Newsletter - Issue #400 400 Issues Later: Still Building Community, Advocacy, and Voice Issue #400 400 Issues Later: Still Building Community, Advocacy, and Voice In This Issue #400 Still Building Community, Advocacy, and Voice We celebrate the 400th issue of the APA Justice Newsletter by reflecting on the journey that began with our first issue on July 5, 2020. What started as a modest community publication during a period of uncertainty and upheaval has grown into an enduring platform for information, dialogue, advocacy, and historical record.It was a time to honor the many contributions of Asian Pacific Americans to the United States, but it was also a time of extraordinary challenge. As the nation confronted the COVID-19 pandemic, Asian Pacific Americans fought on two fronts. Our medical professionals and researchers battled the coronavirus, while our communities faced a surge in anti-Asian hate amid the climate surrounding the China Initiative.The launch of the Newsletter also marked the continued evolution of APA Justice. What began in the fall of 2015 as a response to concerns raised by Representative Judy Chu gradually evolved from a platform connecting elected officials, individuals, and community organizations into a broader, sustainable ecosystem dedicated to addressing racial profiling and advancing justice, fairness, and civil rights for Asian Pacific Americans.Beginning with approximately 300 subscribers, the Newsletter soon became one of the three integrated pillars of APA Justice’s core activities, alongside our Monthly Meetings and Website, while webinars further amplified critical issues, community concerns, and public dialogue. Four hundred issues later, the APA Justice Newsletter remains grounded in the same mission: to build community, amplify voices, document history, and advocate for a more just and inclusive society. I. Looking Back: Why the Newsletter Was Started The APA Justice Newsletter was launched during a period of growing uncertainty and concern for many Asian Pacific Americans, particularly within academic, scientific, and immigrant communities. In 2020, public debate surrounding the China Initiative, national security investigations, and U.S.-China tensions increasingly intersected with concerns about racial profiling, civil liberties, and equal treatment under the law.Many in the community worried about wrongful prosecutions and investigations, the erosion of academic freedom, and the chilling effect these developments could have on scientific research, international collaboration, and public discourse. At the same time, the rise in anti-Asian discrimination and hate incidents during the COVID-19 pandemic intensified fears and underscored the need for stronger community engagement and public education.Against this backdrop, the APA Justice Newsletter was created to provide timely and reliable information, thoughtful analysis, and a trusted platform for discussion. The goal was not only to report developments, but also to help connect a growing network of advocates, academics, attorneys, scientists, journalists, students, and community leaders working to promote fairness, due process, and civil rights. The Newsletter also sought to amplify Asian American voices that were often underrepresented or misunderstood in mainstream conversations. By sharing articles, statements, webinars, legal developments, and community perspectives, it became a centralized resource for those seeking both information and solidarity during a turbulent period.Over time, the Newsletter evolved into an ongoing historical record of a consequential era for the Asian Pacific American community — documenting not only challenges and controversies, but also resilience, advocacy, collaboration, and civic engagement. II. What We Cover — And Why It Matters Many of the challenges facing Asian Pacific Americans today are not entirely new. From the Chinese Exclusion Act, Alien Land Laws, Japanese American incarceration, to Cold War-era Red Scare loyalty investigations, Asian Pacific Americans have repeatedly faced suspicion, exclusion, and unequal treatment during periods of national anxiety. In recent years, many of these historical patterns have reemerged in modern forms — through racial profiling, politicized investigations, surveillance concerns, and renewed questions about citizenship, belonging, and civil rights.Against this backdrop, the APA Justice Newsletter has focused on three intersecting areas: combating racial profiling, protecting rights and fairness, and advancing social justice through community engagement and advocacy. A. Combating Racial Profiling A central focus of the Newsletter has been the China Initiative, attempts of its revival, and the broader climate of modern-day McCarthyism surrounding scientists, researchers, and Asian American communities. The Newsletter closely followed cases involving individuals such as Anming Hu , Franklin Tao , and Gang Chen , highlighting concerns about racial profiling, wrongful investigations, due process, and law enforcement overreach.The Newsletter also amplified investigative reporting, congressional oversight, and independent reviews that exposed systemic flaws and bias in the implementation of the China Initiative. Through case updates, webinars, and public education, APA Justice sought to support impacted individuals while advocating for greater accountability and civil rights protections. B. Protecting Rights and Fairness The Newsletter has consistently addressed broader threats to constitutional rights and equal treatment under the law, including opposition to warrantless surveillance and support for birthright citizenship. APA Justice viewed these debates not as isolated policy disputes, but as part of a larger struggle to ensure that Asian Pacific Americans and other communities are afforded the same protections and freedoms guaranteed to all Americans.Through advocacy campaigns, legal resources, webinars, and partnerships with organizations including Asian American Advancing Justice | AAJC, Asian American Scholar Forum, Committee of 100, and U.S.-China Education Trust, the Newsletter helped mobilize public engagement and strengthen community response to civil liberties concerns. C. Driving Social Justice Beyond reporting on problems, the APA Justice Newsletter has sought to strengthen civic participation, community solidarity, and collective action. The Newsletter publicized advocacy campaigns, sign-on letters, town halls, webinars, and “know your rights” programs designed to inform and empower communities.Examples included promoting the “We Belong” Yellow Whistle anti-hate campaign, supporting voter engagement and multilingual outreach efforts, and connecting impacted individuals with legal and community resources. By bringing together advocates, academics, attorneys, journalists, elected officials, and community leaders, the Newsletter helped build a broader network committed to justice, fairness, and democratic engagement. III. Beyond the Newsletter: Building an Ecosystem As APA Justice evolved into building a sustainable information and community ecosystem, the Newsletter, Monthly Meetings, Website, and Webinars each reinforce and complement one another. Together, they provide timely information, deeper analysis, community dialogue, historical documentation, and opportunities for collaboration, advocacy, and public education. A. APA Justice Monthly Meetings The APA Justice Monthly Meetings provide a unique forum for open and candid discussions on current events, civil rights concerns, public policy, and community issues. Featuring regular leaders the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, Asian American Advancing Justice | AAJC, and Asian American Scholar Forum, as well as invited speakers, the meetings bring together attorneys, academics, scientists, journalists, policymakers, and community leaders for substantive updates and strategic discussions.To encourage frank dialogue, meetings are generally by invitation only and conducted off the record unless speakers authorize public sharing. These conversations frequently identify emerging issues, shape future webinars, inform newsletter coverage, and strengthen collaboration across organizations and communities. Written summaries are later posted on the APA Justice Website to preserve key discussions and developments. B. APA Justice Website The APA Justice Website at https://www.apajusticetaskforce.org/ serves as the organization’s public archive and resource center, preserving and organizing years of reporting, advocacy, and educational materials. The Website complements the Newsletter by providing broader access to articles, stories, case updates, event announcements, webinar recordings, community statements, and historical documentation.As the Newsletter captures ongoing developments, the Website helps preserve institutional memory and provides a centralized source of information and reference materials. C. Webinars and Public Discussions APA Justice webinars, frequently co-hosted with partner organizations, extend these discussions to broader public audiences by bringing together legal experts, journalists, academics, policymakers, civil rights advocates, and community organizations to examine critical issues in greater depth.Webinars have addressed topics including civil rights, U.S.-China relations, scientific research, immigration, media narratives, academic freedom, racial profiling, and constitutional protections. The webinars foster partnerships with allied organizations and create opportunities for public education, community engagement, and informed dialogue. Since October 2025, APA Justice has partnered with the Committee of 100 and U.S.-China Education Trust on a continuing webinar series examining the intersection of U.S.-China relations and the civil rights and civil liberties of Asian American and immigrant communities — bringing these conversations to broader public audiences as geopolitical tensions continue to shape life at home. Together, the Newsletter, Monthly Meetings, Website, and Webinars form an interconnected platform for APA Justice to inform, connect, document, and mobilize the community while preserving important historical records on issues affecting Asian Pacific Americans and broader community concerns. IV. Recognition of Our Staff Members To conduct these activities and pursue our ambitious goals, we are very fortunate to be supported by a small but talented staff who contribute day in and day out: Charlotte Ding, Product Developer Charlotte Ding recently graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. She joined APA Justice in 2023 as an intern working on web design and content management. She has stayed with the organization since then, continuing work on the website and taking on new initiatives involving project management and digital content strategy. Charlotte has also worked as a software engineer on a research project with UCSF Law, developing an AI negotiation platform to explore AI’s ability to perform complex reasoning. Madeleine Gable, Communications Associate Madeleine Gable is a rising senior at New York University, studying International Relations, Economics, and Chinese. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, she developed a global perspective from an early age, beginning her study of Mandarin in elementary school and later studying abroad in Shanghai during college. Outside the classroom, she is involved in student government, a professional law fraternity, and enjoys exploring New York. Her work with APA Justice allows her to integrate her skills in research, writing, and policy analysis into her commitment to community advocacy and social justice. Ryan Zhao, Web Developer Ryan Zhao is a pre-med senior majoring in Computer Science at the University of Texas at Austin. Interested in the cutting-edge of healthcare and tech, he has researched machine learning methods for cancer characterization and leads a machine learning team at UT's biggest Neurotechnology and BCI organization. Ryan's involvement with APA Justice has enabled him to bridge his technical and social interests by supporting the documentation and dissemination of important Asian American issues. Outside of his academic and professional work, he enjoys the piano and playing sports such as soccer and golf. The Team Behind Every Issue Every issue of the APA Justice Newsletter reflects the collective efforts of a dedicated team and community committed to our mission. What began as a small grassroots effort has grown into a sustained platform because of the time, talent, trust, and support of countless individuals over the years. One of our inside jokes is that APA Justice Co-Organizers serve as both "CEO and janitor" — and everything in between. There are no regular work hours in grassroots community work. Behind every meeting, webinar, newsletter issue, website update, and advocacy campaign are countless hours of coordination, editing, outreach, troubleshooting, planning, and follow-up. What sustains this work is a shared belief that we stand on the shoulders of those who came before us and have an obligation to help build the path for those who come after us. V. A Peek Into the Future — Expanded Webinars, AI, and the Work Ahead As we mark 400 issues, we are energized by what lies ahead. The challenges facing Asian Pacific American communities are evolving rapidly — and so are the tools and partnerships available to meet them. Expanding Our Webinar Series. Building on our continuing webinar series with the Committee of 100 and U.S.-China Education Trust, we intend to expand this partnership, broaden the topics we address, and reach new audiences across the country. Future webinars will continue to examine civil rights, academic exchange, immigration policy, constitutional protections, and the evolving U.S.-China relationship — always grounded in the lived experiences of our communities. Harnessing Artificial Intelligence. We are actively exploring how AI can strengthen our work — from more accessible tools for community education to enhanced search and navigation of our growing archive of newsletters, webinar recordings, and advocacy materials on the APA Justice Website. Our goal is to make the institutional memory we have built over the years more discoverable and useful for advocates, researchers, journalists, and community members. We will approach this work thoughtfully, ensuring that AI serves our mission of fairness and justice rather than introducing new forms of bias or exclusion. As a first step, we have launched a ChatBot pilot on our Newsletter and McCarthyism web pages. It is a work in progress, and we invite you to take a look and share your feedback with us at contact@apajustice.org . Growing Our Team and Our Network. Sustaining and expanding this work requires people as much as platforms. We are actively recruiting two part-time staff members, ideal for college students or early-career professionals, to support our expanding activities. If you — or someone you know — combines a commitment to civil rights with skills in communications, research, writing, or technology, we hope you will reach out to us at contact@apajustice.org . Every person who joins this effort strengthens the entire community we serve. VI. A Word of Gratitude - Please Support Our Work Four hundred issues would not exist without you. To our readers who have forwarded newsletters, shared webinar links, written letters, signed petitions, testified at hearings, and simply showed up — thank you. To our donors whose generosity has made this work sustainable year after year — thank you. You are not a passive audience; you are co-authors of this record.APA Justice is a strategic, powered-by affiliate of the Committee of 100. Your tax-deductible contribution directly sustains the Newsletter, Monthly Meetings, Webinars, and Website that serve our community. If this work has informed, connected, or empowered you, we ask you to invest in its future at https://bit.ly/DonateAPAJustice or scan the QR code above. Donations of any size make a difference — and every contribution is a vote of confidence in the work ahead.Here is to the next 400 issues — and to the more just and inclusive society we are building together. News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2026/06/17 Voting Barriers for AA & NH/PI Women2026/06/23 Under the Microscope: The Cases Targeting America's Scientists, Scholars & Researchers in 20262026/06/27-28 From Crisis to Coalition: Lessons from the Front Lines in Minneapolis/St. Paul2026/06/28-07/01 UCA: 2026 Chinese American Convention2026/07/04 Unveiling of Mabel Ping-Hua Lee Mural2026/07/06 APA Justice Monthly MeetingVisit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details. 2. AASF: Under the Microscope: The Cases Targeting America's Scientists, Scholars & Researchers in 2026 WHAT : Under the Microscope: The Cases Targeting America's Scientists, Scholars & Researchers in 2026 WHEN : June 23, 2026, 1:30 PM ET WHERE : Webinar HOST : Asian American Scholar Forum Moderator: Gisela Perez Kusakawa , Esq. Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum Speakers: · Rob Fisher , Esq. Partner, Nixon Peabody · Justin Sadowsky , Esq. Legal Director, Chinese American Legal Defense Alliance (CALDA) · John Sandweg , Esq. Partner, Nixon Peabody · Brian Sun , Esq. Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright · Clay Zhu , Esq. President, CALDA DESCRIPTION: This discussion will feature leading attorneys examining the evolving landscape of government investigations targeting researchers, the intersection of criminal defense, immigration and employment law, and the particular pressures faced by scholars, researchers, and scientists of Chinese descent. The panel will explore what has changed since the China Initiative and what echoes remain. This conversation speaks directly to AASF's ongoing work to protect our communities, strengthen the U.S. research ecosystem, and ensure that policies support innovation and create a welcoming environment for our community. Whether you are a researcher navigating these challenges, an educator confused about the changing norms, a student seeking more resources, or a community member invested in protecting civil rights, this webinar offers essential insights and practical information. REGISTRATION : https://bit.ly/4e5ASEv # # # APA Justice Task Force is a non-partisan platform to build a sustainable ecosystem that addresses racial profiling concerns and to facilitate, inform, and advocate on selected issues related to justice and fairness for the Asian Pacific American community. For more information, please refer to the new APA Justice website under development at www.apajusticetaskforce.org . We value your feed Back View PDF June 12, 2026 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

April 2026 Meeting Summary Apr 6, 2026 Read March 2026 Meeting Summary Mar 2, 2026 Read February 2026 Meeting Summary Feb 2, 2026 Read January 2026 Meeting Summary Jan 5, 2026 Read December 2025 Meeting Summaires Dec 1, 2025 Read November 2025 Meeting Summary Nov 3, 2025 Read October 2025 Meeting Summary Oct 6, 2025 Read September 2025 Meeting Summary Sep 8, 2025 Read August 2025 Monthly Meeting Summary Aug 4, 2025 Read July 2025 Meeting Summary Jul 7, 2025 Read June 2025 Meeting Summary Jun 2, 2025 Read May 2025 Meeting Summary May 5, 2025 Read Monthly Meeting Summaries APA Justice conducts monthly meetings and publishes the meeting summary on this website. Participation is by invitation only. Due to limited capacity, invited participants are typically active and recognized organizations and concerned individuals. Please send an email to contact@apajustice.org if you have interest. < < 1 1 1

#399 A Memorable Webinar Co-Hosted by Committee of 100, U.S.-China Education Trust, and APA Justice June 10, 2026 Read #398 Maryland Speaker and Delegate at 6/1 Meeting; Leaders Comment; NYT Immigrant Squeeze;+ June 5, 2026 Read #397 Maryland Reps at 6/1 Meeting; 6/3 Webinar; ICE Sprayed Andy Kim; CBS Radio Shut Down + May 29, 2026 Read #396 Maryland Reps at 6/1 Meeting; 6/3 Joint Webinar; APAICS Update; Innes Lab; McCarthyism May 26, 2026 Read #395 Rep. Dave Min; Researching While Chinese; Attack on MD Delegate Chao Wu; McCarthyism + May 18, 2026 Read #394 Forbidden Citizens; AAJC Updates; USCET Resource Hub; Letter to Congress; Resistance+ May 13, 2026 Read #393 Monthly Meeting Today; APA Heritage Month; NSB Fired by Trump; SCOTUS Case; FISA 702+ May 4, 2026 Read #392 5/4 Meeting; Legacy of APAICS; Schwarzman Scholars; Trump's Tirade; FISA Section 702+ April 27, 2026 Read #391 Marty Gold Speaks; Section 702 Extended 10 Days; ICE Arrest Kidnapping? Danhao Wang; + April 20, 2026 Read #390 Eric Zheng, Susan Thornton, Susan Shirk at 04/06 Meeting; Birthright Citizenship; More April 13, 2026 Read #389 Monthly Meeting Today; Trump-Xi Summit; FY2027 Science Budget; SCOTUS Hearing; + April 6, 2026 Read #388 Special Edition: What We Need to Know about Mass Surveillance and ICE Crackdown April 2, 2026 Read < < 1 1 1 Newsletters APA Justice began publishing a free periodic newsletter about 4-7 times a month in July 2020. You can subscribe here . Visit the Virtual Library to search the entire collection. Filter by year

Newsletter - #397 Maryland Reps at 6/1 Meeting; 6/3 Webinar; ICE Sprayed Andy Kim; CBS Radio Shut Down + #397 Maryland Reps at 6/1 Meeting; 6/3 Webinar; ICE Sprayed Andy Kim; CBS Radio Shut Down + In This Issue #397 · Maryland House Speaker and Delegates to Speak at APA Justice Monthly Meeting on June 1 · June 3 Joint Webinar: Geopolitics, Identity, and the Fight for Civil Rights · Senator Andy Kim Sprayed by ICE · “Good Night, and Good Luck”: CBS Radio Shuts Down · News and Activities for the Communities Maryland House Speaker and Delegates to Speak at APA Justice Monthly Meeting on June 1 A racist video titled "ChiCom of the Year Award," featuring Maryland Delegates Mark Fisher and Brian Chisholm , was published in early May 2026. It drew widespread bipartisan condemnation from elected officials and community leaders. Watch the WBAL-TV report: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kd7ZXlGo7wA (2:45). Speaker Joseline A. Peña-Melnyk and Delegate Chao Wu will speak at the APA Justice monthly meeting on June 1, 2026. Maryland Delegate Lily Qi , Chair of the Maryland Legislative Asian American & Pacific Islander Caucus, will also give brief remarks. In addition to the regular speakers: · Judith Teruya , Executive Director, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) · Joanna YangQing Derman , Director, Anti-Profiling, Civil Rights & National Security Program, Advancing Justice | AAJC · Gisela Perez Kusakawa , Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF) We are also honored to welcome these distinguished invited speakers: · Cindy Tsai , Executive Vice President & General Counsel; Committee of 100 · Justin Sadowsky , Legal Director, Chinese American Legal Defense Alliance 华美维权同盟 (CALDA) · Haipei Shue 薛海培 , President, United Chinese Americans Cindy Tsai will provide an update on Committee of 100’s comprehensive database and interactive map tracking alien land bills at both the state and federal levels. Justin Sadowsky will discuss ongoing litigation challenging alien land laws in Texas, Florida, and other states where CALDA is involved. Haipei Shue will report on United Chinese Americans’ grassroots organizing efforts opposing alien land legislation nationwide. Hope Atuel , CEO and Executive Director for Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA), will lead off the Q&A and discussion session. The monthly meetings are by invitation only and 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 - Vincent Wang 王文奎 and Jeremy Wu 胡善庆 - or send a message to contact@apajustice.org . June 3 Webinar: Geopolitics, Identity, and the Fight for Civil Rights WHAT : Geopolitics, Identity, and the Fight for Civil Rights WHEN : June 3, 2026, 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. ET WHERE : Webinar HOSTS : Committee of 100, US-China Education Trust, APA Justice Moderator : Joanna Derman , Director, Asian American Advancing Justice | AAJC Speakers: · Edgar Chen , Senior Policy Advisor, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association · Frank Wu , President, Queens College DESCRIPTION: The third webinar in this series, co-hosted by the Committee of 100, US-China Education Trust, and APA Justice, examines the downstream effects of U.S. foreign policy through both a historical and contemporary lens. Drawing parallels across time, the conversation will explore how periods of international strain have influenced domestic policies and legal interpretations—from immigration restrictions to citizenship rights—and how these dynamics continue to evolve today. The session will explore how narratives of rivalry and suspicion can translate into real-world consequences for communities with heritage ties to countries at the center of geopolitical tension. We will discuss the tradeoffs policymakers face and provide a nuanced understanding of how national priorities intersect with civil liberties. REGISTRATION : https://bit.ly/3PxYwQt or scan QR code Senator Andy Kim Sprayed by ICE According to 6ABC Philadelphia , CNN , The Guardian , and The Hill , on Monday, May 25, 2026, Senator Andy Kim visited the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, following a hunger and labor strike initiated by detainees. Detainees and their families were protesting conditions within the facility, citing poor food, lack of due process, and limited medical care. After going inside to inspect the conditions and speak with detainees, Senator Kim emerged to find a highly volatile standoff between demonstrators and armed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. When ICE officials prepared an armored vehicle and a convoy to move through the crowd of civilians, Kim stepped between the two groups to negotiate a peaceful resolution. During the clash, federal agents fired pepper balls and chemical spray into the crowd. Senator Kim was caught in the spray, resulting in a burning throat and eyes, and required first aid on the scene. Following the incident, Kim publicly condemned the escalation and the conditions at the facility, stating he would continue to push for accountability. Rep. Grace Meng , Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, issued a statement regarding conditions at the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility and the pepper spraying of U.S. Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) by ICE agents: “Members of Congress have a constitutional right and a duty to conduct oversight of federal detention facilities, particularly when lives are at stake. Over the past several days, members of the New Jersey congressional delegation visited the Delaney Hall detention facility and heard disturbing accounts from detained individuals and their families, including reports of inedible food, denial of medical care, and barriers to due process. “During one of these visits, ICE deployed an armored vehicle and a line of armed agents who tackled civilians and fired pepper balls and pepper spray into the crowd—including at CAPAC Executive Member Senator Andy Kim. It is a disgrace and an abuse of power that should alarm every American. If this is how ICE responds to elected officials, it raises grave concerns about how detainees are being treated behind closed doors. “These inspections are more important than ever amid mounting reports of abuse and civil rights violations in federal detention centers. CAPAC members will not be intimidated, and will continue exercising our oversight authority to demand accountability from this lawless agency.” Read the CAPAC statement: https://bit.ly/4dOxYSS “Good Night, and Good Luck”: CBS Radio Shuts Down CBS News Radio permanently signed off on May 22, 2026, ending a legendary 99-year broadcast run. Parent company Paramount Skydance shuttered the network amid deep budget cuts, leaving its remaining 26 staffers unemployed and roughly 700 affiliate stations scrambling for alternative news feeds. Founded in the late 1920s by William S. Paley , CBS Radio revolutionized modern journalism. Its airwaves brought Americans some of history’s most critical moments, from Edward R. Murrow ’s gripping World War II field reports to the immediate coverage of the JFK assassination and 9/11. The network closed its final broadcast with Murrow’s iconic sign-off: "Good night, and good luck." In a report on May 24, 2026, The Spokesman-Review traces the rise and closure of CBS News Radio — the historic network shaped by legendary broadcaster Edward R. Murrow, a graduate of Washington State University (WSU). The report emphasizes Murrow’s enduring legacy in broadcast journalism. Murrow became famous for his courageous World War II reporting from London during the Nazi Blitz and later for exposing the horrors of the Buchenwald concentration camp. But the article especially highlights his role in confronting McCarthyism during the 1950s Red Scare. Murrow used his CBS broadcasts to challenge the fear-driven tactics and accusations of Senator Joseph McCarthy , whose anti-Communist crusade damaged careers, intimidated institutions, and threatened democratic freedoms. Through careful reporting and direct examination of McCarthy’s own words and methods, Murrow helped expose the abuses of McCarthyism and contributed to turning public opinion against the Red Scare. WSU journalism dean Bruce Pinkleton described Murrow’s work as an example of how journalism protects democracy by holding power accountable. Former CBS correspondent Lawrence Pintak similarly argued that Murrow established the ethical standard for broadcast journalism. The article also connects Murrow’s anti-McCarthy legacy to present-day concerns about media consolidation, political pressure on news organizations, shrinking local journalism, and threats to press independence. Several interviewees warned that the loss of independent journalism and concentration of media ownership could weaken democratic accountability in ways reminiscent of past periods of political intimidation and conformity. Ultimately, the article portrays the closure of CBS News Radio not simply as the end of a broadcasting institution, but as a symbolic moment in the broader struggle over journalism’s role in defending democratic values, public accountability, and freedom from political fear campaigns such as McCarthyism. Read The Spokesman-Review Report: https://bit.ly/4fedINa News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2026/06/01 APA Justice Monthly Meeting 2026/06/02 Third Annual “State of The Science” Address 2026/06/03 Webinar: Geopolitics, Identity, and the Fight for Civil Rights 2026/06/10 Recollections, Pioneers and Heroes - Calvin Tsao 2026/06/27-28 From Crisis to Coalition: Lessons from the Front Lines in Minneapolis/St. Paul 2026/06/28-07/01 UCA: 2026 Chinese American ConventionVisit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details. 2. Appeals Court Ruling on Yanping Chen v. Federal Bureau of Investigation, et al. On May 22, 2026, the U.S. Appeals Court for the District of Columbia denied the petition by former Fox reporter Catherine Herridge asking the court to reconsider its previous decision, meaning the original decision stands. Previously, the court dismissed Herridge's motion to unseal certain records as 'moot' (no longer relevant). Now, the court has vacated (undone) that dismissal and sent the motion back to the district court for consideration under a specific local rule. The Freedom of the Press Foundation wanted to join the case to argue for unsealing records. The court dismissed this motion as no longer necessary, but said the Foundation can file a new motion in the district court if it wants. Read the Appeals Court ruling: https://bit.ly/4dKUrln . Read the Yanping Chen case story: https://www.apajusticetaskforce.org/impacted-persons/yanping-chen # # # APA Justice Task Force is a non-partisan platform to build a sustainable ecosystem that addresses racial profiling concerns and to facilitate, inform, and advocate on selected issues related to justice and fairness for the Asian Pacific American community. For more information, please refer to the APA Justice website at www.apajusticetaskforce.org . We value your feedback. Please send your comments to contact@apajustice.org . Back View PDF May 29, 2026 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #399 A Memorable Webinar Co-Hosted by Committee of 100, U.S.-China Education Trust, and APA Justice #399 A Memorable Webinar Co-Hosted by Committee of 100, U.S.-China Education Trust, and APA Justice In This Issue #399 A Memorable Webinar Co-Hosted by Committee of 100, U.S.-China Education Trust, and APA Justice On June 3, 2026, the Committee of 100, U.S.-China Education Trust, and APA Justice co-hosted a memorable webinar titled “Geopolitics, Identity, and the Fight for Civil Rights.” This is the third in a series of joint webinars titled “Global Tensions, Local Dimensions” in October 2025 to discuss the intersection of U.S.-China relations and civil rights and civil liberties of Asian American and immigrant communities in the U.S. The Third Webinar was moderated by Joanna YangQing Derman , Program Director at Asian American Advancing Justice | AAJC and featured two distinguished speakers: · Edgar Chen 陳春品 , Special Advisor, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association; former Departments of Justice, Treasury, and Commerce official · Frank Wu 吴华扬 , President, Queens College, City University of New York; past chair of Committee of 100; author of Yellow: Race in America Beyond Black and White After opening remarks by Jeremy Wu , Co-Organizer of APA Justice, the lively discussions flow from one topic to another seamlessly for almost an hour, starting with the recent racist video mocking Maryland delegate Chao Wu . Cindy Tsai , Executive Vice President and General Counsel of the Committee of 100, gave closing remarks. Watch the full webinar here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5v1z9g083kY (57:00) The Maryland Delegate Incident — Accent Mockery and the Spy Accusation Joanna opened the discussion by referencing a recent and widely publicized incident in which two Maryland state delegates mocked fellow Delegate Chao Wu on a podcast, ridiculing his accent and — following a legislative disagreement — falsely insinuating that he was acting as a Chinese spy. The comments were swiftly condemned by state and congressional leadership and AAPI advocacy organizations, who called for an apology and stronger standards of conduct. Frank responded by drawing a direct line from this incident to the violence that erupted during the COVID-19 pandemic. He noted that Asian Americans — who were overrepresented as doctors and nurses putting themselves at fatal risk — were simultaneously being physically attacked: shoved to the ground, kicked in the head, spat on, and in some cases murdered. The victims were not only people of Chinese descent but also Korean, Burmese, and even Latina individuals who were perceived as Asian. Many were U.S. citizens and green card holders of third, fourth, and fifth generations. The common thread, Frank argued, was the "perpetual foreigner" stereotype — the deeply ingrained assumption that Asian Americans' hearts and loyalties belong elsewhere, regardless of their name, religion, degree of assimilation, or how many generations their families have been in this country. Frank made three specific points. First, mocking accents is straightforwardly wrong — it is the cruelty of childhood bullying directed at adults in positions of public trust. He shared a personal reflection: his immigrant parents blamed their own accents for the discrimination they faced, not realizing the problem was the bigotry of others. Frank noted that he himself, despite having a Midwestern accent from growing up in Detroit, has been told his "accent" is holding him back — because the bias is visual, not auditory. Social science confirms this: people imagine an accent when they see an Asian face, even if the person sounds entirely American on the phone. Second, Frank identified a fragile but real social consensus, forged through the civil rights movement, that stereotyping is wrong. That consensus has shifted racism from being overt and unapologetic to something that polite society at least nominally condemns. Third, he warned of a new and dangerous erosion of that consensus: the logic that if one Chinese American does something wrong, all Chinese Americans become suspects. He drew an explicit analogy — if a Black person commits a crime and police rounded up all Black people, everyone would recognize that as both morally wrong and practically ineffective. The same principle applies here. Stereotyping is not just unjust; it is a poor law enforcement and national security tool. Frank closed this segment with a pointed observation: if elected officials can do this to a fellow office-holder who has been voted into office by constituents, the message it sends to every Asian American child on a playground — or adult walking down the street — is deeply chilling. Edgar agreed wholeheartedly and added a pointed ideological argument: if the stated goal is to combat Chinese communism, the way to do that is to celebrate American democracy. Delegate Wu's story — an immigrant who ran for local office and won the trust of his constituents — is exactly the kind of democratic participation the United States claims distinguishes it from authoritarian systems. Treating that story as suspicious is not only racist; it is strategically self-defeating. Edgar recalled that during the Cold War, the Soviet Union repeatedly pointed to American racism and segregation as evidence that Western democracy was morally inferior. The United States countered by highlighting human rights abuses behind the Iron Curtain. The Maryland incident, Edgar argued, hands adversaries exactly that kind of propaganda gift. Alien Land Laws — History, Current Proliferation, and the National Security Pretext Joanna presented a detailed statistical picture drawn from Committee of 100 data: since 2021, no fewer than 525 bills restricting foreign land ownership have been introduced across the country, with 63% specifically restricting Chinese citizens. The pace has been consistent: 149 bills in 2023, 126 in 2024, 133 in 2025, and 76 so far in 2026. As of May 2026, approximately 28 states have enacted such legislation. Against this legislative backdrop, she noted that Chinese-affiliated entities account for just 0.03% of total U.S. farmland — compared to Canada's 33% share of all foreign-owned agricultural land. She asked: given that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) already exists specifically to review foreign land purchases for national security threats, what does the proliferation of new state and federal legislation actually reveal? Is it a genuine security response, or a pretext for racial profiling? Frank situated the current wave of alien land laws in a century-long historical continuum. He noted that early 20th-century legislators were sometimes deliberately evasive in their bigotry, using the phrase "aliens ineligible to citizenship" rather than naming specific ethnic groups. This phrase, which appeared facially neutral, in practice applied exclusively to Asian people — a consequence of the Chinese Exclusion Act and its expansion in 1917 to an "Asiatic barred zone." Two Supreme Court cases from that era illuminate the stakes: in one, a man of Japanese descent who was Christian, spoke English, and was assimilated was denied naturalization; in another, a South Asian man who had served in the U.S. Army was similarly rejected. The Court held that there was a color bar — one had to be white or Caucasian to naturalize — and neither was deemed to qualify. The Supreme Court ultimately struck these alien land laws down in Oyama v. California in 1948. But Frank emphasized that the harms were never limited to land: fishing licenses were denied, and during internment, two thirds of those affected were U.S. citizens. History consistently shows that restrictions nominally targeted at "aliens" inevitably extend to their American-born children and grandchildren. Frank also noted that some current legislators are no longer hiding behind neutral language — they openly name the targeted ethnic group, making plain that the concern is not about foreigners per se but about people of a particular background. He offered a vivid personal illustration: as a native-born U.S. citizen who carries his passport with him because people routinely question his belonging, he asked what a real estate agent would actually do when an Asian American family shows up to an open house. The agent will not ask for a passport — they will simply assume foreign status based on appearance, which is precisely the chilling effect these laws are designed to produce. He concluded with an economic argument: even setting civil rights concerns aside entirely, the business case for diversity is overwhelming. Immigrants revitalized communities like downtown Flushing, Queens, turning what was an economically depressed area into one of New York City's most vibrant commercial districts. Every study shows that immigrant arrivals lift local economies. Excluding immigrant investors raises a straightforward question with no good answer: how does stopping people from investing in America help the economy? Edgar reinforced the historical through-line and added a crucial contemporary dimension. He noted that today's alien land laws typically invoke "foreign adversary" designations under 15 CFR 7.4, which lists not only China but also Russia, Iran, and North Korea. On its face, the legislation appears race-neutral. But Edgar observed that in practice, he has never once heard a sponsor give a floor speech warning about Russian oligarchical funds or Iranian malign influence — only Chinese influence is invoked. The targeting is unmistakable even when the drafting is superficially neutral. He also delivered what he called one of the most effective rhetorical counterarguments: Louisiana's SB 395 calls for the expropriation — that specific word — of land owned by Chinese citizens. Edgar noted that during the Cultural Revolution, Chinese Communist Party slogans called for expropriating lands from local tyrants. The irony is pointed: the legislators behind these bills are, in effect, doing what the Chinese Communist Party did, beating the CCP to the punch on Fifth Amendment violations. Expanding Economic Targeting Beyond Land Joanna broadened the discussion to other policy domains where national security framing is being applied to economic exclusion. She cited two specific examples. At the federal level, the Trump administration recently changed SBA-backed loan eligibility criteria, rendering small businesses even partially owned by non-citizens ineligible — cutting off access to capital for immigrant entrepreneurs who had been working in full compliance with immigration law. At the state level, Iowa's SF572, recently signed into law, bars businesses and individuals from certain countries including China from obtaining licensure to establish or operate health care centers — a striking move given how vital immigrant workers are to American health care, particularly in rural states. Edgar confirmed that SF572 is now law and emphasized the particular damage it would do in rural Iowa, where health care is already in crisis. He noted that the need extends well beyond physicians to include direct service professionals, nursing home operators, nurse practitioners, nurses, nursing aides — the full spectrum of health care labor. He observed a critical drafting flaw: the bill's sponsor claimed the intent was to prevent Chinese entities from infiltrating the health care system, but the bill targets individual Chinese citizens rather than state-linked entities. This bait-and-switch — framing the legislation as anti-CCP while actually targeting individuals — is, Edgar argued, poor policy and potentially unconstitutional. He connected this to the SBA issue and the broader message being sent: no matter how hard an immigrant works, no matter how scrupulously they comply with the law, even 1% foreign co-ownership disqualifies them from the American dream. That message, Edgar said, is corrosive. The Domestic/Foreign Policy Divide and Civil Rights Advocacy Joanna reflected on a tension she experiences personally in her work at an AAPI domestic advocacy organization: the issues her community faces are increasingly inseparable from foreign policy and national security debates that were once considered a separate domain. She asked how the AAPI community can best prepare itself to engage effectively on these "foreign policy" issues without being accused of shilling for Beijing. Edgar acknowledged this challenge directly and personally: his parents are from Taiwan, he has never set foot in the People's Republic of China, and he is troubled when the PRC flies missiles over the Taiwan Strait during elections. And yet, standing up for an impacted Asian American's civil rights is routinely characterized as acting at the behest of the CCP — the same pernicious logic on display in the Maryland delegates incident. He argued, however, that civil rights advocates must develop sufficient foreign policy literacy to credibly distinguish real national security concerns from pretextual ones. Understanding why alien land laws resonate — including genuine anxieties about China's assertiveness in the South China Sea — allows advocates to engage with those fears seriously and push back with evidence rather than dismissal. Frank agreed and reframed the entire premise of the "foreign influence" concern. The conventional assumption is that Asian Americans are agents of foreign influence flowing into the United States. Frank argued it is actually the reverse: throughout history, Asian Americans and the broader diaspora have been vectors for democratic values flowing outward to Asia. Reform movements and democratization campaigns in China and across the region have consistently been driven by or deeply influenced by people connected to the American experience. The foreign influence, he said, is positive and runs in the opposite direction from what critics assume. Edgar added a plug for the Committee of 100's State of Chinese American Survey 2025, which found that Americans broadly favor cooperation with China despite tough political rhetoric — a finding that underscores the gap between elite political discourse and actual public sentiment. He also noted the irony that Iowa farmers lionize President Xi Jinping because of his Iowa life experience and agricultural trade relationships, underscoring that at the ground level, the US-China relationship is often more pragmatic and cooperative than the legislative and rhetorical environment suggests. Economic Fears, the Model Minority Myth, and the Politics of Scapegoating Frank drew a direct line between Asian American success and the resentment directed at the community, citing historian Ronald Takaki 's formulation that Asian Americans have been "punished not for their vices, but for their virtues." The model minority myth cuts both ways: on one hand it flattens the genuine diversity and hardship within Asian American communities, and on the other it makes Asian American success itself a source of perceived threat — in college admissions, in the job market, in neighborhood demographics. He noted that Asian immigration has a bimodal income distribution: high-net-worth professionals at one end, Uber drivers, undocumented workers, nail salon operators, and restaurant owners at the other. The model minority myth erases the latter group entirely, which distorts both policy responses and coalition-building. Frank also offered a sober warning about the dynamics of political scapegoating. Once political leaders get people "riled up" against a group — as happened during COVID when Asian Americans were blamed for spreading disease — the anger they unleash does not dissipate when the rhetoric changes. Even if a leader does a 180 and stops blaming Asian Americans, the person who has already been radicalized into hatred will not stand down simply because the political signal changed. The emotional response has been triggered and takes on a life of its own. Edgar added that the current political moment has produced some striking reversals. The Trump administration, after years of anti-China rhetoric, recently welcomed up to half a million Chinese student visas and reversed its position on Chinese farmland purchases — running counter to the administration's own USDA National Farm Security Action Plan. Edgar asked pointedly: if the president can treat the US-China relationship as essentially transactional and cooperative when it suits him, does that retroactively reveal that the national security concerns invoked to justify alien land laws and other restrictive measures were pretextual to begin with? He cited the examples of the heads of Intel, Nvidia, and AMD — all Chinese Americans, two from Taiwan, one from Malaysia — and the TikTok CEO, who during a congressional hearing was asked whether he was a member of the Chinese Communist Party and had to explain he was from Singapore. Even the most prominent figures in American industry are not immune from the suspicion that their Asian faces mark them as foreign. Audience Q&A On political engagement (to Edgar): Edgar 's answer was direct and brief. The answer to the Maryland delegates incident is: get involved. Run for office. Talk to your neighbors. Participate in the democratic process regardless of party. Delegate Wu's story is as American as it gets, and the best response to those who would question Asian American belonging in politics is to show up. On accountability, constitutional norms, and mental health (to Frank): Frank acknowledged the genuine psychological toll of being constantly scrutinized and constantly having to justify one's belonging. The pandemic hate crimes made viscerally clear that the threat is not abstract: elderly Asian Americans were shoved to the ground and kicked in the head because of political scapegoating. The particular cruelty is that when Asian Americans speak out, the common dismissal is "what are you complaining about? You have it easy" — a response that compounds the harm by denying it. On what can be done, Frank emphasized coalition-building and showing up — not necessarily running for office, but at minimum voting, and specifically having direct conversations with family members who may be voting against their own interests. He invited every viewer to picture a cousin who voted in a way that seemed self-defeating, and to simply ask that cousin — without idealism or lectures — whether they think it will actually work out for them. That kind of intimate, personal outreach, Frank argued, is where political change begins. Closing Observations The webinar concluded with Joanna synthesizing a theme that ran throughout: the zero-sum narrative framing US-China relations as a conflict in which one power's rise requires the other's fall is not only analytically questionable but politically dangerous, because it provides rhetorical fuel for the racialization of Asian Americans as a fifth column. Both panelists advocated instead for a framework of coexistence, cooperation where possible, and vigorous but evidence-based engagement with genuine security concerns — one that refuses to sacrifice the civil rights of American citizens and residents on the altar of geopolitical anxiety. News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2026/06/10 Recollections, Pioneers and Heroes - Calvin Tsao 2026/06/17 Voting Barriers for AA & NH/PI Women 2026/06/27-28 From Crisis to Coalition: Lessons from the Front Lines in Minneapolis/St. Paul 2026/06/28-07/01 UCA: 2026 Chinese American Convention 2026/07/04 Unveiling of Mabel Ping-Hua Lee Mural 2026/07/06 APA Justice Monthly MeetingVisit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details. 2. APA Justice April 2026 Monthly Meeting Summary Posted Summary for the April 2026 APA Justice monthly meeting has been posted at https://bit.ly/4umOf7S . We thank these distinguished speakers for sharing their insightful remarks and updates: · Judith Teruya , Executive Director, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus · Joanna YangQing Derman , Director, Anti-Profiling, Civil Rights & National Security Program, Advancing Justice | AAJC · Gisela Perez Kusakawa , Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF) · Eric Zheng , President, The American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai · Susan A. Thornton , Vice Chair, U.S. Heartland China Association · Susan Shirk , Research Professor; Director Emerita, 21st Century China Center, University of California, San Diego # # # APA Justice Task Force is a non-partisan platform to build a sustainable ecosystem that addresses racial profiling concerns and to facilitate, inform, and advocate on selected issues related to justice and fairness for the Asian Pacific American community. For more information, please refer to the APA Justice website at www.apajusticetaskforce.org . We value your feedback. Please send your comments to contact@apajustice.org . Back View PDF June 10, 2026 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Impacted Persons List Anming Hu 胡安明 Read more Baimadajie Angwang 昂旺 Read more Charles Lieber Read more Chen Song 宋琛 Read more Davis Lu Read more Franklin Tao 陶丰 Read more Gang Chen 陈刚 Read more Gee-Kung Chang 張繼昆 Read more Haizhou Hu Read more James Patrick Lewis Read more Jane Ying Wu 吴瑛 Read more Juan Tang 唐娟 Read more Kaikai Zhao 赵凯凯 Read more Kevin Wang Read more Lei Guan 关磊 Read more Lin Yang Read more Meyya Meyyappan Read more Mingqing Xiao Read more Qing Wang 王擎 Read more Simon Saw-Teong Ang 洪思忠 Read more Song Guo Zheng Read more Turab Lookman 特拉伯·鲁克曼 Read more Van Andel Research Read more Wuyuan Lu 陆五元 Read more Xiao-jiang Li 李晓江 Read more Xiaofeng Wang 王晓峰 Read more Xiaoming Zhang Read more Xiaoxing Xi 郗小星 Read more Xifeng Wu 吴息凤 Read more Xin Wang 王欣 Read more Yanping Chen 陈燕平 Read more Yanqing Ye Read more Yu Zhou, Li Chen Read more Zaosong Zheng Read more Zhendong Cheng Read more Filter by Category China Initiative NIH Other Sort by Alphabetical by first name Alphabetical by last name

Read More 1. A Call to Stop Senate Bill 147 and All Alien Land Laws Friday, February 17, 2023 12:00 AM Read More 1. Bridging Nations: People-to-people Exchange in U.S.-China Relations Thursday, October 16, 2025 12:00 AM Read More 1. From Past Prejudice to Present Policy: The Impact of Land Ownership Exclusion Laws on Diverse Communities Wednesday, December 11, 2024 12:00 AM Read More 1. The Human and Scientific Costs of The "China Initiative" Wednesday, September 30, 2020 12:00 AM Read More 2. Bridging Nations: Global Competition for Talent & International Students Thursday, February 26, 2026 12:00 AM Read More 2. Fair Housing Rights & Alien Land Laws: Challenges and Advocacy for the Asian American Community Tuesday, March 4, 2025 12:00 AM Read More 2. Historical Re-Hash - Alien Land Law and SB147 Wednesday, March 1, 2023 12:00 AM Read More 2. Policy Needs for U.S. Science and Scientists Wednesday, December 2, 2020 12:00 AM Read More 3. Building Coalition Against “China Initiative” Discrimination - Fighting racial targeting of Asian Americans and communities of color, past & present Wednesday, February 24, 2021 12:00 AM Read More 3. Geopolitics, Identity, and the Fight for Civil Rights Wednesday, June 3, 2026 12:00 AM Read More 4. Legal Resources and Policy Advocacy - How to Combat Racial Profiling Under the “China Initiative” Wednesday, April 28, 2021 12:00 AM Read More 5. The Mistrial of Professor Anming Hu under the "China Initiative" Wednesday, June 23, 2021 12:00 AM

Latest Posts Court Hearing and A New Movement Emerges July 24, 2023 We published a Special Edition of our newsletter to cover the July 18 court hearing on Florida's new discriminatory housing law. Read More Lawsuit Against Florida Senate Bill 264 May 22, 2023 A group of Chinese citizens who live, work, study, and raise families in Florida filed a lawsuit to combat Florida’s discriminatory property law, SB 264. Read More Texas House Bill 1075 and Senate Bill 552 January 23, 2023 Texas state representatives are attempting to stop foreign governments from purchasing Texas agricultural land. Read More Rep. Judy Chu's New Year Greetings and 2022 Review January 9, 2023 During the first APA Justice monthly meeting of 2023, Rep. Judy Chu, Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, reviewed the accomplishments of 2022, highlighted by the end of the "China Initiative" and Sherry Chen's historic settlement. Read More Campaign to Oppose The Nomination of Casey Arrowood July 29, 2022 Academics, elected officials, and civil rights groups across the country are raising concerns about the nomination of Casey Arrowood to be US Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee. Read More APA Justice Calls for Release of Report on Review of "China Initiative" March 8, 2022 On March 8, 2022, APA Justice sent a letter to Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen, calling for the release of a report on the Department of Justice's review of the “China Initiative.” Read More Texas man accused of attacking Asian family over racist coronavirus fears pleads guilty to hate-crime charges February 24, 2022 Nearly two years later, a 21-year-old Texas man who attempted to kill an Asian man and his young child has pleaded guilty to federal hate-crime charges. Read More 12. China Initiative Ends February 23, 2022 Assistant Attorney General Matt Olsen announced the end of the China Initiative. The 1,210 days of the Initiative were extremely damaging to individuals and their families, as well as the Asian American and scientific communities. The end of the China Initiative is a welcomed start to correct the harms it caused. APA Justice is committed to continue its work to address racial profiling and seek justice and fairness for the Asian Pacific American communities. Read More 11. MIT Technology Review Investigative Reports December 2, 2021 On December 2, 2021, MIT Technology Review published two investigative reports on the China Initiative as newly appointed Assistant Attorney General Matt Olsen was conducting a review of the initiative. Read More < < 1 2 3 4 5 What's the best flavor? Activists Including APA Justice Resist New "Red Scare" Chinese Americans are increasingly finding themselves targeted by the US in what has become the new "Red Scare."

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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

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 - #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