Head Lock  —  The inside story of how Goldman and the banks are getting clobbered on financial reform.  —  Some two dozen executives from large corporations will be descending on Capitol Hill today to make the case against over-regulating derivatives.  The “fly-in” is being organized in part …

Obama to Save Boxer Like He Saved Corzine!  —  Do Obama and Boxer realize they are on the wrong side of a tsunami of voter discontent with a government run by and for the public employee unions?  —  President Obama is “swooping” into Los Angeles today to try to save Senator Barbara Boxer …

For Apple, Lost iPhone Is a Big Deal  —  For anyone who has ever lost a cellphone, remember this: it could be worse.  You could be the person who left his phone in a bar in California.  And it wasn't just any phone; it was a supersecret version of the next iPhone.

Supreme Court voids law aimed at banning animal cruelty videos  —  The Supreme Court struck down a federal law Tuesday aimed at banning videos depicting graphic violence against animals, saying that it violates the constitutional right to free speech.  —  Chief Justice John J. Roberts Jr. …

Halperin Takes A Stand  —  It isn't every day that a consumate inside-game reporter/pundit type like Mark Halperin aggressively calls out one party for lying, but that's exactly what Halperin did early this morning on MSNBC, talking about the GOP claim that the Dem financial reg reform bill will lead to a permanent bailout.

FDA plans to limit amount of salt allowed in processed foods for health reasons  —  The Food and Drug Administration is planning an unprecedented effort to gradually reduce the salt consumed each day by Americans, saying that less sodium in everything from soup to nuts would prevent thousands …

What's behind the anti-Tea Party hate narrative?  —  There's a new narrative taking hold in the wake of the recent Tea Party protests and the 15th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing: The Tea Partiers' intense opposition to the Obama administration has led to overheated political rhetoric …

Banking Reform Sells Better When “Wall Street” Is Mentioned  —  Americans favor regulating Wall Street banks by 50% to 36%  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Americans are about evenly divided on the merits of giving the federal government new powers to regulate large banks and major financial institutions …

California senator complains of harassment from Palin fans  —  California State Senator Leland Yee, who has been battling a state university over disclosing Sarah Palin's speaking contract, complains in a press release today that he's been getting nasty emails and faxes.

Dem to Obama: Push immigration or I'll tell Latino voters to stay home  —  A congressman from the president's home state is threatening that he will urge Latino voters to stay home this November if the Democratic Party does not make a concerted effort to pass comprehensive immigration reform.

McCain: AZ Bill's Racial Profiling Aspect Is Fine Because Immigrants “Are Intentionally Causing Accidents.” … O'REILLY: Now, next week, the governor is going to sign, we believe, a very stringent state law that gives the police in Arizona very, very broad authority to question people.

Dorothy I. Height, founding matriarch of civil rights movement, dies at 98  —  Dorothy I. Height, 98, a founding matriarch of the American civil rights movement whose crusade for racial justice and gender equality spanned more than six decades, died early Tuesday morning of natural causes …

Burns leads Critz 44-41  —  Buoyed by an electorate that is exceptionally sour on national Democrats, Republican Tim Burns has a 44-41 lead over Democrat Mark Critz in the special election to replace John Murtha in the House.  —  It's a rare election these days where both candidates are viewed pretty favorably in the district.

GOP Split Over How to Win in Fall  —  WASHINGTON—Sen. John Cornyn, who is spearheading the Republicans' campaign to take back the Senate, is on a roll.  The GOP snatched a seat in Massachusetts and polls favor Republicans in many key states.  —  But the genial Texas lawyer is facing an unusual challenge …

Hoyer says House won't vote on D.C. voting rights bill  —  The House will not vote on a bill granting the District of Columbia a voting member of Congress, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said Tuesday.  —  “The price was too high,” said Hoyer (D-Md.), who cited extraneous measures …

Waco  —  Bill Clinton's invocation of Timothy McVeigh in connection with the Tea Party movement caused me to recall my review of a book on the Waco massacre that was a motivation for McVeigh.  The book under review was Reavis, The Ashes of Waco, and it appeared in the Times Literary Supplement in 1995.

McCaskill presses GOP to reveal holds  —  Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) is trying to flush out Senate Republicans who have placed secret holds on nearly 80 of President Barack Obama's nominees.  —  McCaskill asked for unanimous consent to vote on the 18 nominees.

Tax Court Rejects “Geithner Defense,” Says Reliance on TurboTax Does Not Excuse Taxpayer From Penalty for Errors on Tax Return  —  The Tax Court yesterday rejected the taxpayer's use of the “Geithner defense” and held that blaming TurboTax for errors on her return did not excuse her from penalties.

Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert To Stay on Comedy Central Through 2012 Election  —  With Conan O'Brien about to change the calculus of late-night cable programming, the Comedy Central channel has made a move to lock up its two dominant stars, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert.

Buying carbon offsets may ease eco-guilt but not global warming  —  Voluntary carbon offsets are a ‘Wild West’ market ripe for fraud, exaggeration, and poorly run projects that probably do little to ease global warming.  —  Tiszakeszi, Hungary  —  A forest was supposed to be here, inhaling carbon dioxide.