Social Issues

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"I don't think it's ever too late until the fat lady sings. What's needed for the country is at least a $4 trillion package," said Sen. Kent Conrad, North Dakota Democrat and Senate Budget Committee chairman, regarding his budget proposal. (Associated Press)

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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, here at an ASEAN summit in 2010, are expected to sign a bilateral agreement soon allowing intercountry adoptions to resume fully. It is said to be "nearing finalization." (Associated Press)

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President Obama talks about the ongoing budget negotiations on July 11, 2011, in the briefing room of the White House. (Associated Press)

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A woman weakened by cholera symptoms is carried to the treatment center in Mirebalais, a town that is a one-hour drive north of Port-au-Prince. Cholera is relatively easy to treat if people can get help in time. A public health campaign has featured radio jingles and text messages to educate people about the disease. (Associated Press)

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Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, Texas Democrat, is the target of a lawsuit by an ex-aide who claims the congresswoman is not a true advocate for the disabled. The ex-aide, who has a vision disability, has filed suit. (Associated Press)

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Associated Press photographs Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain finished first over the weekend in a straw poll of conservative activists at a gathering in Henderson, Nev., with 24 percent of the vote. Mr. Cain is the former chief executive officer of the Godfather's pizza restaurant chain.

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"That's because you're taking a lot of people who are downtrodden in DC and shipping them out to Prince George's County. But poverty still follows people and where poverty is, crime's gonna follow." Joseph Harris, Silver Spring, welder

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Malaysian activists from Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) are seen through smoke of tear gas fired by riot police during a rally in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Saturday, July 9, 2011. Police fired tear gas and detained hundreds of activists as those demonstrators massed across Malaysia's main city demanding electoral reforms in the country's biggest political rally in years. The "Bersih" means "clean" in Malay. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

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Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, center, speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, June 30, 2011, to charge the Obama Administration of political tactics that undermine pending trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea. From left are: Sen. Michael B. Enzi, R-Wyo.; Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl of Ariz.; Hatch; Sen. John Thune, R-S.D.; and Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan. (Associated Press)

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David Serrell, a Texas Workforce Commission supervisor, manages job seekers' time on computers at the Workforce Solutions of Greater Dallas job resource center in Richardson, Texas, on Tuesday, July 5, 2011. (AP Photo/L.M. Otero)

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Drew Angerer/The Washington Times D.C. police Chief Cathy L. Lanier said she was “shocked” and “hurt” by complaints from the District's gay community.

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California Assembly Speaker John Perez, the body's first openly gay leader, urges lawmakers to approve a measure requiring public schools to teach the historical contributions of gay Americans, on Tuesday, July 5, 2011, in Sacramento. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

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President Obama, flanked by lawmakers and Cabinet members, signs the Wall Street reform and consumer protection bill on July 21, 2010. Now Republican lawmakers are using legislative means to try to weaken it. Their hope is to force some compromises on agency budgets and regulatory nominees. (Associated Press)

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Casey Anthony goes over paperwork during a break on the final day of arguments in her murder trial at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando, Fla., on July 4, 2011. Anthony has plead not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of her daughter, Caylee, and could face the death penalty if convicted of that charge. (Associated Press)

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Mexican Federal Police agents escort Jesus Enrique Rejon Aguilar, alias "El Mamito," to his presentation to the media in Mexico City on Monday, July 4, 2011. Police believe he is connected with the killing of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in February. (AP Photo/Alexandre Meneghini)

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Casey Anthony reacts as the prosecution presents its closing arguments in her murder trial in Orlando, Fla., on Sunday, July 3, 2011. Ms. Anthony has plead not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of her daughter, Caylee, and could face the death penalty if convicted on that charge. (AP Photo/Red Huber, Pool)

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Thousands of people march through downtown Atlanta in protest against Georgia's strict new immigration law on Saturday, July 2, 2011, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Erik S. Lesser)

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Activists boat "Audacity of Hope" is escorted by the Greek coast guard ship in town of Peramat, near Athens, Greece, Friday, July 1, 2011. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)

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In this image made from video released by Change.org, a Saudi Arabian woman drives a car on June 17, 2011, as part of a campaign to defy Saudi Arabia's ban on women driving, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Associated Press)

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** FILE ** In this Monday, June 6, 2011, file photo, former IMF leader Dominique Strauss-Kahn, right, appears at his arraignment on charges of sexually assaulting a Manhattan hotel maid, at State Supreme Court in New York. (AP Photo/Allan Tannenbaum, Pool, File)