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Newsletter - #300 1/6 Monthly Meeting; 11/18 Meeting Summary; Ronnie Chan; Tom Friedman; WSJ Warning; + #300 1/6 Monthly Meeting; 11/18 Meeting Summary; Ronnie Chan; Tom Friedman; WSJ Warning; + In This Issue #300 · 2025/01/06 APA Justice Monthly Meeting · 2024/11/18 APA Justice Monthly Meeting Summary · The Past, Present, and Future of U.S.-China Relations · NYT Opinion: "I Never Felt Like This in China Before" · WSJ : Chinese Students in U.S. Warned to Stay Ahead of Second Trump Term · News and Activities for the Communities 2025/01/06 APA Justice Monthly Meeting The next APA Justice monthly meeting will be held via Zoom on Monday, January 6, 2025, starting at 1:55 pm ET. In addition to updates by Joanna YangQing Derman , Program Director, Advancing Justice | AAJC, and Dr. Kai Li , Vice President, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), invited speakers are: · Congresswoman Judy Chu , Chair Emeritus, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) · Judith Terayu , Executive Director, CAPAC · Sudip Parikh , Chief Executive Officer of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and Executive Publisher of the Science family of journals · Robert S. Chang , Executive Director, Fred T. Korematsu Center for Law and Equality, University of California Irvine School of Law · Paul L. Hoffman , Director of Civil Rights Clinic, University of California Irvine School of Law The virtual monthly meeting is by invitation only. It is closed to the press. If you wish to join, either one time or for future meetings, please contact one of the co-organizers of APAJustice - 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 December 18, 2024, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) issued a statement marking 80 years since the Supreme Court issued a ruling in the landmark case of Korematsu vs. United States, which ruled that Executive Order 9066 authorizing the relocation of over 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry to incarceration camps did not violate Japanese Americans’ rights. The court affirmed the conviction of Fred Korematsu , a Japanese American civil rights activist, who refused to relocate. In 2018, the Supreme Court rejected its 1944 decision in Korematsu with Chief Justice John Roberts writing that “Korematsu was gravely wrong the day it was decided” and “has no place in law under the Constitution.” Read the CAPAC statement: https://bit.ly/3DwWcTf .The Fred T. Korematsu Center for Law and Equality, established in 2009 by Professor Robert S. Chang at Seattle University School of Law, is dedicated to advancing justice and equality through research, advocacy, and education. Named after civil rights hero Fred Korematsu, the center focuses on combating discrimination, empowering communities to advocate for themselves, and training future lawyers committed to social justice. In July 2024, the Korematsu Center relocated to the University of California, Irvine (UCI) School of Law , continuing its mission under Professor Chang's leadership. This move aims to further the center's initiatives in promoting racial equity and social justice on a national scale. Professor Chang is part of the plaintiff's legal team in Jones Eagle LLC v. Ward (4:24-cv-00990) . On December 9, 2024, a District Court in Arkansas granted a preliminary injunction halting Arkansas officials from enforcing state laws restricting foreign ownership of land and digital asset operations within the state.Professor Chang has accepted the invitation to speak at the APA Justice monthly meeting on January 6, 2025. 2024/11/18 APA Justice Monthly Meeting Summary Senator-elect Andy Kim made history as the 1st Asian American from New Jersey elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Now he set another record to become the 1st Asian American in the U.S. Senate from the East Coast. He has dedicated his life to serving the country. He worked as a career public servant under both under both Democratic and Republican administrations, having served at USAID, the Pentagon, the State Department, the White House National Security Council, and in Afghanistan as an advisor to Generals Petraeus and Allen. During the APA Justice monthly meeting on November 18, 2024, Senator-elect Kim said in a video that, at a time when we see so much hate and discrimination out in the public, he wanted to provide the kind of security, comfort, and reassurance to all Americans, including his seven- and nine-year-old children and his two elderly parents at a time of real concern. He said that we need to do a lot more fighting back against anti-Asian hate and discrimination, building the kind of coalition to step up against hate in all forms, taking on some of the different ways in which that fear is weaponized, like the China initiative and other efforts that are unfortunately going to be used going forward. These are difficult times. These are tough times. He hopes to be in a place in the U.S. Senate to be able to work alongside us to fight for the types of things that we all believe in. Senator Kim was sworn into the Senate on Monday, December 9, 2024. His video is posted at https://youtu.be/bBQ4Pq1iagY . Senator Kim welcomes people contacting his team by writing to info@andykim.com .A summary of the APA Justice 2024 November monthly meeting has been posted at: https://bit.ly/4iQMlbh . Read past monthly meeting summaries at: https://bit.ly/3kxkqxP The Past, Present, and Future of U.S.-China Relations On December 2, 2024, Ronnie Chi-Chung Chan 陳啟宗 and Lien-Hang T. Nguyen , a professor at Columbia University, discussed the historical context, current dynamics, and potential future developments in the relationship between the United States and China. The conversation delves into economic, political, and cultural aspects, providing insights into the complexities and challenges that have shaped and continue to influence interactions between the two nations. Columbia University Interim President Katrina Armstrong and University Professor Jeffrey Sachs gave introductory remarks.Ronnie Chi-Chung Chan is a prominent Hong Kong businessman and philanthropist. He serves as Honorary Chair of Hang Lung Properties and Chair Emeritus of the Asia Society. An alumnus of the University of Southern California, where he earned his MBA in 1976, Chan has held influential roles in various international organizations. His philanthropic endeavors are highly notable, particularly through the Morningside Foundation, which has made substantial contributions to educational institutions such as Harvard University and the University of Southern California. Chan is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Lien-Hang T. Nguyen is the Director of the Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University, and the Dorothy Borg Associate Professor of the History of American-East Asian Relations at Columbia's Department of History. Professor Nguyen specializes in the study of the United States in the world, with spatial focus on Southeast Asia and temporal interest in the Cold War. The Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University is a hub for the study of modern and contemporary East, Inner, and Southeast Asia at Columbia University. Its mission is to advance knowledge of East, Inner, and Southeast Asia, both across the University and among the public. "Studying is not just to get a job; studying is to make you a better person. Enjoy your education because studying itself is a joy," Chan said during the webinar. "I'm pessimistic but not passive. If you’re passive, you have no future. We must all do our part, even if it’s small, to try to make a difference. If we don't, the world is doomed."Watch the video at https://bit.ly/49RloQq (1:12:44) NYT Opinion: "I Never Felt Like This in China Before" On December 24, 2024, the New York Times published an opinion titled "I Never Felt Like This in China Before" by Thomas L. Friedman . The opinion examines the complexities and evolving nature of U.S.-China relations in the context of global politics. It underscores that the relationship is no longer just about competition but must also include elements of cooperation. While the U.S. and China are embroiled in a range of issues like trade imbalances, technological rivalry, and differing ideologies, the article suggests that these tensions should not overshadow the need for collaboration. The changing global landscape, with rising economic powers and shifting alliances, makes the U.S.-China dynamic crucial not only for both nations but for the stability of the global order.Friedman emphasizes the importance of addressing key challenges, such as the competition in advanced technologies and the battle for global influence. However, he also points out that areas like climate change and global health are issues that transcend national boundaries and require cooperation between the two superpowers. Rather than focusing solely on confrontational tactics, the article advocates for strategic engagement that acknowledges the necessity of cooperation in certain sectors, while also maintaining healthy competition in others. This balanced approach, the article argues, is vital for avoiding catastrophic outcomes, such as military conflicts or economic decoupling. "Excessive confrontation between the U.S. and China could lead to global instability, which would be detrimental not only to both countries but also to the rest of the world," Friedman said. "Fostering an environment of mutual respect and cooperation is essential for addressing the interconnected challenges of the modern world."Read the New York Times opinion: https://nyti.ms/3BYe0WZ . WSJ : Chinese Students in U.S. Warned to Stay Ahead of Second Trump Term According to the Wall Street Journal on December 26, 2024, Chinese students in the United States are being urged to return to campus before President-elect Donald Trump ’s inauguration on January 20, 2025, due to concerns over potential travel and visa restrictions. Universities such as the University of Houston and Rice University have sent out advisories, encouraging international students to return promptly to avoid disruptions. This guidance stems from uncertainty over possible policy changes under the new administration, especially given President-elect Trump’s track record of restrictive immigration measures during his first term. The concerns are particularly acute for Chinese students, who represent one of the largest groups of international students in the U.S. During Trump’s earlier presidency, various policies—including travel bans and tightened visa regulations—created significant barriers for international students from several countries. While no specific plans targeting Chinese students have been announced, the lingering memory of past restrictions has heightened anxiety among this community. Many students are worried about the possibility of being stranded abroad or facing delays in returning to their studies. This situation underscores the broader challenges faced by international students in the U.S., who must navigate a constantly shifting immigration landscape. International students contribute significantly to the U.S. economy and academic environment, yet they often find themselves caught in political crossfires. Universities are stepping up to provide support, recognizing the critical role these students play on campus and the stress they endure due to uncertain policy changes. Institutions are advising students to secure their legal status and ensure compliance with potential new regulations.The return-to-campus advisories also reflect growing geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and China. Over the years, Chinese students have faced increasing scrutiny in the United States amid allegations of intellectual property theft and national security concerns. These issues, coupled with domestic pressures to tighten immigration controls, have led to a more challenging environment for Chinese nationals pursuing education in the U.S. Universities, however, remain committed to fostering an inclusive environment and minimizing disruption for their students. Ultimately, the situation highlights the precarious position of international students in an era of shifting political priorities. While universities are taking proactive measures, the uncertainty surrounding U.S. immigration policies under the new administration adds an additional layer of difficulty for students. As the global landscape evolves, the need for stable and predictable policies to support international education becomes increasingly urgent, ensuring that students can continue their studies without undue fear of sudden policy shifts.Read the Wall Street Journal report: https://on.wsj.com/41T5tPU News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2025/01/05 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/01/06 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2025/01/15 Master Class: Maintaining the Effectiveness of Organizational Equity Initiatives in the Current Environment2024/01/16 Master Classes: Asian American Career Lessons2025/01/19 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/02/02 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/02/13-15 2025 AAAS Annual Meeting2025/02/16 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall MeetingVisit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details. 2. Breaking News : Passing of President Jimmy Carter According to the Carter Center and multiple media reports, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter passed away peacefully on December 29, 2024, at his home in Plains, Georgia, at the age of 100.President Carter is survived by his children — Jack, Chip, Jeff, and Amy ; 11 grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Rosalynn , and one grandchild.Serving as the 39th President from 1977 to 1981, Carter's administration was marked by significant achievements, including the historic decision to establish formal diplomatic ties with the People's Republic of China, Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt, the SALT II treaty, and the establishment of the Departments of Energy and Education. Carter's commitment to U.S.-China relations extended beyond his presidency. He visited China multiple times and established a China Program within The Carter Center, aiming to promote dialogue and understanding between the two countries.There will be public observances in Atlanta and Washington, D.C., followed by a private interment in Plains, Georgia. The final arrangements for President Carter’s state funeral, including all public events and motorcade routes, are still pending. The schedule will be released by the Joint Task Force-National Capital Region at https://jtfncr.mdw.army.mil/statefunerals/ . Members of the public are encouraged to visit the official tribute website to the life of President Carter at www.jimmycartertribute.org . This site includes the official online condolence book as well as print and visual biographical materials commemorating his life. The Carter family has asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to The Carter Center, 453 John Lewis Freedom Parkway N.E., Atlanta, GA 30307. # # # 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 December 30, 2024 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #174 4/3 Meeting; Texas SB 147; NYT Editorial; Arati Prabhakar; New Bills; Community News #174 4/3 Meeting; Texas SB 147; NYT Editorial; Arati Prabhakar; New Bills; Community News In This Issue #174 2023/04/03 APA Justice Monthly Meeting Opposing Texas SB 147 and Related Discriminatory Bills New York Times Editorial: "Who Benefits From Confrontation With China?" Disturbing Science Interview with OSTP Director Arati Prabhakar Two New Bills on TikTok and Beyond: The DATA Act and RESTRICT Act News and Activities for the Communities 2023/04/03 APA Justice Monthly Meeting The next APA Justice monthly meeting will be held on Monday, April 3, 2023, starting at 1:55 pm ET. Confirmed speakers include: Nisha Ramachandran , Executive Director, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) John Yang 杨重远 , President and Executive Director, Advancing Justice | AAJC Gisela Kusakawa , Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum 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 John Liu 刘醇逸 , Senator, New York State Senate Paula Williams Madison, 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 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 . Opposing Texas SB 147 and Related Discriminatory Bills The UCA Action, a sister organization of the United Chinese Americans (UCA), is launching a media campaign against Texas Senate Bill 147 and other discriminatory bills in Texas. This campaign will soon come to the other states where similar bills have been introduced. According to UCA Action, this is a defining moment for our community as we seek equal protections under the law. This is an opportunity to join the Chinese American civil rights movement. The future of our community depends on each and every one of us rising up to this historic challenge. Visit the UCA Action website at: http://bit.ly/3G60QGg Federal Level of Texas SB147. On March 30, 2023, Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), along with Senator Katie Britt (R-Alabama), introduced the Not One More Inch or Acre Act , legislation. The bill prohibits the purchase of public or private real estate by any Chinese citizen, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) entity, or CCP agent. It is essentially a federal version of Texas SB 147. New York Times Editorial: "Who Benefits From Confrontation With China?" According to an editorial published by the Editorial Board of the New York Times on March 11, 2023, America’s increasingly confrontational posture toward China is a significant shift in U.S. foreign policy that warrants greater scrutiny and debate.For most of the past half-century, the United States sought to reshape China through economic and diplomatic engagement. The Biden administration, by contrast, has shelved the idea that China can be changed in favor of the hope that it can be checked.The White House has moved to limit economic ties with China, to limit China’s access to technology with military applications, to pull back from international institutions where the United States has long sought to engage China and to strengthen ties with China’s neighbors. In recent months, the United States has restricted semiconductor exports to China, and it moved ahead with plans to help Australia obtain nuclear submarines. The administration also is seeking to impose new restrictions on American investments in certain Chinese companies. In treating China as a growing threat to American interests, it is acting with broad support, including from leading Republicans, much of the military and foreign policy establishments, and a growing portion of the business community.It is true that engagement with China has yielded less than its proponents hoped and prophesied. China also is demonstrating a greater willingness to engage in worrying provocations and sailing a balloon over the United States. Yet the relationship between the United States and China, for all its problems, continues to deliver substantial economic benefits to the residents of both countries and to the rest of the world. Moreover, because the two nations are tied together by millions of normal and peaceful interactions every day, there is a substantial incentive to maintain those ties and a basis for working together on shared problems like climate change. Americans’ interests are best served by emphasizing competition with China while minimizing confrontation. Chinese actions and rhetoric also need to be kept in perspective. By the standards of superpowers, China remains a homebody. Its foreign engagements remain primarily economic. China has been playing a much more active role in international affairs in recent years, but China continues to show strikingly little interest in persuading other nations to adopt its social and political values.There are also signs that China’s leaders are not united in supporting a more confrontational posture. It behooves the United States to reassure those who may be open to reassurance. America and China are struggling with many of the same challenges: how to ensure what President Xi Jinping has termed “common prosperity” in an age of income inequality; how to rein in the worst excesses of capitalism without losing its vital creative forces; how to care for an aging population and young people who want more out of life than work; how to slow the pace of climate change and to manage its disruptive impacts, including mass migration.The core of America’s China strategy, building stronger relationships with our allies, is sound policy. Over time, the United States ought to seek a greater alignment between its economic interests and other national goals. But the United States should not pull back from forums where it has long engaged China. Declining to support the World Trade Organization is a mistake. The construction of a rules-based international order, in which America played the leading role, was one of the most important achievements of the 20th century. It cannot be preserved if the United States does not continue to participate in those institutions. The Biden administration’s continuation of Trump-era restrictions on trade with China, and its imposition of a host of new restrictions, is also a dubious strategy.The confrontational turn also makes it harder for the United States and China to cooperate on addressing climate change and on other issues where national interests could plausibly align.Much of the shift in China policy has been justified as necessary for national defense. National security considerations can provide a legitimate rationale for limiting some types of trade with China. But it can also provide a legitimizing vocabulary for protectionist measures that are not in the interest of Americans. In the long term, the best guarantee of American security has always been American prosperity and engagement with the rest of the world.That’s true for China, too.Read the New York Times editorial: https://nyti.ms/3K2svJm 2003 Academy Award-Winning Best Documentary - The Fog of War THE FOG OF WAR is the story of America as seen through the eyes of the former Secretary of Defense, under President John Kennedy and President Lyndon Johnson , Robert S. McNamara . McNamara was one of the most controversial and influential political figures of the 20th century. In the documentary, he offered a candid and intimate journey through some of the most seminal events in American history. As leader of the world's most powerful military force during one of this nation's volatile periods, McNamara offers new and often surprising insights into the 1945 bombing of Tokyo, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the effects of the Vietnam War. THE FOG OF WAR won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2003 In a preview of the documentary, McNamara was asked, "have you ever been wrong, sir?" At the end of the preview, McNamara said, "we saw Vietnam as an element of the Cold War, not what they saw it as a civil war. We were wrong." Watch the preview of THE FOG OF WAR: https://imdb.to/3JTpsED Disturbing Science Interview with OSTP Director Arati Prabhakar Arati Prabhakar was confirmed by the Senate to serve as the Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology (OSTP) on October 3, 2022. According to a report by Science on March 28, 2023, she laid out her vision for the $700-billion-a-year enterprise in her first extended media interview on March 24, 2023.The daughter of Indian immigrants who came to the United States when she was 3 years old, Prabhakar flagged a more diverse scientific workforce as another essential ingredient. But Prabhakar offered no olive branch to those scientists of Chinese ancestry who feel the U.S. government has unfairly targeted them in seeking to thwart China’s efforts to overtake the United States in science and innovation.Earlier on March 23, 2023, Science reported that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) conducted its own version of the “China initiative” and has upended hundreds of lives and destroyed scores of academic careers. Michael Lauer , NIH Deputy Director for Extramural Research, led the NIH "China Initiative." He has also been a Co-Chair of the National Science and Technology Council's Subcommittee on Research Security, working closely with OSTP for the past two plus years.Also on March 23, 2023, a Science editorial called for the federal government to account for NIH's xenophobic program to harm Chinese scientists and cut off international scientific cooperation.In the original excerpt from the Science interview with Arati Prabhakar: Q: Do you think that Chinese-born scientists working in the United States have been unfairly persecuted as agents of the Chinese Communist Party and are owed some kind of apology from the government? A: I’m not in a position to comment on that. I don’t know enough about it. I don’t think it’s our role to determine precisely what happened in the past. … But the world has changed, and [China] has taken actions that are very concerning. And it’s very much our role to find a path forward for research security, one that treats people with respect but that also wrestles with this very tough issue. The subsequent revised excerpts from the Science interview with Arati Prabhakar: Q: Anything new on research security? A: It is one of the hardest issues that everyone is grappling with right now … because of the changes that have happened in the world, the competition that we’re in, and clear actions [by China] that are concerning. And there’s no place for xenophobia and people have to be treated fairly. Q: In that regard, do you think Chinese-born scientists working in the United States have been unfairly persecuted as agents of the Chinese Communist Party and are owed some kind of apology from the government? A: I’m not in a position to comment on that. I don’t know enough about [specific cases]. I don’t think it’s OSTP’s role to determine precisely what happened in the past. … [But] it’s very much our role to find a path forward for research security, one that treats people with respect but that also wrestles with this very tough issue. And we’re doing that work, because I think it has to get done. Note by Science: Update, 29 March, 5:10 p.m.: This story has been revised to include additional comments by Arati Prabhakar on research security and to clarify her response to a question about how Chinese-born scientists have been treated. For the many Chinese-born scientists who have been unfairly persecuted, their past sufferings are still their present and future that must not be ignored.Read the Science report: https://bit.ly/40rTbu3 Two New Bills on TikTok and Beyond: The DATA Act and RESTRICT Act According to a report by Lawfare on March 23, 2023, on February 24, Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) introduced the Deterring America’s Technological Adversaries (DATA) Act , which would provide the president with more authorities to block transactions associated with the import or export of Americans’ “sensitive data” where there are national security risks. The bill quoted previous, public comments from FBI Director Christopher Wray , Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines , and CIA Director Bill Burns that they believe TikTok presents national security risks to the United States. On March 1, 2023, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) condemned the DATA Act, due to First Amendment concerns. Jenna Leventoff , senior policy counsel at ACLU, issued the following statement: “We’re disappointed that the House Foreign Affairs Committee voted to approve a bill that would effectively ban TikTok in the United States, in violation of Americans’ First Amendment rights. We urge legislators to vote no on this vague, overbroad, and unconstitutional bill.”On March 7, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), along with 10 other senators, introduced the Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology (RESTRICT) Act . It would authorize the secretary of commerce to review and prohibit certain transactions between persons in the U.S. and foreign adversaries, focused on information and communications technologies (ICTs) that pose risks to U.S. national security—put simply, investigating tech products and services that could pose national security risks. The bill did not name TikTok specifically, but it was clearly one of the companies in mind when the bill was written. According to a press release by ACLU on March 7, 2023, the RESTRICT Act would significantly expand the Executive Branch’s power to control what apps and technologies Americans can access, while limiting Americans’ ability to challenge those actions in court. It would also impose civil and criminal penalties for violating bans imposed pursuant to the legislation, which could be used against people attempting to evade a TikTok ban. Jenna Leventoff said in the press release, “the Senate bill would ultimately allow the Commerce Secretary to ban entire communications platforms, which would have profound implications for our constitutional right to free speech. If the Secretary uses this newfound power to ban TikTok or other communications platforms without evidence of overwhelming, imminent harm, it would violate our right to freedom of expression.”Read the Lawfare report: http://bit.ly/3ZqsaG1 1 . Republican Senator Rand Paul blocks bid to ban Chinese-owned TikTok . According to a report by Reuters on March 29, 2023, U.S. Republican Senator Rand Paul blocked a bid to fast-track a ban of popular Chinese-owned social media app TikTok, which more than 150 million Americans use, citing concerns about free speech and uneven treatment of social media companies."I think we should beware of those who use fear to coax Americans to relinquish our liberties," Paul said on the Senate floor. "Every accusation of data gathering that has been attributed to TikTok could also be attributed to domestic big tech companies.""If Republicans want to continuously lose elections for a generation they should pass this bill to ban TikTok -- a social media app used by 150 million people, primarily young Americans," Paul said on the Senate floor. "Do we really want to emulate Chinese speech bans?... We're going to be just like China and ban speech we're afraid of?" A small but growing number of Democrats and Republicans have raised concerns, citing free speech and other issues and have objected to legislation targeting TikTok as overly broad.Read the Reuters report: https://reut.rs/3nB8FNZ 2 . TikTok creators, some U.S. Democratic lawmakers oppose ban on app. According to a report by Reuters on March 22, 2023, TikTok creators and three U.S. Democratic Party lawmakers said they opposed any potential ban on the Chinese-owned short video sharing app that is used by more than 150 million Americans.Representatives Jamaal Bowman , Mark Pocan and Robert Garcia and TikTok creators called at a press conference in Washington for broad-based privacy legislation that would address all large social media companies. "Why the hysteria and the panic and the targeting of TikTok?" Bowman asked. "Let's do the right thing here - comprehensive social media reform as it relates to privacy and security." Creators talked about posting videos of baking cakes or selling greeting cards to TikTok followers. Some held up signs saying TikTok benefits small businesses. TikTok says 5 million businesses use the app.TikTok creator Jason Linton uses TikTok to share videos of his three adopted children in Oklahoma and has interacted with people around the world. "I am asking our politicians - don't take away the community that we've all built - a community that lasts, that loves," Linton said at the press conference. Pocan said a "xenophobic witch hunt" is motivating some in Congress to seek a TikTok ban. "Banning TikTok isn't the answer. Making sure Americans data is safe is," he said.Senator Ed Markey , a Democrat, said on the Senate floor that TikTok is a threat that needs to be addressed but it is not the only surveillance threat to young people. That position "is deliberately missing the Big Tech forest for the TikTok trees." Read the Reuters report: https://reut.rs/3TZoc67 News and Activities for the Communities On March 21, 2023, the 1882 Foundation presented The Summit Tunnel: Diversity and Pride in Building the American Nation, a film screening and reception event featuring film screenings and discussions with subject matter experts on the Summit Tunnel, a historic part of the Transcontinental Railroad constructed through the Sierra Nevada mountains by largely unrecognized Chinese workers. The Summit Tunnel is a critical cultural and historical site to Chinese Americans, but is threatened by graffiti defacement and a lack of preservation. Watch the video: https://bit.ly/3TXgJV8 (1:19:49) 2. The Data Delusion. On March 27, the New Yorker published a report on The Data Delusion. Jill Lepore , Professor of History at Harvard University, asks “What’s the price to humanity of uploading everything anyone has ever known onto a worldwide network of tens of millions or billions of machines and training them to learn from it to produce new knowledge?” The report goes through the history of data science, and examines the ways that humans have been collecting information—long before A.I. became the latest obsession. Even modern tools, with their bits and bytes of magic, have limits. It explores how ambitious endeavors in the field may eventually underwhelm us, and surveys the genius and folly of modern innovators. It turns out there is plenty of value left in older forms of knowledge. No one, after all, wants to sound like the disgraced cryptocurrency investor Sam Bankman-Fried, who declared in an interview last year, “I would never read a book.” Read the New Yorker report: http://bit.ly/3zluqUr Subscribe to The APA Justice Newsletter Complete this simple form at https://bit.ly/2FJunJM to subscribe. Please share it with those who wish to be informed and join the fight. View past newsletters here: https://bit.ly/APAJ_Newsletters . Back View PDF April 1, 2023 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #308 2/3 Monthly Meeting; Lunar New Year; Funding Freeze Chaos; KU Faculty Supports Tao + #308 2/3 Monthly Meeting; Lunar New Year; Funding Freeze Chaos; KU Faculty Supports Tao + In This Issue #308 · 2025/02/03 APA Justice Monthly Meeting · CAPAC Chair Meng Introduces Legislation to Commemorate Lunar New Year · Trump Administration Rescinds Federal Funding Freeze Memo After Chaos · KU Faculty Letters of Support for Franklin Tao's Reinstatement · News and Activities for the Communities 2025/02/03 APA Justice Monthly Meeting The next APA Justice monthly meeting will be held via Zoom on Monday, February 3, 2025, starting at 1:55 pm ET. In addition to updates by Judith Teruya , Executive Director, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), Joanna YangQing Derman , Program Director, Advancing Justice | AAJC, and Kai Li 李凯 , Vice President, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), confirmed speakers are: · Gary Locke 骆家辉 , Chair, Committee of 100; former U.S. Ambassador to China; former U/S. Secretary of Commerce; former Governor of the State of Washington · Julia Chang Bloch 張之香 , Founder and Executive Chair, US-China Education Trust; former U.S. Ambassador · Bethany Li , Executive Director, Asian American Legal Defense Education Fund (AALDEF) · Scott Chang , Senior Counsel, National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) The virtual monthly meeting is by invitation only. It is closed to the press. If you wish to join, either one time or for future meetings, please contact one of the co-organizers of APA Justice - Steven Pei 白先慎 , Vincent Wang 王文奎 , and Jeremy Wu 胡善庆 - or send a message to contact@apajustice.org . CAPAC Chair Meng Introduces Legislation to Commemorate Lunar New Year According to a press release by the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), U.S. Representative Grace Meng (NY-06), Chair of CAPAC, reintroduced a legislative package to commemorate Lunar New Year.Congresswoman Meng's legislative package includes the Lunar New Year Day Act which would establish Lunar New Year as the 12th federal holiday recognized across the United States. It also includes a resolution that recognizes the cultural and historical significance of Lunar New Year. On January 29, 2025 - New Year Day of the Year of Snake - CAPAC posted a video on X in which 16 CAPAC members from Hawaii to New York, led by Congresswoman Meng, talked about their favorite Lunar New Year traditions and celebrations. Watch the video: https://bit.ly/40CJbzt (3:03).***** WHAT : DC Chinese Lunar New Year Parade WHEN: February 2, 2025, 2:00 pm ET WHERE: Chinatown, Washington DC HOST: Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association of Washington, DC in partnership with the DC Mayor’s Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs DESCRIPTION: In the lunar calendar, it will be the year 4723! The streets of DC’s Chinatown will be filled with revelers and spectators as we celebrate the Year of the Snake. In Chinese zodiac, the snake is associated with wisdom, charm, elegance, and transformation. People born in the Year of the Snake are believed to be intuitive, strategic, and intelligent. People born as Snakes are mysterious, smart, wise, charming, good at talking, determined, and caring. They value knowledge, work hard to achieve goals, and form deep bonds in relationships. FOR MORE INFORATION: www.dcparade.com Trump Administration Rescinds Federal Funding Freeze Memo After Chaos Multiple media reports on January 29, 2025, confirmed that President Donald Trump rescinded a memo from acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget Matthew Vaeth freezing spending on federal loans and grants, less than two days after it led to chaos and widespread confusion and legal challenges across the country. Issued on January 27, the memo alarmed states, schools, and organizations dependent on federal funds. The vague directive left nonprofits, small businesses, universities, and other entities scrambling to assess its impact, while congressional offices were inundated with concerns from constituents fearing financial losses. In addition to creating confusion, the memo sparked numerous lawsuits , including from a coalition of nonprofits and Democratic state attorneys general. By January 28, Medicaid, education, and housing funds had been affected. That evening, a federal district judge temporarily blocked the order, adding to the turmoil in Washington and beyond.On January 29, Rep. Grace Meng , Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), condemned the freeze as appalling and unlawful. She warned it would harm all Americans, including AANHPI communities, by undermining critical programs such as nutrition aid, small business support, clean water initiatives, education, and public safety. Meng stressed that federal aid is a necessity and urged Trump to restore the funds immediately, emphasizing that millions of Americans rely on them.According to Inside Higher Ed , although the Trump administration walked back its plan to freeze trillions in federal grants and loans, a review of thousands of federal programs continues, along with a pause on grant reviews at the National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Institutes of Health (NIH). The White House is still moving forward with plans to stop funding programs that are at odds with the president’s executive orders. As part of the review, agencies will have to answer a series of questions for each program, including whether the programs fund DEI, support “illegal aliens” or promote “gender ideology.” The disruption to federal research funding has set university researchers and scientists on edge, and the grant reviews are still on hold. Given the stakes, this issue is far from settled. The rescission is far from ending the chaos.2025/01/29 CAPAC: Statement from CAPAC Chair Meng on the Trump Administration’s Decision to Freeze Federal Financial Assistance 2025/01/29 The Hill : White House budget office rescinds federal funding freeze memo 2025/01/29 CBS News : Trump administration rescinds federal funding freeze memo after chaos 2025/01/29 Newsweek : Trump Administration Freeze on Federal Grants Ended, Questions Remain 2025/01/29 BBC News : White House rescinds memo on freezing federal grants and loans 2025/01/29 AP News : Trump White House rescinds memo freezing federal money after widespread confusion 2025/01/29 CNBC : White House says Trump funding freeze remains in effect despite rescinding OMB memo 2025/01/29 Inside Higher Ed : NSF and NIH Grant Reviews Still On Hold After White House Rescinds Memo 2025/01/28 Washington Post : Federal judge blocks Trump federal spending freeze after a day of chaos KU Faculty Letters of Support for Franklin Tao's Reinstatement According to the University Daily Kansan on January 27, 2025, faculty members at the University of Kansas (KU) have been actively advocating for the reinstatement of Dr. Feng "Franklin" Tao , a tenured professor who was dismissed following federal charges in 2019. Despite the eventual overturning of all of his charges, KU has not reinstated Dr. Tao, prompting faculty to write letters of support emphasizing his contributions to the university and the importance of upholding academic freedom and justice. The KU Asian and Asian American faculty staff council sent a letter in August to Provost Barbara Bichelmeyer urging for the reinstatement of Tao.KU’s Faculty Senate sent its own letter to the Provost in December after learning of the Asian and Asian-American Faculty Staff Council’s letter.According to Huazhen Fang , Executive Leadership Team Member of the Asian and Asian American Faculty Staff Council, the Council has received no response from university administration. Faculty Senate President Sam Brody said the Faculty Senate did not receive a response to its letter, either.The KU Asian and Asian American Faculty Staff Council argue in its letter that “it would set a dangerous and unjust precedent for a tenured professor, like Dr. Tao, to be removed from his position as a result of failed prosecution.” It questions whether he received due process from the University before being fired. The Council asserts that Tao was targeted as part of a larger campaign against Asians and Asian Americans, comparing Trump’s China Initiative, which was meant to target Chinese espionage, to McCarthyism. The letter states that Asian American academics, students and staff will continue to live in fear of being targeted because of stigma and discrimination unless something changes.The Faculty Senate’s letter echoes the claims of the Asian and Asian-American Faculty Staff Council, stating that KU should “provide a welcoming and safe environment for faculty and staff of all backgrounds.” It also asserts the importance of academic freedom and safety from “frivolous or politically-motivated prosecutions.”Read the University Daily Kansan report: https://bit.ly/4jzy2It National Science, Technology, and Security Roundtable Capstone On January 28, 2025, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) released the proceedings of the Capstone Workshop of the National Academies’ National Science, Technology, and Security Roundtable (NSTSR). NSTSR was established by the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act to address critical issues surrounding U.S. national and economic security while promoting the open exchange of ideas and international talent.According to the NASEM report, U.S. values such as openness and scientific rigor were highlighted as key strengths in research. While international collaboration is essential for advancing research, participants stressed the importance of being mindful of differing values regarding transparency, reciprocity, and accountability when working with other nations. Even trusted allies may have different security and openness policies, prompting some to challenge the assumption of mutual trust in scientific collaborations. Caution was advised in engaging with international partners where these values are not shared.Participants advocated for an "all-of-system" approach to strengthen U.S. national security and science leadership, calling for harmonized research security policies across federal agencies and clearer guidelines for international collaborations. They emphasized the importance of fostering relationships between the research community, law enforcement, and intelligence agencies to enable informed, case-by-case security decisions, with experts supporting these efforts.A flexible, risk-based strategy was recommended to balance openness in research with protecting sensitive work. This approach would evaluate risks and benefits based on the personnel and research topics involved, with institutions tailoring their risk management strategies. Federal agencies were urged to identify and categorize sensitive information carefully to ensure appropriate handling.Many participants stressed that maintaining U.S. national security requires not just protective measures but also significant investment in open, fundamental scientific research. They argued that the U.S. can stay competitive in the global Science and Technology (S&T) race by increasing investments, particularly in talent development and building a workforce capable of supporting the nation's scientific and technological needs. Participants proposed next steps for research security, including developing a comprehensive S&T strategy, boosting STEM education, and improving talent recruitment. They stressed educating the public on the importance of S&T to national security and cautioned against focusing solely on threats from China, noting challenges from other countries. Collaboration with international allies and careful vetting were also emphasized.There was a call to avoid inconsistent application of Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) restrictions and to better understand foreign interference in research. Ongoing dialogue among academia, government, and industry was seen as crucial for addressing research security risks.Read Proceedings of the Capstone Workshop and National Science, Technology, and Security website . News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2025/01/31 2025 Asian American Stories Video Contest: My Gift to America2025/02/02 DC Chinese Lunar New Year Parade2025/02/02 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/02/03 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2023/02/03 Getting China Right: Launch of ACF Institute at SAIS, Johns Hopkins University2025/02/13-15 2025 AAAS Annual Meeting2025/02/16 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting 2025/02/23 World Premier of "Quixotic Professor Qiu" with Xiaoxing Xi2025/03/02 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/03/03 APA Justice Monthly Meeting Visit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details. 2. World Premier of "Quixotic Professor Qiu" "Quixotic Professor Qiu," a thought-provoking satirical play, will debut on January 31, 2025, at The Drake, 302 S. Hicks Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102. Written by Damon Chua and directed by Chongren Fan , the production will run through February 23, 2025.Inspired by real-life incidents involving Chinese American scientists accused of economic espionage, the play tells the story of a fictional math professor entangled in a web of suspicion from the FBI and his university colleagues. At the same time, he struggles to maintain a fragile relationship with a childhood friend in China. As tensions rise, Professor Qiu is forced to choose between his birth country and adopted land, between loyalty and self-preservation.Following the 2 pm matinee on Sunday, February 23, 2025, Producing Artistic Director Seth Rozin will host a moderated conversation with Professor Xiaoxing Xi , diving into the play’s themes. Please note that speaker hosts and guests are subject to change. Contact the Box Office at 215-568-8079 ahead for updates.For more information, visit https://bit.ly/4h7OBtp # # # 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 January 31, 2025 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #161 Franklin Tao; National Strategy; House Committees; Texas Bill; Asian Student Stabbed​ #161 Franklin Tao; National Strategy; House Committees; Texas Bill; Asian Student Stabbed In This Issue #161 Breaking News : Feng "Franklin" Tao Sentenced - No Prison and No Fine National Strategy to Advance Equity, Justice, and Opportunity for AANHPI Communities Released House Select Committees Texas Bill Forbids Chinese Nationals from Purchasing Land Indiana University student stabbed in apparent anti-Asian attack Breaking News : Feng "Franklin" Tao Sentenced - No Prison and No Fine Kansas University (KU) Professor Feng "Franklin" Tao 陶丰 was the first academic to be indicted under the now-defunct "China Initiative."Professor Tao was originally charged with eight counts of wire fraud and two counts of false statements. After voluntary dismissals and acquittals by the judge and jury on the other charges, Professor Tao was convicted by jury on one count of false statement. He faced sentencing in federal court in Kansas City, Kansas, on January 18, 2023. According to a report by Science , a federal judge handed down the lightest possible sentence in the U.S. government’s case against Professor Tao. The decision is the latest rejection by U.S. courts of the government’s attempt to prosecute Chinese-born scientists for lapses in reporting their research interactions with China.U.S. District Court Senior Judge Julie Robinson imposed no jail time and no fine for Tao in sentencing him for making a false statement to KU in reporting his ties to Fuzhou University. Government attorneys had requested a 30-month sentence and a fine of $100,000. Tao, who has been on unpaid administrative leave from KU since his arrest in August 2019, faces 2 years of probation, but Robinson said that could be cut in half for good behavior.Speaking from the bench before the sentencing, Robinson made a point of separating Tao’s case from those of alleged economic espionage under the now-defunct "China Initiative," begun in 2018 during the administration of then-President Donald Trump. “This was not an economic espionage case,” Robinson said. Neither was Tao trying to rip off the government, the judge continued. “Frankly, I thought going into this case that I was going to hear evidence … [that Tao] hurt taxpayers,” Robinson said. Instead, the work Tao was doing “is the type of research that is fundamental research … something that is freely shared.”“Dr. Tao is immensely relieved that Judge Robinson agreed that a sentence of time served was appropriate,” his lawyer, Peter Zeidenberg , said in a statement after the sentence was handed down. Zeidenberg said Tao will ask an appellate court to throw out his conviction. Tao is also fighting the university’s efforts to terminate his employment as a tenured professor. Gisela Kusakawa , Executive Director of Asian American Scholar Forum, was in the courthouse and provided live reporting via Tweeter . The courtroom was completely full of concerned community members and academics. There were not enough available seats with folks standing.A GoFundMe campaign to raise legal defense funds for Professor is here: https://bit.ly/2Uj7Z19 Read the Science report at https://bit.ly/3XKRQNr . Read about Professor Tao's case at https://bit.ly/3fZWJvK Another "China Initiative" Case Dropped. On January 16, 2023, CNN reported that Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn moved to dismiss charges against a New York Police Department officer who had been accused of acting as a foreign agent on behalf of the Chinese government. Baimadajie Angwang , a naturalized U.S. citizen of Tibetan ethnicity and a Marine Corps veteran, was charged in September 2020 with acting as a foreign agent for China without notifying American authorities, wire fraud, making false statements and obstruction of an official proceeding. The 2020 arrest was another case brought under the now-defunct "China Initiative.” Read more about the CNN report at https://cnn.it/3XIwbWa National Strategy to Advance Equity, Justice, and Opportunity for AANHPI Communities Released On January 17, 2023, the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI) convened federal government officials and community leaders to mark the release of the Biden-Harris Administration’s first-ever National Strategy to Advance Equity, Justice, and Opportunity for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA and NHPI) Communities . At a special virtual event, senior Biden-Harris Administration officials outlined the details of 32 federal agency plans, which build on the Administration’s previous actions to promote safety and equity for AA and NHPIs. Community leaders also discussed additional steps the federal government can take to address critical priorities for AA and NHPI communities, including data disaggregation, language access, and combatting anti-Asian hate.Watch the event here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKGDADNmzqw (1:54:43) House Select Committees On January 18, 2023, Judge Rep. Grace Meng 孟昭文 , First Vice Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), issued a statement on the creation of a Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Communist Party of China, for which she voted against. "I have concerns with the potential direction that Republicans could take this Select Committee, including using this platform to promote policies and language that endanger Chinese Americans and people of Asian descent living in the U.S. By creating a new committee that focuses only on one country, instead of working with already existing House committees that currently have jurisdiction over the exact same issues, it could lead to unnecessary targeting of Americans of Asian descent living in the U.S. ... My hope is that the Select Committee will avoid past mistakes and instead focus on specific policy concerns related to the government of the People’s Republic of China and our own national interests," said Rep. Meng in the statement. Read Rep. Meng's statement here: http://bit.ly/3XbMiLK On January 12, 2023, NBC News reported "Asian American Democrats jostle for top slot on new GOP China committee." According to the report, Asian American lawmakers are making the case to House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries that he should appoint one of their own as the top Democrat on the new GOP-controlled select committee to examine competition between the U.S. and China. Amid a rise in anti-Asian violence spurred by the coronavirus pandemic, they want to make sure the panel is striking the right tone, remaining sensitive to the Asian American and Pacific Islander community and not further fanning the flames of xenophobia. Rep. Judy Chu 赵美心 , D-Calif., the chair of CAPAC, said she has spoken to Jeffries and recommended that Rep. Andy Kim , D-N.J., should be the ranking member. Kim, a former State Department official who later was a national security adviser in the Obama White House, has also spoken with Jeffries, D-N.Y., about the role, he said Thursday. Chu made it clear that she is advocating for Kim in her personal capacity — not on behalf of CAPAC, which held a lengthy meeting about the topic but has not endorsed a specific candidate for the job.At least two other CAPAC members have expressed interest in the ranking member slot: Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi , D-Ill., a member of the Intelligence Committee, and Ro Khanna , D-Calif., a former Commerce Department official who represents a heavily Asian American district in Silicon Valley. Democrats get seven slots on the committee. Rep. Chu said she has recommended that Jeffries place four CAPAC members on the special panel: Kim, Krishnamoorthi, Khanna and Mark Takano of California, the top Democrat on the Veterans Affairs Committee. Read the NBC News report here: https://nbcnews.to/3XalRpU On January 13, 2023, Science reported "Now in charge, House Republicans launch flurry of investigations." According to the report, the new Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives has created three investigative panels: (1) Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party due to "concerns in both parties that China has used economic espionage to help become a global leader in key high-tech fields, including energy storage, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing“, (2) Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic to "focus on claims, unsupported by evidence, that a laboratory in Wuhan, China, either bioengineered or accidentally released SARS-CoV-2 obtained from bats," (3) Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government to probe “how executive branch agencies collect, compile, analyze, use, or disseminate information about citizens of the United States, including any unconstitutional, illegal, or unethical activities committed against U.S. citizens.”Read the Science report here: https://bit.ly/3iAdsgt Texas Bill Forbids Chinese Nationals from Purchasing Land According to the Equal Justice Initiative , on May 3, 1913, California enacted the Alien Land Law, barring Asian immigrants from owning land. California tightened the law further in 1920 and 1923, barring the leasing of land and land ownership by American-born children of Asian immigrant parents or by corporations controlled by Asian immigrants.California did not stand alone. Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Minnesota, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming all enacted discriminatory laws restricting Asians’ rights to hold land in America. In 1923, the U.S. Supreme Court reviewed various versions of the discriminatory land laws—and upheld every single one. Most of these discriminatory state laws remained in place until the 1950s, and some even longer. On November 13, 2022, Texas Senator Lois Kolkhorst introduced Texas Bill SB 147 on "Relating to the purchase of or acquisition of title to real property by certain aliens or foreign entities." It prohibits not only governmental and certain entities, but also individuals who are citizens of of China, Iran, North Korea, or Russia to purchase or otherwise acquire title to real property in Texas, which includes legal permanent residents. The bill was filed after the Texas legislature unanimously passed the “Lone Star Infrastructure Protection Act” banning all contracts or agreements with foreign-owned companies related to critical infrastructure in Texas. Governor Greg Abbott signed it into law in 2021. Read the Texas SB 147 bill at http://bit.ly/3XEQhQP Indiana University student stabbed in apparent anti-Asian attack On January 15, 2023, the Washington Post and NPR reported that a 56-year-old woman stabbed an 18-year-old Indiana University student while riding a public bus in Bloomington. The suspect told police she stabbed the victim because the victim was "Chinese," adding that it "would be one less person to blow up our country."The suspect, Billie R. Davis has been charged with attempted murder, aggravated battery and battery with a deadly weapon.Security camera footage showed that Davis and the woman had not interacted before the attack. The footage showed Davis stabbing or attempting to stab her about seven times before returning to her seat on the bus. The student received treatment at a Bloomington hospital for several head wounds. Her condition was not released.Since the attack, Asian American students and staff at Indiana University have been grappling with grief, anger, anxiety, and fear, according to Melanie Castillo-Cullather, the director of the school's Asian Culture Center. "This has been a very traumatic experience for our Asian community," Castillo-Cullather told NPR. "We will never forget this."A total of 10,905 hate incidents against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders were reported between March 19, 2020, and Dec. 31, 2021, according to the advocacy group Stop AAPI Hate. Of them, about 16 percent involved a physical assault. Most happened in public spaces, with about 8 percent of incidents reported taking place on public transportation.Read the Washington Post report https://wapo.st/3Hf3muQ . Read the NPR report https://n.pr/3QRl0bk 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 January 19, 2023 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #98 Letter to AG; NYT Report; "Chinese Initiative" Cases; 12/06 Monthly Meeting; More #98 Letter to AG; NYT Report; "Chinese Initiative" Cases; 12/06 Monthly Meeting; More Back View PDF November 29, 2021 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

U.S. Rep. Grace Meng has introduced legislation to ensure that students across the U.S. learn about the contributions of Asian and Pacific Americans. October 5, 2020 U.S. Rep. Grace Meng announced the Teaching Asian Pacific American History Act on October 5, 2020 to ensure that students across the U.S. learn about the influence and contributions of Asian and Pacific Americans. Read more 2020/10/05 Rep. Grace Meng: Meng Introduced Legislation to Promote The Teaching of Asian Pacific American History in Schools 2020/10/06 Queens Daily Eagle: Meng introduces bill to ensure students learn about Asian American history U.S. Rep. Grace Meng has introduced legislation to ensure that students across the U.S. learn about the contributions of Asian and Pacific Americans. Previous Next Teaching Asian Pacific American History Act Introduced

Newsletter - #44 Registration Opens for Third Webinar; "China Initiative"; Hate Crimes #44 Registration Opens for Third Webinar; "China Initiative"; Hate Crimes Back View PDF February 19, 2021 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #342 Citizenship Order Blocked; Monthly Meeting Recap; Perkins Coie on Government Scrutiny+ #342 Citizenship Order Blocked; Monthly Meeting Recap; Perkins Coie on Government Scrutiny+ In This Issue #342 · Legal Challenges Continue to Block Trump’s Executive Order on Birthright Citizenship · Summary of 2025/07/07 APA Justice Monthly Meeting (in progress) · Facing Government Scrutiny? Read This from Perkins Coie · News and Activities for the Communities Legal Challenges Continue to Block Trump’s Executive Order on Birthright Citizenship According to AP , CNN , Just Security , and multiple media reports, President Trump’s January 20, 2025, Executive Order 14160, which seeks to deny automatic U.S. citizenship to children born on American soil with non‑citizen parents, remains blocked by federal court rulings despite a recent Supreme Court decision that limited the reach of nationwide injunctions.On June 27, 2025, the Supreme Court held that individual district judges may no longer issue universal nationwide injunctions. However, it clarified that class-action injunctions remain valid, preserving a legal pathway for nationwide relief under certain circumstances.One such ruling came from U.S. District Judge Joseph LaPlante in New Hampshire, who certified a class of affected children and issued a nationwide injunction that remains in effect pending appeal. Although the Supreme Court’s decision would have allowed the order to take effect on July 27 in states not covered by separate injunctions, Judge LaPlante’s ruling ensures continued nationwide protection.“The judge’s order protects every single child whose citizenship was called into question by this illegal executive order,” Cody Wofsy , the ACLU attorney representing children who would be affected by Trump’s restrictions, said. “The government has not appealed and has not sought emergency relief so this injunction is now in effect everywhere in the country.”Elsewhere, U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin of Massachusetts is weighing whether to maintain a previously issued nationwide injunction or to narrow or stay it in light of the Supreme Court’s decision. During a recent hearing, Judge Sorokin appeared skeptical of the government’s arguments. Using an analogy about a noisy neighbor and a hastily proposed wall to block sound, he questioned how the government intended to comply with the law: “What you are telling me is we will do it but, in response to my question, you have no answer how you will do it,” he said. U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman of Maryland stated in an opinion on July 18 that she would grant class action status on behalf of all children affected by the executive order and grant a preliminary injunction blocking it. But she did not immediately rule, noting a previous decision of hers to block the order was on appeal to the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court and that court would have to return the case to her. Judge Boardman said an immediate ruling from her would “promote judicial efficiency and economy because it would enable the Fourth Circuit to consider the merits of a class-wide preliminary injunction sooner rather than later.” At the core of these lawsuits is the 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868 in response to the Dred Scott decision, which denied citizenship to African Americans. In United States v. Wong Kim Ark (1898), the Supreme Court affirmed that children born in the U.S. to non-citizen immigrant parents are citizens by birth, unless their parents are foreign diplomats or enemy occupiers. This precedent remains a foundational element of birthright citizenship law—and the focal point of the current legal battles. Summary of 2025/07/07 APA Justice Monthly Meeting (in progress) The APA Justice monthly meeting on July 7, 2025, featured timely and urgent presentations from several distinguished speakers addressing the challenges facing higher education, civil rights, and immigrant communities amid escalating political pressures. Below is a summary of the remarks from four of the speakers: 1. Lynn Pasquerella, President of the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) President Lynn Pasquerella expressed deep concern about the future of American higher education and democracy. She pointed out that this is a moment of enormous significance that brings a renewed sense of urgency to our nation’s historic mission of educating for democracy. It is also a time of growing moral distress, in which campus leaders feel coerced into making decisions they believe are unethical decisions and they feel they have no choice but to make. They are continually forced to confront the question: How much individual injustice should be tolerated for the sake of long-term reform? As a result, for many, that moral distress has morphed into a kind of moral injury—arising from the continuous erosion of their moral compass and the ongoing challenges to their deeply held values characterized by deepening ideological divides. Development of Existential Threat to Higher Education 2023 brought attacks on DEI, a Supreme Court decision banning race-based admissions, and legislation introduced in 42 states to implement educational gag orders—limiting speech around race, gender, and other so-called “divisive concepts.” At the end of that year, the presidents of Harvard, MIT, and Penn were called before the Congressional Committee on Education and the Workforce to answer for and atone for alleged antisemitism on their campuses—accusations attributed to their institutions’ emphasis on DEI. At the December 5 hearings on Capitol Hill, Representative Virginia Foxx’s opening statement was not only against those university presidents, but against higher education as a whole. Those hearings foreshadowed the first 100 days of President Trump’s second term, marked by unprecedented government overreach and political intrusion into nearly every aspect of college and university operations. This included the withdrawal of billions of dollars in federal research funding, caps on indirect costs for grants awarded by NIH and the Department of Energy, and the elimination of spending on research topics like race, transgender health, women’s issues, climate change, misinformation, and COVID-19. Within his first two and a half weeks in office, four executive orders were signed directly targeting transgender individuals. And within another two weeks, a Dear Colleague letter from the Department of Education directed colleges and universities to eliminate all DEI initiatives in hiring, curriculum, and co-curricular activities. A separate executive order mandated that higher education accrediting bodies remove all DEI-related standards, claiming that "radical left" accreditors had allowed campuses to be overrun by “Marxist maniacs and lunatics.” Targeting of Chinese and International Students We saw hundreds of international students detained and thousands more have their visas terminated. Limits were removed on ICE agents’ activities on college campuses. In states like Florida, campus security officers were given authority to perform immigration enforcement functions. Despite First Amendment protections, the President threatened the arrest and deportation of international students and faculty who participated in pro-Palestinian protests. Funding for study abroad and international scholarships was suspended. Harvard was warned that its ability to admit international students would be revoked unless it provided detailed records on all such students. Although Harvard complied, a month later Secretary Kristi Noem declared that international students would no longer be eligible for admission to Harvard, and existing international students were told they must transfer immediately or face visa termination. Travel bans were implemented for citizens of 12 countries, and heightened visa restrictions were placed on those from seven others. On June 9, the government announced that all student visa applicants—regardless of country of origin—must unlock their social media accounts for review. One consequence of this has been that colleges and universities with high international student populations now face credit risk. Moody’s has warned of downgrades to credit ratings—particularly for the 11% of American institutions where international students make up more than 20% of the student body. The reemerging climate of fear and intimidation for Chinese students—echoes of the 77 cases brought by the Department of Justice under the "China Initiative." Although most cases were dismissed due to lack of evidence, the chilling effect on Chinese and Asian American researchers remains. During the program’s enforcement, departures of Asian researchers from the U.S. increased by 75%. Although the initiative ended in 2022, recent attempts to revive it have reaffirmed a deep sense of uncertainty among Asian and Asian American students. Efforts led by Marco Rubio and others, which many see as the weaponization of a population that has contributed significantly to the nation's economic development and academic excellence by bringing in global talent and diverse perspectives. During the last academic year, 200,398 Chinese students were studying in the U.S.—122,778 of them graduate students in STEM fields. These are the very students now being targeted. What has unfolded constitutes an existential threat to American colleges and universities—institutions founded on the principles of the free exchange of ideas, the unfettered pursuit of truth, and independence from unwarranted governmental and political interference. Call to Action In April 2025, AAC&U, alongside the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, released a statement entitled A Call for Constructive Engagement , outlining what is at stake for America’s prosperity should the critical partnership between government and higher education continue to unravel. For the first time, sitting presidents of colleges and universities came together in large numbers to respond to attacks from the Trump administration. The statement made clear that while presidents and leaders of scholarly societies are open to constructive reform and do not oppose legitimate government oversight, they will stand together against efforts to restrict or undermine the freedoms fundamental to American higher education. The process leading to the statement revealed the pressures campus leaders are experiencing. AAC&U held two virtual meetings where 193 campus leaders came together. Many spoke of needing board approval to speak out, others described pressure from state governors, and many feared media backlash. Yet nearly all cited growing demands from faculty and students to defend their institutions’ core principles and push back against efforts to control curriculum or restrict freedom of expression. We know from the recent removal of the President of the University of Virginia that concern over government overreach is real. That incident reaffirmed a conviction that emerged: If everyone exercises a little moral courage, no one person has to be the hero. This is a moment for all of us to come together across sectors and lead with moral courage. When one university is threatened, it is the responsibility of all institutions to respond. As philosopher John Dewey reminds us—democracy is not just a system of government, but a way of life. It depends on an educated and engaged citizenry, capable of making independent judgments, challenging authority, and participating meaningfully in public discourse. 2. Tony Chan 陳繁昌, Former President of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology and Former President of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology After having spent 20 years teaching at UCLA, Tony spent the following 15 years abroad—including six years as the President of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia. Tony talked about his article, The Role of Research Universities in a Changing World Order , which was recently published in Not Alone by Elsevier. Recent Developments Since the article was written in early 2025 Much has changed since March—Harvard’s authority to admit international students and its tax-exempt status are under threat, visa policies have shifted, and there have been dramatic funding cuts to the NIH and NSF. The NSF’s Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences, where Tony once served, faces a proposed 75% cut. This level of disruption affects all research universities and makes long-term planning nearly impossible. We have also seen a wave of university president resignations. The landscape is shifting rapidly, and academia is scrambling to respond. It is no longer just about campus governance—it is about our role in society and in global competitiveness. Tony framed his article around East-West academic competition—particularly between the U.S. and China, though India now plays a growing role. Talent Flow and Research Collaboration Recently, Tony co-founded a virtual platform called " Dialogue on Asian Universities ” (DAU). On June 23, DAU had its 11th dialogue, titled Tectonic Shift in the Global Talent Chain: The Forces of Technology and Geopolitics , where Tony moderated a conversation between the presidents of two Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs)—Delhi and Mumbai—and a leading AI researcher from Tsinghua University, formerly a senior VP at Microsoft in Redmond. Ten years ago, 90% of IIT graduates came to the U.S. Today, that trend has reversed: 90% stay in India, where opportunities are booming. The same is true in China, which is actively attracting returnees at the peak of their careers. Chinese students once saw the U.S. as the obvious destination. Now, many are reconsidering—questioning whether it’s worth investing years here under such uncertainty. There is a push from the U.S.—visa hurdles, political hostility—and a growing pull from home countries. Tony gave two striking examples: 1. DeepSeek, a competitive AI model to ChatGPT, was built in China by graduates who never studied abroad. That is a wake-up call. 2. Meta has been hiring talent away from OpenAI—many of these AI researchers are young, Chinese-born, and U.S.-trained. So while the government tries to limit student visas, industry thrives on the very people being pushed out. There is a major contradiction. When it comes to research collaboration, the trend has also reversed. Fifteen years ago, U.S. faculty were eager to collaborate globally—especially with China. Now, fears over dual-use technologies and national security have shut many doors. This is understandable to a degree, but we have managed dual-use issues before—through clearances and containment. What we have now is a blanket policy that hinders not just collaboration with China, but progress on global challenges like climate, energy, and health. Joint ventures are collapsing. Multiple American-Chinese university partnerships—at Berkeley, Michigan, and Georgia Tech—have closed under political pressure. Others are likely considering exit strategies. Recommendations Universities represent something deeper: values, leadership, and change in society. What is happening now has broader implications—for all of society. Here is the irony: the Chinese system is often criticized for authoritarianism, lack of free speech, and human rights issues. Yet, in recent years, Tony has seen a disturbing erosion of these very things in the U.S. He offered four recommendations: 1. Academia must remember its core mission —to serve society and humanity for the long term. Bending to short-term political pressure may be expedient but risks undermining academic integrity, reputation, and the ability to attract talent. 2. Universities must adapt to shifting geopolitical and economic realities . Ignoring national security concerns is not an option. But universities should propose pragmatic frameworks that enable collaboration within necessary constraints. 3. Reaffirm academic freedom . Without that, there is no point in having American-style universities. 4. Leadership requires courage . It is easier to do nothing. But if you are in a leadership position, that is not an option. If you cannot lead, you should step aside. The bigger question is: how did we let it get this far without the public engaging? When we speak, people assume it is self-interest. We need third-party voices to make the case for why academia matters—beyond campus walls. 3. Clay Zhu 朱可亮, Founder and President, Chinese American Legal Defense Alliance (CALDA) Clay provided updates on two major lawsuits challenging government actions targeting Chinese students and property buyers. In early April, CALDA learned about the mass termination of student status for thousands of international students, most of whom are from China. In response, CALDA filed a case, Chen v. Noem (4:25-cv-03292) , in the Northern District of California. On May 22, the judge issued a nationwide preliminary injunction . As a result, the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) statuses of most affected students have been restored. However, CALDA also discovered that, simultaneously, DHS and ICE had terminated the students' SEVIS statuses, and the State Department had revoked their student visas. CALDA does not yet have an exact count of how many students are affected but plans to amend the complaint to add the State Department as an additional defendant, in an effort to restore the revoked visas. Due to the recent Supreme Court decision in CASA Inc. v. Trump (8:25-cv-00201) , CALDA may also need to further amend the complaint to pursue the case as a class action. Meanwhile, in Texas, Governor Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 17 (SB17) into law on June 20, 2025. The bill restricts certain foreign purchases of real property in Texas. CALDA filed a motion for a preliminary injunction and a motion for class certification the day before Independence Day. This is one of the first cases filed under the recent Supreme Court ruling in CASA v. Trump, which prompted CALDA to file these lawsuits on a class-action basis. CALDA is currently awaiting a judge assignment and hearing date. Since the law takes effect on September 1, there is less than two months to obtain a court decision—followed potentially by an appeal. Clay, expressing both gratitude for American opportunities and frustration at current policies, emphasized that CALDA’s legal efforts aim to protect constitutional rights and ensure due process for affected Chinese individuals. 4. Joanna YangQing Derman, Director, Anti-Profiling, Civil Rights & National Security Program, Advancing Justice | AAJC, jderman@advancingjustice-aajc.org Without going into the details of Texas Senate Bill SB17, Joanna highlighted several other top-line actions from AAJC. On July 2, AAJC transmitted a bipartisan letter from AAPI leaders to members of Congress, urging broader protection for the safety of the AAPI community. It was signed by senior former government and elected officials, as well as community and public service leaders. (Please contact Joanna if you would like a copy of the letter.)AAJC, along with the Asian American Scholars Forum (AASF), Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA), and Stop AAPI Hate, also led a coalition letter representing 64 organizations addressed to Secretary Marco Rubio . His newly proposed visa policy—issued without meaningful clarity—harms the safety and well-being of students, undermines American values, and jeopardizes the nation’s academic, technological, and economic leadership. The letter called for a halt to the implementation of the May 28 policy announcement to “aggressively revoke the visas of Chinese international students,” including those in “critical fields.”There have also been several Supreme Court decisions in recent weeks. AAJC, along with the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs and OCA, condemned the recent Supreme Court ruling in CASA v. Trump, which significantly limits the ability of lower courts to issue "universal injunctions." Executive Order 14160, which seeks to end birthright citizenship for individuals born in the United States whose parents had certain immigration statuses, may now go into effect on a case-by-case basis. AAJC remains confident that related litigation will result in the Executive Order being ruled unconstitutional. AAJC has also issued press statements on other Supreme Court decisions, which can be found on the AAJC website. Facing Government Scrutiny? Read This from Perkins Coie On June 26, 2025, Perkins Coie LLP, a large international law firm headquartered in Seattle, Washington, hosted Compliance Collective webinars aimed at helping nonprofit and university leaders stay ahead of the curve when it comes to government investigations and inquiries. With oversight from executive agencies and legislative bodies on the rise, organizations in the nonprofit and higher education sectors are increasingly likely to encounter subpoenas, information requests, and other official actions. These sessions offered practical advice and up-to-date strategies to ensure leaders are well-prepared to respond effectively and protect their institutions.The webinars focused on two principal avenues of risk: (1) revocation of tax-exempt status by the IRS, and (2) law enforcement and regulatory inquiries, including subpoenas, congressional investigations, and government raids. These risks are increasingly intertwined, with legislative and executive actions targeting activities perceived as contrary to public policy or law. Perkins Coie has shared two documents summarizing the insights from the webinars: · Essential Strategies for Navigating Government Inquiries o Legal Frameworks and Areas of Exposure o Practical Guidance for Risk Assessment and Response o Developing Robust Policies and Procedures · Search Warrants: Dos and Don’ts Perkins Coie concludes that in an increasingly uncertain regulatory environment, nonprofit organizations and higher education institutions must proactively identify and assess their unique risks, establish clear protocols for government interactions, and ensure ongoing board and management engagement. Tailored compliance strategies, informed by legal counsel and aligned with organizational mission and risk tolerance, are essential to navigating the evolving landscape of government scrutiny. Perkins Coie welcomes interested parties to contact any of the following presenters or Perkins Coie representative for more in-depth guidance or legal support. · Jamie Schafer, Partner, JSchafer@perkinscoie.com · Jean-Jacques Cabou, Firmwide Co-Chair, White Collar & Investigations Practice, Partner, JCabou@perkinscoie.com · Angela Jones, Deputy General Counsel, Partner, AJones@perkinscoie.com · Richard Sevcik, Firmwide Chair, Tax-Exempt Organizations Practice, Partner, RSevcik@perkinscoie.com News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2025/07/25-27 Asian American Pioneer Medal Symposium and Ceremony 2025/07/29 C100 Conversations – “Recollections, Pioneers and Heroes” with Linda Chao Yang2025/07/29 From Heartland to Mainland: 2025 Future Ag Leaders Delegation2025/07/31-08/10 Asian American International Film Festival2025/08/02-07 2025 Joint Statistical Meetings2025/08/04 APA Justice Monthly MeetingVisit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details. 2. 1990 Institute Youth Symposium WHAT: 1990 Institute Youth Symposium — Roots and Wings: Celebrating Asian American Youth with the Power of Community WHEN: September 6, 2025, 8:30 am - 4:30 pm PT WHERE: College of San Mateo, 1700 W Hillsdale Blvd, San Mateo, CA 94401 HOST: 1990 Institute DESCRIPTION: This inaugural Youth Symposium is more than a one-day event. It is our first large-scale, cross-generational outreach initiative and marks a major milestone for the 1990 Institute as we navigate this fast-changing and challenging time, and position ourselves as a leader in addressing the most pressing and relevant issues impacting our community. It builds upon 1990’s legacy educational programming and supports our core mission. REGISTRATION : https://bit.ly/4m79Q0D # # # 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 July 21, 2025 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

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

Newsletter - #131 Toby on AAU; Senate Targets Faculty Foreign Gift; Labs PostDoc Shortage; Twitter #131 Toby on AAU; Senate Targets Faculty Foreign Gift; Labs PostDoc Shortage; Twitter Back View PDF June 29, 2022 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #100 Reactions to MIT Tech Review Reports; NIH Director Speaks/Listening Sessions; Events+ #100 Reactions to MIT Tech Review Reports; NIH Director Speaks/Listening Sessions; Events+ Back View PDF December 9, 2021 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #272 National APA Museum; Red-Baiting; Capstone Workshop Videos; State of Science; More #272 National APA Museum; Red-Baiting; Capstone Workshop Videos; State of Science; More In This Issue #272 · Anne S. Chao: From Missing in History to a National APA Museum on the Mall · AALDEF: The Red-Baiting of Dr. Chen and Dangerous Targeting on All Asian Americans · National Academies Roundtable Capstone Workshop Videos Posted · Marcia McNutt: The First State of Science Address · News and Activities for the Communities Anne S. Chao: From Missing in History to a National APA Museum on the Mall Anne S. Chao is a modern Chinese historian, and currently an Adjunct Lecturer in the Humanities at Rice University, and co-founder and manager of the Houston Asian American Archive at Rice. She is a co-founder of the FRIENDS of the National Asian Pacific American Museum, whose goal is to establish a national AAPI museum on the nation's Mall. Anne serves on the boards of the Houston Ballet, Wellesley Colleges, the National Archives Foundation, the Dunhuang Foundation among others. During the APA Justice monthly meeting on August 5, 2024, Anne gave her report on her activities with a 12-slide presentation: https://bit.ly/3WxVzPg . At Rice University, Anne established the Houston Asian American Archive (HAAA) 15 years ago, recognizing that Houston is one of the most diverse cities in the U.S., and it yet lacked records of Asian American lives. Distribution of the Asian American population in the Greater Houston area is visualized by a heat map. The county in the Southwest quadrant of this map is Fort Bend County. It has almost a parity of 25% Anglo, 25% African American, 25% Asian American, and 25% Hispanic. No other county in the country has the same parity. Rice University students began interviewing people, collecting memorabilia, conducting podcasts, making video clips, and exploring different aspects of Asian American lives. HAAA now has about 500 interviews along with various awards, performances, and exhibits.Among those interviewed as part of a multicultural and multifaceted Asian Houston were · Theresa and Peter Chang . Theresa Chang is a judge and at one time the highest placed Asian American woman in the Republican Party. · Dr. Vipul Mankad as part of a huge collection of South Asian interviews. · Donna Cole ’s father was in the 442nd regiment in World War II. She and her friends created the Go for Broke Foundation that led to Congress awarding the Gold Medal of Honor posthumously to these veterans of Japanese ancestry. · Harry Gee Jr . is a prominent immigration lawyer. The Gee family has made huge contributions to Houston and beyond. · Leroy Chiao is a Chinese American astronaut. · Lakshmy Parameswaran founded Daya, Inc., which serves South Asian victims of family violence. · World-renowned Professor of Physics Paul Chu , and · Many others of Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Vietnamese, and other ethnicities. Anne told the story of the Gee family network in Houston. The Gee name may also be spelled as Zhu, Jee, and Chu. Many of them originate from Taishan and Kaiping counties in Guangdong Province in Southern China. One of Anne’s students created a Gee family network chart, from which a curriculum was developed for the Asia Society. A Voice of America reporter just interviewed the Gee family members about the curriculum. A book is in the works.Harry Gee’s father came to Houston as a restaurant owner. Harry Gee’s cousin, Albert Gee , was also a charismatic restaurateur who parlayed his business success into social and political success by contributing to Richard Nixon and John Connelly campaigns respectively and also entertained celebrities such as Bob Hope . Switching to the national scene, Anne pointed out that the African American Museum is already part of the Smithsonian collection on the national mall. The Latino American Museum and the Women’s Museum are in the pipeline. We are missing the Asian Pacific American Museum. Congresswoman Grace Meng introduced H.R. 3525 in 2021 to establish a commission to study the feasibility of creating an Asian Pacific American Museum. It became public law in June 2022. There are eight commissioner positions. The Senate Majority and Minority Leaders and the House Majority and Minority Leaders each appoint two commissioners. There are two vacancies at this time, but the commission cannot start work until all eight are present. They have 18 months to produce a report to Congress on the feasibility of an Asian Pacific American Museum. The commissioners are volunteers. They do not have actual funding. Only one of the current commissioners, Dr. Jay Xu , who is the Director of the San Francisco Asian Art Museum, has actual museum knowledge and experience. Handel Lee , Debbie Shawn , and Anne co-founded a non-profit organization called the Friends of the National Asian Pacific American Museum to fast track the effort. All three have served on the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Advisory Board. Their goal is to champion the cause, as well as to mobilize, support, fundraise, supply a blueprint, and coordinate the efforts. It has engaged many museum experts and museum fundraisers.They are in the process of creating a group of academics as well as organizations around the country to talk about what to put in the museum. AALDEF: The Red-Baiting of Dr. Chen and the Dangerous Target It Puts on All Asian Americans On August 7, 2024, the Asian American Legal and Defense Fund (AALDEF) posted a blog titled "The Red-Baiting of Dr. Chen and the Dangerous Target It Puts on All Asian Americans" in response to a CNN report on Jake Tapper's The Lead program on July 31, 2024.According to the blog, Catherine Herridge , a former Fox News journalist, is appealing a court ruling that holds her in contempt for refusing to reveal her source in a series of reports about Dr. Yanping Chen , a Chinese American who was investigated by the FBI for six years but was not charged for any crime. Herridge falsely accused Dr. Chen of being a spy for China, using misleading evidence and perpetuating racist stereotypes. Dr. Chen sued over the leak of her personal information and subpoenaed Herridge to reveal how she had come to possess confidential materials from the FBI. Herridge has twice refused and has been held in contempt. She maintains the dangerous falsehood against Dr. Chen, and Senator Ted Cruz filed a brief in support of Herridge that leans even more strongly into the anti-Chinese red-baiting prominent in Herridge’s reporting.As unethical and misrepresentative as her reporting was, Herridge still has First Amendment protections. There is a long history of the government invoking “national security” to compel reporters to reveal sources. And there is a danger to destabilizing the protections of the press, which is often our most powerful advocate holding the government accountable. But CNN ’s report made little mention of Dr. Chen and the role Herridge played in spreading dangerous falsehoods about her. Herridge was presented as a good reporter fighting the good fight, not just for herself, but to ward off “the end of investigative journalism.” Dr. Chen has been victimized twice: first by the government and then by the media. And by not properly reporting this story and giving an unfair platform to the person who used her privilege as a journalist to shamelessly vilify Dr. Chen and, in court, continued to vilify and dangerously misrepresent her as a Chinese spy, CNN further contributes to the harm Dr. Chen still faces. Rather than propping up Herridge like some sort of martyr, CNN should ask itself if it would have run the three stories Herridge wrote about Dr. Chen. Would Herridge’s characterization of Dr. Chen heavily reliant on racist tropes against Chinese people meet the ethical and reporting standards of CNN ? CNN has held neither the government nor the reporter, Catherine Herridge, accountable here.Herridge was so sure a Chinese American scientist was a spy, because that idea fit the entrenched narrative of what a spy looks like. And for the viewers who consumed her three fallacious stories, Herridge entrenched those dangerous ideas even deeper, setting a target, not only on Dr. Chen, but on all people who look like her.Good reporting should count for something. Herridge’s reporting was not good. Worse still, it caused real harm to someone still recovering from the harm the government had already inflicted on her.The blog argues that investigative journalism should challenge harmful narratives, not perpetuate them, as CNN 's coverage of Herridge did. Read the AALDEF blog: https://bit.ly/4dhasMZ Roundtable Capstone Workshop Meeting Materials and Videos Posted On July 16-17, 2024, the National Academies hosted The National Science, Technology, and Security Roundtable Roundtable Capstone Workshop to present information the Roundtable has gathered since its inception in 2020 through 14 gatherings in Washington, DC and across the U.S.A series of three videos has now been posted at https://bit.ly/3z0PnY7 , along with meeting materials. A report is being prepared at this time. Contact Zariya Butler at (202)-334-2937 and zbutler@nas.edu if you have questions or comments. Marcia McNutt: The First State of Science Address On June 26, 2024, Marcia McNutt , President of National Academy of Sciences, delivered the first State of the Science address to explore how U.S. science and innovation are positioned to respond to rising global competition and shifting priorities for the nation’s economy, security, public health, and well-being. Her analysis was based mostly on data available up to 2021 in the midst of the "China Initiative." A video of her talk and a panel discussion including Dr. Grace Wang , President of Worcester Polytechnic Institute, has now been posted (1:47:59), as well as the meeting materials, at https://bit.ly/4checg9 .Dr . McNutt started by observing that Germany was the world leader in science prior to World War II. In addition to the U.S. bringing in German scientists, she credited Vannevar Bush , who headed the U.S. Office of Scientific Research and Development during World War II, for transforming the U.S. into a world leader in science and technology by having government invest in basic science, creating the National Science Foundation, promoting science education and scholarships, and recommending partnerships between government, industry, and universities. His book titled "Endless Frontier" outlining this blueprint was published in 1950. Dr. McNutt shared the following data on the rapid rise of China in science and technology in her address: · China is on track to exceed the U.S. in Research and Development expenditures. · The U.S. is dropping in research output as measured by articles published while China is experiencing triple-digit percentage increase. · In terms of research quality measured by percent of articles in the top 1%, the U.S. is losing ground while China has moved ahead of the European Union. · In terms of products, China was at about 3% as recently as 2013 in percentage of drugs in Phase I-III trials. It has risen to 28% in 2021 while the US is in decline. · China's number of patents per year passed the U.S. around 2015 and is leading the U.S. by a ratio of 2 to 1 in 2021. · China was a non-player in 2000 in the list of Global Fortune 500 companies. It leads the list with 142 out of 500 in 2023. What has changed from Vannevar Bush's blueprint since 1950? Dr. McNutt opined that · The U.S. has become exceptionally dependent on international students. · The U.S. could not meet its STEM workforce requirements if it were not for the international students. · Other nations are raising their standard of living by investing in science, education, pro-industry policies, and strategic planning. · Advancing the frontiers of basic research now requires international partnerships to benefit all researchers. · Industry took the lead around 1981 and now dominates U.S. research investment with a 75% share, compared to the federal government's 20%. · Since 1953, philanthropy at universities and nonprofit research institutes has grown to be a major support for basic research. How can we use the new realities to improve our current model? Dr. McNutt offered the following opportunities for the future as Endless Frontier 2.0: · Build the domestic scientific workforce of the future. · Attract the best and brightest by reducing red tape for international students and regulatory burden on faculty. · Create a national strategy to coordinate resources for greater impact. · Modernize and strengthen university-industry partnership. · Provide access to major science facilities. · Cultivate public trust in science. Watch the video and read the meeting materials: https://bit.ly/4checg9 . 2024/08/07 Scientific American : American Science Slips into Dangerous Decline, Experts Warn, while Chinese Research Surges . The U.S. sorely needs a coordinated national research strategy, says Marcia McNutt, president of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2024/08/19 DNC Convention, AAPI Briefing & Reception, Chicago, IL2024/09/01 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2024/09/09 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2024/09/19-20 AANHPI Unity Summit2024/10/06 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2024/10/07 APA Justice Monthly MeetingThe Community Calendar has moved. Visit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details. 2. Congresswoman Judy Chu & Senator Chris Coons Reintroduce NO BAN Act On August 7, 2024, Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28) and Sen. Chris Coons (DE) led a bicameral partnership of their Democratic colleagues to introduce H.R. 9244 , the National Origin-Based Antidiscrimination for Nonimmigrants (NO BAN) Act—legislation that will prevent future Muslim bans. The NO BAN Act will strengthen the Immigration and Nationality Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of religion, and restore checks and balances by limiting overly broad executive authority to issue future travel bans. The bill would: · Provide that the Immigration and Nationality Act nondiscrimination provisions apply to religion, as well as to the issuance of non-immigrant visas and benefits; · Require that any travel restriction imposed under Immigration and Nationality Act be based on specific and credible facts, and in a way narrowly tailored to address a compelling government interest; and · Establish procedural requirements including notice to Congress within 48 hours and periodic reporting. Back View PDF August 12, 2024 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter