Phyllis Siegel (right) kisses her wife, Connie Kopelov, after the two exchanged vows at the Manhattan City Clerk's office. The couple were the first same-sex pair to tie the knot in New York City after the state's Marriage Equality Act went into effect on July 24. Michael Appleton/AP hide caption
House Speaker John Boehner, surrounded by Republican House members, speaks during a news conference in Washington in December. The House initially rejected a plan to extend a tax cut for two months to buy time for talks on a full-year renewal. It later compromised — a rare event in 2011. Susan Walsh/AP hide caption
President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and members of his National Security team receive an update on the mission against Osama bin Laden in the Situation Room of the White House. A classified document seen in this photograph has been obscured. Pete Souza/White House hide caption
Newt Gingrich wipes away a tear while speaking about his deceased mother Friday in Des Moines, Iowa. Andrew Burton/Getty Images hide caption
President Obama walks onstage Dec. 22 to urge members of Congress to vote on a short-term compromise that extended the payroll tax cut. Mark Wilson/Getty Images hide caption
On Jan. 3, Iowans will caucus at 1,774 precincts across the state, in the first contest of the 2012 presidential nominating process. Above, Iowans caucus in 2004 at St. John's United Methodist Church in Des Moines, Precinct 87. Shaun Heasley/Getty Images hide caption
Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney campaigning in Ames, Iowa, on Thursday (Dec. 29, 2011). Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images hide caption
The housing market collapse has taken a toll on Florida families and may affect how they vote in the presidential election. Joe Raedle/Getty Images hide caption
Workers in Boeing's new $750 million final assembly plant in North Charleston, S.C. At the plant's ribbon-cutting ceremony in June, Rep. James Clyburn called the newly constructed facility a game changer for the state's workforce. Bruce Smith/AP hide caption
A young Mitt Romney supporter holds yard signs Thursday at a campaign event at J's Homestyle Cooking in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images hide caption
A volunteer arranges buttons before Mitt Romney speaks Wednesday in Clinton, Iowa. Chris Carlson/Associated Press hide caption
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney stands to applause during a campaign stop at a Londonderry, N.H., restaurant on Tuesday. Charles Krupa/AP hide caption
Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann signs autographs at the Pizza Ranch in Indianola, Iowa, on Wednesday. The restaurant was largely empty aside from a few local Iowans, media and Bachmann staff. Becky Lettenberger//NPR hide caption