President Obama shakes hands with investor Warren Buffett after presenting him with a 2010 Presidential Medal of Freedom. One part of the president's deficit-reduction plan is named after Buffett, who suggested that high-income earners like him should pay more in taxes. Carolyn Kaster/AP hide caption

Protesters in Kabul demonstrate against the results of last September's parliamentary poll, Jan. 23. A year after the elections were held, Afghan President Hamid Karzai and lawmakers are still fighting over the results, and the Parliament has accomplished very little. Musadeq Sadeq/AP hide caption

High-heeled shoes hang from a gated window in an empty alley behind the National Lodge motel. The Oakland city attorney has filed suit against the motel, arguing that it knowingly facilitates child sex trafficking. Courtesy of Denise Tejada hide caption

Carbon Engineering's machine, currently under construction, will draw carbon dioxide out of the air and turn it into a usable product. Carbon Engineering hide caption

More than 300 Syrian dissidents met near Damascus on Sunday, and afterward they held a news conference and called for more protests to oust President Bashar Assad's government. From left: Rajaa Nasser, Hussein Awdat, Hassan Abdul Azim, Saleh Mohammed and Samir Aita. Louai Beshara/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

Republican presidential candidates (from left) Rep. Michele Bachmann, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Texas Gov. Rick Perry cover their hearts during the playing of the national anthem before a Republican presidential debate on Sept. 12. Chris O'Meara/AP hide caption

Black Freedmen, who are descended from the slaves of Cherokee Indians, protest their expulsion on Sept. 2 outside a regional Bureau of Indian Affairs office in Muskogee, Okla. Marilyn Vann, in pink, is the president of the Descendants of Freedmen Association. Alex Kellogg/NPR hide caption

From country and klezmer to doom rock and metal, Hank 3's latest output is plenty diverse. Tara Israel hide caption

The Spot: Simon Cowell at the Los Angeles taping of The X Factor, one of many new shows you may not be able to watch this week. Ray Mickshaw /Fox hide caption