Judge Compares Stay-Home Orders to WWII Incarceration

And Other Things to Know From Angry Asian America.




Watch Wisconsin Judge Compare Stay-Home Orders to WWII Internment
On Tuesday, the Wisconsin Supreme Court heard oral arguments via teleconference on a challenge from the state's Republican lawmakers to the "safer at home" order issued by Gov. Tony Evers to protect citizens during the COVID-19 outbreak and slow the spread of the disease. During the hearing, Justice Rebecca Bradley invoked the landmark Supreme Court case Korematsu v. United States, which allowed the government to hold Japanese Americans in internment camps during World War II. Bradley suggested that requiring Wisconsin residents to stay home, and to keep non-essential businesses closed, was similar to that decision. I'm sorry, your honor, but please shut up about shit you know nothing about.

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Coronavirus Researcher Killed in Apparent Murder-Suicide
A University of Pittsburgh professor on the verge of making "very significant findings" researching Covid-19, according to the university, was shot and killed in an apparent murder-suicide over the weekend. Research assistant professor Bing Liu was found in his townhouse Saturday with gunshot wounds to the head, neck, torso and extremities, according to police. Investigators believe an unidentified second man, who was found dead in his car, shot and killed Liu in his home before returning to his car and taking his own life. According to colleagues at the university's Department of Computational and Systems Biology, Liu was "on the verge of making very significant findings toward understanding the cellular mechanisms that underlie SARS-CoV-2 infection and the cellular basis of the following complications."

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Turner Classic Movies Spotlight: Asian Americans in Classic Hollywood
Heads up, classic movie fans. In celebration of AAPI Heritage Month, starting tonight, Turner Classic Movies is running a month-long spotlight on Asian Americans in classic Hollywood movies. Movies on the schedule feature films from the likes of screen legends Anna May Wong, Sessue Hayakawa, Philip Ahn, Richard Loo, James Shigeta and more. See the full lineup here.

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Watching With...: The Half Of It with Writer Director Alice Wu
So you've seen The Half of It. Now watch it with the director's commentary! Writer/director joins Netflix's Marya E. Gates to do a full-length (spoiler-filled) director's commentary on her new film, a coming-of-age tale about a Chinese-American queer teen. Queue up the movie, sync it up with the podcast, and press play.

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I ♥ Chinatown
This Thursday, May 7, join us for a night of storytelling, food and art to provide pandemic relief for Chinatown's small businesses and tenants. The fundraiser, organized by Stephanie Foo, will feature the likes of Joel Kim Booster, Kat Chow, Esmé Weijun Wang, Tienlon Ho, Sasami and more. I'll be taking part with my They Call Us Bruce co-host Jeff Yang. It's all going down on Facebook Live. This event has a suggested donation of $15, but please pay what you can. Donate here.

Who Are The Most Influential Asian Americans?

And Other Things to Know From Angry Asian America.


A100 List
Kicking off AAPI Heritage Month, Gold House has announced its third annual A100 list, spotlighting "the 100 most esteemed and impactful Asians in entertainment and media, fashion and lifestyle, technology, business, and social activism. The List, determined by 20 Asian nonprofit groups, a panel of multicultural icons, and hundreds of Gold House members, unites the Asian diaspora with other communities in celebrating excellence and championing a path towards a more inclusive future for everyone." View the list here.

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AAPI FRONTLINE
From doctors to delivery workers, AAPIs make up the backbone of many critical industries amid the coronavirus pandemic. This Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, NBC Asian America is honoring the workers leading medical research, helping low-income and limited English proficiency groups, combating racism and more.

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Unemployment Claims from Asian Americans Have Spiked 6900% in NYC
In New York, about 147,000 self-identified Asian workers have filed initial unemployment claims in the last four weeks alone, up from just 2,100 during the same period last year. That's a 6,900% increase -- by far the largest percentage increase experienced by any one racial or ethnic group.

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Digital Town Hall - Asian Americans in the Time of Covid-19
In connection with the upcoming PBS series Asian Americans, the Center for Asian American Media, WETA, and Asian American community leaders hosted a digital town hall exploring how lessons from Asian American history can help us understand the experience of Asian Americans in the time of COVID-19.

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The Half of It
The Half of It, the long-awaited new feature film from writer/director Alice Wu, is now available on Netflix. Shy, straight-A student Ellie is hired by sweet but inarticulate jock Paul, who needs help winning over a popular girl. But their new and unlikely friendship gets complicated when Ellie discovers she has feelings for the same girl.

They Call Us Bruce - Episode 96: They Call Us Alice Wu

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.

On this episode, we welcome Alice Wu, writer/director of the new Netflix movie The Half of It. We discuss the long-awaited follow-up to her beloved debut feature Saving Face (and why it took 15 years), how her coming-of-age film speaks to Trump's America, and the $1000 check that scared her out of writer's block.