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For the Wall Street Journal, Eugene Meyer Professor of British History and Culture at Bard College Richard Aldous reviews author, columnist, and professor Samuel G. Freedman’s most recent book Into the Bright Sunshine: Young Hubert Humphrey and the Fight for Civil Rights, calling it “a powerful and captivating read.” Examining Humphrey’s early life and political career, Freedman asserts that Humphrey’s 1948 speech, at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, advocating for civil rights legislation and racial equality made the Democratic Party confront its position on civil rights, and “set into motion the partisan realignment that defines American politics right up through the present”—also marking the beginning of the civil rights movement in America long before the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision desegregating schools and the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott. Aldous writes: “This is a big claim to make of the man and the moment, so it is to Mr. Freedman’s credit that by and large he makes his case thoughtfully and persuasively.”

Omar G. Encarnación, professor of political studies at Bard College, spoke to the New York Times about differences in the governing structures of Brazil and the United States, which have led to different political aftermaths following the actions of the two former presidents, Jair Bolsonaro and Donald Trump. Trump, despite facing state and federal charges, remains a prominent figure on the American Right and is preparing to once again enter the presidential race, while Bolsonaro has faced fiercer blowback and has been blocked from political office for the rest of the decade. Encarnación told the New York Times that Brazil’s democratic system, in spite of grappling with its own issues, can serve as a blueprint for combating new antidemocratic threats. “Democracies basically are fighting misinformation and God knows what else with very antiquated institutions,” he said. “We do need to upgrade the hardware. I don’t think it was designed for people of the likes these countries are facing.”