In early April, the White House said America is at war with "an invisible enemy." The U.S. government is responding to the coronavirus pandemic with a series of measures that invoke a 70 year old Cold War law called the Defense Production Act. The law allows the president to compel companies to make medical supplies and take other measures to stop the spread of the disease. Use of the DPA for protective equipment, virus testing kits, even vaccines, has bipartisan support. Some politici