Books and Ideas

North Carolina Voting Rights Protest

Why North Carolina Is the New Selma Why North Carolina Is the New Selma

Selma in 1965 and North Carolina in 2015 show how far conservative white Southerners will go to maintain political power.

Jul 14, 2015 / Ari Berman

Tony Judt

The NYRB Is Rewriting Tony Judt’s Stance on Israel The NYRB Is Rewriting Tony Judt’s Stance on Israel

Judt called for a just resolution to the conflict, not the preservation of a “Jewish State.”

Jul 14, 2015 / Books & the Arts / Muhammad Idrees Ahmad

Tom Tomorrow cartoon

The Never-Ending Torture of Campaign Season The Never-Ending Torture of Campaign Season

It’s like being trapped in a real-life comments thread with no escape.

Jul 14, 2015 / Tom Tomorrow

July 14, 1789: French Revolutionaries Storm the Bastille

July 14, 1789: French Revolutionaries Storm the Bastille July 14, 1789: French Revolutionaries Storm the Bastille

What are people really celebrating when they mark the anniversary of “Bastille Day”?

Jul 14, 2015 / Richard Kreitner

July 13, 1960: John F. Kennedy Secures the Democratic Presidential Nomination

July 13, 1960: John F. Kennedy Secures the Democratic Presidential Nomination July 13, 1960: John F. Kennedy Secures the Democratic Presidential Nomination

How “a young man without an impressive political record, without a program, without broad rank-and-file support,” won the presidency.

Jul 13, 2015 / Richard Kreitner

July 12, 1984: Walter Mondale Announces Geraldine Ferraro as the Democratic Vice-Presidential Candidate

July 12, 1984: Walter Mondale Announces Geraldine Ferraro as the Democratic Vice-Presidential Candidate July 12, 1984: Walter Mondale Announces Geraldine Ferraro as the Democratic Vice-Presidential Candidate

“Her prominent role in a Mondale Administration would secure more attention for the feminist agenda.”

Jul 12, 2015 / Richard Kreitner

July 11, 1937: George Gershwin Dies

July 11, 1937: George Gershwin Dies July 11, 1937: George Gershwin Dies

“More than any other one person, George Gershwin has reminded his hearers that the division between good and bad cuts across all others.”

Jul 11, 2015 / Richard Kreitner

John Scopes

July 10, 1925: The Scopes Trial Begins in Tennessee July 10, 1925: The Scopes Trial Begins in Tennessee

“The Old Testament, to them, is not a mere sacerdotal whizz-bang, to be read for its pornography; it is an authoritative history.”

Jul 10, 2015 / Richard Kreitner

Rudy Giuliani Stands to Make a Lot of Money Off El Salvador’s Crime

Rudy Giuliani Stands to Make a Lot of Money Off El Salvador’s Crime Rudy Giuliani Stands to Make a Lot of Money Off El Salvador’s Crime

His twisted plan for combatting crime in Central America will lead to increased police repression and increased private investment payouts.

Jul 9, 2015 / Greg Grandin

William Jennings Bryan

July 9, 1896: William Jennings Bryan Delivers ‘Cross of Gold’ Speech July 9, 1896: William Jennings Bryan Delivers ‘Cross of Gold’ Speech

“His speech to the convention was an appeal to one of the worst instincts of the human heart—that of getting possession of other people’s property without the owners’ consent.”

Jul 9, 2015 / Richard Kreitner

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