Politics

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U.S. national security officials say the Taiwan arms package is being delayed by senior Obama administration officials, including Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg, who are seeking to avoid a third rupture in U.S.-China military relations over Taiwan arms sales. (Associated Press)

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Authorities escort James Earl Ray to the Shelby County Jail in Memphis, Tenn., following his arrest two months after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Ray was sentenced to prison in the civil rights leader's death and died in 1998. Then-County Sheriff Bill Morris had photos of Ray taken to document that he wasn't mistreated. (Associated Press/Shelby County Register's Office)

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A passenger piles her bags into a cab after waiting in the taxi line at Union Station. Under a proposed medallion system, a government agency would issue cab owners the medallions, which are affixed to the cabs as proof that they are licensed and allow them to pick up passengers. (Associated Press)

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Book cover image of Joseph Lelyveld's "Great Soul: Mahatma Gandhi and His Struggle With India" (Associated Press/Knopf)

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The Syrian official news agency SANA released this photo of President Bashar Assad surrounded by supporters after a speech Wednesday in Damascus. "If a battle is imposed on us today, we welcome it," he said. (SANA via Associated Press)

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House Speaker John A. Boehner (right), Ohio Republican, and others look on as House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, Virginia Republican, speaks during a news conference regarding the federal budget on Capitol Hill in Washington on Wednesday, March 30, 2011. (AP Photo/Harry Hamburg)

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President Obama talks about his plan for America's energy security on Wednesday, March 30, 2011, at Georgetown University in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

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** FILE ** A fence marks the Mexico-U.S. border near Nogales, Ariz. The U.S. government hasn’t come up with a comprehensive strategy to secure the border, despite an all-out war between Mexico and its violent drug gangs that has claimed 35,000 lives and pushed hundreds of thousands of immigrants into the United States. (AP Photo/Matt York)

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Syrians watch President Bashar Assad on television as he addresses parliament in Damascus, Syria, on Wednesday, March 30, 2011. Mr. Assad, giving his first speech to the nation since anti-government protests erupted in this tightly controlled Arab state, blamed "conspirators" for trying to destroy the country. The speech was seen as a crucial test for Mr. Assad's leadership and one that may determine Syria's future. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

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President Obama speaks at the dedication of the Ronald H. Brown United States Mission to the United Nations Building in New York on Tuesday, March 29, 2011. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

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Notre Dame guard Skylar Diggins celebrates in the closing minute of Notre Dame's 73-59 win over Tennessee in an NCAA women's college basketball tournament regional final, Monday, March 28, 2011 in Dayton, Ohio. Diggins led Notre Dame with 24 points. (AP Photo/Skip Peterson)

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Sens. Susan M. Collins, Maine Republican, and Joseph I. Lieberman, Connecticut independent, want information on federal grant funding of counterterrorism training and the standards that training has to meet to qualify for funding. (Associated Press)

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House Speaker John A. Boehner (center) of Ohio is flanked by fellow Republicans House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia (left) and House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy of California as he speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill on Tuesday. Mr. Boehner chided Democrats over the budget impasse. (Associated Press)

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In this photo made available Tuesday March 29, 2011 by Israeli Minister of Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs shows a Facebook page calling on Palestinians to take up arms against Israel. Facebook removed the page on Tuesday following a high-profile Israeli appeal. The page, titled "Third Palestinian Intifada," had more than 350,000 fans before it was taken down. It called on Palestinians to take to the streets after Friday prayers on May 15 and to begin an uprising. "Judgment Day will be brought upon us only once the Muslims have killed all of the Jews," a quote from the page reads. (AP Photo/Israeli Minister of Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs) NO SALES

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Libyan rebels watch shelling near Bin Jawaad, east of Col. Moammar Gadhafi's hometown of Sirte. Rebels say loyalist forces rape to terrorize opponents of Col. Gadhafi's regime. Almost all of the victims of sexual assault who have gone to hospitals have said they were attacked by the regime's soldiers. (Associated Press)

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Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague (right), listening to Qatar's Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani, said after Tuesday's London Conference on Libya the subject of arming rebels did not come up. "That was not one of the subjects for discussion," he said. (Associated Press)

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A group of University of Maryland students gather Tuesday to discuss supporting a bill that would allow many illegal immigrants to pay in-state tuition in Maryland. The university's student government and president already endorse the bill, which supporters say would help the state economy by creating a better-prepared work force. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)