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Welcome to Prognosis. I'm Laura Carlson.

It's day 41 since coronavirus was declared a global pandemic.

Our main story? U.S. hospitals have turned directly to Chinese manufacturers to obtain badly needed masks for health care workers.

But the skyrocketing demand has created a Wild West scenario.

Profiteering middlemen ratchet up prices, and buyers sometimes go to extraordinary lengths to

try to ensure quality. But first, here's what happened today.

The White House and Congress have agreed on a new pandemic relief plan that will inject funds into a tapped-out small business aid program and offer aid for coronavirus testing and overwhelmed hospitals. President Donald Trump said he'd sign the measure and begin discussions on a next round of stimulus. The measure

could be approved by Congress as soon as Thursday. The Justice Department will consider taking

legal action against governors who continue to impose

stringent rules for dealing with the coronavirus after the crisis subsides in their states,

according to Attorney General William Barr.

In an interview on the Hugh Hewitt Show Tuesday, Barr said measures like stay-at-home orders

and directives

to shut down businesses are justified up to a point, but states should eventually move to more

targeted measures.

The comments come as the Trump administration and states are fighting over the best strategy

...