Issues & Racism
Months from leaving office, GOP congresswoman moves to dissolve Asian caucus
U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) has introduced a resolution that would strip federal recognition from congressional caucuses organized around race or ethnicity, threatening groups that represent Asian…
Asian women targeted in Fox News host’s sexual assault ‘joke’
Fox News host Jesse Watters came under fire after joking that “women in Asia” should “be careful” around U.S. service members who could become “wild animals” after taking testosterone. The…
Republicans lean into anti-Asian messaging ahead of the midterms
Republican campaigns have leaned on anti-Asian caricature and unproven claims of Chinese election interference ahead of the midterms. The “perpetual foreigner” As we reported earlier this month,…
Sen. Blackburn’s anti-China ad smashes fortune cookies that aren’t Chinese
Republican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, who is running for Tennessee governor, is facing backlash over a campaign ad that saw her crush fortune cookies in a Chinese restaurant while vowing to “stop…
Turning Point official’s ‘speak English’ remark to Vietnamese American GOP lawmaker sparks backlash
A top Turning Point Action official asked a Vietnamese American state lawmaker whether he could speak English during a social media dispute last week, drawing condemnation and exposing tension within…
Warrant reveals ‘skinhead’ attack on Asian man, Marines near San Diego area pier
A federal search warrant unsealed this week reveals two previously unreported attacks near California’s Oceanside Pier more than a year ago, in which three men allegedly assaulted and seriously…
Trump’s crackdown on Chinese researchers is China Initiative 2.0, lawyers say
Immigration attorneys and civil rights advocates believe the Trump administration has quietly built what amounts to a revamped China Initiative, operating without the formal name that drew widespread…
Vincent Chin honored 44 years after his death
Detroit marked the 44th anniversary of Vincent Chin’s murder over the weekend, with a ceremony honoring the civil rights movement his death helped ignite across Asian American communities nationwide.…
Frisco voters elect unity mayor amid months of anti-Indian, anti-Muslim hostility
Voters in Frisco, Texas, have elected a unity candidate for mayor, rejecting a rival whose campaign centered on anti-Muslim rhetoric that had gripped the fast-growing Dallas suburb for months. State…
Karen Read exposes Massachusetts cops’ anti-Asian texts in new lawsuit
Multiple anti-Asian slurs are among the racist text messages at the center of Karen Read’s new lawsuit against two Massachusetts police departments, raising new questions about bias in law…
South Carolina man’s acquittal sparks anti-Asian boycott calls, but many push back
The acquittal of Rick Chow in the shooting death of 14-year-old Cyrus Carmack-Belton has prompted calls on social media to boycott Asian-owned businesses, though a broader chorus of Asian and Black…
Anti-Indian hate escalates in North Texas city amid housing fallout, viral flag video
A man tore an Indian national flag outside Frisco City Hall last week as crowds shouted anti-India slogans, the latest flashpoint in months of escalating hostility toward the Texas city’s South Asian…
AI hiring tool disproportionately screened out Asian applicants, study finds
A hiring algorithm promoted as a way to make hiring more objective disproportionately screened out Asian job applicants, according to a Stanford-led study. Candidates of Asian descent faced the…
Why anti-Asian workplace bias often goes unrecognized, according to new research
Americans may be less likely to identify racism against Asian employees because Asian Americans do not fit common mental “prototypes” of discrimination victims, according to new research that…
Why a post about a Meta layoff triggered a wave of anti-Indian racism
An X post about an Indian Meta engineer allegedly receiving a layoff email while in Bengaluru triggered a wave of reactions about H-1B workers and immigration in the U.S. tech industry. “His wife is…
YouTuber faces backlash after anti-Asian tweet resurfaces during K-pop debut
Internet personality Trisha Paytas drew backlash this week after critics resurfaced a 2017 tweet containing anti-Asian slurs days after she released a Korean-language pop single styled after…
Fear alone did not drive anti-Asian attacks during COVID, researchers say
Anti-Asian racism during the COVID-19 pandemic was fueled more by anger than fear of infection, according to new research from Murdoch University in Australia. The study found that people who viewed…
‘No Filipinos allowed’ sign in South Korea sparks debate
A TikTok video describing venues in South Korea that allegedly barred Filipinos and other Southeast Asians from entering has ignited renewed debate over discrimination in the country’s nightlife…
A viral NYC meetup for Wasians turned into a larger argument about race and representation
A social meetup for Wasians, promoted through community page Half Asian Spring, drew more than 3,000 people to Central Park’s Sheep Meadow on May 10, where attendees filmed street interviews, joined…
A quarter of AAPI adults faced hate in the past year, and most expect more to come: poll
One in four Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander adults experienced a hate crime or hate incident in the past year, with concerns about future discrimination persisting even as…
Hallmark’s Mahjong rom-com draws backlash over mostly white cast
Hallmark Channel is facing criticism over its upcoming film “All’s Fair in Love and Mahjong,” which features a predominantly white cast despite centering on a Chinese cultural tradition. The movie,…
‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ boycott calls grow over ‘ching chong’-linked character
Boycott calls against “The Devil Wears Prada 2” are spreading across China, Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong after viewers said a Chinese character’s name echoes “ching chong,” a racist anti-Asian…
Lawmakers join Sikh community in marking 5 years since deadly Indianapolis FedEx shooting
Members of Congress have introduced a resolution commemorating the five-year anniversary of the mass shooting at an Indianapolis FedEx facility that killed eight people, including four members of the…
ICE detention of Hmong American man probed as possible kidnapping
Federal immigration agents forced entry into a St. Paul home on Jan. 18 and detained ChongLy “Scott” Thao, a 56-year-old Hmong American later confirmed to be a U.S. citizen. Officers removed him from…
Anti-Sikh hate crimes hit record high in 2025 as overall incidents decline
Anti-Sikh hate crimes in the U.S. reached a record 228 incidents in 2025, a sharp increase that came even as overall hate crimes declined 11% from the previous year, according to a preliminary…
Trump tells white Fox News host that immigrants who should be barred from US don’t have ‘your genetics’
President Donald Trump told “Fox & Friends” host Brian Kilmeade, who is white, that immigrants do not have “your genetics” during a Friday phone interview on immigration. He paired the statement with…
Victims of Atlanta spa shootings remembered 5 years later
Eight people killed at Atlanta-area spas five years ago, six of them Asian women, are being remembered this week as communities across the country renew calls for justice and an end to anti-Asian…
Viral lawnmower snow video in Canada sparks backlash targeting South Asians
A short video filmed in Brampton, Ontario, showing a man trying to clear snow with a lawnmower has drawn millions of views and unexpectedly fueled a heated online backlash. What began as a widely…
Former Vegas PBS marketing director sues station over alleged racism, retaliation
A lawsuit by a former Chinese American employee has exposed allegations of systemic racism at a local PBS station, just as the publicly funded national broadcaster dismantles its diversity…
Eileen Gu says she was assaulted at Stanford amid China decision backlash
Freestyle skier Eileen Gu said she was “physically assaulted on the street” while on campus at Sanford University during her time as a student. “The police were called,” the 22-year-old Olympic gold…
Right-wing troll appears as caricatured Indian persona at Plano City Council meeting
Indian American residents walked out of a Plano City Council meeting on Feb. 10 after right-wing media figure Alex Stein mocked Hindu religious practices during public comments. Stein, who wore…
Nigel Ng defends Uncle Roger accent after J. Kenji Lopez-Alt’s ‘yellowface’ criticism
Malaysian comedian Nigel Ng addressed criticism this week after recently discovering a 2021 video from Japanese American chef J. Kenji López-Alt, in which he described Ng’s Uncle Roger accent as…
Connecticut AG hit with racist comments after posting video with puppy
Connecticut State Atty. Gen. William Tong has been targeted by racist comments after posting a video of himself with a dog on Instagram last week. Meet Night: The 34-second video introduced Night, a…
Asian American boy breaks down after bully says Trump will get him
A video of a 12-year-old Asian American boy reduced to tears after being bullied and threatened with deportation by another child has sparked outrage on social media. What happened: Max Tet, who…
Outrage erupts over no-murder verdict in Vicha Ratanapakdee’s death
The conviction of Antoine Watson for involuntary manslaughter in the 2021 death of Vicha Ratanapakdee has sparked backlash across Asian American communities, with many viewing the decision as further…
Northern California county reaches settlement on Asian American discrimination claims
After years of legal battles over allegations of systematic racial bias, a northern California county has committed to overhauling its policing practices and submitting to independent oversight.…
