U.S. Navy divers attach winch cables to NASA’s Orion capsule after being successfully secured off the coast of Baja California, Mexico, on Dec. 11. The 26-day Artemis I mission took the Orion spacecraft to the moon and back to complete a historic flight. Caroline Brehman/Pool/UPIKaren Bass is sworn in as mayor of Los Angeles by Vice President Harris at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Dec. 11. Jim Ruymen/UPI PhotoKansas State forward Nae’Qwan Tomlin (35) dunks the ball during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Incarnate Word on Dec. 11 in Manhattan, Kan. Kansas State won 98-50. Associated Press/Charlie RiedelA man dressed in a Santa Claus costume jumps during a Santa Claus charity run in Budapest, Hungary, on Dec. 11. Associated Press/Anna SzilagyiPresident Biden climbs on a children’s bicycle while participating in a United States Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots event at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Arlington, Va., on Monday. He and his wife participated in sorting donated toys for distribution to families in need ahead of the holidays. Al Drago/UPI PhotoAnimal rights activists wear monkey masks during a protest calling for the protection of macaques, in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Dec. 12. The activists staged the protest urging the authorities to take strong action against the trade of macaques as pets and demanding the primate to be added to the list of protected animals. Associated Press/Achmad IbrahimLinda De La Rosa tears up as she testifies about her experience being incarcerated in a Federal Bureau of Prisons faculty in Lexington, Ky., during a Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations hearing to discuss an eight-month investigation into sexual abuse of women in federal prisons on Dec. 13. Greg NashA man sweeping water from a building shows passersby the height that the water reached when the street was flooded overnight in Alges, just outside Lisbon, Portugal, on Dec. 13. An Atlantic storm slammed into the Iberian Peninsula, leaving behind a trail of destruction Tuesday, especially in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon, before moving eastward into Spain. Associated Press/Armando FrancaPresident Biden hands Vice President Harris the pen he used to sign the Respect for Marriage Act during a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House on Dec. 13. Bonnie Cash/UPI PhotoBoston Bruins center Charlie Coyle (13) goes airborne as New York Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov (40) makes the save in a shootout during an NHL hockey game on Dec. 13 in Boston. Associated Press/Charles KrupaPope Francis jokingly takes the pacifier from a child in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican at the end of his weekly general audience, on Dec. 14. Pope Francis called on Wednesday for a “humble” Christmas this year, with reduced spending on gifts and for the savings to be donated instead to help the “suffering people of Ukraine.” Associated Press/Domenico StinellisClub Q nightclub owner Matthew Hayes hugs Club Q shooting survivor James Slaugh after giving statements at a House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing titled “The Rise of Anti-LGBTQI+ Extremism and Violence in the United States” on Dec. 14. Greg NashHugo Lloris (right) of France punches the ball clear under pressure from Jawad El Yamiq of Morocco during the 2022 FIFA World Cup semifinal match at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar, on Dec. 14. Chris Brunskill/UPI PhotoFormer House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) gets emotional as he speaks during a ceremony in Statuary Hall to unveil a portrait of Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Dec. 14. Greg NashPresident Biden participates in a U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit session on partnering on the African Union’s Agenda 2063, on Dec. 15 in Washington, D.C. Associated Press/Patrick SemanskyA young man joins forces with riot police as he uses his sling shot against supporters of ex-President Pedro Castillo protesting his detention, on the Pan-American North Highway, in Chao, Peru, on Dec. 15. Violent protests disrupting tourism and trade across Peru persisted Thursday as a judge considered whether to keep the country’s ex-president in custody while authorities build their case against him for inciting a rebellion. Associated Press//Hugo CurottoUkrainian soldiers fire a Pion artillery system at Russian positions near Bakhmut, Ukraine, on Dec. 15. Associated Press/LIBKOSMiss New York Taryn Delanie Smith, center left, and Miss Wisconsin Grace Stanke, center right, react as they learn that Stanke has become Miss America 2023 during the Miss America competition at the Mohegan Sun casino, in Uncasville, Conn., on Dec. 15. Smith was the runner-up at the competition. Associated Press/Steven Senne
