Welcome to Texas ProRata, where we take just 10 minutes to get you smarter on the collision of tech, business, and politics.

Sponsored by Bridge Bank. Be bold. Venture wisely. I'm Dan for Mack. On today's show, PG&E pleads guilty for the campfire and a massive spike in pessimism.

But first, reopening America. For the past week or so, President Trump

has been emphasizing the need for social distancing and supporting state and local decisions to

close non-essential businesses and schools. But then, beginning yesterday, a new message emerged. This

shutdown can't go on indefinitely. And the economy should restart sooner rather than later. Weeks, not months. Three

things to know. First, almost no leading medical expert believes the coronavirus spread has peaked,

nor that it will by this time next week, which is the official end of the White House's 15 days

to slow the spread plan. To be clear, President Trump isn't saying for sure that he'll order

business back next

Tuesday, but he is using that day as a touchpoint for reevaluation. Two, it is unclear if President

Trump can reopen American business. Remember, he's not the one who really closed it in the first

place. Instead, it was mostly mayors and governors who took the lead, while the White House dithered.

And many of those leaders have locked down orders in place that already are scheduled to last long pass next Tuesday,

as they've been listening to the doctors who warn that hospitals and other medical facilities

could become even more overrun if we stop social distancing too soon, something that would go

hand in hand with returning to work in school. Three, the longer we wait to reopen the economy, the harder it may be. But reopening too

soon could be even worse, with many folks too fearful to work or to shop, not to mention

the risk of reigniting the virus spread, thus leading to yet another shutdown. The bottom

line, everyone wants America to reopen, but there's growing disagreement as to when that should happen.

In 20 seconds, we'll go deeper with Axios healthcare reporter Caitlin Owens.

But first, this.

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