Apparently “socialism” isn’t quite the scary word it used to be. A record 43% of Americans now view it positively, and among adults under 35, it actually beats capitalism. Asian Americans were already in similar territory last year, though most still gave capitalism the better grade. Maybe labels only tell us so much about what people actually want.
Also in this issue: St. Paul’s first Hmong American mayor is facing some rather uncomfortable allegations from her police chief, new data shows South Asians bearing the brunt of anti-Asian threats online and a Hawaii restaurant owner with a pending asylum case has been granted bond after ICE arrested him at the Las Vegas airport. Plus, a Filipino green card holder admits she illegally voted in 2024, Asian audiences showed up for “Forgotten Island” even if everyone else didn’t, and Asian education systems are once again making the U.S. look at its report card.
Featured
Socialism reaches record popularity among Americans in Gallup poll
Capitalism still wins the popularity contest in America, just not by nearly as much as it used to. Its favorable rating has fallen from 61% in 2010 to 55% today, while socialism has climbed to a record 43%.
The biggest recent movement came from independents, and Americans under 35 now give socialism a 14-point advantage over capitalism. Asian Americans were already in similar territory last year, with 44% viewing socialism positively, although 57% still liked capitalism.
What else we’re tracking
St. Paul Mayor accused of inappropriate touching and calling herself a ‘MILF’
St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry is suing Mayor Kaohly Her over a series of encounters he says crossed far beyond normal workplace boundaries. His 73-page complaint alleges unwanted touching, sexual remarks and retaliation, including exchanges that weren’t detailed when the city released the results of an outside investigation earlier this month. That investigation found inappropriate behavior but did not substantiate sexual harassment.
South Asians are the most targeted Asian group in America
Anti-South Asian slurs tied to targeted violence more than doubled between 2023 and 2025, while nearly half of South Asian adults surveyed last year said they had experienced a race-based hate act. Recent headlines have added plenty of reasons for concern, but connecting those incidents is difficult, especially when federal hate crime statistics don’t even have a category specifically for anti-South Asian bias.
Hawaii man granted bond after ICE arrest at Las Vegas airport
A trip from Hawaii to Las Vegas ended with five ICE agents surrounding restaurant owner Jialiang Wei as he stepped off the plane. Wei has an asylum application pending and no criminal record, but neither prevented his arrest, and his attorney says people with unresolved applications may not realize they are now enforcement targets.
Filipino green card holder pleads guilty to illegally voting in US election
Evelyn Miller had been a green card holder for less than four months when she voted in Pennsylvania’s 2024 presidential election. The 37-year-old Philippine citizen has now pleaded guilty to illegal voting and could face prison time, a hefty fine and immigration consequences. But her case leaves a basic question unanswered: How did she successfully register when Pennsylvania’s application explicitly requires voters to affirm that they are U.S. citizens?
Asian viewers showed up for ‘Forgotten Island’ but its $12.8M debut fell short
“Forgotten Island” got strong reviews, glowing audience scores and a bigger turnout from Asian moviegoers than any other racial group. The harder number is $12.8 million, its disappointing domestic debut, which puts a familiar question back on the table: What happens when Hollywood treats one culturally specific movie as a test for everything that might follow?
Asian education systems lead the world as US reading scores near 25-year low
Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and several participating Chinese jurisdictions landed among the world’s strongest education systems on the latest PISA exam, while U.S. reading scores hovered near a 25-year low. So, what looks different? Students in several Asian systems reported far less distraction from devices, while their classrooms appear to be handling AI differently too.
Why read Issue #264?
There’s an odd lag between people changing and institutions realizing people have changed. It may take a while, but pollsters catch it eventually. Businesses see it in sales and politicians discover it at the ballot box. Culture notices when the old assumptions stop producing the expected results.
Of course, being noticed doesn’t always mean getting what we’ve been asking for. But when an opportunity does come around, what we do with it becomes part of the calculation for the next one. We’ve seen this a bunch of times.
Anyway, go watch a movie. We happened to see a really good one recently. No reason we’re mentioning that.
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.