Alan Greenblatt, David Kidd, Carl Smith, Governing

State lawmakers face a terrible hangover of problems from 2020. First and foremost is the pandemic, which is at its worst even as vaccinations are rolled out across the country. Caseloads and death tolls are adding uncertainty to the economy, which in turn is hampering state budgets.

Sheryl Gay Stolberg, The New York Times

A federal watchdog has found that the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, which drew national attention last year when the Trump administration fired its director, has been used for the past 10 years as a “slush fund” to cover expenses unrelated to its core mission of fighting health threats like Ebola, Zika and the coronavirus.

Aric Jenkins, Fortune

Regardless of the bravado of President Trump, Republicans seem to think he'll lose next month's presidential election to Joe Biden. "Y'all have a good chance of winning the White House," South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said to Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar during Thursday's Supreme Court confirmation hearing. National polls anticipate that outcome as well: Biden currently holds an 11 point lead over Trump.