Washington in 60 Seconds: Swine Flu, the Economy, and Afghanistan

Good morning, Capitolists! It's D-Day for Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), as the House takes a vote to send the gentleman from South Carolina to the woodshed for his unprecedented "You lie!" outburst against the president of the United States. But is it the woodshed or the brier patch? Discuss. (And see last bullet below.)

Despite that high drama, don't forget there are actual events of consequence happening in the Capitol, too. Here's what's making news in Washington today:

* President Obama keeps up his effort to change the subject away from health care and to anything else for a while. He goes to Youngstown, Ohio, today to speak about the economy to the AFL-CIO, and then headlines a fundraiser for Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) tonight.

* Adm. Mike Mullen testifies today to the Senate Armed Services Committee as a part of his nomination to continue as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Senators are expected to grill him on the military's plans for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, including how many troops will be needed to get the jobs done. Watch it at 9:30 a.m. on the committee's Web site.

* Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius testifies to the House Energy and Commerce Committee about the government's plans to (hopefully) contain the swine flu. The good news -- one dose of the H1N1 vaccine should do the trick. The bad news -- most people probably won't get the vaccine. Cough into your sleeves, people!

* Despite sightings of "green shoots" in the economy, most Americans still see dark clouds in their futures. Six in 10 Americans in a new Washington Post poll worry that a job loss or pay cut will come in the next several months, and fewer than half think Washington has done enough to avert another economic crisis.

* The New York Times reports that a U.N. commission has ordered a recount in the recent Afghan elections, a move that could pull President Hamid Karzai's vote total under 50 percent and trigger a run-off. Sen. Carl Levin said last week that allegations of fraud in the elections were a "major complication" for U.S. efforts there.

* And finally, is it the woodshed or the brier patch that Rep. Joe Wilson is headed for this afternoon when the House votes to reprimand him? Less than a week after his high-profile trip on the low road of Congressional civility, the congressman's campaign staff reports to Politico that he has raised more than $1.5 million for his reelection campaign after the incident. A public reprimand from his Democratic colleagues would likely spur his sympathetic donors to put their money where his mouth is and fill Wilson's coffers further.