Politics

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Former Vice President Walter F. Mondale (center) arrives for the funeral Mass in New York City for former vice-presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro, his Democratic running mate in the failed 1984 campaign for the White House. (Associated Press)

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Scott Brown won the U.S. Senate seat held for nearly 50 years by the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy and the Democrats would dearly love to win it back in 2012 but no one has stepped forward as a candidate. Mr. Brown has cast himself as a moderate, seeking to appeal to independents and conservative Democrats. (Associated Press)

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Democratic Reps. Luis V. Gutierrez of Illinois (second from right) and Judy Chu of California (right), and Melisa Arellanos, 2, of Hyattsville, a U.S. citizen whose mother is facing deportation, listen during a Capitol Hill news conference on Thursday to launch the "Campaign for American Children and Families" tour. (Associated Press)

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Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina, with a fellow Republican, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, to his right, addresses a tea party "Continuing Revolution? rally Thursday on Capitol Hill. (Associated Press)

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Smoke from explosions billows on the road between Ajdabiya and Brega in Libya as rebels clashed with troops loyal to Col. Moammar Gadhafi on Thursday. U.S. military experts believe NATO will need to rely on the U.S. to handle the bulk of the fighting in Libya because of military cutbacks by the alliance's member nations. (Associated Press)

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**FILE** A Secret Service agent stands guard in Washington at the scene where President Reagan, Agent Timothy McCarthy and a Washington police officer were shot during an assassination attempt on March 30, 1981. (Associated Press)

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**FILE** Republican Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker answers news media questions March 31 after a circuit judge forced him to halt implementing a law that cripples collective bargaining. (Associated Press)

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French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan speak about nuclear power safety after their meeting in Tokyo on Thursday. (Associated Press)

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Vacuum-packed wine in a barrel is "the reinterpretation of history," says Boisset Family Estates President Jean-Charles Boisset. (Associated Press)

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Maria Llorente, who recently moved to Washington, D.C., from Florida, attends her first Nationals opening day Thursday, March 31, 2011 at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)

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** FILE ** Once again, Teddy the presidential mascot failed to win the mascot race during the opening day game against the Atlanta Braves at Nationals Park, in Washington, D.C., Thursday, March 31, 2011. (Drew Angerer/The Washington Times)

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Sen. Jim DeMint (at podium), South Carolina Republican, accompanied by Sen. Rand Paul (left), Kentucky Republican, addresses the tea party "Continuing Revolution Rally" on Thursday, March 31, 2011, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

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Smoke from explosions billows on the road between Ajdabiya and Brega, Libya, as rebels clashed with troops loyal to Libyan leader Col. Moammar Gadhafi on Thursday, March 31, 2011. An important Libyan oil town became a no man's land Thursday as rebels to the east traded rocket and mortar fire with Col. Gadhafi's forces to the west. (AP Photo)

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** FILE ** The Dublin offices of Irish Life & Permanent are pictured in February 2009. The Irish bank is one of four financial institutions that will need at total of 24 billion euros ($34 billion) in coming months to demonstrate that they won't collapse in the face of future crises, the Irish Central Bank announced Thursday. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison, File)