CHICAGO (NewsNation Now) — This year’s holiday season was supposed to be a do-over for last year’s subdued celebrations. Instead, it’s turning into a redux of restrictions, cancellations and rising angst over the never-ending pandemic.

Dr. Rajeev Fernando joins “On Balance” to discuss whether more restrictions are the answer. Niall Stanage of The Hill discusses the White House’s response to the pandemic.

A federal judge has rejected OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma’s bankruptcy settlement of thousands of lawsuits over the opioid epidemic because of a provision that would protect members of the Sackler family from facing litigation of their own. Keith Humphreys, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University and former drug policy advisor to two presidential administrations, joins the show.

A search warrant has been issued for actor Alec Baldwin’s phone in the investigation of October’s fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the New Mexico set of his Western movie “Rust.” Criminal defense attorney Julie Rendelman weighs in on the warrant.

NewsNation’s Kellie Meyer reports there is new bipartisan agreement on sanctions against one of Vladimir Putin’s pet projects. Peter Brookes, a senior research fellow for the Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy joins “On Balance.”

The millions of dollars spent by American professional sports franchises to keep playing through the pandemic appears to have met its match. The NFL is postponing at least three games this weekend. The NBA’s schedule is a mess and some NHL teams might not play until after the new year because of COVID-19 protocols. Dr. Zach Binney, a sports epidemiologist at Oxford College of Emory University discuss sports and COVID-19.