| Greetings, QuickTake readers! In this edition: Beirut blast batters hospitals, Russia snubs concern over vaccine, and satellite images show the irreversible impact of climate change right before our eyes.  Trump was a Kamala Harris donor President Trump twice donated to Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris in 2011 and 2013. When asked about her joining the Joe Biden ticket on Tuesday, Trump called Harris the "meanest" and "most horrible" senator. Yet he gave $5,000 on Sept. 26, 2011, and $1,000 on Feb. 20, 2013, to Harris's re-election campaign for California attorney general, according to state campaign finance records. Harris donated the $6,000 to a nonprofit that advocates for Central Americans in 2015, a spokesman said. Trump's daughter, Ivanka, also gave $2,000 to Harris on June 3, 2014, campaign finance records show. On Wednesday, shortly after Biden and Harris made their first joint campaign appearance in Wilmington, Delaware, Trump again criticized Biden's pick as "risky," citing tensions between the two candidates during the primary election season. "I think she's going to be a big failure," he said, "and I think I look forward to the debate between her and Mike Pence." $ignificant figures 50%. About half of Beirut's hospitals and health clinics are "non-functional" after the massive blast in the city last week, according to the WHO, which found a shortage of 500 ICU beds at a time when virus cases are rising. 20.4%. U.K. GDP plunged that much in the second quarter, more than any major European nation during the coronavirus lockdowns, officially pushing the country into a recession. 23.9%. Texas's coronavirus infection rate surged to a record high a day after officials reported 8,913 new cases, pushing the cumulative total to 500,620, according to state health department data. Highly quotable "Ready to get to work." While giving her first joint remarks with Biden in Delaware, Harris hailed "all the ambitious women before me, whose determination and resilience makes my presence here today possible." "Absolutely groundless." Russian officials dismissed global concerns about the safety of the world's first Covid-19 vaccine, blaming skepticism on "western colleagues who sense the competitive advantage." "My hair has to be perfect." After gripes from Trump, the Energy Department proposed easing 90s-era water efficiency standards to allow multiple shower nozzles, instead of one, with 2.5 gallon-per-minute heads. This is not normal Tipping point. New satellite images show the collapse of Canada's 4,000-year-old Milne Ice Shelf that cracked and broke off last month after losing more than 40% of its area over two days due to above-average temps.  The future is now Symptom spotter. Chinese tech firm SIMI Mobile launched the G507, a Uganda-built smartphone that can detect whether a person has a fever—a potential symptom of Covid-19—via a "built-in temperature gun."  What's good Shake it off. Rising U.S.-China tensions didn't stop NYC burger chain Shake Shack from opening its first store in Beijing's TaiKoo Li shopping area, where hundreds of Chinese burger lovers turned out for its launch.  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: Belarus women dressed in white rallied in solidarity with protesters injured in demonstrations against the presidential election results. Watch. Thanks for reading!
-Andrew Mach | 
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