President Obama talks with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg before a dinner with Silicon Valley executives in Woodside, California on Feb. 17. (White House/Pete Souza)
–Madison schools are shuttered for a third day as public worker protests continue in Wisconsin. Republican lawmakers have vowed to move forward on the budget fix Friday, but Democrats remain in hiding. The DNC is mobilizing.
–Union protests break out at Ohio and Indiana statehouses.
–Pew releases a timely survey suggesting mixed sentiments toward unions, private and public. A narrow plurality said, in general, they side with unions over state governments in public sector disputes.
–Treasury Secretary Geithner explains the White House’s budget punt to the Senate:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdcQGJF_jmY&w=460]
The question is — just to be direct about it — what’s the alternative plan? And the way our system works, and this is a good thing, we’ll be able to see from the House and we’ll see from this body whether you people can find the political will here to go deeper.
–The anti-tax Americans For Tax Reform warns Republican Grand Bargainers over revenue increases.
—Elizabeth Warren staffs up the CFPB, including some ex-Streeters.
–Stunning photos from Bahrain as Shia protesters bury their dead. Clashes in Yemen escalate.
–More than 100 arrested in HHS and DOJ crackdown on Medicare fraud rings.
–Homeland Security accidentally shuts down 84,000 web pages, visitors greeted by “Website seized for trafficking in child pornography” message.
–And a Wisconsin Democrat updates her Facebook status.