Good morning, and welcome to The Yappie’s AAPI politics briefing — your guide to the policy news and activism affecting Asian Americans + Pacific Islanders. Send tips and feedback to [email protected] and support our work by making a donation.
— Edited by Shawna Chen
Here’s what is happening across America…
📋 The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee introduced its “In It Together” campaign aimed at combating misinformation among immigrants and communities of color, NBC Asian America’s Kimmy Yam writes. The campaign will launch websites translated in various languages to provide details on Democratic platforms.
- “Knowing how prevalent these closed platform groups are and how much our communities rely on them … we want to empower organizers, our volunteers with culturally competent, in-language content so that they can counter disinformation,” said Sarah Lin, the committee's AANHPI engagement deputy director.
📰 The Los Angeles Times named a woman as executive editor—Terry Tang, who served as editor of the editorial page—for the first time in its 142-year history amid layoffs to reduce financial losses. Recent cuts affected recently hired journalists of color under the seniority clause.
🌾 A U.S. Department of Agriculture survey shows that the August wildfires in Hawai‘i cost Maui and Big Island producers an estimated $23 million in lost revenue, crops, property, and livestock, Honolulu Civil Beat’s Thomas Heaton writes.
- 4% of surveyed producers said recovery from the damage was not possible.
💲 Inflation is the primary issue for Asian voters this year, with 31% ranking it as their top priority, according to a new AAPI Data/AP-NORC poll. The results challenge stereotypical assumptions that Asians only care about education, NBC Asian America’s Sakshi Venkatraman reports.
- Education and student debt came in sixth for Asian voters at 19% in comparison to 22% of U.S. adults in general.
📈 New data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection revealed a dramatic spike in undocumented Indian immigrants crossing U.S. borders on foot—with a record 96,917 Indians in the 2023 fiscal year alone, NBC Asian America’s Kimmy Yam reports. Experts cite oppression of minority communities and visa backlogs as potential reasons, noting a growth in global migration since the pandemic.
🚨 Several propane tanks exploded near a Sikh temple in Sacramento on Monday, CBS News Sacramento’s Richard Ramos reports. No one was injured, and local law enforcement is investigating amid possible hate crime concerns.
🦺 Pepsi Guam Bottling has agreed to pay roughly $132,000 in penalties after the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration found that the Guam-based company exposed employees to amputation and other serious injuries.
- It’s also charged with implementing a comprehensive safety and health program to protect workers moving forward.
❤️🩹 FEMA has launched a new program, named GUAM STRONG, to assist households impacted by Typhoon Mawar. The initiative works with local organizations and agencies to deploy skilled volunteers to conduct repairs including roofing, electrical work, and more.
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The Yappie is your must-read briefing on AAPI power, politics, and influence, fiscally sponsored by the Asian American Journalists Association. Make a donation, subscribe, and follow us on Twitter (@theyappie). Send tips and feedback to [email protected].
