Good morning. It's Wednesday, Aug. 12, and we covering Biden's VP pick, more details on the Russian vaccine, and unrest in Belarus. Have feedback? Let us know at [email protected].

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NEED TO KNOW

Biden Picks Harris

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden ended months of speculation, selecting California Sen. Kamala Harris (D) as his vice-presidential running mate. Harris, who began as the early favorite, becomes the first Black and South Asian woman on a presidential ticket for a major party. The daughter of two immigrants—her mother is Indian, her father Jamaican (bio here)—Harris previously served as California attorney general before being elected to the Senate. The pick was generally lauded by many in the party, though some progressive Democrats have criticized Harris for her tough-on-crime stance as a prosecutor. 

The selection comes ahead of the presidential conventions; both Democrats and Republicans are going almost entirely virtual. The Democratic convention will begin Monday (see schedule), while the Republican convention will be held the following week, Aug. 24-27. The schedule is still being developed, though President Trump is set to formally accept the nomination Thursday, Aug. 27. 

Despite the anticipation, conventional wisdom says the vice-presidential pick has a fairly limited effect (2016 analysis) on the election.

Russia Unveils (Unproven) Vaccine

Russia became the first country to grant regulatory approval for a potential vaccine against the coronavirus, President Vladimir Putin announced yesterday. Despite the announcement, experts warn the country has not actually confirmed a successful vaccine due to the lack of clinical trials.

Vaccines typically go through three phases of testing prior to approval. The first (less than 100 people) focuses on safety and side effects, while the second (100-300 people) examines safety and effectiveness. In the case of SARS-CoV-2, it studies whether the drugs spur the production of virus-neutralizing antibodies. The third phase, which involves thousands of participants, provides a statistical demonstration of a vaccine's efficacy (and broad safety). Per reports, Russian regulators granted approval before the Phase 3 trial began, and are planning a mass vaccination campaign in the fall during which patients will be tracked. At least eight other vaccines around the world are currently in Phase 3 trials (see NYT tracker).

Putin's own daughter received the shot—another surprise, as Putin rarely acknowledges he has children. 

Separately, the US has reported 5.14 million total cases, with 164,537 deaths as of this morning. See rolling averages of new cases and deaths.

Opposition Candidate Flees Belarus

The main opposition candidate in the Belarus election, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, has fled the country for Lithuania, according to reports yesterday. The move comes amid increasingly violent protests in the eastern European country, which erupted after Sunday's elections. Rife with allegations of voter fraud and election interference, the election resulted in 80% of the vote granting a sixth term to authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko—nicknamed “Europe’s last dictator.”

Hundreds of demonstrators protesting have been detained, with police using stun grenades, rubber bullets, and tear gas against the crowd. European Union officials said they would consider sanctions against the country, while the Belarusian government blocked the country's internet access to slow protest organizers.

Tikhanovskaya was a fascinating, though accidental, candidate; the 37-year-old stay-at-home mother and former English teacher stood in for her opposition candidate husband after his arrest. She rapidly gained popularity, drawing tens of thousands of supporters at rallies, with some fans comparing her to a modern-day Joan of Arc. By yesterday, videos surfaced of Tikhanovskaya calling on protestors to accept the results, at least one of which may have been made under duress. 

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COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS

In the world of business today, there's no rule (that we can think of, at least) so important as "delight your customers." Give them free shipping. Or send them little gifts. Or write them nice emails (we know a thing or two about that). And above all, communicate with your customers actively to keep them happy.

While that may have been no small task in the past, Weave Lite is making customer communication easier and easier every day. Regardless of the size of your business, you can now easily reach the people who keep the lights on. Weave Lite combines four incredibly useful tools to make the entire customer life cycle seamless and delightful—from text messaging to team chat to Google Review collection to text-to-pay. It's all bundled up nicely in one product, for your ease and your customers' benefit.

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

> Big Ten and Pac-12 conferences officially announce they’re postponing college football and other fall sports (More) | The Spring League, a developmental professional football league, to host a six-team tournament in a bubble in Las Vegas (More)

> “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” drama reboot coproduced by Will Smith's Westbrook Studios and Universal TV in the works (More) | Raymond Allen, '70s sitcom star best known for “Sanford and Son” and “Good Times,” dies at 91 (More)

> Portland Timbers top Orlando City 2-1 to win MLS is Back Tournament; MLS regular season resumes today (More)

Science & Technology

> Molecule inspired by llamas shown to be one of the most potent anti-coronavirus compounds to date; known as nanobodies, the molecule could potentially be aerosolized and administered via inhalation (More)

> ​Google to establish a global earthquake monitoring program using the accelerometer in Android-powered phones; users would opt in to the voluntary project (More)

> New process converts red pigment in bricks into plastic that conducts electricity, allowing common bricks to be used as energy storage devices (More)

Business & Markets

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> US stock markets down (S&P 500 -0.8%, Dow -0.4%, Nasdaq -1.7%) as uncertainty grows over stimulus deal (More)

> Japanese tech giant SoftBank reports $12B quarterly profit following largest loss ever in first quarter (More)

> Sources say Airbnb plans to file IPO by end of August, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs to lead the offering (More) | Tesla announces 5:1 stock split, shares surge 6% in after-hours trading (More)

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Politics & World Affairs

> Election 2020: Progressive Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-5) fends off primary challenge (More) | Businesswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene beats neurosurgeon John Cowan in GA-14 Republican primary; Greene has drawn criticism for supporting QAnon conspiracy (More)

> Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best to step down Sept. 2; decision follows Monday vote by City Council to trim police department by 100 officers via layoffs and attrition (More)

> New Zealand reports four locally transmitted coronavirus cases, breaking 102-day streak without infections (More)

ALL-IN-ONE COMMUNICATION

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ETCETERA

A derecho left 1 million without power in the Midwest Monday—here's how they form. 

Where the next billion internet users will come from.

How the pandemic will shape the holiday shopping season.

It's claws out in the hard seltzer wars.

Photographer finds 120-year-old time capsule, develops the photos.

Now you can Airbnb the lone surviving Blockbuster.

The heartwarming tale of Swoop the magpie.

Massive snake found slithering through the NYC subway.

Clickbait: Gen Z twins left stunned by Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight."

Historybook: Egyptian queen Cleopatra dies by suicide (30 BCE); RIP James Bond creator Ian Fleming (1964); IBM personal computer is released (1981); Largest ever Tyrannosaurus rex discovered (1990); RIP Hollywood icon Lauren Bacall (2014).

"Imagination is the highest kite one can fly."

- Lauren Bacall

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