Photos of the Week: Tornado aftermath, Medal of Honor and soaring superheroes

An American flag is draped over debris after a tornado in Dawson Springs, Ky., on Dec. 12. In the desperate hours after massive storms struck, Gov. Andy Beshear (D) took time from his duties to do what many of his fellow Kentuckians were doing. Again and again, he made calls to track down his cousin Jenny in hard-hit Dawson Springs. Associated Press/Michael Clubb

People wearing costumes and masks perform in a show of winter traditions at the Village Museum in Bucharest, Romania, on Dec. 12. In pre-Christian rural traditions, dancers wearing colored costumes or animal furs toured from house to house in villages singing and dancing to ward off evil. Associated Press/Andreea Alexandru

Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands kneels next to his car after winning the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and becoming the 2021 Formula One world champion in Abu Dhabi on Dec. 12. Verstappen and Mercedes-Benz driver Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain were tied on points coming into the final race. Associated Press/Hassan Ammar

Holiday lights line trees as a pedestrian carries an umbrella while walking in the rain in San Francisco on Dec. 13. A major winter storm hitting Northern California is expected to intensify and bring travel headaches and a threat of localized flooding after an abnormally warm fall in the West. Associated Press/Jeff Chiu

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) greets Martha Assefa and 10-week-old Ida Comparetto during a rally to promote child care in the Build Back Better Act at the Reflecting Pool of the Capitol on Dec. 14. Greg Nash

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and bipartisan members of the House and Senate hold a moment of silence on Dec. 14 for 800,000 American lives lost to COVID-19. Julia Nikhinson

Acrobats dressed as superheroes come down from the roof to make a surprise greeting at the windows of the rooms of the young patients in Pediatrics and of all the patients at the San Paolo hospital in Milan, Italy on Dec. 15. Associated Press/Luca Bruno

President Biden hugs a person while surveying storm damage from tornadoes and extreme weather in Dawson Springs, Ky., on Dec. 15. Associated Press/Andrew Harnik

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) jokingly chases Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) as they arrive to the Senate chamber for a nomination vote on Dec. 15. Greg Nash

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) walks through the Capitol's basement during a meeting on Dec. 15. Manchin met with Sens. John Tester (D-Mont.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) and others. Julia Nikhinson

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) greets Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin (R) as he arrives with his wife, Pam Northam, right, to deliver his annual budget forecast to a joint session of the House and Senate budget committees at the Capitol on Dec. 16 in Richmond, Va. Associated Press/Steve Helber

Thousands gather in Rome's central Piazza del Popolo on Dec. 16 during a nationwide strike called by the main unions to protest against the government's proposed budgetary law. Associated Press/Gregorio Borgia

President Biden awards the Medal of Honor to Army Master Sgt. Earl Plumlee in the East Room at the White House on Dec. 16. Biden awarded three Medals of Honor for bravery in Iraq and Afghanistan. Yuri Gripas/UPI Photo

A plane flies by the Washington Monument as the sun sets on Dec. 16. Julia Nikhinson

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) talks to Mayra Guillen, the sister of murdered U.S. soldier Vanessa Guillen, as Guillen family attorney Natalie Khawam and Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) watch on in the Capitol on Dec. 16. Julia Nikhinson

Japan's Akane Yamaguchi returns a shot to Japan's Sayaka Takahashi during their women's badminton singles match at the BWF World Championships in Huelva, Spain, on Dec. 16. Associated Press/Manu Fernandez

Former Trump adviser Roger Stone throws up peace signs after pleading the Fifth during a deposition to the Jan. 6 select committee at the Thomas P. O'Neill Jr. Federal Building on Dec. 17. Greg Nash

Photos curated by Greg Nash, Julia Nikhinson, Madeline Monroe and Valerie Morris.

Updated 7:45 a.m.