A familiar refrain

[Bloomberg]( Follow Us //link.mail.bloombergbusiness.com/click/21180402.71505/aHR0cHM6Ly90d2l0dGVyLmNvbS9icG9saXRpY3M/582c8673566a94262a8b49bdB20a532ad [Get the newsletter]( Joe Biden’s [history-making choice]( of a running mate has U.S. President Donald Trump already reviving elements of his 2016 playbook. California Senator Kamala Harris will be the first Black woman and first Asian-American on a major party presidential ticket. Her selection comes as outrage over the treatment of Black Americans at the hands of the police sparks nationwide protests, with Trump accusing Biden of trying to undermine law enforcement. He’s casting himself as the “law-and-order” president in an attempt to appeal to White, suburban voters. Harris’s [experience as a prosecutor]( and attorney general for America’s most populous state could blunt that barrage, and her background might draw a broader range of voters, especially younger people, women and minorities (at 55, she’s a generation younger than both Biden and Trump). Yet any time a running mate is announced it exposes the lineup to fresh attack. Trump, who called Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton a “nasty woman” during a debate four years ago, [responded to the news]( by characterizing Harris’s treatment of Biden during the primary debates as “nasty.” He also criticized Harris for her questioning of Brett Kavanaugh over sexual misconduct allegations during his Supreme Court confirmation hearings. “I thought she was the meanest, the most horrible, the most disrespectful of anybody in the U.S. Senate,” he said. One constant with Trump is how he targets his adversaries. But much depends on how American voters of 2020 respond to those 2016-style attacks. — [Kathleen Hunter]( Biden and Harris speak after last September’s Democratic debate at Texas Southern University in Houston. The pair plan to hold a virtual fundraiser today. Photographer: Win McNamee/Getty Images North America A global pandemic. Mass protests. Historic unemployment: This election will be unlike any other in U.S. history. Sign up to receive daily 2020 election updates as a direct mobile notification on Twitter. Simply [click on this link]( and like the tweet. Tell us how we’re doing or what we’re missing at balancepower@bloomberg.net. Global Headlines [Contingency provisions]( | State officials wary of slower-than-usual postal delivery in America are extending mail-in ballot deadlines and making backup plans to smooth early voting. But as [Ryan Teague Beckwith]( reports, experts warn tens of thousands of ballots might still be thrown out. - Representative Ilhan Omar, a member of the so-called squad of progressives who rose to prominence after winning House seats in 2018, [fended off a strong challenge]( to win the Minnesota Democratic primary. - A “deep state” conspiracy theory supporter with a history of racist and anti-Islamic remarks will likely head to Congress next year [after winning]( the Republican nomination in a conservative corner of Georgia. [Tech snag]( | Chinese negotiators plan to bring up Trump’s plan to ban WeChat and TikTok when they meet their U.S. counterparts to discuss the implementation of the phase-one trade deal in the coming days, Bloomberg News exclusively reports. While top Trump economic adviser Larry Kudlow [says the]( deal's doing just “fine,” Chinese purchases of U.S. goods under the agreement are lagging badly. - Key Apple partner Hon Hai Precision Industry plans to [split its supply chain](, with one segment serving the Chinese market and the other the U.S. [Echoes of racism]( | The murder of Black teenager Stephen Lawrence 27 years ago by a gang of White youths is many British people’s point of reference in thinking about the Black Lives Matter protests and the death of George Floyd in the U.S. As [Robert Hutton]( explains, it’s why the London Metropolitan Police’s announcement yesterday that they have moved their investigation to “an inactive phase” is so significant. [That sinking feeling]( | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, already weakened by corruption indictments, is in trouble with opponents and loyalists alike as his support plummets in opinion polls. [Ivan Levingston]( reports that a mismanaged Covid-19 outbreak has galvanized thousands of Israelis into a drum-beating, horn-blowing, cacophony of protests. Protesters near the prime minister's residence in Jerusalem on Aug. 8. Photographer: Ahmad GharabliAFP via Getty Images [Deepening crisis]( | With the pandemic threatening the deepest economic contraction in almost 90 years, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government faces a choice between embracing radical reform or risking a sovereign debt crisis and more permanent scars. [Antony Sguazzin]( and [Prinesha Naidoo]( set out how the chronic under-performance of what was once dubbed “the rainbow nation” is pushing Africa's powerhouse to the edge of economic and political disaster. Sponsored Content by SmartAsset™️ [This NYC Startup Raises $51M to Disrupt the Retirement Industry]( With over 110 million Americans over age 50, it's no wonder this Princeton grad's startup just raised another $28 million to help people conquer retirement. [See how its no-cost tool can help you plan to retire comfortably.](  What to Watch - Brazil’s pro-market economic team was [hit by the]( resignation of two of its senior members in what Economy Minister Paulo Guedes called “a stampede.” - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made an [extraordinary public endorsement]( of his finance minister yesterday in a bid to quash chatter about a growing rift. - Beirut’s port is starting to resume operations following last week’s massive explosion that killed 171 people and injured thousands. [And finally]( ... Bulk carrier Wakashio was 11 days into a month-long voyage to Brazil when it hit a reef off Mauritius and spilled fuel into the island’s crystal clear waters, causing an environmental disaster. As [Julian Lee]( and [Adeola Eribake]( write, geography explains why it was there in the first place: Mauritius lies on the shortest straight-line route between the Malacca Strait, which links Asia to the Indian Ocean, and the southern tip of Africa. “Mauritius is just on the ‘highway’ of international shipping,” says Peter Sand, chief shipping analyst at industry group BIMCO. Indian Ocean shipping lanes. Source: Bloomberg   Like Balance of Power? | [Get unlimited access to Bloomberg.com](, where you'll find trusted, data-based journalism in 120 countries around the world and expert analysis from exclusive daily newsletters.  You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Balance of Power newsletter. [Unsubscribe]( | [Bloomberg.com]( | [Contact Us]( Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington, New York, NY, 10022