Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Catch up on the day's biggest business stories
Subscribe to Axios Closer for insights into the day’s business news and trends and why they matter
Stay on top of the latest market trends
Subscribe to Axios Markets for the latest market trends and economic insights. Sign up for free.
Sports news worthy of your time
Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with Axios Sports. Sign up for free.
Tech news worthy of your time
Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.
Get the inside stories
Get an insider's guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Sign up for Axios NW Arkansas
Stay up-to-date on the most important and interesting stories affecting NW Arkansas, authored by local reporters
Joe Biden and Cory Booker. Photos: Joshua Lott/Getty Images; Sean Rayford/Getty Images
2020 Democratic contender Sen. Cory Booker (N.J.) criticized former Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday for his statement during a fundraiser this week that there was "some civility" when working with Senate segregationists in the 1970s.
The big picture: Biden also recalled how former Mississippi Sen. James O. Eastland used to call him "son" rather than "boy" — apparently a reference to Biden's youth after his election to the chamber at the age of 29 in 1972 — leading Booker to blast the use of "boy" as language meant to "perpetuate white supremacy and strip black Americans of our very humanity."
- Booker issued his statement on Juneteenth, the annual commemoration of slavery ending in the U.S., after testifying at the first House hearing in 12 years on the issue of slavery reparations.
- Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), the House majority whip and a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, defended the former vice president, saying that "Biden didn’t say anything different than what describes his work with Strom Thurmond," per Politico's Jake Sherman.
A thought bubble, from CNN's Rebecca Buck: "It is really unusual for Booker to respond to something another candidate does or says. ... So this is a big deal."
Booker's full statement:
"You don’t joke about calling black men 'boys.' Men like James O. Eastland used words like that, and the racist policies that accompanied them, to perpetuate white supremacy and strip black Americans of our very humanity.
Vice President Biden’s relationships with proud segregationists are not the model for how we make America a safer and more inclusive place for black people, and for everyone. I have to tell Vice President Biden, as someone I respect, that he is wrong for using his relationships with Eastland and Talmadge as examples of how to bring our country together.
And frankly, I’m disappointed that he hasn’t issued an immediate apology for the pain his words are dredging up for many Americans. He should."
The latest: On Thursday evening in an MSNBC interview, Booker said "we should hope for a nominee or for the leader of our party to advance the cause of racial reconciliation and get us to a point where we feel mutually invested in healing a lot of these racial disparities that exist in our country." He described a "constructive" phone call with Biden earlier this week, during which Booker said he "had an opportunity to explain ... how and why African-Americans, men who have been called boy before."
Go deeper: Where the 2020 Democratic candidates stand on reparations