The argument has best been played out in this debate between Trump and CNN correspondent Jim Acosta;

x x YouTube Video “We hear from a lot of people who see these briefings as sort of ‘happy talk’ briefings,” Acosta said. “And some of the officials don’t paint as rosy picture of what is happening around the country. If you look at some of these questions — do we have enough masks? No. Do we have enough tests? No. Do we have enough PPE? No.” Trump then interrupted him. “Why would you say that? The answer is yes. I think the answer is yes.” For the next five minutes, he sparred with Acosta over the notion that the U.S. does not have enough of the medical supplies. Trump said that there was now enough supply of ventilators, for instance, that other countries are asking the U.S. for them. But Acosta tried to cite news coverage of doctors and other medical officials who have appeared on the network complaining of scarcities. Trump interjected, “A lot of it is fake news.” As Acosta went on, Trump said, “Well yeah, depending on your air they are always going to say that because otherwise you are not going to put them on.”

Trump continued to argue that there was plenty of tests, plenty of masks, PPE, beds and ventilators. Acosta brought up examples of doctors and nurses who are working on the front line who repeatedly complain that they don't have PPE and they don't have access to tests.

There is no doubt that the test have been rationed only to patients who show the most symptoms and haven't been allowed for medical personnel.

2.5 Million tests have been administered, but the CDC has only received results for half of them.

These testing problems have essentially doomed Trump's push to have the country re-opened by the end of the month. If we don't have a clear picture of who is sick and who isn't, who has the virus and who doesn't — how do we open up businesses and schools where, yet again, healthy people can be infected?

There are new anti-body tests coming online soon, but based on the general incompetence we've seen from the Trump administration so far, more of the same can be expected.

Also, there's the fact that Trump can't countermand the orders of various State Governors and Mayors. Even if he declares the country "open" that doesn't mean that Gavin Newsom and Andrew Cuomo are going to put their citizens at risk for the whim of his re-election campaign.

The country is not going to be re-opened on May 1st, no matter what Trump decides.

It should also be noted that while all this is going on, pollution is down massively.

The screenshots began to circulate on Delhi WhatsApp groups last week, captioned with varying expressions of disbelief. Having checked the air quality index, something of a sadistic morning ritual among residents of India’s capital, most could not believe their eyes. Gone was the familiar menacing red banner, indicating how each intake of breath is really just a toxic blast on the lungs, replaced instead by a healthy, cheerful green. Could it really be that Delhi’s pollution levels now fell into the category of … “good”? “It’s positively alpine!” exclaimed one message. A nationwide lockdown imposed across India almost two weeks ago to stop the spread of the coronavirus – the largest lockdown of its kind attempted anywhere – has led to widespread chaos and suffering, especially among the country’s 300 million poor. Yet in Delhi, the world’s most polluted city, it has also resulted in some of the freshest air the capital has seen in decade.

This makes me wonder what the lockdown is doing for greenhouse gas emissions.

And that leads question of how immigrants seeking green cards may be avoiding and deferring using healthcare because the SCOTUS affirmed Trump's "Public Charge" rule which would block their ability to seek a Green Card.

There are many other situations of collateral damage happening on Trump's watch, especially the handling of asylum seekers currently being detained at the border. An outbreak of CoronaVirus in those conditions could be disastrous.

Everything Trump touches turns into a disaster.

Here are the rest of this week's events:

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