100,000-Plus in Madison for Rally for Workers' Rights - VIDEO  —  MADISON, WI (FDL) - In what has been billed the largest rally in the history of Madison, over 100,000 people packed the Capitol Square for a “Rally for Workers' Rights” to protest the budget repair bill and the proposed stripping …

50-State Union Protest Falls Far Short Of Predicted Turnout  —  Protests in support of Wisconsin public sector unions were organized by MoveOn.org and labor unions today.  —  Promoters, such as David Dayen at Firedoglake, were predicting a million-person turnout nationwide.

BREAKING: Wisconsin Police Have Joined Protest Inside State Capitol  —  From inside the Wisconsin State Capitol, RAN ally Ryan Harvey reports:  —  “Hundreds of cops have just marched into the Wisconsin state capitol building to protest the anti-Union bill, to massive applause.

The Real Political Math In Wisconsin … WASHINGTON — The real political math in Wisconsin isn't about the state budget or the collective-bargaining rights of public employees there.  It is about which party controls governorships and, with them, the balance of power on the ground in the 2012 elections.

Eric Lipton Responds, and the Verdict Is In  —  On February 21, Eric Lipton of the New York Times wrote an article titled Billionaire Brothers' Money Plays Role in Wisconsin Dispute.  Lipton's perspective on the controversy swirling around Wisconsin's state finances—it's all about Charles and David Koch …

Obama, Clinton: Gadhafi should leave Libya ‘now’  —  President Obama told German Chancellor Angela Merkel today that Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi should surrender power immediately because of the attacks he has made on his own people.  —  “The President stated that when a leader's only means …

Ireland's Ruling Party Crushed at Polls in Fallout From Failed Economy … No luck for Ireland's ruling party.  The government in power paid a price Friday for presiding over an economy that went through the floor when a housing bubble burst, strapping the banks that made the loans and forcing …

Long Bread Lines and Barricades in Libya's Capital  —  TRIPOLI, Libya — A bold play by Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi to prove that he was firmly in control of Libya appeared to backfire Saturday as foreign journalists he invited to the capital discovered blocks of the city in open revolt.

Protesters at the Wisconsin Capitol disrespectfully have taped signs on and piled junk against the Veterans Memorial.  —  Meade and I confront them, and we're told we're the first people who've had a problem with it.  I try to explain how that attempted defense of the behavior is only going to make it look worse.

Gadhafi's Nurse Says She's Going Home  —  KIEV, Ukraine—Embattled Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi is set to be deserted by another close ally after his Ukrainian nurse said she was heading home.  —  Galyna Kolotnytska, described in a diplomatic cable published by Wikileaks as a “voluptuous blond” …

Budget Battles Without Earmarks  —  WASHINGTON — The fact that Congress remains a spending disagreement or two away from shutting down the government no doubt strikes some as remarkable.  But there is another extraordinary aspect to the fiscal clash unfolding on Capitol Hill: earmarks have disappeared from the budgetary landscape.

Contraception is Not the Solution  —  Why are Republicans waging war on contraception?  It's not the first time the question has been asked, and it won't be the last.  Truth be told, Republicans aren't engaging in battle on that front — but the phrase gets close to a legitimate fight.

To Tea Party, Pawlenty on Obama: ‘What planet is he from?’  —  Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty accused President Obama and Democrats of “coddling” unions and applauded the Tea Party movement as “modern-day Paul Reveres.”  —  Speaking to a convention of Tea Party activists in Phoenix on Saturday …

First blow to Emanuel team  —  Transition aide quits after ethics violation revealed  —  A veteran politician Rahm Emanuel named to his mayoral transition team resigned her high-level state job last summer and paid a fine for conducting political business on state time, according to a newly filed ethics report.

Newt Gingrich to announce exploratory committee ‘in 10 days’ — in Georgia  —  Update at 7 p.m.: I was on a State Bar panel this afternoon with Randy Evans, the Atlanta lawyer in charge of Newt Gingrich's business interests.  He's quoted below.  —  Before we parted, Evans told me this …