NEWS OF THE DAY News 4. US Administration Warns of Election Terror Plot.

[NUKE209]

[NEW WORDS]

  ♧ precisely : ad. 정확하게, 엄밀하게

  ♧ in the works : a. ad. 계획 중인, 진행 중인

  ♧ in turn : a. ad. 차례로, 번갈아

  ♧ out loud : ad. 큰 소리로, 큰 소리를 내서

  ♧ in the first place : ad. 애당초, 처음부터

  ♧ reassure : vt. 안심시키다, 재 보증하다

  ♧ Homeland Security Secretary : 본토 안보장관

  ♧ specific : n. 구체적 사항, 세부사항

  ♧ blunt : a. 퉁명스러운, 무뚝뚝한, 딱딱한

  ♧ credible : a. 신뢰할 만한, 확실한

  ♧ disrupt : v. 붕괴시키다, 분열시키다

  ♧ radical : a. 과격한, 급진적인

  ♧ informant : n. 정보 제공자, 통지자, 보도자

  ♧ intercept : v. 도중에서 가로채다, 도청하다

  ♧ point to : v. 가리키다, 지적하다

  ♧ national election(s) : n. 총선

  ♧ tactics : n. 책략, 전술(strategy)

  ♧ step up : 강화하다

  ♧ political convention : n. 정치집회, 정치행사

  ♧ scrap : v. (계획 등을) 폐기하다, 파기하다

  ♧ suspicious : a. 의심하는, 의심스러운

  ♧ ridiculous : a. 우스운, 말도 안 되는

  The Bush Administration issued a new terror warning today. No information on what to expect, precisely - where, when or how, just that something big appears to be in the works, although there has been no change in the color-coded threat level. That, in turn, led some critics to wonder out loud why the warning was being issued in the first place. Is the government simply trying to reassure the public that it's on the case or does the information actually serve a greater purpose?

  Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge offered few specifics, but delivered a blunt warning.

  "Credible reporting now indicates that al Qaeda is moving forward with its plans to carry out a large-scale attack in the United States, in an effort to disrupt our democratic process."

  Sources tell ABC News, since March, there has been a steady stream of intelligence from radical Islamic Web sites, informants, and intercepted conversations of suspected al Qaeda members.

  The intelligence points to an attack sometime this summer or fall, and suggests terror cells are already in place. The FBI fears the recent Madrid bombings, just three days before Spain's national elections, may indicate al Qaeda has changed tactics, and will now target major events. As a result, the government is stepping up security at the political conventions and discussing ways to protect thousands of polling stations on election day.

  But officials in Boston and New York say they have long known they are potential targets and have been planning for months. Because of Ridge's refusal to raise the threat level from "Yellow" to "Orange", or "High", some critics say the entire color-coded threat system should be scrapped. Democrats won't say it publicly, but some are suspicious that today's announcement might be politically motivated. Ridge said any such suggestion is ridiculous.

  Administration officials say the intelligence is based on information from multiple credible sources. In fact, Ted, one official said today Osama bin Laden himself may be involved in the planning.