Up First from NPR - Harris on Florida Ed Standards, Ukrainian Grain, Remembering Tony Bennett

Episode Date: July 22, 2023

Vice President Kamala Harris criticizes a new Florida education standard that suggests enslaved people benefitted from slavery. The UN warns that Russian strikes on Ukrainian ports could disrupt the global food supply. NPR's Scott Simon recounts his own conversations with singer Tony Bennett, who died at the age of 96.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Vice President Harris criticizes Florida education officials for their new social studies standards. The standards include some dubious conclusions about the legacy of slavery. I'm Scott Simon. I'm Aisha Roscoe, and this is Up First from NPR News. The U.N. warns that Russian attacks on Ukrainian ports could spread hunger around the world. Russia is simply using the Black Sea as blackmail. It's playing political games. It's holding humanity hostage.

That's as the Kremlin refuses to renew a deal on grain exports. And the world loses the legendary Tony Bennett. I get to interview you, Scott, about that. Yes, I got to help Tony write his life story. Stay with us. We've got the news you need to start your weekend. Now Our Change will honor 100 years of the Royal Canadian Air Force and their dedicated service to communities at home and abroad. From the skies to Our Change,

this $2 commemorative circulation coin marks their storied past and promising future. Find the limited edition Royal Canadian Air Force $2 coin today. New education standards in Florida are meeting objections from teachers, state legislators, and now the Vice President of the United States. Kamala Harris traveled to Jacksonville to speak before a packed audience yesterday. Danielle Pryor with member station WMFE in Orlando was there. Danielle, thanks for being with us.

Thanks for having me. And please tell us about the vice president's speech. Sure. So Harris called the new standards gaslighting, especially, you know, thinking about the history and the horrors of slavery. That anyone could suggest that in the midst of these atrocities, that there was any benefit to being subjected to this level of dehumanization. And she also called the standards misleading, fake, propaganda, and she likened them to people that minimize the history of the Holocaust or Japanese internment camps or how Native people have been treated by the U.S. government. Danielle, you were at the State Board of Education meeting this week

where the new standards were approved. Tell us about that meeting, please. Yeah, so dozens of people spoke, teachers and students and parents and advocates, and they spoke for over an hour, mostly in opposition to those standards. But then, of course, the board went ahead and adopted the standards. Most people who spoke out against them say that they whitewash American history. And I want to read you the two standards that most people are taking issue with. The first is a middle school standard, and that requires students to learn about, quote,

how slaves develop skills which in some instances could be applied for their personal benefit. Unsurprisingly, that's the line everyone's talking about this week. But there's another standard, a high school standard, where the older kids would have to be taught, you know, in instances like the Tulsa Massacre, that that violence was perpetrated both, quote, against and by African Americans. And of course, we know that's not the case. During the Tulsa Massacre, it was Black residents who were killed in large numbers and their property destroyed. And, you know, the board just in general says that the standards are comprehensive and they cover the good, the bad, and the ugly of African-American history. But they are, you know, they've been appointed by our governor and have a very specific agenda.

And Governor DeSantis is running for president and he refers to having an anti-woke agenda. What else does this potentially mean for education in Florida? So we've had a slew of laws that have started July 1st here in Florida. The big ones, we've expanded the parental rights and education law, which people outside Florida probably know is don't say gay. And under that, teachers can now lose their certification if they talk to kids in pretty much any grade about gender identity or sexuality. They can lose their certification if they use a child's preferred pronouns or let a kid use the bathroom that aligns with their gender identity. And then for school media specialists, we have new laws that make it a lot easier to challenge books. So they're going to be facing a lot of

book bans in the coming school year. Danielle, what could be ahead next in Florida for teachers, parents, and students? Sure. So right now it's summer break and the kids don't go back to school for a few weeks yet. But in August, we'll be watching to see what the impact of all of these different laws are. For now, it's interesting to see the impact on the teacher shortage here in Florida. Last January, halfway through the year, we had more than 5,000 open teaching positions. Halfway through the year still, that hadn't been filled. And the end of last school year saw hundreds of teachers resign here in Central Florida over these laws. So it's going to be interesting to kind of watch not just the teacher shortage, but the impact of these laws and their school districts being sued right now by parents and authors over

book bans. So a lot happening here in Florida in terms of education. Daniel Pryor, WMFE in Orlando. Thanks so much for being with us. Thank you. Russian bombs Wednesday destroyed 60,000 tons of grain just south of the port city of Odessa. That's enough grain to feed 270,000 people for a year. On Thursday, it happened again. Here's the U.N.'s top humanitarian official, Martin Griffiths. So the humanitarian catastrophe that continues to unfold in Ukraine continues to reverberate around the world, and it must end. NPR's Michelle Kellerman joins us. Michelle, thanks for being with us. Hi there, Scott.

Can the U.N. do anything to try and revive this deal to keep grain flowing? Well, I mean, they're certainly encouraging Russia to return to the deal, which is known as the Black Sea Grain Initiative. But so far, Russia shows no sign that it's going to back down. You know, it complains that the U.N. and Turkey, which also helped negotiate this deal, didn't do enough to make sure that Russia can export its goods. The Russians complain about U.S. and Western sanctions, not on food, actually, but on banks. They say that it's making it more difficult for them to finance this trade and to get insurance. And they say they want that resolved first. What's the U.S. response? Yeah, I mean, the U.S. says Russia is lying about this. Here's what Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the U.N. Security Council. They would have

you believe that sanctions have blocked their exports. That couldn't be further told the U.N. Security Council. They would have you believe that sanctions have blocked their exports. That couldn't be further from the truth. They were exporting more grains than ever before and at higher prices. Russia is simply using the Black Sea as blackmail. It's playing political games. It's holding humanity hostage. Thomas Greenfield also says the U.S. believes that Russia has laid sea mines near Ukrainian ports and might be planning what she's calling a false flag to justify attacks on Ukrainian shipments. And you know, Scott, that's been one

of the Biden administration's strategies throughout this war. They declassify information to show the world what Russia might do. The hope is that that will deter Russia from taking such actions or at least convince other countries to use their influence with Russia to back down. Well, how might that work? Is there anything the U.N. or the U.S. can do to protect Ukrainian food shipments right now? Right now, they're just trying to get this deal back on track. And Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the U.S. is talking to allies about other possible routes for Ukrainian agricultural goods. But that's also not easy, as he pointed out at the Aspen Security Conference. I think it's very, very difficult because for the shippers, for the insurers, given the threats, more than the threats, the action that Russia has taken over the last few days, it would be very hard to operate in that environment.

That's why we are looking for alternatives. We are looking for options. I just don't think we can make up the volume. Some analysts are even suggesting that NATO start escorting Ukrainian ships, but Blinken was asked about that. He didn't directly respond to it, but he also didn't give any indication that that's really being considered. NPR's Michelle Kellerman, thanks so much. Thank you. Tony Bennett has died at the age of 96.

Oh, the good life, full of fun, seems to be the ideal. So open your arms and you'll open the door. The best is yet to come and babe, won't it be fine. The best is yet to come, come the day you're mine. Tony Bennett sang with lyrical skill and joy during a career that lasted more than 80 years. His songs made up the soundtrack for the lives of many grandparents and parents of our listeners. And with the duet albums that he made over the last decade or so, with contemporary artists, Tony Bennett became an enduring star all over again. So Scott, I told you I was going to interview you for this one. You co-wrote a

book with Tony Bennett, his memoir, Just Getting Started. it was released when he was just turning 90 a few years ago. How did that come about? Tony had read a couple of memoirs I'd written. He knew I was from a show business family, had even worked at a couple of clubs in Chicago where my parents had. And I'd interviewed him, and we felt, I think, a kinship, it's fair to say. We had lunch in New York. I said, this is a wonderful project, but I've never written a book with a co-author before. And Tony said, hey, kid, I know just how you feel.

Only time I didn't take top billing, it was with Duke Ellington and Frank Sinatra. And I said, well, okay. In that case, I'd be pleased to do it and take second Billy. Yeah, I mean, how can you refuse with that, like with an offer like that? Yeah, yeah. I certainly couldn't. He always came across like as just a very gracious man in public. Like what was it like spending time with him?

You really felt that you were in the presence of a true, not just a true gentleman, but a gentle soul. He had lots of funny stories, but never really put a villain in them. Of course, he was famously from Queens, immigrant Italian family, mother a seamstress, father died when he was about nine. And Tony always said that it was the love of his family that gave him a clear direction, encouragement, and really a sense of purpose in life. Now, this is what he told our colleague Robin Young on Here and Now a few years ago. It was just a moment in my life at 10 years old when I just said, who am I? Is anybody ever going to know who I am? I was wondering who I was.

But it was my relatives that told me who I was. They said, you're a singer and you're a painter. And boy, that did it. Because I said, that's who I am. You talked about him being a good storyteller. He was also a very strong, ardent supporter of the civil rights movement. What did he tell you about that? He had a wonderful story about the time that Dr. King and Harry Belafonte asked him to do a benefit for civil rights marchers along the Jefferson Davis Highway to Selma. It performed with Billy Eckstein. They couldn't put up a stage because Alabama law didn't permit a stage for a show with an integrated audience.

So they had to put together 18 caskets from a local mortician. You know, and Tony felt very strong sense of connection to the civil rights movement. He was from an immigrant family that had felt the sting of discrimination. The music he loved and created was performed by many black musicians who were his friends, his co-creators, his co-artists. He and Duke Ellington opened a Miami hotel in the mid-60s. At the time, the hotel owners were willing to hire Duke Ellington, but he couldn't stay in the hotel. And Tony told me the story about how Duke's manager got the best suite in the hotel under his name, and later that night, Duke moved in. They had their ways of maneuvering. You know, Scott, I got to put you on the spot here.

Tony Bennett had an amazing catalog of songs, but if you had to pick one that you think everyone should listen to this weekend, what would it be? I thought a lot about that. I'm going to recommend one song, but two different versions. Body and Soul, here's his version in 1989, and his interpretation was astounding. Why haven't you seen it? I'm all for you, body and soul. But 22 years later, Tony was in his mid-80s. He re-recorded it in a duet with Amy Winehouse, whom he revered. Why haven't you seen it?

I'm all for you, body and soul. What I heard in his voice was the wisdom of time and how your capacity for love grows over time. When you're young and you tell someone, I love you, body and soul, it's the ardency you're young and you tell someone, I love your body and soul, it's the urgency you're feeling.

When you're older, you say it as love has settled and takes shape in your soul. It's your life. And you're singing, and you hear that there in his duet with Amy Winehouse, one soul to another. That is truly beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing with us.

Yeah. Well, glad to do it. Thanks, Aisha. And that's Up First for Saturday, July 22nd, 2023. I'm Scott Simon. And I'm Aisha Roscoe. Dani Hensel produced this Saturday version of Up First. It was edited by Hadil Al-Shaouchi, Melissa Gray, Nishant Dahia, Susanna Capilouto, and Matthew Sherman. Our director was Michael Radcliffe. Ana Glovna is our technical director, and we've had help from many engineers who help us sound the very best. Evie Stone is our senior supervising editor. Sarah Oliver is our executive producer. And Jim Kane is our Executive Producer, and Jim Cain is our Deputy Managing Editor.

Thanks to all those people who lend their talents to Weekend Edition as well. Up First is back tomorrow with a story about how Hondurans are migrating north because climate change has led to drought, flooding, and a declining coffee harvest. And there's more news, interviews, books, and music this weekend on the radio. Weekend Edition airs every Saturday and Sunday morning. Find your NPR station at stations.npr.org.