Business_Finance

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** FILE ** The U.S. Navy planned to send minesweepers and warships into the Persian Gulf in September 2012 for exercises intended to make Iran think twice about any attempts to block oil tanker traffic through the narrow waterway that links the region’s oil fields with world markets. (Associated Press)

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Lines reach outside the doors Aug. 1, 2012, at a Chick-fil-A restaurant in Falls Church, Va., on "Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day," an informal nationwide event organized by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to show support for the corporation, which has faced backlash since company CEO Don Cathy spoke out against gay marriage. (Ryan M.L. Young/The Washington Times)

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** FILE ** Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's testimony before Congress is shown on a television screen on the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Tuesday, July 17, 2012. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

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** FILE ** Iranian oil technician Majid Afshari makes his way to the oil separator facilities in Iran's Azadegan oil field southwest of Tehran on April 15, 2008. (Associated Press)

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“We are trying to find the best possible mix. We all agree that about [$14.1 billion] must be found in spending [cuts]. We all agree that we need another two years, and of course we all agree that our path is uphill and difficult.” — Yannis Stournaras,¿Greece finance minister

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Jodi Polanski, founder and executive director of Lost Our Home Pet Foundation, stands outside her business in Phoenix. Lost Our Home helps people facing foreclosure place their pets with other families or in foster environments until their owners can get them back. (Associated Press)

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** FILE ** A man walks by signs advertising Samsung Electronics Co.'s smartphone in Seoul on Jan. 28, 2011. (Associated Press)

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The Club for Growth Action has spent about $5.5 million to try to push tea party insurgent Ted Cruz to victory. The Texas Conservatives Fund, which backs Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, has doled out $5.2 million to attack the tea party favorite. (Associated Press)