1. It's news that has rocked the streets of Chile--the death of Augusto Pinochet. The 91-year-old former Chilean leader is infamously known for overthrowing Chile's democratically ruled government. The news was greeted with cheers and celebration in parts of the South American country.

2. Senator Barack Obama has started reaching out to Democrats about a possible bid for the White House. The Illinois senator was met with a very warm welcome as he toured New Hampshire today.

3. Outgoing Defense Secretary Rumsfeld paid a surprise visit to Iraq over the weekend and said American forces should not quit the war until the enemy is defeated. The defense chief spent time personally thanking servicemen and women in the war-torn region.

4. The orbiting Discovery crew on the way Sunday to rewire the International Space Station first had to make sure the shuttle's heat shield(heatshield) wasn't damaged during lift-off. The 7 astronauts inspected the craft this afternoon

WORDS IN THE NEWS


1. infamous : ADJ =notorious
Infamous people or things are well-known because of something bad.

2. rewire : VERB
If someone rewires a building or an electrical appliance, a new system of electrical wiring is put into it.

3. heatshield : N-COUNT
A barrier that prevents the heating of a space or an object by absorbing, reflecting, or dissipating external heat, especially a protective structure on a spacecraft or missile that dissipates heat on atmospheric reentry by melting and vaporizing.