COVID-19 vaccine: The FDA is progressing toward the authorization of the COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by Pfizer Pharmaceutical company. The vaccinations should start making its first appearance in the U.S. by early next week. Once the vaccine is authorized, the federal government will begin to work on finding a way to distribute it to states. Vaccinations will not begin until the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) committee recommends the vaccine, and the CDC accepts it.

Significance: Talk of a vaccination for COVID-19 has been around for months, and the vaccination itself is now nearing the end of the preparation stage. Governors have discussed that healthcare workers and those who are vulnerable, like residents of long-term care facilities, will be the first to receive the vaccine. Experts say the vaccines will likely case surges will present themselves.

Presidential election lawsuit: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit on Tuesday, asking the Supreme Court for an emergency order to invalidate votes from the presidential election in Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. President Trump joined alongside Texas on Wednesday. In addition, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Utah have also joined in support of the lawsuit.

Significance: Though it is unclear how the Supreme Court will act on the lawsuit, more than 100 House Republicans signed in support of Paxton. The likelihood of President Trump getting back into office depends on if the court agrees or refuses to take up the lawsuit. If the Supreme Court rejects the lawsuit, the effort to get Trump back into office is less likely.