Janet Yellen, chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve, arrives to a Senate Banking Committee hearing in Washington on July 15, 2014. Yellen told lawmakers the central bank must press on with monetary stimulus as “significant slack” remains in labor markets and inflation is still below the Fed's goal.
Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
Republicans took over the Senate, the president cut loose, and protests roiled the nation. Here are snapshots from the year in American politics.