JUNE 24, 2022

Hello, everyone.

Yesterday, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ordered all Juul products to be pulled from shelves. 

While youth vaping is a huge health concern in the U.S., the decision was based on Juul’s marketing. The FDA claims the order came from their ongoing commitment to “ensuring that all e-cigarette and electronic nicotine delivery system products currently being marketed to consumers meet our public health standards.”

This Tuesday, the FDA also announced its plans to reduce the amount of nicotine in cigarettes and to ban menthol products entirely. They aim to remake their policies on smoking and vaping products while lowering the amount of diagnosed illnesses caused by inhaling high levels of nicotine. 

Race in America 🌎

The new Asian American museum board is bringing on Elaine Chao, the previous Secretary of Transportation under the Trump administration, a staunch Republican and the wife of Mitch McConnell.

Advisory Board Chair of the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center (APAC) Debbie Shon, who worked under the Clinton administration and is a lifelong Democrat, welcomed Chao as a much-needed right-wing supporter of the initiative. Previously the highest-ranked Asian American woman in our government’s history, Chao is expected to equalize the museum’s vision through a bipartisan lens. 



This weekend, President Biden plans to revitalize his “Build Back Better World” initiative with the G7 countries, hoping to present alternatives to Chinese infrastructure funding.

China has been engaging in several investments including the Belt and Road initiative in Africa, Latin America and, most recently, Southeast Asia. Biden wants to offer more choices to nations in need of funding, framing his project as “a values-driven, high-standard, transparent financing mechanism.” The U.S. and other G7 nations will aim to “provide and support projects in four key areas: climate, health, digital technology and gender equity.” 



In Other Asian News 🗞

The United Nations has confirmed that Palestinian American journalist and activist, Shireen Abu Akleh was killed by Israeli Defense Force (IDF) bullets.

UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani also revealed that there was no “activity by armed Palestinians in the immediate vicinity of the journalists,” while  Akhleh and her colleague, Ali Sammoudi were covering an army air raid in northern occupied West Bank. Additionally, Akhleh and her team made sure that they would be visible as members of the press as IDF soldiers advanced.

While the IDF insists that there was an exchange of fire between Palestinian and Israeli gunmen, OHCHR Head Michelle Bachelet continues to urge the Israeli authorities to open an investigation into Akleh’s death. 



Violence and outrage erupted against the anti-Muslim remarks made by officials in India’s governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The losses felt by families continue to show the consequences of hateful words.

Mudassir Alam, a 15-year-old from Jharkhand, died after being allegedly shot in the head by police during a protest at the state capitol. Many protests across the country were met with sudden gunfire as police attempted to control the crowd, injuring many. Afsar Alam, a 19-year-old who is unrelated to Mudassir, was shot six times and is currently hospitalized.



Music and Art 📺

TWICE member Nayeon just released her new solo song, aptly titled “Pop!"

With colorful visuals, the oldest member of TWICE brings a refreshing, yet nostalgic touch to her pop single. Just shy of three minutes, Nayeon brings her powerhouse center energy to a vivacious, confident and bubblegum video for “Pop!” crammed with 14 outfit changes reflecting her resplendency. The album “Im Nayeon” is not just her name, but a play on words introducing her debut, as if to say “I’m Nayeon.”

Ahead of its release, “Im Nayeon” garnered the highest number of stock pre-orders of any K-pop female soloist this year, surpassing over 500,000 orders. 

What do Japanese animated heroines have to say about well-written character arcs? A lot, actually. 

Japanese animators and storytellers aim to emulate real people when writing their characters, inspiring their creations to jump out of their stereotypes and molds that other movies may struggle with. In other words: they’re complex.

Take the female protagonist, Mitsuha, from “Your Name.” She has to leave her hometown due to a natural disaster and swaps bodies with the male protagonist, Taki. Despite the two having a deep connection, Mitsuha isn’t completely dependent on Taki — she takes action to save her town without hesitation.

Similar to Miyazaki’s “Spirited Away” film produced by Studio Ghibli, the main character, Chihiro, is a petulant, stubborn and emotional young girl at first, but grows to be more than that. While most of these movies are still produced and written by men, more women are entering the scene and allowing these women and girls on-screen to become more than what they once appeared to be. 



What else is on our minds? 🧠

• For the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Qatar, unless travelers are a husband-and-wife couple, sex is not allowed — especially between same-sex couples. 

• Today the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a decision that protected abortion as a constitutional right. Organizations and people are speaking out against the ruling, and these companies are offering to cover travel expenses for employees who need an abortion.

• In London, the exhibition “Simple Forms Revisited” features 24 Japanese artists and their modern minimalist art in mediums such as glass, stainless steel, porcelain and Nihonga paintings.

• In the new sci-fi series produced by Steven Spielberg titled “Halo,” Yerin Ha, a Korean Australian actress plays the Asian protagonist named Kwan Ha from a 26th-century dystopia. 

• BTS’ Jungkook and Charlie Puth’s new collaborative single, “Left and Right,” dropped today! Go listen to this romantic summer song.