#395 Rep. Dave Min; Researching While Chinese; Attack on MD Delegate Chao Wu; McCarthyism +

In This Issue #395

·      Rep. Dave Min Remarks on Issues, Identity, and Political Power

·      Researching While Chinese - Return of The China Initiative

·      Racist Attack on Maryland Delegate Chao Wu

·      Politico: McCarthyism Is Back

·      News and Activities for the Communities

Rep. Dave Min Remarks on Issues, Identity, and Political Power

Congressman Dave Min was elected in 2024 to represent California’s 47th Congressional District in the heart of Orange County.  He is the child of Korean immigrants and a product of California public schools. He previously served as a California State Senator from 2020-2024.  Before becoming an elected official, Congressman Min was a law professor at UC Irvine.  

During the APA Justice monthly meeting on May 4, 2026, Congressman Min shared his insights and remarks on issues, identity, and political power as we start the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

Rep. Min opened by introducing his district centered on Irvine and encompassing Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, and Huntington Beach as a region once defined by its conservative roots but now thriving on diversity, immigration, trade, and science.

Reflecting on the breadth of the AANHPI diaspora, Rep. Min noted that the communities represented on the call span home countries accounting for roughly 60% of the global population, with immigration histories ranging from the early 1900s to the present day. While acknowledging that experiences vary widely — from Chinese and Taiwanese immigrants of decades past, to Vietnamese refugees of the war era, to more recent arrivals from Central Asia — he emphasized that these communities share important common ground: a family member who made the choice to come to America, and a deep, personal stake in the values that made that choice meaningful.

Rep. Min spoke with urgency about the current political moment, noting that many Asian Americans feel the threats to democracy, immigration, and the American Dream not as abstractions, but as lived realities — particularly those whose parents and grandparents witnessed countries fall to authoritarian regimes. He observed that this heightened awareness may help explain why Asian American voters who supported Trump in the last election appear to be shifting sharply in the other direction. He also flagged concrete concerns including ICE enforcement actions, steep cuts to university and education funding, and a renewed rise in anti-Asian hate closely tied to escalating anti-China sentiment.

On a hopeful note, Rep. Min celebrated the remarkable cultural ascent of Asian America. He contrasted today's landscape — where Asian food, music, television, and fashion enjoy widespread popularity — with his own experience growing up in 1980s California, when Asian Americans were largely invisible or mocked in mainstream culture, and where few Americans could distinguish between the diverse nations and peoples of Asia.

Rep. Min closed with a strategic call to action. He argued that the Asian American caucus must build its political identity around issues — not just individual personalities — if it hopes to leave a lasting legacy. He pointed out that in Washington and in state capitals, other caucuses are the go-to voices on their signature issues: Latinos on immigration, Black caucuses on criminal justice, the Women's Caucus on gender equity. Asian Americans, by contrast, are rarely consulted as a bloc on any major issue. Potential areas of ownership he suggested include immigration, education, small business, and mental health. He concluded with a pointed warning: "When you're not at the table, you're on the menu" — and called on the community to change that.

Watch Rep. Min’s remarks at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWW1NwGExf8 (6:59)

Researching While Chinese - Return of The China Initiative

In a report on May 12, 2026, Science examines a series of U.S. prosecutions of Chinese postdoctoral researchers accused of improperly shipping or transporting biological materials into the United States. The article argues that these cases have revived fears of a new version of the Trump-era China Initiative, this time focused on Chinese scientists on temporary visas rather than senior Chinese American faculty.

The report centers on several cases at the University of Michigan and Indiana University. The first involved Chinese postdoc Yunqing Jian, who was arrested in June 2025 and later pleaded guilty to smuggling biological materials and making false statements. Authorities accused her and her former boyfriend, Zunyong Liu, of improperly bringing a wheat fungus into the U.S. Prosecutors described the fungus as a potential “agroterrorism weapon,” although scientists cited in the article noted the strain already exists widely in the United States and is commonly studied by plant researchers.

The report also details cases involving Chengxuan Han and Youhuang Xiang, who were prosecuted for mislabeled shipments involving common laboratory materials such as plasmid DNA and the model organism C. elegans. All four convicted postdocs were deported, effectively ending their ability to continue research careers in the United States.

Science emphasizes that the materials involved were not highly dangerous pathogens, but rather commonly used research tools. Critics quoted in the article argue that the government escalated relatively routine labeling and customs violations into national security cases. Former FBI agent Michael German said such prosecutions traditionally occur only when truly dangerous pathogens are involved.

The article portrays FBI Special Agent Edward Nieh as a central figure connecting the investigations. The prosecutions reportedly expanded through seized phones, customs inspections, and scrutiny of Chinese-linked biological shipments.

The report also highlights the broader consequences for universities and faculty advisers. Prominent plant biologists Libo Shan and Ping He, both U.S. citizens, were investigated after employing Jian, though they were ultimately cleared. Neurobiologist X.Z. Shawn Xu relocated his laboratory to China after the arrests of researchers in his lab. Indiana University scientist Roger Innes faced laboratory searches, restrictions on research exchanges, and the suspension of collaborations with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Many scientists interviewed by Science described a chilling effect across research campuses. Chinese faculty and students reportedly fear heightened scrutiny, deportation risks, and racial profiling. Some researchers told the magazine that talented Chinese scientists are increasingly declining U.S. positions in favor of opportunities in Europe, the United Kingdom, or Singapore.

The report argues that although the Biden administration formally ended the China Initiative in 2022 after criticism that it unfairly targeted scientists of Chinese descent, the newer prosecutions suggest a continuation of similar concerns under a different framework. The focus has shifted from disclosure violations and alleged economic espionage to shipping and customs violations involving biological materials.

At the same time, the article acknowledges that the government has legitimate authority to enforce rules governing the transport and labeling of biological samples. Prosecutors and federal officials defended the investigations as necessary to protect U.S. agricultural and national security interests.

Overall, the Science report presents the cases as emblematic of growing tensions between U.S. national security priorities and the openness of the American scientific research system, particularly regarding collaborations involving Chinese scientists.

Read the Science report on Researching While Chinese: https://bit.ly/4ubTFDD

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In a report on May 11, 2026, The Chronicle of Higher Education describes the escalating federal scrutiny surrounding Roger W. Innes, an Indiana University biology professor who publicly defended Chinese postdocs prosecuted and deported by the U.S. government.

The article focuses on the sudden closure and lockdown of Innes’s laboratory and adjacent research facilities at Indiana University. University police closed multiple labs, offices, and storage areas, affecting roughly 40 to 50 researchers, many with no connection to Innes’s work. The shutdown disrupted federally funded experiments, restricted access to equipment, and jeopardized ongoing biological research projects.

Neither the university nor federal authorities provided a clear explanation for the closure. University administrators initially said the action was directed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), but the USDA later denied ordering the shutdown, while confirming an ongoing investigation. This contradiction intensified confusion and concern among faculty members.

The Chronicle connects the investigation to Innes’s public defense of Yunqing Jian and Youhuang Xiang, Chinese researchers accused of improperly importing biological materials. Innes had written an expert letter disputing government claims that the fungal samples involved posed a national-security threat, arguing they were common research materials already present in the United States.

Soon afterward, Xiang — a postdoc in Innes’s own lab — was arrested and later deported after pleading guilty to smuggling plasmid DNA. Innes told The Chronicle he believes the investigation into Xiang, and the subsequent scrutiny of his own laboratory, were retaliatory responses to his advocacy on behalf of Chinese scientists. He said the government’s message appeared to be: “Do not speak out on behalf of Chinese postdocs.”

The article details how FBI agents searched Innes’s lab in December 2025, followed by a USDA inspection. Initially, USDA informed him that his lab was compliant with regulations, but later rescinded that statement, saying it had been issued “in error.” Weeks later, after Innes publicly criticized Xiang’s treatment as “100 percent politically motivated,” the lab shutdown occurred.

Faculty members described the closures as abrupt and opaque. According to Innes, unidentified men in dark suits entered the lab and informed researchers they were “securing” the space. Locks were changed overnight, and even neighboring labs unrelated to Innes became inaccessible because of the building’s shared layout.

Department chair Armin P. Moczek criticized the lack of transparency and said the shutdown had severely disrupted research operations. He described abandoned experiments, dying plants, inaccessible data and equipment, and growing anxiety among faculty and students. Other researchers in the department reported that major portions of their laboratories had effectively ceased functioning.

The Chronicle portrays the episode as part of a broader climate of fear and uncertainty surrounding Chinese scientists and their collaborators in the United States. Faculty members interviewed expressed concern that federal investigations, national-security rhetoric, and institutional secrecy are discouraging international scientific collaboration and creating a chilling effect across university campuses.

Read the Chronicle report: https://bit.ly/4fq97Hs. Read the Science report on May 9, 2026 about the lockout of Professor Roger Innes’s laboratory: https://bit.ly/3Pdf1Bj.

Racist Attack on Maryland Delegate Chao Wu

According to ABC7 News, AsAmNews, CBS Baltimore, Daily Record, Maryland Matters, Moco Show (2026/05/12), MoCoShow (2026/05/14), NBC4 Washington, and WBAL-TV, during the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, a deeply troubling incident unfolded in the Maryland House of Delegates. On April 30, 2026, Republican Delegates Mark Fisher and Brian Chisholm posted a 13-minute video podcast, tilted "ChiCom of the Year Award," accusing Democratic Delegate Chao Wu — a Chinese-born data scientist representing parts of Howard and Montgomery counties — of being a spy for the Chinese Communist Party, repeatedly using a derogatory slur, and mocking the way he speaks.

Wu, who holds a doctorate in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Maryland, served on the Howard County Board of Education before being elected to the House of Delegates in 2022. He responded with dignity: "I am a proud new American and a public servant. Unfounded accusations and extremist conspiracy theories will not distract me from the work that matters.  Xenophobia, racism, and McCarthyism have no place in our state."

The backlash was swift and bipartisan. House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk escalated the matter to the Ethics Committee to investigate. AAPI Caucus Chair Delegate Lily Qi said plainly: "Xenophobia and bigotry have no place in the Maryland legislature. One can debate the merit of a bill without resorting to racist name-calling and unfounded accusations."

House Minority Leader Del. Jason Buckel (R-Allegany) said he had "no reason to believe" that Wu was "somehow affiliated with the Chinese government as an American citizen and elected official," adding: "There is no place for discrimination or prejudicial treatment toward Asian-Americans based on their ethnicity in our party and that's not something our Caucus engages in or promotes in any way."

Despite calls to apologize and remove the video, Fisher and Chisholm have refused to back down.

Official bodies, legislative caucuses, elected leaders, and community organizations have strongly condemned the racially offensive video, including

·       Legislative Caucuses: The Legislative Asian American and Pacific Islander Caucus, the Legislative Black Caucus, and the Legislative LGBTQ+ Caucus.

·       Federal Elected Officials: The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) and U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin.

·       State Leadership: House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk and the leader of the House Republican Caucus.

·       Local Governments & Councils: The Montgomery County Council and Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich.

·       Community Organizations: Committee of 100, Montgomery County Progressive Asian American Network (MoCoPAAN), OCA-DC.  

Politico: McCarthyism Is Back

According to Politico. the resurgence of McCarthyist tactics under the Trump administration — the targeting of academics, journalists, immigrants, and federal employees for perceived disloyalty — is not simply a historical echo, but the direct result of a deliberate decades-long effort by one largely overlooked figure: Jean McCarthy, wife of Senator Joe McCarthy.

The report reframes Jean McCarthy as far more than a supportive spouse. She was an active intellectual and strategic partner who worked around the clock — seven days a week, often until the early morning hours — reviewing documents from Richard Nixon and J. Edgar Hoover, strengthening her husband's charges, and ghostwriting key speeches and Senate statements, including the 1951 attack on Defense Secretary George Marshall.

When Senator Millard Tydings led a committee that exposed McCarthy's allegations as "a fraud and a hoax," Jean took charge of the retaliatory campaign. She moved to Baltimore, helped craft a tabloid branding Tydings a communist, and enthusiastically approved a doctored photograph falsely depicting him with Communist Party leader Earl Browder — seeing no ethical problem with the fabrication. Tydings lost his re-election bid, and a subsequent Senate investigation condemned the outside interference in the race.

When Joe McCarthy died in 1957 — physically and politically broken, censured by the Senate in 1954 after Edward R. Murrow exposed him as a bully and a fraud on national television — Jean pivoted to preserving and rehabilitating his legacy. She worked closely with William F. Buckley Jr. and the editors of National Review, supplying condolence-note mailing lists that dramatically boosted the magazine's circulation, and became a featured speaker at anti-communist rallies. She fiercely guarded her husband's reputation, blocking any portrayal that failed to treat him as a hero.

The article concludes that Jean McCarthy's tireless rehabilitation of McCarthyism transformed what might have been a discredited historical footnote into a durable political ideology — one that the authors trace through Barry Goldwater's militant conservatism, Nixon's culture wars, Newt Gingrich's scorched-earth partisanship, and ultimately Donald Trump's authoritarian style. In the article's framing, Jean — not Joe — was McCarthyism's most enduring architect.

“Democrats and Republicans remain miles apart on nearly everything these days, but there is one point on which both parties are in complete agreement: McCarthyism is back,” the report said.

Read the Politico report: https://politi.co/4ueSP8X

News and Activities for the Communities

1. APA Justice Community Calendar

Upcoming Events:

2026/05/20 Trump v. Barbara: Birthright Citizenship at the Supreme Court

2026/05/27 AAPI Representation on Capitol Hill: Navigating Careers and Sharing Advice

2026/06/01 APA Justice Monthly Meeting

2026/06/10 Recollections, Pioneers and Heroes - Calvin Tsao

2026/06/27-28 From Crisis to Coalition: Lessons from the Front Lines in Minneapolis/St. PaulVisit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details.

2. Cato: Trump v. Barbara: Birthright Citizenship at the Supreme Court

WHAT: Trump v. Barbara: Birthright Citizenship at the Supreme CourtWHEN: May 20, 2026, 2:00-3:00 pm ETWHERE: WebinarHOST: Cato InstituteSpeakers:  

·       Paul Finkelman, President William McKinley Distinguished Professor of Law and Public Policy, Emeritus, Albany Law School and Visiting Professor of Law, University of Toledo College of Law

·       Dan Greenberg, Senior Legal Fellow, Cato Institute

·       Ilya Somin, Professor of Law, George Mason University, and B. Kenneth Simon Chair in Constitutional Studies, Cato Institute

·       Jack Chin, Edward L. Barrett Jr. Distinguished Professor of Law and Director of Clinical Legal Education, UC Davis School of Law.

DESCRIPTION:  Does the Fourteenth Amendment guarantee birthright citizenship to persons born in the United States to parents without permanent immigration status? This is an insightful discussion with a group of scholars who will break down Trump v. Barbara, consider the recent Supreme Court oral argument, and explore the approaches the Court might take as it reaches a decision.

REGISTRATION: https://bit.ly/4dg8Kwt

3. AAPI Representation on Capitol Hill: Navigating Careers and Sharing Advice

WHAT: AAPI Representation on Capitol Hill:  Navigating Careers and Sharing AdviceWHEN: May 27, 2026, 6:00-7:30 pm ETWHERE: In Person: 232 East Capitol Street NE, Washington DCHOSTS: US-China Education Trust; U.S. Asia InstituteModerator: Nicholas Wu, congressional reporter at SemaforSpeakers:  

·       Allison Dong, senior communications advisor for the House Budget Committee

·       Tiffany Ge Elzey, staff director to Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY)

·       Jason Li, professional staff member for the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party

·       Catalina Tam, nominations director to Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY)

DESCRIPTION: The panel will offer first-hand insight into how policy is made and what AAPI representation looks like in the legislative branch. The discussion will also examine the challenges and opportunities that have shaped panelists' careers, along with practical advice for anyone looking to forge their own path in legislative politics and policymaking.REGISTRATION: https://bit.ly/3Pg4bdP

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APA Justice Task Force is a non-partisan platform to build a sustainable ecosystem that addresses racial profiling concerns and to facilitate, inform, and advocate on selected issues related to justice and fairness for the Asian Pacific American community.  For more information, please refer to the APA Justice website at www.apajusticetaskforce.org. We value your feedback. Please send your comments to contact@apajustice.org.