Congressional Candidate Gets Threats For Running Ad in Hindi

And Other Items of Note From Angry Asian America.

A N.J. congressional candidate ran an ad in Hindi. Then came the threats.

Jay Vaingankar, who is running for Congress in New Jersey’s 12th District, has become the target of death threats, racial slurs, and calls for him to be deported and stripped of his birthright citizenship -- all because he posted a campaign video reaching out to voters in Hindi. The vitriol comes courtesy of MAGA conspiracy theorist Lauren Loomer and her followers, who lost their shit over Vaingankar's multilingual outreach.

"New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District is one of the most diverse places in America," Vaingankar shot back in a press release. "One in every three residents is foreign-born, and two in five households speak a language other than English. While Loomer calls this 'un-American', in Central Jersey we know that this diversity represents the best of America."

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UMich investigating engineering researcher’s death after alleged questioning by U.S. government

At the University of Michigan, authorities are investigating the March 20 death of Danhao Wang, an assistant research scientist in the College of Engineering. Chinese officials claim that Wang took his own life after harassment and interrogation from U.S. officials about his work with the university.

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Everything changed when ICE showed up at our family's motels

"The federal government’s disorganized campaign to rid Minnesota of violent, undocumented immigrants has indiscriminately targeted anyone who looks Other, without due process or adherence to our Constitution. America is a young republic but is made of old souls drawn here from all over the world to actualize its promise. The vilification of Others as un-American is the undoing of our nation's enlightened principles."

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Asian Cohort for Alzheimer's Disease Study Recruiting Volunteers

The Asian Cohort for Alzheimer's Disease seeks participants for a research study to find out more about Alzheimer's disease, what causes it, and how to might prevent it for future generations. Asians are among the fastest growing populations in the United States and Canada, yet they are underrepresented in Alzheimer's Disease research. They're looking Asian Americans and Canadians of Chinese, Korean, or Vietnamese ancestry, 60 years and older, and able to speak English, Chinese (Mandarin or Cantonese), Korean, or Vietnamese. For more info, go here.

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AAPI Renaissance Rally 2026

Two-thirds of Asian representation in mainstream film and TV remain confined to narrow archetypes. For the second year, Seed & Spark's AAPI Renaissance Rally returns to keep rewriting the narrative. Building on last year's movement toward multidimensional and unexpected Asian and Pacific Islander leads, this year expands the canvas -- championing creators who are redefining the culture across every genre, form, and feeling. All projects are funding from March 30-April 29th and if they meet their goals and gather at least 350 followers they can qualify for up to $12,500 in funding, mentorship and more. Learn more about all the project and pitch in here.

Meet Artemis II's Moon Mascot, Designed by 8-Year-Old Lucas Ye

And Other Items of Note From Angry Asian America.

8-year-old watches his plush toy rocket to the moon with Artemis II mission

A second-grader's plush toy design has rocketed to space alongside astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen on board the Artemis II moon mission launch. 8-year-old Lucas Ye of Mountain View, California designed a plush named "Rise," which wears an Earth cap with a brim highlighting the galaxy and rockets. The moon mascot serves as the Artemis II astronauts' zero gravity indicator, letting the crew know that they have reached weightlessness when it floats upward during their journey.

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Brother, sister charged after explosive device found outside Florida Air Force base

What in the hell. Two siblings have been charged after an explosive device was left outside a gate at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa this month. 20-year-old Alen Zheng and 27-year-old Ann Mary Zheng were charged last week in separate federal indictments. The sister is in custody, while the brother has fled. Alen Zheng is charged with attempting to damage government property, unlawfully making a destructive device and possessing an unregistered destructive device, while Ann Mary Zheng is charged with witness tampering and being an accessory after the fact in Alan Zheng's case.

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Lisa Lee on Translating an Emotion

"In writing toward what I didn't know, I rediscovered something I had largely forgotten. This is one of the benefits of writing into uncertainty. Sometimes you find out that you know more than you thought. For me, I think this embrace of uncertainty might be the answer to the question of how to write about a word that has no direct English equivalent. I believe firmly that nothing is untranslatable. It's just that sometimes a word might take a whole book to translate."

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'BTS: The Return' Director Bao Nguyen on Capturing an Intimate Look at the Band

BTS: The Return follows the band from Los Angeles to Seoul as they reunite after serving mandatory military service. When director Bao Nguyen set out to film the documentary and tell the story of the biggest band in the world, he knew he wouldn't have acces to the band 24/7. So he gave all seven members their own camcorders. And that's how Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook all officially earned "additional cinematography by" credits in the documentary.

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2026 SDAFF Spring Showcase

Attention, San Diego film fans! Our friends at Pacific Arts Movement invite you to the 15th SDAFF Spring Showcase, a curated 3-day celebration of Asian and Asian American cinema, featuring bold, moving, and unforgettable stories from around the world. From Aotearoa New Zealand to Iran, Japan to the Philippines, this year's lineup spans continents and perspectives bringing together stories that connect us across borders and generations. It's happening April 24-26 at UltraStar Cinemas Mission Valley. View the full schedule here.

Nurul Amin Shah Alam's Death Has Been Ruled a Homicide

And Other Items of Note From Angry Asian America.

Nurul Amin Shah Alam's Death Was a Homicide

On Wednesday, the Erie County Medical Examiner’s Office announced that it ruled the death of Nurul Amin Shah Alam, a Blind Rohingya refugee who was left on the freezing streets of Buffalo by Border Patrol officers, a homicide. Neither Shah Alam’s family, who had waited to meet him outside the facility where he was being held, nor his lawyers, who had been attempting to contact him, were notified of his location. Shah Alam spoke very little English.

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In the Birthright Citizenship Hearing, a Story of Asians Fighting for Rights

"In the decades before and after the Wong lawsuit, immigrants from China, Japan and India fought an immigration system that tried to keep people like them from entering the United States and from becoming American citizens. Taken together, the cases reflect a body of case law, beyond that of Wong Kim Ark, that has shaped the American immigration system for more than a hundred years."

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Birthright citizenship made me American. We can't lose it.

"Make no mistake: The birthright citizenship case before the Supreme Court is not some isolated policy debate. It's part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to put an end to multiracial democracy as we know it, by making it harder for communities of color to live, work, study and build a life in the United States."

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BEEF: Season 2 | Official Trailer

Netflix has debuted the first full trailer for the second installment of the Emmy-winning series BEEF. Trading the parking lot for the country club, the new season begins when a young couple witnesses an alarming fight between their boss and his wife -- setting off a high-stakes game of favors and coercion within an elitist world ruled by a Korean billionaire. Created and produced by Lee Sung Jin, season two stars Carey Mulligan, Oscar Isaac, Charles Melton, Cailee Spaeny and guest starring Youn Yuh-jung and Song Kang-ho. Beef season two premieres April 16.

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2026 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival

Heads up! The 2026 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival has announced its official program lineup. If you're in Southern California, you have to check out this perennial celebration and showcase of film, culture and community. (Full disclosure: I am board member of the festival's presenting organization, Visual Communications.) From narratives to documentaries, shorts and special presentations, this is a chance to see exciting cinematic works from seasoned and up-and-coming AAPI filmmakers. LAAPFF runs April 29 to May 3 at venues around the Los Angeles area. See you there.

Ending Birthright Citizenship Would Disproportionately Affect Asian Americans

And Other Items of Note From Angry Asian America.

Lawful Asian immigrants would be disproportionately affected if birthright citizenship ends.

If President Trump succeeds in eliminating universal birthright citizenship, there could be 6.4 million U.S.-born children without legal status by 2050, according to a new study. In addition to affecting undocumented immigrants in the country, the authors say, that change would have a disproportionate effect on Asians who are in the country lawfully.

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ACLU’s Cecillia Wang Argues Trump Birthright Order Is Unconstitutional

Here's the audio of Cecillia Wang, National Legal Director of the American Civil Liberties Union, aguing in the Supreme Court that Trump’s executive order seeking to restrict birthright citizenship is unconstitutional.

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This Man’s Great-Grandfather Made Millions of People Americans

Norman Wong, the great-grandson of Wong Kim Ark, is a 76-year-old retired carpenter living outside San Francisco. His family has not only fought for the constitutional right to citizenship, they're painfully aware of what it looks like when that citizenship, once won, can be used against you.

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Padma Lakshmi: The Decision That Would Create a Permanent American Underclass

"If the Supreme Court doesn't block this executive order, it would create a mess of legal and logistical consequences. Confusion would replace certainty, opening the door to discrimination and a patchwork of rules governing noncitizens' access to our society. Hundreds of thousands of children born in the United States would be thrown into legal limbo every year. And the harm would compound. Ending birthright citizenship would create a permanent underclass of people born in the country but cut off from the rights that citizenship provides."

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Member of burglary ring targeting Asian business owners in Oregon pleads guilty

In Oregon, one of seven members of an alleged burglary ring that has targeted Asian American business owners across the state has pleaded guilty. 45-year-old Jhon Alexander Quintero was part of a group that burglarized Oregon and Washington residences starting in early October 2025. The group identified and watched potential victims, performed reconaissance on their homes, then ransacked the residences. Each of the victims were Asian Americans who owned businesses, and were working at the time of the burglaries.

Mayor Mamdani Tells New Yorkers to Stop Catcalling

And Other Items of Note From Angry Asian America.

Mamdani tells New Yorkers to stop catcalling people in new anti-street harassment campaign

Keep your thoughts to yourself! Mayor Zohran Mamdani wants construction workers and others around the Big Apple to stop catcalling and making unwanted verbal advances to passersby on NYC streets, announcing his demand through a new ad campaign launching Wednesday.

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'Where Would I Go If I Am Denaturalized?'

"This executive order, if it should come to pass, it has no backward barrier. It could also look at anybody who is the child of people who are undocumented. And all of those people, no matter when or how old they are or when they were born in America, could have their citizenship removed. Where would I go? Would I be deported to an El Salvadoran prison?"

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Detained by ICE, he missed multiple cancer treatments. Now he’s in hospice.

Some immigrants with chronic health problems were swept up by ICE, leading to untreated injuries, denial of life-sustaining medications and, for one man, missed chemotherapy sessions. Critics say the Department of Homeland Security is shirking federal standards that require detainees to have access to basic medicine.

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Avatar: The Last Airbender: Season 2 | Date Announcement

Season two of Netflix's live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender will drop on June 25th. Here's a behind-the-scenes featurette catching up with Gordon Cormier (Aang), Kiawentiio (Katara), Ian Ousley (Sokka), Dallas Liu (Zuko), Elizabeth Yu (Azula) and Miyako (Toph), and a preview of what’s in store for fans.

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In Jesa, Jeena Yi Wrote the Asian American Family Drama She Always Wanted to Be In

"As an actor, the one lament I had was there was never a show that I could be in. If it's about a family, you have to kind of look like the family. Often the families are white, so I could never be a member of the family unless it was specifically written in a certain way or somebody was doing a very specific take." So Jeena Yi wrote her own Korean American family drama.

Cecilia Wang is Leading the Fight For Birthright Citizenship

Daughter of immigrants brings history to bear in fight for birthright citizenship

American Civil Liberties Union Legal Director Cecillia Wang, the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants, has filed lawsuits challenging racial profiling, illegal arrests and mandatory detention for undocumented immigrants. But when she appears before the Supreme Court on Wednesday, she will be arguing against the Trump administration over a question that is fundamental not only to the nation but also to her own family.

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In Supreme Court fight over birthright citizenship, a great-grandson hears echoes of 1898

As the Supreme Court hears arguments over the legality of Trump's executive order stripping birthright citizenship -- a guarantee established by the landmark 1898 ruling that affirmed the American citizenship of Wong Kim Ark, who was born in the United States -- his great-grandson Norman Wong worries that the principle enshrined by his ancestor's case may be in peril.

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Trump officials invoke racist scholars and white supremacists in push to end birthright citizenship

Trump’s attempt to unilaterally rewrite the Constitution to determine who gets to be an American is relying on century-old legal arguments from white supremacists, a former Confederate officer and a case that denied citizenship to Native Americans. In their briefs to the court, Trump administration lawyers cite several scholars who campaigned against birthright citizenship in the 1800s, a movement fueled by anti-Black and anti-Chinese racism in the aftermath of Reconstruction and a rise in anti-immigrant views. Ah, going back to the classics, I see. I would expect nothing less than the worst.

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Alex Duong, comedian and Blue Bloods actor, dies at 42

Alex Duong, the comedian and actor who starred on several episodes of Blue Bloods, has died. He was 42. Duong had been battling alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of tissue cancer, since 2025. In addition to being a fixture in the Los Angeles standup scene, Duong also appearances in shows such as Everybody Hates Chris, Dexter, Death Valley, The Young and the Restless, and Pretty Little Liars.

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KPop Demon Hunters Ceramic Mug Derpy and Sussie

This awesomeness of this Kpop Demon Hunters Derpy and Sussie mug is self-explanatory.

They Call Us Bait, Bridgerton, Hamlet, The Pitt, and More

Jeff Yang and Phil Yu present an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America.

What's up, podcast listeners? We've got another episode of our podcast They Call Us Bruce. (Almost) each week, my good friend, writer/columnist Jeff Yang and I host an unfiltered conversation about what's happening in Asian America, with a strong focus on media, entertainment and popular culture.

In this episode, we welcome back our best pals in podcasting, cultural critic/journalist/educator Rebecca Sun and Dino-Ray Ramos of DIASPORA, to re-connect, reset, and share what they've been watching/consuming/experiencing in pop culture and beyond. They discuss, among other things, Asians in the Regency romance of Bridgerton; the possibility of a brown James Bond in Riz Ahmed's offbeat comedy Bait; the audacity of multiple Asians cast members as health care workers on The Pitt; and how far pretty privilege can get you on The Traitors. Also: Jeff finally watched Pop Star Academy. This episode is sponsored by Chinese Republicans, a new play from Roundabout Theatre Company.