12 May—With hantavirus the disease du jour, de la semaine, du mois, de l’année, and so forth, it must be reported that last year the Trump administration, among its countless humanitarian policy initiatives, cut funding and effectively killed the West African Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases (WAC-EID), which was in the middle of a project specifically designed to study how hantaviruses jump from rodents, like the cute little white-footed mouse, to humans.

Hantavirus is extremely rare in Connecticut and there were no state residents aboard the hantaliner, MV Hondius, as far as can be determined, but since travel within the United States has not yet been restricted for people of acceptable color with proper credentials, you never know.

While in Connecticut, then, it was rather surprising to learn that snotty young former Hartford mayor Luke Bronin won the First Congressional District Democrat convention last night, defeating mature 14-term incumbent John Larson for the party endorsement on the second ballot, 51.2 to 48.8 percent. Of course, even if the result had been reversed there was certain to be a primary in August.

So it’s not surprising that Larson may well have given the victory to Bronin—just barely—and allowed a third candidate to join the primary without needing to petition—just barelier. A fourth candidate evidently already has enough signatures on a petition to be in the primary. In all events, the third and fourth candidates are more likely to draw Democrat voters away from Bronin than from Larson. Publicity and appearances—and finessing and trumping the competition—are what it’s all about.

And we can’t let this disquisition pass with warning Jeanine Pirro, Donald Trump’s fashionable U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, to watch her step. Seriously. And with the best intention, of course. This is a picture of Jeanine and the Acting Librarian of Congress hawking firearms. Look at Jeanine’s ultra-bell-bottom slacks. Suffice to say, if she’s not careful, she’ll trip over them and fall flat on her glamorous face . . .