Cobell v. Salazar settlement

February 28: Last day for the United States to accept a $3.4 billion settlement with Native Americans who filed a class action lawsuit against the Department of the Interior a decade ago over oil, mineral, and grazing rights on tribal lands.

Texas primary

March 2: Conservative Texans will head to the polls today to nominate the state's Republican candidate for November's gubernatorial election. Incumbent Rick Perry has maintained a comfortable lead over Texas' senior U.S. senator, Kay Bailey Hutchison. But political novice Debra Medina has gained significant ground.

Falcon 9 launch

March 3: For those wondering what space travel will look like under the Obama administration's proposal to squelch NASA's plans to travel back to the Moon, today is a good place to start. SpaceX will test its Falcon 9 rocket, and if the test goes well, it may provide NASA a way to reach the International Space Station after the shuttle program expires.

Elections in Iraq

March 7: Iraqis go to the polls in parliamentary elections for the third time since the U.S. invasion in 2003. This time focus will be on two outlier provinces, Nineveh and Kirkuk, where Kurds, Sunnis, and minorities including Christians have clashed over territorial and council control. Shia party leader and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is expected to prevail but Sunni participation at the polls will be key.

82nd Academy Awards

March 7: Actors Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin will host this year's Academy Awards. Bettors at Intrade.com are narrowly predicting Avatar to pick up the Oscar for best picture over films like Hurt Locker, Up, and Up in the Air.

Redefining France

March 7: For three months, French citizens have debated one another at countless town hall meetings, all to redefine what makes French people French. Faced with a national identity crisis brought on by, among other things, Muslim immigration, French President Nicolas Sarkozy launched the listening campaign in November and will meet with ministers to discuss the findings.

Rove memoir

March 9: Politicos searching for insider secrets from the Bush administration will pore over Karl Rove's 600-plus page memoir, set to be released today. The book, titled Courage and Consequence: My Life as a Conservative in the Fight could offer a treasure trove from the political advisor at times called "Bush's Brain."