“Just Delusional” : As governors across the country are under pressure to re-open their states, many say they don’t have the coronavirus tests to safely end social isolation. Weeks after President Trump said anyone who needs a test can get a test, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said the administration’s claims are “just delusional.”

  Medical workers are missing not only the tests, but the swabs to take them and the medium in which to put the sample. 

  President Trump now says it’s up to the states to do the testing, but they don’t have what they need to do it. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said, “ We can’t do an international supply chain and that’s where the federal government has to help.”

  Trump dismissed the claims saying, “Re-agents and swabs are so easy to get.”

  The President claims the US has done more testing than any other country.  Iceland is #1 by proportion, having tested 12 percent of its population, which admittedly is easier for Iceland. But in percentage of population tested, the US lags behind Italy, Germany, Spain, Canada, and even Russia, having tested just 1.1 percent of the American population. The US ranks #38 in coronavirus testing.

  As the US pulls far ahead with the worst coronavirus problem — nearly four times as many cases as the next country in the batting order and twice the deaths — President Trump spent part of his day blaming and attacking House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, calling her “an inherently ‘dumb’ person” who  “wasted all of her time on the Impeachment Hoax.”

  Early on in the crisis, Pelosi encouraged people to keep visiting San Francisco’s Chinatown. Trump tweeted yesterday, “Based on her statement, she is responsible for many deaths. She’s an incompetent, third-rate politician!” 

The Bottomless Pit: The Trump administration and congressional leaders are close to reaching agreement  on a roughly $470 billion deal to provide more money for the  emergency small-business loan fund that quickly ran out of money. The agreement would also include $75 billion for hospitals and $25 billion for testing, which have been major Democratic demands.

    In New York, Mayor Bill de Blasio was calling out the President for direct emergency aid to cities where the tax revenues have dried up. “President Trump, what’s going on? Cat got your tongue?” de Blasio said during his daily press briefing. “You’re usually really talkative. You usually have an opinion on everything. How on earth do you not have an opinion on aid to American cities and states?”

  Referring to one of the most famous tabloid headlines of all time when New York went broke — “Ford to City: Drop Dead” — DeBlasio said, “So my question is, Mr. Trump, Mr. President, are you going to save New York City or are you telling New York City to drop dead? Which one is it?”

Back to the Kitchen: Amid complaints about who’s getting the small business loans, the burger chain Shake Shack has returned its $10 million emergency business loan under the Paycheck Protection Program.

  There’s been a growing backlash over how large portions of the available money have been snapped up by restaurants, hoteliers, and publicly traded corporations.

The Morning Stats: Over the weekend, coronavirus deaths in the US passed the 40,000 mark — 40,683 to be exact.

  Nearly half those deaths are in New York State; 18,298 deaths in the state and 14,451 in New York City. Deaths in the city jumped by a stunning 1,294 in the last 24 hours, although the city hopes that is a “lagging indicator” of the crisis peaking a couple of weeks ago.

  In New Jersey, 4,362 people have died and In Massachusetts, 1,706.

Mass Shooting: At least 16 people are dead, including the gunman and an RCMP officer , after a multi-location shooting in rural Nova Scotia. The dead officer was a 23-year veteran of the force and a mother of two.

 The shooter was a 51-year-old local man who made dentures. He was described as wearing the uniform of a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer and driving a vehicle mocked-up to look like an RCMP car.

  The killing spree began in the town of Portapique Saturday night and ended 22 miles and 12 hours later in Enfield, north of Halifax, where the gunman died. 

The Bulletin Board: Nearly 60 percent of the crew aboard France’s only aircraft carrier has tested positive for the coronavirus, forcing the Charles de Gaulle into port. — What are believed to be the remains of noted South African photographer Peter Beard were found on outer Long Island. He’d been missing since March 31^st. The former fixture at New York’s Studio 54 had dementia.

Trophy of a Headline Hunter: “Alas, Poor New York: Shakespeare in the Park Is Canceled.”

-30-