A FEDERAL appeals court on Wednesday, November 4 allowed the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to continue enforcing the Trump administration’s expanded “public charge” immigration rule that would deny green cards to immigrants who rely on public benefits like food stamps and housing vouchers. The ruling comes amidst developing presidential election results and just…
FOLLOWING re-election this week, Fil-Am Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes said on Friday, November 6 that he would be taking a “personal leave” to assist President Donald Trump in challenging what Reyes called a “compromised election process.” “Despite months of predictions about a ‘blue wave,’ @GOP kept the Senate & expanded seats in the House….
As protests over police brutality and the killings of Black Americans by police officers grew in cities across the United States, President Donald Trump drew criticism for having U.S. Park Police and National Guard troops clear a path using tear gas, so he could take a photo in front of the St. John’s Episcopal Church…
A number of California mayors are among a coalition of at least 25 city mayors across the U.S. who are pushing to roll out guaranteed income programs for low-income individuals in their cities. Led by Stockton, California Mayor Michael Tubbs, the Mayors for a Guaranteed Income (MGI) program was launched in June with the goal…
The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday, September 17, passed a resolution to denounce anti-Asian rhetoric and discrimination fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic. Introduced by Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.), the measure calls on all public officials to condemn all forms of anti-Asian sentiment and “all manifestations of expression of racism, xenophobia, discrimination, anti-Asian sentiment, scapegoating,…
A three-judge court in New York unanimously blocked an order by President Donald Trump that looked to exclude undocumented immigrants from the 2020 Census for the purpose of apportioning representatives. Federal statute governing the decennial census and apportionment requires the commerce secretary to report a single “tabulation of total population by States” to the president,…
FILIPINO American Noel Francisco, the former U.S. Solicitor General, was among the 20 people named in President Donald Trump’s list of possible Supreme Court additions this week. Trump released the list, which also includes Senators Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Ted Cruz of Texas, and Josh Hawley of Missouri, in the event there is a vacancy…
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sent a letter out to state officials this week asking them to prepare to distribute a COVID-19 vaccine by November 1, two days before the presidential election. “CDC urgently requests your assistance in expediting applications for these distribution facilities, and, if necessary, asks that you consider waiving…
FILIPINO-American immigration activist and journalist Jose Antonio Vargas and Filipina-Australian entrepreneur Melanie Perkins landed on Fortune Magazine’s all-new expansive 40 Under 40 lists that were released Wednesday, September 2. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the many calls to end social injustice and racial inequality that shaped this year, Fortune stepped away from its…
THE University of California (UC) system will no longer be able to use SAT and ACT scores in evaluating its applicants for undergraduate admissions or scholarships, a superior court judge ruled this week. The ruling on Monday, August 31 comes long after critics of the tests claimed they inadvertently favored students from wealthier families over…
Philippine Airlines (PAL) has been named among the world’s top 10 safest airlines during the current coronavirus pandemic, according to a newly released database that looks at COVID-19 traveler health and safety protocols. Of the over 150 airlines evaluated by Safe Travel Barometer, PAL was listed as the ninth safest for both travelers as of…
Hair salons and barbershops allowed to reopen indoors starting Monday California Governor Gavin Newsom said on Friday, August 28 that California would be modifying how the state determines which counties can reopen. Moving away from the previous “watchlist” system, Newsom revealed California’s “Blueprint for a Safer Economy,” which he described as “more stringent” and “steady.”…
AB 1460 overrules similar requirement set by CSU Board of Trustees California Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed a bill that requires undergraduate students of the California State University (CSU) system — the largest public university system in the United States — to take an ethnic studies course to graduate. Students who will be graduating in…
$100 million to go towards rent assistance as pandemic continues THE latest Los Angeles County Rent Relief program created to help county renters who have been heavily impacted by the COVID-19 crisis will launch Monday, August 17, and will remain open for a two-week period, closing on August 31. The rent relief program will provide…
Prop 16 would repeal ban on using race and ethnicity in college admissions Even amidst a global pandemic, racial justice has remained a key issue for voters. As California gears up for the upcoming November elections, one proposition on the state’s ballot looks at whether race and ethnicity should play a factor in public employment,…
California judge denies motions to delay injunction A California judge on Thursday, August 13 denied motions by Uber and Lyft to extend a deadline to appeal a preliminary injunction that ordered the companies to classify their drivers in the state as employees. At a hearing at the San Francisco Superior Court, Judge Ethan Schulman denied…
In light of this year’s COVID-19 pandemic and movements addressing racial injustice in the United States, The Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) in Seattle, Washington has announced the theme of this year’s Fil-Am History Month to be “The History of Filipino American Activism.” This October will be a reflection on how the Fil-Am community…
After nearly five months, the U.S. State Department lifted its blanket global Level 4 Health Advisory that advised U.S. citizens to avoid all international travel due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and returned to issuing its warnings to individual countries. “With health and safety conditions improving in some countries and potentially deteriorating in…
The United States Census Bureau will be ending all of its 2020 counting efforts — including door-knocking, and online, mail, and phone responses — on September 30, a full month earlier than it had previously planned. The sudden deadline change, according to bureau director Steven Dillingham, was to “accelerate the completion of data collection and…
As California saw a drop in COVID-19 numbers earlier this week, a top health official suggested that discrepancies in the state’s electronic data system may have resulted in undercounts of cases. California Health and Humans Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said on Tuesday, August 4 that “some discrepancies” have been discovered in the state system…
Undergraduate students of the California State University system — the largest public university system in the United States — will be required to take an ethnic studies or social justice class in order to graduate. The new “Ethnic Studies and Social Justice” requirement comes as the university’s Board of Trustees voted on Wednesday, July 22,…
Kids over 9 years old can also transmit virus, Fauci says in separate interview People are recommended to wear eye protection in addition to masks to better prevent contracting COVID-19, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and one of the nation’s top infectious disease experts…
THE Bay Area reached a new high of COVID-19 cases as the count for positive cases reached 50,472 with 785 deaths, as of Wednesday morning, July 29. San Francisco reported 132 new cases from Tuesday, July 28, bringing its new total to 6,197. In San Mateo County, 108 new cases were reported, adding to its…
The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will be providing $5 billion to nursing homes among other actions to help them deal with the coronavirus pandemic, the Trump administration said Wednesday, July 22. The fund is part of the Provider Relief Fund authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES)…
Asian American labor force and businesses disproportionately disrupted by COVID-19 compared to whites, UCLA report finds LAST week, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that closures were once again being put in place as cases in the state continue to rise. On Friday, July 24, the state reached yet another grim milestone of 159 new COVID-19…
Third reported soldier death near base within past month A young Filipino U.S. soldier was found dead last week near the Fort Hood Army base in Texas, marking the third soldier death in the area within the past month. Private Mejhor Morta, 26, was found unresponsive on July 17 in the vicinity of Stillhouse Lake,…
A federal judge on Friday, July 17, ordered the Trump administration to begin accepting new applications for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program following growing complaints that new applications were being denied. This comes after a United States Supreme Court ruling last month upheld the program that protected young immigrants brought to the…
After receiving backlash and pressure from universities, students, and technology companies, the Trump administration on Tuesday, July 14, reversed a policy that prohibited international university students from continuing their studies in the United States if their colleges went fully online. The directive — announced last week by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) — made it…
When the current COVID-19 pandemic reached the United States, many university students found themselves wondering whether they’d return to campus from spring break or continue the rest of the semester away from campus to stay safe from the virus spread. As students again played the waiting game during summer break, international students were suddenly hit…
US tops 3 million COVID-19 cases Despite having downplayed airborne transmission of COVID-19 as rare, the World Health Organization (WHO) acknowledged on Thursday, July 9 the possibility of the coronavirus lingering in the air and spreading between people in crowded indoor spaces. The change in stance came after over 200 experts earlier this week signed…
