Trump’s new tariffs hit Asia hardest
Massive 25–40% tariffs hit Japan, Korea, ASEAN.
The Rebel Yellow — Issue #93
Trump’s new tariffs are here — and Asia is first in line to feel the squeeze. After failing to clinch last-minute deals, the president is slapping 25% to 40% duties on exports from Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam and other Asian nations starting August 1. Regional leaders warn the tariffs could spark a wider trade backlash — and hit everyday workers and businesses hardest.
Plus in this issue: What the “One Big Beautiful Bill” means for Asian American families, ICE detentions surge for non-criminals, George Takei calls out fear politics, and the Dalai Lama stokes new tensions with Beijing.
Trump announces new Asian tariffs after failing to secure trade deals by deadline
U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday announced that he had sent letters to the heads of several Asian countries, informing them of a new round of “reciprocal” tariffs after talks failed to produce trade agreements before his self-imposed deadline. The new duties, set at 25% to 40%, are scheduled to take effect August 1 and will hit Southeast Asian nations especially hard.
Across ASEAN: Laos and Myanmar will both face steep tariffs of up to 40% while Thailand will see a 36% tariff imposed on its shipments. Indonesia has been assigned a 32% tariff and Malaysia will face 25%. Singapore remains largely unaffected, maintaining a baseline tariff of 10% that predates the new policy.
Cambodia will be subject to a 36% tariff on exports to the U.S., following last-minute negotiations that reduced the rate from an initially proposed 49%. Vietnam also reached a separate agreement to lower its tariff from a threatened 46% to 20% for most goods. Under the terms of that deal, Vietnam granted reciprocal zero tariffs for U.S. products, but goods identified as being transshipped from third countries, mainly China, will still face a 40% duty.
East and South Asian allies: Japan and South Korea, both U.S. allies, are facing a 25% tariff on a broad range of exports. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba described the move as “deeply regrettable” and said his government sees the situation as a national crisis. South Korean officials have also traveled to Washington in hopes of averting the tariffs before the August 1 implementation date.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh faces a 37% tariff on textiles, sparking concern in Dhaka over the potential impact on the garment sector. India’s apparel industry is preparing for increased U.S. demand if sourcing shifts away from Bangladesh.
Financial markets respond: Following the announcement, the S&P 500 fell by nearly 1% while Asian markets showed relative stability. Legal experts and international trade organizations have warned that challenges to the tariffs are likely, raising questions about the legal authority for such sweeping trade actions.
European leaders have also threatened reciprocal measures if negotiations with the U.S. stall. Additional tariffs on key materials such as copper and proposals for new restrictions on semiconductors and pharmaceuticals are adding further stress to global supply chains.
What Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” means for Asian Americans
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), signed by President Donald Trump into law on July 4, is a sweeping tax and spending package with significant implications for Asian Americans. With nearly 25 million people and over 3 million businesses in the country, the community faces both opportunities and challenges from the landmark legislation.
For business owners and workers
The law permanently extends the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) provisions, which include lower tax rates and increased standard deductions that have been in place since 2018. This could provide stability for Asian American business owners, who represent a substantial share of entrepreneurs nationwide. For one, Asian Americans own a large portion of hotels — estimated at 60% — and the tax incentives for business investments and property improvements are expected to support these companies and their employees.
Many Asian Americans also own small businesses across diverse sectors. Under the OBBBA, the 20% qualified business income (QBI) deduction for pass-through entities becomes permanent — with an increase to 23% starting 2026 — easing tax burdens for entrepreneurs. The law also raises the Section 179 expensing limit to $2.5 million, allowing immediate deductions for equipment and property investments. Enhanced employer-provided childcare tax credits increase the maximum credit to $500,000 and raise the reimbursement rate to 50%, potentially helping small businesses better attract and retain workers.
The OBBBA also introduces new tax breaks for working Americans, including:
Federal income tax deductions on tips and overtime pay for individuals earning under $150,000, benefiting many Asian American workers in service industries
A doubled child tax credit of $2,500 per child through 2028, providing greater financial relief to families. This is especially meaningful given that Asian Americans have about 4 million children under 18.
Temporary increase of the SALT (state and local tax) deduction cap to $40,000 through 2029, which can benefit Asian American homeowners in high-tax states like California and New York
“Trump Accounts,” or new tax-exempt savings accounts for children born between 2025 and 2028, provide a $1,000 seed deposit (with up to $5,000 per year in tax-deferred contributions), helping families save for future education expenses.
For vulnerable populations
Despite these benefits, the legislation enacts deep cuts to social safety-net programs critical to many low-income and immigrant Asian Americans:
Medicaid funding is cut by approximately $930 billion over 10 years, threatening healthcare access for an estimated 17% of Asian Americans who rely on the program.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) faces around $186 billion in cuts and new work requirements, which could impact more than 1 million Asian Americans that receive food assistance benefits.
Asian Americans make up around 6% of students in community colleges, where new Pell Grant restrictions and part-time aid cuts may hit hardest. Loan caps and the end of Grad PLUS could further limit students’ ability to pursue advanced degrees in medicine, law and other high-cost fields.
A new 1% tax on offline international remittances threatens to burden immigrant families sending essential support abroad. For recipients in Asia — especially India, which receives $32 billion annually from the U.S. — this added cost could reduce crucial funds that households depend on for daily living, education and healthcare.
The law also allocates a $170 billion funding for immigration enforcement and border security. This raises concerns not only among Asian nationals who are in the country on student and work visas, but among naturalized citizens who could also be detained and processed for removal.
Asian American lawmakers and advocacy groups have denounced the legislation. For one, Asian Americans Advancing Justice warned that it directly attacks not only immigrant communities, but all Americans who rely on the impacted programs to survive. “We need laws that invest in opportunities and our future — that uplift families and the most vulnerable, not laws that cater to the mega-rich and funnel resources into systems of exclusion and cruelty,” the group said.
ICE increasingly targeting non-criminals as deportation campaign intensifies
More than half of immigrants arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in recent months have no criminal convictions, suggesting a significant shift from the Trump administration’s stated focus on targeting “the worst of the worst.”
By the numbers
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported arresting more than 273,000 and deporting over 239,000 undocumented immigrants as of June 30. Data specific to ICE shows arrests more than doubled from January 20 to June 11 when compared with the same timeframe last year. ICE facilities held 56,397 immigrants as of June 15, with 46% lacking any criminal history at the time of their detention.
Arrest patterns drastically changed after White House officials established a 3,000-arrest daily target on May 21. ICE has conducted nearly 1,000 daily arrests since May 20, a significant increase from the roughly 600 arrests in preceding months. Among detainees, those with criminal convictions decreased from nearly 46% in January to 30% by June.
Dig deeper
ICE’s San Diego office conducted 1,042 arrests from January through early June, with roughly 53% having no criminal charges or convictions. In Los Angeles, 417 of 722 people (about 57%) detained in early June — when anti-ICE protests broke out — reportedly possessed no criminal background.
Meanwhile, more than 4,600 non-citizens were arrested in the New York City area covering Newark to Long Island in the first four months of the new administration. Of this number, 35% are non-criminals. Within the Chicago Area of Responsibility, ICE detained 4,775 individuals during the same period, with 18% lacking prior charges initially. But after the May 21 quota establishment, that proportion increased to 36%.
DHS response
Commenting on a CBS analysis reporting that the majority of the criminals arrested were non-violent, the DHS said: “The media continues to peddle this FALSE narrative that ICE is not targeting criminal illegal aliens. The official data tells the true story: 70% of ICE arrests were criminal illegal aliens with convictions or pending charges. Additionally, many illegal aliens categorized as ‘non-criminals’ are actually terrorists, human rights abusers, gang members and more — they just don’t have a rap sheet in the U.S. This deceptive ‘non-criminal’ categorization is devoid of reality and misleads the American public.”
Arrests expected to escalate as Congress last week approved an additional $170 billion in immigration enforcement and border security funding.
U.S. deports Asians to war-torn South Sudan
The Trump administration deported eight men — including Asian nationals — convicted of serious crimes to conflict-ridden South Sudan last week, marking an unprecedented expansion of the president’s immigration crackdown to a country the U.S. warns Americans not to visit.
Catch up: The deportees — hailing from Cuba, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar, Sudan, Vietnam and none from South Sudan — were convicted of crimes such as murder, homicide, sexual assault, lascivious acts with a child and robbery. Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin announced the flight landed just before midnight Friday, with photos showing shackled men guarded by U.S. service members. The men had been held for weeks at Camp Lemonnier naval base in Djibouti under dangerous conditions, including malaria concerns and triple-digit temperatures.
In May, U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy ruled the administration breached court orders by sending the men to South Sudan without adequate due process. The deportations followed dramatic legal battles, with Murphy ultimately ruling Friday that Supreme Court orders were “binding” after the nation’s highest court cleared the way Thursday.
Under “care”: South Sudanese authorities confirmed Tuesday that the eight men were in government custody after arriving Saturday at Juba International Airport. Foreign ministry spokesperson Apuk Ayuel said the men are “under the care of the relevant authorities who are screening them and ensuring their safety and well-being.” However, prominent civic leader Edmund Yakani criticized the move, saying, “South Sudan is not a dumping ground for criminals.” The men’s location has not been disclosed.
The big picture: The deportations represent a major victory for the administration’s efforts to convince third countries to accept non-citizen deportees regardless of human rights records. The strategy emerges when origin countries refuse deportees — Vietnam has historically limited acceptance of deportees despite a 2020 agreement, as illustrated by Tuan Thanh Phan’s case, whose wife had prepared for his deportation to Vietnam before he was set for South Sudan. The case comes as the administration considers expanding travel restrictions to South Sudan, among 35 other countries, over security concerns and insufficient deportation coordination.
The Supreme Court’s ruling may enable similar future transfers to third countries despite ongoing due process challenges.
George Takei: Immigrant detentions like WWII incarceration of Japanese Americans
Japanese American activist George Takei, who was incarcerated as a child during World War II, has drawn parallels between the U.S. government’s wartime internment of Japanese Americans and the Trump administration’s detention of undocumented immigrants. Speaking in a recent “The Assignment” podcast interview, the 88-year-old actor, author and activist urged Americans to remember this history and resist hysteria that can lead to widespread injustice.
Takei recalled that his family was forced from their Los Angeles home and confined to an internment camp after President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 in 1942. The order led to the incarceration of about 120,000 Japanese Americans, most of whom were U.S. citizens.
Takei warned that political leaders can act on fear and misinformation, saying, “Politicians lie and people believe that lie because there’s hysteria rampant at that time,” mentioning the chaos during America’s war with Japan. “And in our time today, right now, people got swept up by a lie and elected him. And now people have regrets. People must speak out.”
The interview also addressed how public support for Japanese internment in the 1940s resembles today’s calls for large-scale deportations. Takei called on educators and community leaders to teach democratic values and historical truths so past mistakes are not repeated. He said it is critical for people to speak out against political deception and fear-mongering in order to prevent new injustices from occurring.
Idaho classroom’s “Everyone is Welcome Here” poster sparks statewide legal debate
A controversial ruling by Idaho’s Attorney General declaring that “Everyone is Welcome Here” posters violate the state’s new classroom display law has ignited fierce debate about inclusion versus politics in public schools.
How we got here
The controversy centers on former West Ada teacher Sarah Inama, who refused to remove her “Everyone is Welcome Here” poster that depicted racially diverse hands from her Lewis and Clark Middle School classroom. In February, district administrators told her the poster violated their “content neutral” policy. However, Inama defied the order, prompting national media coverage and student protests.
On March 28, the Idaho Department of Education (IDE) asked Attorney General Raul Labrador’s office for guidance, including whether Inama’s posters violated the law. The AG, which took months to respond, said they did. Idaho’s House Bill 41, which prohibits flags or banners depicting political viewpoints in K-12 classrooms, took effect July 1.
Two sides
In its May 29 response to the Education Department’s questions, Labrador’s office said the signs were “part of an ideological/social movement which started in Twin Cities, Minnesota, following the 2016 election of Donald Trump” and noted that “the Idaho Democratic Party even sells these signs as part of its fundraising efforts.” However, the Idaho Democratic Party claimed they only began selling the signs March 25 after Inama’s story went viral.
Supporters argue inclusion messages reflect legal requirements rather than politics. “To say that ‘Everyone is Welcome’ in a public school system is not political, it’s the law,” Inama told Idaho EdNews, referencing federal civil rights mandates. In April, West Ada trustee Lucas Baclayon, whose family moved from Taiwan to Idaho seven years ago — and whose own child has faced racism at school — said he “absolutely” supports the inclusive message, but he also believes the removal decision was made “with the right intent.”
What’s next
Inama resigned on May 9, writing she “cannot align myself nor be complicit with the exclusionary views and decisions of the administration.” Recently hired by Boise School District, she awaits guidance on the new law’s impact.
With the new state law carrying no enforcement penalties, the debate over what constitutes “political” messaging in classrooms is likely to continue across Idaho’s school districts.
Rodrigo Duterte “skin and bones,” says ex-wife, as victims’ families demand justice
Elizabeth Zimmerman, the former wife of ex-Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, says Duterte, 79, has become alarmingly thin as he remains in custody in The Hague. Families of victims of the Philippine drug war say they want Duterte to remain alive to stand trial before the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Trial awaits: Duterte was transferred to The Hague after being arrested on an ICC warrant for alleged crimes against humanity related to his 2016 to 2022 anti-drug campaign. Official government figures put the death toll from the drug war at over 6,000 while human rights groups estimate the true number could be much higher.
Like an old man: Zimmerman, who visited Duterte last week, said her former husband is “so thin, skin and bones, unlike in the picture.” When she reportedly asked Duterte why he refuses to eat the food at the facility, he told her he simply doesn’t like it since the ICC doesn’t serve Filipino food. Zimmerman noted that he no longer takes maintenance medication, has trouble with appetite and mobility and now walks weakly like an old man.
Victims’ families express concern: Zimmerman’s account of his frailty has raised questions about whether he will be able to stand trial. Kristina Conti, a lawyer at the International Criminal Court who represents families of drug war victims, said many relatives are concerned about Duterte’s condition. “We’re concerned because we want him alive for the trial,” Conti told local media. Medical officials at the ICC have said they are monitoring Duterte’s health and have made medical support available as a precaution.
Netflix says half of global users now watch anime
Netflix announced at the 2025 Anime Expo last week that 50% of its more than 300 million global subscribers now watch anime, meaning roughly 150 million users are engaging with anime content on the platform.
Viewership on the rise: Over the past five years, Netflix has tripled its anime viewership, and in 2024 alone, anime titles appeared 33 times in its Global Top 10 (non-English) rankings. The company noted that in 2024, its anime content surpassed 1 billion global views, with most viewers preferring dubbed versions in their native languages.
Industry impact: Industry analysts say Netflix’s investment highlights anime’s move from niche to mainstream, with one in three global consumers now watching anime weekly. Netflix’s approach to offering a wide catalog, dubbed content in multiple languages and collaborations with top Japanese creators
New titles and returning favorites: Netflix also unveiled its upcoming anime slate, featuring returning hits such as “Devil May Cry,” “Blue Eye Samurai” and “Beastars,” as well as new series like “Splinter Cell: Deathwatch” and “Sakamoto Days.” Executives highlighted ongoing partnerships with Japanese studios and the platform’s goal to bring even more titles to a global audience.
Jon M. Chu to direct “Hot Wheels” film for Warner Bros.
Filmmaker Jon M. Chu is set to helm the new “Hot Wheels” movie for Warner Bros. The live-action adaptation of Mattel’s iconic toy car line is being produced with Bad Robot and Mattel Films, with Chu working alongside J.J. Abrams and Robbie Brenner. Known for his work on “Wicked,” “Crazy Rich Asians” and “In the Heights,” Chu is expected to infuse the film with dynamic visuals and energetic storytelling. A release date for the “Hot Wheels” movie has not yet been announced.
Zayn Malik’s new song references racism during his One Direction days
Zayn Malik has previewed his upcoming single “Fuchsia Sea,” in which he openly addresses the racism he endured as the only South Asian member of One Direction.
In a snippet shared on Instagram on July 5, Malik, 32, raps about his experiences within the British-Irish boy band, noting how his efforts were met with discrimination. One lyric, “I worked hard in a white band, and they still laughed at the Asian,” offers a candid look at the challenges he faced between 2010 and 2015. Malik has previously spoken in interviews about experiencing racism both in the music industry and in his personal life.
The new track marks a shift from Malik’s previous solo work, leaning into a hip-hop style to explore themes of identity and alienation. Malik incorporates references to his Pakistani and Irish-English heritage and reflects on the exhaustion and scrutiny that came with his fame. The song suggests that racial tensions, not just creative differences, contributed to his decision to leave One Direction in 2015.
Jeremy Lin calls TPBL title “toughest” of his career
Jeremy Lin, the former NBA guard and current star of the New Taipei Kings, described the 2024-2025 Taiwan Professional Basketball League championship as the most challenging title he has ever won. This championship marks Lin’s second consecutive title with the Kings and the first in the newly formed Taiwan Professional Basketball League (TPBL).
Lin, who won an NBA championship with the Toronto Raptors in 2019, played a pivotal role as the Kings battled the Kaohsiung Aquas in a hard-fought best-of-seven final series. The teams alternated wins with neither side able to secure back-to-back victories. Lin told the media, “This is the championship that challenged me most.” Reflecting on his NBA title, he added, “Because I was mostly benched, so yeah, this is the toughest playoffs in my basketball career.”
Lin was named Finals MVP after delivering standout performances throughout the series, averaging 22.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, six assists and 1.9 steals. He also received regular season MVP honors and was named to both the All-First Team and Defensive First Team, highlighting his leadership and impact on both ends of the court.
China-born hockey star asks media to use his native name, Haoxi Wang
Haoxi Wang, a China-born hockey player who became the highest-drafted Chinese prospect in NHL history, has asked the media to use his native name in all public and professional contexts. During a San Jose Sharks development camp media session on July 2, the 17-year-old defenseman said he has always identified as Haoxi and wants to move away from the English name “Simon” that he used after moving to North America.
Wang explained that he adopted the name Simon to make it easier for others to pronounce, but now feels it is important to honor his heritage and use his real name. A Sharks representative confirmed the request, stating Wang wants to be recognized as Haoxi Wang going forward.
The San Jose Sharks and Wang’s supporters have expressed support for his decision, highlighting his pride in his background. Wang, who was born in Beijing and moved to Toronto at age 12, was selected 33rd overall in this year’s NHL Draft.