The CDC director is an accomplished scientist and doctor, but her job is necessarily political—and she’s bad at politics.

A highly contagious variant, quarantines, closures, and fast-changing rules: It was supposed to be a calm fall, but we’re looking at a new year that could look a lot like the last.

The race for a cure has put a spotlight on corporate control over medical research. Under a Democratic administration, it doesn’t have to be that way.