Aug 4, 2017

Bernie Sanders was the only vote against the FDA bill

Branden Camp / AP

The Senate passed the reauthorization of the FDA user fees yesterday by a lopsided vote of 94-1. Who was the one? It was Bernie Sanders, returning to his pre-presidential campaign form as the guy who doesn't care if the army is with him or not.

Why did Sanders vote against it? Because the FDA bill "does nothing to lower drug prices and is a giveaway to the pharmaceutical industry," per his spokesman, Josh Miller-Lewis. (One provision Republican Sen. Susan Collins did cite as a measure against high drug prices: It would require the FDA to speed up the reviews of generic drug applications in markets where there's not a lot of competition.)

What's next: Because the Senate cleared the House version of the FDA bill, it can go straight to Trump's desk. He's expected to sign it into law.

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Rebecca Falconer

Updated 26 mins ago - World

China says U.S. is "endangering peace" with high-level visit to Taiwan

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar during a June briefing in Washington, DC. Photo: Joshua Roberts/Getty Images

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced Tuesday night he will lead a delegation to Taiwan "in the coming days."

Why it matters: It's the highest-level visit by a U.S. cabinet official to Taiwan since 1979. Azar is also the first U.S. Cabinet member to visit the island state in six years. The visit has angered China, which views Taiwan as part of its territory. Chinese officials accused the U.S. early Wednesday of "endangering peace" with the visit, AFP reports.

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Axios

Updated 1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Global: Total confirmed cases as of 3:30 a.m. ET: 18,543,662 — Total deaths: 700,714 — Total recoveries — 11,143,031— Map.
U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 3:30 a.m. ET: 4,771,236 — Total deaths: 156,807 — Total recoveries: 1,528,979 — Total tests: 57,543,852 — Map.
States: New York City health commissioner resigns in protest of De Blasio's coronavirus response — Local governments go to war over schools.
Public health: 59% of Americans support nationwide 2-week stay-at-home order in NPR poll.
Politics: Trump's national security adviser returns to work after coronavirus recovery — Republicans push to expand small business loan program.
Sports: Indy 500 to be held without fans — Rafael Nadal opts out of U.S. Open.

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Dave Lawler

Updated 2 hours ago - World

At least 100 killed, 4,000 injured after massive explosion rocks Beirut

Photo: Anwar Amro/AFP via Getty Images

A major explosion has slammed central Beirut, Lebanon, damaging buildings as far as several miles away and injuring scores of people.

Driving the news: At least 100 people have been killed and over 4,000 injured in the blast — and the death toll is likely to rise, the Lebanese Red Cross said, per AP. Prime Minister Hassan Diab said the explosions occurred at a warehouse that had been storing 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate for the past six years.