Ronny Chieng tells Harvard grads to ‘destroy AI’
Read and share the stories of Issue #218 today, June 3, 2026.
Today’s stories open at Harvard’s Class Day, where comedian Ronny Chieng told graduates to destroy AI rather than master it. Then, we turn to a South Carolina jury’s acquittal of an Asian American store owner in the killing of a Black teen, the high-achieving Asian American teens slipping past mental health screening and a Texas anchor’s BTS Oreo joke that ARMY refused to let slide. We close with the fascinating reason Karl-Anthony Towns became a Knicks fan as New York chases a title.
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Ronny Chieng says what everyone’s thinking about AI at Harvard
At Harvard’s Class Day, comedian Ronny Chieng pushed against commencement season’s message about working alongside artificial intelligence, telling graduates their mission was to destroy AI rather than master it. The “Daily Show” correspondent drew loud applause.
He also joked about Harvard’s own AI hallucinations, grade inflation and a friend who tried speed-running Buddhism. His broader argument was about what the shortcuts strip from creative work.
What else we’re tracking
South Carolina gas station owner acquitted of murder in 2023 fatal shooting of teen
A South Carolina jury acquitted 61-year-old Rick Chow of murder in the 2023 killing of a 14-year-old Black teen he suspected of stealing water bottles. However, surveillance video told a different story. For many Asian Americans, the verdict brings no relief.
High-achieving Asian American teens are slipping through mental health screening
Many high-achieving Chinese American teens are privately battling anxiety and depression while their grades never slip. Researchers say that success is exactly what makes them invisible to school screening built to catch the struggling.
Texas anchor faces BTS ARMY backlash over ‘death to America’ Oreo joke
A Lubbock, Texas anchor told viewers that BTS’ new Oreo collaboration spells out “death to America,” but it carries no such message. Of course, ARMY mobilized fast, accusing him of pinning a false label on an Asian act and demanding an apology before the cookies reach shelves.
Karl-Anthony Towns credits Jeremy Lin for turning him into a Knicks fan
New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns says he owes his fandom to Jeremy Lin, whose 2012 “Linsanity” run hooked him as a New Jersey teenager. As the Knicks chase their first title since 1973, Lin’s return comes with a personal twist.
Why read Issue #218?
Issue #218 refuses to let Asian American identity sit still. These stories pull in every direction at once … like the pressure to perform and stay silent, the reflex to defend the community against bad-faith framing, the reckoning when your own community lands on the wrong side of a verdict and the quiet pride of seeing one of your own shape the culture. Here, we see belonging never settled, and instead negotiated in public by people deciding what to claim and what to confront.
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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.