From this morning's Earlybird:

• "Organized labor and trade groups are promising that it will be business as usual after Sen. Arlen Specter's (R-Pa.) surprise announcement this week that he will not cast the deciding vote to cut off debate on controversial 'card check" legislation,'" Roll Call (subscription) reports.

• "A new business trade group, Business Forward, run by Democrats close to President Obama may offer K Street an avenue into a White House extremely wary of lobbyists," The Hill reports. "Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to and close friend of Obama; Michael Strautmanis, Jarrett's chief of staff; and Tina Tchen, the White House public liaison director, met with more than 40 executives and lobbyists from several Fortune 500 companies at a reception last Friday at the Hay-Adams Hotel."

• "Two months have passed since the Treasury Department said it would unveil lobbying rules for firms receiving federal bailout money, yet the department has not issued actual regulations," The Hill reports. "Washington lobbyists and campaign finance watchdogs say they continue to ask the department for clarification but haven't heard anything specific."

• "As President Obama pitched his budget plans to Senate Democrats Wednesday, progressive groups, including a Democratic National Committee affiliate linked to the president, stepped up pressure on moderate Democrats to back the plan," CongressDailyAM (subscription) reports. "Organizing for America, a DNC project that aims to drum up grassroots support for Obama's policies by tapping the campaign's extensive grassroots network, sent e-mails to supporters around the country asking them to contact lawmakers and ask where they stand on Obama's plan."

• "After months of meetings, a diverse collection of health care groups plans to issue recommendations on Monday for Congress as lawmakers work on legislation revamping the U.S. health care system," the Wall Street Journal reports. "The proposal is consistent with plans outlined by" Obama "and key congressional Democrats, said three people familiar with the report, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the report isn't yet public."