It’s a slow day in Washington today, lawmakers have headed to home districts for a week’s recess and the federal government shuts down for Presidents' Day. But what is Presidents' Day? Turns out today is one holiday that yields little consensus, and while it’s commonly referred to as “Presidents' Day”, the day is actually still listed "Washington’s Birthday" by the government. No one is even sure which presidents we’re celebrating today but that doesn’t keep everyone from enjoying the day off.
And disturbing news out of Sochi, Italian media is reporting that a transgender former member of the country’s parliament has been arrested at the games, allegedly for holding up a banner that read “Gay is OK” in Russian. Russia’s treatment of the LGBT community has been front and center in the Winter Olympic games, but Russian officials have been adamant that LGBT fans would not face discrimination.
Elsewhere in Sochi, figure skating and ice hockey continue with big match ups on the ice. McClatchy's Bill Douglas reports from Sochi.