On January 7th, it was after a tedious four days of voting and fifteen ballots that Representative Kevin McCarthy, the leader of the House Republicans, secured enough votes to win the speakership of the House of Representatives. Many in Washington and elsewhere watched in utter disbelief as the drama in the House unfolded.

The picture sourced from NPR and Carl de Souza/AFP via Getty Images shows Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva holding a Brazilian flag on the day of the presidential runoff election.