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against him and his followers in the mountainous eastern provinces of Kunar and Nuristan. The objective is to keep him from restarting the large training camps that once drew hundreds of followers before the U.S.-led war began.
• The officials say the counterterrorism campaign -- a key reason the Obama administration agreed to keep any troops in Afghanistan after 2014 -- could be jeopardized by the possibility of a total pullout.
• House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Mich., said the number of al-Qaida members in Afghanistan has risen but not much higher than as many as the several hundred or so the U.S. has identified in the past.
• "I think most are waiting for the U.S. to fully pull out by 2014," he said.
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Tea party to establishment:
We're alive and ready to do battle in 2014
• WASHINGTON (AP) -- The foot soldiers of the tea party movement dismiss the chatter about its demise and stand ready to use their unbending political force against both President Barack Obama and the Republican establishment this election year.
• The Tea Party Patriots, one of the major grass-roots groups, marked the fifth anniversary of the movement Thursday, attracting hundreds of members and plenty of speakers to a Washington celebration in which they directed their animosity at the Washington establishment.
• Keli Carender, national grass-roots coordinator, said the strength of the group was reflected in the $1.2 million and counting that it raised in 10 days.
• To the "establishment and permanent political class," Carender said, "we don't need their millions, we've got our own."
• Republican primaries this election year will be a crucial test for the movement as the GOP establishment has aggressively challenged tea party-backed candidates in Kentucky, Kansas, Idaho, Mississippi, Michigan and elsewhere. Republicans blame the tea party for losses in winnable races in 2010 and 2012 that many believe cost the GOP a Senate majority.
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Tokyo bitcoin exchange files for bankruptcy, significant amount of virtual currency missing
• TOKYO (AP) -- The Mt. Gox bitcoin exchange in Tokyo filed for bankruptcy pro (Continued on page 23)
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