How America Elects: Convention Rules

How America Elects: Convention Rules

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June 27, 2016

A look at the best news photos from around the world.

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Supreme Court Rejects Texas Abortion Law

  The Supreme Court ruled Monday that Texas went too far in regulating a woman’s ability to end a pregnancy. Justice Stephen Breyer wrote the opinion for the 5-3 majority. He said the Texas law is not medically necessary, and unconstitutionally limited a woman’s right to an abortion. Abortion is a medical procedure used to end a pregnancy. The Supreme Court justices were deciding whether a 2013 Texas law was constitutional. The law requires doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at hospitals located near their clinics. It also required abortion clinics to meet surgical requirements for patients similar to those for patients at hospitals. Breyer said those requirements provide few, if any, improvements for women’s health. But, he said they make it harder for women to get abortions. In 1973, the Supreme Court ruled that women have a right to decide to end a pregnancy through abortion. The Center for Reproductive Rights says the ruling will likely put an end to laws in nine other states that are similar to the Texas law. Wisconsin, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and Missouri have similar laws to the one in Texas. Kansas, Oklahoma, North Dakota and Florida also have such laws. The Supreme Court ruled on another highly disputed case related to guns on Monday. The court said that people convicted of domestic abuse, even for a lesser criminal charge, or misdemeanor, can be barred from owning guns.  Domestic abuse is when someone is violent toward a wife or husband, or other partner. Two men had disputed the ban on guns, saying they had hit a romantic partner in an argument, not in a pre-planned attack. Justice Elena Kagan wrote the opinion for the 6-2 majority. She rejected the men’s argument. “A person who assaults another recklessly uses force, no less than one who carries out that same action knowingly or intentionally,” Kagan wrote. And in another well-known case, the Supreme Court threw out the conviction of former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell. McDonnell was found guilty of accepting gifts from a businessman who sought his help selling his product. The gifts, which included a Rolex watch, were worth more than $175,000.   Chief Justice John Roberts said that while McDonnell’s actions are “distasteful,” the federal government went too far in building a bribery case. The court’s ruling was 8-0. But it was the abortion ruling that got the most attention of the three major decisions released Monday. The three rulings came as the Supreme Court neared the end of its 2015-2016 term. Three justices, Chief Justice John Roberts, and Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas, opposed the majority ruling against the Texas abortion law. They released what is called a dissent – meaning they disagreed with the decision of the majority. Thomas quoted from an earlier written statement by the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Scalia wrote that the some justices “bend the rules when any effort to limit abortion. Or even to speak in opposition to abortion, is at issue.” Scalia died in February. He has not been replaced on the Supreme Court. That has left the court with only eight of its regular nine judges. Lawyers for Texas abortion clinics brought the abortion case. They said the 2013 Texas law had reduced the number of abortion clinics from 40 to about half of that in the state. The number would drop to 10 if the law is allowed to fully take effect, the lawyers said. That would require Texas women seeking abortions to travel long distances to their nearest abortion centers. “Without question, today's ruling is a game changer in what has been an unrelenting assault on women's rights across the country,” said Nancy Northup. She is president of the Center for Reproductive Rights. Texas Governor Gregg Abbott said the Supreme Court ruling “subjects more innocent life to being lost.” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said the Supreme Court “has taken the ability to protect women’s health out of the hands of Texas citizens and their duly-elected representatives.” I’m John Russell.   Ken Bredemeier reported on this story for VOA News. Bruce Alpert adapted this story for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and share your views on our Facebook Page. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   regulate – v. to make rules or laws that control something privilege – n. a right or benefit that is given to some people and not to others clinics surgical – adj. of or relating to the process of performing a medical operation assault – n. to physically attack someone recklessly – adv. not showing proper concern about the possible bad results of your actions intentionally – adv. to do something on purpose or as planned bend the rules – idiomatic phrase. to not be strict or exact about following a rule unrelenting – adj. not slowing down, stopping, or growing weaker  

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Iraq Declares Fallujah Free of Islamic State

Iraqi forces recaptured the city of Fallujah from Islamic State fighters after a month of fighting. On Sunday, Iraqi Lieutenant General Abdul-Wahab al-Saadi called Fallujah “fully liberated.” He also said the next step would be to retake Mosul. The destruction in Fallujah is extensive. Almost 85,000 people fled Fallujah and nearby areas to escape the fighting. Many of the displaced are without shelter. The summer temperatures are 45 degrees Celsius or higher. Powerful sandstorms are also a danger. Many citizens of Fallujah took shelter at a health center near the city. It is lacking water supplies and human waste systems. Center Director Ahmed Basel said, “We have too many people. There are no more spaces in the camps.  Every five meters you find a family.” Women and children make up most of the population at refugee camps in Iraq. Males over the age of 14 were separated from their families as they fled Fallujah. United Nations refugee agency workers met with Iraqi families. The UNHCR said those talks confirmed reports that almost all families are missing several family members. U.S.-led coalition air strikes supported Iraqi forces in the battles for Fallujah. Shi’ite militias also assisted Iraqi forces on the ground. There are no clear reports of deaths and injuries on either side of the fighting. Iraqi officials warned civilians against returning to their homes although conditions in the camps are bad. The officials said some parts of Fallujah are unsafe. There is concern that similar problems of displacement will take place in a battle for Mosul. Islamic State forces have occupied the city since June 2014. Its population is estimated at 2.5 million. Mosul is Iraq’s second largest city. Aid agencies are worried that more Iraqis will lose their homes. Close to 600,000 Mosul-area civilians may be displaced during the fight for the city. Those agencies told VOA the displacement will be a disaster many times the size of the current situation outside Fallujah. Iraqi Kurdish military commanders are saying that Mosul will be a more difficult fight than Fallujah. They say it will require a political-military agreement among all groups involved.  For example, Kurdish commanders are warning against permitting Shi’ite militias to take part in the offensive in the Sunni majority area. I’m Caty Weaver.   Jim Dresbach adapted this story from several VOA News reports. Caty Weaver was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or visit our Facebook page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   liberate – v. to free someone or something from being controlled by another person or group displacement – n. the act of forcing people or animals to leave the area where they live

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British EU Vote Raises Many Questions

British officials are dealing with international reaction to Britain’s decision to leave the European Union. British finance minister George Osborne spoke publicly on Monday for the first time since the British vote last week. Osborne tried to calm financial markets. He said the British economy remains strong and that Britain “remains open for business.” He added that Britain’s financial system was in a good position to support the country. “Britain’s financial system will help our country deal with any shocks and dampen them not contribute to those shocks or make them worse.” The vote to leave the EU has led to sharp drops in stock prices around the world. It also has fueled unrest on international currency exchanges. Britain’s money, the pound, has decreased in value on currency exchanges around the world. The pound has dropped to its lowest level in 30 years. Monday, a weaker pound and euro helped push China’s money, the yuan, to its lowest exchange value against the American dollar in more than five years. In Japan, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called for a cooperative effort among major economies to ease financial problems. “To the Bank of Japan,” he said, “I’d like to ask it to closely cooperate with central banks of the other G7 countries to take necessary steps for the economy and financial markets.” Japanese officials and business leaders met Monday to discuss economic issues related to the British vote. Finance minister Taro Aso appealed to other financial officials to watch currency markets closely. The Japanese yen has gained more than 15 percent in exchange value to the dollar since the beginning of the year. This sharp rise hurts Japanese exports, making them more costly and less competitive with other products. It also has led some observers to question whether Japan will break its promise to the Group of 7 industrialized countries. Japanese leaders have said they would not intervene in money markets to reduce the yen’s exchange value. In Europe, French Finance Minister Michel Sapin called on Britain to move quickly to carry out plans to leave the European Union. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said any British withdrawal from the EU should be a civil and organized one. British officials say 72 percent of voters marked a ballot in the nationwide referendum. About 52 percent of Britons voted to leave the EU. The government must put into place Article 50 of the EU treaty in order to start an official exit, a process that could take up to two years. Overturning the referendum is still technically possible. The vote last week was a non-binding measure. The British government may or may not take action. However, experts say a second vote is unlikely. Leaders of the campaign to leave the EU are now facing strong criticism. Opponents of leaving say, for example, that Conservative politician Boris Johnson did not have a plan to deal with the political and financial unrest that has followed the vote. Johnson wrote in The Daily Telegraph newspaper that supporters of remaining in the EU have made too much of the vote’s bad consequences. Prime Minister David Cameron announced plans to resign after the referendum. He said the country needed, in his words, “fresh leadership” to go in the direction of leaving Europe. Yet the referendum showed deep divisions in Britain. Scotland, Northern Ireland and London all supported remaining in the EU, while other parts of the country supported leaving. In Scotland, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said another popular vote on independence from Britain was now “highly likely.” I’m Mario Ritter. This story is based on reports from VOA reporters Luis Ramirez, Victor Beattie, and Steve Herman. Mario Ritter adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   consequences – n. results of an action or event dampen – v. to reduce intensity, to make something less strong contribute – v. to give, to provide something referendum – n. a direct vote usually on a single law or issue currency – adj. of or related to money exit – n. withdrawal; separation non-binding – adj. having no legal force

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Exercise Can Protect Against Two Major Diseases

  From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report. We all know that exercise keeps us healthy. But two new studies get more specific. They look at how exercise may lower the risk of two major causes of death – cancer and stroke. One study says exercise may lower the risk for 13 types of cancer. Another says that middle-aged people can reduce their chance of having a stroke by exercising. First let’s talk about cancer. Steven Moore of the National Cancer Institute led a team of researchers to study more than 1.4 million people. The study looked at participants in 12 U.S. and European groups. These people reported on their physical activity between 1987 and 2004. The researchers looked at the occurrence of 26 kinds of cancer among the participants during, on average, the next 11 years. Many participants reported walking, running and swimming. The researchers took into account how long they exercised per week, what they ate, if they were obese and if they smoked. In an interview with NBC News, Moore explains that exercise "can help people reduce their risk of heart disease. It can reduce the risk of diabetes.” It helps you live longer. And now, he adds, it appears that it may reduce the risks of some cancers." Moore and his team found that exercise lowered the risk of developing: cancer of the esophagus by 42 percent liver cancer by 27 percent lung cancer by 26 percent and breast cancer by 10 percent. Exercise also lowered the risk of a specific type of leukemia by 20 percent. Moore told NBC that there are some possible explanations for the findings. First, exercise can lower hormone levels like estrogen. Lower levels of estrogen would lower the risk of breast and endometrial cancers. He adds that exercise helps maintain insulin and that may lower overall inflammation in the body. However, one type of cancer puzzled the researchers. They found that exercise increased the chance of developing prostate cancer by five percent. But they wrote that they could not explain the connection. The researchers also found that people who did heavier exercises had a slightly higher rate of skin cancer. This, they say, could be from more sun exposure. Now, how exercise affects strokes. The more fit a person is in middle age, the less likely he or she will have a crippling stroke after age 65. This is the result of a new study by the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Doctors studied 20,000 men and women between the ages of 45 and 50. They found that those who were most fit from moderate to vigorous exercise had a 37 percent lower risk of a stroke than those who were least fit. They say the lowered risk of a future stroke was present even when the subjects had other risk factors. These factors include high blood pressure and type-2 diabetes. The researchers of this study say they want doctors to not ignore low levels of exercise and fitness as risk factors for a stroke. This study was published in the latest issue of the medical journal called Stroke. I’m Anna Matteo.   VOA News reported this story. Anna Matteo adapted it for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   esophagus – n. medical : the tube that leads from the mouth through the throat to the stomach liver – n. a large organ of the body that produces bile and cleans the blood lung – n. either one of the two organs that people and animals use to breathe air breast – n. the front part of a person's body between the neck and the stomach leukemia – n. medical : a very serious disease in which the body forms too many white blood cells participant – n. a person who is involved in an activity or event : a person who participates in an activity or event took into account – ​idiomatic phrase. to consider something endometrial – adj. the mucous membrane lining the uterus insulin – n. a substance that your body makes and uses to turn sugar into energy inflammation – n. a condition in which a part of your body becomes red, swollen, and painful puzzled – adj. feeling or showing confusion because something is difficult to understand fit – adj. physically healthy and strong cripple – v. to cause (a person or animal) to be unable to move or walk normally factors – n. something that helps produce or influence a result : one of the things that cause something to happen

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Kenya Hosts Refugee Olympic Athletes

When athletes from around the world march in the opening ceremony of the 2016 Olympic Games, one team will walk into the stadium without a country flag. The team will be carrying the Olympic flag, instead. They are the team of refugees. The International Olympic Committee announced in March that it would sponsor the first-ever Olympic refugee team. It named 10 athletes to the team in June. The athletes are from Syria, South Sudan, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. They will compete in the swimming, running and judo events at the Olympic Games, which start on August 5 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The IOC says it hopes the 10 athletes can be a “symbol of hope” for refugees worldwide, as well as a reminder of the refugee crisis. Five of the refugee Olympic athletes are runners from South Sudan. They are training in Kenya. Rose Nathike Lokonyen is one of the team members. She was just four years old when her family left South Sudan. Now, she is 23. She and her family lived at a refugee camp in Kenya for 16 years. She says she was determined to participate in sports from young age. She remembers her father punishing her for playing soccer. She says he was “just looking after me.” Lokonyen thinks about her family often. She had to leave her younger brothers at the refugee camp in order to train for the Olympics. Lokonyen trains with the four other runners from South Sudan at a training center named after Tegla Loroupe, a famous Kenyan runner. She competed in the marathon and 10,000-meter races at many Olympics and world championships. Lokonyen runs for about two hours each day to train for the Olympics. She will compete in the 800-meter race in Rio. Jackson Kemboi is the manager of the training camp in Kenya. He says he is hopeful about the athletes’ chances in Rio. He describes them as “disciplined, and that is what’s needed most.” A recent story from the New York Times called the runners from South Sudan “promising” but “untested in top competition.” I’m Dan Friedell.   Lenny Ruvaga wrote this story for VOANews.com. Dan Friedell adapted it for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor.   Will you follow the progress of the refugee Olympic team in Rio? We want to know. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   sponsor – n. a person or organization that pays the cost of an activity or event judo – n. a sport developed in Japan in which opponents attempt to throw or wrestle each other to the ground miss – v. to be without something promising – adj. likely to succeed or to be good : full of promise contend – v. to compete with someone or for something disciplined – adj. being able to do something by controlling your behavior stadium – n. a very large usually roofless building that has a large open area surrounded by many rows of seats and that is used for sports events, concerts, etc.

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Is Lionel Messi Leaving Argentina's Soccer Team?

  This is What’s Trending Today: The Chilean national soccer team won the Copa America tournament on Sunday night in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Chile defeated Argentina on penalty kicks after both teams played 120 minutes without scoring a goal. Chile made four penalty kicks. Argentina only made two. It was the second straight year Chile defeated Argentina on penalty kicks to win the Copa America tournament. Argentina’s star player, Lionel Messi, was one of the players who failed to make his penalty kick. As the Chilean players celebrated their victory, Messi held his head in his hands and cried. Many people say Messi is the best soccer player in the world. Perhaps, they say, he is the best ever. He is a five-time FIFA world player of the year with his club team, Barcelona. But his career is still missing one thing: a major tournament championship. The Argentine team lost to Germany in the finals of the 2014 World Cup. During the 2010 World Cup, the team lost to Germany in the quarterfinals. Messi did help Argentina win a team gold medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. But that is not considered a major championship in men’s soccer. After Sunday night’s game, Messi said he might quit playing for Argentina’s national team. He would, however, continue playing with Barcelona. He told an Argentine television network, “the national team is over for me. It's been four finals, it's not meant for me. I tried. It was the thing I wanted the most, but I couldn't get it, so I think it's over.” Some people say Messi was only reacting to the loss, and that he will be back with the national team in time to play in the 2018 World Cup. Messi has scored 55 goals playing with Argentina. That is the most ever by an Argentinean soccer player. He scored five goals and assisted on four others during the Copa America tournament. Chile’s coach, Juan Antonio Pizzi, is from Argentina. After the championship game, the coach called Messi “the best player in history.” And, for 10 hours after the game, Messi and the hashtag #NoTeVayasLio were top trending topics on Twitter. The hashtag, in Spanish, means “Do not go, Lio.” One person from Egypt wrote: “Come back Leo. You are the best player in the all history. Don’t give up if you can do more.” And that’s What’s Trending Today.   Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English with information from VOANews.com. Ashley Thompson was the editor. Do you think Messi will come back and play again for Argentina? We want to know. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   coach – n. the person in charge of organizing and teaching a sports team penalty kick – n. in soccer when one player kicks the ball toward the goal with only the goalie playing defense. Used to decide the winner of a game if it has ended with both teams having the same score club – n. a sports team or organization tournament – n. a sports competition or series of contests that involves many players or teams and that usually continues for at least several days medal – n. a piece of metal often in the form of a coin with designs and words in honor of a special event, a person, or an achievement quit – v. to leave (a job, school, career, etc.) quarterfinals – n. one of four matches, games, or contests to decide the four people or teams that will continue playing in a competition (such as a tennis tournament

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Mass Killings Bring New Demands for Gun Control in America

  When U.S. Congressional Democrats demanded votes on gun control measures last week, Republican leaders turned off the cameras. The action is strangely similar to what congressional Democrats did in 2008 to answer a Republican protest over energy legislation. But in 2016, Democratic Party lawmakers had a new way to get their protest message out. They used cameras on mobile telephones to provide live video of their speeches on social media. That technology was not available in 2008. So, Americans could watch as Congressman John Lewis, a leader of the civil rights movement in the 1960s, spoke about the cost of gun violence. Focus on Orlando Shooting Lewis said that guns kill 30,000 people across the country each year. “We have lost too many of our children, our babies,” he said. “We have lost too many of our mothers and fathers.” The Georgia congressman and other Democratic lawmakers took turns speaking for nearly 26 hours straight in the House of Representatives. Many held up pictures of people killed by guns. Much of their focus was on the 49 people killed earlier this month at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. It was the largest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Since the Orlando shootings, congressional Democrats have stepped up efforts to pass gun control legislation. At the top of their list are bills to expand background checks. Supporters say such bills, when enacted, would stop people with a criminal record, or who support terrorism, from buying guns. The Democrats also want to ban the military-style weapons used in the Orlando attack and other recent mass shootings. They include the one last December in San Bernardino, California, the mass killing at a Connecticut elementary school in 2012, and the attack at a Colorado movie theater. Focus on Terrorism The Republican Party holds majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Republican lawmakers generally support the position of the National Rifle Association (NRA). The NRA argues against bills that would limit what the group says is a constitutional right to own guns. “Terrorism is the issue and defeating terrorism is our focus here in the House,” said House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin. “Let me be really clear. We are not going to take away the constitutional rights of law-abiding Americans.” Ryan called the Democratic protest a “political ploy.” Marc Morial is president of the National Urban League. He has supported gun control laws since the 1990s, when he was mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana. He was the first mayor to take legal action against gun manufacturers for deaths and injuries on the streets of New Orleans. But the case failed. Morial told VOA he is not surprised gun control bills continue to face strong opposition. It reflects the power of the NRA, he said. “It is also due to a strong gun culture among many Americans, who enjoy hunting and want guns for self-protection,” Morial said. Republican Offers Compromise Just hours after the House of Representatives protest ended Thursday, the Senate took up a gun control bill written by Maine Senator Susan Collins, a Republican, with moderate Democrats and Republicans. By a 52-46 vote, the Senate agreed to let her bill move forward. But that was still eight votes short of what Collins needs for Senate passage. Her bill would block gun sales to individuals on U.S. government “no fly” lists because of their suspected links to terrorists. Also stopped from buying guns would be people required to go through additional airport screening because of security concerns. Her bill would permit court hearings for those denied the chance to buy guns. The National Rifle Association’s Chris Cox said the Collins’ bill does not do enough to protect gun rights. “Unfortunately, Senator Collins and others are focusing their efforts on unconstitutional proposals that would not have prevented the Orlando terrorist attack,” he said. He added that Congress should focus on fighting terrorism. Shannon Frattaroli is a professor at the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy. He said most of the 30,000 gun violence victims killed each year are not killed by terrorists, but by people they know. Attention for Democrats Is New Catholic University political science professor Matthew Green said all the attention paid to congressional Democrats last week was unusual. Usually, the leaders of the majority party and the news media ignore the minority party, Green said. But he said all the attention to the Democratic protest probably will not be enough to pass a single gun control bill this year. I’m Bruce Alpert.   Bruce Alpert reported on this story for VOA Learning English. Some of the story is based on reports from VOA’s Carol Pearson and Michael Bowman. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us about how to reduce violence in the Comments Section and on our Facebook Page. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   focus – n. the subject on which people's attention is placed background check – n. a formal look to see if someone has something in his or her past that would make them a risk law-abiding – adj. obeying laws ploy -- n. a clever trick or plan that is used to get someone to do something or to gain an advantage over someone screen – v. to check people for dangerous items such as guns

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‘Hobbit’ Ancestor Bones Found

  Small human-like creatures lived in Indonesia 50,000 years ago, and a recent study found evidence of their much older ancestors. Scientists working in Indonesia say they found several teeth and part of a jawbone that date back 700,000 years. The scientists are with the Research Center of Human Evolution at Griffith University in Queensland, Australia. Two reports describing the findings appears this month in the journal Nature. The researchers said the teeth and bones are from small creatures, or similar ones, that lived before what they call “hobbit” hominin. The name hobbit comes from the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien. It is used to describe members of an imaginary race. In Tolkien’s stories, hobbits are similar to human beings, only smaller.  Scientists have used the term hobbit to describe ancient human-like creatures, measuring only about a meter high. Not only were hobbits small in height, they also had small heads. But their feet and toes were big for their size. The hobbits are hominins — a group that includes modern humans and human species that no longer exist. The newly discovered fossils belong to an adult and two children. The older hobbit was about the same size as its much younger relative. The remains were found in 2014 on the Indonesian island of Flores. They were discovered about 70 kilometers from an opening in the ground where scientists found the first hobbit fossils over 10 years ago. Scientists named these creatures “homo floresiensis.” That first fossil discovery created much talk about what these small creatures are, and how they got to Flores. The new fossils are from a bigger species that arrived on the island about a million years ago. The Australian researchers say the creature began to shrink over time in a process called “island dwarfism.” According to Nature, supporters of this idea think that the creature became dwarfed — or smaller -- in just a few hundred thousand years because of a lack of food or other resources on Flores. Island dwarfism is something well known among animals. Some animals are up to six times smaller than their ancestors because of a lack of resources. There was just less to go around on an island. For example, at one time, Flores was home to a very small elephant-like animal. The new finding put an end to the idea that hobbits were just sick or underfed homo sapiens -- the scientific name for humans. “The hobbit was real,” archeologist Adam Brumm told AFP. “It was an ancient human species that is separate to ours and that no longer exists on the planet today.” Brumm was lead writer of one of the studies published in Nature. He works at Griffith University’s Research Center of Human Evolution. But there is still debate as to what the hobbits really are, and from where they came. Scientists hope that the new fossils can help researchers decide what the older species was, and how the hobbits came to be their small size. One possibility is that hobbits are a dwarfed version of homo erectus—the first human-like creature to leave Africa. Other scientists have also studied hobbits. They say qualities like the creature’s long, flat feet could mean that it came from a smaller, more primitive human relative. Such possibilities include Homo habilis or Australopithecus, known only from remains in Africa. Researcher Gerrit van den Bergh is with the University of Wollongong in Australia. He spent four years looking for the hobbit’s ancestors. In 2014, he was about to give up at the end of the year. “We had given up hope we would find anything, then it was ‘bingo!’,”  van den Bergh told Nature. He said they had a huge party with dancing and food to celebrate the discovery. I’m Anne Ball.   This story appeared on VOANews.com. Anne Ball adapted the story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, and find us on our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   fossil – n. something (such as a leaf, skeleton, or footprint) that is from a plant or animal which lived in ancient times and that you can see in some rocks dwarfism – n. the condition that causes a person, or creature, to stop growing before reaching normal adult size primitive – adj. of, belonging to, or seeming to come from an early time in the very ancient past bingo – expression.  A word used to announce a successful result that is quick or unexpected  

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How Can US Successfully Fight Terrorism?

  This is the third article in a three-part VOA series on Islamist extremism in the United States.   In 2003, not long after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the New York City police department began spying on Muslims. Officers in regular clothes visited Muslim businesses, student associations, charities and religious centers, called mosques. They believed a terrorist would be able to hide easily in those areas. Then, the officers created a database about neighborhoods where people of 28 so-called “ancestries of interest” lived. The database included pictures, maps and information about the personal habits of Muslims in New York City. When the public learned about the unit eight years later, many people objected. Some activists said the unit violated Muslims’ civil rights. Objectors even filed two lawsuits against the unit, saying the police had discriminated against them. In addition, the unit seemed not to work. Officers never used any of the information they gathered to identify someone who was likely to make an attack.   In 2014, shortly after he was elected mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio ordered the unit to be closed. But not everyone believes surveillance of Muslims in the U.S. should stop. After Islamic State (IS) terrorist group attacks in Paris last November, and the release of a video suggesting New York would be attacked next, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump suggested the city should restart the program. This month, after a gunman who said he supported IS killed 49 people at a nightclub in Orlando, Florida, Trump again talked about surveilling mosques and Muslim communities. Communities, not spying But none of the experts VOA interviewed for this report believed police should watch Muslims without a reason. They said law enforcement officials should become involved only when they suspect a crime is going to be committed.   These experts believe Muslim communities can police themselves. In other words, they say strong communities and families can help stop other Muslims from making mistakes. And, they say professional police surveillance, such as the unit in New York City, actually makes Muslim communities and families weaker because it creates fear and mistrust.   Faiza Patel works at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University Law School. She told VOA that mosques have always welcomed strangers. Now, Patel said, guests and newcomers are often treated with suspicion. And many Muslims are nervous about being followed. She said people have stopped using mosques as the center of the community. Instead, she said, “They will go in and they will fulfill their religious obligation, but then won’t hang around. They go home.” Patel said that, as a result, the Muslim community is losing its ability to stop other Muslims from committing crimes or terrorist attacks. Families Seth Jones is a terrorism expert at the RAND Corporation, a research group. He adds that families are a critical part of stopping people from extremist thinking and violence.  For example, the wife of Omar Mateen – the killer in Orlando this month – knew what he was planning to do. She was reportedly with him as he looked for possible targets, including Disney World and a shopping mall. Mateen’s father also said he was worried about what his son might do. But when the FBI investigated Mateen over the last three years, they found no clues he would walk into a nightclub and kill 49 people. The FBI says Mateen’s case is typical. About half the time, a family member knows a relative is becoming radicalized but does not know what to do about it.   Anne Speckhard is a research psychologist. She is the director of the International Center for the Study of Violent Extremism. She said people specially trained in fighting extremism and radicalization can help families and communities. For example, parents might not want to call the police and report their child. But they might call a special number and ask for help.  “Why would you call the FBI if they knew you were going to set up a sting operation?” Speckhard asked. “But you might call a hotline if you know they were going to send over a psychologist or an imam to talk to your kid and say, 'You know what? You really got Islam wrong here.’” I’m Jonathan Evans.   VOA'sJeff Swicord reported this story from Washington. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted it for Learning English. Kelly Jean Kelly was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page. ______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story ancestry – n. a person’s ancestors; the people who were in your family in past times commit – v. to do (something that is illegal or harmful) fulfill – v. to do what is required by (something, such as a promise or a contract) obligation – n. something that you must do because of a law, rule, promise, etc. hang around – phrasal verb, informal to be or stay in a place for a period of time without doing much typical – adj. normal for a person, thing, or group; average or usual sting operation – n. a complicated and clever plan that is meant to deceive someone especially in order to catch criminals hotline – n. a telephone service for the public to use to get help -- sometimes, but not always, in emergencies psychologist – n. a scientist who specializes in the study and treatment of the mind and behavior; a specialist in psychology imam – n. a Muslim religious leader

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