| Greetings, QuickTake readers! In this edition: Russia approves first coronavirus vaccine, Belarus protests continue after opposition candidate flees, and more college football gets called off.  Biden names Harris as VP pick Joe Biden chose Sen. Kamala Harris as his vice-presidential running mate on Tuesday, ending months of intensifying speculation just six days before the Democratic National Convention begins on August 17. In a tweet, Biden called Harris "a fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country's finest public servants." His pick makes Harris, who has Jamaican and Indian heritage, the first Black woman and first Asian-American to compete on a major party's presidential ticket. In choosing Harris, Biden, who committed to offering the VP slot to a woman even before he'd won the nomination, acknowledged the vital role Black voters will play in his bid to defeat President Trump in November. Within minutes of the news, the Trump campaign dropped an attack ad dismissing Harris as a "phony," saying she and Biden "embrace the radical left." A spokesman also brought up a debate spat when she confronted Biden over his 1970s opposition to busing as schools began to integrate. Harris, 55, the junior senator from California and self-branded "progressive prosecutor," built her early career as district attorney of San Francisco and later as California attorney general. Her history in law enforcement has been heavily scrutinized since she announced her candidacy and escalated after the death of George Floyd. Her tough stance for police reform in recent months, including co-authoring a Senate bill to ban police chokeholds, has helped mute critics. $ignificant figures 102. New Zealand detected four new Covid-19 cases after that many days with no infections, PM Jacinda Ardern said, announcing new restrictions in Auckland, adding: "We have beaten the virus before. We can do so again." 100,000. Amazon's Jeff Bezos, JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon, and 25 other CEOs of some of New York's largest employers pledged to hire that many "traditionally underserved" residents in the area within the next decade. 3,000. An amateur treasure-hunter with a metal detector uncovered a Bronze Age trove in Scotland dating back that many years, containing a horse harness, a sword, buckles, rings, ornaments, and chariot axle caps. Highly quotable "We're done." The Big Ten postponed its fall football season until at least the spring, and the Pac-12 Conference called off all sports until January 1, due to the pandemic. The ACC and SEC are still trying to play this fall. "I hope we can soon begin mass production." Vladimir Putin said Russia OK'd the world's first Covid-19 vaccine, named Sputnik V, and that one of his daughters was inoculated. Scientists, however, are skeptical. "No life is worth what's happening now." Belarus opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya fled to Lithuania as protesters clashed with police after she disputed President Alexander Lukashenko's wide election win. This is not normal Eco-disaster. Mauritians are rushing to clean up and contain a 1,000-ton oil spill in the Indian Ocean after a cargo ship ran aground off the island coast and blackened its white-sand beaches, risking widespread pollution.  The future is now Ultramodern gig. In the latest show of pandemic-era entertainment, K-pop band TWICE livestreamed a large-scale, AR-powered immersive virtual concert before a live cheering section of fans in 126 countries.  What's good A new home. Wildlife conservationists set free two captive beluga whales, Little White and Little Grey, into a first-of-its-kind open water sanctuary in Iceland, pushing forward the anti-captivity campaign for marine mammals.  Now that you're caught up... Tell your friends to sign up to receive our newsletter five days a week. Follow QuickTake on Twitter , YouTube , Instagram, and Facebook . BTW: Efforts to cut spending on police, a key demand of anti-racism protesters, claimed an unlikely target: Seattle's first Black police chief. Thanks for reading!
-Andrew Mach | 
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