19 Incredible Photos from This Week’s News

A midterm election might've stolen the show this week, but photo journalists all over the world captured everything from polling booths to Taylor Swift. Here's a quick look at this week's news in 19 photos.

Nik Wallenda, a professional daredevil/acrobat/aerialist/high wire artist broke two tightrope world records. First, he conquered the "steepest incline" as he walked between two skyscrapers in Chicago. Then he did it again—blindfolded. Both record-breaking walks happened without a safety net below and were televised live Nov. 2.

On Nov. 4, Americans headed to the polls. If you were lucky, you might've been able to multi-task your civic duty with your grocery shopping.

I particularly enjoyed the enthusiasm for post-vote selfies on social media.

The Daily Signal team stayed up into the wee hours of Nov. 3, documenting election results. By 3 a.m., Republicans took the Senate, built on their majority in the House, and grabbed several crucial governorships.

At 7:02 p.m., the first races of the 2014 midterm elections were called. In Kentucky, Sen. Mitch McConnell defeated Democratic challenger Alison Lundergan Grimes to keep his Senate seat. He will become majority leader in January.

In Iowa, Republican Joni Ernst defeated Democrat Bruce Braley to win Iowa’s open U.S. Senate seat, netting Republicans their seventh win of the night. Two races—in Alaska and Virginia—still remain too close to call.

Beyond Washington, Republicans also seized control of state capitals, including Maryland. Just after midnight, Republican Larry Hogan beat Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown in a shocking victory. It was a major upset in liberal Maryland.

In the same week that country-turned-pop music superstar Taylor Swift released her album, "1989," she pulled her entire music catalog from the free music streaming service Spotify. The move shocked and upset fans, but by Nov. 5, Swift sold 1.287 million copies of her album—the biggest week in sales for a music artist since 2002.

Meanwhile, Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley made a dig at Swift for shifting away from country music at the 48th annual Country Music Association Awards. In the same monologue, they also took digs at Democrats following the results of the 2014 midterm elections—eliciting cheers from the audience.

On Nov. 3, Obama declared the volcano lava flow in Pahoa, Hawaii, a major disaster. In a White House statement, he ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts.

Republicans scored many victories on Election Day, and so too did supporters of recreational marijuana. Voters in Washington, D.C., Oregon and Alaska voted to legalize recreational marijuana for adults.

An investigative report by The Daily Signal revealed the Obama administration has not used the range of tools and budget provided by a $6 billion fund created by the Bush administration to prepare the nation for threats, including the deadly Ebola virus.

People in Bangladesh honored Lokenath Brahmachari, a Hindu saint and philosopher in Bengal. The observance, called "Rakher Upobas," is celebrated with prayer, lamps, sweets and cakes as they worship.

A group of Senate conservatives sent a letter to outgoing Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., on Nov. 5 vowing they will “use all procedural means necessary” to fight back against Obama’s use of executive action to grant amnesty to illegal immigrants.

Army 1st Lt. Alonzo H. Cushing was a brave leader in the U.S. Civil War. On Nov. 6, he was awarded a Medal of Honor posthumously by Obama.

Forty degree temperatures, 26.2 miles and 45 mph winds—meet the race that was the New York City Marathon on Nov. 2.

Two million fans and 50,000 runners: the saving grace of the harsh weather conditions.

The view of the finish line just a few miles away: relief and pride.