Is obsolete and wants to leave it but continues to slam member countries for not meeting NATO has 2 percent g.d.p. Defense spending target American officials have reassured European leaders of Washington's continued commitment shown by military reinforcement and eastern flank but anxiety persists that under the us is neglecting the alliance among European schools this week simply avoiding a trump Blair up like those that have happened in past meetings have seen healing use in London the House impeachment report on President Trump will be unveiled today behind closed doors as Democrats push ahead with the inquiry the 1st Judiciary Committee meeting on impeachment is Wednesday and he's my campaign says the White House will not participate White House counsel Pat simple only has denounced what he calls the baseless and highly partisan inquiry in a letter to Judiciary Committee chairman. He also declined the invitation for the president's counsel to appear before his panel Wednesday as A.P.'s Mike Hampton the annual climate change conference opened today in Madrid un secretary general and Tony a good terrace open the meeting by calling on the world to confront the issue of climate change or deal with its impacts the major reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change on land on the oceans on cryosphere and on the 1.5 degrees Celsius crime of. Each confirmed that 3 are knowingly destroying the various support systems keeping us alive there's some again has to be put the finishing touches to the rules governing the 2015 Paris climate accord the families of the 2 victims in the London Bridge stabbings on Friday have released statements to pay tribute as well as to request privacy Reuters Jason Obando reports the families of the 2 people killed in London on Friday have released heartfelt tributes Jones and Jack Merritt were fatally stabbed in an attack on London. Ridge they were involved in a prisoner rehabilitation conference which their attacker had also been attending the family of Jones said the 23 year old had a wonderful thirst for knowledge and a great passion for providing invaluable support to victims of criminal injustice Merritt's family described him as thoughtful and empathetic while working towards helping people in the criminal justice system the attacker identified as it was mon Khan had been convicted of terrorism in 2012 but was let out early that's Reuters Jason from Washington I'm Jim bird tell feel we knew. Pick and choose. When you. Have to. Use. To. Should. Length. The a little. Rabbit. If you. Just follow. A little. So there are. Little. Bits a. Little . Bit. I. Think it's a. Ticket I think it's a good thank you for. Bringing. So. That was so. I was not. Been angry. a plan. To learning English a daily 30 minute program from the Voice of America. And I'm Ashley Thomson this program is aimed at English learners so we speak oh. Little slower and we use words and phrases especially written for people learning English. Today on the program you will hear from Alice Bryant John Russell and Katie Weaver later we will present our American history series The Making of a nation but 1st. The International Business Machines Corp known as i.b.m. Says it is making technology for perception weather predictions available to everyone the company said the new weather forecasts offer a more details and bring a level of precision once available only in major industrial countries the forecasting tool is expected to help emergency officials better predict where severe storms will hit it may also aid airline companies planning flight paths as well as farmers caring for crops the new system creates weather forecasts more often and with finer details than what is available outside the United States Europe and Japan most forecasts have a resolution of 10 to 15 square kilometers and provide new information every 6 to 12 hours i.b.m. Global high resolution atmospheric forecasting system goes down to 3 square kilometers and provides information every hour. That's providing a level of detail that we've not been able to see in parts of the world such as Southeast Asia Africa as well as South America notes Kevin Petit he serves as director of science and forecasting at the Weather Company which i.b.m. It's that kind of precision and can provide details of where and when extremely heavy rain will fall that could be useful in emergency situations and could help farmers decide when to plant harvest and fertilize crops Fred Carr is America's meteorology professor at the University of Oklahoma and was not involved with the project Carr says the United States has a similar high resolution forecasting system but it's just for the u.s. Because it takes so much computer time to do it for the whole globe is a pretty significant achievement car added that it is possible to quickly collect observations from radar airplanes and to surface measurements in the United States but he said it is not clear how i.b.m. Gets information from the other 98 percent of the world Carr said he believes there will be problems in getting information so sometimes those forecasts aren't going to be very accurate users will be able to decide for themselves the system now operates on the weather dot com website and the Weather Channel's application program for smartphones. In the future i.b.m. Hopes to improve its forecasts by collecting information from atmospheric pressure sensors used in such phones these sensors improve the precision of global positioning system or g.p.s. Technology for example they can help fitness tracking instruments measure how many steps a user has climbed i.b.m. Said it is not currently using this information but plans to offer users the chance to choose it some privacy activists and governments have criticized technology companies for collecting this kind of information the city of Los Angeles California has brought a case against i.b.m. For improperly using location information from Weather Channel app users. As a large explosion is heard in the distance a St Francis setter butterfly flies around ready to lay as many as 100 eggs. At one point this brown Butterfly could be found in only one place a military base in the American state of North Carolina and estimated 3000 St Francis satyrs exist the very small insects are one of the rarest butterflies species in the world the almost 50 year old Endangered Species Act protects the St Francis Sattar along with about $1600.00 other American species however recent changes to the law have led some to worry that threatened species in the United States may be at increasing risk to some experts the existence of these butterflies means the Endangered Species Act has done its job more than 99.2 percent of the species protected by it survive the Associated Press has found in contrast only 39 u.s. Species or about 2 percent of the overall number have made it off the endangered list these include well known successes such as the bald eagle peregrine falcon and the American alligator cheek Lee is the director for biodiversity at the nonprofit Environmental Policy Innovation Center in Washington d.c. He says the condition of many species on the endangered list is worsening only 8 percent of species are improving says an organization report. Lisa said many species will remain on the list and I don't think that's a failure of the Endangered Species Act itself he added law makers designed the law to prevent species from disappearing President Richard Nixon signed the Endangered Species Act and to law on December 28th 1973 the measure led to many political conflicts in the 1970 s. And 1980 s. One famous example is the fight over plans to build the teleco dam in Tennessee now the law is in dispute once again in September the trumpet ministration changed the endangered species process opponents argue that the changes weaken the law among them a change in the rules for species that are a threat and a classification just below endangered instead of saying that threat and species get the same protection as endangered species the new rules include possible exceptions Nick dad a Michigan State University biology professor is the world's leading expert on the St Francis Sattar butterfly he got permission to go to the animals home on the military base the butterfly appears only twice a year for 2 weeks each time when it does her dad goes to Fort Bragg and joins a team of Army biologists aiming to improve the butterflies living environment. A dad and his students also walk through the swamp and count the insects it couldn't be better than this dad says smiling as a butterfly takes flight when I see every year just a slight change in the right direction of the butterflies conservation let me tell you that inspires me. I'm John Russell and I'm Alice Bryant. And. For the 1st time ever scientists have recorded the heart rate of the world's largest creature the blue whale to get this rating they attached an electrocardiogram device to the body of a whale they found that the mammals heart rate can slow to just 2 beats a minute as the animal searches for food below the surface of the ocean the highest heart rate they recorded was 37 beats a minute after the whale returned to the surface for air the team's study appears in the publication proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The Blue Whale is the largest animal that has ever lived it can grow to 30 metres long and way as much as 181000 kilograms the animal's heart alone weighs more than a fully grown cow Stanford University ocean biologist Jeremy gold Bogan lead the blue whale heart rate study he said such research helps scientists understand how massive animals operate generally larger animals have slower heart rates a normal human heart of a person at rest beats $60.00 to $100.00 times each minute it increases to about $200.00 beats a minute during exercise the smallest mammals shrews have heart rates of more than a 1000 beats per minute the researchers recorded 90 hours of information on a 22 meter long male from the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California the data did not come easily 1st we have to find a blue whale which can be very difficult Goldberg and sad because these animals live across massive areas of open ocean but with years of research experience and some luck he explained the team was able to position a small boat along the way else left side then the researchers connected a special recording device to a very long pole. As the whale surfaced to breathe they quickly deployed the device as near to the animal's heart as possible just behind its left flipper the small device had 4 suction cups on it permitting it to remain on the whale for several hours blue whales belong to the Beilein whale family these whales are toothless instead of teeth they have Bailey in a softer material made from the same substance as fingernails to feed the whales flood their mouths with huge amounts of water and then release it through the Beilein it serves as a filter trapping krill and other very small sea animals that make up the Beilein whale diet during feeding dives the blue whale under observation showed extremely low heart rates usually of $4.00 to $8.00 beats a minute and as low as 2 beats a minute after surfacing to breathe after food dives the whale had heart rates of $25.00 to $37.00 beats per minute blue whales have fascinated biologists and people in general for years they are not only the largest and biggest brained animals they are also the loudest they can communicate with other whales hundreds of miles away I'm Katie Weaver. Welcome to the making of a nation American history in Vo way special English. 2 summers had gone by since the start of the American Civil War and the North had not yet won a major battle in Virginia. The Army of the Potomac the strongest of the Union armies had tried to seize Richmond the Confederate capital General George McClellan moved the Army up to the very gates of the city but then General Robert e. Lee led his southern forces in a fierce attack it smashed McClellan's army and drove them away from Richmond Morris Joyce and to Jack morals continue the story of the Civil War. President Abraham Lincoln and his new chief General Henry Halleck put together a new northern force they called it they army Virginia they gave command of it to General John Polk a successful fighter in the West pope began to move south toward Richmond Alec ordered McClellan to bring his army up to join pope together they could smash through the Confederate defenses around Richmond lead decided to hit the pope before McClellan could join him. He left a few 1000 troops to guard Richmond then took the rest north. Lee moved up to the Rappahannock River across from pope's army. Sent Stonewall Jackson with 24000 men on a quick March around the western end of the pope's lines Jackson and his Man March more than 80 kilometers in 2 days they got behind hope and seized a huge northern supply center at Manassas. Moved to smash them they burned the captured supplies then they moved a few kilometers away to a long low hill just northwest of the Bull Run battle ground where southern forces defeated a northern army a year before Jackson hid his troops in woods along the hail and waited for General Lee to arrive with the rest of the Southern army but before a lead could get their union troops thousands of them marched down the road below Jackson Jackson decided to attack to hold them there until arrived with Help the fighting was furious neither side broke the fighting died down at the end of the day and Jackson's men moved back to their positions on higher ground they made their lines along a partly built railroad on the side of the hill. From his headquarters on the Hill Jackson watched the northern forces prepare for battle many thousands of 8 enemy were marching into position. Brought up his soldiers and others were on the way from bases near Washington. Several 1000 of McClellan's troops commanded by General Porter were arriving from the south. The. It was a mighty force much larger than Jackson's army Jackson was worried he sent an officer back to find General Lee He sent a message. Must hurry Jackson faced big army pope's army it was large but it was poorly organized the men had been rushed into position the order to attack was given before all the troops were ready so the attack began slowly and Jackson was able to fight it off but then more and more northern soldiers joined to fight the 2 sides trouble for hours in the hot summer sun. Jackson's men most broke. Men prayed for the long day to end the sun seemed to stand still. Finally the sun went down and the battlefield became dark. Jackson's men had held but they paid a terrible price thousands were killed or wounded northern losses were even greater most of the Union troops had fought bravely they had hit the Confederate lines time after time but $1.00 large group of soldiers did not get into the battle at all that day this was the group from McClellan's army of the Potomac led by Fitz John Porter. Had ordered Porter to strike the right end of Jackson's lines porter took his troops several kilometers past Jackson's right and stopped them his soldiers remained there all day out of the battle porters said later he believed the Confederate forces were too strong for his men other groups of McClellan's men were out arriving in Alexandria 30 kilometers to the East Pope asked that they be sent to help him McClellan was ordered to send them immediately but he refused to do so he said they were not in condition to fight and he would not send them General Polk still thought he was facing only Jackson's army. He refused to believe reports that Lee had arrived on the battlefield where 30000 more Southern soldiers. Thought Levy was far to the west of Manassas. Knew that Jackson's army had taken a terrible beating in the 2 days of bloody fighting and he was sure that Jackson would try to withdraw the next day to retreat to the west the pope divided his forces that night he left thousands in place in front of Jackson's lines the others were moved back they were ordered to get ready for a March west to block Jackson's retreat pope made a terrible mistake Jackson was not planning to retreat he was waiting with leave to smash the Northern army. Is what happens next. Northern troops attacked Jackson's lines the fighting was better pope's forces most smashed through but then leave the ordered his men to move forward to help Jackson Confederate artillery broke up the northern attack when the Northern troops began to retreat Lee and Jackson attacked with all their might many of pope's men were not prepared for battle they were standing together in groups ready for marching they could not stop the southern attack. The Confederates pushed the pope's army back across the old bull run battlefield near the end of the day northern forces succeeded been organizing a stronger defensive line the southern attack slowed down then stopped lead sent Jackson around the north end of hopes line to try to stop the northern retreat Lay did not want the defeated Union Army to escape he wanted to destroy it but heavy rain held up Jackson's troops they were discovered and attacked by a strong northern force Jackson could move no farther he could not stop Hope's retreat to Centerville and Washington the Northern army as. But it left behind thousands and thousands of dead and wounded Confederate doctors treated their own men then tried to help the wounded soldiers of the other side generally permitted northern medical wagons to return to the battlefield and they began to carry the wounded back to Centerville groups of McClellan's army arriving from Alexandria met pope's men in Centerville they laughed and shouted at the tired beaten soldiers many said they were glad that Pope had lost one of McClellan's generals Samuel Sturgis greeted Pope but Centerville I always told you Pope that if they gave you enough rope you would hang yourself what happened at Bull Run created bitter anger among the people of the North anger against their military leaders. People felt that a year had been wasted that thousands had died for no real purpose the year before southern troops sent a northern army fleeing from Bull Run now it was happening again the Army of the Potomac was back where it started as the facts of the battle became known Clive's of anger became even louder the people demanded answers why did McClellan and his men moved so slowly why did they refuse to go to pope's aide why did Pope Jackson get behind him why were 14000 soldiers lost most members of Lincoln's cabinet believed McClellan was responsible treasury secretary Chase said McClellan should be shot war Secretary Stanton said he should be dismissed immediately. He and 3 other cabinet members signed a note demanding that Lincoln remove McClellan as commander of the Army of the Potomac Lincoln agreed that what McClellan had done was shocking he said it was clear that McClellan wanted to fail but Lincoln said he would not remove McClellan He said he knew that McClellan was not an aggressive general but he said McClellan was a good organizer who could build the defeated army into a strong force. General Robert e. Lee however would not wait while McClellan rebuilt the army he decided to carry the war to the north. And that's our program for today listen again tomorrow to learn English 3 stories from around the world Jonathan Evans and I'm Ashley Thompson. This is v.o.a. News I'm Jim burrito x e O's is reporting a trade deal between the u.s. And China has stalled because of newly signed u.s. Legislation supporting pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong Reuters Eve Johnson has more a u.s. China trade deal has stalled thanks to legislation that throws u.s. Support behind political protests in Hong Kong that's according to news website x. Yost's they cite a source close to u.s. President Donald Trump's negotiating team and said more time was also needed to allow Chinese President Xi Jinping has domestic politics to call him the new u.s. Legislation requires a yearly review of Hong Kong special trade status based on the extent of its autonomy from Beijing it also threatened sanctions for human rights violations Trump signed into law last week despite angry objections from Beijing that's writers Eve Johnson u.s. President Donald Trump is leaving for London at this hour for a NATO summit writers Francesco in our reports at the London summits marking NATO 70th anniversary leaders will try to put on a show of unity as they face questions about the future of the u.s. Led Air Lines Trump is due to hold separate talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Necron. He recently vented that NATO It was experiencing brain death prompting Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan to tell McCrone to check that his own brain was not failing McCrone complained of a lack of strategic coordination between European allies on the one hand and the United States and Turkey on the other u.s. Officials regard the NATO summit as a Celebrate saree moment for Trump as his pressure on member nations has led many to increase their military spending that's Reuters Francesco in our Wall Street open largely flat on Monday as President Donald Trump said he would restore tariffs on Brazil and Argentina from Washington this is via way news. While Mr Trump is in Europe Democratic lawmakers in Congress will take a big step this week in the impeachment inquiry of the president he's my campaign report members of the House Intelligence Committee are getting a chance to review the report before it sent to the Judiciary Committee for Wednesday's landmark hearing White House counsel Pat simple Loney who calls the inquiry baseless and highly partisan has declined an invitation for the president's counsel to appear at the hearing when state's hearing is expected to convene legal experts whose testimony along with the report from the intelligence committee could lay the groundwork for possible articles of impeachment which the Judiciary Committee is expected to draw up soon my camp in Washington the annual climate change meeting opened today in Madrid Democratic members of Congress attending the conference say the u.s. Remains committed to the Paris climate accord despite.