For the first time in history, more than one of every 100 American adults is in jail or prison, making the United States the world's top jailer. "These sad facts reflect a very distorted set of national priorities," Sen. Bernie Sanders said. As the Iraq war ground on, the Senate tried again but failed again to set a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops. Working on nuclear power plant safety, Sanders teamed up with Senator Hillary Clinton in a letter to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. One month after a bipartisan agreement on an economic stimulus package, senators locked horns Thursday over how to stem the housing crisis. At the White House, a clueless Bush was shocked to hear that gasoline prices are headed to $4 a gallon.

Prison Population The United States puts more adults behind bars than China, and the U.S. imprisons more people per capita than Russia and other nations that made up the former Soviet Union. The same study said Vermont spends more on prisons than on higher education. Vermont, in fact, had the worst ratio of prison to college spending in the country. "Perhaps, if we adequately invested in our children and in education, kids who now grow up to be criminals could become productive workers and taxpayers," Sanders said. "Today, the United States has the highest rate of childhood poverty of any major country and, year after year, we grossly underfunded childcare, Head Start and the overall needs of our children." To listen to the senator's comments, click here. To read the report, click here.

The War in Iraq Sanders and Vermont's senior senator, Patrick Leahy, cosponsored a bill that would cut off funding for the military mission in Iraq with exceptions for counterterrorism, troop training and other limited purposes. Said Sanders, "At a time when we have a $9 trillion national debt and enormous unmet needs in this country, this war continues to cost us an astronomical $12 billion each and every month. We should stop the war, stop the bloodshed, rebuild our credibility around the world, and reorder or priorities at home." Pentagon spending will come under Sanders' scrutiny when the Senate Budget Committee meets in the coming week. To read more about the costs of the Iraq war, click here. To watch the senator discuss the cost of the war in Iraq and out-of-control Pentagon spending, click here.

Housing Doldrums Siding with President Bush, Senate Republicans blocked legislation that would have let bankruptcy judges reduce mortgage costs for people facing foreclosure on their houses. "The hundreds of thousands of people about to be thrown out on the street want the government to stand with them. When they are going bankrupt and their homes are being foreclosed, they want to be able to sit in front of a bankruptcy judge and be able to see lower interest rates so they can hang onto their homes. That's good for the people. That's good for the economy," Sanders told CNBC's Larry Kudlow. Meanwhile, the Bush administration also gave a cold shoulder to proposals to buy and restructure billions of dollars in delinquent home loans. Instead, the president called on Congress to extend indefinitely his 2001 and 2003 tax breaks for the richest Americans. To watch Sanders on Kudlow & Company, click here.

$4 Gas? President Bush was caught flat footed on Thursday when a reporter mentioned what energy analysts expect the price of gasoline could go to $4 a gallon in many parts of the country. "Wait, what did you just say? You're predicting $4-a-gallon gasoline?" Bush responded to a reporter who asked him about the predictions. "That's interesting. I hadn't heard that." Bush probably hasn't pulled his limousine up to the pump at a self-service station for awhile, Sanders surmised. To watch an excerpt of the senator's discussion of gas prices with chief of staff Jeff Weaver, the senator's chief of staff, click here.

Clinton Joins Sanders on Nuclear Safety Senator Clinton added her name to a Sanders letter to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission criticizing the agency for setting the stage for extending operations at aging atomic power plants beyond 60 years. Sanders and Clinton said it was premature to consider extending licenses past 60 years while unresolved safety issues plague those plants. To read more about it in the Brattleboro Reformer, click here.

The Weather Report Vermont set a February record for snowfall in what already is one of the 10 snowiest winters on record. In Washington, meanwhile, daffodils were in bloom.