Richard Holbrooke dies: Veteran U.S. diplomat brokered Dayton peace accords  —  Longtime U.S. diplomat Richard C. Holbrooke, whose relentless prodding and deft maneuvering yielded the 1995 Dayton peace accords that ended the war in Bosnia - a success he hoped to repeat as President Obama's chief envoy …

Julian Assange granted bail with conditions  —  • Assange granted bail to cheers from supporters  —  • Assange criticises Visa, MasterCard and Paypal from cell  —  • Police worked case against Madeleine McCann's parents  —  • Full coverage of the WikiLeaks cables

Health reform will survive its legal fight  —  In March, New Hampshire preschool teacher Gail O'Brien, who was unable to obtain health insurance through her employer, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of lymphoma.  Her subsequent applications for health insurance were rejected because of her condition.

As Electoral Ground Shifts, Bloomberg Could Skip the Party  —  On Sunday, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg flatly ruled out an independent run for president in 2012.  On Monday, he appeared at the national unveiling in New York of No Labels, a group that aspires to build a grass-roots movement …

No Labels and Other Ripped Off Designs  —  Brooklyn-based artist Thomas Porostocky's friends and fans have been tipping off NY media that his art has been used without permission by the bi-partisan political group No Labels.  —  Porostocky designed star-spangled giraffes …

Atheist Ads on Buses Rattle Fort Worth  —  FORT WORTH — Stand on a corner in this city and you might get a case of theological whiplash.  —  A public bus rolls by with an atheist message on its side: “Millions of people are good without God.”  Seconds later, a van follows bearing a riposte: “I still love you.

Court battle casts pall over Mitt Romney run  —  A likely U.S. Supreme Court battle over a key component of Obamacare — which was modeled on a Bay State law championed by former Gov. Mitt Romney — could plague the GOP presidential wannabe just as the 2012 White House race heats up, experts said yesterday.

Huge Senate majority votes to advance $858B tax package  —  President Obama's $858 billion tax package won a huge bipartisan majority in the Senate Monday evening, setting it up for a contentious debate in the House.  —  In a 83-15 vote, the Senate quashed a filibuster by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Va.).

Steele stuns by running for reelection  —  Despite facing intense criticism from within his own party, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele said Monday night he would mount a campaign for another two-year term atop the GOP.  —  Steele, breaking a monthlong silence about his intentions …

The Nixon tapes remind us what a vile creature Henry Kissinger is.  —  Over the last few weeks, this modest little column of mine has been acquiring an almost eerie prescience and potency.  I called for the death sentence on Tariq Aziz to be commuted, and it was only a matter of days …

Will a GOP-led House un-'green' the Capitol?  —  Just outside the doors of Congress, the U.S. Capitol Christmas tree glows with strands of energy-efficient LED lights.  Inside the Capitol, thousands of compact fluorescent light bulbs illuminate the final days of the session.