Politics

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During a press conference to discuss the fiscal cliff negotiations and other unfinished legislation, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., reminds his Senate colleagues to help him to get federal disaster assistance to help the people of New York recover from Hurricane Sandy, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 13, 2012. From left to right are Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

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House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio gestures during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 13, 2012, where he accused President Barack Obama of not being serious about cutting government spending. Boehner is insisting that Obama wants far more in tax increases than spending reductions and appears willing to walk the economy "right up to the fiscal cliff." (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

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House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of Calif. gestures as she meets with reporters during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 13, 2012. Pelosi questions why the fiscal cliff negotiations are going to the last minute. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev., second from left, accompanied by fellow Senate Democratic leaders, pauses during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 13, 2012, to discuss the stalled fiscal cliff negotiations and other unfinished business in the Senate. From left are, Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin of Ill., Reid, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

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Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., listens at left as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev., right, speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 13, 2012, to discuss the stalled fiscal cliff negotiations and other unfinished business in the Senate. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

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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, Thursday, Dec. 13, 2012. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

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North Koreans dance near a slogan which reads “(we) fervently celebrate the successful launch of the second version of the Kwangmyongsong-3 satellite" during a mass rally organized to celebrate the success of a rocket launch that sent a satellite into space, on Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Dec. 14, 2012. As the U.S. led international condemnation of what it calls a covert test of missile technology, top North Korean officials denied the allegations and maintained the country's right to develop its space program. (Associated Press)

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Defense Secretary Leon Panetta performs a swear-in ceremony to reenlist four troops during his visit to Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, on Dec. 14, 2012. Panetta is heading home after spending three days in Afghanistan meeting with troops, commanders and Afghani leaders. (Associated Press)

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**FILE** U.N. Ambassador Susan E. Rice (center), listens as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks Nov. 29, 2012, during a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly prior to a vote on a resolution on the issue of upgrading the Palestinian Authority's status to non-member observer state at the United Nations headquarters. (Associated Press)

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** FILE ** Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem (from left), Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov meet in Moscow on Tuesday, April 10, 2012. (AP Photo, Pool)

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U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta meets with troops at Kabul International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, Dec. 14, 2012, before boarding his plane and heading back to Washington. The Pentagon says it will send Patriot air defense missiles and 400 troops to Turkey as part of a NATO force meant to protect Turkish territory from potential Syrian missile attack. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, Pool)

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“It’s clear the president is just not serious about cutting spending. But spending is the problem.” - House Speaker John A. Boehner, Ohio Republican (Associated Press)

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“Don’t even think about raising the Medicare age. We are not throwing America’s seniors over the cliff to give a tax cut to the wealthiest people in America. We have clarity on that. But again, on all these other things, go to the table and negotiate.” - House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat (Associated Press)