Politics

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**FILE** Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko speaks July 3, 2012, during a parade marking Independence Day in Minsk, Belarus. (Associated Press/BelTA)

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and wife, Ann, greet Polish WWII veterans and a survivor of a Nazi concentration camp July 31, 2012, in Warsaw prior to laying a wreath at the Warsaw 1944 Uprising monument. (Associated Press)

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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat, announces July 31, 2012, at the Capitol in Washingtonto reporters that he and GOP House Speaker John Boehner have reached an agreement to keep the government running on autopilot for six months when the current budget year ends on Sept. 30. (Associated Press)

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Former Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz, once considered a long-shot underdog for the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate, defeated Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in the party’s Tuesday primary runoff, and the reason appears to be his strong support from state tea-party conservatives. It’s a sign of the movement’s growing national clout. (Associated Press)

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Republican Senate candidate George Allen tries on one of the state-of-the-art, heat-activated cooling vests made by First Line Technology. He visited the company to view its work and underscore the impact of possible massive defense budget cuts. (Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times)

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Republican Senate candidate George Allen (center) walks through a converted bus called an “AmbuBus,” used as a mass casualty transport and made by First Line Technology, with company president Amit Kapoor (left) in Chantilly on Tuesday. (Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times)

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Pastor William Owens Sr. opposes President Obama’s support of gay marriage on Tuesday. (Raymond Thompson/The Washington Times)

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Prince George’s County Executive Rushern L. Baker III, as a candidate for the position, vowed to tackle the “pay to play” culture. (The Washington Times)