In the contest to become the Democratic candidate for president, Joseph R. Biden Jr. is being asked to confront his record on race, including past positions that some in his party now see as outdated and unjust. We look at the policies Mr. Biden embraced and how they were viewed at the time. Guest: Astead W. Herndon, who covers national politics for The New York Times. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily.

Background reading:

• Mr. Biden’s efforts to play down his role in overhauling crime legislation with segregationist senators in the 1980s and ’90s is at odds with his actions and rhetoric back then.
• Though a liberal on most civil rights issues, Mr. Biden was a leading opponent of busing as a tool to integrate schools.