Politics

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House Speaker John Boehner, Ohio Republican, arrives on Capitol Hill in Washington on Dec. 31, 2012, as leaders in the Senate and the House face pressure to find a legislative path to head off the automatic tax hikes and spending cuts set to take effect Jan. 1. (Associated Press)

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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (third from left), Nevada Democrat, arrives on Capitol Hill in Washington on Monday, Dec. 31, 2012, as fiscal cliff negotiations continued. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

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Indian schoolchildren hold candles and placards during a prayer ceremony in Ahmadabad, India, on Monday, Dec. 31, 2012, after the gang-rape and killing of a 23-year-old New Delhi physiotherapy student set off an impassioned debate about what India needs to do to prevent such a tragedy from happening again. (Associated Press)

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**FILE** Syrian rebels attend a training session in Maaret Ikhwan, near Idlib, Syria, on Dec. 17, 2012. The training is part of an attempt to transform the rag-tag rebel groups into a disciplined fighting force. (Associated Press)

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Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, head of the Afghan security transition commission, speaks during a press conference in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Monday, Dec. 31, 2012. The next phase of transferring security from NATO to Afghan control will begin in two months and will aim to cover nearly 90 percent of the country's population, the Kabul government announced. (AP Photo/Ahmad Nazar)

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"There's still significant distance between the two sides. We intend to continue negotiations," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. (Associated Press)

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Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) points to the stands after the Washington Redskins defeated the Dallas Cowboys 28-18 to become the NFC East champions at FedEx Field, Landover, Md., Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012. (Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times)

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Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) points to the stands after the Washington Redskins defeat the Dallas Cowboys 28-18 to become the NFC East Champions at FedEx Field, Landover, Md., Sunday, December 30, 2012. (Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times)

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Cheryl Lauer of Alexandria, Va. sits with her 2 1/2-year-old daughter Lauren and 10-month-old son Drew on the floor of BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport Friday, Dec. 28, 2012 as they await the arrival of their dad/husband on a military charter flight. Flights came in all weekend long, bringing several hundred troops and military contractors back to the United States in time for the new year. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)

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Speaker of the House John Boehner, Ohio Republican, walks to a closed-door GOP caucus as Congress meets to negotiate a legislative path to avoid the so-called "fiscal cliff" of automatic tax increases and deep spending cuts that could kick in Jan. 1., at the Capitol, Sunday, Dec. 30, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

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** FILE ** In this photo made Sunday, May 6, 2012, Sen. Olympia Snowe, Maine Republican, acknowledges applause following her speech at the Maine Republican Convention at the Augusta Civic Center in Augusta, Maine. The Republican’s decision to step down after 34 years in Congress and independent Angus King’s successful campaign to succeed her were named Maine’s top story in 2012 by The Associated Press. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)