U.S. state

Cases have proliferated in part because of holiday gatherings — and compounded previous surges from Thanksgiving and the return of students to schools.
The AP tallied more than $7 billion in purchases by states this spring for personal protective equipment, or PPE, and high-demand medical devices such as ventilators and infrared thermometers.
Some governors described the early PPE marketplace as the Wild West, where supplies simply went to the highest bidder.
State and local governments facing revenue shortfalls due to the pandemic are having to cut costs to stay afloat, and there's no guarantee Congress rescues them.
More than half of states allow a third party to collect ballots in a practice known as "ballot harvesting."
With no specific guidelines, states are left to figure out what a successful coronavirus testing program should be.
Congress may modify the program; states can act now.
The nation's hardest hit communities are turning to the long-stigmatized opioid treatment.
Starry-eyed lawmakers might be overestimating their haul from legalized sports betting.