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Rosemary Petty, a Publix Supermarket pharmacy technician, counts out a prescription of antibiotic pills on August 7th, 2007, in Miami, Florida.

PS Picks: The ‘New York Times’ on High Drug Prices in America

PS Picks is a selection of the best things that the magazine's staff and contributors are reading, watching, or otherwise paying attention to in the worlds of art, politics, and culture.

Francie Diep

Social Justice

The Drugs That Companies Promote to Doctors Are Rarely Breakthroughs or Cures

A comprehensive analysis of drug company spending on doctors in the last five months of 2013 shows the most-promoted products typically were not cures, breakthroughs, or top sellers.

Charles Ornstein & Ryann Grochowski Jones

Education

Tightening the Rules on Restraining and Secluding Students

Under new rules, Massachusetts schools will not be allowed to use certain techniques to restrain or isolate students as frequently and will have to report all restraints and injuries.

Heather Vogell

News in Brief

New IRS Rules on Dark Money Likely Won’t Be Ready Before the 2016 Election

The IRS faces a number of hurdles before its new regulations for social welfare non-profits can be finalized, including potential opposition from Congress.

Theodoric Meyer

News in Brief

What Is the NYPD Using Unmarked X-Ray Vans for?

The NYPD has a secretive program that uses unmarked vans with X-ray machines designed to detect bombs. ProPublica tried to find out more about it, but the NYPD refused to answer for three years. Now, a judge has stepped in.

Michael Grabell

News in Brief

Demanding Answers From the Red Cross on How It Spends Money

Prompted by a recent investigation, Senator Charles Grassley asks the charity to explain how it has used donations from the public.

Justin Elliott & Jesse Eisinger

Economics

How Bankers Manipulate Rating Agencies to Get Their Way

Wall Street pressed S&P, Moody’s, and Fitch to assign more favorable credit ratings to their tobacco bonds deals and bragged that the raters complied. Now many of the bonds are headed for default.

Cezary Podkul

News in Brief

Is This Man Responsible for the Murders of Five American Nuns?

In an interview with ProPublica, Christopher Vambo, a former lieutenant to Charles Taylor, acknowledged that the brutal 1992 killings might have happened under his command.

T. Christian Miller & Jonathan Jones