Thousands of Union Protesters Storm WI State Capitol; Target Homes of GOP Lawmakers

As four game wardens awkwardly stood guard, protesters, scores deep, crushed into a corridor leading to the governor’s office here on Wednesday, their screams echoing through the Capitol: “Come out, come out, wherever you are!”

Behind closed doors, Scott Walker, the Republican who has been governor for about six weeks, calmly described his intent to forge ahead with the plans that had set off the uprising: He wants to require public workers to pay more for their health insurance and pensions, effectively cutting the take-home pay of many by around 7 percent.

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Scott Fitzgerald, the Republican leader in the State Senate, slipped out of the Capitol Wednesday morning with his sunglasses on, head down. Protesters had gone to his home earlier in the week, forcing his family (including his wife, a school guidance counselor) to go elsewhere for a bit. Read more from New York Times...

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Obama Says He's Monitoring Tensions in Madison

President Barack Obama says he's monitoring the tensions in Madison. That's where protesters are criticizing efforts to eliminate collective bargaining rights for state employees.

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In an interview with WTMJ-TV, Obama says everyone has to make adjustments to new fiscal realities. He notes that he imposed a two-year freeze on pay increases for federal workers, and says adjustments like that "are the right thing to do." Read more from Chicago Tribune...