Sep 11, 2018

Russia holding largest war games since the Cold War

Russian soldiers at the Victory Day military parade in Russia. Photo: Wang Xiujun/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images

Russia is launching the biggest military exercise since the Cold War in eastern Siberia from from Sept. 11-17 on the heels of heightened NATO-Russia tensions, reports BBC News.

The details: The war games will involve about 300,000 service personnel and include the Chinese and Mongolian armies. Russian reserve colonel Frants Klintsevich said the country has developed "a different attitude to combat readiness," per BBC. Meanwhile, China said the joint military operation would bolster "both sides' capabilities to jointly respond to various security threats." Beijing and Moscow have been modernizing their military capabilities as their relations with the U.S. grow more tense, the WSJ notes.

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Blue Cross Blue Shield insurers sue CVS, alleging drug pricing fraud

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Six Blue Cross Blue Shield insurers have sued CVS Health, alleging the pharmacy chain overcharged them based on "artificially inflated prices" for generic drugs and concealed the true cash prices of those drugs.

The big picture: CVS has faced legal scrutiny over its cash discount programs since 2015, and this lawsuit adds big names to a mounting problem.

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World coronavirus updates

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins; Map: Axios Visuals

New Zealand has only eight active novel coronavirus cases and no COVID-19 patients in hospital after another day of zero new infections. However, the death toll rose to 22.

Zoom in: A top health official told a briefing a 96-year-old woman "was regarded to having recovered from COVID-19 at the time of her death, and COVID-19 is not recorded as the primary cause of her death on her death certificate." But it was decided to include her in the overall tally of deaths related to the virus.

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Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 10 p.m. ET: 5,690,951 — Total deaths: 355,575 — Total recoveries — 2,350,071 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 10 p.m. ET: 1,699,073 — Total deaths: 100,396 — Total recoveries: 391,508 — Total tested: 15,192,481 — Map.
  3. Public health: CDC issues guidelines for reopening offices — Fauci says data is "really quite evident" against hydroxychloroquine.
  4. States: California hospitals strained by patients in Mexico — Texas Supreme Court blocks mail-in expansion to state voters.
  5. Business: MGM plans to reopen major Las Vegas resorts in June — African American business owners have seen less relief from PPP, Goldman Sachs says.
  6. Tech: AI will help in the pandemic — but it might not be in time for this one.
  7. World: EU proposes a massive pandemic rescue package.
  8. 1 🎶 thing: Local music venues get rocked by coronavirus.
  9. 🎧 Podcast: Trump vs. Twitter ... vs. Trump.
  10. What should I do? When you can be around others after contracting the coronavirus — Traveling, asthma, dishes, disinfectants and being contagious — Masks, lending books and self-isolating — Exercise, laundry, what counts as soap — Pets, moving and personal health — Answers about the virus from Axios experts — What to know about social distancing — How to minimize your risk.
  11. Other resources: CDC on how to avoid the virus, what to do if you get it, the right mask to wear.

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Updated 3 hours ago - Politics & Policy