Politics

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Same-sex couples now can marry at the Washington National Cathedral, but the first such wedding may not occur for six months or more because of scheduling issues. (The Washington Times)

**FILE** Vice President Joseph R. Biden, joined at the White House by Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. (left), holds a meeting Jan. 9, 2013, with gun-safety advocates and victims' families. (Associated Press)

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Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai (center) and his Foreign Minister Zalmay Rasul (left) meet Wednesday with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, ahead of Mr. Karzai’s talks with President Obama on Friday. (Associated Press)

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**FILE** Afghan security forces investigate the scene after two suicide attacks in Spin Boldak, Kandahar province, south of Kabul, Afghanistan, on Jan. 6, 2013. Two suicide bombers penetrated a government compound in the country's south, killing several, Afghan officials said. There were no reports of foreign troops or civilians at the site. (Associated Press)

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More than 2,000 detainees were released Wednesday by the Syrian government as rebels freed 48 Iranians held since August in the first major prisoner swap of the country’s civil war. The uprising against Mr. Assad began in March 2011. (Associated Press via IHH)

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White House press secretary Jay Carney gestures as he speaks during his daily news briefing at the White House in Washington on Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2013. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

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**FILE** Homeland Security Adviser John Brennan (right) and White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley accompany President Obama at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., on May 5, 2011, en route to New York City to visit ground zero and meet with first responders and family members of victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. (Associated Press)

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British businessman Christopher Tappin arrives at federal court in El Paso, Texas, on Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2013. U.S. District Judge David Briones sentenced Tappin to 33 months in prison and said he would recommend that the Department of Justice approve any request by Tappin to be transferred to the United Kingdom. Tappin pleaded guilty in November to trying to buy missile parts and resell them to Iran. (AP Photo/Juan Carlos Llorca)