Gov. Jerry Brown speaks to the crowd during the California High-Speed Rail Authority groundbreaking event in Fresno. The $68 billion project faces challenges from Republicans in Congress, and from Central Valley farmers suing to block the train from crossing their fields. Gary Kazanjian/AP hide caption

The stars of Fox's new drama Empire (clockwise from left): Bryshere Gray, Trai Byers, Jussie Smollett, Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson. Michael Lavine/Fox hide caption

Santería ceremonies traditionally make use of hourglass-shaped batá drums. Eric Pancer/Flickr Creative Commons hide caption

The Yale football team in an undated photo. Commentator Frank Deford finds it curious that a sport as brutal as football became popular among the academic elite. AP hide caption

Dr. Richard Schlegel and postdoctoral fellow Nancy Palechor-Ceron use a microscope to look at human epithelial cells growing on mouse fibroblasts at Georgetown University Medical Center. Lauren Wolkoff/Georgetown University hide caption

Contralto Marian Anderson in the role of Ulrica from a Metropolitan Opera production of Verdi's Un ballo en maschera in 1955. Anderson was the first African-American soloist to appear at the Met. Sedge LeBlang/Metropolitan Opera Archives hide caption

The Southwestern Women's Surgery Center in Dallas is one of the clinics in Texas that has doctors with admitting privileges at nearby hospitals, a requirement of HB2. Rex C. Curry/AP hide caption

Vice President Joe Biden takes a selfie with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen's grandson A.J. Bellabona during Tuesday's ceremonial swearing-in ceremony. Jacquelyn Martin/AP hide caption