Biden to announce vice president running mate this week: reports

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is preparing to announce his choice for vice president as soon as this week, several news organizations are reporting.

Biden, who served as vice president under Barack Obama, promised to select a female running mate and is under increasing pressure from Democratic leaders and activists for her to be Black, reports Reuters:

Biden and his potential vice president will formally accept the party's nomination at the Democratic National Convention, scheduled for Aug. 17-20, and he is expected to announce his pick before it begins.

The New York Times reported earlier on Monday that Biden's campaign plans to announce a decision as soon as Tuesday, but more likely on Wednesday, citing people briefed on the selection process.

The newspaper said the committee that screened the candidates had "effectively disbanded" after completing its work. It noted that Biden has missed previous deadlines to announce his pick, and that the timeline could "slip again."

A Biden campaign spokesman declined to comment.

More at Reuters:Biden expected to announce U.S. presidential running mate this week: source