the department of management and politics at Moscow’s MGIMO University. He said his school and others across Russia are ready to accept any Russians who decide to come back and continue their studies at home.

The worsening ties between the United States and Russia have made it more difficult for some American students seeking to study in Russia.

In a travel advisory issued in January, the U.S. State Department listed Russia as one of the most dangerous countries to visit. The advisory said this was due to harassment and terrorism. That led Stanford University in California to suspend its study-abroad program in Russia.

However, one U.S.-based organization centered on studies in Russia says most of its members still operate study-abroad programs. The Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies said in a statement that most universities feel they can trust their Russian partners to keep their programs’ students safe.

I’m Bryan Lynn.

Bryan Lynn adapted this story for VOA Learning English, based on a report from RadioFreeEurope RadioLiberty and other sources. Ashley Thompson was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

recruit – v. get someone to join a group, service or company

abroad – n. in or to a foreign country

harsh – adj. cruel, unkind or difficult to live with

character – n. qualities relating to a person or thing

attitude – n. the way a person thinks and feels about something

harassment – n. making repeated attacks against someone or something

dozen – n. twelve of something

(3)US Orders Engine Inspection after Deadly Airplane Accident

A National Transportation Safety Board investigator examines damage to the engine of the Southwest Airlines plane that made an emergency landing at Philadelphia International Airport in Philadelphia, April 17, 2018. (NTSB via AP)

United States airline officials have ordered inspections of some jet engines after a passenger airplane suffered a deadly accident this week.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced the order late Wednesday. However, the engine’s manufacturer and European officials had called for careful inspections several months earlier.

The engine on a Southwest Airlines plane blew apart on Tuesday. Debris from the explosion broke a window. A woman sitting next to the window was partially sucked out of the plane. She later died of her injuries. The plane, which was traveling from New York to Dallas, Texas, made an emergency landing in Philadelphia.

Investigators said a blade in the engine broke off during the flight. They said the blade showed signs of metal fatigue — very small cracks that can break apart under stress.

In 2016, U.S. officials also blamed metal fatigue on a similar engine failure on another Southwest Airlines plane in Florida.

FILE - This Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016 photo shows an engine through a window of a Southwest Airlines flight. The flight from New Orleans bound for Orlando, Fla., diverted to Pensacola, Fla., after the pilot detected something had gone wrong with an engine

The incident led the manufacturer CFM International to recommend last June that airlines carry out inspections of fan blades in its CFM56-7B engines.

CFM International is a joint business of GE Aviation and France's Safran Aircraft Engines. The company says over 8,000 CFM56-7B engines are currently in use on Boeing’s 737 airplanes.

Robert Sumwalt is chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board. He said, “Engine failures like this should not occur.”

But he advised it was too soon to question the safety of the engines or the Boeing 737s. The plane is the most popular commercial airplane in the world.

On Wednesday, the FAA said it will require inspections of fan blades on CFM56-7B engines after they reach a certain number of takeoffs and landings. Blades that fail inspection would need to be replaced.

Southwest Airlines announced its own program for similar inspections of its 700 planes over the next month.

I’m Mario Ritter.

Hai Do adapted this story for Learning English based on AP and other news reports. Mario Ritter was the editor.

Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

_______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

debris –n. the pieces that are left after something has been destroyed

blade –n. one of the flat spinning parts that are used in some machines that push air, such as jet engines

fatigue –n. weakness caused by stress in living or mechanical materials

occur –v. happen

(4)Black Men Arrested in Starbucks Call for Action, Not Anger

In this Wednesday, April 18, 2018 photo, Rashon Nelson, left, and Donte Robinson, right, listen to a reporter's question during an interview with The Associated Press in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Larma)

Two black men arrested in an American Starbucks store say they are working with the company to bring about meaningful changes. They hope the changes will prevent other people from going through the same experience.

The two men spoke to reporters Thursday for the first time since the April 12 incident at a Starbucks in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Police arrested the men, walked them out of the store and took them to jail.

The 23-year-old men – Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson – told the Associated Press they did nothing wrong. Part of the incident was captured on video by another person inside the Starbucks. The video was published on Twitter. It has more than 11 million views.

The video caused anger on social media. Many people criticized the arrests as an example of racial discrimination and racial profiling. People protested at Starbucks stores across the country. Some groups called for a boycott of the company.

Police say a Starbucks manager called them. The manager reported the two men were sitting at a table in the store but were not buying anything. The manager asked them to leave. They refused. They explained to the manager that they were waiting for someone else to arrive to have a business meeting there.

Nelson has also said the manager told him he could not use the store’s bathroom because he had not bought anything.

The two men – who are best friends and business partners – say they were surprised when police showed up. The officers asked them to leave the store, but they again refused. They told the officers they had done nothing wrong.

Demonstrators occupy the Starbucks that has become the center of protests Monday, April 16, 2018, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Larma)

“We were there for a real reason, a real deal that we were working on,” Robinson told the Associated Press of the planned business meeting that never happened. “We put in a lot of time, energy, effort.”

As he was taken to jail, Robinson said he thought about his loved ones and how his day had quickly taken an unexpected turn.

Nelson said he even wondered about the possibility of not making it home alive. “Anytime I’m encountered by cops, I can honestly say it’s a thought that runs through my mind,” he said. “You never know what’s going to happen.”

In the video, the men show no physical resistance to arrest. At least two witnesses in the video can be heard saying they did not see the men do anything that would be cause for the arrests.

Officials regret incident

Philadelphia’s mayor, Jim Kenney, said what happened at the Starbucks “appears to exemplify what racial discrimination looks like in 2018." Kenney is white and a member of the Democratic Party.

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross, who is black, first said in a Facebook post days after the incident that the officers “had legal standing” to make the arrests. He said that his officers “did absolutely nothing wrong” and had followed all police department policies.

But on Thursday, Ross said he should have said the officers “acted within the scope of the law, and not that they didn’t do anything wrong.”

At a news conference, Ross said he had “failed miserably” in his earlier comments about the arrests. He also said the police department did not have a clear policy before for dealing with such situations. He said a new policy will be released soon.

In this Wednesday, April 18, 2018 photo, Stewart Cohen, an attorney representing Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson, said the men were illegally profiled during an interview with The Associated Press in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Larma)

Nelson and Robinson were released from jail later that night after Starbucks decided not to press charges for trespassing.

A lawyer working for the two men accused police of illegally profiling them. He said such profiling violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bans discrimination based on race in hotels, restaurants, theaters and other public places.

Starbucks apology

The Starbucks company has said the location where the arrests took place has a policy that restrooms are to be used only by people who have bought something.

Starbucks chief Kevin Johnson offered in a statement the company’s “deepest apologies” to the two men. He said the incident had resulted in a “reprehensibleoutcome.”

Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson, center, walks towards a meeting with Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney and other officials Monday April 16, 2018, at Philadelphia City Hall. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Larma)

Johnson said the company is fully investigating the incident and promised to make any needed policy changes to prevent the situation from happening again. In his statement, Johnson said, “Starbucks stands firmly against discrimination or racial profiling.”

Johnson also met with Nelson and Robinson. The two men say they are in ongoing discussions with Starbucks to push for changes at the company.

Among the changes they are proposing is the posting in stores of a customer bill of rights. They also want Starbucks to create new policies on customer removals. In addition, they have called for independent investigations into accusations of racial profiling and racial discrimination from customers and employees.

Robinson said he welcomes the public support he and his friend have received. But he added that he does not believe that anger and boycotts of Starbucks will truly solve the problem.

“We need a different type of action... not words,” Robinson said. “It’s a time to pay attention and understand what’s really going on. We do want a seat at the table,” he added.

I’m Bryan Lynn.

Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from the Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse. Ashley Thompson was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

_______________________________________________________________