Politics

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D.C. Council member Yvette M. Alexander calls the $12.7 million contract to overhaul chronically troubled United Medical Center “quite pricey for what they are tasked to do.” (The Washington Times)

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**FILE** Natwar M. Gandhi, chief financial officer of the District of Columbia, responds to questions during an interview in Washington on April 9, 2012. (The Washington Times)

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Terry McAuliffe speaks during the Falls Church City Democratic Committee fundraising dinner at the Falls Church Community Center in Falls Church, Va., on Sunday, April 3, 2011. (The Washington Times)

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Virginia Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling is interviewed by The Washington Times at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday, Aug. 29, 2012. (Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times)

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After days of intense fighting around Cairo’s Tahrir Square, anti-government protesters engulfed two hotels and forced the U.S. Embassy to suspend services Tuesday. (Associated Press)

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Egyptian protesters celebrate the capture of a state security armored vehicle that they commandeered during clashes with security forces in Cairo on Tuesday. Egypt’s army chief warned of “the collapse of the state” if the political crisis roiling the nation continues. (Associated Press)

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“We’re going to have votes on all kinds of issues dealing with guns,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid told reporters in careful remarks. (Associated Press)

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Sen. John F. Kerry, Massachusetts Democrat, emerges on Capitol Hill in Washington on Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013, after a unanimous vote by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approving him to become America's next top diplomat. Mr. Kerry, who has served on the Foreign Relations panel for 28 years and led the committee for the past four, would replace Hillary Rodham Clinton. (Associated Press)