Axios' Mike Allen interviews Vice President Mike Pence. Photo: Chuck Kennedy for Axios
Axios' Mike Allen hosted one-on-one conversations with Vice President Mike Pence and Senator Amy Klobuchar [D-MN] on Valentine's Day as part of our News Shapers series.
Why it mattered: They discussed the biggest news of the day, digging into immigration, the techlash, North Korea, Russian election interference and Rob Porter's resignation.
Mike Allen sets the stage with Axios' Alexi McCammond and Jonathan Swan. Sen. Klobuchar's dream headline on the immigration debate: "The senate comes together; finally gets something done on immigration; 800,000 people are not deported."Sen. Klobuchar on the Big Tech backlash: "These are amazing ways to directly communicate with people, but they have to see their responsibility that goes with that ... The only way you can do this is to have rules of the road for the major media companies."Vice President Pence on North Korea: "[It is] the most tyrannical and oppressive regime on the planet," and that nothing changes in the U.S.' approach until they get rid of their nuclear weapons.Vice President Pence tells Mike that U.S. intelligence communities concluded none of Russia's efforts "had any impact on the outcome of the 2016 election."
Vice President Pence on Rob Porter: "As I said, and as the White House has said, I think the White House could have handled this better. And I still feel that way." Thank you to the 220+ guests who joined us for this conversation at The W in D.C.
Data: IQVIA, company financial documents; Chart: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios
The 10 highest-selling drugs in the U.S. last year gave away more than $23 billion in rebates to insurance intermediaries, but still netted almost $58 billion in sales.
The big picture: The U.S. drug pricing system is filled with confusing numbers, and many entities profit off the flow of drugs, but pharmaceutical companies retain a vast majority of the proceeds.
A month after the Trump administration changed how hospital data is reported, the public release of this data "has slowed to a crawl," the Wall Street Journal reports.
The big picture: This is the latest example of how the world's wealthiest country just can't get it together.
The scene near the Royal Exchange and the Bank of England in the City of London, England. Photo: Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty Images
The United Kingdom slumped into recession as its gross domestic product GDP shrank 20.4% compared with the first three months of the year, the Office of National Statistics (ONS) confirmed Wednesday.
Why it matters: Per an ONS statement, "It is clear that the U.K. is in the largest recession on record." The U.K. has faired worse than any other major European economy from coronavirus lockdowns, Bloomberg notes. And finance minister Rishi Sunak warns the situation is likely to worsen.