Aug 10, 2018

Pharma critics turn their fire on a Democrat

Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.). Photo: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via Getty

The advocacy group Patients for Affordable Drugs Action is launching an ad campaign today against Rep. Anna Eshoo — the first time the group has targeted a Democrat.

The big picture: According to Patients for Affordable Drugs, Eshoo has received more money from the pharmaceutical industry than any other House member. The group is spending $500,000 against her.

Why it matters: By and large, Democrats are the more anti-pharma party, so anti-pharma ads will more frequently cut against Republicans. And $500,000 is not a ton of money, especially against a many-term incumbent in a safe district.

  • But health care is a personal, emotional issue for many voters. Some of President Trump's biggest fans have broken with conservative orthodoxy to back Medicare price negotiations, while some progressives distrust Sen. Cory Booker partly because of a vote against importing cheaper drugs from other countries.
  • As contradictory as this sounds, health care is still a deeply partisan issue but also one where people aren't always willing to simply toe the line.

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Americans reflect on Independence Day amid racism reckoning

A Black Lives Matter banner and a United States flag on the facade of the U.S. embassy building in Seoul, South Korea. Photo: Simon Shin/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

America's leaders are rethinking how they view Independence Day, as the country reckons with the historic, unequal treatment of people of color during a pandemic which has disproportionately affected nonwhite Americans.

Why it matters: The country’s legacy of racism has come into sharp focus in the weeks of protests following the death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody. From Confederate statues to Mount Rushmore, Americans are reexamining the symbols and traditions they elevate and the history behind them.

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Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 2 p.m. ET: 10,945,600 — Total deaths: 523,035 — Total recoveries — 5,797,206 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 2 p.m. ET: 2,767,669 — Total deaths: 128,951 — Total recoveries: 781,970 — Total tested: 33,462,181 — Map.
  3. Public health: The states where face coverings are mandatory — Fauci says it has been a "very disturbing week" for the spread of the coronavirus in the U.S.
  4. Economy: The economy may recover just quickly enough to kill political interest in more stimulus.
  5. States: Florida reports more than 10,000 new coronavirus cases, and its most-infected county issues curfew.
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Washington Redskins to review team name amid public pressure

Photo: Patrick McDermott/Getty Images

The Washington Redskins have announced they will be conducting a review of the team's name after mounting pressure from the public and corporate sponsors.

Why it matters: This review is the first formal step the Redskins are taking since the debate surrounding the name first began. It comes after weeks of discussions between the team and the NFL, the team said.

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