"Representatives for five of those attorneys general—from the states of Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee—confirmed to The Daily Beast that the coronavirus outbreak has not changed their plans to try and kill the health care law as parties to the case of Texas v. California," that outlet reports. The other 13 either declined to comment or just ignored the request for comment from reporter Sam Brodey. As of publication of Brodey's story, Georgia had more than 1,700 cases and Tennessee about 1,000. They are echoing their dear leader Trump, who said last week that "what we want to do is get rid of the bad health care and put in a great health care."

Spoiler alert—there is no plan for "great health care" in the Trump administration. Or in any of those states. Or in the Republican U.S. Senate or among Republicans in the House. Still. It's quite possible that the Supreme Court, and specifically Chief Justice John Roberts, sees what's happening around the country and gives a damn. But, as always, that's a thin reed on which to rest all our hopes.

Meanwhile, Congress has guaranteed that people can get a coronavirus test for free, presuming that the nation under a Trump administration ever manages to secure enough tests to do so. But thus far Sen. Mitch McConnell's Senate has refused to allow universal coverage of coronavirus care. Which means that uninsured people are being turned away from treatment and dying. That's where we're at now. In a pandemic without the ACA, there's at least 20 million more people without insurance and at risk of being turned away.

That is a crime, or should be. Democratic attorney general Xavier Becerra of California, who is leading the defense of the law in federal court, says that "no one should want to risk access to public health" in the "new reality" of this pandemic. And yet, they do. And will.