Why I'm Posting Bail Money for Julian Assange  —  Yesterday, in the Westminster Magistrates Court in London, the lawyers for WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange presented to the judge a document from me stating that I have put up $20,000 of my own money to help bail Mr. Assange out of jail.

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.

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.).

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 …

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.

Memo to the media: They're called “obstructionists”  —  That sore-loser phrase doesn't seem to get much use these days.  Yet watching Senate Republicans in the minority essentially close down the chamber, not allowing any votes to proceed until their demands are met regarding tax cuts for the very wealthy …

Corker assembling bloc to demand reforms ahead of debt ceiling vote  —  Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) said Tuesday he's hoping to assemble a bloc of senators who will demand tax and spending reforms before agreeing to vote to raise the U.S. debt ceiling next year.

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 …

Anti-Steele heavyweight endorses Priebus in RNC race  —  Washington (CNN) - A day after Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele confounded his critics by announcing that he will seek re-election, one of his biggest foes threw his weight behind the candidate thought to have the best chance …

Economic security — and insecurity — in one graph  —  Jacob Hacker, Philipp Rehm and Mark Schlesinger are out with the latest version of their Economic Security Index (pdf): a massive survey project that aims “to provide a meaningful, succinct measure of Americans' economic security.”

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 …

Larry Summers Replacements Said To Be Either Sperling, Altman Or Levin  —  WHAT'S YOUR REACTION? … As Larry Summers nears the end of his term as director of the National Economic Council, the list of potential replacements has been whittled down to three, according to Obama administration …