Social Issues

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Diane Wilson, a fourth-generation Texas fisherwoman, her face smeared with syrup to represent oil, protests against BP as British police officers prevent her from entering the London conference center where the petroleum giant held the annual general meeting of its shareholders Thursday. "I think a lot of the shrimpers are concerned," she said. (Associated Press)

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Detained Chinese artist Ai Weiwei's likeness is sprayed on a Hong Kong sidewalk with the words, "Who's afraid of Ai Weiwei?" The social activist was taken into police custody April 3 and is being investigated for allegedly evading his taxes, a Hong Kong newspaper reported. (Associated Press)

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House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, accompanied by Rep. Chris Van Hollen, Maryland Democrat, who is his party's ranking member on the House Budget Committee, gestures during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on Thursday, April 14, 2011. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

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Texas Rangers' Josh Hamilton sits in the dugout with his right arm in a sling during the first inning of a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers in Detroit, Wednesday, April 13, 2011. The Rangers put Hamilton on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday after breaking his upper right arm on a headfirst dive into home plate the day before against the the Tigers. He is expected to miss six to eight weeks. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

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ASSOCIATED PRESS President Obama hosts a bipartisan meeting with House and Senate leadership on Wednesday in the White House. From left are: House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California, House Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio, the president, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

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ROD LAMKEY JR./THE WASHINGTON TIMES Rep. Paul Ryan, Wisconsin Republican and Budget Committee chairman, talks with reporters after joining members of the party leadership in their response to President Obama's 2012 budget-plan speech on Wednesday.

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Rep. Paul Ryan, Wisconsin Republican and Budget Committee chairman, talks with reporters after joining members of the party leadership in their response to President Obama's 2012 budget-plan speech on Wednesday. (Rod Lamkey Jr./The Washington Times)

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After Bethlehem Ayele testified for the government against members of a drug gang in 2004, she lived part of her dream and ran the Ohio Restaurant on H Street Northeast. But when the former drug dealer and federal witness was slain in 2006, it closed and has been boarded up ever since. (J.M. Eddins Jr./The Washington Times)

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** FILE ** Rep. Paul D. Ryan, Wisconsin Republican and House Budget Committee chairman. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

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Flanked by fellow Republican Sens. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire and John Barrasso of Wyoming, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky speaks to reporters Tuesday. "The debate has turned from how much to grow government to how much to reduce it," he said. (Associated Press)

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DEALER: Sen. Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, said, "You can't balance the budget by cutting domestic discretionary spending alone." (Bloomberg)

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Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, with D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray at her side, unleashes another barrage at Republicans and fellow Democrats for tacking on the anti-abortion rider to the federal budget bill. She spoke outside Planned Parenthood's D.C. headquarters. (Drew Angerer/The Washington Times)

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Supporters of Syrian President Bashar Assad raise posters depicting the leader as they protest against pro-reform activists. Pro-government gunmen attacked two villages in a move to crush the uprising against Mr. Assad's regime, witnesses said. (Associated Press)

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**FILE** Sen. Tom Harkin (foreground), Iowa Democrat, joins Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat, and other senators at a "Back Off Social Security" rally on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 28, 2011. (Associated Press)

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"The revenues lost to tax havens might have — all by themselves — resolved the [budget] problem," said Sen. Carl Levin. "Whether you, like me, believe the budget cuts proposed by House Republicans are too deep, or whether you are a tea party fan who would use that revenue to fund additional tax cuts, there is no doubt that closing down tax-haven abuse would make a big dent in the problems we face." (Associated Press)

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**FILE** President Obama poses April 8 for photographers in the Blue Room of the White House after speaking on the budget and potential government shutdown that was averted when Republican and Democratic lawmakers reached a deal. (Associated Press)

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Sen. Jeff Sessions, ranking Republican on the Senate Budget Committee, discusses last week's budget deal and the debt ceiling on CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday. He said President Obama must do more than just give a speech he is planning this week. (Associated Press)

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Arjuna Ardagh and Gay Hendricks stand together in a pastoral setting during the opening sequence of their YouTube video, "Dear Women." (YouTube screen grab)