WAPO 03-10(1)

3月18日阅读

Relief bill a historic lift for Black farmers

Stimulus(刺激) includes billions in aid that some see as(see as 看做) reparation(赔偿)s

A little-known element of President Biden‘s massive stimulus package would pay billions of dollars to disadvantaged(弱势的，下层的) farmers — benefiting Black farmers in a way that some experts say no legislation(法律法规) has since the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Of the $10.4 billion in the American Rescue Plan that would support agriculture, approximately(大约) half would go to disadvantaged farmers, according to estimates(估计) from the Farm Bureau, an industry organization(产业组织). About a quarter of disadvantaged farmers are Black. The money would provide debt relief(债务减免) as well as grants(v授权、同意；n补助金，拨款), training, education and other forms of assistance aimed at acquiring(获得) land.。
While it’s a fraction(小部分，小数分数，分馏物) of the $1.9 trillion bill that passed in the Senate on Saturday, advocates(v拥护，支持；n拥护者) say it still represent(代表)s a step toward righting(纠正) a wrong after a century of mistreatment of Black farmers by the government and others. Some say it is a form of reparations(赔款，修复) for African Americans who have suffered a long history of racial oppression(压迫压制，虐待).
“This is the most significant piece of legislation with respect to the arc of Black land ownership in this country,” said Tracy Lloyd

Pipelines threaten to put Biden’s goals at odds(at odds：争执，意见不一致)

threaten to X：威胁到了X
threat to X：对X产生威胁
During President Biden’s first formal meeting with the nation’s labor leaders, Mark McManus played the skunk(扮演卑鄙的人) at the garden party: Joking that he “drew the short straw,(抽出了吸管)” the president of the pipe fitters union(管道安装工会，fitter：装配工) complained about Biden’s job-killing veto(n否决权；v否决) of the Keystone XL pipeline.
Biden countered(反驳，回答) that the decision should have come as no surprise to McManus’s members in the United Association; he had campaigned on a pledge(保证，发誓) to cancel the project, a potent(强势的) symbol in the fight against climate change.
The two-hour meeting in the Oval Office last month was otherwise cordial(热情友好的，强烈的). But the exchange highlighted the tension between Biden’s pledge to be “the most pro-union(pro-：支持protect；union：工会) president in history” and his promise to environmentalists(环境保护论者) to aggressively(侵略地) confront(对峙) global warming, which Biden has called “the existential(存在的) threat of our time.”

Hopeful glimpse(瞥见) in CDC’s guidance

SOME RELIEF FOR FULLY VACCINATED Visiting nearby grandkids can be safe, agency says

Federal health officials released guidance Monday that gives fully vaccinated Americans more freedom to socialize andengage in routine daily activities, providing(假如) a pandemic-weary(厌倦) nation a first glimpse of what a new normal(新常态) may look like in the months ahead.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said people who are two weeks past their final shot may visit indoors with unvaccinated members of a single household at low risk of severe(非常的极端的)disease, without wearing masks or distancing(把……甩在后边). That would free many vaccinated grandparents who live near their unvaccinated children and grandchildren to visit them for the first time in a year. The guidelines continue to discourage visits involving(卷入其中的) long-distance travel, however.
The CDC also said fully vaccinated people can gather indoors with those who are also fully vaccinated. And they do not need to quarantine(隔离), or be tested after exposure to the coronavirus, as long as they have no symptoms, the agency said.

Wariness(wary，谨慎的) in GOP may prolong pandemic

wary-wariness-warily谨慎的，警觉的worry-worried-worrying-worriedly担心，烦恼，撕咬
Margaret, an 80-year-old retiree who lives outside Tulsa, has spent the past year living in fear of the coronavirus. She’s constantly worn masks, toted(手提) hand sanitizer(手消，洗手液) and used drivethroughs(驾车通过) to run hererrands(差事，使命). Her age and preexisting(先前存在的) health conditions — including heart failure(心力衰竭),diabete(糖尿病) and blood clots(血栓，clot(凝块，团结)) — put her at elevated(提高的，更高的) risk if she gets sick.
But unlike many at-risk Americans seeking safety and an end to the pandemic, Margaret refuses to get a coronavirus vaccine.
“There’s too many unanswered questions,” said Margaret, who agreed to be interviewed only if her last name was withheld(保留，抑制)because of concerns she might be harassed(厌倦，疲惫). Margaret also said she’s fearful of possible side effects, like the headaches that some people have gotten from the second shot