Lauren Rae (left) and Olivia Marlow look at the ornaments in the Grand Foyer during the first viewing of the White House 2012 holiday decorations in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. This year's theme is "Joy to All." Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
After Hurricane Sandy, the town of Madison, N.J., which runs its own power utility, had electricity restored long before its neighbors. Friscocali/via Flickr hide caption
Committe Chairman John Kerry , D-MA, speaks during the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on the nomination of Robert Beecroft to be ambassador to Iraq Sept. 19 in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
A softly-lit Booches' burger, back in the days of the Hostess bun. Genevieve Howard/Flickr.com hide caption
A Powerball lottery ticket sits in the machine at the 4 Sons Food Store and Chevron gas station which sold one of two winning Powerball lottery tickets in Fountain Hills, Ariz. Joshua Lott/Reuters /Landov hide caption
The scene of the derailment today in Paulsboro, N.J., from above. NBC10 Philadephia hide caption
The Rev. Eric Williams and his colleague Jannette Berkley-Patton visited StoryCorps in Kansas City, Mo., where they discussed a funeral that shaped Williams' future. StoryCorps hide caption
House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill Thursday after private talks with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. J. Scott Applewhite/AP hide caption
President Francois Hollande argues that homework puts poor children at a disadvantage, but others argue the extra work is needed to help those students succeed. Fred Dufour/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Ireland-based Intrade lets users bet money on all manner of predictions — like if a particular film will win an Oscar. The site is ceasing operations in the U.S. NPR/Intrade screen grab hide caption
Elouise Cobell, a member of Montana's Blackfeet Tribe, and four other Native Americans led a class-action land use lawsuit against the U.S. government. Cobell is shown here in 2009 with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar after an announcement on the settlement of the lawsuit. Cobell died last year. Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP hide caption
United Nations Aids Executive Director Michel Sibide hugs Secretary of State Hillary Clinton after they they presented the a road map for stopping HIV around the world. Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
The taste of Mock's tomatoes starts with the seed. He uses only organic varieties, including cherry and several heirloom varieties. Allison Aubrey/NPR hide caption