Good morning. In today’s edition:

• 🗳️ VP Harris selects a running mate (and other major election storylines)
• 🤔 Could autonomous cars eliminate traffic?
• 🏟️ Pitbull makes history

… and more.

🚀⏰ Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~4.85-minute read (1,291 words).

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“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

–Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)

Vice President Kamala Harris announced Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate on the 2024 Democratic ticket yesterday, in a decision that solidifies the campaign lineups of both major parties three months ahead of Election Day.

Walz, a 60-year-old US Army National Guard veteran and former teacher, served as a House Representative from Minnesota for 12 years before being elected as the state’s governor in 2018, then again in 2022.

• As governor, Walz has pushed a progressive agenda that includes an expansion of reproductive rights, goals to address climate change, and increased public education spending.
• Analysts say Harris’ selection of Walz is primarily aimed at appealing to voters in Midwestern battleground states like Wisconsin and Michigan.

Outside of Harris’ new running mate, some other major election storylines have emerged in recent days:

Polling indicates Harris has pulled ahead of Trump. According to RealClearPolitics’ polling aggregator, Harris is currently leading Trump by a 47.4%-46.9% margin among registered US voters, marking the first time a Democrat has led in the 2024 race, per RCP. Additionally, Harris currently holds a slim lead over Trump in polling aggregators from FiveThirtyEight (+1.7%), VoteHub (+0.2%), The Economist (+3%), and Race to the White House (+1.3%).

The growing risks of a recession and/or another Israeli war could reshape the race. Recent economic turbulence has given the Trump campaign an opportunity to place a renewed focus on the economy, where Trump consistently polls higher than Harris in terms of confidence among voters.

• Plus, a full-scale war in the Middle East involving Israel and Iran – which became a more realistic possibility last week following an assassination on Iranian soil – could potentially yank Harris off the campaign trail due to her duties as vice president.

Looking ahead… Barring any surprises, the next major event of the 2024 election cycle is the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on August 19-22.

📊 Flash poll: How do you feel about VP Harris’ selection of Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate?

• Love it
• Like it/Somewhat like it
• Neutral
• Dislike it/Somewhat dislike it
• Hate it

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🇵🇪 A reclusive tribe in Peru’s Amazon attacked loggers suspected of encroachment. FENAMAD, an organization representing 39 Indigenous communities in Peru, said members of the reclusive Mashco Piro ethnic group recently used bows and arrows to stop what the group alleged was illegal logging taking place on tribal territory. One logger was injured in the July 27 attack, which came two years after a logger was fatally shot by an arrow in an encounter with the Mashco Piro tribe.

🇺🇳 The UN found nine of its workers were potentially involved in Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel. The UN began investigating the situation in January, following allegations from Israel that some of the organization’s employees participated in the October 7 assault. Yesterday, officials revealed their investigation found enough evidence to conclude nine UN workers “may have been involved” in the attack – all of whom have been fired for their actions.

🇧🇩 Bangladesh selected Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus as interim leader. Yunus, 83, is an economist and banker who won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for pioneering the use of microcredit to help impoverished people in Bangladesh (particularly women). Yunus is a well-known critic and political opponent of former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina, who resigned and fled the country on Monday amid mass anti-government protests. Bangladesh’s interim government will remain in power until new elections are held.

Apart from Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible III, it’s hard to find someone who gets excited about traffic jams. But here’s some (potential) good news – as more driverless vehicles hit the road, a group of researchers believes they could be eliminated completely.

The hypothesis: That AI could be harnessed to develop algorithms to control complex mixed traffic systems, which are defined as having both human-driven and driverless cars on the road simultaneously.

The researchers utilized a branch of AI known as reinforcement learning to develop an algorithm that sets rewards for driverless vehicles to prioritize goals like traffic efficiency or energy consumption. The algorithm allows these robocars to communicate with each other to optimize traffic flow – and because they’re interspersed with cars driven by actual people, all traffic ends up being affected.

In a simulation outlined in a 2023 study:

• The researchers found when driverless vehicles make up just 5% of traffic, traffic jams are eliminated.
• When robot vehicles make up 60% of traffic, traffic efficiency is superior to traffic controlled by traffic lights.

But… We’re a long way away from this reality👆. In China, hundreds of autonomous vehicles deployed by tech giant Baidu are actually causing traffic jams by driving too cautiously. And in San Francisco and Phoenix, two areas with a commercially available driverless-taxi service, autonomous vehicles have driven the wrong way down the road and been involved in multiple crashes (one leading to a Waymo recall of 672 self-driving vehicles).

"You're going to see that every other university is going to want to do the same thing. But the difference is, we don't do this for propaganda, we do it from the heart. We do it because it's meaningful. We do it because I'm from the crib. I'm 305. I'm from the bottom. This is my backyard."

• In a crossover event that would make fellow canine Mr. Peanutbutter proud, rapper and Miami native Pitbull announced a deal with Florida International University in Miami to rename their football stadium after “Mr. 305” himself. As part of the five-year agreement, which involves FIU switching from the name Riccardo Silva Stadium to Pitbull Stadium, the rapper agreed to pay the school $1.2 million/year, create an “FIU Anthem,” post about FIU on social media, and appear at athletic fundraising events. Pitbull will also be able to host 10 events/year for free at the stadium, and his vodka company will be the stadium’s preferred brand. According to FIU, Pitbull Stadium is the first-ever college athletics venue to be named after a famous musician.

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• ☝️ You’re looking at some of the best science images from July, as selected by the journal Nature’s photo team.

BUSINESS & MARKETS, EARNINGS EDITION

in partnership with Slumber

• 💰 US markets closed up across the board, regaining some ground after Monday’s drop (S&P: +1.0%; Dow: +0.8%; Nasdaq: +1.0%).
• 🏘️ Airbnb reported earnings that missed analysts' expectations; revenue increased 11% year-over-year, though the company warned it's seeing signs of slowing demand; shares fell 14% in after-hours trading. | 🚗 Rivian reported quarterly results that beat analysts' expectations on revenue and earnings; the EV-maker delivered 13,790 vehicles in Q2.
• 💾 Super Micro Computer, a server company, saw shares fall 13% after reporting earnings that missed analysts' expectations; the company also announced a 10-for-1 stock split that will take effect October 1. | ⌨️ Reddit, in its second earnings report as a public company, reported better-than-expected results on both revenue and earnings; the platform averaged 91.2 million daily active unique visitors in the quarter, up 51% from the same time last year.

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SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

• 🥇 The Olympics: The US women’s soccer team beat Germany 1-0, thanks to a 95th-minute goal from Sophia Smith; the US advances to play Brazil in the gold medal match on Saturday. | The USA men's basketball team defeated Brazil 122-87, advancing to a semifinal matchup against Nikola Jokić and Serbia. | Imane Khelif, the Algerian women’s boxer at the center of a gender controversy, advanced to the gold medal fight. | See the overall medal count.
• ⚾ The Chicago White Sox tied an all-time American League record with their 21st consecutive loss on Monday night; their losing streak was finally broken last night against the A's. | 🏀🎙️ Charles Barkley said he’s not retiring from broadcasting next season, reversing his June announcement; he’ll remain with TNT for the remainder of his 10-year, $210 million contract (through 2032), despite the network’s impending loss of NBA rights.
• 📺 Disney is hiking prices for Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ starting October 17. | 📲 X is suing an advertising industry coalition and its member companies – including CVS Health, Mars, Orsted, and Unilever – over allegations they violated antitrust law when they pulled their ads from the platform.

SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

in partnership with Game Show Network

• 🏥🎗️ Americans collectively spend ~$43 billion/year on screening to check for five major cancers, with colonoscopies accounting for 55% of that amount, per a new comprehensive analysis.
• 🐍💪 Columbia University researchers developed a python-tooth-inspired implant that can mend rotator cuff tears with a higher success rate than current procedures.
• 🏌️📲 Recreational golfers perform worse when using their smartphones for work-related activities – but their devices don’t affect performance when used for personal reasons, per a new study.

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MISCELLANEOUS

• 💰🎓 Michael Bloomberg’s philanthropic foundation announced a $600 million donation to four historically Black medical schools; the gift will more than double the endowments at three of the four schools.
• 🚨 A Pakistani national with alleged ties to the Iranian government was arrested by the DOJ last month on charges he plotted to assassinate former President Trump and multiple other public officials.
• 🌍 Hamas named Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind of the October 7 attack on Israel, as its new political leader following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh last week in Iran.

CLICKBAIT

• 🏆👶 Ranking the best and worst states to have a baby in 2024.

🎓💼 Stat of the Day: Across the US, nearly 40% of this year’s high school graduates don’t plan to enroll in college this fall, with most of them instead opting to enter the workforce in entry-level positions, according to a new analysis by the American Opportunity Index. Pro tip for anyone in that group: the best large companies for high school grads to get hired and promoted quickly are Chipotle, Lowe's, Walgreens, and Foot Locker, per the Index. (See the full top 50)

🤔 Did You Know? A majority of Americans between the ages of 16-74 read below the equivalent of a sixth-grade level (54%), according to a Gallup analysis of Department of Education data from 2013-2017.

📰 Worth a Read: Drinking Too Much Water Can Actually Be Dangerous → (Wall Street Journal)

Conservationists at the John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids, Michigan, are happier than a butterfly just out of its cocoon following the successful release of 1,200 endangered critters into the wild.

🦋 The Poweshiek Skipperling is a tiny species of butterfly that was once common in the Midwest. However, its numbers have dwindled in recent decades, causing the species to become one of the world's rarest butterflies.

• Along with the release of 1,200+ Poweshieks, the zoo also launched a new experience called "Backyard Butterflies," where visitors can engage directly with critters native to Michigan.

How it works: We provide an incorrect stat. Then you guess whether the actual number is over or under the given value.

1. 🧠 300: Calories the average human brain burns each day
2. 🌞 6: Minutes it takes for light to travel from the sun to the Earth
3. 💨 80 MPH: How fast a cheetah can run at top speed

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What to do: Copy your unique link below, then send it to anyone who you think would like the DONUT. Once you hit each milestone, you'll get an email with a link to claim your prize.

Start referring.👇

1. 🧠 Over; between 400-500 calories
2. 🌞 Over; 8 minutes and 20 seconds
3. 💨 Under; 75 MPH