The Picture's Fading for Taxpayer-Funded Vanity Portraits
RealClearInvestigations
When it comes to portrait painting, the arc of history has bent away from the Medicis and toward the taxpayer's wallet: The government spends millions of dollars on portraits of bureaucrats--unremarkable works hidden, perhaps mercifully, from public view. Now new legislation aims to end the practice. Too Scared to Report Sexual Abuse. The Fear: Deportation
New York Times
Law enforcement officials in several large cities--including Los Angeles, Houston and Denver--have noticed a sharp downturn in reports of sexual assault and domestic violence among Latinos, "and many experts attribute the decline to fears of deportation." Hackers Ran Through Holes in Swift's Network
Wall Street Journal
A series of recent cyberattacks targeting banks raises questions about the security of Swift, the global messaging network that is the backbone of payment services for more than 11,000 institutions worldwide, including banks and corporations. 72 Hours in Louisville's Struggle to Stop Drug Deaths
The Courier-Journal
For 72 hours in April, nine journalists followed addicts, police, doctors, ambulance crews, treatment professionals and jail workers to chronicle the city's unending fight against the drug epidemic. Texas: When Policing the Mentally Ill Turns Deadly
Austin American-Statesman
More than 30 people with mental illness have died after being restrained by Texas police since 2005. Police say mental health calls are challenging because they are fast-moving and unpredictable. Case in point: Tom Klessig, 23, a former wrestling champion who died after being pinned down by University Park police. The NRA's Struggle to Prove Black Guns Matter
Politico
Amid a general decline in gun sales this year, gun store owners report an increase in sales to blacks, Hispanics and members of the LGBT community. So the National Rifle Association is working to bring them into the fold. But even in majority-black Atlanta, it's a hard sell. | 
