Apple News Today

At their worst, graduation speeches are boring, trite, and pedantic. But at their best, they’re touching meditations on what it means to live a purposeful, fulfilling life. On this week’s episode of Apple News In Conversation, host Shumita Basu speaks with commencement-speech connoisseur Cristina Negrut, who has read hundreds of speeches and cataloged many on the website Best Graduation Speeches. This is a preview of their conversation.

A ProPublica investigation finds that Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito took an undisclosed luxury vacation with a Republican megadonor who later had multiple cases before the court. Artificial intelligence is raising difficult questions in health-care settings about who makes the final call in a crisis: the human or the machine. The Wall Street Journal has more. ESPN breaks down the roster of the U.S. Women’s National Team as it prepares to compete for the World Cup.

Searchers detect underwater noises in the hunt for the missing tourist submersible on a Titanic expedition. CBS News has more. Reuters reports on the suspected human traffickers detained pending trial over the deadly migrant shipwreck off of Greece. Hunter Biden reached a deal with prosecutors on cases involving taxes and a gun purchase. The Washington Post has details. Cases involving slavery are still cited as good law across the U.S. NPR reports on the effort to change that. Every generation thinks people were nicer in the past. Vox introduces us to researchers who have evidence to the contrary.

NPR reports on how some crucial cancer drugs are in short supply, putting patients’ care at risk. Gen Z has had cosmetic work done. They’re happy to tell you all about it. The Washington Post explains. Satellites keep photobombing space images. Astronomers need to find a fix. Wired has more.

ProPublica and Frontline investigate decades of government failure to prevent deadly crashes between cars and commercial trucks. The Nile is the world’s longest river? The Amazon would like a word. The Washington Post has more on an intractable geographic debate. NPR reports on research into whether a playlist of fish sounds can help save the world’s coral reefs.

Samantha Irby is many things: blogger; essayist; and writer for shows like Shrill, And Just Like That …, and Work in Progress. Above all, she is a master of transforming seemingly mundane moments of everyday life into high comedy. Irby sat down with Apple News In Conversation host Shumita Basu to talk about her new book, Quietly Hostile, her writing process, turning herself into a TV character, and why frivolous things matter. This is a preview of their conversation.

Dozens of migrants have been stuck for months on a tiny island in the Indian Ocean. They say conditions are terrible. The BBC reports. A catatonic woman awakened after 20 years. The Washington Post explains how her story may change psychiatry. The Houston Chronicle reports on why elephants at the local zoo do yoga.

Olympian Tori Bowie died from a pregnancy complication that disproportionately impacts Black women. ABC News reports on the latest. The Associated Press has been covering health disparities that are affecting this community in America. San Francisco put cash in kindergarteners’ college savings accounts 13 years ago. The San Francisco Chronicle examines whether the move paid off. Paul McCartney tells the BBC how AI has enabled a “final” Beatles song.

The Washington Post explains why Trump was charged in relation to handling secret information while Hillary Clinton and Mike Pence were not, and details the 37 charges he faces. In a groundbreaking climate lawsuit, young plaintiffs argue that Montana’s fossil-fuel support violates their constitutional rights. The Daily Montanan has the story. The student-loan freeze is ending. The Wall Street Journal has what you need to know. Apple News has a special collection of coverage on how the Denver Nuggets won their first NBA title.

The Guardian has fresh details on how four Colombian children lived through nearly six weeks alone in the Amazon jungle after a plane crash. A new program could shed light on the link between fighting wildfires and cancer. Boise State Public Radio reports. The Sacramento Bee looks at how riders are taking mail on horseback from California to Missouri to celebrate the anniversary of the Pony Express.