Asian American groups suing the Trump administration over checks on naturalized citizens’ voting eligibility, ahead of tomorrow’s midterms, lead today’s issue. We’re also watching three Indian American candidates facing voters in Ohio, Los Angeles and Florida, who could make history. In Toronto, Mayor Olivia Chow, a Hong Kong immigrant, already did with her re-election.
The administration also faces questions over a Singaporean trans woman’s ICE arrest, as well as a suspected Chinese spy’s ties to Nvidia’s CEO. Beyond politics, we have Natalie Nakase coaching the Golden State Valkyries to a WNBA title and Min Jin Lee talking about her latest novel.
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Why Asian American groups are fighting Trump’s voter checks
Asian American groups are suing the Trump administration to stop a program investigating suspected noncitizen voting. Its methods, they say, single out naturalized citizens.
As we have reported, naturalized citizens make up about 65% of eligible Asian American voters. A whistleblower has described how fast agents had to work.
What else we’re tracking
Ramaswamy’s attack ad is off Ohio’s airwaves, but GOP fears the damage is done
Vivek Ramaswamy’s $4 million ad featuring the estranged mother of his Democratic rival has finished its run in the Ohio governor’s race. Now, Republicans worry the backlash could reach beyond his campaign.
Raman’s lead vanishes in LA’s mayoral race
Nithya Raman would be the first Asian American to lead Los Angeles if she unseats Mayor Karen Bass on Tuesday. A new poll shows her lead gone, but also where her support stays strongest.
Will Indian American Pia Dandiya pull off a Florida House upset?
Pia Dandiya, a Democrat who founded a Harlem high school, is in a toss-up race against Republican Casey Askar for Florida’s redrawn 22nd Congressional District. A Republican mayor recently endorsed her.
Toronto’s first Chinese Canadian mayor makes history again with record-breaking win
Olivia Chow, who faced criticism over property tax increases, defeated city councilor Brad Bradford to win re-election as Toronto mayor. Her victory speech invoked the neighborhood where her family settled after leaving Hong Kong.
Trans woman says ICE had to check her genitals so she could be free
A Singaporean trans woman has detailed in a harrowing Facebook post how ICE agents tackled her outside an upstate New York airport and held her in a men’s detention center. She had to undress to free herself.
Trump reportedly took no action after learning of suspected Chinese spy’s ties to Nvidia CEO
U.S. intelligence officials reportedly suspected a Chinese businesswoman in contact with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang of spying for Beijing. It remains unclear what she may have shared or whether Huang knew.
Natalie Nakase makes WNBA history as Valkyries win title in just 2 years
Natalie Nakase’s Golden State Valkyries won the WNBA title in their second season. With her team down 2-1, she gave her coaching an “F-minus.” Taiwanese American guard Kaitlyn Chen had her own comeback.
Min Jin Lee weighs what Korean families give up for education
“American Hagwon,” Min Jin Lee’s first novel since “Pachinko,” tracks a Korean family abroad during the Asian financial crisis. Lee says a contradiction she saw in parents she met became her way into the story.
Why read Issue #279?
Vivek Ramaswamy, Nithya Raman, Pia Dandiya and Olivia Chow are just a few Asian names we’re watching in politics, and three of them go before voters tomorrow. Needless to say, these midterms are critical not only for representation — and the possibility of historic elections — but for much-needed changes every candidate has promised their constituents.
But as our top story highlights, the Asian American vote is under threat. By relying on immigration records, federal agents checking voter eligibility have allegedly singled out naturalized citizens...and that’s the majority of our electorate. That is reason enough to check out this issue before polls open.
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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.