From Somalis To The Karen, Trump Removes Temporary Protected Status In Minnesota (Because That's What Racist Xenophobic Tyrants Do)

Listen. Minnesota is home to the largest Somali and Karen populations in the United States. Both sets of communities have fled their home countries of Somalia and Myanmar/Burma because of civil unrest and portions of these communities are here under Temporary Protected Status.

Out of the 20,000 Karen that have moved to MN, approximately 4,000 have protected status. 

Out of the roughly 87,000 Somalis in MN roughly 400 have protected status.

Now it's being removed and everyone is free to be deported (well...hopefully there will be legal challenges...)

Why are we removing TPS from these groups and others, which are ALL BROWN AND BLACK COUNTRIES BY THE WAY?

What is the path for those affected in the community to become legal citizens? As America do we give TPS but then decide to take it away and just unceremoniously deport people out of the country back to civil unrest?

Is that how this is going to work?

For a number to hit? To show how we won't be taken advantage of by these "foreigners"? That we are America first and to hell with everyone else except the people that can make the administration rich?

GIVE ME A MF BREAK. 

As an Immigrant, as a Naturalized Citizen, as an Asian American, I know where it comes from---it's all about prejudice and xenophobia. 

It's about keeping the White Elite and the Brown and Black people they designate to come with them--but who they won't hesitate to throw to the wolves--at the top of the food chain.

It's about the mindset that our country is being taken over by the "immigrants" and even more so, it's this underlying feeling that White America and those "glory days" are moving onward and those ideals will eventually die out--albeit it's a fight and will continue to be a fight.

And all of this--it's deplorable, despicable, and chisels away at what actually makes America a truly wonderful country. 

Kicking Ass: St. Paul City Council Vice President Hwa Jeong Kim (AKA Where Do You People Think You Are?)

 

Thanks to some great repoting and photojournalism (the picture of St. Paul City Council Vice President Hwa Jeong Kim by Aaron Nesheim) by Sahan Journal (reporting for immigrants and communities of color)--you can see how this unfolded, and how easy it is for law enforcement at all levels, to get out of hand.  

But that's why they were there in the first place--the community--because it's already corrupt.

Create the chaos and then blame it on protesters and activists but they forget where they were and who they're deadling with.

At all levels. 

Community and leaders who won't stand for more abuses of power.

From Margaret Cho With LO.....I Mean Ex-Lax

This just tickled my funny bone because you just have to love the sheer joy of Cho.

And no, no one is advocating poisoning people, or doing horrible things, making them go to the hospital.

But if your unconstitutional ICE. SS Nazi ICE. All masked up without a care in this world...

I mean, you know, it's a little funny from the other side...and a little poop never killed anyone?  

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Daniel Dae Kim + CNN + More. Just More.

As is being reported over the last weel, Daniel Dae Kim will produce and host a new show called "K-Everything". Initially I thought it was going to be a regular seasonal type of show with a lot of episodes, and I'm not necessarily complaining, but maybe it can lead into something more.

Daniel Dae Kim to Lead and Executive Produce New Host-Led Travel Series, “K-Everything,” from CNN Original Series

NEW YORK – (November 18, 2025) – A new host-led multi-platform travel series, K-Everything with Tony-award nominated actor, director, producer, and social advocate Daniel Dae Kim is in production from CNN Original Series. The four-episode series will be made by CNN’s APAC based Global Productions teams and premiere next year as part of CNN Originals anticipated 2026 slate.

“I’ve been lucky enough to watch Korea over the years take center stage as a cultural and economic powerhouse. It’s a genuine joy teaming up with CNN to explore the many qualities that make the country and its culture so special,” said host and executive producer Daniel Dae Kim.

Across four immersive episodes, K-Everything follows Daniel Dae Kim on a quest to discover how South Korea has sparked a global pop culture movement, driving trends in music, food, TV and film, and more. From Busan to Seoul, Kim will trace the roots of Korean culture featuring cameos from some of the biggest names driving South Korea’s creative renaissance.

“Daniel brings an exceptional blend of curiosity and thoughtfulness to everything he does, making him the ideal guide for our audiences, who are eager to explore how Korean culture has become a global cultural phenomenon,” said Amy Entelis, executive vice president of talent, CNN Originals and creative development for CNN Worldwide.

Kim is widely known for his work in ABC’s Lost, CBS’s Hawaii Five-O, Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender and Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon. No stranger to filming in South Korea, this Summer, Kim starred and executive produced the spy series, Butterfly, that was filmed entirely in South Korea and launched on Prime Video on August 13th. Additionally, this Summer he was featured in Netflix’s international phenomenon, Kpop Demon Hunters, which went on to become to the most watched film of all time on the platform. Last year, Kim was on Broadway starring in David Henry Hwang’s Yellow Face at the Roundabout Theater, for which he was nominated for Best Lead Actor in a Play at the 2025 Tony Awards, becoming the first AAPI actor to be nominated in that category. As a producer, Kim and his company, 3AD, executive produced The Good Doctor, which recently completed its final season on ABC, as well as 2023’s multi-award-winning IFC documentary feature film Bad Axe. Kim is known for his social advocacy, and his testimony in front of Congress helped lead to the passage of the Covid-19 Hate Crimes Act. He recently completed his term as a member of the White House’s Commission for Asian American, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.

Executive Producers for K-Everything are Daniel Dae Kim along with Amy Entelis, Ellana Lee, Katie Hinman, Jon Jensen and Ryan Smith for CNN Original Series. K-Everything is the first collaboration between the network’s CNN Originals and APAC-based Global Productions teams.

The CNN Original Series is sponsored by one of South Korea’s largest companies, Hyundai Motor Company, a global brand deeply rooted in Korean heritage whose growth has mirrored the country’s own journey of innovation and progress.

Kim is repped by UTA, Linden Entertainment, and Gang Tyre.

Olivia Rodrigo Versus Trump's ICE

If there's a war and we have to choose between the young popstar who will lead the masses into the future of song and Trump's ICE, AKA The SS, we should all choose Olivia Rodrigo.

Olivia Rodrigo has criticized the Trump administration after one of her songs was featured in a government video promoting deportation efforts.

A clip posted on the official Department of Homeland Security and White House Instagram accounts encouraged undocumented immigrants to voluntarily leave the US. The video used a segment of Rodrigo’s song all-american bitch as its soundtrack.

Rodrigo, who is Filipino American, reportedly condemned the use of her music in a comment on the post, writing: “don’t ever use my songs to promote your racist, hateful propaganda.” The comment was later taken down, but not before screenshots were captured and circulated widely.

Apparently though they just want Rodrigo to go submissive:

"America is grateful all the time for our federal law enforcement officers who keep us safe," a spokesperson for the DHS told USA TODAY in a Nov. 7 statement, referencing lyrics in Rodrigo's song. "We suggest Ms. Rodrigo thank them for their service, not belittle their sacrifice."

The response comes after the 22-year-old "drivers license" singer reportedly shared a sharply worded response to the video that read, "Don’t ever use my songs to promote your racist, hateful propaganda," according to Billboard and Rolling Stone.

Highly doubt that ever happens... 

 

Missed Subtexts: Long Le-Khac And Asian American Literature

Saw a little blurb on this a couple of months back and wanted to just post up a little bit from the article down at UC Berkely News.

Long Le-Khac, an assistant professor of ethnic studies at UC Berkeley, just published a 1,900-entry dataset that he hopes will be used to investigate which works are discussed as “Asian American” in scholarly circles — and who that leaves out.

In the dataset, one can find Chinese American playwright David Henry Hwang, Palestinian American poet Naomi Shihab Nye and novelist and Berkeley professor emerita Maxine Hong Kingston. Beyond novels, plays and poetry, the collection includes the comic book World War Hulk — penned by a biracial Korean American writer — and films like Crazy Rich Asians and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The latter, based on a book by Truman Capote and directed by Blake Edwards, features a white actor playing a painfully stereotyped Japanese American character.

The publication of the dataset, which the researchers plan to update every five years, is only the first step. Now, Le-Khac as well as other scholars can search for quantitative answers to key questions about Asian American literature — a computational approach to the humanities known as cultural analytics

Read more down at: https://news.berkeley.edu/2025/09/16/what-counts-as-asian-american-literature-anyway/

Bruce Lee Gets A Stamp (Which Is Awesome) But I'll Still Disagree With The Post Office

 

From https://about.usps.com/newsroom/local-releases/nc/2025/1030-usps-provides-sneak-peek-at-2026-stamps.htm:

Bruce Lee

As the first Asian leading man in American film, Chinese American martial artist, actor and filmmaker Bruce Lee (1940-1973) captivated audiences with his skill, charisma and screen presence and inspired generations of fans. The stamp artwork by Kam Mak features a painting of Lee executing his iconic flying kick. It is set against what Antonio Alcalá, the art director for USPS who designed the stamp, calls “a calligraphic yellow brushstroke,” a reference to the iconic yellow tracksuit Lee wore in “Game of Death.” On the right side of the stamp, BRUCE LEE and USA FOREVER are printed vertically and angled to appear as if Lee’s kick were breaking them in half.

Nothing against the Post Office--which is doing a cool thing--but I still do think Sessue Hayakawa was the first Asian leading man in American film.

From Ro Khanna To The Chuckster (Schumer)...With Love?

Senator Schumer is no longer effective and should be replaced. If you can’t lead the fight to stop healthcare premiums from skyrocketing for Americans, what will you fight for?

— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) November 10, 2025

Maybe not...

From Mamdani To Her, And The Voters Who Backed Them, There Was A Lot Of Asian Goodness This Past Election Day

At the end of the day we just cleaned up. 

There was Zohran Mamdani as New York's first Asian American, South Asian, and Muslim mayor. The youngest mayor at age 34 to hold the title in a hundred years. This is exactly the change Democrats, and the younger voting block needed to see win.

Mamdani Shows Up And Vibes

In Saint Paul, MN, Kaohly Vang Her defeated two-term incumbent mayor Melvin Carter, the city's first African American mayor, who Her was also policy director for in his first term. She will be the first woman, Asian American, and Hmong American, to hold the office and lead the city.

3HMONGTV NEWS | Recorded on 11-05-2025 Kaohly Vang Her wins St. Paul Mayoral race.

Aftab Karma Singh Pureval, the city's first Asian American mayor was reelected in Cincinnati, winning over Cory Bowman, a Republican who also happens to be JD Vance’s half-brother. A win-win if there was one.

Aftab Pureval celebrates reelection in Cincinnati mayoral race

Ghazala F. Hashmi, born in Hyderabad, India and raised in Georgia, was elected Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. She became the first Muslim American woman elected to statewide office in the U.S.

Trump's unpopular, harmful policies fueled Democratic wins, says Virginia's Ghazala Hashmi

And then there were the voters (us).

From the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) and the Asian American Federation (AAF) exit poll:

Asian American Voters Favored Mamdani for Mayor, including 20% of 2024 Trump Voters

About half (49.1%) of Asian American voters who participated in the exit poll voted for Mamdani and roughly one-third (33.8%) voted for Cuomo. Notably, an overwhelming 87.2% of South Asian voters cast their ballots for Mamdani, while 9.6% voted for Cuomo.

According to the NBC exit poll this was as high as 62% of Asian Americans.A story down at Documented on why young Asian Americans voted for Mamdani:

But Mamdani’s focus on affordability and housing wasn’t the only thing that resonated with young Asian-American voters. They also wanted to feel hope again about issues that affect people on a larger scale.

“A lot of young people that I’ve talked to, either in schools, at the doors, or in the neighborhood, really want things to change,” Situ said. “But they’ve also lived through two Trump presidencies, and are watching a genocide happen on their phones, so they’re battling a lot of pessimism, whether through conversations with their friends or what they see on the news.”

Nice work if you can get it.