There was a quick-draw showdown on the dusty streets of the Senate Finance Committee yesterday, and Montana Senator Max Baucus came out swinging. Both Democratic proposals to create a government-run insurance plan were shot down by the committee, leaving saloon shutters flapping and the road wide open for Baucus to ride in with his plan by the end of the week.

And how does the committee chairman want to run this town? Like any good sheriff, he vies for the middle of the road: that is to say, nonprofit insurance cooperatives over the public option, and as an alternative to private companies. After all, no cowboy worth his salt will trust those private vigilantes...but neither will he tame the wild west. Read More "Our Morning Roundup: Wild Wild West Edition" »

Joel B. Anthony took the words right out of my mouth. Writing on the Washington Post's Free for All page on Saturday, Mr. Anthony articulated a lingering feel that I'd had about a piece of columnizing by Washington Postie Michael Wilbon.

Read More "Weekend in Review" »

"Nothing's slower than a sick turtle," reads an anti-swine flu advert at the University of Maryland, reminding student Terps to practice proper coughing-and-sneezing etiquette and to wash their hands often.

Still, as of yesterday, there were 172 suspected cases of H1N1 at the university, according to the Associated Press. And the health center has canceled all non-emergency appointments (except for allergy and immunization services) for the rest of the week "due to the high incidence of influenza-like illness."

Read More "Swine Flu Hits University of Maryland: Will Students Really Wipe Down Doorknobs?" »

The Metropolitan Police Department just re-upped its emergency supply kit recommendations this morning in honor of September: Did you know it’s National Preparedness Month?

I occasionally think it might be a good idea to create a kit and come up with a plan since we live in a place terrorists most likely dream about bombing, burning, crashing into, or … well, I think you get the picture. And, now with Swine Flu poised for a comeback, there seems even more reason to stockpile the canned food and water, though I don’t know where one is supposed to put all those rations in the average D.C. apartment. You’d need a separate storage unit. And, wouldn't that defeat the purpose? But some provisions seem appropriate.

Anyone know where I can get one of those face masks?

Good morning, City Desk readers!  Remember those lovely events and people we tried to forget about in the past few years, among them press secretaries, judicial nominations, and transit accidents?  They're all back to rear their ugly heads this morning, so let's commence with the news rundown.

• Yesterday afternoon, City Desk posted the latest WaPo article about the Metro crash, which basically announced that circuits on four of the five lines have failed to detect the presence of trains.  The 6 pm newscasts featured commentary from a variety of concerned commuters and so to quell their concerns, Metro GM John Catoe and Councilman Jim Graham held a press conference announcing that the Post got the story wrong.  The system is safe, says Catoe, and the article is a gross misstatement of facts.  Watch WUSA's interview with Catoe - he could be a dreidel with the way he's spinning this new information.

Swine flu, social networks, and the Secret Service after the jump.  Plus, a new alternative to saving the Nats! Read More "Our Morning Roundup: Just When We Forgot Edition" »

The Washington Post has a story today saying the H1N1 virus, AKA Swine Flu, is off to a memorable summer. Hospital emergency rooms and doctor’s offices report hundreds of cases across Maryland, Virginia and the District.  It’s a particularly bad sign considering there are usually no or few flu cases here this time of year.

“It’s like snow in the summer,” Gaurov Dayal, chief medical officer at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, told the Post.

Put that news together with this AP story and we’ve got a pretty freaky scenario. In a nutshell: AP reports that the government is gearing up for a massive immunization effort but there are likely to be some serious and mysterious side effects. In 1976, the last time Swine Flu was on the rise, U.S. officials vaccinated 40 million people.  At least 500 came down with “a paralyzing condition called Guillain-Barre Syndrome. It's still unknown what caused the condition,” according to AP. This time, the government plans to roll out 600 million flu shots, enough to vaccinate everyone in the country twice.

Don’t you just love it when you get your own anecdote to back up a news story?

Today, an unusual offer arrived in my inbox: a sales pitch for swine flu vaccine. All I’d have to do is send in my contact info. and a major credit card and the cure would arrive in the mail. Depending on how bad the pandemic gets, it could be a decent deal. Sure, whoever sent me the email could steal my credit card number or completely make off with my identity before proffering the precious antidote. But, at least, I’d be protected against the dreaded scourge, know officially as the global H1N1 flu pandemic.

 OK, OK, so you’re on to me; I have no intention of providing my personal information to swine flu scammers. But, there must be some takers. The Food and Drug Administration has launched a crackdown on Internet purveyors of bogus flu cures.

AFTER THE JUMP: More on Internet scams and a new twist on pork-barrel politics.

Read More "Swine Flu Scams: A Pandemic!" »

• Oink Oink!  Just when we thought that the swine flu H1N1 virus was under control, The Post is reporting that a Chesapeake woman died from complications of the virus on Tuesday.  This is the area's first publicly announced death attributed to the flu and Virginia Governor Tim Kaine is urging those with noticeable symptoms to be proactive about treatment.  

• In other deadly virus news, two Virginia sisters are being detained at a health camp in China because an individual on their flight tested positive for H1N1, according to WUSA 9.  They took Tamiflu and hope to leave China tonight so they can continue filming their show on the Home Shopping Network.

• Sad But True: Prince George's County's top prosecutor says that charges are not likely to be filed in the death of Ronnie White, almost a year after he was found dead in his jail cell.  White was charged with murder after running over a police officer with his truck last June.  

• The Washington Times announces that Former First Lady Nancy Reagan and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will join House and Senate leaders when a new statue of Ronald Reagan is unveiled in the Capitol Rotunda this morning.  Jelly beans were not among the materials used.

• And finally, Prince of Petworth reveals that Columbia Heights is getting what it always wanted:  a Chipotle.  Because in these trying times, burritos are the way to go.  Seriously, you can live off of one of those for a week and still not finish.  Too bad all the new DC Chipotle franchises won't be applying for liquor licenses, however.

Yesterday, my sister Emily flew to Mexico for her birthday. There are benefits to making such a trip at this time. The District may have confirmed on Wednesday one swine flu case along with three probables, but are you going to let this virus win? Not my brave sister.

Emily called in to report on her courage. The benefits so far: A very empty plane ride. There were no worries about space for that carry-on suitcase. And there was plenty of leg room. Also, the flight attendants told her that she could have an entire can of Coke.

Expect a few more updates from our Mexico correspondent.

On Saturday, the Tenleytown Tigers of the Stoddert Soccer League whupped 13-and-under division rivals from the French International School, 4-1.

But when the girls from both teams lined up for the usual post-game handshake, they were told to steer clear of each other.

Not even fist bumps.

"They waved at each other and a few girls bowed," says a Tenleytown parent. "That's what the league wanted."

No player from either team has since been diagnosed with Swine Flu. Guess the no-handshake rule worked.

LL exclusive: Two George Washington University students have "probable" cases of H1N1 "swine" flu.

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty is minutes from convening a press conference to discuss the cases.

LL is told that both students have recovered and that they continue to be quarantined out of an abundance of caution.

UPDATE, 4:50 P.M.: Here is the official press release:

Read More "Two GWU Students With Probable Swine Flu" »

WTOP broke the news that Rockville High School will be closed today after reports that a student has most likely come down with the H1N1 virus. The Washington Post reports on this closure as well. The paper notes that reporters received the news via a late-night phone call with MOCO school officials. And writes:

"Montgomery County Health Officer Dr. Ulder Tillman said this probable swine flu case 'now affects Rockville High.' A decision was made to close the school Thursday on the advice of the Centers for Disease Control and the Maryland state health department we are taking immediate steps to close the school.

Few details were released about the student, who is suffering from similar symptoms of the virus and is the ninth probable case in the state, officials said. The student was last in school on Monday, officials said."

Read More "Swine Flu Closes Rockville High" »

At 5:30 p.m., I spot a woman wearing a mask exiting a metro bus at Mount Pleasant and Irving. Do I have Vice President Biden to thank?

We have a report of a D.C. office worker with a case of swine flu. The flu victim is a World Bank employee who traveled to Mexico from April 14 to 18. The employee has fully recovered from the flu. The World Bank asked employees who worked with the staffer to work from home pending consultations with health authorities, according to Bloomberg. Though the individual works in D.C., the case is officially classified as a Maryland case, on account of the person's residency.

Note: This post was amended and corrected at 3:34 pm to reflect the fact that this case is not officially classified as a D.C. case.

I was just driving down Georgia Avenue in Petworth and saw a young male walking toward a corner store wearing a bandana over his face. I hadn't seen this get-up on the streets of DC since the Mount Pleasant riots.

It's a jarring look, no doubt, and likely to catch on.

I couldn't tell if his garb was intended to cover up his identity for what he was about to do, or cover up his mouth so he doesn't get the swine flu.

But I was glad I'm not a clerk in that store.