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At the headquarters of the Syrian Defense Forces in Hasaka, three white men in camouflage pull up in a pickup truck. The commander, a thirtysomething Frenchman with a closely shaved head, is driving. A somber, mustachioed Irishman is in the passenger seat. In the back, a skinny American who looks to be in his late 20s is sitting with an M16 nestled between his legs. He invites me to get in. “

WASHINGTON — At the time, it seemed mildly noteworthy, but not particularly unusual: then-Vice President Joe Biden, traveling to China on an official visit, had brought his son Hunter Biden along.

And when the two appeared in public together in Beijing during the 2013 trip, there were all the typical trappings of a mini-family vacation tacked on to a business trip.

With

Statuary Hall inside the Capitol is the storied site of many key moments in U.S. history -- from heated debates about slavery to inaugural lunches with presidents. But Statuary Hall has almost surely never hosted a departing lawmaker rapping for national TV -- that is until Michele Bachmann gave us her now famous rendition of the hip-hop song "Thrift Shop" by Macklemore. "I look incredible. I

White House economists warn that the uncertainty of a potential hike in taxes next year for middle class taxpayers under the looming fiscal cliff could hurt consumer confidence during the crucial holiday shopping season.