Today’s stories begin with an alarm that one in five Asian Americans have shared a political story they knew was made up, followed by the looming closure of a Bay Area building that houses exclusion-era records. Moving on to immigration, Homeland Security wants more than $103,000 per H-1B petition under the annual cap. Chinese and Indian professionals are leaving over costs and green card waits that run up to 179 years.
Up next, Federal Reserve figures place Asian households first in median wealth … though the numbers underneath sort less evenly. Abroad, South Koreans’ view of Washington has turned, while rescuers along the Nepal-Tibet border are still searching for hundreds. We close the issue with Panda Express, which has an answer for anyone who calls its food inauthentic.
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A troubling number of Asian Americans say they’ve knowingly shared made-up political stories
About one in five Asian Americans said they shared a political story they already knew was made up, according to a new report from Asian Americans Advancing Justice. A third said they found out only after sharing.
The share climbs among respondents with limited English proficiency, and researchers tie the difference to access to fact-checking resources. Party affiliation barely moved the numbers.
What else we’re tracking
More than a century of Asian American history sits in San Bruno. It’s under threat of closure.
Angel Island files, exclusion-era records and papers behind the recent birthright citizenship case sit in one Bay Area building. However, the National Archives plans to close it. U.S. Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) and other bipartisan lawmakers want figures first.
Trump admin proposes above $100,000 fee for H-1B visas
Just months after a judge voided a $100,000 charge, Homeland Security has proposed a bigger fee that would also reach workers already in the U.S. Workers from India and China account for more than 80% of approvals.
Why Chinese and Indian professionals are making a US exodus
Reported returns to India jumped by more than half in a year, while H-1B lottery registrations fell 38%. Interestingly, cost is not the deepest problem. Indians in one green card category face estimated waits of up to 179 years.
The latest aggregate wealth data puts Asian Americans on top, but masks major divides
Federal Reserve data puts Asian households’ median net worth at $536,000, nearly double the figure for white families. The income figures underneath split more than two to one across origin groups. One key dataset does not exist at all.
South Koreans sour on the US for the first time in more than 20 years
For the first time in more than two decades, most South Koreans view the U.S. unfavorably, according to the Pew Research Center. Confidence in Washington as a reliable partner has also dropped since 2022. The numbers closed before Trump moved to cut joint drills.
Death toll tops 550 as rescuers return to devastated Nepal-Tibet flood zone
More than 550 are dead and hundreds missing after a mountainside gave way beneath a glacier, lifting one river by as much as 30 feet in 30 minutes. Crews pulled back Friday over a new threat upstream, then returned.
Panda Express CEO doesn’t mind if you call its food ‘inauthentic’
Andrew Cherng said he takes no offense when people call Panda Express inauthentic … and he has a question of his own about the word. His wife and co-CEO, Peggy Cherng, prefers a different label for what they serve.
Why read Issue #251?
Money and legal protection tend to follow from data, which is the practical reason the gaps in this issue truly matter.
While Asian America is heavily measured, it is still poorly known. Averages are often published even with missing community figures, and sadly, the archives that could help correct them are being closed in the name of “efficiency.” Rules, at this point, seem to be written on whatever numbers happen to be available. Unsurprisingly, the people subject to those rules barely see the sourcing.
Check out this issue now … before the next round of policy cites the same thin figures back at you.
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The Rebel Yellow is supported in part by funding from The Asian American Foundation (TAAF). Funders do not influence story selection, reporting, or editorial decisions. All editorial content is independently produced by The Rebel Yellow team.