Democrat James Talarico is vying for Asian American votes in his Texas Senate race. This comes a month after a Republican nominee’s comments about foreigners, which student leaders at UT Austin have now formally condemned. In Washington, the Education Department has taken money from a program for AAPI-serving colleges.
Allegations of abuse then play out both in court and on the internet. Prosecutors have charged a California couple in the alleged abuse of surrogate-born children. Online, a Korean American influencer has defended the men accused in the Cornell sexual assault case, while Megyn Kelly has criticized Olivia Rodrigo for backing their accuser.
Rodrigo’s own industry is debating labels, as the Grammys add an Asian pop category whose rules, we argue, need fixing. In Hollywood, HBO has ordered a “Crazy Rich Asians” series, and Simu Liu has married Allison Hsu.
Featured
Talarico courts Asian Texans with ad push before early voting
Democrat James Talarico’s Senate campaign plans to run ads in Vietnamese, Chinese and South Asian outlets after launching an AAPI coalition next week, just before early voting opens.
AAPI voters make up about 6% of the Texas electorate, and one poll has his race against Republican Ken Paxton within two points.
What else we’re tracking
UT Student Government passes resolution supporting South Asian students
UT Austin’s Student Government unanimously passed a resolution backing South Asian students after Republican railroad commissioner nominee Bo French’s xenophobic remarks about students pictured at a Longhorns game.
Trump admin’s $235 million college shuffle takes away from AAPI-serving fund
The Department of Education invested $235 million in historically Black and tribal colleges, with some money coming from a program for AAPI-serving schools. This was the second such move in two years, and the chairs of the Asian Pacific American, Black and Hispanic congressional caucuses are objecting.
California couple arrested for abuse of over a dozen surrogate-born children
An Arcadia, California, couple allegedly conspired to abuse more than a dozen surrogate-born children in their sprawling mansion. Both pleaded not guilty, and their attorney said they were unfair targets. A nanny charged separately allegedly fled the country.
Korean American influencer’s defense of the Cornell 7 courts controversy
In what looked like a comedy sketch, influencer Read Choi defended seven former Cornell fraternity members accused of sexual assault, citing what he called the accuser’s original police report. His account leaves out part of what she told police.
Olivia Rodrigo told to ‘shut up and stick to singing’ after publicly supporting Cornell 7 accuser
Podcast host Megyn Kelly criticized Olivia Rodrigo a day after the Filipino American singer backed the Cornell accuser on Instagram. Kelly also took aim at the woman herself.
Asian-language pop is Asian pop, wherever it’s made
The Grammys will award their first Asian pop trophy in February. In this opinion piece, we weigh BTS’ objection to regional labels and ask who the rules leave out.
‘Crazy Rich Asians’ has found its next chapter in TV
HBO has ordered an eight-episode series that picks up after the 2018 film. Four of its stars are returning, but other original cast members remain unconfirmed.
Simu Liu and Allison Hsu marry after over 4 years together
“Shang-Chi” star Simu Liu married music executive Allison Hsu in France last weekend, following a 2025 Paris proposal for which he contacted a pop star’s publicist. Liu has also shared what surprised him about planning the wedding.
Why read Issue #269?
Some, if not most, disputes in this issue appear to begin outside our community. A Republican nominee in Texas disparaged South Asian students in September, the same month the Education Department moved money from a program for AAPI-serving colleges. Now, it’s fallout season.
Community members are also taking sides. Here, we see a Filipino American singer and a Korean American influencer split publicly over the Cornell allegations, while Republican identification among AAPI Texans has risen since 2022. Some of these disputes, including the one in our op-ed, come to a head soon. And so as always, be sure to check out these stories to stay on top of Asian America.
Support independent Asian diaspora journalism. Become a paid subscriber to read the full stories and help sustain The Rebel Yellow.
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.