Hello to the beginning of another week! If you didn’t hear, Special Counsel Robert Mueller submitted his report to the DOJ, and the DOJ told Congress the basic findings. Highlights:
No one on Trump’s campaign colluded with the Russians during the 2016 election
Obstruction of justice? No evidence proves that President Trump actually did commit obstruction, but the the stuff they did find didn’t exactly exonerate him.
No sealed indictments—which was a huge question mark for those keeping an eye on this particular investigation. This essentially means that no one else is being indicted as part of Mueller’s probe.
AG Bill Barr, along with DAG Rod Rosenstien, took that (???) finding from Mueller re: Trump/obstruction of justice and said there wasn’t enough evidence to do anything about it, basically.
SO… NOW… House Judiciary Chair Jerry Nadler wants Barr to testify before Congress to explain why they decided what they decided re: obstruction of justice and I guess get more info on this investigation. You can probably also expect (a lot of) calls to “release” the report in its entirety—although I can imagine that report has sensitive info and intelligence, and would have to go through the redaction process with multiple agencies. IN OTHER WORDS, don’t hold ur breath on this report being released. (If only this were the report, amirite?)
Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled programming:
Politics
A shooter in New Zealand, spurred by white supremacist thought, shot up a mosque and killed 50 while live-streaming the massacre on Facebook. How did we get here? What is the cancer of white supremacy? This is an interesting wide-look at the issue.
A great interview with Ta-Nehisi Coates about race in politics as we approach 2020.
I have a bunch of articles that are “Asian”-related somewhat so they get their own section :)
According to the Wall Street Journal, the Chinese have started to destroy the neighborhoods of mostly-Muslin ethnic Uighur residents and sanitize their culture from the surroundings—erecting a new neighborhood that would “forcibly assimilate” them.
Theres a huge trope that Asian-Americans have an aptitude for academic work. Some university affirmative action policies are modeled after this stereotype, which is only accurate for some Asian-Americans—leaving those who happen to be “Asian,” not-so-great at school, and disadvantaged in some way out of luck and left behind.
Speaking of Asian-American-ness: I am a part of a podcast that explores the Asian-American experience (I was interviewed for one of the episodes). If you find these discussions about race in America deeply interesting, consider donating to the podcasts’ IndieGoGo (they also have cool merch).
The South Korean entertainment industry is having a reckoning right now: One of the members of the biggest boy band in the country, Big Bang, was caught offering escorts to foreign investors—which is, of course, illegal. A bunch of other male entertainment figures were also caught up in this scandal. This is a really great write-up on what’s happening and the context of these events.
Speaking of K-Pop: Tiffany Young, of girl group Girls Generation fame, has officially broke out into a U.S. solo career—and it seems to be pretty doing well! Here’s a good profile into her life, explaining how an Asian American girl born in the Bay Area was able to rise to super-stardom in a completely different country.
Culture
So, I’ve seen more than a few of people I went to college with get engaged and even get hitched. Why is a white dress and a church aisle still the end-all-be-all of romantic relationships? It’s 2019, people!
A fake b*tch, through and through: Did you know Elizabeth Holmes, of Silicon Valley Scammer fame, faked her hilariously deep voice? Cheers to her for keeping up that charade for quite awhile—but what kind of person does that crap?
Speaking of scams… the College Admissions Cheating Scandal has raised some questions about the desire for parents to literally commit federal crimes so their precious babies can feel smart at *INSERT SCHOOL HERE*. What’s the parenting practice that drove those criminal actions?
This one former fashion magazine editor became rich, and she’s very unapologetic about it. A really great interview with her.
Instagram account “Diet Prada” rose to fame after calling out designers/celebrities for copying then-innovative trends from years prior and for utilizing racist tropes. This NYT article reveals who is behind the majorly-popular account and explains their impact on the fashion industry.
Biz Read / Down the Fashion Rabbit Hole: As luxury brands expand into Asian countries, is there market space in a developing country like the Philippines?
That’s all for now folks!
I’m gonna see Ariana Grande tonight lolol. See you in the next one!