The FBI closed the case. The Sikh community didn't.
Read and share the stories of Issue #201 today, April 20, 2026.
Today’s stories trace an Asian American story being shaped at home and abroad. A Sikh community marks five years since an unresolved tragedy. California Democrats compete for the AANHPI vote in a reshaped governor’s race, and a New York mayor turns down a billionaire-studded gala to push a tax on the ultrawealthy. Meanwhile, the global picture tilts. Students and tourists choose elsewhere, Beijing fills its calendar with foreign leaders, a North Korean infiltration scheme reaches Fortune 500 firms and a single Japanese ballplayer rewrites the math of a baseball franchise.
Featured
Lawmakers join Sikh community in marking 5 years since deadly Indianapolis FedEx shooting
Five years ago this month, a gunman opened fire at an Indianapolis FedEx facility where nearly nine in 10 workers were Sikh and killed eight people. The FBI reached a conclusion about motive, but the Sikh Coalition says it has resolved little.
Four members of Congress have introduced a resolution honoring the victims and pressing the Justice Department to restore hate crime prevention programs. The anniversary arrives as Sikh Americans continue to face heightened bias.
What else we’re tracking
AANHPI voters take center stage as Democrats vie for California governor
The Democratic field for California governor was already crowded. Then, Eric Swalwell exited under allegations he denies, and the race reshuffled overnight. Five contenders walked into a Koreatown forum Saturday to face questions drawn from dozens of civic partner organizations. Betty Yee is the only Asian American in the race.
Mamdani to skip Met Gala as he pushes tax on ultrawealthy
New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani is skipping the May 4 Met Gala, breaking with recent mayors. Days earlier, he announced a pied-a-terre tax on $5 million-plus homes owned by people who live primarily outside the city. President Donald Trump lashed out on Truth Social.
China’s STEM push draws Asian, African students as U.S. tightens access
China enrolled 380,000 international students in 2024-25, with Asian and African students leading the gains. The U.S. is moving in the opposite direction. After visa delays, travel restrictions and thousands of revocations, arrivals from Asia just hit a multi-year low. Economists are sounding the alarm about what comes next for American colleges.
‘Chilling effect’ slows U.S. tourism as global travel hits record $11.6 trillion
Global tourism hit a record $11.6 trillion in 2025. The U.S. share barely moved. Canadian arrivals collapsed by a fifth, and four European governments quietly warned their citizens about entering the country. Industry analysts have a prediction about who replaces America at the top, and how soon.
Beijing diplomacy accelerates as Xi hosts wave of foreign leaders
Xi Jinping spent the past week receiving leaders from Spain, Abu Dhabi, Vietnam and Russia, capping months of visits from Macron, Starmer, Carney, Orpo and Merz. Washington spent the same period threatening Iran with bombing and publicly criticizing allied leaders. Two capitals, two different welcome mats.
U.S. sentences two in North Korea-linked ‘laptop farm’ scheme that infiltrated 100 companies
Two U.S. nationals were sentenced to federal prison for helping North Korean IT workers land remote jobs at more than 100 American companies, including Fortune 500 firms and a California defense contractor. The methods stretched from KVM switches and shell companies to AI-generated resumes, and one viral interview clip turned on a question about Kim Jong Un.
Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani deal generates over $200 million annually: report
The Dodgers are reportedly pulling in more than $200 million a year off one player. The contract behind it defers $680 million to the 2030s and 2040s, freeing the club to keep signing nine-figure stars while staying near the top of MLB payrolls.
Why read Issue #201?
In this issue, we see how power is redistributed not through dramatic ruptures, but through the quiet accumulation of choices about who gets convened, who gets taxed, who gets remembered and where talent and capital settle. The American century was built on the assumption that the world would keep showing up. Today’s stories capture the moment that assumption stops holding, and asks what kind of country, and what kind of community within it, is being built in its place.
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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.