--:-- Shamita Basu: Good morning. It's Friday, June 25th. I'm Shamita Basu. And I'm Duarte Giraldino. This is Apple News Today. Each morning, hear about some of the most fascinating stories in the news and how the world's best journalists are covering them.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: A series of alarming discoveries is shedding light on the history of abuse of Indigenous people in school systems in the U.S. and Canada. In Saskatchewan this week, more than 700 unmarked graves were found on the grounds of a former school. It was once run by the Catholic Church as part of a Canadian government program that forced Indigenous children into these facilities.
--:-- Shamita Basu: This comes less than a month after a similar discovery in British Columbia. The Toronto Star is covering these developments. These institutions were euphemistically called residential schools in Canada and boarding schools in the U.S., but these were not safe places. They were built to forcibly assimilate Indigenous children, to erase their culture.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Canadian investigations have revealed many of the children who were sent to these places were physically, sexually, and psychologically abused. They died at far higher rates than the general population. And when they died, they were rarely returned to their families for proper burials in their home communities. In many cases, their deaths were not formally documented.
--:-- Shamita Basu: And in the U.S., the news of these unmarked graves is putting a new spotlight on the fact that indigenous children suffered at these facilities. The U.S. Interior Secretary, Deb Haaland, is the first Native American Cabinet Secretary. And this week, she said, the government will investigate the history of these schools, institutions that were once run by the department she now leads.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: For more than a century, the Interior Department was responsible for operating the Indian boarding schools across the United States and its territories. We are therefore uniquely positioned to assist in the effort to recover the dark history of these institutions that have haunted our families for too long. It's our responsibility.
--:-- Shamita Basu: The Biden administration is putting new pressure on China for alleged human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region. It's banning imports of solar panel materials from a Chinese firm that's accused of using forced labor. Xinjiang produces about half of the global supply of polysilicon, a material that's critical for solar panels.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: This import ban specifically targets one Chinese company. Bloomberg describes the administration's move as a first step. It falls short of a broader ban on products from the Xinjiang region, which some activists and lawmakers have been pushing for. Bloomberg is calling this one of the Biden administration's biggest moves towards countering alleged abuses in Xinjiang.
--:-- Shamita Basu: This week, the administration also took other steps on human rights in China. It expanded a list of Chinese entities that U.S. companies cannot sell to without special approval. Solar panels are the focus this week, but there are also questions about forced labor in the garment industry. Bloomberg reported earlier this year that U.S. Customs blocked a shipment of Uniqlo shirts.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: The agency said Uniqlo had failed to provide enough evidence that the raw cotton was not produced by forced labor in Xinjiang. Uniqlo said it has checks in place to identify any potential violations of human rights. And there's still room for the U.S. to add more pressure. Reuters is reporting yesterday, the Senate advanced a bill that would ban all products from Xinjiang unless companies can prove forced labor was not used to produce them.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Remember seeing how quickly restaurants totally transformed during the pandemic? Outdoor structures and heaters, super spaced out tables, staff wearing masks. The restaurants that survived changed to avoid bankruptcy. But a personal essay in Eater offers a different perspective.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: The writer has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, and she says it's been frustrating to watch. She wishes restaurants would put the same kind of effort into being accessible to people with disabilities. The writer's name is Penelope Richards, and in this piece, she argues, if restaurants can follow pandemic rules, they can adhere to guidelines for the Americans with Disabilities Act.
--:-- Penelope Richards: The ADA includes mandates for door width, wheelchair ramps, bathroom accessibility, and accommodations for people who are visually impaired. I've been to restaurants where I had to be carried up a flight of stairs because they didn't have a wheelchair ramp. And it's not just about me; there are about 61 million people with disabilities in the United States.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Richards points out ADA standards are the law. Restaurants are required to follow these rules just like they were required to abide by pandemic rules. But Richards writes that in her experience many restaurants do not take ADA mandates seriously, not like they did with pandemic protocols.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Music is such a big part of celebrating the LGBTQ plus community. And if you've been to a Pride event recently, there's a good chance you heard Lady Gaga blasting out of the speakers. I'm beautiful in my way, because I make no mistakes. I'm on the right, that you say that I was born this way.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Born This Way, that phrase underscores the idea that sexuality is not a choice. Now, the song is part of a musical history that's longer than you might think. MTV News goes back decades to look at the hits that have acted as a means of representation and self-expression for members of this historically marginalized group.
--:-- Shamita Basu: For many years, references had to be subtle. Legendary songwriter Cole Porter was gay, but he wrote for performers who weren't, like Frank Sinatra. It was just one of those nights just one of those fabulous flights A trip to the moon That was 1953 Sinatra was singing about one night stands
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: And MTV says what Porter is alluding to there in his lyrics is the secret and sometimes fleeting nature of gay romance in that era. In the years after the Stonewall uprising brought the movement for equality further into the spotlight, Pride songs became more overt. Think the Village People? You know their 1978 dance hit YMCA?
--:-- Shamita Basu: Fast forward to today when Pride anthems have gone fully mainstream. We now have Billboard No. 1 hits like Lil Nas X's Montero, Call Me By Your Name. Lil Nas X sings openly and honestly about his sexuality in what MTV calls a uniquely Gen Z take.
--:-- Duarte Giraldino: Songwriter Taylor Parks tells MTV a song about Black LGBTQ plus love would never have been number one on the charts even a decade ago. Parks also says songs like this and the increased visibility of artists who identify as LGBTQ plus represent a major cultural shift that's only just beginning.
--:-- Shamita Basu: You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And stop by over the weekend to hear our new interview show, In Conversation. In each episode, we talk to the writers of some of the best stories in Apple News+. This week, I speak with Belinda Luscombe from Time magazine.
--:-- Belinda Luscombe: She recently profiled billionaire philanthropist Mackenzie Scott. After her divorce from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Scott started making headlines for massive charitable gifts. She didn't give to really big ones and she didn't really give to really small ones, but she gave to sort of middle of the road organizations that were being particularly effective. She gives unrestricted gifts.
--:-- Shamita Basu: Enjoy the weekend, listen. We'll be back again with the news on Monday.
