You might not immediately recognize Hiro Murai’s name, but chances are you’ve seen something he made. “Atlanta,” “This Is America,” “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” and now “Widow’s Bay” all have his fingerprints on them. After nearly a decade of Emmy directing nominations, the Japanese American filmmaker finally won Monday, becoming the first Asian director to take home the comedy directing prize. Took them long enough.
Also in this issue: TAAF has money for people with overlooked AAPI stories to tell, Ro Khanna wants to replace ICE altogether and Mark Takano is once again asking why we’re still working 40 hours a week. Elsewhere, Trump has chosen speed in the AI race with China as tech leaders argue over slowing down, while Kash Patel had a rather unusual conversation about FBI hiring standards. Plus, top Texas Republicans are refusing to vote for their own nominee over his anti-Asian posts, and workers from across Asia say civilian jobs in Russia somehow ended with them being sent to war.
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It took this Japanese American director nearly a decade of Emmy nominations to finally make history
Hiro Murai has been nominated for directing Emmys since 2018. Four nominations and a whole lot of “Atlanta” later, he finally has one. The Tokyo-born, Los Angeles-raised filmmaker became the first Asian director to win outstanding directing for a comedy series Monday for the premiere of Apple TV’s “Widow’s Bay.”
Murai has not forgotten being a film student and not seeing many people who looked like him in rooms like the one he’d just entered. Now he hopes other Asian filmmakers can look at him and know “that this is possible.”
What else we’re tracking
TAAF opens grant program for untold AAPI stories
Got an AAPI story nobody seems to know? TAAF might give you up to $10,000 to tell it. Its new Asian+American Storytelling Initiative is looking for filmmakers, journalists, animators, podcasters and other creatives with overlooked people, communities and moments in AAPI history worth putting on screen. Applications close Oct. 7, with the finished projects expected next year.
Ro Khanna renews call to abolish ICE amid surge in Asian arrests
U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna isn’t talking about reforming ICE around the edges. He wants it gone. The California Democrat renewed his call Tuesday to abolish the agency and build a replacement inside the Justice Department, arguing immigration officers should operate under established legal standards. In February, the lawmaker introduced End ICE Abuse Resolution, which also calls for dismantling the agency and repealing its multiyear $75 billion funding allocation.
Trump rejects tech CEOs’ growing calls to slow AI, citing China competition
OpenAI has recently disclosed cases of models communicating through unauthorized channels and concealing mistakes, while Anthropic revealed it has caught users trying to enlist Claude to assist in potentially developing dangerous pathogens. Trump is more concerned that slowing down could let China get there first. Dismissing calls for broader restraints, he said: “Whoever wins AI, wins.”
Takano, Sanders reintroduce 32-hour work week bill
Thirty-two hours of work, 40 hours of pay. At least that’s the idea Mark Takano and Bernie Sanders are trying to move closer to reality with another attempt to rewrite the federal overtime standard. Their basic question is pretty relatable: if technology has made workers vastly more productive since the 40-hour standard became law nearly 90 years ago, why are we still giving work the same amount of our lives?
Kash Patel defends FBI hiring change on candidates involved in bestiality, prostitution
Well, that was quite an unusual Senate hearing. FBI Director Kash Patel found himself explaining why the bureau no longer automatically disqualifies every applicant who reports involvement in prostitution or bestiality. The honorable director said the changes were made to avoid excluding trafficking victims or people subjected to bestiality as children, while voluntary participation would remain disqualifying. Owkaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay.
‘Raw, uncut bigotry’: GOP candidate who shared anti-Asian post loses votes of top Texas Republicans
Apparently, there is a line some Texas Republicans won’t cross for their nominee. Sen. John Cornyn says he won’t vote for Bo French after the railroad commissioner candidate portrayed South Asian students at the University of Texas as evidence of Americans being “displaced by foreigners.” Longtime Republican strategist Karl Rove even went as far as calling French’s post “raw, uncut bigotry” and saying he’ll vote for Democrat Jon Rosenthal.
Asian workers lured by civilian jobs have ended up fighting in Russia’s war
Workers from several Asian countries say they went to Russia expecting jobs in security, logistics, construction or even kitchens. Some ended up in military uniforms and on the battlefield in Ukraine instead.
Why read Issue #260?
We don’t have to have an opinion on everything. That would be a miserable way to live. But every so often, something happens that makes looking away feel like a choice too.
Maybe that’s part of what Hiro Murai captured so well in Childish Gambino’s “This Is America.” There’s more happening than any of us can possibly keep up with, and some of it will inevitably escape our attention.
Just don’t get too caught up in the spectacle. No one really knows what’s happening behind the show.
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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.