Newsletter - #336 Chinese Student Visas; Alien Land Laws; U.S. leadership in Science and Innovation #336 Chinese Student Visas; Alien Land Laws; U.S. leadership in Science and Innovation In This Issue #336 · Chinese Student Visa Revocations and Volatility · Latest Development on Alien Land Laws · National Academy of Sciences President Warns: “Course-Correct or Lose to China” · News and Activities for the Communities; USCET Is Hiring Chinese Student Visa Revocations and Volatility (Author: Madeleine Gable, APA Justice Communications Intern) In 1854, Yung Wing 容闳 graduated from Yale, becoming the first Chinese student to graduate from an American university. Since then, international enrollment in American higher education has expanded dramatically. During the 2023-2024 academic year, more than 1.1 million international students studied in the U.S., contributing nearly $44 billion to the economy and generating 378,000 jobs. India and China together comprised 54% of international students in the U.S. China sent 277,398 students to the U.S., remaining the top-sending country for undergraduates and non-degree students. At New York University (NYU), international enrollment has increased 250% in the last decade. International students in the U.S. can obtain either an F-1 visa or a J-1 visa . An F-1 visa allows noncitizens to enter the U.S. as full-time students and requires certain criteria to be met. A J-1 visa allows participation in approved exchange visitor programs for studying, research, training, or acquiring special skills. F-1 students may also be eligible for Optional Practical Training (OPT), permitting them to remain in the country and work in a position relating to their degree for up to a year after graduation. Students in STEM fields are eligible for a two-year extension. If a student’s visa is revoked, they may still be able to legally remain in the country; however, if their legal status is revoked, they may be subject to detention and deportation. In spring 2025, the Trump administration unleashed a harsh crackdown on international students in the U.S. as part of its broader strategy to rapidly reduce immigration. In March, federal immigration authorities arrested Mahmoud Khalil , a recent Columbia graduate and green-card holder, due to his role in pro-Palestinian campus protests last year, sparking outrage and confusion across the nation. Simultaneously, the House Select Committee on the CCP requested information from six U.S. universities regarding Chinese students and staff in STEM at the institutions. On June 11, a federal judge in New Jersey blocked the Trump administration from deporting Khalil on foreign policy grounds. In April, the Trump administration began quietly stripping international students of their visas due to campus activism, criminal infractions, and even traffic violations. These charges were often long resolved or dropped. In response to visa revocations and deportation efforts, many international students across the country filed more than 100 lawsuits . A judge in Georgia issued a temporary restraining order restoring the legal status of 133 students after a lawsuit filed by ACLU Georgia. Similar legal victories have occurred in Wisconsin , Oregon , Ohio , and Minnesota . Meanwhile, four ACLU offices filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of international students throughout New England and Puerto Rico, intending to stop ongoing detentions and deportation efforts. The Chinese American Legal Defense Alliance (CALDA) filed Chen v. Noem (4:25-cv-03292) in the Northern District of California. Similar legal battles (ongoing and resolved) are detailed in APA Justice Newsletters 328, 331, and 332. After a nationwide injunction was ordered by the court, the Trump administration reversed its policy and restored thousands of international students’ F-1 registrations on or about April 25, 2025, after contributing to widespread anxiety, confusion, and chaos. During a hearing , the Department of Homeland Security admitted they used an FBI database to identify international students with criminal records, terminating hundreds of students’ records in less than 24 hours, suggesting little to no individual case review. One of the students targeted had a reckless driving charge that had long been dropped. Read Inside Higher Ed ’s article on this situation for more insight. Inside Higher Ed ’s coverage on this topic ended on April 24. On May 28, 2025, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the State Department will begin “aggressively revoking” visas for Chinese international students, targeting those associated with the Chinese Communist Party and those working in critical fields. The State Department will also enhance scrutiny of future visa applications from China and Hong Kong. The Trump administration has halted all new student visa interviews to implement a thorough social media vetting process. After Secretary of State Rubio’s announcement, organizations including the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), Advancing Justice | AAJC , the Asian American Scholar Forum , the Committee of 100 , the U.S.-China Education Trust, and the 1990 Institute , as well as Rep. Judy Chu , Emeritus Chair of CAPAC, have issued statements condemning and criticizing the policy. On June 6, a coalition of American scholars and experts on China co-signed a petition to urge Secretary of State Marco Rubio to reconsider and pause any implementation of the planned policy change pending further review, including consultation with key stakeholders both inside and outside the U.S. government. In addition to Chinese international students, the State Department is also doubling down on international students at Harvard and those under OPT. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem ordered the termination of Harvard University’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program, barring the university from enrolling international students and forcing existing international students to transfer or risk losing their legal status. On May 29, a federal court in Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction. In an amended lawsuit filed on June 5, Harvard challenged President Trump’s latest move to bar foreign students from entering the U.S. to attend the college, calling it illegal retaliation for Harvard’s rejection of White House demands and attempting an end-run around the previous court order. On the same day, the State Department directed consulates around the world to stop processing visa applications for students planning to attend Harvard – less than an hour before a federal court in Massachusetts granted a temporary restraining order to Harvard, ruling that Trump's directive would cause "immediate and irreparable injury" before the courts have a chance to review the case. According to the Washington Post , the State Department reversed its guidance on June 6 and resumed processing visa processing for affected students. Latest Development on Alien Land Laws According to Newsweek on June 9, 2025, as of 2024, a growing number of U.S. states—more than two-thirds—have enacted or are considering laws restricting foreign land ownership, with a specific focus on Chinese nationals and entities. This wave of legislation is part of a broader response to escalating tensions between the United States and China, including trade disputes and national security concerns. According to the Committee of 100 , at least 27 states have considered or passed such laws. Some bills mention China by name, while others reference "foreign adversaries" or countries under scrutiny, which implicitly includes China. Concerns have intensified over Chinese land purchases near sensitive locations such as military bases. While Chinese investors reportedly own U.S. land equivalent to twice the size of New York City, the scale is still small in proportion to overall foreign land ownership. Nonetheless, the symbolic and strategic implications have drawn bipartisan attention. In 2023, Florida passed a law banning citizens of China and six other countries from owning agricultural land or property near military sites. Similarly, Texas enacted legislation barring land purchases by individuals linked to the governments of China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran. States like South Dakota, Indiana, Nebraska, and Virginia have followed with their own restrictions. Other states remain divided. In January, Republican lawmakers in Arkansas introduced the “Not One More Inch or Acre Act” to bar any real estate transactions involving Chinese nationals or proxies of the Chinese Communist Party. However, not all proposed bills have succeeded. Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs , a Democrat, vetoed a bill that would have blocked Chinese entities from purchasing significant land near strategic assets. Meanwhile, states such as Ohio, Michigan, and Georgia are still weighing similar legislative actions. As this issue continues to evolve, it reflects both geopolitical anxieties and domestic debates over property rights, economic openness, and national security. Read the Newsweek report: https://bit.ly/45iIQGk . National Academy of Sciences President Warns: “Course-Correct or Lose to China” On June 3, 2025, National Academy of Sciences President Marcia McNutt delivered her second State of the Science address in Washington DC. Her warning was stark, as summarized by Politico : “Course-correct or lose to China.” A video of her address is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MENzD7eVtZA (47:55).Dr. McNutt cited independent studies showing the U.S. is already trailing China in several key technology sectors. “The U.S. is no longer leading in key technologies,” she said, warning that U.S. scientific leadership is at risk unless the nation reverses damaging trends: budget cuts, grant cancellations, and restrictive research policies.To restore U.S. leadership in science and innovation, McNutt outlined a plan that includes: · Revive a culture of innovation . Budget cuts are leading to risk-averse research choices. Dr. McNutt called for data-driven reforms in peer-review systems to support bold, high-impact proposal. · Develop a national research strategy . “No sensible business runs a multibillion-dollar enterprise without a strategy—yet that’s what we’re doing,” McNutt said. She urged the U.S. to emulate countries like China and Germany, which use strategic, nonpartisan planning to guide research investment. · Strengthen science education . The U.S. lacks the STEM workforce to meet growing demand, and restrictive visa policies further hinder talent inflow. Dr. McNutt emphasized the broader societal need for science-literate professionals across all sectors. such as lawyers, politicians, and workers in manufacturing and transportation. · Sustain International Collaboration . Cutting-edge science increasingly relies on global partnerships. Dr. McNutt warned that turning away international students and collaborators squanders opportunities and weakens U.S. influence. · Reduce Regulatory Burdens . ed tape is draining research resources. And since the Trump administration has prioritized reducing regulations, McNutt hopes that push extends to research regulations. “I worry that the emphasis right now on waste, fraud and abuse only leads to more regulations, as everyone is assumed guilty until proven innocent.” Dr. McNutt also revealed that the National Academy of Sciences is grappling with a $40 million budget shortfall due to terminated federal contracts. As a result, it may need to lay off 250 more employees, following 50 recent departures—marking a sobering reminder of science’s precarious place in today’s policy landscape.On June 5, Science pointed out that the United States was already falling behind in its share of published research—even before the most recent waves of defunding and dismantling basic science. The percentage of papers in Science with at least one corresponding author supported by U.S. federal funding dropped from 54% in 2018 to 44% in 2024. In contrast, the number of published papers originating from China has doubled over the same period. On June 6, John Holdren and Neal Lane , two former directors of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, sounded alarm in Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists , that U.S. science faces a crisis due to proposed massive funding and staffing cuts to key federal agencies. The National Science Foundation (NSF) could see its budget slashed by 55% and staff cut by 30%, undermining basic research. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) faces a $20 billion reduction and deep staff losses, threatening critical biomedical research. Similar cuts target the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, NOAA, NASA, EPA, and USAID—agencies vital to health, energy, environment, and national security. These moves, they argue, are politically driven and risk reversing decades of bipartisan investment that positioned the U.S. as a global science leader. As China increases its research output, America is losing talent and momentum. The authors urge Congress to act decisively and restore support for science, warning that failure to do so endangers innovation, public welfare, and democracy itself. On June 7, Axios reported that the Trump administration’s science funding cuts and restrictions on foreign students are triggering a severe brain drain in the U.S. Quoting Dr. McNutt, America may never fully recover its leadership in global science, as countries like China aggressively recruit top talent. U.S. grant approvals have slowed to a 35-year low, while foreign institutions—like France’s Aix-Marseille University and Chinese research centers—are drawing increasing numbers of American scientists. The administration argues its policies will prioritize domestic talent, but experts say U.S. applicants cannot realistically fill the gap, especially in critical STEM fields. The result is a discouraged generation of young scientists and a weakened future pipeline. On June 9, the National Academies released a feature story about President Marcia McNutt’s annual State of the Science address with the title “NAS President Says U.S. Science Is Facing ‘Pessimistic’ Future, Urges Changes to Regain Leadership in Science”. News and Activities for the Communities APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2025/06/15 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/06/15-18 2025 Applied Statistics Symposium2025/06/16-24 Discover China 2025: Summer Youth Exchange to the Greater Bay Area2025/06/29-30 2025 ICSA China ConferenceVisit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details. USCET Is Hiring The U.S.-China Education Trust (USCET) is hiring a full-time Program Associate and a part-time Program Manager . These positions are ideal for individuals passionate about U.S.-China relations and cross-cultural dialogue. Join a dynamic nonprofit environment dedicated to fostering mutual understanding between the United States and China.Deadline is June 30, 2025, at 11:59 pm ET. Rolling review begins on June 23, 2025 — early applications encouraged! For more information on full job descriptions and application details, visit https://bit.ly/3Fuaplv . # # # 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 feedback. Please send your comments to contact@apajustice.org . Back View PDF June 11, 2025 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #205 9/11 Meeting; No to Discriminatory Laws; March on Washington; "A Life Well Lived;" + #205 9/11 Meeting; No to Discriminatory Laws; March on Washington; "A Life Well Lived;" + In This Issue #205 2023/09/11 APA Justice Monthly Meeting Tell Congress NO To Discriminatory Land Laws; Is China Really Buying Up U.S. Farmland? NPR Interview UCA on March on Washington Vigil Honors "A Life Well Lived" at The University of North Carolina News and Activities for The Communities 2023/09/11 APA Justice Monthly Meeting The next APA Justice monthly meeting will be held via Zoom on Monday, September 11, 2023, starting at 1:55 pm ET. In addition to updates by Nisha Ramachandran , Executive Director, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC); John Yang 杨重远 , President and Executive Director, Advancing Justice | AAJC; and Gisela Perez Kusakawa , Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), confirmed and invited speakers include: Clay Zhu 朱可亮 (confirmed) , Partner, DeHeng Law Offices 德恒律师事务所; Founder, Chinese American Legal Defense Alliance 华美维权同盟, to report on the latest developments of the lawsuit against Florida's discriminatory alien land law Deborah Seligsohn (confirmed) , Senior Associate (non-resident), Center for Strategic and International Studies; Assistant Professor, Villanova University on the case for US-China Science and Technology Agreement (STA) https://bit.ly/3OMc8En Steve Kivelson (confirmed), Prabhu Goel Family Professor of Physics Luke Blossom Professor, Stanford University, on the joint letter with Professor Peter Michelson to President Joe Biden and members of the National Security Council on renewing the STA https://bit.ly/44xTNPX Sudip Parikh (invited) , Chief Executive Officer and Executive Publisher Science Family of Journals at AAAS, on moving open science, basic research, and US-China collaboration forward in today's environment. Ting Wu (invited) , Advisor, Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, Office of the Chief of Staff, The White House, on the letter to the President and more The virtual monthly meeting is by invitation only. If you wish to join, either one time or for future meetings, please contact one of the co-organizers of APA Justice - Steven Pei 白先慎 , Vincent Wang 王文奎 , and Jeremy Wu 胡善庆 - or send a message to contact@apajustice.org On August 24, 2023, Stanford University Professors Steven Kivelson and Peter Michelson sent a letter to President Joe Biden and the Members of the US National Security Council to express their strong support for renewing the Agreement Between the United States and China on Cooperation in Science and Technology , which was signed by U.S. President Jimmy Carter and Chinese Premier Deng Xiaoping on January 31, 1979. Their letter was endorsed by over 1,000 faculty and scholars from many US universities including multiple Nobel Laureates, members of the National Academies, and of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Read the letter: https://bit.ly/44xTNPX . Read the APA Justice coverage: https://bit.ly/3E9NmI8 Tell Congress NO To Discriminatory Land Laws; Is China Really Buying Up U.S. Farmland? NPR Interview 1. Tell Congress NO To Discriminatory Land Laws On August 25, 2023, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) put out a call for the public to tell Congress: Say NO to Discriminatory Land Laws."Dangerous laws are being introduced at the state and federal level right now that use 'national security' as an excuse to discriminate against immigrants from China. In Florida, for example, Governor DeSantis has banned many Chinese immigrants from buying a house in much of the state – a move that is both unconstitutional and unfortunately, not new."This type of 'alien land law' should sound alarm bells for all of us. From the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, to the WWII incarceration of Japanese Americans, to the ongoing post-9/11 surveillance of Black and Brown communities – we’ve seen how such racist policies created under the guise of 'national security' are racist and used to scapegoat entire communities."We cannot allow history to repeat itself: Tell your Members of Congress to speak out against any law that falsely equates Chinese people with the Chinese government."Thanks to ACLU, take one easy step to tell Congress NO to discriminatory land laws at https://bit.ly/3qRsFOh 2. CNBC: Is China Really Buying Up U.S. Farmland? According to NBC News on August 26, 2023, state and federal lawmakers are pushing to regulate foreign ownership of U.S. real estate because of fears that Chinese entities are creating a national security risk by amassing swaths of U.S. farmland, some of it near sensitive sites.A review by NBC News of thousands of documents filed with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), however, shows very few purchases by Chinese buyers in the past year and a half — fewer than 1,400 acres in a country with 1.3 billion acres of agricultural land. In fact, the total amount of U.S. agricultural land owned by Chinese interests is less than three-hundredths of 1%.But the review also reveals a federal oversight system in which reporting of foreign ownership is lax and enforcement minimal. NBC News was able to review filings on foreign purchases and leases of agricultural land, meaning both farm and forestry land, from 35 states since Jan. 1, 2022. The vast majority of the transactions were European wind power companies leasing land from U.S. farmers to build wind turbines. One Italian wind company disclosed 40 new leases of farmland in just one rural Illinois county. The same company had leases in at least four other states.In those 35 states, NBC News found 11 purchases by Chinese entities that had been reported to the USDA from Jan. 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023.Several of the disclosures were not recent sales, and at least one was a repeat of a previous disclosure. Another was not reported to the government till it had been revealed in the media.Historically only about 3.1%, or 40 million acres, of the nation’s 1.3 billion acres of agricultural land has been owned by foreigners. Almost half of the foreign-owned land is forest. USDA records show that a third of the 40 million foreign-owned acres are held by Canadian interests, while Chinese interests hold less than 400,000 acres.In the name of national security, members of Congress have called for tougher laws to regulate foreign land purchases, criticizing existing efforts by the USDA to police disclosure.In late July, the Senate passed a ban on China, Russia, North Korea and Iran buying American agricultural land, but it’s unclear if the amendment will make it into the final defense spending bill that will go to a vote in Congress this fall.Read the NBC News report: https://cnb.cx/3sGWSAk 3. NPR: Slew of new landownership bills are reminiscent of anti-Asian Alien Land Laws On August 28, 2023, National Public Radio (NPR) talked with legal expert Edgar Chen , Special Policy Adviser for the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), about the recent slew of legislation aimed at restricting U.S. land ownership for Chinese citizens and businesses.The following are excerpts of his responses:"Fear of so-called malign influence by the Chinese Communist Party over American agriculture or fear that China will use land for spying purposes has often been cited as the basis for introduction of these bills. But to be clear, several of these bills, as introduced, also placed restrictions on the ability of ordinary Chinese citizens to purchase residential real estate, like condos."In Florida, a law recently enacted there would prevent persons from certain countries that are deemed adversaries to the U.S. from purchasing agricultural land, land near military bases or critical infrastructure and - so most habitable areas. And that would ban persons from countries like China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela or Cuba from doing so. But that Florida law has an entire separate section dedicated to restricting those from China. And that law even has higher penalties for those violating the Chinese section than for other sections. So there are felony provisions for violating the Chinese section of the Florida law and misdemeanors for the other sections."The Chinese spy balloon in February of this year doesn't help matters. That provided a tangible illustration of the ongoing geopolitical threat posed by China. But again, these laws that we've seen introduced do nothing to address that particular threat head on. I don't see how banning someone from buying a condo in the downtown area will address that particular threat."The problem is there is a false moral equivalency that equates ordinary Chinese citizens, even those with no ties to the Chinese Communist Party, as essentially being agents of those regimes. So these laws assume that if you immigrate from China, your loyalty is to China. And that's extraordinarily harmful to the broader Asian American community in this country."This country has already seen this movie before. We've experienced the discriminatory effects of these laws. The court that recently upheld the Florida law cited to a widely discredited 1923 precedent which contains language about those who are eligible for citizenship and therefore entitled to purchase property. And that 1923 Supreme Court precedent says that Natives of European countries are eligible. Japanese, Chinese and Malays are not. That is the type of case law that is being cited to. And as an Asian American and as a lawyer, I'm stunned that the court would continue to rely on a case that contains so much discriminatory reasoning. "As legal precedent, those alien land laws helped set the groundwork for the incarceration of Japanese Americans during the Second World War. So for the Asian American community, we have seen this. This slippery slope has already come and, we thought, gone."Listen to the interview and read the entire transcript at: https://n.pr/45Sa4k6 . Follow APA Justice coverage of Alien Land Bills at: https://bit.ly/43epBcl UCA on March on Washington According to a summary report on the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington by United Chinese Americans (UCA), several hundred members and partners joined the March at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC on August 26, including nine members of its Board of Directors. UCA made customized placards and banners such as "We Belong Here", "Against Asian Hate", "One Common Dream" and wore unified UCA T-Shirts. At the same time, as a symbol of anti-Asian hate, thousands of Yellow Whistles were distributed on the spot. The Yellow Whistles were described as "a symbol of self-preservation and solidarity in the fight against racism and anti-Asian violence," and feature a yellow color that "has been used as a symbol of hateful mentality against Asians." Haipei Shue 薛海培 , UCA President, was invited to have a cordial and in-depth conversation with Martin Luther King III and his daughter-in-law, Arndrea Waters King , and discussed the development of the American civil rights movement and cooperation.Haipei Shue remarked afterwards: "Today, I participated in the historic 60th anniversary March on Washington. I met with the King family and had a good talk. I expressed my gratitude from the Chinese community, telling them that without the March on Washington in 1963 and the vigorous civil rights movement in the 1960s, there would be no immigration law reform in 1965, and thus many Chinese would not be able to settle down in the United States today. I further told his family about the current difficult situation faced by the Chinese community such as the 'China Initiative' and the discriminatory alien land bills, as well as UCA outreach to various ethnic groups, including NAACP and the Jewish community. The King family is very interested in connecting with UCA to continue bilateral communications. The Chinese community was often absent in the past social and political movements in the United States. Today, more than 100 people from over ten states participated in this March with high visibility. It is a significant milestone worthy of everyone's pride! UCA calls for the launch of a new civil rights movement of our generation! Thanks again for the participation and concern of friends from far and near!" Steven Pei 白先慎 , Founding Chair of UCA, said, "Chinese Americans have a long history of civil rights movement, such as the Yik Wo v. Hopkins case in 1886." From participating in the previous March on Washington and building intercultural partnerships, advocating for the creation of racial studies, to participating in the Black Lives Matter protests, the Asian American community does not stop for civil rights for all. Early in the 2020 pandemic, UCA hosted a summit of Asian, Black and Jewish community leaders to discuss the challenges each community faces and ways to work together to address injustice. Chen Jian 陈健 , Founding Director of UCA came to the Lincoln Memorial early in the morning to provide logistical support. She said that "we Chinese Americans are facing various challenges at present. But we firmly believe that, as Martin Luther King Jr. conveyed, the dream of equality and justice must be inherited by each of us. This mission transcends skin color, transcends background, and is integrated into the veins of our great country. Let us work together to overcome difficulties and write a better and more inclusive future."Read the UCA report: https://bit.ly/47WGV9d . Read APA Justice's coverage of the 2023 March on Washington: https://bit.ly/3OVojxs Vigil Honors "A Life Well Lived" at The University of North Carolina According to the University of North Carolina (UNC) on August 31, 2023, thousands wore ribbons and lit candles at the Dean E. Smith Center service in memory of Zijie Yan 严资杰 , a brilliant, soft-spoken faculty member and nanoscience researcher killed in a campus shooting.The vigil at the Smith Center allowed the Carolina community to come together to process the fear and uncertainty caused by the shooting and resolve to be “Carolina Strong” in the wake of the tragedy.“His loss will be deeply felt by all those who knew him and loved him,” Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz said to the mourners, who included Yan’s mother and two young children. “Dr. Yan left this world a better place for his brilliance, his commitment and the lives that he affected. That’s a life well lived and a life ended far, far too soon.”An estimated 5,000 faculty, staff, students and community members attended the vigil, and another 10,000 watched the livestream from the Smith Center. Many wore blue ribbons and held candles that were handed out at the Smith Center entrance. Music professors played somber selections on cello and violin as mourners filled the seats. Leah Cox , vice provost of equity and inclusion and chief diversity officer, reminded audience members of the mental health resources available for faculty, staff and students. “Let us never forget that we are truly one Carolina where hope always triumphs over fear, where inclusivity arises above difference,” she said.According to the South China Morning Post on August 30, 2023, a doctoral candidate Tailei Qi 齐太磊 , 34, was charged with first-degree murder and possession of a firearm on educational property. He was ordered held without bail until his next scheduled court appearance on September 18.Read the UNC report: https://unc.live/45BgVP4 . Read the South China Morning Post report: https://bit.ly/3PnoLGa United Chinese Americans (UCA) issued the following report in Chinese: 8月30日星期三晚，大约五千名北卡罗来纳大学（UNC）教堂山分校校园和社区成员，聚集在史密斯中心（Dean E. Smith Center）举行烛光守夜活动，纪念两天前在校园不幸遇害的严资杰教授。校长古斯基维奇（Kevin M. Guskiewicz）在讲话中表示，“所有认识他和爱他的人，都会对他的去世深感悲痛，严以他的才华、他的承诺以及他所带来的影响，让这个世界变得更美好，这样一个美丽的生命如此戛然而止，令人痛心。”音乐系教授演奏了大提琴和小提琴的忧郁音乐，陪伴在场的人们凭吊和追思。据报道，身为纳米科学研究人员，严是一位才华横溢、为人谦和的教授，有两个年幼的孩子。2005年在华中科大以计算机和材料工程本科双学位毕业后，严先后在纽约和芝加哥攻读硕士、博士和做博士后研究，2019年起在UNC担任副教授。他生前所在的艺术与科学学院、应用物理科学系系主任丁格曼斯（Theo Dingemans）回忆说，严是他见过的最友善的人之一，也是一位杰出的科学家，“他的研究计划突破了纳米科学的界限……我确信，这些研究最终将改变世界。”枪击案凶嫌齐太磊是严教授手下的博士在读学生，被控一级谋杀罪和在教育场所持有武器，不得保释，这两项罪名都是重罪，但目前对于动机尚没有确切的信息。根据2010年中国媒体的报道，他是河南省高考状元之一，家境拮据，父母务农，他在武汉大学读物理学，在进入UNC之前与路易斯安那州立大学获得材料科学与工程硕士学位。凶杀案引起华人社区的热议，有一些猜测是在背后存在长期的心理问题，呼吁学生注重精神健康并善用相关资源。 News and Activities for The Communities Mark Your Calendar - National API Elected Officials Summit API Coalition and Civic Leadership USA (CLUSA) will convene the Inaugural National API Elected Officials Summit on November 18-19, 2023, immediately following The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders Meeting. This summit aims to facilitate the exchange of experiences, ideas, and the establishment of enduring relationships geared towards mutual support. The event will be held at The Westin St. Francis Hotel, 335 Powell St, San Francisco, CA 94102. Hundreds of current Asian Pacific Islander (API) elected officials, representatives from APEC member countries and regions, and the world's top business AANHPI elected officials will participate in the event. Contact Andy Li, President of API Coalition and CLUSA, at andy.j.li@gmail.com or (860)-263-9540 for additional details. APA Justice has also posted the event at its newly created Community Calendar: https://bit.ly/45KGyga Back View PDF September 4, 2023 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #220 Biden-Xi Summit/QI Letter; Dr. Yanping Chen; Section 702; "Global Women Forum"? News+ #220 Biden-Xi Summit/QI Letter; Dr. Yanping Chen; Section 702; "Global Women Forum"? News+ In This Issue #220 · Biden-Xi Summit and Quincy Institute Open Letter · Latest Development of The Case of Dr. Yanping Chen 陈燕平 · Alarm Over Section 702 Surveillance Program · Is It a "Global Women Forum" When There Is No Asian Woman? · News and Activities for the Communities Biden-Xi Summit and Quincy Institute Open Letter This is a special invited report by Juan Zhang , Editor, US-China Perception Monitor/ 中美印象, Carter Center The highly anticipated Biden-Xi summit took place on November 15, 2023, on the sidelines of the APEC summit in San Francisco, California. Many experts believe the significance of this meeting lies in the fact that it will prevent further deterioration of the bilateral relationship and possibly lead to a reset of the relationship between the two countries before the upcoming U.S. presidential elections.Before the meeting, 34 U.S. civil society and professional organizations issued an open letter urging the leaders to have “a cordial and productive discussion.” The letter expressed concerns over the current dangerous trends in Sino-American relations. APA Justice was a signatory to the letter. The organizations who signed the letter represent “a wide range of American constituencies with direct stakes in the future of the U.S.-China relationship.” “Continued hostile rhetoric from prominent figures in both the United States and China contributes to this alarming deterioration of relations,” the letter further stated. Dr. Yawei Liu , founding editor-in-chief of the U.S.-China Perception Monitor at The Carter Center, is also a signatory to the letter. Dr. Liu recounted the role of President Jimmy Carter and his Chinese counterpart Deng Xiaoping in finding ways to put aside differences and cooperate almost 45 years ago.“That legacy is endangered now,” he continued, saying both countries appear on a path that could lead to conflict and confrontation.Read the full report by The Hill : Farmers, academics, advocates urge Biden, Xi to calm US-China tensions . Takeaways from the Summit The White House released a readout after the meeting, framing the meeting as “candid and constructive.” Two leaders discussed “a range of bilateral and global issues, including areas of potential cooperation and exchanged views on areas of difference”, the statement pointed out. The two sides reached agreements on several key areas that include curbing the production of illicit fentanyl and resuming military-to-military communications, which was suspended after then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi ’s visit to Taiwan. Rick Waters, former diplomat and managing director of Eurasia Group’s China practice, pointed out in GZERO Daily a fentanyl deal would be key for Biden’s reelection campaign. Fentanyl is a dangerous drug that has become a leading cause of death among young Americans.Taiwan remains the biggest point of contention. It is also the most important issue that China wants to discuss at the summit. Analysts warned that Taiwan could become a flash point that might trigger a conflict between the two countries.Both sides expressed their positions on Taiwan. President Xi Jinping told President Joe Biden that the United States needed to take “concrete actions” to reassure China that it still stands by its stated policy of not supporting Taiwanese independence. President Biden emphasized the One China policy has not changed. Biden also reiterated that the U.S. opposes any unilateral change of the status quo. What’s next? Can this year’s summit successfully manage and stabilize this relationship? This is a million-dollar question. While many experts agree that it is constructive and positive that the top leaders from both countries talk to each other, they do not think that this summit would become a turning point for the troubled bilateral relationship. When the two leaders met last year on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Indonesia, both sides had a similar goal: to stabilize the bilateral relations. But the balloon incident earlier this year derailed that goal. The rest of this year would see further U.S. export control, arms sales to Taiwan, and military maneuvers in the South China Sea. Let’s hope leaders on both sides agree that they need to do everything to prevent their fierce rivalry from veering into conflict. Latest Development of The Case of Dr. Yanping Chen 陈燕平 According to AP , a federal judge in Washington is weighing whether to hold in contempt a veteran journalist who has refused to identify her sources for stories about Dr. Yanping Chen , a Chinese American scientist who was investigated by the FBI but never charged. The judge previously ordered former Fox News reporter Catherine Herridge , who now works at CBS , to be interviewed under oath about her sources for a series of stories about Dr. Yanping Chen. Dr. Chen, who was investigated for years on suspicions she may have lied on immigration forms related to work on a Chinese astronaut program, has since sued the government, saying details about the probe were leaked to damage her reputation. But after Herridge refused to divulge to Chen’s lawyers how she acquired her information, the scientist’s attorneys are asking U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper to hold the reporter in contempt — a sanction that could result in steep monetary fines until she complies. It’s not clear when the judge might rule on Chen’s request to hold Herridge in contempt. The judge acknowledged the stakes in an August decision that forced Herridge to be interviewed, writing, “The Court recognizes both the vital importance of a free press and the critical role that confidential sources play in the work of investigative journalists like Herridge.” But Cooper said that “Chen’s need for the requested evidence overcomes Herridge’s qualified First Amendment privilege in this case.”Courts have recognized that journalists have a limited privilege to keep confidential their sources, allowing reporters to block subpoenas in the past. But judges in some cases, like Herridge’s, have found that privilege can be outweighed by the need for the information if the person seeking the source has failed to find it through other means.Read the AP report: https://bit.ly/3QEHfSe . Read the story of Dr. Yanping Chen: https://bit.ly/APAJ_Yanping_Chen Alarm Over Section 702 Surveillance Program According to WIRED , more than 60 groups advocating for Asian American and Pacific Islander communities are pushing the US Congress to reform the Section 702 surveillance program as Senate leaders move to renew it. A coalition letter expressing strong opposition to including a short-term reauthorization of Section 702 in a continuing resolution or any other "must-pass" legislation was sent to all members of Congress on November 14, 2023. The coalition calls for members of Congress to consider the concerns seriously and to reject any short-term reauthorization of Section 702. Failure to do so would perpetuate a system that unjustly targets Asian Americans and subjects them to unwarranted surveillance. "Section 702 and related surveillance authorities have been misused to spy on Americans, including but not limited to protesters, journalists, campaign donors, and members of Congress. The consequences of such misuse have had a profound impact on our Asian American community, resulting in wrongful targeting, unjust surveillance, and devastating tolls on careers, livelihoods, and reputations. This disproportionate targeting has fostered a climate of fear among Asian Americans and their families, causing anxiety about being stopped, monitored, or investigated while engaging in everyday activities. These issues not only raise significant concerns about civil liberties and civil rights, but also underscore the need for substantial reform," the letter said. "The inclusion of a short-term reauthorization in larger 'must-pass' bills would undermine the democratic process, run counter to the will of Congress, and disregard the concerns of the American people. Such an approach could also imperil the long-term viability of Section 702 by alienating members who are willing to engage in constructive negotiations for meaningful reforms," the letter also said.Concerned individuals may sign on to the opposition of warrantless surveillance here: https://bit.ly/3EFkg3R . A community briefing on Section 702 has been tentatively scheduled for December 12, 2023. Read the coalition letter: https://bit.ly/47gXxaO . Read the WIRED report: https://bit.ly/47wdFVz . Is It a "Global Women Forum" When There is No Asian Woman? On November 14, 2023, The Washington Post hosted an all-day event named Global Women's Summit, featuring "women from around the world galvanizing innovation and change." However, according to Nancy Chen , President of Chinese American Women in Action (CAWA), noted that none of the 44 women speakers and 2 men from around the U.S. and part of the world are of Chinese and East Asian ancestry. In an email to Sally Buzbee , executive editor of the Washington Post and one of the organizers for the Global Women’s Summit, Chen wrote "I am reaching out to you as the executive editor of the Washington Post and one of the organizers for the Global Women’s Summit. "It's astonishing that the Washington Post trumpets its Global Women's Summit with 44 women speakers and 2 men from around the U.S. and part of the world but omits and excludes American and other women who are of Chinese and East Asian ancestry. Basically, you have ignored almost one quarter of the female population in the world while touting this as a 'global' women’s summit. Our exclusion—either domestically or internationally—harkens back to the colonial era of the past two centuries when Asian women were excluded by the Page Act and later the Chinese Exclusion Act in the United States, and Asian countries were divided up amongst European powers. "By any measure, women of East Asian ancestry are equally shaking up the systems of power in government, entertainment, tech, business and medicine, but are apparently not enough to be recognized by Washington Post decision-makers. There is no shortage of distinguished and nationally-recognized women leaders—Women like Tammy Duckworth or Mazie Hirono in government, Michelle Yeoh or Sandra Oh in entertainment, Kim Ng in sports management, Dr. Leana Wen in medicine, Helen Zia in civil rights, Ellen Pao in technology, Celeste Ng , Maya Lin and more. You could have looked as close by as AARP, one of Global Summit's leading sponsors, and its Vice President of DEI Daphne Kwok whose career has spanned the civil rights, government and nonprofit sectors. It speaks volumes of the mindset of the Washington Post that East Asian American women leaders are invisible in this 'global summit.' "Chinese American Women in Action (CAWA) was founded a year ago amid anti-Asian racism during the pandemic in order to increase recognition and civic engagement for women in our community. This slight by the Washington Post is yet another reminder of the work ahead of us, our daughters and our granddaughters to belong and to be seen and heard. "We ask that you and the Post do better." Read Nancy Chen's letter: https://bit.ly/49ygHuu News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2023/11/16 C100 Forum Debate: Has the Chinese Economy Slowed Down Permanently, Temporarily, or It Depends?2023/11/18 Inaugural Jimmy Carter Conversation on U.S.-China Relations2023/11/18-19 National API Elected Officials Summit2023/11/19 Rep. Gene Wu 's Weekly Town Hall meeting2023/11/26 Rep. Gene Wu 's Weekly Town Hall meeting2023/12/03 Rep. Gene Wu 's Weekly Town Hall meetingVisit https://bit.ly/45KGyga for event details . 2. Survey on Racism and Anti-Asian Hate According to AsAmNews , nearly 9 out of 10 Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders polled, or 86 percent, say racism is a serious problem in the United States. Half of those say they’ve been discriminated against based on their race and 16 percent say they’ve been a victim of a hate crime.Those are the results of a new survey conducted by APIA Data and AP/NORC.Another 34% of AAPI adults believe they’ve been subjected to verbal harassment, racial slurs or have been on the receiving end of threats of physical violence.Surveys were conducted online and via telephone in English, the Chinese dialects of Mandarin and Cantonese, Vietnamese, and Korean. 1,178 Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders aged 18 and older living in the United States participated. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4.2 percentage points.Read the AsAmNews report: https://bit.ly/40E2R5M Back View PDF November 16, 2023 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #150 Arrowood; OSTP/AASF Webinars; BIS/NASEM Reports; US Ranking/Scores Drop; Big Data #150 Arrowood; OSTP/AASF Webinars; BIS/NASEM Reports; US Ranking/Scores Drop; Big Data Back View PDF October 13, 2022 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #212 10/2 Meeting; Section 702 Reforms; Anti-Asian Racism in the US; 2020 Census Data; More #212 10/2 Meeting; Section 702 Reforms; Anti-Asian Racism in the US; 2020 Census Data; More In This Issue #212 2023/10/02 APA Justice Monthly Meeting Report on The Warrantless Surveillance Program and Section 702 Reforms Report on Anti-Asian Racism in The United States 2020 Census Data for Nearly 1,500 Detailed Race and Ethnicity Groups, Tribes and Villages News and Activities for the Communities 2023/10/02 APA Justice Monthly Meeting The next APA Justice monthly meeting will be held via Zoom on Monday, October 2, 2023, starting at 1:55 pm ET.In addition to updates by Nisha Ramachandran , Executive Director, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC); Joanna Derman , Director, Advancing Justice | AAJC; Gisela Perez Kusakawa , Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), and Clay Zhu 朱可亮 , Partner, DeHeng Law Offices 德恒律师事务所, confirmed speakers will also include: Nancy Chen , Founding President, Chinese American Women in Action (CAWA) on the history of CAWA and its interests and concerns in Illinois and national issues Andy Wong , Managing Director of Advocacy, Chinese for Affirmative Action, on the coalition letter on Section 702 reforms, responses, and related CAA activities such as the recently launched "Stop The Blame" campaign Haipei Shue (薛海培) , President, United Chinese Americans, on the recent hearings of Professor Feng " Franklin" Tao 陶丰 's appeal in the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver and the administrative trial of New York Police Department Officer Baimadajie Angwang 昂旺 in New York City (new addition) The virtual monthly meeting is by invitation only. If you wish to join, either one time or for future meetings, please contact one of the co-organizers of APA Justice - Steven Pei 白先慎 , Vincent Wang 王文奎 , and Jeremy Wu 胡善庆 - or send a message to contact@apajustice.org NOTE : A shutdown of the federal government happens when Congress fails to pass some type of funding legislation that is signed into law by the president. Funding expired on September 30, 2023, but a 45-day stop-gap bill was signed into law at the last minute to continue government operation until November 17, 2023. Report on The Warrantless Surveillance Program and Section 702 Reforms On September 28, 2023, the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB) released a 297-page report titled "Report on The Surveillance Program Operated Pursuant to Section 702 of The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act." According to The Hill on October 1, 2023, "the PCLOB report reveals deep divisions among its five members on how to reform Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which allows for warrantless surveillance of foreigners abroad. "In a departure from precedent, the report did not reach unanimous conclusions about how to update the law, a confusing prospect as a Congress divided on Section 702 stares down an end-of-the-year deadline to renew it. "The board’s two Republican-appointed members voted against its release, said its findings should not be attributed to them and attached their recommendations in a 56-page annex that read almost like a second report. "Civil liberties advocates have long viewed Section 702 as a backdoor for gaining access to information on Americans, whose communications get swept up in searches as they speak with those being surveilled abroad. It’s a factor they see as a violation of Sixth Amendment rights and a particular risk to Black and other communities of color. "The report, however, includes a third rail for the intelligence community — a suggestion the intelligence community first get a court order before reviewing any intel gleaned on Americans. "Doing so, PCLOB’s majority writes, would offer the 'most critical safeguard for Americans’ privacy rights.' "The FBI spied on 119,000 Americans last year, a sharp decline that reflects changes in FBI policy for how the agency accesses the information of citizens swept up in other searches. Still, an unsealed opinion from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, the entity that would oversee the court order process recommended by the report, recently unsealed an opinion showing a string of abuses, including reviewing information on elected officials. "The inclusion of a recommendation to get a court order before reviewing information gathered on Americans and permanent residents was celebrated by civil liberties groups that have long pushed for such a requirement. " Elizabeth Goitein , senior director of the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University, called the report an 'ironclad case for requiring a probable-cause order for U.S. person queries.'" On September 14, 2023, a coalition of 52 Asian American organizations wrote to Congress to oppose the renewal of Section 702 of FISA unless significant revisions are put into place. The letter, led by Asian American Scholae Forum (AASF), Advancing Justice | AAJC, and Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) and Stop AAPI Hate, wrote "with a sense of urgency and a shared commitment to safeguarding the principles of justice, equality, and privacy in our nation. As Asian Americans and allies, we understand all too well the perils of unchecked national security programs and the historical discrimination our community has endured. Our shared history serves as a poignant reminder of the dangers of racial profiling and prejudice in the name of national security." Read the coalition letter: https://bit.ly/3LkEmnt . Read the PCLOB report: https://bit.ly/3PEutm3 . According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) , in May 2017, Professor Xiaoxing Xi 郗小星 filed a lawsuit against the lead FBI agent in the case, Andrew Haugen , and other agents, alleging that they made knowingly or recklessly false statements in support of the investigation and prosecution. Xi’s wife and oldest daughter later joined the case. The ACLU joined the case in October 2017. The lawsuit asks the court to award damages and to declare that the defendants violated the plaintiffs’ Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights. It also asks the court to order the government to return or delete any of the Xis’ communications that it obtained during the investigation. The Third Circuit Court of Appeals allowed Xi and his family to pursue their lawsuit against the U.S. government in May 2023. Report on Anti-Asian Racism in The United States On September 27, 2023, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (USCCR) released its 2023 statutory enforcement report, The Federal Response to Anti-Asian Racism in the United States . The report assesses the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes in the U.S. from 2019 through 2021, and the federal role in preventing and enforcing federal hate crime laws. According to USCCR, the report examines three main areas: 1) national trends and data regarding the rise of hate incidents and hate crimes against members of Asian communities; 2) local and state law enforcement’s prevention and reporting practices regarding hate crimes; and 3) federal efforts and policies that encourage greater participation in reporting hate crime incidents, as well as prosecution and enforcement efforts to prevent hate crimes. The report highlights that language barriers hinder the reporting of incidents, and many incidents, even if they don’t meet legal hate crime criteria, still evoke fear and are not accounted for in official statistics. A major impediment is the lack of comprehensive data and reporting in understanding the severity of hate crimes against individuals of Asian descent. The report notes that the transition to the National Incident-Based Reporting System has been slow for some agencies, leading to incomplete data. The Commission proposes a “holistic strategy” to combat anti-Asian hate incidents, including improvements in data collection, legal enforcement, community support and education initiatives. It recommends urging prosecutors and law enforcement to vigorously investigate and prosecute hate crimes against Asian Americans and providing first responders with training on identifying hate crimes. It also highlights the need to address language barriers in federal, state and local law enforcement agencies and victim services. The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is an independent, bipartisan agency established by Congress in 1957. Its mission is to inform the development of national civil rights policy and enhance enforcement of federal civil rights laws. Read the USCCR report: https://bit.ly/3ZB9llm 2020 Census Data for Nearly 1,500 Detailed Race and Ethnicity Groups, Tribes and Villages On September 21, 2023, the U.S. Census Bureau released 2020 Census population counts and sex-by-age statistics for 300 detailed race and ethnic groups, as well as 1,187 detailed American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) tribes and villages. On the Asian Population Among Asian respondents, Asian Indian was the largest alone group (4.4 million) and Chinese, except Taiwanese the largest alone or in any combination group (5.2 million). Filipino (4.4 million), Vietnamese (2.3 million), Korean (2.0 million), and Japanese (1.6 million) all had alone or in any combination populations over 1 million in 2020. The Nepalese population was the fastest growing Asian group among those with populations of 50,000 or more in 2010. The Nepalese alone population increased 295.5% from 51,907 in 2010 to 205,297 in 2020, and the Nepalese alone or in any combination population grew 269.0% from 59,490 to 219,503 over the decade. On the Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander Population Native Hawaiian was the largest Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander (NHPI) alone group (199,880) and alone or in any combination group (680,442). Nearly all NHPI groups grew from 2010 to 2020. The Chuukese alone population was the fastest growing NHPI alone group, increasing 296.2% to 10,500 in 2020. The fastest growing NHPI alone or in any combination group was Papua New Guinean, which increased by 249.3% to 1,453 people during the decade. Read the Census Bureau news release: https://bit.ly/3rAYGdQ . Read the breakdown on the Asian population: h ttps://bit.ly/3PwxDby News and Activities for the Communities 1. Community Calendar The APA Justice Community Calendar is located on the front page of the APA Justice website at https://www.apajustice.org/ . Upcoming Events: 2023/10/02 APA Justice October Monthly Meeting 2023/10/08 Rep. Gene Wu's Weekly Town Hall Meeting 2023/10/12 Expert Panel on Open Data for Racial Equity 2023/10/12 C100 Webinar - Race-Based Admissions and the Supreme Court Court: An Asian American Perspective 2023/10/12 The FBI and Chinese Americans - From the Investigation and Defense Frontline 2023/10/15 State Legislature 101 Training 2023/10/15 Rep. Gene Wu's Weekly Town Hall Meeting 2023/10/22 Rep. Gene Wu's Weekly Town Hall Meeting Visit https://bit.ly/45KGyga for event details. 2. 2023/10/12 Webinar: The FBI and Chinese Americans WHAT: On-site event - The FBI and Chinese American Community: Stories and Tips from the Investigation and Defense Frontline WHEN: Thursday, October 12, 6:30 - 8:30 pm PT WHERE: Santa Clara University School of Law, 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara, CA 95050 HOSTS: The Chinese American Lawyers of the Bay Area (CALOBA) and the Chinese American Semiconductor Professional Association (CASPA) DESCRIPTION: "A conversation with the FBI on criminal trade secret theft at the Santa Clara University School of Law. As members of the Chinese American community, we are committed to protecting our shared interests and promoting a safe and prosperous environment for all. Please join us and learn some frontline stories and practical tips offered by our distinguished panelists based on their decades of experience in the field!" REGISTRATION: https://bit.ly/46cHiei 3. Foreign Affairs Essay: The Dysfunctional Superpower According to a Foreign Affairs essay on September 29, 2023, a looming government shutdown, a partisan impeachment inquiry, and the former president facing multiple felony charges across four criminal cases. Add to this chaos a presidential election and it’s fair to say that the U.S. political system will be preoccupied with its own drama and division for some time. Such paralysis could not come at a worse time. The United States should be in a strong position to deter Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping —but “dysfunction has made American power erratic and unreliable, practically inviting risk-prone autocrats to place dangerous bets,” the essay said. “The United States finds itself in a uniquely treacherous position: facing aggressive adversaries with a propensity to miscalculate yet incapable of mustering the unity and strength necessary to dissuade them.” Only by working together can U.S. leaders contend with such grave threats. And “therein lies the rub.” Robert M. Gates , author of the essay, is former U.S. Secretary of Defense. Read the Foreign Policy essay: https://fam.ag/3LNONjN Back View PDF October 2, 2023 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #357 Vincent Wang Honored; 10/16 Webinar; Mike German Remarks/Impacts; NSF Politicization+ #357 Vincent Wang Honored; 10/16 Webinar; Mike German Remarks/Impacts; NSF Politicization+ In This Issue #357 · Vincent Wang Inducted into Ohio Civil Rights Hall of Fame · Reminder: 10/16 Webinar "Bridging Nations" · Mike German's Remarks and Impacts over Time · Politicization at the National Science Foundation · News and Activities for the Communities Vincent Wang Inducted into Ohio Civil Rights Hall of Fame Wenkui “Vincent” Wang 王文奎 , Co-Organizer of APA Justice, was inducted into the Ohio Civil Rights Hall of Fame at a ceremony and reception held at the Lincoln Theatre in Columbus, Ohio, on October 9, 2025.The Ohio Civil Rights Hall of Fame honors exceptional Ohioans recognized as pioneers in advancing human and civil rights, equality, and inclusion. Inductees are individuals who have made significant contributions to civil rights, cultural awareness, and understanding in pursuit of a more just society. Their achievements are officially recorded in Ohio’s history. This year’s class includes eight distinguished honorees.In accepting the honor, Vincent stated: “I am deeply humbled and honored to be inducted into the Ohio Civil Rights Hall of Fame, alongside seven extraordinary individuals who have devoted their lives to advancing civil and human rights in their communities. I accept this honor not for myself alone, but for everyone who refuses to stay silent in the face of injustice—for those who choose hope over fear,trust over suspicion,and bridges over walls. Together, we will continue to defend civil rights, advance immigrant rights, and strengthen the democratic ideals that bind us as one people. My deepest gratitude to the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, my fellow honorees, and all who continue to fight for a more just and inclusive Ohio—and America.” APA Justice congratulates Vincent on this distinguished recognition and his continued leadership in advancing civil and human rights.Watch the 2025 induction ceremony honoring Vincent: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_jrtGze7nM (7:44) Reminder: 10/16 Webinar "Bridging Nations" Join APA Justice, Committee of 100, and the US-China Education Trust on Thursday October 16, 2025 at 8:00 p.m. ET for an expansive discussion of "Bridging Nations: People-to-People Exchange in U.S.-China Relations" with two distinguished Asian American ambassadors -- Ambassador Julia Chang Bloch and Governor Gary Locke – whose personal journeys and family histories bridge both nations. They will be joined in dialogue by Jessica Chen Weiss , David M. Lampton Professor of China Studies at Johns Hopkins SAIS.Register to attend the webinar by scanning the QR code above or clicking this link: https://bit.ly/20251016Webinar Mike German's Remarks and Impacts over Time On October 6, 2025, Mike German , Retired Fellow, Liberty & National Security, Brennan Center for Justice spoke at the APA Justice monthly meeting to reflect on his career and share his insightful thoughts.Mike opened by thanking APA Justice, Gisela Perez Kusakawa and Pat Eddington , noting with humor that his retirement “is not an obituary” and that he remains available to help.Reflecting on his career in the FBI, Mike described his years working undercover to infiltrate white nationalist networks. He emphasized that white nationalism is not a fringe ideology, as it is often portrayed, but rather a foundational force in American history that continues to influence society today. While his focus as an agent had been to stop people plotting violence, trafficking illegal weapons, and manufacturing explosives, the experience revealed to him how deeply these extremist ideologies are woven into the history of the United States—and how prevalent it still is.He observed that it has become easier to express such views openly in recent years. Mike left the FBI in 2004 after witnessing how the Global War on Terrorism was scapegoating Muslim Americans as a generalized threat. He recognized how easily those same FBI investigative methods could be turned against other communities. He had already seen a lot of targeting of the Asian American community in that process, particularly during the first Trump administration, when the China Initiative made such targeting more explicit. Mike was very pleased to be introduced to Jeremy and APA Justice, and so many of you. He already knew Gisella and Joanne. He shared how meaningful it was to connect with all of us who were ready to respond constructively. Together, we created a webinar series that educated policymakers, journalists, and the public about discriminatory practices within federal law enforcement.Mike said one of the most significant outcomes of that series was its impact on the media. In 2017 and 2018, coverage of alleged “China Initiative” cases was not very nuanced. When the FBI made an arrest, it was written in sensational terms, adopting the government’s accusations uncritically—before, months or even years later, it was discovered that the evidence was not nearly as strong as claimed, or had been mischaracterized. Through the webinars, the community helped reporters and scholars understand the broader context, which led to more nuanced, skeptical, and fairer coverage. We started to see that shift in the media. That change, Mike said, helped everyone and strengthened the quality of public discussion. It fueled better scholarship, and we were involved in identifying problems with the system.Mike credited the Asian American community’s remarkable organization and capacity for collective action as a central reason for this success. Having worked with many communities targeted by government programs, he noted that this one is unique in its resources, professionalism, and connections at high levels of government. He encouraged the group to extend that strength outward—supporting other communities who may now face similar injustices. He highlighted CAPAC and Judith’s collaborative work with the Congressional Black Caucus and others as examples of solidarity, stressing that “ultimately, it’s all the same issue.” Drawing on lessons from his undercover work, Mike reflected that the use of racial grievance to divide society is a powerful and enduring tool. If one community can be scapegoated, any can. He urged everyone to stay vigilant, to help others before they are directly targeted, and to recognize how division is used to weaken all of us.Although this is an old lesson, we, unfortunately, have to learn over and over again across generations. Mike said he is encouraged by the community’s strong organizational spirit and leadership. Looking ahead, Mike expressed enthusiasm for the upcoming webinar series co-organized by APA Justice, the Committee of 100 (C100), and the US-China Education Trust (USCET). He said the new series continues the essential work of promoting understanding in an era when media is fragmented and misinformation can easily amplify through narrow portals without understanding the nature of the threats that exist—or how those threats can be sensationalized and manipulated.Mike urged policymakers to focus on genuine threats rather than policies that harm innocent and productive individuals who are contributing to our society. Mike also invited participants to connect with organizations in Latino, Black, immigrant, and LGBTQ communities, offering to help make introductions so that knowledge and resources can be shared across movements. Mike closed by reaffirming his commitment to the cause:“Let’s keep working together. Keep up the good work… and if there’s anything I can do to help, just let me know.”***** The webinar series on the China Initiative (2020-2021) Beginning in September 2020, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC, APA Justice Task Force, APAPA, the Brennan Center for Justice, and United Chinese Americans (UCA) hosted a series of five webinars examining the civil rights and national security implications of the U.S. Department of Justice’s “China Initiative.”The series explored how this initiative—launched under the guise of countering economic espionage—disproportionately targeted Chinese American and Chinese immigrant scientists, often conflating legitimate academic collaboration with national security threats. Drawing historical parallels from the Chinese Exclusion Act to modern racial profiling, the webinars highlighted how recurring cycles of suspicion and xenophobia continue to harm Asian American communities and undermine U.S. democratic and scientific values.Featuring voices from civil rights organizations, academia, science, and law, the series aimed to raise public awareness, promote accountability, and foster dialogue toward protecting both civil liberties and national security. 1. 2020/09/30 The Human and Scientific Costs of The "China Initiative" ( YouTube 1:00:15) · Moderator: Mike German . Panelists: Steven Chu 朱棣文 , Margaret Lewis 陸梅吉 , John Yang 杨重远 2. 2020/12/02 Policy Needs for U.S. Science and Scientists ( YouTube 1:13:35) · Moderator: Mike German . Panelists: Alice S. Huang 黄诗厚 , Neal Lane , Sarina Neote , Xiaoxing Xi 郗小星 3. 2021/02/24 Building Coalition Against “China Initiative” Discrimination: Fighting racial targeting of Asian Americans and communities of color, past & present ( YouTube 1:16:13) · Moderator: Faiza Patel. Keynote: Judy Chu 赵美心. Panelists: Karen Korematsu , Becky Monroe , Leslie Wong 4. 2021/04/28 Legal Resources and Policy Advocacy: How to Combat Racial Profiling Under the “China Initiative" ( YouTube 1:05:36) · Moderator: Mike German . Panelists: Susan Lee 李凤迁 , Patrick Toomey , Frank Wu 吴华扬 , John Yang 杨重远 5. 2021/06/23 The Mistrial of Professor Anming Hu under the "China Initiative” ( YouTube 1 :12:52) · Moderator: Mike German . Keynote: Ted Lieu 刘云平 , Susan Lee 李凤迁 . Panelists: Phil Lomonaco , Guiyou Huang 黄桂友 , Margaret Lewis 陸梅吉 Politicization at the National Science Foundation On September 19, 2025, Science reported that the National Science Foundation (NSF) is held captive as Trump directives have undermined a 75-year history of independence and threaten the agency's vaunted track record for excellence.NSF, long regarded as the U.S. government’s most independent science agency, has seen its autonomy erode sharply under the Trump administration, according to scientists, former officials, and internal records. Once guided by peer-reviewed merit, NSF’s funding and priorities are now increasingly directed by White House political appointees and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which reportedly gives “thumbs-up or -down” to vetted research proposals.A hallmark example came when NSF abruptly cut its Graduate Research Fellowship program in half—then restored it only after “direct intervention” from the White House. The White House has ordered the $9 billion agency to abandon long-running programs, terminate more than 2000 grants, and reverse decisions on what to fund next based on the administration’s political agenda, which excludes DEI efforts, climate change research, and even mathematics institutes like UCLA's Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics (IPAM), whose grants were suspended after the DOJ accused UCLA of antisemitism—later overturned by a federal judge.NSF is also making radical changes in its daily operations, including sharply reducing its reliance on top academic scientists on loan from their institutions and realigning the agency’s entire grantmaking apparatus to conform to Trump’s priorities.Critics say the administration’s agenda—focused on AI, quantum science, and industrial partnerships while defunding DEI and climate initiatives—marks a departure from NSF’s founding mission to fund “the best ideas across all fields.” As one former NSF official warned, “This administration doesn’t buy the idea that the government’s investment in basic research buys us anything useful.”Internal morale has plummeted. Senior leaders, including computing director Gregory Hager and former director Sethuraman Panchanathan , resigned over political interference. NSF is also eliminating most of its rotator scientists, a move seen as consolidating control and silencing independent scientific judgment.Several programs illustrate the shift: · The Carpentries, a nonprofit training underrepresented coders, was told to strip DEI language from its NSF proposal or lose funding. · A $75 million AI project was restructured to include Nvidia, aligning with Trump’s industrial priorities. · A New Mexico water initiative lost out after tailoring its proposal to avoid DEI language but still not meeting “NSF priorities.” Observers fear the reorganization will replace scientific leadership with political oversight, echoing what one former official compared to “Soviet-style political commissars.” Many warn that the cumulative effect of small changes could permanently redirect the agency’s mission away from open, merit-based science toward politically filtered research serving executive priorities. News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2025/10/16 Bridging Nations: The Power of People-to-People Exchange in U.S.-China Relations2025/10/23 C100 Asian American Career Ceilings Initiative: Asian American Women in the Law2025/11/03 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2025/11/20 Cook County Circuit Court Hearing2025/11/25 Committee of 100 Conversations – “Recollections, Pioneers and Heroes” with Elaine ChaoVisit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details. 2. C100 Conversations: Elaine Chao 赵小兰 WHAT : Conversations, Recollections, Pioneers and Heros: Elaine Chao 赵小兰 WHEN : November 25, 2025, 6:00 pm ET WHERE : Online event HOST : Committee of 100 Moderator: Peter Young , Chair of the Conversations Initiative and Committee of 100 New York Regional Chair and Board Member Speaker : Elaine Chao , 24th U.S. Secretary of Labor and 18th U.S. Secretary of Transportation DESCRIPTION : Secretary Elaine Chao is the first Asian-Pacific American woman to serve in the President’s cabinet in American history. She has been confirmed to two cabinet positions by the United States Senate on a strong bipartisan basis: U. S. Secretary of Labor and U. S. Secretary of Transportation. She will reflect on her remarkable journey as an immigrant, trailblazer, and leader at the highest levels of government, and her insights on leadership, resilience, and service to the nation. REGISTRATION : https://bit.ly/48ozpXq # # # 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 feedback. Please send your comments to contact@apajustice.org . Back View PDF October 14, 2025 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #82 Professor Anming Hu Acquitted!!! More On The DOC Internal Review Report #82 Professor Anming Hu Acquitted!!! More On The DOC Internal Review Report Back View PDF September 10, 2021 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #88 Rep. Raskin Remarks; Cooley Steps Up; House Hearing; White Paper; UTK; Week of Action #88 Rep. Raskin Remarks; Cooley Steps Up; House Hearing; White Paper; UTK; Week of Action Back View PDF October 11, 2021 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #26 SupChina Video; Professor Ning Xi; UCA And APAPA On Newsweek; Chinese Student Visas #26 SupChina Video; Professor Ning Xi; UCA And APAPA On Newsweek; Chinese Student Visas Back View PDF November 6, 2020 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

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Newsletter - #348 Special Edition: Shutdown of Corporation of Public Broadcasting #348 Special Edition: Shutdown of Corporation of Public Broadcasting In This Issue #348 Special Edition: Shutdown of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting Author: Madeleine Gable, APA Justice Communications Associate On July 24, 2025, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the GOP-backed Rescissions Act of 2025, cutting about $1.1 billion in previously approved funding allocated to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) over the next two years. A week later, CPB President Patricia Harrison announced the organization would shut down, with most of its 100 employees leaving by the end of September. Despite widespread public opposition, including letters and petitions, the shutdown advances, threatening the future of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), the National Public Radio (NPR), and hundreds of local stations nationwide, significantly impacting Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities. What is the CPB? Established in 1967 under the Public Broadcasting Act, the CPB is a private nonprofit corporation supporting noncommercial, educational, and accessible broadcasting. Beyond funding PBS and NPR, the CPB provides support to over 1,500 local radio and TV stations. Many of the rural networks are the only broadcasting stations in the area.Former President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the act as part of Great Society legislation , initiatives intended to reduce poverty and promote social equity. Early broadcasters, often based at universities and land-grant schools, provided continuing education programs, which eventually expanded to include children’s programming, documentary films, and feature stories.The CPB allocates more than $400 million to over 500 public-media organizations nationwide. In particular, its funding has a much greater impact on stations that serve local communities than it does on PBS and NPR. In fact, the CPB funds 15% of the budget for PBS and only 1% of the budget for NPR. The vast majority of the CPB’s funds are allocated directly to local TV and radio stations, and 31% of the CPB’s grants were allocated directly to rural networks in 2023. According to CPB analysis, more than half of the rural stations it supported relied on federal funding for at least 25% of their budget. Consequences of the Shutdown At its inception, the CPB was designed to ensure nonpartisanship by creating a degree of separation between its operations and the lawmakers responsible for approving the annual federal budget. Recently, the CPB, and especially NPR and PBS, have garnered criticism for alleged liberal bias. Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene vehemently called for the defunding of the CPB because NPR and PBS had become “echo chambers for a narrow audience of mostly wealthy white urban liberals and progressives who generally look down on and judge rural America.” On Truth Social in April, President Donald Trump referred to NPR and PBS as “radical left monsters that so badly hurt our country.” 1. Loss of Local/Rural Representation and Voice Both Rep. Greene and President Trump’s statements underscore the irony of shuttering the CPB. The shutdown would hit rural, low-income areas hardest, places where local stations are often the sole source of essential information, leaving these communities at a significant disadvantage. With the loss of funding, smaller, public radio stations will be forced to rely more heavily on national programming, thereby reducing the diversity of perspectives on the air. As Emily Cohen , station manager of KHOL in Jackson, Wyoming, observed , “If you take away the funding that’s supporting local coverage, it could potentially make polarization worse.”Such smaller, rural broadcasting stations include Allegheny Mountain Radio (AMR), a network of three radio stations in West Virginia and Virginia that serve as the area’s only broadcasters. Located within the National Radio Quiet Zone, a 13,000 square-mile region where airwaves are restricted due to a nearby radio telescope, AMR operates at a frequency low enough to avoid interference. More than 60% of its annual budget is funded by the CPB; any reduction in this funding would seriously harm residents who may otherwise lose access to local broadcasting. Josh Shepperd , associate professor at the University of Colorado, suggests “20% of the country is effectively going to lose any concept of itself as a place within the next 10 years without public media.” He added local communities are “all going to have national ideology on the local level, and no local memory and no local experience.” 2. Reduced Access to Critical Information and Services Importantly, the shutdown of the CPB will severely dampen the efficacy of local alert systems, endangering the lives of those who rely on local broadcasting systems for emergency messages. In rural communities that lack reliable internet, radio is often a more effective means of disseminating emergency alerts. While the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has the ability to send emergency messages directly to people’s cellphones, radio stations can cover a larger geographical area and are more reliable than cell towers.In the Permian Basin in southwest Texas, radio is often the only outlet available to provide residents with emergency information in times of natural disaster. Marfa Public Radio and KPBT-TV (also known as Basin PBS) are two of the stations that primarily serve this area. 30% of Marfa Public Radio’s budget is funded by the CPB, while 48% of KPBT-TV’s comes from the CPB. Directors of both of these stations have expressed their concerns about continuing to operate as their budgets must now be fully funded by donors.Mendocino-based NPR member station KZYX in California serves roughly 130,000 listeners. Andre de Channes , KZYX’s general manager and director of operations, worried about fire safety as the station provides service to many off-the-grid rural areas without access to internet or cell service. Residents of those areas rely primarily on KZYX for emergency information. KZYX has lost 25% of its operating budget. 3. Impact on Cultural Programming In addition to limited diversity of programming and reduced access to critical information and services, the shutdown of the CPB will also profoundly impact cultural programming, particularly because local stations broadcast the majority of such content. Jack Jones is the acting station manager of KGVA, a tribal radio station on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in northern Montana, which receives 85% of its funding from the CPB. Much of the rest of its funding is allocated by the reservation’s college, which also faces a severe funding crisis. According to Jones, KGVA daily broadcasts feature educational programming, words of the day in Aaniiih and Nakota languages, interviews with tribal elders, Native American drum groups, and local high school basketball games. Republican Senator from South Dakota Mike Rounds noted that tribal radio stations are crucial for "delivering critical emergency alerts and public safety information.” Jones remains concerned that the shutdown of the CPB will deprive listeners of both vital cultural programming and essential public safety information. Loris Taylor , President and CEO of Native Public Media, warned that the “cost of silence” from shuttering tribal radio stations also includes the loss of emergency alerting capabilities and the collapse of civic engagement coverage. Perhaps most importantly, Taylor says defunding tribal stations "turns off a pathway to participation, representation, and leadership for Native youth.” The CPB shutdown also threatens the more than 1,000 public radio stations that play independent music, as the CPB funding often covers all music licensing fees for public radio stations. Without that funding, public radio stations would have to renegotiate those deals individually. NPR President and CEO Katherine Maher recently estimated that 96% of all classical music broadcast in the U.S. is on public radio stations. Impact on AANHPI Communities 1. Cultural Programming at Risk Beyond local stations, CPB funding also supports national and digital platforms that amplify AANHPI voices.To celebrate AANHPI Heritage Month in 2024, the CPB published a comprehensive guide to its programming exploring and celebrating the history and culture of AANHPI individuals and communities. Examples include PBS’s “ The Composer is Yoo ” and Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story , Dear Corky , WORLD’s “ Chinatown Auxiliary ” and In Search of Bengali Harlem , NPR’s Tiny Desk Japan and Tiny Desk Korea , and PBS’s five part documentary series Asian Americans .Other PBS stations offering extensive, culturally rich programming about Asian Americans include PBS Hawai’i , KQED , and PBS SoCal . The latter aired “ Snapshots of Confinement ,” a locally-produced documentary chronicling the experiences of Japanese Americans at internment camps during World War II.Other radio and online platforms uplifting AANHPI voices include NPR Live Sessions , Seattle’s KEXP , LAist Studios and NPR’s Inheriting , StoryCorps , and the American Archive of Public Broadcasting . 2. Arts and Story Telling The Serica Initiative , a nonprofit in New York City, raises awareness of the Asian diaspora in America through storytelling, dialogue, and the power of convening. According to CEO and founder Anla Cheng , a key partner of Serica's is The WNET Group in New York and a past recipient of CPB funds. Together, Serica and ALL ARTS — the arts and culture hub created by The WNET Group — have co-produced a series of short videos highlighting the impact of AAPIs; most recently, their series " Climate Artists " (which featured artists centering climate change and sustainability in their work, including architect and designer Maya Lin ) was nominated for three NY Emmy Awards; a fourth Emmy nomination was for their video " Voices Rising: What's Next for Asian Americans in the Arts? ", which was also co-produced with ALL ARTS and featured such speakers as playwright David Henry Hwang (Golden Child, Yellow Face) as well as actors Rosalind Chao (Three Body Problem) and BD Wong (Jurassic Park, Law & Order: SUV). Cheng highlighted that reductions in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) funding, academic research grants, and resources supporting AAPI communities will have far-reaching effects throughout the entire community. She also emphasized that the willingness to support one another remains stronger than ever, with emotional and creative contributions often being just as valuable as financial support, making the phrase “Collectively, We are Stronger” a reality. 3. Asian American Films and Festivals Two of the country’s largest Asian American Film Festivals, CAAMFest and the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, also risk losing a significant portion of their funding. CAAM , the Center for Asian American Media, originated through the efforts of Loni Ding and others to secure funding from the CPB to create the National Asian American Telecommunications Association in 1980, later renamed CAAM. CAAMFest, an offshoot of CAAM, debuted in 1982 as the San Francisco Asian American International Film Festival before adopting its current name in 2013. Since then, it has been held annually, except in 1985. According to Grace Yu of the 1990 Institute , CAAM remains the primary organization recognized by the CPB representing Asian Americans. CAAM’s Executive Director Don Young warned that the group faces a major financial crisis following President Trump’s funding cuts, which threaten 40% of its total budget. While the most severe restrictions were not applied directly to the film festival, they will significantly disrupt CAAM’s core work of funding, producing, distributing, and showcasing film, television, and other digital media. The festival itself is not the main target of the cuts, but it remains vulnerable to their ripple effects.Young underscored the importance of documentary filmmaking as a “fundamental influence to help the Asian American community discover our voice and to provide greater shared understanding of Asian America to the broader public.” Despite the financial strain, Young reaffirmed that “CAAM’s commitment to storytelling for the public good, and not corporate profits, will continue,” with an emphasis on public media, sustainability, and innovation. Similarly, the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival forecasts it will lose 10-20% of its funding, much of which stems from the National Endowment of the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the CPB. Francis Cuillado , executive director at Visual Communications, noted that their archive will bear the greatest impact. The archive works to “preserve and digitize film, photographs and other media” in order to create a freely accessible library. Presented by Visual Communications, the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival first debuted in 1983 and has presented over 5,000 films, videos, and digital mediaworks by Asian and Pacific Islander artists. The festival also features seminars, panels, and in-person guest appearances.With the imminent shutdown, all of the above programming faces significant disruption or cancellation. Even organizations not directly affected will feel the loss of a broader network, frequent collaborators, and reliable source material, further hindering the production and dissemination of Asian American programming. Economic and Employment Impact The CPB shutdown will also significantly impact employment and local economies. The CPB estimates nearly 6,000 people are employed by rural stations that it supports. All of those employees face the risk of severe pay cuts due to the shutdown, in addition to the threat of losing their jobs.As Montana’s KGVA stands to lose $100,000 in funding, station manager Jack Jones plans to phase out all programming that requires someone in the studio, cutting the station’s budget down to just $30,000 for licensing fees and station upkeep. Jones says he plans to “start letting people go” as salaries are their largest expense. KGVA only employs one part-time worker, a summer disc jockey. When The New Yorker journalist Oliver Whang noted that Jones himself was the only other employee who could be let go, Jones paused, then quipped “yeah.” "The Race to Rescue PBS and NPR Stations" According to the New York Times on August 19, 2025, philanthropists from the Knight Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, the Schmidt Family Foundation, Pivotal Ventures, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation announced they have committed $26.5 million to support the most at-risk public radio and TV stations. In their definition, these stations include those who have historically received more than 30% of their support from the CPB. They hope to reach $50 million for the Public Media Bridge Fund by the end of this year through additional fundraising. According to Maribel Pérez Wadsworth , president and CEO of the Knight Foundation, philanthropy could not provide a substitute for the federal funding in the long term. A broad overhaul of the public radio system is needed, and many stations will need to merge or pool their resources to save costs. Additional Resources 2025/08/07 The New Yorker: What Happens to Public Media Now? https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/what-happens-to-public-media-now 2025/08/06 Christian Science Monitor: As Corporation for Public Broadcasting shuts down, what will that mean on airwaves? https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2025/0806/corporation-for-public-broadcasting-npr-pbs 2025/08/05 Forbes: Will NPR And PBS Go Away? How CPB Shutting Down Affects Them https://www.forbes.com/sites/andymeek/2025/08/05/will-npr-and-pbs-go-away-how-cpb-shutting-down-affects-them/ About the author: Madeleine Gable is a junior at New York University, studying International Relations, Economics, and Chinese. She will spend the upcoming fall semester at NYU Shanghai and has been working with APA Justice since October 2024. News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2025/09/06 The 2025 Asian American Youth Symposium2025/09/08 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2025/09/08 Committee of 100 Conversations – “Recollections, Pioneers and Heroes” with Janet Yang2025/09/09 China Connections — Chinese Encounters with America: Profiles of Changemakers Who Shaped China2025/09/16-17 2025 AANHPI Unity Summit2025/09/23 Committee of 100: Is Deglobalization Inevitable?Visit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details. 2. C100: Is Deglobalization Inevitable? On September 23, 2025, the Committee of 100 and the Foreign Policy Association will co-host a keynote fireside chat and debate on the topic of "Is Deglobalization Inevitable?" Nobel Prize-winning economist Professor Joseph Stiglitz at Columbia University will open with a fireside chat on the evening’s central issue, followed by a lively debate between two leading experts: Walden Bello , Professor, State University of New York at Binghamton and Kyoto University (and credited with coining the term “deglobalization”), and Professor Edward Ashbee, Professor, Copenhagen Business School. They will present opposing views in a traditional debate format—opening statements, rebuttals, and closing remarks. Peter Young, Committee of 100 Member and Board Member, CEO of Young & Partners, will serve as moderator. The in-person event at the Yale Club of New York City is by invitation only. The virtual invitation is open to the public; register to attend at https://bit.ly/3Jnwi7z Contact events@committee100.org for more information. # # # 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 feedback. Please send your comments to contact@apajustice.org . Back View PDF August 21, 2025 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #188: 4/3 Meeting Summary; Robert Underwood; Paula Madison; Alien Land Bills; Students; More #188: 4/3 Meeting Summary; Robert Underwood; Paula Madison; Alien Land Bills; Students; More In This Issue #188 2023/04/03 Monthly Meeting Summary Posted Dr. Robert Underwood - President's Advisory Commission and More Paula Williams Madison's Proposed National Network and Strike Forces Latest on Discriminatory Alien Land Bills How the U.S.-China Clash is Being Felt on Campus News and Activities for the Communities 2023/04/03 Monthly Meeting Summary Posted The April 3, 2023, APA Justice monthly meeting summary has been posted at https://bit.ly/3qogBU1 . We thank the following speakers for their updates and discussions: Nisha Ramachandran , Executive Director, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), provided updates on the Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, federal alien land bill, OMB Directive MD-15, and U.S. Civil Rights Commission hearing. Video of her report: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnIrq1hfl4A (video 6:32 to 11:34) John Liu 刘醇逸 , New York State Senator on the importance of Asian American studies, his efforts to include it in New York state education curriculum, and the case of New York Police Department Officer Baimadajie Angwang and its broader implications. Kai Li 李凯 , Vice President, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF) substituted for Gisela Perez Kusakawa , AASF Executive Director on upcoming AASF activities in the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month and its continuing efforts for due process and accountability from the federal government such as the National Institutes of Health and universities. AASF is collecting stories on those who are harassed or interrogated at the border of entry. John Yang 杨重远 , President and Executive Director, Advancing Justice | AAJC, on its congressional interactions, its efforts to ensure talking about US China relations with nuance, and caution about some policymakers trying to pull apart the AANHPI, African American, Hispanic American, and Native American communities. Robert Underwood , Member, President's Advisory Commission on AANHPI; Former President, University of Guam; Former Chair, CAPAC; Co-Chair of the United States Institute of Peace China-Freely Associated States Senior Study Group, on his experience in Dr. Wen Ho Lee 's 李文和 case, the purpose of the President’s Advisory Commission and upcoming activities, his experience with hiring of professors of Chinese origin as President of University of Guam, and what Guam is facing with the rhetoric of the China threat and military buildup. Dr. Underwood encourages the audience to communicate directly with him and the Advisory Commission. Watch Robert's report: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnIrq1hfl4A (video 11:48 to 25:21) Paula Williams Madison 罗笑娜 , Former Print and TV Journalist, Retired NBCUniversal Executive and GE Company Officer, Former Vice President of the Los Angeles Police Commission and Owner of The Africa Channel, on her experience as a Hakka, Jamaican, African, and Chinese American; the need for the AANHPI community to build a national alert network and strike teams; and her experience on community building the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd . Watch Paula's report and discussions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpOg_XkigGI (video 54:50) Dr. Robert Underwood - President's Advisory Commission and More On April 3, 2023, Dr. Robert Underwood joined the APA Justice monthly meeting from Guam at 4 am Chamorro Standard Time. It is the only time zone named after a people - Chamorro is the indigenous people of the Mariana Islands including Guam in the Pacific Ocean. Naming of the time zone was the work of then-Congressman Underwood about 25 years ago. Robert served as Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) from 1997 to 2001, which intersected with the wrongful prosecution of Dr. Wen Ho Lee , a nuclear scientist at the Los Alamos National Laboratory under the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Dr. Lee, born in Taiwan and a naturalized US citizen, was wrongfully accused of spying for the People's Republic of China. CAPAC held briefings in Congress specifically on racial profiling at the DOE labs. Judge James Parker apologized for the government's treatment of Dr. Lee. New York Times expressed second thoughts about its reporting of the Wen Ho Lee case beginning in March 1999. Dr. Lee was later compensated with a $1.6 million settlement from the U.S. federal government and five news organizations for privacy violations.According to a report by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) 22 years ago on May 11, 2001, Robert began his talk at LLNL by saying "[w]e need to look at the effects of the Wen Ho Lee case and racial profiling by the FBI on the whole Asian Pacific American community. While no one condones espionage, it’s time to look at the effects of these kinds of investigations.""It is amazing that racial profiling and all its problems can exist among the best — highly educated, highly literate people, who really understand American history," Robert said at LLNL. "Now we have the perception that Asian Americans are somehow a threat to national security. It is so important to tell the story of how Asian Americans in fact have made a proportionally large contribution to national security through technology and their work at the national labs." In the April 2023 meeting, Robert recalled learning from LLNL that about 30% of its physicists were of Asian background. Instead of giving the Asian American scientists a double look, he suggested that we should thank them for disproportionately protecting the United States and the nuclear stockpile.According to Robert, we are experiencing many of these issues right now. You can see it in the conversation about TikTok. There may be good reasons to deal with that, but it is the nature of the conversation. It is the emotional content that is driven by people looking again at each other and giving people double checks. The intelligence agencies are looking at people again over and over and over, giving them double, triple checks. That is xenophobia.As a commissioner on the President’s Advisory Commission on AANHPI (Commission), Robert explains that the purpose of the Commission is equity, justice, and dealing with anti-Asian xenophobia. The Commission has several committees on topics ranging from Data Equity and Disaggregation, Health Equity, Economic Equity, to Asian Hate and Inclusion. The Commission is the vehicle through which all of us can participate.However, racial profiling is currently not on the Commission's radar screen. Robert urges all of us to pay attention, get involved, and make our input known to the Commission at aanhpicommission@hhs.gov . APA Justice submitted its comments titled " Pursuing a More Perfect Union and an Equitable Society " to the Commission on March 10, 2023. The Commission is planning to hold two public sessions in Hawaii and Washington DC in July and September respectively. A report including findings and recommendations is due for the President before the Commission expires later this year. A new Presidential Executive Order will be needed to renew the Commission. Unlike other commissions for African and Hispanic Americans that have permanent staffs, the current Commission on AANHPI rotates temporary staff every three months. This is an inequity that should be addressed with the next Commission.In Guam, Robert has seen the possibility of an 8-billion-dollar investment in anti-missile defense systems, 19 missile batteries, which were not even thought of 2 or 3 years ago. It is advertised as deterrence to generate public support.In reality, in order to generate public support for the massive investment in military spending and in rearranging the so-called defense architecture in the Pacific Ocean, you have to generate a kind of fear of China and a concern about China.This has manifested itself in various ways of conversation in Guam. There are always subset issues that come up as a result because the exacerbated rhetoric has to be the basis for the justification.Once you get the military defense complex, you think about 8 billion dollars, that is a lot of money for a small area like Guam (2020 population 154,000 according to the Census Bureau). You are talking about an anti-missile defense system and a massive investment by companies that are going to provide these systems.So there are articles coming out. There is always conversation - the local military commanders talking about homeland security on a monthly basis. The public is told that there is a missile being tested in North Korea and don't panic. But every time someone tells you every 2 or 3 weeks, don't panic, it has the effect of actually creating panic because: why are we in this heightened environment?All of those things in combination create a very unfavorable and disturbing set of circumstances, particularly for Asian scientists.Robert has seen that personally in his capacity as President of the University of Guam. Some of the faculty members and professors that Robert hired were from the People's Republic of China and some from Taiwan. He has seen that in the conversation. Robert was successful in hiring them and, parenthetically, they are great faculty members, some are doing patents, they are doing different things that are enhancing the capacity of the university in Guam. But the nature of the conversation for hiring them was disturbing because it reflects some of this xenophobia, which is being heightened at this time.Robert welcomes the audience to communicate with him on these issues. He can be reached at anacletus2010@gmail.com . Read the summary of his remarks at: https://bit.ly/3qogBU1 . Watch a recording of his remarks at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnIrq1hfl4A (video 11:48 to 25:21) Paula Williams Madison's Proposed National Network and Strike Forces Paula William Madison was a newspaper reporter, then editor at the Fort Worth Star Telegram and the Dallas Times Herald . Later she joined ABC and became a TV news executive at WFAA TV8 in Dallas and moved to NBC to join KHOU-11 in Houston. In 1989, she returned to her hometown New York City and became an executive of NBCUniversal until her retirement.In early March, Paula raised in the Coalition for a Better Los Angeles weekly Zoom meeting that the AAPI community could use a media watchdog group. It would be tasked with submitting content to news media and disseminating to the general community information, news stories, editorials, op-eds and more regarding acts of discrimination, hatred, and other dangerous actions which target AAPI folks. Perhaps a conversation could be held with a number of national organizations that would form such a task force which would be useful and appropriate for the foreseeable future. Several organizations including UCA, CACA, Committee of 100, and Asian American Advancing Justice could form such an entity.Paula referred to this background at the April 3 meeting. She started by saying that the concept may not be revolutionary, but it has perhaps not been proposed the way she was going to propose.The idea was certainly prompted by Texas Senate Bill 147. Paula reached out to a number of friends and organizations and began to agitate. While this bill was introduced in Texas, the implications nationally and globally are huge. Paula hopes that there will be some consideration given to forming in a more formalized fashion a task force or a national monitoring group that goes across a variety of organizations. When there are issues to deal with, a strike force composed of well respected and well credential individuals from throughout our communities would be ready to speak clearly and effectively about the particular matter. At this time, when something happens, we respond and we react.Paula proposes that we go on the offensive by employing strategies to reach editorial boards of major media with enough of a portfolio and credibility to meet and talk about how a particular issue is being framed by them or not being addressed, as well as to suggest speakers to the editorial boards. The public is now being frightened into considering anything that is from the East - anything that is Chinese or Chinese-like - to be scary and dangerous to the United States.In the past two years, look at how much attention has been paid to anti-Asian hate. We have never seen this kind of coverage. Many of the news organizations are willing to hear our perspectives.It is an approach tried and true by Paula. We should take into account the strategies that have been used effectively by the African American and Hispanic American communities. There is already a playbook that could be adopted with many similar strategies without being in our own silos. In the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd in 2020, Paula became very concerned about media reports. Paula and Gay Yuen , Chair of the Friends of the Chinese American Museum of Los Angeles, reached out to two congresswomen – Judy Chu and Barbara Lee – about the optics that young people were marching arm-in-arm, but comments were sought by the media from the older generation and siloed by race. One of the important messages is the “disrespect” towards the AAPI community. Incidents of slights for the AAPI community occur in ways that would never exist for the African or Hispanic communities. Paula recognizes that Confucianism does not make waves. Do not be too loud. Try to get along. However, in our society, those values are not held high generally. Consequently, there is a stereotype about people of the AAPI community – they are model minorities who are quiet and do not make waves. They do not create concerns or issues. Paula implores our group to consider that those stereotypes, however incorrect they may be, are not serving us.This is a time in a variety of ways in this society when we are beginning to see some willingness to be more accepting. Maybe there has been discrimination. Maybe we are not being fair. So maybe that door is opening a little bit. But again, Paula opines, when we take a look at xenophobia, that door slams shut right away.Paula’s proposal is to come together and form a strike team - a task force that takes a look at not only media but also legislative actions that will push our communities into the realm of mysterious and fearful. A vibrant discussion followed. The proposal was warmly received. Paula's basic concept has been growing. In upcoming issues of this newsletter, we will further describe a roundtable that took place on April 17, how the concept was put into immediate action in addressing the alien land bills, and the developing vision and plans to further implement the concept.Read summary of Paula's talk: https://bit.ly/3qogBU1 . Watch Paula's talk and discussions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpOg_XkigGI (video 54:50) Latest on Discriminatory Alien Land Bills 1. APA Justice Updates Its Tracking of State Alien Land Bills and Laws APA Justice updated its tracking map and table on June 3, 2023: https://bit.ly/43oJ0YI .According to AL.com and Alabama Political Reporter , Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed House Bill 379, also known as the Property Protection Act, into law to prohibit the governments of China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia from purchasing certain property in the state. The bill drew strong opposition from Chinese Americans living in Alabama after it passed the House. It initially banned Chinese citizens, including those living and working in Alabama, from buying property in the state. Opponents of the bill overflowed a committee room at a public hearing. They said the bill was a baseless attack on Chinese immigrants who work in Alabama in education, medical care, research and other fields, raise their families here, and contribute to their communities in multiple ways.The state Senate changed the bill and passed it on a vote of 26-7, with Republican support and opposition from most Democrats. The House concurred with the changes, sending the bill to the governor for signature.Although the Senate changed the House version of the bill that targeted individuals, concerns from the Chinese American community and others remain. Opponents of the bill said it would contribute to negative attitudes and hostility toward Chinese Americans and other Asian immigrants. They said the sentiment of the original bill, targeting Chinese citizens and failing to distinguish them from the Chinese government, had caused lasting damage. Yeqing Bao , a professor and chair of the Department of Marketing and Management in the College of Business at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, contacted lawmakers and urged them to vote against the bill. Bao was also at the public hearing where the Senate committee changed the bill. “While I support Governor Ivey and our legislators’ goal of safeguarding our country’s national security and economy, the Bill itself is misaligned with that goal,” Bao commented on Ivey signing the bill. Linyuan Guo-Brennan , Secretary of the Central Alabama Association of Chinese, stated the law was racist and discriminatory to all countries targeted by the law. “The passage of the bill demonstrates that Alabama has not come afar from the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act,” Linyuan said. “History has shown us that any law specifically targeting countries and their people is unconstitutional and [discriminatory]. This law is no different, no matter what is the motivation behind it.”The Alabama state law will restrict specific entities or “foreign principals” from certain countries from obtaining agricultural property as well as property on or near a military installation or certain infrastructure facility. The foreign countries include China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia. Read the AL.com report: https://bit.ly/3C6ZUzc . Read the Alabama Political Reporter report: https://bit.ly/3oGIw1b 2. The Hill : Chinese Americans fight back against bans on buying property According to the Hill on June 2, 2023, Asian Americans are fighting back against what they see as discriminatory efforts to ban Chinese citizens from buying property in certain states. “These are Chinese Americans who have come here to build a better life,” said Nabila Mansoor , executive director of Texas progressive group Rise AAPI, which has helped to organize against the Texas bill. “And what you’re telling them is that’s not good enough; we welcome you here with open arms, but we’re not going to give you the same rights and privileges that everyone else has.”The Alabama House passed a similar bill in May, which was scaled back to focus on hostile governments before passing the Senate. Many other states have passed or considered narrower bills that only focus on agricultural land or banning purchases by entities affiliated with the Chinese government. But the broader bills in states like Texas and Florida have drawn particularly fierce pushback. “Florida’s discriminatory property law is unfair, unjustified and unconstitutional,” said Ashley Gorski , a senior staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, which is helping to represent the plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the Florida state law, “Everyone in the United States is entitled to equal protection under our laws, including citizens of other countries.”“All Asian Americans will feel the stigma and the chilling effect created by this Florida law, just like the discriminatory laws did to our ancestors more than a hundred years ago,” said Clay Zhu of the Chinese American Legal Defense [Alliance], a party to the suit. In response to the new Florida law, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) Chairwoman Rep. Judy Chu (D-California) and CAPAC Housing Task Force Chairman Al Green (D-Texas) introduced legislation in Congress to preempt state laws that restrict individuals from purchasing property based on country of citizenship.State Rep. Gene Wu (D), a Texas state legislator who opposed SB 147, said it can take years for people to get a green card, and even longer to become a U.S. citizen. “These are people who are lawful immigrants,” Wu said. “These are people who are here at the behest of the United States.” Wu added that Asian Americans not covered by the legislation could still be impacted if sellers aren’t sure whether they’re allowed to buy property. Haipei Shue , president of United Chinese Americans, said such bills unfairly equate Chinese immigrants with the Chinese government. “You say you hate CCP, but you love Chinese people, then you turn around and you make these laws, at least on the state levels, you’re targeting a whole class of Chinese Americans or Chinese nationals who have nothing to do with the Chinese government,” he said.Read the Hill report: https://bit.ly/43goUQm 3. Major Law Firm Joins Florida Lawsuit and Emergency Motion for Preliminary Injunction During the June 5 APA Justice monthly meeting, Clay Zhu announced that Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP has joined ACLU, DeHeng Law Offices PC, and the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund as co-counsel in the Florida lawsuit. Read the developments of Shen v. Simpson (4:23-cv-00208) at https://bit.ly/43idmvB .On June 6, 2023, a corrected emergency motion for preliminary injunction against implementing and enforcing the new Florida law, SB 264. Without the Court’s intervention, the law will go into effect on July 1, 2023. Read the corrected motion for preliminary injunction: https://bit.ly/43LTRvH How the U.S.-China Clash is Being Felt on Campus According to NBC News on June 2, 2023, there were only about 350 Americans studying in China in the most recent academic year. That compares with about 300,000 students from China at schools and universities in the United States.That imbalance could have long-lasting implications for relations between the two countries, which are already at their worst in decades, said Nicholas Burns , the U.S. ambassador to China. Young people from the U.S. and China “need to have a familiarity with each other,” he said in an interview at an embassy event in Beijing for students heading to the U.S. “American students need to speak Mandarin and learn to be comfortable here so whether they’re in the private sector or the public sector, they have an understanding of how this place works,” Senior U.S. officials have been publicly warning China that a lack of high-level communication risks dangerous incidents “spiraling out of control,” and while students won’t be the answer to any immediate clash, they could prove central to managing relations in the future. Increasing the number of American students in China is crucial for cultivating the U.S. government’s “next generation of China experts,” Burns said. “You want the two countries’ people to be talking to each other, and 20-year-olds probably do that best,” he said. “They achieve a degree of familiarity and expertise in a country that is lifelong.”It wasn’t always like this. A decade ago, there were almost 15,000 American students in China. When the seriousness of Covid-19, which was first detected in China, became clear in early 2020, academic exchange programs were swiftly canceled and international students left the country in droves. But the number of Americans studying in China, like the number of Americans studying abroad generally, was declining even before the pandemic.The drop in numbers comes as U.S.-China relations have soured over a range of issues including trade, human rights and the status of Taiwan. The dearth of American students also contrasts with China’s growing popularity among students from Africa, Latin America and elsewhere in Asia, who are drawn by scholarships and world-class universities funded by China. “It just seems like China is knowing a lot more about the rest of the world, but the U.S. is not getting to know much more about what’s going on outside of the States,” said New York University Shanghai student Cindy Li , 21.Read the NBC News report: https://nbcnews.to/3qjI49j . Watch the NBC News report at https://bit.ly/3oRjkVy (video 5:40). News and Activities for the Communities 1. Demystifying Presidential Appointments for Asian American Scholars On June 8, 2023, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF) will host a webinar in partnership with the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) to cover the process by which those in the scholar community can become Presidential appointees. The Presidential Personnel Office is responsible for aiding the President in recruiting, vetting, and nominating over 4,000 political appointments throughout the federal government. Read the announcement and register for the event: https://bit.ly/43HOGwE 2. Six Universities Join Elite Research Group AAU According to the Washington Post on June 1, 2023, six universities, half public and half private, are joining an invitation-only club of top research institutions. The Association of American Universities (AAU) announced the expansion, bringing its membership to 71, the largest ever. Three public institutions known for providing access to large numbers of disadvantaged students are among the newcomers: Arizona State University, the University of California at Riverside and the University of South Florida. The other three are private universities: George Washington University, University of Miami and Notre Dame. Read the Washington Post report: https://wapo.st/45Ieivh 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 June 8, 2023 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter