Washington in 60 Seconds: Joe Biden Says, 'Washington Is Broken'

Good morning, Capitolists! It's the stimulus bill's first birthday, but we're not getting it anything, since it's like a rich friend who can easily buy itself something better than we could possibly afford.

Instead, we've put together a list of what's making news in Washington today:

* Biden on Washington. In an interview with CBS News, veteran legislator and now Vice President Joe Biden said this morning said that abuse of the filibuster in the Senate has brought Capitol Hill to a new low. "Washington, right now, is broken. . . . I've never seen it this dysfunctional." See the entire interview HERE.

* Happy Birthday, Stimulus! The president will mark the bill's anniversary with a speech this morning at 10:30 Eastern, when he'll report that the emergency legislation has created or saved 2 million jobs so far. We know a lot of money went to states to help them pay teachers, police and firefighters, but you can see what else all that money has gone toward in the report to the president HERE.

* We Got You an Independent Analysis. If you're dubious about the White House's self-exam, check out Louise Radnofsky's analysis at the Wall Street Journal, where she writes that only a third of the stimulus money has gone out the door, mostly toward emergency social safety-net programs. The next bundle of cash will go to infrastructure projects that will send the money into the private sector, but an economist warns that may not dent the unemployment rate. "We should be careful of how many jobs we expect to be created from that."

* No More Nukes. President Obama left his environmental backers reeling yesterday when he announced $8 billion in loan guarantees for the country's first new nuclear reactor in three decades. Obama framed nuclear power as one tool to reduce carbon emissions, but progressive activists framed Obama as a tool of the energy industry. "The last thing Americans want is another government bailout for a failing industry, but that's exactly what they're getting from the Obama administration," a Friends of the Earth member told the Washington Times.

* Colorado Contenders Square Off. Sen. Michael Bennet took on challenger Andrew Romanoff in their battle for his Senate seat last night. Romanoff said that Washington is broken, and Bennet agreed, according to the Denver Post. "I love you," Bennet said. "I just wish you were running a primary against one of the people causing the problems."