Politics

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Firemen lay on the ground near the residence of Palestinian ambassador to the Czech Republic, Jamel al-Jamal, in Prague on Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2014. The ambassador died in an explosion that occurred when he opened an office safe that officials say had been left untouched for more than 20 years. A Palestinian official says foul play is not suspected in today's death of the Palestinian ambassador to the Czech Republic. (AP Photo / CTK, Katerina Sulova) SLOVAKIA OUT

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The Republican Libertarian Caucus has organized a meet and greet later this month with Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

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National Edition Opinion cover for January 6, 2014 - Privatize the TSA (Illustration by Alexander Hunter for The Washington Times)

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National Edition News cover for January 6, 2014 - U.S. troops confined as al Qaeda takes Iraq land: Iraqi federal policemen stand guard at a checkpoint in Basra, Iraq's second-largest city, 340 miles (550 kilometers) southeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2014. The Iraqi government has tightened its security measures after security forces have arrested, Wathiq al-Batat, a controversial Shiite cleric who leads an Iranian-backed militia called Mukhtar Army. (AP Photo/Nabil al-Jurani)

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Old Ways: Iraqis have posted checkpoints along roads rather than adopting counterinsurgency practices as taught by U.S. forces, says an architect of the U.S. troop surge that reduced violence in Iraq by 90 percent and led to the military exodus ordered by President Obama in 2011. Trained Iraqi defense forces have since been unable to contain al Qaeda. (Associated Press photographs)