Newsletter - #317 Dr. Bryant Lin; Rep. Sylvester Turner; NIH Cuts Blocked Amidst Fear; DOGE Errors; + #317 Dr. Bryant Lin; Rep. Sylvester Turner; NIH Cuts Blocked Amidst Fear; DOGE Errors; + In This Issue #317 · NYT : Dr. Bryant Lin Got Cancer; He Didn't Quit · Remembering Congressman Sylvester Turner · Trump's Cuts to NIH Blocked Amidst Fear and Uncertainty · DOGE Errors and Questions of Transparency · News and Activities for the Communities NYT : Dr. Bryant Lin Got Cancer; He Didn't Quit According to New York Times on February 26, 2025, Dr. Bryant Lin 林百里 , a Stanford University professor and physician, was given a terminal Stage 4 lung cancer at age 50. A nonsmoker, he had spent much of his career researching lung cancer in Asian populations—only to find himself facing the very disease he had studied. Instead of withdrawing, he chose to teach a deeply personal course, “From Diagnosis to Dialogue: A Doctor’s Real-Time Battle With Cancer,” in which he shared his journey as both a doctor and a patient.The course filled immediately, with students even sitting on the floor to attend. Dr. Lin was moved by their enthusiasm, telling them, “It’s quite an honor for me, honestly. The fact that you would want to sign up for my class.”Throughout the 10-week course, he remained upbeat, guiding students through discussions on the psychology of illness, difficult medical conversations, and the role of spirituality in coping with disease. His wife, Christine Chan , spoke in a session on caregiving, describing her challenges and their family’s adjustments. Despite the severity of his condition, Dr. Lin’s humor shone through—when discussing new treatment options, he quipped, “Asking for a friend!”In one lecture, Dr. Lin shared a letter from a dying patient who had chosen to end dialysis, expressing gratitude for his care, “You treated me as you would treat your own father.”Dr. Lin explained that this moment stayed with him and inspired him to give back through his class. His goal was to help students see the humanity in medicine and, perhaps, inspire some to work in cancer care. By the final lecture, when he asked how many were considering that path, about a third raised their hands.His closing remarks echoed Lou Gehrig ’s famous farewell, “Yet today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of this earth.” He expressed gratitude for his students, family, and colleagues, stating, “I may have had a tough break, but I have an awful lot to live for.”The class had an impact beyond medical training. Some students encouraged their families to get screened for lung cancer. One freshman, Gideon Witchel , took the course to better understand his mother’s past battle with breast cancer. Inspired by Dr. Lin, he finally talked to her about her illness, reading through letters she had written during treatment.Dr. Lin referred to his course as his “letter” to students, sharing his lessons while he still had time. Privately, he had written a personal letter for his sons to read after he was gone: “Whether I’m here or not, what I want you to know is that I love you. Of the many things I’ve done that have given my life meaning, being your daddy is the greatest of all.”His story became one of resilience, education, and love—an unfinished puzzle that others would continue piecing together.Read the New York Times article: https://bit.ly/43sYFZU Remembering Congressman Sylvester Turner According to multiple media reports, Congressman Sylvester Turner passed away suddenly on March 4, 2025. He was 70.Rep. Turner was elected to represent Texas' 18th Congressional District in the November 2024 election. The district includes much of inner-city Houston and the surrounding areas. Before him, the seat was held by late-Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee . Rep. Jackson Lee represented the district from 1995 until July 2024, when she died of pancreatic cancer. Prior to joining Congress this year, Rep. Turner was mayor of Houston and a member of the Texas House of Representatives.Both Reps. Turner and Jackson Lee participated actively in the opposition of the Texas alien land bill SB147 in 2023, taking to the streets and marching with the Asian American communities. According to Houston Public Media on January 23, 2023, then-Houston-Mayor Turner said, "Senate Bill 147 is just down right wrong. It is more divisive than anything else. Houston, the most diverse city in the United States, stands as one to say that we all should stand against 147." Trump's Cuts to NIH Blocked Amidst Fear and Uncertainty As of March 6, 2025, the number of lawsuits against President Donald Trump 's executive actions reported by the Just Security Litigation Tracker has grown to 104.According to AP News , New York Times , STAT , and multiple media reports, U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley issued a nationwide preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration from slashing National Institutes of Health (NIH) payments for research indirect cost, a decision that suggests plaintiffs seeking to overturn the sweeping policy change are likely to eventually succeed. “Absent a nationwide injunction, institutions across the country will be forced to operate with the same uncertainty, resulting in the types of irreparable harm that a preliminary injunction is meant to prevent,” she wrote.Judge Kelley made the ruling in Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. National Institutes of Health (1:25-cv-10338) which was filed in the U.S. Court for the District of Massachusetts. The case combined three lawsuits brought by coalitions of Democratic states, universities, and medical associations. Dr. David J. Skorton of the Association of American Medical Colleges, one of the plaintiffs, applauded the ruling. “These unlawful cuts would slow medical progress and cost lives,” he wrote in a statement, saying the NIH-funded research “benefits every person and community in America.”According to the Washington Post on March 6, 2025, the Trump administration’s orders have created more turmoil and damage at the NIH than was previously known. On January 24, 2025, the Trump administration installed Matthew Memoli , a longtime NIH influenza researcher and physician who was not part of the senior leadership ranks, as acting director, bypassing Lawrence Tabak , principal deputy director of NIH who served as acting director for two years under the Biden administration. That initial shock marked the beginning of six weeks of turmoil for NIH's scientific staff. In just that short period, the Trump administration reshaped NIH's leadership, stalled its core mission of identifying cutting-edge research to fund, and effectively silenced personnel at the world's largest biomedical research sponsor—a $48 billion operation supporting roughly 300,000 external scientists. The Washington Post provides a detailed week-by-week summary of the events.Even in a climate of fear, NIH employees say they want to protect their institution. They worry this winter of disruption may be causing lasting damage to the way science is conducted in the United States. “The whole thing could just disappear,” said Phil Murphy , senior investigator and chief of the laboratory of molecular immunology at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). “The biomedical research enterprise in the United States depends largely on NIH dollars. You take the dollars away, the labs go away, and you lose the next generation of scientists.” Latest Developments with Federal Employees According to AP News on March 5, 2025, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says about 180 employees who were laid off two weeks ago can come back to work. An email was reportedly sent with the subject line, “Read this e-mail immediately.” It said that “after further review and consideration,” a February 15 termination notice has been rescinded and the employee was cleared to return to work on Wednesday. “You should return to duty under your previous work schedule,” it said. “We apologize for any disruption that this may have caused.”According to NPR on March 5, 2025, the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) ordered the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to temporarily reinstate close to 6,000 employees fired since February 13, finding reasonable grounds to believe the agency acted illegally in terminating them. MSPB issued a stay , ordering the USDA to return the fired workers to their jobs for 45 days while an investigation continues. The MSPB acts as an internal court to consider federal employees' complaints against the government. According to MSPB , the weekly number of cases it receives has spiked since February, reaching 2,178 in the most recent week. According to Federal News Network on March 4, 2025, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has just rehired about half of the employees it fired two weeks ago. The reversal comes after a federal judge ruled in American Federation Of Government Employees, AFL-CIO v. United States Office of Personnel Management (3:25-cv-01780) that the Trump administration's directives telling agencies to fire their probationary employees were illegal. The reinstated workers will receive backpay and will not see a break in service. While 84 employees will be going back to work, the other 86 fired workers will still be out of their jobs. NSF said that is because they were intermittent employees and not full-time staff members. DOGE Errors and Its Lack of Transparency According to New York Times on March 3, 2025, for the second time in a week, Elon Musk’s "Department Government Efficiency" updated its “wall of receipts” to remove mistakes that inflated its success, erasing over $4 billion in claimed savings. It deleted or altered more than 1,000 contracts—40% of last week's listings. Total reported savings has dropped from $16 billion to under $9 billion since February 19.Experts have flagged numerous errors, including miscalculations, duplicate entries, and contracts that ended long ago. According to Inside Higher Ed on March 5, 2025, education scholars say the administration’s rash of cuts and lack of quality transparency will have a “devastating effect” on public policy and student outcomes for years to come.On February 18, 2025, President Trump ordered federal agencies to disclose all terminated programs, contracts, and grants to enhance transparency. However, the Department of Education has not provided details on cuts totaling $1.9 billion, despite requests. Critics argue the administration is failing to be truly transparent, with experts warning that these cuts will significantly impact research, policymaking, and education outcomes.“The cuts that happened recently are going to have far-reaching impacts, and those impacts could really be long term unless some rapid action is taken,” said Mamie Voight , president of the Institute for Higher Education Policy. “To eliminate data, evidence and research is working in opposition to efficiency,” she said.In a recent analysis, titled “ Running Down DOGE’s Department of Education Receipts ,” Nat Malkus , deputy director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, compared a leaked list of the 89 terminated Institute of Education Sciences contracts, along with detailed data from USASpending.gov * , to those DOGE had posted on its website. He said he found major inconsistencies in how savings were calculated. Antoinette Flores , director of higher education accountability and quality at New America, conducted similar research and also found that the DOGE data does not add up and exaggerates the savings. “It’s absolutely hypocrisy,” she said. “It feels like we’re all being gaslit. I don’t know why they are saying they want to be transparent without being transparent.” * What is USASpending.gov ? USASpending.gov is the official U.S. government website that tracks federal spending. It provides public access to data on how taxpayer dollars are allocated, including details on federal contracts, grants, loans, and other financial assistance. The site is managed by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and aims to enhance transparency by allowing users to search and analyze government expenditures across agencies, recipients, and specific programs.USASpending.gov was created as part of the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA) of 2006, which was signed into law by President George W. Bush on September 26, 2006. The website was launched in 2007. News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2025/03/12 MSU Webinar on China Initiative2025/03/16 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/03/26 Policing White Supremacy: The Enemy Within2025/03/30 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/04/07 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2025/04/13 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/04/24-26 Committee of 100 Annual Conference and Gala2025/04/27 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/05/05 APA Justice Monthly MeetingVisit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details. 2. 03/12 MSU Webinar: The China Initiative On March 12, 2025, please join the webinar hosted by Michigan State University's Asian Pacific American Studies Program for an insightful discussion of the past and present of the China Initiative, a Trump administration program that targeted Asian American scholars and researchers for investigation and prosecution. Dr. Lok Siu of UC Berkeley and Dr. Jeremy Wu of APA Justice will speak at the event moderated by Dr. Kent Weber of Michigan State University.Register to attend: https://bit.ly/4hVaITO 3. USCET 2025 Summer Internship Opens The U.S.-China Education Trust (USCET) is accepting applications from undergraduate juniors, seniors, and graduate students passionate about U.S.-China relations. This hybrid, part-time internship at a nonprofit dedicated to cross-cultural dialogue offers hands-on experience and the opportunity to earn a stipend or academic credit. Read the job description and follow application steps here: https://bit.ly/3Nz4Tyi . Application Deadline: March 28, 2025, at 11:59 PM ET. 4. Erratum In APA Justice Newsletter Issue #316 , Jeremy Berg was incorrectly identified as a former director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). He previously served as the director of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, a division of NIH. We regret the error. Back View PDF March 7, 2025 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #25 10/5 Meeting Summary; Know Your Rights; America's Lost Talents By Racial Profiling #25 10/5 Meeting Summary; Know Your Rights; America's Lost Talents By Racial Profiling Back View PDF October 28, 2020 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Gang Chen 陈刚 Docket ID: 1:21-cr-10018 District Court, D. Massachusetts Date filed: Jan 19, 2021 Date ended: January 20, 2022 Table of Contents Overview Personal Background “We Are All Gang Chen” Federal Charges Dropped 2022/01/21 Boston Globe Opinion 2022/02/07 APA Justice Monthly Meeting Gang Chen Moves Forward Photo Album & Links and References Overview On January 19, 2021, the last full day of the Trump administration, Gang Chen, Carl Richard Soderberg Professor of Power Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), was indicted for failing to disclose contracts, appointments and awards from various entities in the People’s Republic of China to the U.S. Department of Energy. His arrest was announced earlier on January 14, 2021. Professor Chen’s case was identified as part of the China Initiative. Gang was not indicted for theft of trade secrets or industrial espionage – the type of cases the initiative was supposed to bring – but rather for paperwork violations. When then-U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling unveiled the charges at a news conference in Boston, he said, “the allegations in the complaint imply that this was not just about greed, but about loyalty to China.” Professor Chen's case ignited the "We Are All Gang Chen" movement, advocating not just for his cause, but also against racial profiling, violations of academic freedom, and discrimination experienced by individuals of Chinese descent in the United States. A year later, the Department of Justice dropped all charges against Professor Chen “in the interests of justice.” Professor Chen describes himself to be the luckiest among the unlucky because he had full support from MIT, its faculty members, and the Asian Pacific American and scientific communities. “What I endured was not an isolated incident, but the result of a long American history of scapegoating and harmful policy making. Having secured our seat at the table, we must remain engaged, committed, and vigilant to prevent civil rights abuses for the next generation,” he said. Personal Background Professor Gang Chen was born in China and moved to the United States to pursue his education. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2000. Gang earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in China before obtaining his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. His doctoral advisor was Professor Chang-lin Tien, the seventh Chancellor of UC Berkeley (1990–1997) and the first Asian to head a major university in the U.S. Gang joined the MIT faculty in 2001after serving on the faculty of Duke University and UCLA. He is a world-renowned scientist in the field of mechanical engineering, specializing in nanotechnology and renewable energy research. He served as the head of the MIT Department of Mechanical Engineering from 2013 to 2018. He is a member of the US Academy of Engineering, the US National Academy of Sciences, and the American Academy of Arts and Science. Throughout his career, Gang has received numerous awards and honors for his contributions to science and engineering. He has also been actively involved in mentoring students and promoting diversity and inclusion in academia. Professor Chen is among the world’s most cited researchers in the physics and materials categories. He has supervised more than 80 M.S. and Ph.D. student theses and has over 60 postdoctoral visiting scholars. “We Are All Gang Chen” In response to Professor Chen’s arrest on January 14, 2021, MIT President L. Rafael Reif wrote to the MIT community stating: "For all of us who know Gang, this news is surprising, deeply distressing and hard to understand." On January 21, 2021, more than 100 MIT Faculty submitted a letter to Reif, protesting Professor Chen's arrest and citing specific "deeply flawed and misleading statements" in the criminal complaint ending with "We Are All Gang Chen." The letter was spearheaded by Yoel Fink, a materials science professor at the university; it was tweeted next morning and eventually signed by over 200 MIT faculty. On January 22, 2021, Reif wrote to the MIT community, clarifying the nature of the MIT engagement with the university in Shenzhen, China. “While Professor Chen is its inaugural MIT faculty director, this is not an individual collaboration; it is a departmental one, supported by the Institute,” Reif wrote. Gang’s daughter started a GoFundMe campaign which reached its fundraising goal of $400,000 in three days. A “We Are All Gang Chen” campaign was also started on Change.com by Professor Jeff Snyder from Northwestern University. Federal Charges Dropped On February 4, 2021, Professor Chen filed a motion to sanction U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling for his false extra-judicial statements that jeopardize Gang’s ability to receive a fair trial, including his questioning of Gang’s loyalty to the U.S. On July 6, 2021, U.S. Magistrate Judge Donald Cabell ruled that although Lelling’s statement was “inappropriate,” but it did not rise to the level of sanction. Lelling had already resigned effective February 28, 2021. On January 20, 2022, the Department of Justice dismissed all criminal charges against Professor Chen. Based on additional information, the U.S. Attorney’s office concluded that it can no longer meet its burden of proof at trial. The dismissal is “in the interests of justice.” 2022/01/21 Boston Globe Opinion On January 21, 2022, Professor Chen issued a statement, part of which was published as an opinion in the Boston Globe. Gang spoke out about his traumatic experience when federal agents raided his home, arresting him. Despite previous assurances by Stephanie Siegmann, assistant US Attorney, he was suddenly indicted after being interrogated at the airport a year earlier. He and his family suffered for 371 days. Gang said the prosecution was politically and racially motivated, tarnishing his reputation and harming his family, institute, and the scientific community. He criticizes the FBI and prosecutors for errors in his case, urging Congress and the US Department of Justice to investigate and hold those responsible accountable. Gang highlights the flaws of the China Initiative and calls for learning from mistakes rather than blindly moving forward. His son, Andrew Chen, also issued a statement about the dismissal. 2022/02/07 APA Justice Monthly Meeting Professor Chen and his defense attorney Robert Fisher joined the APA Justice monthly meeting ( video 1:26:07) on February 7, 2022, and shared the lessons learned from Gang's case. Robert explained how he and Gang's legal team handled Gang's case. The investigation actually started in January 2020 when he was stopped by federal officials at the airport, not just a year before as reported. Gang's devices were seized, and he was interrogated for three hours. It is crucial to have a lawyer present during such encounters to avoid misinterpretations. After Gang hired Robert as his lawyer, they tried to get information from the government about the case, but they were not invited for a discussion as is customary. Despite investigations by Robert's team and Wilmer Hale LLP, no issues were found. Gang was charged, arrested, and indicted quickly, indicating a rushed process. Gang's legal team fought back by filing motions against inaccuracies in public statements and requesting critical documents. Ultimately, the evidence gathered led to Gang's case being dismissed. However, the rushed process caused unnecessary hardship for Gang and his family, and some evidence should have been collected earlier in the investigation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZcCvb02o1A Gang expressed his gratitude to Robert, the attendees, the community, and MIT for their unwavering support, which played a pivotal role in his legal victory. He notified MIT about the airport incident, and they promptly provided him with legal representation and covered his legal expenses. Additionally, MIT conducted a thorough one-year investigation through an external law firm, which found no wrongdoing. However, despite assurances from the government of no imminent indictment, the case rushed, and Gang was arrested on January 14, 2021. Gang emphasized that the prosecution was rife with misconduct, spanning from the indictment to search affidavits to the criminal complaint. He detailed seven specific instances of misconduct: The government distorted facts in Gang's case, notably seen in their criminal complaint. For instance, they omitted a crucial last sentence from an email Gang sent himself after a meeting with a Chinese official at MIT. The omission changed the context of the email, suggesting Gang supported China's strategic goals while including the omitted sentence would have made it clear that it was notes he took at the meeting. Gang found it concerning that the prosecutor implied his intent based on the email, highlighting prosecutorial misconduct. Gang also criticized the government's misinterpretation of normal scientific activities as criminal. For instance, the prosecutor expressed anger over Gang serving as an expert reviewer for the Chinese National Science Foundation, despite this being a common practice among academics globally. Many academics were alarmed by this misinterpretation, as it could implicate them similarly. The prosecution used emails Gang didn't reply to as evidence against him, even though he had never reviewed a proposal for the Chinese National Science Foundation. Merely being listed in their database led to unjust accusations. Gang's actions were misconstrued as suspicious despite him acting ethically. For example, when an officer from Taiwan wanted to visit him, Gang, out of caution, met him off-campus. However, this innocent meeting was later cited as evidence of wrongdoing. The rushed nature of Gang's case resulted in an inadequate investigation and failure to interview key witnesses. This rush was attributed to US Attorney Andrew Lelling's imminent departure from office. Exculpatory evidence, such as witness testimonies clearing Gang, was withheld by the prosecution. They had this crucial information from the day of Gang's arrest, but failed to provide them to Gang's lawyers until they demanded it. Despite knowing their errors, the prosecution did not admit mistakes or apologize to Gang. They offered a deferred prosecution agreement, which Gang refused, recognizing it as an attempt to save face. Gang shared several takeaways from his experience: The US loses when we lose the talent of scientists due to discrimination. Universities need to protect their faculty. Funding agencies need to do the right thing. Everyone needs to learn their rights. We need to speak up. As a scientist, Gang never imagined getting involved in politics. However, he believes that politics affects everyone. He quoted Martin Luther King, saying, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." Gang ended by expressing the significant toll the investigation and prosecution had on his family, himself, and his research career, which words cannot fully capture. During the meeting, Harvard University Professor Zhigang Suo provided his remarks as a colleague and a friend of Professor Chen. Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely, but the government does not hold absolute power. Zhigang discussed Gang's arrest, highlighting the government's overwhelming display of power. They spread false information, accusing Gang of various crimes, which quickly spread worldwide. What Zhigang saw were talking heads on the screens – he felt bewilderment, anger, sadness, and fear. Zhigang recalled reactions from friends and the media, expressing his frustration with the government's misinformation. He reviewed the criminal complaint against Gang on Twitter, critiquing its absurd allegations. Public support for Gang grew rapidly after his arrest, with MIT faculty organizing in his favor and civil rights groups advocating for him. Zhigang concluded by emphasizing the importance of public scrutiny in preventing abuses of power and upholding democratic principles. During the meeting, Former U.S. Attorney Carol Lam shared her view on Professor Chen's Case and the "China Initiative." Criminal prosecutions vary based on individual circumstances, and it is the prosecutor's duty to assess each case independently. However, initiatives, while well-intended, can lead to problems. When prosecutions are tied to initiatives for future press releases, it can incentivize rushed or misguided actions. Initiatives often set arbitrary goals and deadlines, disrupting the natural flow of investigations. Carol spoke about the importance of introspection in the criminal justice system. She emphasized that criminal prosecutions are unique because they directly affect an individual's life and liberty. Protections for defendants, like the right to counsel and a fair trial, kick in only after charges are brought. Before that, there are few safeguards in place, relying mainly on the judgment of investigators. She discussed how initiatives can influence judgment negatively, citing examples from her experience at the Department of Justice. For instance, in past initiatives targeting financial fraud, inexperienced staff were recruited, and cases lacking strong evidence were pursued to meet quotas. Similarly, initiatives against false document presentation at the Mexican border led to unnecessary arrests of low-level offenders. Carol stressed that initiatives often result in poorly investigated cases pursued for the wrong reasons. She criticized the DOJ's approach, noting that initiatives should not be used to instill fear or advance political agendas. She expressed concern over statements by DOJ officials justifying aggressive actions and called for a more nuanced approach, especially in cases involving academia. Carol concluded by urging the DOJ to reassess its approach, particularly in distinguishing between corporate espionage and academic research. She emphasized the need for better understanding and sensitivity from law enforcement agencies when dealing with academic communities focused on open research. Stefan Maier of RWTH Aachen University joined the meeting from Germany. The Department of Justice announced the formal end of the China Initiative two weeks later on February 23, 2022. 2022/02/07 APA Justice: Monthly Meeting Summary 2022/02/07 APA Justice: Monthly Meeting Video (1:26:07) 2022/02/07 APA Justice: Monthly Meeting Video with Professor Gang Chen (12:47) Gang Chen Moves Forward On April 13, 2022, Stephen A. Orlins, President of the National Committee on United States–China Relations, conducted an interview in which Professor Chen talked about his case and his reaction to the end of the China Initiative, what it means to him and the broader scientific community. At the conclusion of the interview, Gang reflects on the significant damage his case has caused to his scientific career, including a drastic reduction in their research group from 15 to only three members. Despite this setback, he expresses determination to continue his research and find ways to overcome obstacles. Gang admits to feeling fearful of applying for funding again but vows not to be defeated. He emphasizes the importance of speaking out against injustice, citing examples of colleagues who supported them and invoking quotes from Martin Luther King Jr. and Martin Niemöller. He expresses gratitude for the support he has received and plans to help others as he moves forward. In July 2022, Gang and a team of colleagues reported their research finding that cubic boron arsenide is a highly effective semiconductor, a discovery with potentially important applications in electronics. This discovery was named one of Physics World's top 10 breakthrough of the year in 2022. In 2023 and 2024 , he led his research group to report the discovery of "photomolecular effect." Gang pledges to do what he can to support impacted persons. Although the China Initiative officially ended by name, unjust prosecutions are still going on, and many researchers are still being harassed in different ways. In November 2022, Gang announced the donation of the remaining unused funds from GoFundMe to Asian American Scholar Fund and the Committee of 100 legal defense funds to defend similar cases and provide education and awareness on racial profiling against Asian Americans. Gang calls for continuing support of people in need. One of them is former University of Kansas Professor Feng “Franklin” Tao. Chen has participated in numerous webinars and events to advocate for justice and fairness, as well as American leadership in science and technology, including a panel at the University of Michigan on March 26, 2024. He now serves on the Board of Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), which was formed in response to his arrest. Previous Item Next Item

Newsletter - #232 2/5 Monthly Meeting; AI Safety Cooperation; Carter Legacy; China Initiative 2.0; + #232 2/5 Monthly Meeting; AI Safety Cooperation; Carter Legacy; China Initiative 2.0; + In This Issue #232 · 2024/02/05 APA Justice Monthly Meeting · White House OSTP Director on US-China AI Safety Cooperation · Invited Report - A Speech by David Lampton: The Carter Legacy and Beyond · Possible Reinstatement of the China Initiative Denounced · News and Activities for the Communities 2024/02/05 APA Justice Monthly Meeting The next APA Justice monthly meeting will be held via Zoom on Monday, February 5, 2024, starting at 1:55 pm ET. In addition to updates by Nisha Ramachandran , Executive Director, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC); Joanna YangQing Derman , Director, Advancing Justice | AAJC; and Gisela Perez Kusakawa , Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), invited and confirmed speakers are: · Erika Moritsugu (invited), Deputy Assistant to the President and Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Senior Liaison, The White House, will kick off the Lunar New Year by reviewing the Year of the Rabbit (2023) and looking forward to the Year of the Dragon (2024). · Lora Lumpe, Chief Executive Officer, Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, will tell us about the Quincy Institute and its plans and activities. The Quincy Institute promotes ideas that move U.S. foreign policy away from endless war, toward military restraint and diplomacy in the pursuit of international peace in a world where peace is the norm and war is the exception. On November 13, 2023, it led a coalition of diverse organizations in a letter to Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping calling for more stable and productive bilateral ties. · Min Fan 范敏, Executive Director, US Heartland China Association (USHCA) will introduce USHCA and describe its mission and activities. USHCA covers 20 states that stretch from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico. 430 Fortune 1000 companies are headquartered in 84 of the cities within the Heartland region. Mayors of the region lead 37 of the 100 largest cities in the United States. The original organization was founded in 2003 as the Midwest China Association by U.S. Senator Adlai Stevenson (IL); John Rogers, lawyer and professor; and Governor Bob Holden (MO), former Chairman of the Midwest Governors Association. USHCA led a bipartisan delegation of six U.S. mayors representing communities along the Mississippi River Basin to visit their counterparts in China in 2023 - the first since the pandemic. · Sandy Shan, Executive Director, Justice is Global, will share how individuals and organizations can help support grassroot rollout of a US-China climate cooperation bill this spring. In 2020 and 2022 , Justice is Global conducted two community canvassing projects that engaged swing state voters susceptible to anti-immigrant sentiments in conversations about the future of US-China cooperation. The positive outcomes from these two projects informed Justice is Global’s current work in supporting the rollout of a climate cooperation bill. The virtual monthly meeting is by invitation only. It is closed to the press. If you wish to join, either one time or for future meetings, please contact one of the co-organizers of APA Justice - Steven Pei 白先慎 , Vincent Wang 王文奎 , and Jeremy Wu 胡善庆 - or send a message to contact@apajustice.org White House OSTP Director on US-China AI Safety Cooperation According to the Financial Times , Arati Prabhakar , Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), said the US will work with China on the safety of artificial intelligence (AI) systems in the coming months. The two countries are committed to working together to lessen the risks of AI and assess its capabilities.“Steps have been taken to engage in that process,” Prabhakar said of future collaboration with China on AI. “We have to try to work [with Beijing].” “We are at a moment where everyone understands that AI is the most powerful technology . . . every country is bracing to use it to build a future that reflects their values,” said Prabhakar, who advises President Joe Biden on issues including AI regulation. “But I think the one place we can all really agree is we want to have a technology base that is safe and effective,” she added. “So I think that is a good place for collaboration.”The regulatory frameworks for AI vary between the two nations. China, for instance, has issued comprehensive guidelines for AI development, with a particular emphasis on content control. By contrast, in October last year, Biden issued a sweeping executive order with a specific focus on addressing threats related to national security and consumer privacy.Read the Financial Times report: https://on.ft.com/3UfwlWm In an editorial published online on January 25, 2024, Science reported that "the power and accuracy of computational protein design have been increasing rapidly with the incorporation of AI approaches. This promises to transform biotechnology, enabling advances across sustainability and medicine. However, as with all major revolutionary changes, this technology is vulnerable to misuse and the production of dangerous biological agents." "Enhanced security need not threaten information sharing or transparent communication, the hallmarks of modern science; the use of biosecurity as an excuse to not share new methods and advances should be discouraged by science funders, publishers, and policy-makers. Rather, security in this fast-moving field should be framed as maximizing progress to address pressing societal concerns," the editorial concludes. Read the Science editorial: https://bit.ly/47UHcIm The Science editorial referred to a global AI Safety Summit in the United Kingdom in November, 2023. The editorial emphasized that the "road to regulating AI is likely to be long and complicated." At the Summit, representatives from 28 countries worldwide including the United States, China, European Union, and other nations in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, endorsed The Bletchley Declaration on AI safety. This declaration acknowledges the need to comprehend and collaboratively address potential risks associated with AI. Its goal is to ensure the development and deployment of AI in a safe and responsible manner for the benefit of the international community. At the conclusion of the Summit, South Korea committed to co-hosting a mini virtual summit within the next six months, followed by France hosting the subsequent in-person Summit half a year later.Read more about the AI Safety Summit: https://bit.ly/3SlWYqe Invited Report - A Speech by David Lampton: The Carter Legacy and Beyond Author: Juan Zhang , Editor, US-China Perception Monitor/ 中美印象, Carter Center, Juan.Zhang@cartercenter.org Professor David Lampton is a towering figure in America's collective effort to understand China and to maintain a peaceful and productive relationship with China. At the Inaugural Jimmy Carter Forum on U.S.-China Relations, Lampton offered an excellent description of President Jimmy Carter 's remarkable contributions to global peace, with a particular emphasis on the normalization of relations between the United States and China. Lampton elaborated on how four leadership approaches of President Carter have all played a big role in his visionary China policy. These approaches "served our nation and the world well." Dr. Yawei Liu , Senior Advisor at the Carter Center’s China Focus, lauded Lampton's speech as the most comprehensive summary of President Carter's contributions to peace and prosperity in the U.S. China and the world. To read the full speech, please click here . To find Professor Lampton’s latest book Living US-China Relations: From Cold War to Cold War . Click here . Possible Reinstatement of the China Initiative Denounced On January 26, 2024, the Committee of 100 (C100), an outspoken critic of the China Initiative, issued the following statement from Interim President and Executive Director Cindy Tsai :“The China Initiative was a failed program that fueled racial animosity, xenophobia, and suspicion towards the AAPI community and Chinese Americans in particular. Reimplementing this program would send shockwaves of fear across the AAPI community. We welcome the opportunity to work with Congressional leaders to recognize, address, and prevent future harms to the AAPI community and continue the dialogue towards a shared vision of a better, more secure and inclusive America.” In October of 2021, C100 and researchers from the University of Arizona unveiled a joint research project focused on race and ethnicity in science and research. The survey data showed that the China Initiative was producing a wave of fear among scientists of Chinese descent, where scientists have described cutting ties with their collaborators in China, no longer hiring Chinese postdocs, and limiting communications with scholars in China, even at the expense of their own research projects. Additionally, research jointly led by C100 and legal scholar Andrew Chongseh Kim shed light on significant racial disparities in the implementation of the Economic Espionage Act (EEA) of 1996 and under the China initiative. Data from the research was drawn from nearly 300 defendants across nearly 200 separate cases. Half of the defendants with Western names (49%) convicted under the EEA were given sentences of probation only, with no incarceration. In contrast, the vast majority of defendants of Asian descent (75%) were sent to prison, in particular defendants of Chinese descent (80%). Additionally, Chinese and Asian defendants convicted of economic espionage received average sentences of 27 and 23 months respectively, roughly twice as long as the average sentence of 12 months for defendants with Western names. Read the C100 press release: https://bit.ly/4bpO6si Excerpts from a Boston Globe opinion by Professor MIT Professor Gang Chen 陈刚 on January 16, 2024,"In January 2021, I was wrongfully indicted under the China Initiative launched in 2018 by the US Department of Justice. The indictment contained a laundry list of normal activities for a university professor, such as reviewing proposals and writing recommendation letters. Thankfully, MIT — where I’m a professor of mechanical engineering — and the scientific community came to my defense, with a rallying cry 'We are all Gang Chen.' After a year of grueling legal proceedings, the DOJ finally dropped my case."One month later, in February 2022, the DOJ terminated the Trump administration’s China Initiative, admitting that it created a 'harmful perception' of bias against people with 'racial, ethnic, or familial ties to China.'"Despite the harm the initiative created, the House Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations bill, H.R. 5893, seeks to mandate the DOJ to reinstate the China Initiative."The proposal is another stab at a deep wound in my heart that has yet to heal. Despite the warm welcome back to campus from colleagues at MIT, my wrongful prosecution has done irreversible damage to my family, my career, and the United States. "Politically motivated, racially biased criminal justice initiatives lead to wrongful prosecutions. The China Initiative led to numerous wrongful prosecutions of scientists of Chinese origin. When catching real spies proved to be difficult and time-consuming, federal agents turned their attention to straw man targets — university professors. Espionage is the antithesis of open science — one operates in the shadows, shrouded in secrecy, and the other seeks truth and consensus through exploration and collaboration. Researchers at universities in the United States do not conduct classified research on campus. We carry out basic research and publish our findings for all to see. "Some initiatives by the government, such as the China Initiative and the National Institutes of Health’s investigation into academics’ collaborations with China, weaken rather than strengthen US national security. American scientific prowess has been built on the United States’ ability to attract the best and the brightest minds from around the world."Passage of the House’s appropriation bill as it’s currently written would once again push out talent and human capital at the expense of scientific advancement and national security. The China Initiative harmed Americans and failed our national interests miserably. Let us not repeat history with the same mistakes." News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2024/02/01 CAMDC Deadline for Essay Contest2024/02/04 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2024/02/05 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2024/02/10 New Year's Day of the Year of the Dragon2024/03/03 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2024/03/04 APA Justice Monthly MeetingVisit https://bit.ly/45KGyga for event details. 2. AAGEN 2024 Leadership Workshop WHAT: In-person event - AAGEN 2024 Leadership Workshop: “Identity, Integrity, and Influence - How to Lead in Uncertain Times” WHEN: Thursday, May 2, 2024, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm ETWHERE: Partnership For Public Service - 600 14th Street NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20005HOST: Asian American Government Executives Network (AAGEN)DESCRIPTION: Join other professionals and leaders from across government for a professional development training event with interactive panel discussions focused on developing leadership resiliency to build a strong and healthy workforce. Come for individual advice from Senior Executives in the Coaching/Resume Review sessions and hear inspiring AANHPI leaders from the White House and other federal agencies share their leadership stories and career advice. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: https://bit.ly/3UiHMwrREGISTRATION : https://bit.ly/47MG2yB 3. Lunar New Year is a Holiday in Some States According to Denverite , on June 2, 2023, Lunar New Year became an official state holiday after Governor Jared Polis signed a bill and will be celebrated by Coloradans the first Friday of every February. Vương-Sandoval , chair of the Lunar New Year Allies Advisory Group, spearheaded the bill, continuing her efforts to bolster and display Denver’s large Vietnamese and Asian community. The City of Denver recently apologized for its role in an anti-Chinese/Asian riot of 1880 that resulted in the death of Look Young, a Chinese laundry worker, and the destruction of historic Chinatown, a once-thriving community of Chinese-owned properties; The area is now LoDo. Colorado is the second state, after California, to recognize Lunar New Year as an observed holiday. According to NBC News on September 12, 2023, the Lunar New Year will now be observed in all public schools in the state of New York, following legislation signed by Governor Kathy Hochul . “It is not just a day off from school — it is an opportunity for our children to learn about and celebrate their own or different cultures and traditions,” Hochul said in a news release. New York is home to the second largest Asian population in the U.S., which is the fastest-growing racial and ethnic group nationwide, with 1.9 million residents, The new legislation comes months after New York City Mayor Eric Adams added Diwali, also known as the festival of lights, to its list of public school holidays.On January 12, 2024, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy signed a joint resolution AJR201/SJR111, designating the first new moon of the first month of the lunar calendar as Lunar New Year in New Jersey. The holiday has been recognized and celebrated internationally for thousands of years by Asians, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders to welcome good fortune in the new year. 4. Asian American Mayor of Wichita Lily Wu was sworn in as Wichita’s 103rd mayor on January 8, 2024. She is the first woman elected to a full term and the first Asian-American mayor of the largest city in Kansas. Mayor Lily speaks Cantonese and Spanish, was born in Guatemala, and immigrated to Wichita, Kansas with her family in 1993. On her 30th anniversary of coming to America, she announced her candidacy for mayor. She champions an inclusive vision for the entire city focused on ensuring public safety, strengthening the economy, restoring trust in City Hall and building a united community. Prior to being elected, Mayor Lily spent 12 years as a journalist, serving as an anchor and reporter for Wichita television stations KAKE and KWCH 12 News. Read the NextShark report: https://yhoo.it/3Omi3iO Back View PDF January 29, 2024 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Turab Lookman 特拉伯·鲁克曼 Docket ID: 1:19-cr-01439 District Court, D. New Mexico Date filed: May 22, 2019 Date ended: September 10, 2020 Overview On May 22, 2019, Dr. Turab Lookman was indicted by the Department of Justice (DOJ) on three counts of making false statements. Dr. Lookman moved from India to the U.K. at age 13 and later earned a doctorate in theoretical physics from King’s College, University of London. He spent around 20 years as a professor at a Canadian university before joining Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in New Mexico. He became a U.S. citizen in 2008. Dr. Lookman was recognized as a Laboratory Fellow, one of LANL’s highest awards for its scientific staff. He co-authored over 250 scientific papers and two books. He received LANL's Fellows Prize for Outstanding Research in 2009 and the Distinguished Postdoctoral Mentor Award in 2016. He was terminated from LANL following his arrest. Dr. Lookman was charged with falsely denying his involvement with China's Thousand Talents Program, facing up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each false statement to federal investigators. Dr. Lookman’s contact with China came partly through the lab’s collaboration with that country on research projects, such as one aimed at discovering new materials that could support nuclear deterrence and the lab’s energy work. In June 2019, a month after Dr. Lookman’s indictment, the Department of Energy issued an order barring department staff and contractors from involvement in a foreign government's talent recruitment program. Federal prosecutors characterized Dr. Lookman as a serious national security threat due to his high-level security clearance, which granted him access to critical facilities and highly sensitive nuclear secrets. They claimed he "had no loyalty to the U.S." Dr. Lookman's lawyer argued that prosecutors exaggerated his access to classified information, asserting that there was no evidence he had unlawfully obtained or intended to share nuclear weapons secrets with any foreign government. Dr. Lookman initially pleaded not guilty to the charges, but In January 2020, he accepted a plea agreement to one count of making a false statement with dismissal of the other two charges. On September 11, 2020, Dr. Lookman was sentenced to five years of probation and a $75,000 fine for providing a false statement to the Department of Energy. He was not allowed to leave New Mexico for the term of his probation. Previous Item Next Item

Newsletter - #166 Webinar/Texas; Wen Ho Lee/Xiaoxing Xi, NYPD Angwang; 1/9 Meeting Summary; Arrowood #166 Webinar/Texas; Wen Ho Lee/Xiaoxing Xi, NYPD Angwang; 1/9 Meeting Summary; Arrowood In This Issue #166 Update on Houston Rally and Mini Series Webinars From Wen Ho Lee 李文和 in 1999 to Today's Xiaoxing Xi 郗小星 Yet Another Victim of The "China Initiative" - Baimadajie Angwang 昂旺 2023/01/09 APA Justice Monthly Meeting Summary Posted Biden Administration Will Not Renominate Casey Arrowood Update on First Webinar and Houston Rally Against Racist Bills "A Call to Stop SB 147 and All Alien Land Laws" Webinar on February 17, 2023 The first of two webinars in a mini series on the discriminatory Texas Senate Bill 147 and historical alien land laws will be held on Friday, February 17, 2023, starting at 5 pm ET/4 pm CT/2 p.m. PT. Panelists for the webinar include Gene Wu 吳元之 , Representative, Texas House of Representatives Clay Zhu 朱可亮 , Attorney, Chinese American Legal Defense Alliance (CALDA) Jamal Abdi , President, National Iranian American Council (NIAC) David Donatti , Staff Attorney, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas Rep. Judy Chu 赵美心 , Chair of Congressional Asian and Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), is invited to give the opening remark.The webinar is co-sponsored by United Chinese Americans (UCA, www.ucausa.org ), APA Justice ( www.apajustice.org ) and 1882 Foundation ( www.1882foundation.org )Register for the webinar here: http://bit.ly/3jXSPv9 Houston Rally Against Racist Bills on February 11, 2023 Texas State Representative Gene Wu 吳元之 and a coalition of community organizations led a rally in Houston on February 11, 2023, to protest against the proposed discriminatory Senate Bills 147 and 552. Joining the rally and speaking to condemn the discriminatory bills were Sheila Jackson Lee , Al Green , and Lizzie Fletcher , members of U.S. Congress; Rep. Ron Reynolds , Vice Chair of the Texas Legislative Black Caucus; Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner ; Alice Chen 谭秋晴 , City Council Member, City of Stafford, Texas; David Donatti , Staff Attorney, American Civil Liberties Union of Texas; and members of the Chinese, Korean, Iranian, and other immigrant communities.Professor Steven Pei 白先慎 , Co-Organizer of APA Justice, was on the ground and spoke at the rally. He provided the organizers with 1,000 yellow whistles with the message of "We Belong" for distribution to rally participants. The whistles added significant volume to the voices at the rally. The event was livestreamed at Facebook and can be viewed here: https://bit.ly/3HYqVaj (video 2:01:07). A photo album on the rally is here: http://bit.ly/3YFVl86 Media Reports on Houston Rally and More On February 11, 2023, Click2Houston reported on the rally by the Asian American community and leaders to express outrage for Texas Senate Bill 147. According to the report, “This type of legislation. This growing anti-Asian and anti-immigrant sentiment is a direct attack on our community and on our city, quite frankly,” Texas State Representative Gene Wu 吳元之 said. “Senate Bill 147 should not be addressed at the state level,” Congressman Al Green said. “This is something we can do at the federal level because we have a committee on foreign investments to do just this.”Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner says one-quarter of the city is foreign-born and comes from outside of the US. He says the bill sets the wrong tone. “And then how do you enforce it? Do you assume? Or put the burden on every Asian American to demonstrate that they do not have any affiliation with one of those countries,” he said.Watch and read the Click2Houston report: https://bit.ly/3YsAkOv According to YahooNews on February 9, 2023, foreign ownership of farmland and other real estate, particularly by Chinese citizens or businesses, is becoming a hot issue in the United States, and not only in Texas. Florida, Arkansas, South Dakota and eight other states are considering legislation to restrict foreign ownership.Texas, though, may be a bellwether. With 28.8 million citizens, Texas is the second most populous state. Of its residents, 1.4 million define their ethnicity as Asian, and 223,500 say they are of Chinese origin, US census data shows. Houston, the fourth largest US city, has 156,000 residents who identify as Asian. They include US citizens with Asian heritage but also Chinese permanent residents -- or green card holders -- who are not naturalized citizens. Texas State Senator Lois Kolkhorst , sponsor of Texas Senate Bill 147, said that her proposed bans would not affect people with US citizenship or permanent resident status nor anyone "fleeing the tyranny" in their homelands. For Ling Luo 罗玲 , a first-generation Chinese immigrant and director of the Asian Americans Leadership Council, such statements are not convincing -- even to US citizens like herself."Who knows if you're a citizen or you aren't a citizen? It's not written on your face. Your Chinese face is what makes people come and abuse us, hate us, to beat us up," she said.Read the YahooNews report: https://yhoo.it/3E31Z0o From Wen Ho Lee 李文和 in 1999 to Today's Xiaoxing Xi 郗小星 Sharyl Attkisson is a five-time Emmy Award winning investigative journalist. She hosts the Sinclair Broadcast Group TV show Full Measure , as well as a Podcast.According to Attkisson Podcast 173 on February 2, 2023, from Wen Ho Lee 李文和 in 1999 to today's Xiaoxing Xi 郗小星 , the FBI has for decades been wrongly accusing numerous innocent Chinese American scientist of being spies. This episode includes never-before-discussed background on the Wen Ho Lee story, which Attkisson broke on CBS News as a young reporter. Attkisson advises that when the government leaks a story, do not accept it at face value, conduct research, and check with reliable and trusted sources. Attkisson cited Wen Ho Lee as a case in point. More than 20 years ago, she received a tip that the People's Republic of China had stolen the design plan for the W-88 American thermonuclear warhead, but there was no suspect or how it was lost. When the government leaked the identity of a suspect in the name of Chinese American nuclear scientist Wen Ho Lee, a Chinese American nuclear scientists at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, before an arrest or charges were made, Attkisson was skeptical and did not follow other media in repeating the government's story as if Lee was already guilty. Based on the sources Attkisson had talked to, she concluded that the government used Lee as a scapegoat out of the embarrassment that the FBI and the government did not know how the W-88 secrets were lost. Attkisson then went on to tell the horrific behavior of the FBI falsifying information about Lee's lie detector tests. Wen Ho Lee either passed or failed his spy-related polygraph test depending on who was interpreting the results. Attkisson's video report is no longer available online, but the written report titled Wen Ho Lee's Problematic Polygraph is online here: https://cbsn.ws/3YM5qk7 Wen Ho Lee took a polygraph test on December 23, 1998, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Because Lee, a Taiwanese American had recently been to Taiwan, had visited China in the past, and purportedly had access to America's top nuclear secrets, the FBI focused on him as the prime suspect in the emerging case. According to the Podcast, the FBI still was not close to making an arrest even at the beginning of the test, but the Department of Energy's (DOE) head of counterintelligence, Ed Curran, was reluctant to leave Lee in his highly sensitive job in the Los Alamos laboratory's X Division. So he ordered the polygraph test. FBI agents were standing by ready to interrogate Lee if his polygraph answers proved to be deceptive. Lee was asked four espionage-related questions. The polygraph results were so convincing and unequivocal that sources say the Deputy Director of the Los Alamos lab issued an apology to Lee and began to reinstate Lee to the X Division. Furthermore, sources confirmed to CBS News that the local Albuquerque FBI office sent a memo to Headquarters in Washington saying it appeared that Lee was not their spy. The key decision makers in Washington were unconvinced. Several weeks after the polygraph, DOE decided to assign the unusual designation of the polygraph being incomplete. And officials in Washington also ordered a halt to Lee's reinstatement to the X Division. When FBI Headquarters in Washington finally obtained the DOE polygraph results, they said Lee had failed. The FBI then did their own testing of Lee and then claimed again that he failed the polygraph. Yet sources say the FBI didn't interrogate Lee or even tell him that he had failed the polygraph, which is an odd deviation from procedure for agents who are taught to immediately question anyone who is deceptive in a polygraph. Then on March 7, 1999, the FBI ordered another interrogation of Lee. This time in a confrontational style interview. One special agent doing the questioning told Lee no fewer than 30 times he had failed his polygraph. He repeatedly demanded Lee to know why. One investigative source told Attkisson that after this particular day of questioning, the lead FBI agent verbalized that she thought Lee was not the right man, but again others still remained unconvinced. Here are some selected excerpts from the interrogation: FBI special agent: "You're never going to pass a polygraph. And you're never going to have a clearance. And you're not going to have a job. And if you get arrested you're not going to have a retirement...If I don't have something that I can tell Washington as to why you're failing those polygraphs, I can't do a thing." Lee: "Well I don't understand." FBI special agent: "I can't get you your job. I can't do anything for you, Wen Ho. I can't stop the newspapers from knocking on your door. I can't stop the newspapers from calling your son. I can't stop the people from polygraphing your wife. I can't stop somebody from coming and knocking on your door and putting handcuffs on you." Lee: "I don't know how to handle this case, I'm an honest person and I'm telling you all the truth and you don't believe it. I, that's it." FBI special agent: "Do you want to go down in history whether you're professing your innocence like the Rosenbergs to the day that they take you to the electric chair?" Lee: "I believe eventually, and I think God, God will make it his judgement." FBI Culture. One of the lead FBI agents in the Wen Ho Lee case was Charles McGonigal , who was rewarded with promotions. On October 4, 2016, he was named Special Agent in Charge of the Counterintelligence Division for the FBI New York Field Office. On January 23, 2023, McGonigal was arrested and indicted allegedly for taking money from a former Albanian intelligence employee and from a representative of a Russian oligarch. The charges came in separate indictments unsealed in New York and Washington, D.C., after an investigation by FBI, his own agency, and federal prosecutors. On January 24, 2023, FBI Director Christopher Wray told employees in an internal message that McGonigal does not represent the actions of the rest of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, despite the fact that he rose through the ranks for three decades. Innocent victims like Wen Ho Lee and taxpayers pay the ultimate price when the FBI failed to punish misconduct and rewarded them instead. The FBI has always denied racial profiling despite mounts of facts and cases to the contrary. Listen to the Attkisson Podcast: http://bit.ly/3YGuJnx (audio 27:07). Read the CBS News report in 2000: https://cbsn.ws/3YM5qk7 According to the Sinclair Broadcast Group website , Full Measure is an award-winning, weekly national news program, focused on investigative, original, and accountability reporting, and dedicated to pursuing untouchable subjects through fearless journalism. Full Measure , hosted by journalist Sharyl Attkisson , airs on Sinclair stations on Sunday mornings. The program is fed to 43 million TV households in the US each Sunday on our ABC, CBS, NBC, CW, Fox and Telemundo affiliates. A full TV station list by state and city is provided here: http://bit.ly/3Xp3dtJ . The broadcasts are also available online.According to the Full Measure broadcast of "Search for Spies" on February 5, 2023, the way the U.S. is addressing the need to protect American technology amid Chinese efforts to steal it is causing more harm than good and leading to innocent scientists being charged as spies.The report included an interview with Xiaoxing Xi 郗小星 , Professor of Physics at Temple University. Xi's rude awakening came early one morning in May of 2015 when armed FBI agents with their gun drawn, ordered his wife and two daughters out of their bedrooms with their hands raised, and arrested Xi.The FBI wrongly accused Xi of being a spy. "What we do know is that the FBI agent who investigated my case made up evidence, and he was told that I was not talking about the pocket heater before he went ahead and charged me," Xi said during the interview. Xi is suing the government, accusing “law enforcement agents of abus[ing] the legal process by obtaining indictments and search warrants based on misrepresentations or by fabricating evidence.” The FBI denies wrongdoing."I want to say that the fact that the Department of Justice is spending this much resource on these innocent Chinese-American academics, the question I would ask is, are they really catching real spies, right? Are they spending taxpayers' money responsibly in protecting our country," Xi said in the interview. After FBI misconduct was revealed in the Wen Ho Lee 李文和 case, Lee pleaded guilty to just one count of mishandling data, no spy charges, and was released with an extraordinary apology. Judge James Parker said those who led Lee’s prosecution "embarrassed our entire nation and each of us who is a citizen in it.” President Bill Clinton also questioned his justice department's actions.In closing, Attkisson said, "Prosecutors recently asked a judge to dismiss criminal charges against a New York City police officer and Army reservist whom the FBI had charged with being a Chinese spy in 2020."Watch and read the Full Measure report: http://bit.ly/3XnJRVW . Listen to the full interview with Professor Xi: http://bit.ly/3E35rYZ Yet Another Victim of The "China Initiative" - Baimadajie Angwang 昂旺 The New York City police officer and Army reservist whom the FBI had charged with being a Chinese spy in 2020 is Baimadajie Angwang 昂旺 , According to the New York Times on February 10, 2023, Angwang was born in 1986 in a village in Tibet on southwest China. He traveled to the U.S. on a cultural exchange visa as a teenager. Angwang returned to the U.S. at 17, sought asylum and ultimately secured U.S. citizenship. In 2009, he joined the Marines and served seven months in Afghanistan. After an honorable discharge in 2014, he joined the Army Reserve, obtaining “secret” level security clearance.He joined the New York Police Department (NYPD) in 2016, inspired, he said, by the sharp uniforms and the kindness of street cops he relied on when he first arrived. He married and settled in suburban Long Island, a short drive to his job as a patrol officer and, later, community affairs liaison in Queens’s 111th Precinct, where many Tibetans live. His parents still live in Tibet.Federal authorities arrested Angwang in September 2020, they accused him of reporting on other Tibetans to a handler at the Chinese consulate in New York. They said he had lied on security forms and questioned whether his case for citizenship had been predicated on false claims. Angwang faced the potential of 55 years in prison. His indictment was yet another unjust case under the now-defunct "China Initiative" launched by the Department of Justice under Donald Trump .A federal judge dismissed the charges last month, at the government’s request. Pressed for clarity, prosecutors told the court that they had made a “holistic” assessment of the evidence, and that the charges should be dropped “in the interests of justice.” The case’s unraveling demonstrates the complexity of investigations based on classified intelligence, the broad powers of the federal government to sweep up communications and the challenges of prosecuting, let alone defending, those cases in court. Now that he is no longer accused of being a secret agent for China, Angwang started to ask hard questions. He has been on paid administrative leave from the Police Department for two years, and has not been allowed to rejoin.The hardest question: How could he — a naturalized U.S. citizen, New York City police officer and Marine Corps veteran — have been jailed for months over what he says were misunderstood phone calls and classified evidence that not even his lawyer could see in full? Angwang is rankled by the extreme secrecy with which the government held its classified evidence, describing it as an “abuse of power.” His lawyer, John Carman , said that what little evidence he was allowed to review was condensed and redacted. He was not allowed to share it with his client.Angwang and John Carmen have agreed to speak at the next APA Justice monthly meeting on March 6, 2023, starting at 1:55 pm ET/10:55 am PT.Read the New York Times report: https://nyti.ms/40RZ9VS . Read the Angwang story and coverage on the APA Justice website: https://bit.ly/3RIqXId 2023/01/09 APA Justice Monthly Meeting Summary Posted The January 9, 2023, APA Justice monthly meeting summary has been posted at https://bit.ly/3YpMJTv . We thank the following speakers for sharing their updates and thoughts with us: Rep. Judy Chu 赵美心 , Chair of Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, kicked off the New Year with us again by reviewing 2022 and looking to what is ahead in 2023. Rep. Chu described the formation of APA Justice in 2015, back when Sherry Chen and Dr. Xiaoxing Xi's cases became public, "we never knew how large of a problem targeting our communities would become and what new struggles we would face, but thanks to your leadership, the Asian American scientific and academic community's voices are louder than ever before, and more people are aware of the blatant racial profiling that our communities have faced at the hands of our own government... CAPAC will continue to prioritize calling out blatantly xenophobic, anti-China rhetoric, and pushing back policies that unfairly target Chinese American communities, which we unfortunately are expecting to see much more of in the year ahead." Watch Rep. Chu's video at: https://youtu.be/FLxSG7jNbco (video 8:59) Sherry Chen 陈霞芬 , Hydrologist, U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), spoke about her historic settlement and 10-year fight for justice. Despite the low odds, a historical settlement was reached with DOC and Justice Department for Sherry’s employment case, and her lawsuit against both departments, ending the decade-long legal battle of three lawsuits, including the criminal case against Sherry Chen. Her life was turned upside down by the government’s illegal investigation. She was treated as a spy and arrested in front of her coworkers despite no evidence whatsoever. Despite being offered many plea deals, Sherry decided to maintain her innocence and reject these deals, ready to fight for justice at trial. Sherry discussed her meeting with DOC official Benjamin Friedman where she brought up several issues and concerns with the agency's recent changes, especially the lack of accountability and employee protections for privacy and civil rights. Mr. Friedman promised that he would bring her suggestions and concerns to the relevant offices. Sherry hopes that her case can be an example to others fighting for justice and civil rights. Though there is no amount of money or reparations that can undo the wrongful damages and harms Sherry Chen has experienced, the settlement does achieve her goal for this fight, to hold the government accountable and to bring positive impact to prevent this type of situation from happening to other individuals in the future. Sherry shared the letter of accomplishment she received from DOC here: https://bit.ly/3Xak0AW Vincent Wang 王文奎 , Co-organizer, APA Justice; Chair, Ohio Chinese American Association; and Haipei Shue 薛海培 , President, United Chinese Americans, provided recap of the Congressional Reception in honor of Sherry Chen on December 13, 2022. Patrick Toomey , Deputy Director, National Security Project, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) described how the alliance between ACLU and the Asian American community continues to grow after the historic settlement of Sherry Chen marked one of the ACLU’s Top 4 accomplishments in 2022. The ACLU's areas of focus in 2023 will include: Xiaoxing Xi’s case, surveillance reform, border questioning, and DOJ/DHS policies against discrimination. John Trasvina , Civil Rights Attorney, Former Counsel, Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution; Former Dean, University of San Francisco School of Law reported that the Senate Judiciary Committee did not approve the Casey Arrowood nomination for US Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee. Now that the nomination has been returned to The White House, there are three possible outcomes: (1) Mr. Arrowood could be renominated. (2) The current interim US attorney, Trey Hamilton, could remain without any nomination being made. (3) Congressman Steve Cohen of Memphis, the only Tennessee Congressional representative of the president's party, could start the process again to recommend a U.S. Attorney nominee to the Biden Administration. John Yang 杨重远 , President and Executive Director, Advancing Justice | AAJC, reported that Under new house leadership, one of the first things that Speaker McCarthy did was to create a new select committee on China, which AAJC has obvious concerns. AAJC will follow up with DOJ as one year has passed since the end of the "China Initiative." Legislatively, there is concern about language which would essentially reinstate the "China Initiative." Read the January meeting summary here: https://bit.ly/3YpMJTv . Read past monthly meeting summaries here: https://bit.ly/3kxkqxP Biden Administration Will Not Renominate Casey Arrowood On February 5, 2023, Knox News reported that the current U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee, Francis “Trey” Hamilton III , is an interim appointment made by the district’s judges. President Joe Biden nominated Casey Arrowood for the U.S. Attorney position, but he was not approved during the last session of the U.S. Senate, so the nomination expired. Arrowood faced opposition from Asian communities and advocates because he was the prosecutor who helped mount an espionage case against University of Tennessee Professor Anming Hu 胡安明 as part of former President Donald Trump ’s “China Initiative.” The case was dropped by a federal judge in Knoxville.According to Knox News on February 6, 2023, President Joe Biden has decided not to renominate Casey Arrowood despite strong support from Republican Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty . Earlier on December 3, 2020, Senator Blackburn issued an uneducated tweet that is insulting to all people of Chinese origin, "China has a 5,000 year history of cheating and stealing. Some things will never change..." Subscribe to The APA Justice Newsletter Complete this simple form at https://bit.ly/2FJunJM to subscribe. Please share it with those who wish to be informed and join the fight. View past newsletters here: https://bit.ly/APAJ_Newsletters . Back View PDF February 13, 2023 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #211 10/2 Meeting; Florida SB264 Town Hall; Angwang NYPD Hearing; Wing Luke Hate Incident #211 10/2 Meeting; Florida SB264 Town Hall; Angwang NYPD Hearing; Wing Luke Hate Incident In This Issue #211 2023/10/02 APA Justice Monthly Meeting FAAJA Hosts Town Hall Meeting on Senate Bill 264 and Its Impact Administrative Hearing of NYPD Officer Angwang 昂旺 Wing Luke Museum in Seattle Damaged in Hate Incident News and Activities for the Communities 2023/10/02 APA Justice Monthly Meeting The next APA Justice monthly meeting will be held via Zoom on Monday, October 2, 2023, starting at 1:55 pm ET.In addition to updates by Nisha Ramachandran , Executive Director, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC); Joanna Derman , Director, Advancing Justice | AAJC; Gisela Perez Kusakawa , Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), and Clay Zhu 朱可亮 , Partner, DeHeng Law Offices 德恒律师事务所, confirmed and invited speakers include: Tammy Duckworth (invited), US Senator of Illinois, on issues of import to the Asian American communities, people of Illinois, and the nation Nancy Chen (confirmed), Founding President, Chinese American Women in Action (CAWA) on the history of CAWA and its interests and concerns in Illinois and national issues Andy Wong (confirmed), Managing Director of Advocacy, Chinese for Affirmative Action, on the coalition letter on Section 702 reforms, responses, and related CAA activities such as the recently launched "Stop The Blame" campaign The virtual monthly meeting is by invitation only. If you wish to join, either one time or for future meetings, please contact one of the co-organizers of APA Justice - Steven Pei 白先慎 , Vincent Wang 王文奎 , and Jeremy Wu 胡善庆 - or send a message to contact@apajustice.org NOTE: A shutdown of the federal government happens when Congress fails to pass some type of funding legislation that is signed into law by the president. Current funding expires on September 30, 2023. While some government entities will be exempt, other functions will be severely curtailed. FAAJA Hosts Town Hall Meeting on Senate Bill 264 and Its Impact Florida Asian American Justice Alliance (FAAJA) will host an unprecedented virtual town hall meeting with Florida state legislators on the current status of the discriminatory Senate Bill 264 (SB264) and its actual impact on the Chinese community. The meeting will focus on Section 7 of SB264 which talks about both the Chinese government and Chinese people living in Florida who want to buy a home. The town hall meeting will be held on September 26, 2023, starting at 5:00 pm ET. For more information to attend the town hall meeting, visit the APA Justice Community Calendar at https://bit.ly/45KGyga Administrative Hearing of NYPD Officer Angwang 昂旺 According to USChinaPress.com 侨报网 , community activists are urged to attend the administrative hearing of New York Police Department (NYPD) Officer Angwang 昂旺 , which will be held at the NYPD headquarters, 4th floor, Departmental Trial Room A, 1 Police Plaza, New York NY on September 26, 10 am ET. 社区人士呼吁民众26日早上10点前往曼哈顿警察总局参加旁听警局行政庭审，支持华裔藏族警官昂旺。Read the case of Officer Angwang: https://bit.ly/3RIqXId . Read the USChinaPress.com 侨报网 report: https://bit.ly/3ruZqBd (in Chinese) Wing Luke Museum in Seattle Damaged in Hate Incident According to the Seattle Times , Craig Milne , 76, was charged on September 18, 2023, with a hate crime after he used a sledgehammer to smash about 10 windows of the Wing Luke Museum in Seattle, as dozens of patrons inside were touring an exhibit. Milne, who is white, also was charged with first-degree malicious mischief for causing more than $100,000 worth of property damage. After smashing the windows, Milne remained outside the building, and was heard saying he had come to the Chinatown International District to cause damage and that “the Chinese ruined my life,” according to witnesses. Almost an hour later, when Seattle Police Department officers arrived and arrested Milne, he “continued making racially biased statements and expressed no remorse,” the charging documents stated, with Milne telling officers, “The Chinese have tortured and tormented me for 14 years. I don’t regret anything I did here.”This is not the first time Milne has been accused of a hate crime. In October 2013, Milne was arrested for allegedly attacking and repeatedly punching an Asian man in the locker room at the Spartan Recreation Center in Shoreline.According to the museum website , the museum is named after Wing Chong Luke 陆荣昌 , who was the first person of color elected to the Seattle City Council and the first Asian American elected to public office in the Pacific Northwest. Luke served as an assistant attorney general of Washington for the state civil rights division from 1957 to 1962. He was a member of the Seattle City Council from 1962 until his death in 1965 in a plane crash. Read the Seattle Times report: https://bit.ly/48xeTBh News and Activities for the Communities 1. Community Calendar The APA Justice Community Calendar is located on the front page of the APA Justice website at https://www.apajustice.org/ . Upcoming Events: 2023/09/25-27 AAUC National Unity Summit 2023/09/26 NYPD Trial of Officer Baimadajie Angwang 昂旺 2023/09/26 FAAJA Town Hall Meeting on SB264 and Its Impact 2023/09/27 1990 Institute: Teaching Asian American Narratives through Literature 2023/09/27 U.S.-China Climate Cooperation Organizing Webinar Visit https://bit.ly/45KGyga for event details. 2. Meeting of Consortium of Global Hakka Studies According to Wikipedia, the Hakka (客家) is a Chinese subgroup. Unlike other Chinese subgroups, the Hakkas are not named after a geographical region, e.g. a province, county or city, in China. The word Hakka or "guest families" is Cantonese in origin and refers to the Northern Chinese migrants fleeing social unrest, upheaval and invasions in northern parts of China since the fourth century AD. Worldwide population of Hakka is estimated to be in the tens of millions. Read the Wikipedia description of Hakka people worldwide: https://bit.ly/3Pvmec2 According to Hakka News , The Consortium of Global Hakka Studies (GHAS) functions as an academic platform of dialogue and communication for international Hakka and ethnic studies. On September 22-23, 2023, GHAS hosted the World Hakka Research Conference with the theme of "Hakka's Local and Global Diversity" in Taoyuan City. Taiwan. The conference featured reports on the Hakka people in Central and South American and the Caribbean Sea. Paula Madison 罗笑娜 , retired NBCUniversal executive whose family moved from Jamaica to the U.S., told her story about finding her maternal grandfather in China and the documentary "Finding Samuel Lowe : From Harlem to China" ）《尋找 羅定朝 ：從哈林區到中國》. Read the Hakka News report: https://bit.ly/3RFFEOd (in Chinese) Back View PDF September 26, 2023 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #216 Florida Land Law Condemned; Anti-Chinese Immigrant Smears; NIH Hearing/Draft Policy; + #216 Florida Land Law Condemned; Anti-Chinese Immigrant Smears; NIH Hearing/Draft Policy; + In This Issue #216 · Krishnamoorthi Condemns Unfair Targeting of PRC Nationals by Florida Land Ownership Law · How Florida Land Law Has Affected Buyers and Real Estate Agents · Nebraska Governor Dismisses Reporter as Being "from Communist China" · NIH Director Hearing and Draft Scientific Integrity Policy for Public Comment · News and Activities for the Communities Krishnamoorthi Condemns Unfair Targeting of PRC Nationals by Florida Land Ownership Law On October 20, 2023, Raja Krishnamoorti , Ranking Member of the House Select Committee on The CCP, issued a statement following reports of PRC (People's Republic of China) nationals being unfairly targeted for attempting to become homeowners in the state of Florida due to a recent law signed by Governor Ron DeSantis . Florida’s Senate Bill 264 would prohibit individuals who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents and whose “domicile” is in the PRC from owning or purchasing any real property. Earlier this year, the Department of Justice, in commenting on the extreme nature of the law, stated that it would, “cause serious harm to people simply because of their national origin, contravene federal civil rights laws, undermine constitutional rights, and will not advance the state’s purported goal of increasing public safety.” “A law preventing grandparents from purchasing a home close to their grandchildren so they can spend time with family does nothing to make America more secure or more competitive against the Chinese Communist Party. The implementation of Florida’s law is ambiguous, unclear, and opens the door for discrimination against all AAPI homebuyers. America has an unfortunate history of actions targeting the AAPI community’s ability to own land; it’s a history we should learn from and seek to not repeat. Protecting the rights of individuals simply attempting to achieve the American Dream should be a bipartisan priority. Florida should repeal this law and Congress should explore actions to ensure the rights of all are fairly protected.” How Florida Land Law Has Affected Buyers and Real Estate Agents According to NBC News , three months after Florida banned many Chinese citizens from owning property, some real estate agents say they are losing business as families across the state are walking away from deals, while some brokers say they feel forced to racially profile people and turn down business. Longtime Florida resident Kristen Zhang was thrilled when last year her parents in China decided to buy a new house nearby, built from the ground up, in Orlando. After being separated during the pandemic, they’d finally be able to spend time with their grandkids. But in May Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bipartisan law, SB 264, banning certain Chinese nationals from buying property in the state to counter “the malign influence of the Chinese Communist Party in the state of Florida.” Zhang’s parents had to abandon their plans this summer, finally canceling the contract last month.A group of Chinese immigrants, backed by the American Civil Liberties Union and other civil rights groups, have been pushing to invalidate the new law. The Justice Department backed their effort in a filing this summer, saying the measure is unconstitutional, but a judge ruled against the challenge in August, teeing up an appeal. Chinese buyers and Florida real estate agents say the law is ambiguous and has introduced confusion and a growing risk of discrimination. Sellers who knowingly violate the restrictions could face up to one year in prison and $1,000 in fines, and Chinese nationals who buy property in Florida face even higher potential fines and up to five years in prison. Frank Lin , a veteran Florida real estate agent who works mainly with Chinese buyers in both the United States and overseas, said his business has already been cut in half as he turns down clients and tries to comply with the law. In addition to limits on new homebuyers, Chinese nationals who already own property in Florida are required by the new law to register with the state’s Commerce Department, “but they don’t even have a form yet or place or website, so that’s confused everyone,” Lin said. Failure to register by 2024 could trigger fines of up to $1,000 a day. Many in the Asian American community argue that the Florida law resembles xenophobic “alien land laws” of the early 20th century that were later deemed unconstitutional. Enacted in the decades following the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the measures — passed in places from California to Texas and Wyoming — were tailored to keep Asian immigrants in particular from owning land. Florida didn’t repeal its own version, from 1926, until 2018, a decade after an earlier attempt failed. The state’s new restrictions cover both commercial and residential property. They apply to Chinese nationals who aren’t U.S. citizens or permanent residents and already have primary homes in China. The law also restricts buyers from a handful of other “foreign countries of concern,” including Cuba and Venezuela, but doesn’t outright ban them. The penalties for both buyers and sellers from those two countries are lower: 60 days in prison and a $500 fine.Some Florida real estate agents say the law compels them to vet potential clients in unrealistic and uncomfortable ways.“If somebody comes in and is Asian-looking, you’re automatically going to start asking questions about where you’re from, which never used to happen,” said Khalid Muneer , founder of Jupiter Properties in Central Florida and president of the Greater Orlando chapter of the Asian American Realtors Association. “Is this racism? Is this stereotyping? We are very well aware of the fact that we can have issues. We can be accused of discrimination,” Muneer said. Some of his associates with heavily Chinese or Venezuelan clienteles have seen a “major, major drop in business,” he said. "Are we supposed to be FBI agents investigating people and asking them all kinds of questions?” Florida received 23% of all foreign buyers nationwide, a higher share than any other state, according to the National Association of Realtors. And five percent of Florida’s closed sales were to foreign buyers, according to a separate report from Florida Realtors. However, the bulk of Florida’s foreign buyers are Latin American, at 46%, and Canadian, at 24%. Among Chinese buyers, California is the most popular destination, drawing 33% of Chinese buyers to Florida’s 16%. After losing their case in August, the group of Chinese immigrants, backed by the American Civil Liberties Union and other civil rights groups, that had sued to block the law filed an appeal, arguing that the measure uses “obvious proxies” to discriminate. “The law is upending peoples’ lives,” said Patrick Toomey , deputy director of the ACLU National Security Project, “and making it far more challenging for immigrants to prosper economically in the state.”Read the NBC News report: https://nbcnews.to/492fdIM 1. Arkansas orders Chinese company’s subsidiary to divest itself of agricultural land According to AP , Arkansas ordered the subsidiary of a Chinese-owned company to divest itself of 160 acres of agricultural land, the first such action under a wave of new laws across the country restricting foreign ownership of farmland. Attorney General Tim Griffin said Northrup King Seed Co. has two years to divest the property in Craighead County under legislation passed by the majority-Republican Legislature and signed by GOP Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders earlier this year. Northrup is a subsidiary of Syngenta Seeds, which is owned by China National Chemical Company, or ChemChina, a Chinese state-owned company. Syngenta said it was disappointed in the state’s decision about its land, which the company has owned since 1988. The company said no one from China has ever directed its executives to buy, lease or otherwise engage in land acquisition. “Our people in Arkansas are Americans led by Americans who care deeply about serving Arkansas farmers. This action hurts Arkansas farmers more than anyone else,” the company said. Concern has been growing in many states about foreign ownership of farmland. Prior to this year, 14 states had laws prohibiting or restricting foreign ownership and investments in private farmland. But that ballooned to 24 states this year as lawmakers in nearly three-quarters of states considered legislation on the topic, according to The National Agriculture Law Center at the University of Arkansas. The enforcement action by Arkansas’ attorney general is the first under the wave of new laws, many of which specifically targeted investments from China, Iran, North Korea and Russia, said Micah Brown , a staff attorney at the agricultural law center.Read the AP report: https://bit.ly/3FoQsJ1 2. What foreign interests control Nebraska farmland? According to Farm Progress on October 18, 2023, about 1.6% of Nebraska land is controlled by foreign interests. Canada is the largest foreign holder of land in the state. China is far down the list of known entities with only 19 acres in the name of Syngenta, owned by ChemChina, in Hamilton County.On the U.S. national foreign investor list, China is 18th with 194,772 acres. Canada tops the national list with over 9.6 million acres, followed by the Netherlands with 4.377 million acres and Italy with 2.609 million acres — with the United Kingdom and Portugal rounding out the top five.Read the Farm Progress report: https://bit.ly/45HF4T6 3. Texas SB51/HB124 and Latest Tracking Map and Bills Although the 2023 Texas legislative session ended on May 29, Governor Greg Abbott has called three special sessions and the third is still ongoing. On October 9, 2023, Texas State Senator Lois Kolkhorst introduced Senate Bill (SB) 51; a companion House Bill (HB) 124 sponsored by State Rep. Steve Toth was introduced two days later on October 11. SB51 is a reincarnation of SB147 which failed to become law in this year's legislative session. According to Advancing Justice | AAJC, the state laws may be further categorized into Agricultural Land (AL), Critical Infrastructure (CI), Real Property (RP), or a combination. APA Justice tracks the alien land laws with a map and a list of all known state bills and laws at https://bit.ly/43oJ0YI . Nebraska Governor Dismisses Reporter as Being "from Communist China" According to NBC News on October 18, 2023, a reporter of Chinese descent is speaking out, weeks after Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen dismissed her article on his company, Pillen Family Farms, because “the author is from Communist China.” Yanqi Xu, 27, who is an immigrant from China and reports for the independent outlet Flatwater Free Press , told NBC News that Pillen's comments were a form of “bias.” Pillen, a Republican, had made the remarks on Omaha radio station KFAB in September, after he was asked to respond to her article that found high levels of nitrate on his hog farms. “Number 1, I didn’t read it. And I won’t,” Pillen said on the air about Xu’s article. “Number 2, all you got to do is look at the author. The author is from Communist China. What more do you need to know?” With Xu’s blessing and after consulting with immigration lawyers to ensure her visa status wouldn’t be compromised — Matt Wynn , executive director of the Nebraska Journalism Trust, which launched the Flatwater Free Press , published a column in her defense. “Yanqi has been in the United States since 2017 … This, she said, is the first time anyone has written her off based on her origin. And it was broadcast, over the air, by the governor of Nebraska,” Wynn wrote. “As an employer, that infuriates me. As a believer in democracy and a free press, it saddens me. As a Nebraskan, it embarrasses me.” “I think it’s important to speak up and it can be really, really hard at first because in some ways, it made you the center of the story,” Xu said. “Especially as a woman of color, if the other person who made such a comment about you is the most powerful person in the state, how do you respond? But I think for me, I found myself coming back to this point of: If I don’t do it, who would? ... I think it’s also super important for other Chinese Americans or other Chinese immigrants to understand that our newsroom thinks it’s not right for the governor to say something like this.”“The Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) stands with Yanqi Xu, the Flatwater Free Press journalist who was the target of remarks that attempted to dismiss her reporting because of her country of origin,” the AAJA said in a statement. “Having an independent and diverse press corps is essential to democracy, and Xu, an investigative reporter who grew up in China, deserves to do her job without being judged because of her nationality.”Rep. Judy Chu , chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, condemned Pillen, describing his remarks as a "baseless xenophobic attack." She called on him to apologize to Xu and her outlet. "Failing to do so only contributes to more hostility and suspicion of people from China and Asian Americans broadly,” Chu said. Read the NBC News report: https://nbcnews.to/3Ql8wtY According to AP on October 19, 2023, tweets have flooded in, offering Xu support as the column began to circulate, and she said she was “deeply, deeply moved.”Among those tweeting was Omaha Sen. Megan Hunt who called the governor’s remark “Racist and disgusting.” Omaha Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh retweeted the rebuke and chastised the governor in a phone interview.Asian Americans have increasingly been the target of racially motivated harassment and assaults in recent years, particularly since the coronavirus pandemic began, with many worrying that anti-Asian rhetoric linked to fraught relations between the U.S. and China could lead to more violence.With the pandemic raging, CNN reporter Natasha Chen went on the air to describe how a Florida beachgoer told her to get out of the country and that she was responsible because of her ethnicity.U.S. reporters also have been singled out. In 2020, Weijia Jiang of CBS News asked President Donald Trump a question about the pandemic. Trump said that “maybe that’s a question you should ask China. Don’t ask me. Ask China that question.” Jiang — who was born in Xiamen, China, and emigrated with her family to West Virginia when she was 2 — wondered why the president directed that remark to her. Trump said he would say it to “anyone who asks a nasty question.” Naomi Tacuyan Underwood , executive director of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA), described what happened to Xu in an interview as another example of how “people always resort to the perpetual foreigner trope and question our loyalties.” AAJA issued a statement that it stands with Flatwater Free Press journalist Yanqi Xu, who was the target of comments about her nationality .Read the AP report: https://bit.ly/45AwllL 1. ‘My comments were my comments’: Gov. Pillen responds to criticism of ‘outright racist’ remarks According to Nebraska Examiner , Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen on October 20 addressed for the first time national criticism he has faced after dismissing a Chinese reporter’s work because of her nationality. During his appearance with KFAB, Pillen said Nebraska is the “most welcoming” state in the nation. National and local groups have since said that notion is undermined by Pillen’s remarks. “The opportunity is still there for an apology,” Matt Wynn, executive director of the Nebraska Journalism Trust, said. “I think it is the right and decent thing to do.” Read the Nebraska Examiner report: https://bit.ly/3FoIKyq 2. Conservative group smears a Chinese immigrant running for office According to Northwest Asian Weekly , an email implying that a candidate for the Newcastle City Council is a “member of the Chinese Communist Party” was denounced by civil rights groups as drawing upon a history of anti-Asian and anti-immigrant rhetoric and violence. It was considered particularly incendiary since anti-Asian hate speech has preceded and spilled over into violence against Asians and Asian Americans during the pandemic. Newcastle is 53% populated by residents of color and 34% by Asians. “A racist, red-baiting, anti-immigrant, anti-Chinese email was recently sent out by a group calling themselves the Newcastle Watchdogs. In it, these ‘watchdogs’ attack Sun Burford , candidate for Newcastle City Council, using innuendo, insinuation, and libelous statements to demean and discredit her in the eyes of Newcastle voters,” said Stanley N. Shikuma , co-president of the Japanese American Citizens League, Seattle Chapter. “They would have us believe that she is part of some sinister Chinese plot to infiltrate the Newcastle City Council. They play upon her status as an immigrant, her ethnicity, and current rivalries with China to appeal to old prejudices and stir up new fears.”Newcastle Watchdogs, a conservative organization co-founded by a former Newcastle city councilmember, branded Burford a Chinese Communist sleeper agent—because she held a city planning job in China three decades ago before immigrating to the United States, a position she disclosed in her city planning application.OCA–Asian Pacific American Advocates—Greater Seattle Chapter repudiated the smear. “For centuries, Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders have been labeled as ‘perpetual foreigners,’ and accused of dual loyalty to their ancestral country and United States—often used as a scare tactic against our community,” said Connie So , president. “The language that our leaders use is important. Following this week’s report of anti-China language being used in a local election, we demand that all candidates refrain from using harmful rhetoric that is based on an individuals’ race as a political tactic. Elections should be about issues, not unfounded personal attacks. Period.”Read the Northwest Asian Weekly report: https://bit.ly/49eOkS3 NIH Director Hearing and Draft Scientific Integrity Policy for Public Comment According to Nature , the Senate hearing on the nomination of Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) highlighted the politicization of science in the wake of the COVID pandemic. The nominee, Monica Bertagnolli, hinted during the hearing what her priorities will be for the biomedical agency if she is confirmed. At the top of the list is improving the diversity of clinical-trial participants, enhancing collaboration among the NIH’s 27 institutes and centers, and restoring public trust in scientists and the agency. The 2-hour confirmation hearing on October 18, 2023, comes nearly two years after the NIH’s former director, geneticist Francis Collins, stepped down following more than 12 years in the top role. (Lawrence Tabak has been serving as acting director in the interim.) In May 2023, President Joe Biden nominated Bertagnolli, who is the current head of the US National Cancer Institute (NCI), to lead the NIH. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the NIH typically saw yearly budget increases and enjoyed bipartisan support for its mission. The hearing made clear how politically charged the agency’s research portfolio has become since then, underscoring challenges that Bertagnolli might face as director of the sprawling agency, which is the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world, with an annual budget of about US$47 billion. During the COVID-19 pandemic, after some Republican lawmakers made unsubstantiated claims that the NIH’s funding of coronavirus research in China could have played a part in causing the worldwide crisis. Their colleagues in the US House of Representatives have been holding hearings about the origins of the virus that have scrutinized Collins and the former head of the NIH’s infectious-diseases branch, Anthony Fauci .On March 23, 2023, Science published " Pall of Suspicion ," detailing NIH’s “China Initiative” led by Michael Lauer that has upended hundreds of lives and destroyed scores of academic careers.The committee will meet again on Wednesday, October 25, to decide whether to advance Bertagnolli’s nomination to a full Senate vote. The full Senate is expected to vote on the nomination before the end of the year. Read the Nature report: https://go.nature.com/46CZT3p . Watch the hearing and read Dr. Bertagnolli's written testimony at: https://bit.ly/48WSbTE NIH Draft Scientific Integrity Policy for Public Comment NIH has developed a DRAFT Scientific Integrity Policy, and seeks information regarding the draft policy from all interested individuals and communities, including, but not limited to, investigators, research institutions, libraries, scientific societies, healthcare providers, patients, students, educators, research participants, and other members of the public. While comments are welcome on all elements of the DRAFT NIH Scientific Integrity Policy, input would be most welcome on the specific items identified below, as they represent additions to existing NIH scientific integrity practices: · Role and Responsibilities of the NIH Scientific Integrity Officer (SIO) · Role and Responsibilities of the NIH Chief Scientist (CS) · Responsibilities of the NIH Scientific Integrity Council · Prohibitions against Political Interference Read the DRAFT NIH Scientific Integrity Policy: https://bit.ly/403HvOZ . Read the Federal Register notice for additional information: https://bit.ly/3Q4fKkF . Send your comments to NIH here: https://bit.ly/3Qtdo0b News and Activities for the Communities APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2023/10/25-26 President's Advisory Commission Meeting 2023/10/25 Senate Hearing on Nomination of NIH Director 2023/10/29 Rep. Gene Wu's Weekly Town Hall Meeting 2023/11/05 Rep. Gene Wu's Weekly Town Hall Meeting 2023/11/06 APA Justice November 2023 Monthly Meeting 2023/11/11 ACP 2023 MetroCon Visit https://bit.ly/45KGyga for event details. Back View PDF October 23, 2023 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #235 Not "Spy Balloon;" Not "Spy Pigeon;" Florida Ed Partnerships End; Chinese Students; + #235 Not "Spy Balloon;" Not "Spy Pigeon;" Florida Ed Partnerships End; Chinese Students; + In This Issue #235 · A Year After the Non-Spying "Spy Balloon" Incident · From "Spy Balloon" to "Spy Pigeon" · "Another Chinese Partnership Bites the Dust" in Florida · Chinese Students are Paying the Price for US Intelligence Concerns · News and Activities for the Communities A Year After the Non-Spying "Spy Balloon" Incident According to AsAmNews on February 4, 2024, the “Chinese Spy Balloon” became one of the most prominent stories of 2023. What was less discussed, however, were later revelations that the balloon was not spying for the Chinese government. A year after the spy balloon incident, Asian American groups say it has only heightened xenophobia, prejudices, and fear around the AAPI community. When the Chinese balloon crossed into US aerospace, American officials immediately claimed that it was conducting espionage. The resulting controversy immediately raised hostilities towards China, with Secretary of State Anthony Blinken even canceling a diplomatic trip to the nation. Chinese officials, however, vehemently denied accusations of spying, maintaining that the balloon was research equipment that veered off course. The balloon was ultimately shot down a year ago on February 4. In the days after its wreckage was recovered, US officials released a statement that the balloon was “clearly for intelligence surveillance.” But after months of analysis, officials quietly walked back those claims. In September, a spokesperson from the Pentagon announced that the balloon did not collect information while transiting over the US. This was echoed by high-ranking officials like the chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff, Mark Milley . “The intelligence community, their assessment – and it’s a high-confidence assessment – [is] that there was no intelligence collection by that balloon,” said Milley.But the damage was done to the Asian American communities. The “Chinese spy balloon” label reminded Cynthia Choi , co-director for Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA), of initial reactions to the COVID-19 virus, which some politicians referred to as the “Wuhan virus” and “China virus.” Both stoked Sinophobia against Asian communities, setting the stage for future discrimination. On September 21, 2023, CAA and Stop AAPI Hate launched the Stop the Blame Campaign , which aims to hold elected officials accountable for racist rhetoric. Andy Wong , CAA Managing Director of Advocacy, described the campaign at the October 2023 APA Justice monthly meeting . The Sinophobia engendered by the "spy balloon" controversy also had tangible consequences. Jeremy Wu , co-organizer of APA Justice, tracks discriminatory legislation currently targeting Asian Americans across the nation. The most notable of those are the 33 alien land bills and laws , preventing Chinese Americans from owning property in a state, which have recently been introduced across the country. Though the "spy balloon" controversy did not cause these laws, Wu says it had an “accumulating, stigmatizing effect” that set the stage for them to happen. “Although the ‘spy balloon’ was not spying, the incident has been intentionally and unintentionally used as a national security risk to justify the new alien land laws,” Wu wrote to AsAmNews . “While not discounting that there are real national security risks, the ‘spy balloon’ plays into xenophobia and racism.” But Wu also situates the "spy balloon" as a “footnote” in historic and ongoing anti-Asian racism. One example is the Wen Ho Lee case in 1999, where a Taiwanese American scientist Wen Ho Lee was falsely charged for espionage, sparking a similar media firestorm around Chinese spying. But the history of this racism is unknown to many. Today, Wu observes, there is less knowledge of the case among young Asian Americans. Similarly, few Americans are aware that the “spy balloon” did not conduct espionage. More education, he says, is necessary to combat this lack of awareness. “The Asian American communities are courageous and resilient in their fight and advocacy from generation to generation,” writes Wu. “Education through books, stories, schools, museums, monuments, and other means is essential to carry this struggle on and maintain hope for meaningful change.” Read the AsAmNews report: https://bit.ly/3HPjHGd From "Spy Balloon" to "Spy Pigeon" No one should under-estimate national security risks. However, when taken to the extreme, sensational rhetoric and conspiracy theories may go from the sublime to the ridiculous. According to multiple media reports including the New York Times , AP News , Washington Post , CNN , CBS News , and Sky News , consider the alarming suspicion of foreign espionage, cursive messages in ancient Chinese, a sensitive microchip — and a suspect that could not be stopped at the border. Guards with the Central Industrial Security Force in India saw this one loitering alone in May 2023 — “it was just sitting there, and it all looked suspicious to them — chip, and ring on the feet.” The guards informed the police.The suspect was a pigeon. It was arrested and locked up in a hospital. After "deep and proper inquiry and investigations," the pigeon was determined to be an open-water racing bird from Taiwan. It was cleared of all spying charges. However, the pigeon remained in incarceration. “The police never came to check the pigeon,” said the manager of the hospital.After eight months, Indian officials released the pigeon after intervention from animal rights organization PETA. PETA India celebrated what it called the end of a “wrongful imprisonment.”It is not the first time Indian authorities wrongfully locked up a pigeon for alleged spying. Some racing pigeons from Taiwan have reportedly made it as far as the United States and Canada although none has been known to be charged for espionage so far.There was no immediate report on the pigeon's reaction to the wrongful allegation or its release from the 8-month imprisonment. "Another Chinese Partnership Bites the Dust" in Florida According to Inside Higher Ed on February 2, 2024, Florida International University (FIU) is ending numerous successful partnerships in China to conform to a state law regulating colleges’ relationships with “countries of concern.” The decision affects a dual-degree Spanish language program that FIU runs jointly with Qingdao University, as well as engineering exchange programs with seven Chinese institutions. But perhaps most surprisingly, FIU is terminating its largest and most successful international initiative: a dual-degree hospitality program run jointly by the university’s Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management and the Tianjin University of Commerce.Maydel Santana, FIU’s associate vice president for media relations, wrote in an email that the programs had been slated for termination since last spring. She cited two factors: the board’s decision last year to revise regulations for certain programs and a Florida law ramping up oversight of university partnerships and exchanges with seven countries of concern, which was signed in 2021 (HB7017) and expanded last year to cover joint ventures as well as hiring. To comply with the new law, FIU also paused recruitment of researchers from the listed countries in December, following on the heels of several other public universities in the state. The program closures are part of a broader chilling of Chinese-American educational partnerships , as concerns over academic freedom in China multiply and bilateral political relations grow increasingly tense . William Brustein, a longtime international education administrator, compared the current environment around Chinese partnerships to the McCarthy era, wherein political victories in a newly crystallizing cold war are worth more than educational opportunities or economic gains. At the Florida Board of Governors meeting last June, members said they targeted FIU because of its outsize international involvement compared to other state colleges. After all, “‘International’ is in its name,” said Kyle Long , founder and director of Global American Higher Education, a coalition of researchers studying American institutions abroad. Long said the criticism of these partnerships over fear of foreign influence shows a “fundamental misunderstanding of higher ed philanthropy” and reveals an ambitious political agenda that, once again, takes aim at Florida’s public higher ed institutions. The closure of FIU’s Marriott Tianjin China hospitality program, in particular, has raised eyebrows because of both the program’s seemingly benign nature and its long-running success. The hospitality program was established in 2006 and is one of the world’s oldest Sino-American university partnerships, housed in a custom-built $100 million campus—fully funded by the Chinese government—in Tianjin, a northern port city just south of Beijing. FIU Tianjin’s creation was a product of the budding, financially fruitful partnership between American and Chinese higher education entities that flowered in the mid-2000s; the program’s abrupt termination is the most recent sign of that partnership’s souring under growing political pressures. “It’s pretty ridiculous. This is a hospitality program. What are they going to steal, a napkin? A new way of putting down cutlery?” Brustein said. “Yes, there are legitimate concerns around academic freedom at some programs in China, but it really depends on the subject matter. These bureaucrats are using a sledgehammer rather than a scalpel.” Read the Inside Higher Ed report: https://bit.ly/4865YWe Chinese Students are Paying the Price for US Intelligence Concerns According to The Hill on February 5, 2024, Chinese students seeking to study in America are feeling the heat over U.S. concerns about intelligence and Beijing’s influence over higher education, in some cases leading to them being denied entry to the country. Despite Chinese students in many cases facing longer wait times for visas than those from other countries, approval is often not the last step. “The lengthy questioning of Chinese students with properly issued visas and the sending of some of those students back to China undermines confidence in the United States and results in some able Chinese students going to third countries. I also object to the questioning of Americans with properly issued visas by Chinese immigration authorities,” said Stephen Orlins , president of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations. Sophia Gregg , a Virginia-based immigrants’ rights attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, said border patrol agents have wide discretion on who can come in to the country, even when valid visas are issued.One big concern the U.S. has currently is that many Chinese students are coming to the country to study science or technology, two sectors of particular interest, said Swallow Yan , president of the U.S. Education Without Borders. But he said students are coming to the U.S. for those subjects because Chinese “parents and students really consider America the No. 1 country for education for science or technology for professional opportunities.” House members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) last week announced they are working to stop the return of the “China Initiative,” which was supposed to target espionage, from former President Donald Trump ’s tenure. They argue the program, which Republicans are attempting to revive, did little to stop spies but did target people of Chinese descent.“While it is crucial that we protect our national security and intellectual property, codified discrimination is not the answer. At a time when anti-Asian hate and violence is still rampant across the country, we must do everything we can to prevent programs like this — founded in racism and xenophobia — from happening again,” said Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), CAPAC executive board member.Read The Hill report: https://bit.ly/42uD5BZ News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2024/02/07 Chinese Americans in the Heartland2024/02/08 USCET: Asian American Trailblazers in Film2024/02/10 New Year's Day of the Year of the Dragon2024/02/13-15 Senior Executives Association Senior Executive Leadership Summit2024/02/13 Committee of 100: The Career Ceiling Challenges in Journalism Visit https://bit.ly/45KGyga for event details. 2. USHCA: Chinese Americans in The Heartland WHAT: Chinese Americans in the Heartland: Migration, Work and Community WHEN: February 7, 2024, 6:00 - 7:30 pm Central Time WHERE: Online WebinarHOSTS: US Heartland China Association and Chinese-American Museum of ChicagoSPEAKER: · Huping Ling : Professor of history and past department chair at Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri, where she founded the Asian studies program. Author of a new book on " Chinese Americans in the Heartland: Migration, Work and Community " DESCRIPTION: Chinese-Americans play an important role in the U.S.-China relationship. Understanding who we are as a country is a crucial first step to the U.S. building a better Way Forward with China. Literally and metaphorically, the infrastructure of our Heartland region is built on the backs of Chinese-Americans – a sociological history that has been largely ignored. REGISTRATION: https://bit.ly/4bsxhwI 3. USCET: Asian American Trailblazers in Film WHAT: Asian American Trailblazers in Film WHEN: February 8, 2024, 8:00 pm Eastern Time WHERE: Online WebinarHOSTS: US-China Education TrustMODERATOR: Shirley Sun, film director, producer, writer, art curator, and cultural interchange activistPANELISTS: · Felicia Lowe, an award-winning independent media producer, director, and writer · Robin Lung, fourth generation Chinese American filmmaker DESCRIPTION: Film trailblazers Shirley Sun, Felicia Lowe, and Robin Lung will discuss firsthand their accomplishments in the film industry, their own journeys, and the unsung experiences and stories of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) in film over the decades. REGISTRATION: https://bit.ly/3HPVpvC 4. WHI: Community Engagement Event WHAT : Community Engagement Event WHEN: February 28, 2024, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm Pacific Time WHERE: In-person event, Clark County, Nevada (exact location to be announced) HOST: White House Initiative on AA and NHPI DESCRIPTION: Participants will learn more about WHIAANHPI’s priorities and work, receive updates from Biden-Harris Administration officials on various federal programs and resources that are available to them, and participate in a community-driven listening session with members of the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. The event will conclude with an optional networking session as an additional opportunity for relationship building and connection. REGISTRATION: https://bit.ly/42LxKX7 5. February is Black History Month According to Wikipedia , Black educators and Black United Students at Kent State University first proposed Black History Month in February 1969. The first celebration of Black History Month took place at Kent State a year later, from January 2 to February 28, 1970. Six years later, Black History Month was being celebrated all across the country in educational institutions, centers of Black culture, and community centers, both great and small, when President Gerald Ford recognized Black History Month in 1976, during the celebration of the United States Bicentennial. He urged Americans to "seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history". Back View PDF February 7, 2024 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #155 Special Edition: Justice for Sherry Chen with Historic Settlement #155 Special Edition: Justice for Sherry Chen with Historic Settlement Back View PDF November 15, 2022 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #137 East Tennessee US Attorney; Chinese Student Visas Plummet; Denver History; Opinion #137 East Tennessee US Attorney; Chinese Student Visas Plummet; Denver History; Opinion Back View PDF August 15, 2022 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #177 4/17 Roundtable; "China Initiative;" Michael McCaul; Xenophobia; Xiaoxing Xi Lecture #177 4/17 Roundtable; "China Initiative;" Michael McCaul; Xenophobia; Xiaoxing Xi Lecture In This Issue #177 2023/04/17 Roundtable on a National Alert Network Can U.S. Research Recover From the "China Initiative?" Texan leading TikTok ban in Congress urges state lawmakers to rein in their own social media legislation Presumed Guilty: The FBI's Baseless Hunt for IP Theft by Chinese Academics CAPAC Chair Warns Anti-China Rhetoric Could Open the Door to Xenophobia 2023/04/17 Roundtable on a National Alert Network WHEN: Monday, April 17, 2023, 7:00 pm ET/4:00 pm PT WHAT: Online Roundtable DESCRIPTION: Inaugural roundtable to establish the purpose and functions of a national media alert network and strike teams to assertively address immediate xenophobic challenges to our freedoms and longer-term proactive actions to ensure fairness and justice for all, including the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) and immigrant communities. About 10 organizations have committed to join Paula Madison in the Roundtable. REGISTRATION: This is an event by invitation only to guests and official representative(s) of AAPI organizations. Members at the Roundtable will be sent a panelist link. Others please register at http://bit.ly/3KvlMI8 BACKGROUND : Asian American and immigrant communities are in turbulent times again, facing enormous challenges such as legalizing discrimination at the state and federal levels, return of the Red Scare and McCarthyism, warrantless surveillance, mini "China Initiative" conducted by the National Institutes of Health, cross-border profiling, continuing fallout from the now-defunct "China Initiative" including New York Police Department Officer Angwang, collateral damage from the U.S.-China relations, and anti-Asian hate and violence. The Roundtable will examine the current landscape and jump-start a national media alert network and strike teams to address these immediate and longer-term challenges.A video of the discussion led by Paula Madison in the April APA Justice monthly meeting is here: http://bit.ly/40gzLHW (1:00:08). Can U.S. Research Recover From the "China Initiative?" According to a report by the Chronicle of Higher Education on April 6, 2023, Matthew Olsen , assistant attorney general for national security, announced the shutdown of the "China Initiative" a little over a year ago.On college campuses, there was hope that Olsen’s February 2022 announcement would bring an end to a dark period when many worried that the future of academic ties with China hung in the balance.Over the past year, the number of allegations of foreign interference reported by federal grant-making agencies has declined, and more cases have been resolved through administrative action instead of prosecution. The rhetoric has also moderated since Trump-administration officials routinely lambasted college leaders for their naïvete in working with Chinese universities and other foreign partners. “There’s been more of a dialogue instead of a shouting match,” said Jeffrey Riedinger , vice provost for global affairs at the University of Washington.But the assistant attorney general’s speech did not end scrutiny of American higher education’s relationship with China or with other countries “of concern,” like Russia. Since then, Congress has approved new disclosure requirements for foreign funds coming to colleges and barred researchers who receive federal grants from taking part in “malign” talent-recruitment plans like China’s Thousand Talents program, which offers visiting appointments and research stipends to foreign scholars. Government agencies have also been crafting new programs and policies to safeguard research and determine risk. If a new chapter began with the conclusion of the "China Initiative," the underlying narrative remains much the same. It’s a Cold War of innovation, and university labs are the new front line, with many policymakers troubled that working with China could advantage a rival. Indeed, mistrust of China is the rare topic that garners bipartisan agreement in Washington these days. “Maybe the volume has been turned down a little, but the tune is still playing,” said Jane Gatewood , vice provost for global engagement at the University of Rochester. The pressure to act is emanating from the nation’s capital, to be sure, but it is also coming from campuses, from faculty members who want better guidance to navigate the uncertainty. Perhaps no group is watching more closely than those most affected by the "China Initiative," Chinese and Asian American researchers.For many of these academics, the fear lingers. Some are unwilling to apply for federal grants in the current climate. And American researchers may be pulling back from working with Chinese colleagues: Since the start of the "China Initiative," joint publications by Chinese and American scientists have declined.“The ending of the 'China Initiative' seemed to give the illusion that the cloud had gone away,” said Jenny J. Lee , a professor of higher education at the University of Arizona who studies Sino-American research collaboration. “But it’s still overhead.”The number of foreign-interference cases at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) soared from just five in 2017 to 111 in 2018, the year the "China Initiative" started. For the next three years, the NIH recorded more cases involving allegations of failure to disclose foreign funding, academic affiliations, or other conflicts of interest on grant applications than any other type of research-integrity violation.In nine of 10 such cases, the “country of concern” was China.Last year, the number of foreign-interference cases logged by the NIH dropped sharply, to just 23.The resolution of recent cases by the National Science Foundation, or NSF, reflects the non-prosecutorial approach. Since the end of the "China Initiative," the agency’s Office of Inspector General has found indications of foreign conflicts of interest in at least nine cases involving grantees. But according to memos published by the office, it either closed the cases without pursuing criminal actions or forwarded them to the Justice Department, which decided not to prosecute. Rebecca Keiser , chief of research security strategy and policy for the NSF, said the agency doesn’t want to be in the policing game. “We are not law enforcement,” she said in an interview with The Chronicle . “We set policy.” A driver of current oversight efforts is a national-security directive Trump signed shortly before he left office that orders all federal research-funding agencies to strengthen and standardize their research-security policies. It continues under President Biden. A proposal released by the White House last month requires colleges and other organizations that receive $50 million or more annually in federal-scientific grants to develop research-security plans. It has also published draft guidance that would beef up disclosure rules while making them more consistent across the federal government. Despite the calls for uniform standards, they are not necessarily followed, for example, by NASA.For colleges, the new mandates bring an added burden. The Council on Governmental Relations, an association of research universities, academic medical centers, and independent research institutes, estimates the initial costs of meeting new federal disclosure requirements could be nearly $445,000 for universities with $100 million or more in federal-research funding. For institutions that receive less grant funding, expenses could top $100, 000.College groups would also like government agencies to more clearly articulate what they see as the real research-security risks. Universities’ longstanding practices for monitoring research integrity have typically been geared toward screening for more traditional types of misconduct than for detecting threats from foreign influence, said Tobin Smith , senior vice president for policy at the Association of American Universities. “If there’s fabricated data, that’s easier for us to assess.”Riedinger and his colleagues are calling for more nuanced guidance: What types of individuals, institutions, disciplines, or research areas warrant additional scrutiny? What sorts of programs and affiliations raise red flags? What are the potential vulnerabilities that keep policymakers up at night?Having such guidance is important as colleges create research-security plans, said Kalpen Trivedi , vice provost for global affairs at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. “Tell us, how can we reassure you that we are doing what we can to safeguard science in our universities?” he said. “What represents safe science to you?”Many experts point to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as the gold standard. While not all institutions have MIT’s structured approach, most research-university administrators said their institutions now had a process in place for reviewing foreign contracts and partnerships for potential research-security vulnerabilities and for advising faculty members about conflicts that could jeopardize federal grants.Both universities and federal agencies are likely to have to rebuild trust with another group: scientists, especially those of Chinese descent.That may not be easy. Some colleges were seen as offering insufficient support to their faculty members when they came under scrutiny, or even abetting investigations. Many researchers see a lack of clarity in the new rules and are concerned about being penalized for types of international engagement that were previously encouraged. Advocacy groups say discussions about research-security policy have focused too much on the policing of international collaboration and not enough on supporting researchers or educating them about shifting requirements for disclosure.“So far, there is more of a focus on deterrence,” said Gisela Perez Kusakawa , executive director of the Asian American Scholar Forum. “But what are the positive efforts that would make Asian American scholars feel more protected?”But the damage to research, and to researchers, wrought by the "China Initiative" may be harder to undo. “They are still scared,” said Steven Pei , a professor at the University of Houston and an organizer of the APA Justice Task Force, a group that advocates for Asian American scientists. “People are much more careful.”There is a sense among researchers, Pei and others said, that they could fall under suspicion simply for doing science while Chinese. After all, prominent prosecutions under the China Initiative were of Asian American scientists. Of the NIH foreign-interference cases, three-quarters involved Asian scientists.Of a half-dozen scholars interviewed by The Chronicle , none said they were currently willing to apply for federal grants, because of their anxiety they could be racially profiled. The stakes were too high. Among the scientists investigated by the NIH, nearly two-thirds were removed from federal grants. As Science has previously reported, 42 percent lost their jobs or were forced to resign.Fearful, academics and graduate students of Chinese descent may be pulling back from academic work with China. When the University of Arizona’s Jenny Lee, who conducted a survey of scientists, drilled into the data, she found that their reluctance to engage with China had nothing to do with the nature or sensitivity of their research. “It really came down to whether someone was of Chinese descent, period,” Lee said.There are reports that Chinese American researchers have been stopped at the border and questioned about their work. A special congressional committee has been set up to examine competition with China. And in a speech at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in December, Christopher Wray , the FBI director, defended government investigations of academic ties to China. Gang Chen is one of the scholars who said he would no longer apply for federal funding to support his research. A professor of mechanical engineering at MIT, he was arrested in January 2021 for allegedly hiding his affiliations to and payments from Chinese universities. A federal prosecutor later dropped the charges against Chen, saying it was in the “interests of justice.”The "China Initiative" and other investigations damage academics like him who have collaborations with China, Chen said in an interview. But its effects are more than individual, he said. “This is a fundamental assault on the scientific community. It could hurt and weaken American science.”Not long ago, Chen was back in the headlines. He is credited with having helped discover a new semiconductor material that is being called a game-changer.Read the Chronicle report: http://bit.ly/3UxAD9K In a follow-up report, the Chronicle of Higher Education added the following insights from Dr. Rebecca Keiser of NSF: Undisclosed conflicts could jeopardize public confidence in research outcomes Keiser said she was worried about how research-security investigations affect Chinese and Asian American scientists When it comes to research security, she wants a more collaborative approach It will be tougher to navigate gray areas, but heightened research-security concerns shouldn’t cut off international-academic partnerships Read the Chronicle follow-up report: http://bit.ly/3UDpXGM Texan leading TikTok ban in Congress urges state lawmakers to rein in their own social media legislation According to a report by the Texas Tribune on April 11, 2023, U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul , one of the top China hawks in Congress who is leading the charge to restrict TikTok nationwide, warned Texas lawmakers not to discriminate against Chinese Americans and immigrants in their own statewide social media ban legislation.Both McCaul and members of the Texas House introduced bills to curb perceived security threats by Chinese actors in the country via popular social media apps like TikTok, which is owned by a China-based company. McCaul’s bill, the DATA Act, would require the administration to determine whether TikTok or its Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance, has ever transferred sensitive data to the Chinese government and to ban the app from the U.S. if so.Meanwhile, in the Texas Legislature, Rep. Jared Patterson , R-Frisco, introduced a bill that would blanket ban apps owned by companies headquartered in a number of countries, including China, Russia, Iran and North Korea. Asian American groups decried the bill as too sweeping, asserting it would cut off many avenues for communication between immigrants and families back in China.It ’s a concern that appears to resonate with McCaul, who pressed members of the Legislature to keep their bills focused on national security concerns and not pass laws so broad that they unfairly impact Chinese Americans and other immigrants.“I’ve urged the state Legislature to be targeted in their approach, not a swath that would catch people that are just fleeing oppression,” McCaul said in an interview with The Texas Tribune . “It’s got to be very careful not to go too far with that and discriminate against, you know, people that are fleeing oppression versus those that are operating under espionage purposes.”McCaul, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he held a similar sentiment toward state legislation targeting land ownership by Chinese nationals. Gov. Greg Abbott expressed support earlier this year for banning land sales to certain Chinese citizens, which Asian American groups said could contribute to discrimination in the housing market. McCaul said land purchases by Chinese government actors around military bases was a legitimate security concern, “but again, I would make it targeted towards CCP-owned-and-operated enterprises.”Read the Texas Tribune report: http://bit.ly/3UDC7zq Presumed Guilty: The FBI's Baseless Hunt for IP Theft by Chinese Academics On April 10, 2023, Xiaoxing Xi , Laura H. Carnell Professor of Physics at Temple University, gave a lecture on "Presumed Guilty: The FBI's Baseless Hunt for IP Theft by Chinese Academics." Since 2015, he has spoken out actively for open fundamental research and against racial profiling and received the American Physical Society 2020 Andrei Sakharov Prize for his effort.Professor Xi has one consistent message with continuously updated sample cases and official references: Chinese scientists have been treated unfairly. In the Q&A session, a participant recounted her experience at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory when Dr. Wen Ho Lee was incarcerated in solitary confinement for nine months at the turn of the century. Watch the video of Professor Xi's lecture at Iowa State University: https://bit.ly/3KvWg5I (58:52) CAPAC Chair Warns Anti-China Rhetoric Could Open the Door to Xenophobia NPR conducted an interview with Rep. Judy Chu, Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) on April 12, 2023. According to the NPR report, Rep. Chu responded to the attack from Texas Congressman Lance Gooden, who accused her of disloyalty in an interview with Fox News, by stating that "I was outraged. I was disgusted. And most of all, I was angry because it was so racist. It was based on a centuries-long stereotype that Chinese Americans and Asian Americans more broadly are forever foreigners in their own land, no matter how much they've contributed to this country, no matter whether they're someone like me, born in America. My father fought for the U.S. in World War II in the Army. I've been an elected official for 37 years in this country. How much more American do I have to be to prove that I am an American?"Responding to questions about the "China Initiative," Rep. Chu said, "'The China initiative,' exactly that, where Chinese scientists and researchers were accused of being spies for China on the flimsiest of evidence. Eventually, most of them were exonerated, but their lives were ruined because of this. So as a result, Chinese Americans are indeed very concerned about being the next ones to be accused... The 'China initiative' is a good example of overreach. I mean, obviously, we want to make sure that our national secrets are protected. But what Trump did was to make this a focus on one country. He didn't have a Russia initiative. He didn't have an Iran initiative. No. And in the discussions that I've been on national security, I always remind everybody, the lawmakers as well as the intelligence officials, that there is tremendous consequence to the xenophobia they could cause if they make this a racial issue. We only have to look at the Japanese American internment to see that 120,000 Japanese Americans lost everything that they had based on suspicions that there were spies amongst them. But to this day, not a single case of espionage has been proven."Read the NPR report: http://bit.ly/3KBS3xh Subscribe to The APA Justice Newsletter Complete this simple form at https://bit.ly/2FJunJM to subscribe. Please share it with those who wish to be informed and join the fight. View past newsletters here: https://bit.ly/APAJ_Newsletters . Back View PDF April 14, 2023 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter