See the Top 39 Photos From the News This Week

More coverage of the fallout in Ferguson, Mo., space travel, a lame-duck Congress and bunch of nuns at The Vatican. They were among the week's top news stories. Here's a look at some of the best photos.

Wednesday night, protesters angry about the verdict in the Eric Garner case tried to shut down the Rockefeller Center tree ceremony in New York.

NASA's Orion spacecraft is scheduled to launch Friday. It  was designed to allow travel to destinations never before visited by humans, including an asteroid and Mars.

Watch out for volcanic gases in Portela, Fogo Island, Cape Verde.

Reports say President Obama has selected a former Pentagon official to replace Chuck Hagel.

At the Vatican, nuns arrived at the opening mass of the "Year of Consecrated Life" in St. Peter's Basilica. It began Nov. 30, the first Sunday of Advent, and concludes Feb. 2, 2016.

Hundreds of activists gathered around the world to mark World Aids Day on Dec. 1.

A group of men and women in New York have trained their dogs to help rid of the city's immense rat population, often catching up to 20 rats in a single night.

Occupy Central pro-democracy protests continued in Hong Kong.

Jeh Johnson, Homeland Security secretary, testified before the House of Representatives and struggled to explain how "amnesty" for illegal immigrants is good for Americans.

Lionel Messi broke Telmo Zarra’s record of 251 goals during Barcelona’s win against Sevilla, giving him to 253 goals.

Parkland and wilderness provisions added to a national security measure have outraged friends of the military.

The Royal Guards of the Royal Thai Armed Forces performed a military parade and pledged loyalty to the monarch. The parade, also known as Trooping of the Colors, occurs every Dec. 2 in celebration of the birthday of Bhumibol Adulyadej, the king of Thailand.

Victoria's Secret models filmed their annual fashion show in Earl's Court, London, on Dec. 2.

A parting school of fish allowed an exploring snorkeler to swim amongst them.

The federal government hit a new milestone Friday: The total federal debt now tallies more than $18 trillion.

Protests and riots haven't let up this week after the grand jury decision.

Natalie DuBose, owner of Natalie’s Cakes & Things in Ferguson, Mo., may lost her livelihood in the violent protests last week. But one man has come up with eight ideas to save Christmas in Ferguson and help DuBose and other business owners and employees.

Reports this week say President Obama will issue an executive order designed to improve a federal program that allows local police departments to obtain military surplus equipment. One expert says Obama shouldn’t end military equipment going to police departments.

Although uplifting images were hard to find regarding Ferguson, The Daily Signal was able to capture the hope and determination of one young man in Ferguson. Terrence Williams, 23, is a St. Louis native working hard to change the narrative that has inundated this city over the past several weeks.

Meanwhile, our nation's capital is preparing for Christmas in between votes. Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, lit the Capitol Christmas tree Dec. 2 at the West Front Lawn of the U.S. Capitol.