• The influx of Somali refugees in St. Cloud, Minn., has spurred the sort of demographic shifts that Mr. Trump and right-wing conservatives have stoked fears about. For some, the changes have fueled talk about “white replacement,” a racist conspiracy theory.
• Joe Biden’s campaign was forced into a defensive posture this week after he invoked his work with Southern segregationist senators to make a point about civility in Congress. He now faces questions about whether he is politically sensitive enough to the concerns of the modern Democratic Party.
• In a call to Senator Cory Booker, Mr. Biden tried to smooth over tensions regarding his comments about segregationist senators. While the tone between the men was conciliatory, the former vice president stood by his remarks Thursday, while his allies defended them.
• Mr. Booker announced a new proposal on Thursday to offer clemency to more than 17,000 inmates serving time for nonviolent drug-related offenses, an expansive use of executive power that would be the broadest clemency initiative since the Civil War.
• Calling Mayor Bill de Blasio “our hometown guy,” a New York hotel union promised to commit hundreds of thousands of dollars to aid his presidential campaign.