Good morning and welcome to The Yappie's Asian American politics and activism briefing. Our own Joyce Giboom Park is publishing YELLOW FANTASY, a creative nonfiction which explores the history and modern implications of Asian fetishization (aka “Yellow Fever”). The book will be published in December and you can help her crowdfunding campaign 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
ON THE HILL—AAPI GROUPS EYE CORONAVIRUS AID TALKS: With Congress returning this week for negotiations over the next round of emergency coronavirus aid, Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) advocacy groups are watching how lawmakers address surging anti-Asian hate incidents, expiring federal jobless benefits, small business relief, school reopenings, and a looming eviction crisis. Here’s what you need to know…
- State of play: OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates, the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA), and other groups are urging the Senate to pass the HEROES Act—an expansive $3 trillion bill from House Democrats that was approved by the lower chamber in mid-May. But Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) and Senate Republicans have balked at the proposal and are set to roll out their own plan this week.
- Heightened urgency: Lawmakers are also racing to complete work on a series of annual spending bills as new data from the Census Bureau and the CDC shows the pandemic is disproportionately impacting AAPIs.
- In California, Oregon, and Hawaii, the virus is tearing through Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities—infecting and killing community members at higher rates than other racial groups. Asian Americans are also reporting rising levels of discrimination, while Asian unemployment stands at a staggering 13.8%, according to last month’s jobs report.
2020 Watch
BREAKING—DCCC LAUNCHES FIRST-EVER HINDI AND CHINESE LANGUAGE VIDEO ADS: The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), the entity charged with helping elect Democrats to the House, is rolling out its first-ever Hindi and Chinese language video advertisements in Texas on Tuesday, The Yappie has learned. Read more.
- The details: The ads in Texas’ 22nd congressional district are aimed at boosting Sri Preston Kulkarni, a member of the DCCC’s highly competitive “Red to Blue” program who is set to face Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls (R) in November. Democrats see TX-22 as a top pick-up opportunity, and the district is 19% Asian American and Pacific Islander.
- Why this matters: With a little more than 100 days to go before Election Day, the ads will be the first of many as the DCCC prepares to communicate to AAPI voters more aggressively through in-language paid and ethnic media, AAPI media adviser Darwin Pham tells The Yappie. The DCCC conducted focus group research and nationwide polling of AAPI communities in key battleground districts at the beginning of the year and rolled out a constituency organizer program that includes field staff dedicated to AAPI outreach.
BIDEN PICKS UP HUNDREDS OF AAPI ENDORSEMENTS: More than 250 AAPI leaders—including the AAPI legislative caucuses in California, Maryland, and Hawaii—are endorsing Joe Biden ahead of next month’s Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee, the DNC says. Read more.
UPDATE—‘KUNG FLU’ PUTS ASIAN CONSERVATIVES IN A BIND: President Donald Trump’s repeated use of racist, anti-Asian rhetoric on the campaign trail now threatens his standing with some conservative Asian American voters, Newsy’s Cat Sandoval reports, with the National Committee of Asian American Republicans holding off on backing the president’s re-election bid for now. Read more.
MAKING MOVES—Aalok Kanani has joined the Biden team as digital communications director after his previous role with Pete Buttigieg’s presidential campaign.
SPOTTED—Trump Victory, the joint re-election effort of the Trump campaign and the RNC, held a “soft opening” of a new AAPI engagement office in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday. The RNC has also begun distributing “Asian Pacific Americans for Trump” shirts and signs to campaign offices in Minnesota and Florida.
THE $$$ RACE—TOP PAC GIVES $30K TO MOBILIZE AAPI VOTERS: In an effort to bolster AAPI voter engagement in targeted swing states, CAPA21, a San Francisco-based progressive AAPI political action committee, is donating $30,000 to APIAVote, the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, the newly relaunched Asian Americans Against Trump PAC, and the Georgia Advancing Progress PAC. Read more.
ELECTION RECAP—AAAFUND-BACKED GIDEON RISES IN MAINE: Maine House Speaker Sara Gideon easily clinched the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate last week, setting up a highly-anticipated matchup with incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine). Gideon received the endorsement of the Asian American Action Fund (AAAFund) earlier this year. Read more.
- Elsewhere… Pharma executive Rik Mehta emerged victorious over Hirsh Singh in New Jersey’s Republican Senate primary, while Austin physician Pritesh Gandhi fell short in the closely watched Democratic runoff in TX-10. In New York, Indian American hotelier Suraj Patel joined more than a dozen voters in suing the state’s board of elections over the distribution of absentee ballots.
On The Agenda
CA ACTIVISTS PUSH FOR AID AS HATE INCIDENTS TOP 800: Advocates in California are pushing Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) to establish a “racial bias strike team” and approve $1.4 million in state funding for coronavirus-specific AAPI health research, Los Angeles Times reporter Anh Do writes. Over 800 of the +2,100 anti-Asian hate incidents related to COVID-19 reported by AAPI groups between March and June occurred in the Golden State, according to the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council. Read more.
ZEROING IN ON OC: Eight elected officials in California’s Orange County appear in a new #MaskOnOC video PSA set for release on Tuesday that urges residents to wear masks in public. The campaign was spearheaded by two Chinese American women and many of the participating offices represent areas with “a considerable number of AAPI communities,” Assemblymember Cottie Petrie-Norris’ (D-Laguna Beach) office tells The Yappie.
- Meanwhile: Progressive AAPI leaders are hopeful that a surge in activism “could break a stronghold that the GOP has long held over Asian American voters and candidates,” the Orange County Register reports.
THE LONG READ—‘I’M ASIAN AMERICAN. THE PANDEMIC SHOWED ME WHY BLACK PEOPLE FEEL SO UNSAFE’: From stabbings to attacks with chemical substances, the reality of anti-Asian sentiment during the era of COVID is a glimpse into the terror of the Black experience, Regina Kim writes in the Washington Post. Read more.
- ICYMI: Members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) spoke to NBC Asian America’s Kimmy Yam about the need to translate nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd into institutional change and legislation.
The Trump Era
DEEP DIVE—PREDICTING TRUMP’S NEXT EXECUTIVE ACTION: Axios reports that top White House officials are considering a controversial strategy “to act without legal authority to enact new federal policies,” targeting immigration in particular, after being influenced by John Yoo—the lawyer who wrote the Bush administration’s legal justification for waterboarding after 9/11. Read more.
- What this could apply to: Apparently emboldened by last month’s Supreme Court decision on DACA, the Trump administration has been teasing executive action related to the Obama-era program. The Yappie also reported last week that the White House is drafting an executive order to prevent undocumented immigrants from being counted in the 2020 census—though such a move is likely to spark intense legal challenges.
- Separately… The U.S. has been weighing action against Chinese-owned social media apps like WeChat and TikTok in retaliation against China over its handling of the coronavirus and the recent crackdown in Hong Kong. A potential ban on WeChat would immediately impact first-generation Chinese American business networks and deal a devastating blow to a vocal bloc of conservative activists, who have historically used the app to organize in battles against affirmative action.
UPDATE—DHS COULD REIGNITE FIGHT OVER INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS: While the Trump administration abandoned its attempt to force foreign students to leave the country if their classes move online, Reuters reports that the Department of Homeland Security still intends to issue a similar regulation in the coming weeks. Read more.
HHS IG SAYS MEDICARE CHIEF BROKE CONTRACTING RULES: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator Seema Verma, a top Trump appointee and key White House coronavirus task force leader, violated federal contracting rules by steering millions of taxpayer dollars to GOP-aligned communications consultants, POLITICO reports. Read more.
The Week Ahead
TUESDAY, JULY 21—The White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders continues its AAPI Young Leaders Summit with a roundtable discussion featuring President Trump’s AAPI Advisory Commission.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 22—CAPAL concludes its Washington Leadership Program for AAPI interns with a session on energy and environmental challenges; the Biden campaign hosts a virtual forum on the rise in hate crimes against South Asians in America.
THURSDAY, JULY 23—Former HUD Deputy Secretary Nani Coloretti speaks at an event organized by the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies.
FRIDAY, JULY 24—The California Democratic Party Asian Pacific Islander Caucus facilitates a discussion on anti-blackness.
SATURDAY, JULY 25—The International Leadership Foundation and the Coalition of Asian American Business Organizations holds its Virtual Leadership and Business Conference.
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