Good afternoon and welcome to The Yappie's Asian American politics and activism briefing. Our friends over at the Conference on Asian and Pacific American Leadership (CAPAL) have launched their Virtual Washington Leadership Program, which introduces students to AANHPI leaders in public service (you can register for the sessions here). In the meantime, support our work by making a donation and let us know what you think by replying to this email. Send tips, events, and opportunities to [email protected].
The Big Story
DEEP DIVE—TRUMP JOLTS PRESIDENTIAL RACE WITH RACIST RHETORIC: President Donald Trump’s use of the racist phrase “kung flu” at rallies in Tulsa and Phoenix has set off yet another firestorm and signals a dramatic escalation in anti-Asian rhetoric that has ignited both fury from AAPI advocates and ardor from his supporters, the Washington Post’s David Nakamura writes. Here’s what you need to know…
- Swift backlash: Already under fire for previously labeling the coronavirus as the “Chinese” and “Wuhan virus”—terms activists and AAPI lawmakers say puts Asian Americans at risk — Trump is embracing the overt ethnic slur as he slips in the polls. Following The Yappie’s report that advocacy groups received over 2,100 individual reports of coronavirus-related harassment and discrimination, the Congressional Asian Pacific Islander Caucus (CAPAC) slammed his remarks on Tuesday as “sickening and completely unacceptable.”
- GOP rebukes: The president’s rhetoric also drew rare condemnation from some Republican allies like Korean American candidate Young Kim (CA-39). Another closely-watched congressional hopeful, Michelle Steel (CA-48), told the Orange County Register that “while the virus originated in China, using inappropriate terms to describe it is unhelpful and divisive.”
- Playing defense: Aides previously justified Trump’s weaponized language as a way to hold China accountable for the coronavirus pandemic but now find themselves struggling in their defense of “kung flu.” When questioned by CBS News correspondent Weijia Jiang, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany insisted the president’s remarks were “not about Asian Americans,” while counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway defended the phrase—despite calling it “highly offensive” and “wrong” in March.
- Long-term damage: Trump is undercutting his own minority outreach, POLITICO’s Anita Kumar writes, and the latest controversy threatens his standing with Asian American voters, who already give the Republican Party low marks on racial issues across the board.
2020 Watch
PREVIEW—WHAT TO WATCH FOR AT APIAVOTE’S TOWN HALL: Former Vice President Joe Biden (D) and Trump campaign surrogate Eddie Baza Calvo (R)—the former governor of Guam—are set to court more than 5,000 AANHPI voters, organizers, and community leaders at APIAVote’s fourth presidential town hall on Saturday.
- The details: The virtual event, which begins at 3 p.m. EST (register here), will be co-produced by the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM) and streamed live on Facebook, Twitter, and websites maintained by APIAVote, NBC Asian America, PBS NewsHour, and the WORLD Channel (also run by PBS). Viewers will also have access to the event in Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, and Vietnamese.
- Making their case: Biden and Calvo will deliver their pitches via separate, roughly hour-long discussions moderated by PBS NewsHour’s Amna Nawaz and NBC News correspondent Vicky Nguyen—a format similar to previous town halls which began in 2008. Members of the community will also ask questions in the form of recorded videos, NBC News’ Benjamin Pu reports.
- Why this matters: The highly-anticipated forum is a rare opportunity for the campaigns to address the AANHPI community directly and will focus on a range of policy issues—including health care, discrimination and racism, immigration, and safeguarding the economy. Biden’s choice to participate directly in APIAVote’s signature event instead of sending a surrogate or pre-taped message is also significant.
MAKING MOVES—Veronica Yoo is joining the Democratic National Committee as a battleground press secretary after her previous role with Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s (D-Massachusetts) presidential campaign, POLITICO reports. At the Biden campaign, Medha Raj has been named as digital chief of staff, while Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s (D-Washington) chief of staff Gautam Raghavan will serve on the presumptive Democratic nominee’s transition team.
THE WEEK AHEAD—Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Rep. TJ Cox (D-California), and Texas congressional candidate Gina Ortiz Jones (D) participate in a virtual organizing kickoff hosted by Filipino Americans for Biden on June 28. President Trump’s new APA coalition celebrates Immigrant Heritage Month on June 29.
AAAFUND SEEKS TO SWAY BIDEN AS VP SEARCH INTENSIFIES: More than 170 prominent AAPI leaders and organizations are urging Joe Biden to choose an Asian American woman as his running mate, according to a letter spearheaded by the Asian American Action Fund (AAAFund). Read more.
- The document, signed by former AAPI members of Congress, Obama administration appointees, and a slew of state and local elected officials, specifically identifies Sens. Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois) and Kamala Harris (D-California) as potential picks. Both lawmakers are already being vetted by the Biden campaign and “this decision will help galvanize the AAPI community,” AAAFund co-founder Paul Tiao says.
- Packed schedules: Harris will join Jill Biden for a roundtable event in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Friday, according to the campaign. Meanwhile, Duckworth is scheduled to participate in a virtual reception on June 29; she will also join an AAPIs for Biden fundraiser with Rep. Judy Chu (D-California) and former presidential candidate Andrew Yang on July 7.
- Also… Harris appeared on the Los Angeles Times’ Asian Enough podcast earlier this week to discuss the rise in anti-Asian hate with Frank Shyong and Jen Yamato.
DONORS LINKED TO CHINA WON ACCESS TO TRUMP, GOP: In one instance, the Republican National Committee cut ties with David Tian Wang—the founder of Chinese Americans for Trump—after the organizer brought along a researcher for China’s Ministry of Science and Technology to an invite-only leadership meeting in 2017, the Wall Street Journal reports. Read more.
ON OUR RADAR—A NEW WARNING SIGN FOR DEMS: Asian American voter mobilization efforts appeared “weak” in the 2020 Democratic primary process, and Asian Americans and Latino turnout fell in California, Texas, and Virginia, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) says in a new report on participation and candidate choice across 10 states. Read more.
ELECTION RECAP—PATEL SHOCKS IN NY: Indian American hotelier Suraj Patel is within striking distance of taking down House Oversight and Reform Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D-New York) after Tuesday night’s primaries, with the two separated by fewer than 700 votes in early returns. If successful, Patel would become the state’s first South Asian member of Congress; final results are expected after June 30 as absentee ballots trickle in. Read more.
- Elsewhere… Rep. Grace Meng (D-New York), one of the most recognizable AAPI members of Congress, is on track to win a fifth term after cruising to victory over Sandra Choi and Melquiades Gagarin. Meanwhile, Pakistani American attorney Qasim Rashid will be the Democratic nominee in Virginia’s 1st congressional district.
- Notable: Progressives Jenifer Rajkumar and Zohran Mamdani are likely to join the New York State Assembly, and Asian Pacific American Task Force co-chairs Yuh-Line Niou (D) and Ron Kim (D) easily won their primaries.
On The Agenda
CA AFFIRMATIVE ACTION BALLOT MEASURE ADVANCES: California voters now have the chance to scrap the state’s 24-year-old ban on affirmative action in November after lawmakers voted to ratify Assembly Constitutional Amendment 5 (ACA 5) on Wednesday. The proposal was backed by the California Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus, AAPI members of Congress, and dozens of progressive groups—but faced fierce resistance from many Chinese-born immigrants. Read more.
UPDATE—CORONAVIRUS SURGE DAMPENS QUICK RECOVERY HOPES: Asian-owned small businesses experienced “particularly severe shocks” during the coronavirus pandemic and may require targeted assistance to stay afloat, according to research published this week by the JPMorgan Chase Institute. Read more.
- Sharp declines: The analysis found that at the end of March, revenues for the typical Asian-owned business were over 60% lower than in the prior year, while cash balances fell nearly 22% in early April. Earlier in the month, the National Bureau of Economic Research found that the number of Asian business owners dropped by 230,632 from February to April—representing a 26 percent decline.
- Dire outlook: AAPI-owned businesses—already left reeling by emergency lockdowns, racism, and looting—are set to be crippled further as states like California and Texas race to contain worsening coronavirus outbreaks. As we noted previously, Asian workers are usually the last to come back from an economic downturn.
ASIAN AMERICANS FACE GROWING MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS: The rate of Asian Americans showing clinical signs of anxiety or depressive disorders jumped from 28% to 34% after the police killing of George Floyd, according to the Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey — a change that represents an increase of roughly 800,000 people. Read more.
- Why it matters: This is the clearest sign yet that the coronavirus and recent unrest have exacted a disproportionate mental toll on Asian Americans, who experienced the largest one-week change in symptoms of any racial or ethnic group. Members of AAPI communities are already less likely to seek out mental health services, Cronkite News reporter Yaodong Gu writes.
CENSUS REPORT SHOWS AANHPI POPULATION BOOM: Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander populations are continuing to surge, according to 2019 population estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday. The number of Asian Americans grew to 22.8 million over the last decade, a 29% increase, while the NHPI population grew to 1.6 million, a 21% increase. Read more.
THE LONG READ—ASIAN AMERICANS REFLECT ON RACISM: TIME’s Anna Purna Kambhampaty and photographer Haruka Sakaguchi document the stories of 10 Asian Americans who were harassed and assaulted during the coronavirus pandemic. Read more.
The Trump Era
UPDATE—DHS TO PUSH FORWARD ON DACA TERMINATION: The Trump administration will renew its effort to terminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf tells NBC News. Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked the Trump administration’s previous attempt to end the Obama-era policy, which shields more than 16,000 undocumented AAPI immigrants from deportation. Read more.
TRUMP EXTENDS IMMIGRATION, VISA RESTRICTIONS: The U.S. unveiled a series of highly-anticipated immigration restrictions on Monday, with President Trump signing a proclamation that extends a “pause” on the issuance of green cards and halts H-1B and other work visas through the end of the year. Read more.
VOA’S SUGAWARA QUITS AS TRUMP ALLY TAKES CHARGE: Voice of America Deputy Director Sandy Sugawara has resigned from the taxpayer-funded news outlet following the Senate confirmation of conservative filmmaker Michael Pack as chief executive of the U.S. Agency for Global Media. Read more.
DOJ, GUAM RESOLVE LAWSUIT OVER CHAMORRO HOUSING LAW: The U.S. Department of Justice has reached a deal with Guam to settle a 2017 suit claiming the territory’s restriction of certain residential leases to native Chamorros violated federal housing law. But the settlement could be voided in the event of inaction from Guam lawmakers, the Pacific Daily News reports. Read more.
SPOTTED—POMPEO IN OC: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Asian American business leaders and Republican elected officials in California’s Orange County on June 19, according to the U.S. State Department. Read more.
On The Hill
TRUMP RESHAPES JUDICIARY WITH ASIAN AMERICAN APPELLATE PICKS: The Republican-controlled Senate voted to confirm the 200th federal judge under President Trump on Wednesday—a significant milestone in the president’s push to remake the judiciary for a generation. While Trump’s court picks have been overwhelmingly white and male, he has exceeded both Presidents Barrack Obama and George W. Bush in the percentage of Asian American appointees to federal appeals courts, Bloomberg Law’s Jasmine Ye Han and Madison Alder report. Read more.
- The numbers: Of the 11 active Asian American appeals court judges, Trump has appointed 7 of them. Most, if not all, were publicly backed by the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), and the president is still looking to add to the tally—announcing his intent to nominate Justice Department official Vijay Shanker to the D.C. Court of Appeals on Thursday.
- Big impacts: Neomi Rao, the first South Asian American woman on the D.C. Circuit, made headlines this week after ordering a judge to drop charges against former national security adviser Michael Flynn. Other judges, including the Sixth Circuit’s Amul Thapar, are on or could be added to President Trump’s list of potential Supreme Court nominees.
UPDATE—SENATE PASSES SWEEPING CHINA SANCTIONS BILL: The Senate on Thursday adopted a bipartisan sanctions bill targeting officials, entities, and banks associated with Beijing’s growing efforts to limit Hong Kong’s autonomy, POLITICO reports. The retaliatory measure initially faced resistance from the White House, and there is no guarantee that sanctions will be fully implemented. Read more.
ICYMI—LAWMAKERS FRET OVER CA CENSUS AFTERMATH: California is likely to lose a seat in Congress after the 2020 Census, with the 27th congressional district most at risk of losing a representative, KQED reports. The district is 40% Asian American—one of the highest concentrations in the country—and is currently represented by Rep. Judy Chu (D-California). Read more.
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