Good morning, Capitolists! The president is back in Washington, Joe Biden is still on vacation, David Wood has skipped vacation in favor of Afghanistan, and we're here to tell you what's happening in Washington in the next 60 seconds.

Here's what's making news in Washington today:

* President Obama hosts a White House reception this morning for the newest member of the Supreme Court, Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

* Later, he will award the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the nation, to 16 individuals, including Sen. Ted Kennedy, the late Jack Kemp, Desmond Tutu, Billie Jean King, the late Harvey Milk and others.

* The Washington Post's front page says that even though the economic data looks better, the real economic pain for most people continues. The headline: "A Recovery Only a Statistician Could Love."

* A year after the Russian-Georgian war, Vladimir Putin has announced that Russia will spend $500 million to fortify its military bases in the break-away Georgian province of Abkhazia, according to the BBC. Only Russia and Nicaragua officially recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the sources of last year's dispute.

* And if you're frustrated with your representative in Congress, consider that Alan Duncan, a British member of Parliament, has had to apologize for saying that MPs are "treated like s---" and "have to live on rations." Duncan recently had to repay $6,000 worth of garden improvements that he billed to taxpayers. The Times of London reports Duncan's colleagues "are not best pleased."

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