Alva Review-Courier -

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's pick for health secretary is a former pharmaceutical company executive who already has drawn heat from Democrats over his ties to the pharmaceutical industry. But as Alex Azar faces his first nomination hearing, even some of those critics see signs he could shift the health care debate away from partisan confrontation.

"He's certainly given me the assurances that that's his intention," said former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, a Democrat who met with Azar recently and has known him for years. "While there may be disagreements on policy, I do thi...