A view inside the Washington National Guard Army Aviation Support Facility on Joint Base Lewis-McChord in February. As Congress cuts $500 billion from the Defense Department budget, the National Guard and active Army are competing for the same dollars. Patricia Murphy/KUOW hide caption

Robert Bates (left), a Tulsa County, Okla., reserve deputy, leaves his arraignment Tuesday with his attorney. Bates fatally shot a suspect who was pinned down by officers, raising alarms about volunteer police officers who wear badges and carry guns. Sue Ogrocki/AP hide caption

Passion Pit. Hassan Rahim/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

Sen. Mitch McConnell (right) walks with Sen. John Barrasso to a news conference about the compromise Tuesday. Evan Vucci/AP hide caption

Fresh oil puddles on the white sand in Orange Beach, Ala., during the BP oil spill in 2010. Debbie Elliott/NPR hide caption

Pappy Van Winkle bourbons at Bourbons Bistro in Louisville, Ky. The spirit was pricey even before a heist at the distillery. Noah Adams/for NPR hide caption

An air traffic control tower at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Ted S. Warren/AP hide caption

Chickens stand in their cages at a farm near Stuart, Iowa, in 2009. This week, bird flu hit a large poultry facility in Iowa. It's not clear how the virus is evading the industry's biosecurity efforts. Charlie Neibergall/AP hide caption

Architecture professor Diana Agrest evaluates her students' work during a class critique at Cooper Union in New York. LA Johnson/NPR hide caption