New York Rider Dies Protesting Motorcycle Helmet Law  —  A New York man died Sunday while participating in a ride with 550 other motorcyclists to protest the state's mandatory helmet law.  —  Police said Philip A. Contos, 55, hit his brakes and his motorcycle fishtailed.

Obama's Original Sin  —  The president's failure to demand a reckoning from the moneyed interests who brought the economy down has cursed his first term, and could prevent a second.  —  After 9/11, Rudy Giuliani went on Saturday Night Live to give New Yorkers permission to laugh again.

How the Complete Meaning of July Fourth Is Slipping Away  —  At least one of the Founders thought that Independence Day would become important.  When the Continental Congress voted for independence on July 2, 1776, John Adams, who more than any other single Founder was responsible for that vote, was ecstatic.

Hackers Commandeer a Fox News Twitter Account  —  A series of alarming Twitter posts about President Obama appeared on Fox News' Twitter account for political news early Monday morning, and the Web site for the cable television network said it was a victim of hacking.

Newt Gingrich starting over, looks to Greg Ganske  —  Newt Gingrich has been trying to demonstrate an effort to rebuild his campaign, and one way was by getting his first finance co-chair in Iowa since the mass staff exodus of a few weeks ago.  —  Aides to Gingrich said he asked Greg Ganske …

The Mother of All No-Brainers  —  The Republicans have changed American politics since they took control of the House of Representatives.  They have put spending restraint and debt reduction at the top of the national agenda.  They have sparked a discussion on entitlement reform.

S.&P. Warns Bank Plan Would Cause Greek Default  —  PARIS — Greece risks being judged in default on its debt obligations if banks are forced to bear part of the pain, Standard & Poor's said Monday, suggesting that current proposals for rescuing the euro zone's weakest member may have to be reconsidered.

Global race on to match U.S. drone capabilities  —  At the most recent Zhuhai Air Show, the premier event for China's aviation industry, crowds swarmed around a model of an armed, jet-propelled drone and marveled at the accompanying display of its purported martial prowess.

Traffic cases settled, but deportations loom  —  Minor offenders snared in immigration program aimed at serious crimes  —  One early evening in May, a Boston police officer arrested Lizandra DeMoura for traffic violations and driving without a license.  In another city, she might have been booked and released for a court hearing.

Fort Carson Soldiers Targeted In Anti-Gay Attack  —  2 Gay Soldiers, Friends Allegely Beaten By Men Shouting Anti-Homosexual Slurs  —  COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Police are investigating a suspected hate crime after a group of men beat two gay Fort Carson soldiers and others while shouting anti-homosexual and racial slurs.

Strauss-Kahn to Face New Sex Complaint in France  —  PARIS — Dominique Strauss-Kahn will face another complaint alleging attempted rape, this one in France, the lawyer for a French novelist announced Monday.  —  The novelist, Tristane Banon, 32, alleges that Mr. Strauss-Kahn attempted to rape her in 2003 …

Marcus Bachmann, campaign husband  —  While Michele Bachmann tries to distinguish herself on the campaign trail, Marcus Bachmann, her husband of 32 years, already has.  —  He's yet to do any surrogate campaigning or deliver a speech.  Still, unlike several other candidates' spouses …

Pakistan's Spies Tied to Slaying of a Journalist  —  ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Obama administration officials believe that Pakistan's powerful spy agency ordered the killing of a Pakistani journalist who had written scathing reports about the infiltration of militants in the country's military, according to American officials.

CHART OF THE DAY: ‘Out Of Control Spending’ Not Really Out Of Control At All  —  It's taken as an article of faith in Washington that government has gotten too big, spending is out of control, and government has to tighten its belt, just like everybody else.  Even President Obama takes this view.