Kamala Harris is a “brat” — BUT that’s a good thing

Politics

Kamala Harris is a “brat” — BUT that’s a good thing

While being a brat may technically mean being an ill-mannered and annoying child, for Harris, it’s a strong endorsement that resonates with young voters. “Brat” is the title of Indian English pop star Charli XCX’s sixth studio album released last month. The singer-songwriter describes the term as someone messy, party-loving and sometimes says dumb things but is “very honest, blunt [and] a little bit volatile.” Her Gen Z and millennial fans have embraced this unapologetically "brat" lifestyle, declaring summer 2024 as a "brat summer,” contrasting the previous year's “clean girl” aesthetic inspired by the “Barbie” movie. 

“kamala IS brat”: On Sunday, Charli XCX voiced her support for Harris as the Democratic presidential nominee by calling her a “brat” on X. The tweet has since gone viral, prompting the Harris campaign to embrace the trend. Formerly known as “Biden-Harris HQ,” the campaign's X account has since rebranded to “kamala hq,” featuring a brat-themed header similar to Charli XCX’s neon green album cover. 

Embracing the Gen Z aesthetic: Gen Z voters, crucial in the upcoming election, have responded positively to Charli XCX's endorsement. Left-leaning social media content creators also expressed renewed enthusiasm for the Democratic Party, leading to a surge in viral "Brat" Harris edits on TikTok, X and Instagram, often tagged with "Brat election." These edits feature sound bites of the Indian American candidate laughing and her humorous quotes like “I love Venn diagrams” and “You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?”, which her campaign is also embracing.

News

Asian American teens lead U.S. to international math competition victory

China narrowly lost to the U.S. at the 65th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) held in Bath, United Kingdom, on Monday. The U.S. team, composed of high school students from Connecticut, Illinois, Florida, New Jersey and California, finished the competition with a score of 192, just two points higher than China's 190.

It’s still a win: Even though China lost its sixth consecutive IMO, one of its members, 16-year-old Shi Haojia, won a gold medal in the individual rankings after receiving a perfect score on all six problems in the competition. Shi, a second-year student from Zhejiang province, was reportedly the only student to achieve a perfect score out of the 609 high school students from 108 countries who participated. He is the fourth Chinese competitor to achieve this record, following math genius Wei Dongyi. Meanwhile, the U.S. team's Alexander Wang, 16, from New Jersey, and Jessica Wan, 18, from Florida, placed third and fifth, respectively, in the individual rankings.

The competition: First held in Romania in 1959, around 300,000 K-12 students from 6,000 schools and learning centers are chosen each year to compete at the world’s premiere math competition. Since joining the competition in 1985, China has secured first place a total of 24 times, while the U.S. has achieved first place nine times since joining the IMO in 1974.

News

Former K-pop star shares horrifying encounters with stalkers

Jaejoong, a former member of SM Entertainment’s TVXQ, shared some of the encounters he had with sasaengs, a Korean term meaning “private life” which also refers to obsessive fans or stalkers, in his 20-year career, including one who broke into his house while he was asleep. The 38-year-old singer, whose full name is Kim Jae-joong, said in the July 21 episode of the MBC talk show “Midnight Ghost Stories” that he may be the “most harassed person by sasaengs in South Korea.”

Stalking stories: In the episode, Jaejoong recalled a “distressing” story about how one woman broke into his home, laid over him on the bed and kissed him while he was asleep. In another encounter, the singer said a stalker kept ringing his doorbell every night, and when confronted by the police, she said she only wanted to feel the same button that Jaejoong had touched. “Imagine being stalked for a year, it's so distressing you might want to take your own life,” he said, noting how he "suffered to death" at the time.

Similar encounters: Similarly, other K-pop stars have also shared their run-ins with stalkers, including members of Twice who were harassed by a German fan in 2020 and a woman who followed BTS’s V into the elevator of his apartment building to give him their “marriage certificate.” The South Korean government passed a revision to its “anti-stalking law” in October that makes it easier for authorities to punish stalkers.

Crime

Asian Kiwi passengers on Auckland bus racially attacked

A woman was filmed pushing and spitting at Asian Kiwi passengers during a racist meltdown on a bus traveling in Auckland on Monday. Auckland Transport is investigating the incident and urging the public to report similar incidents.

What happened: The video, which was taken on a No. 70 bus near Auckland City Hospital, shows the woman yelling at Asian passengers to “go back” to their “own country,” pushing one man and spitting on another. A witness said she initially saw the woman counting as passengers got onto the bus outside the University of Auckland. “I was thinking, ‘Why is she counting?’, then when I was sitting down she got up to 11 and she said, ‘There’s too many f*cking Asians here.’ She was swearing and everything, and she’s like, ‘Go back to your country,’” the witness told the New Zealand Herald.

The big picture: The incident marks the second anti-Asian attack to occur in Auckland in less than a month. On June 28, a 39-year-old woman struck a 16-year-old Asian student with a metal rod on another Auckland bus, resulting in losses and damages of several teeth. “I took off my headphones and asked her politely if she was talking to me,” the boy told nNews.com.au. “Then I heard her shouting ‘f*ck’ and ‘ch*nk’ at me, which are words that are particularly discriminatory against Chinese people in the West.”

News

Overtourism in Japan could mean extra taxes for visitors

Japan is experiencing a tourism surge fueled by a weak yen and pent-up demand. However, this influx is also leading to some environmental challenges, prompting the government to implement measures to curb overtourism.

Record numbers: June saw a record 3.14 million foreign visitors in Japan, pushing the total to 17.78 million for the first half of 2024. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida projects that tourist spending will reach 8 trillion yen ($50 billion) this year. Overtourism, however, has contributed to issues such as traffic jams, pollution and problems with residents. Popular spots such as Mt. Fuji and Himeji Castle are dealing with overcrowding and littering, prompting officials to impose admission fees.

Solutions: To help mitigate the negative impacts of overtourism, 20 regions have been selected to model sustainable tourism practices and raise awareness about respectful tourist behavior. Local governments are also introducing lodging taxes, which are levied on hotel guests. So far, 12 municipalities have implemented such taxes and over 40 more are considering them.

Entertainment

Voice of Nobita in "Doraemon" passes away at 88

Voice actress Noriko Ohara, famous for her role as Nobita Nobi in the beloved anime "Doraemon," passed away on July 12th at the age of 88. Her agency, 81 Produce, announced her passing on Tuesday but did not disclose the cause of death.

End of an era: Ohara's voice brought the endearingly clumsy and optimistic Nobita to life for generations of fans. She voiced the character in the 1979 TV series and later in the 2005 film "Doraemon: Nobita's Great Adventure in the South Seas."

Beyond "Doraemon": Ohara voiced a wide range of characters in various anime series, including the energetic Peter in "Heidi: Girl of the Alps" and the alluring Doronjo in "Yatterman." She also had a successful career in dubbing foreign films, lending her voice to acclaimed actresses like Shirley MacLaine and Catherine Deneuve.

Final Bites

Asian American leaders back Kamala Harris: Vice President Kamala Harris is receiving endorsements from prominent Asian American legislators and advocacy groups, with more expected to come. The presumptive Democratic nominee to face Donald Trump in November, Harris raised a record $100 million in less than 36 hours of her candidacy following President Joe Biden’s exit. Lawmakers who have thrown their support for her include Sen. Mazie Hirono, Rep. Ami Bera, Rep. Judy Chu, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Rep. Ro Khanna, Rep. Andy Kim, Rep. Ted Lieu, Rep. Grace Meng, Rep. Bobby Scott, Rep. Marilyn Strickland, Rep. Mark Takano, Rep. Jill Tokuda and  Rep. Shri Thanedar. Nonprofits include the AAPI Victory Fund, Asian American Action Fund and ASPIRE PAC. “@VP Harris fights for us all. She leads the fight to restore our reproductive freedoms. She stood up for us to fight anti-Asian hate. When a gunman killed 11 people in my hometown of Monterey Park, she was there to support us. I’m proud to endorse @KamalaHarris for President,” Rep. Chu wrote on X.

Missing San Gabriel teen found safe after weeklong search: Alison Jillian Chao, the 15-year-old from Monterey Park who went missing on July 16, has been found safe, as confirmed by her father's attorney. Chao disappeared after leaving her home around 5:30 p.m. on a blue mountain bike, heading to her aunt's house in San Gabriel but never arriving. After a week of searching, she was reportedly spotted in Glendale by someone who recognized her as a missing minor and called the police, who then located her near Flower Street and Sonora Avenue at around 9:30 a.m. Chao is now safe with Monterey Park Police, but the reason for her disappearance remains unknown. The City of Monterey Park has thanked the community and law enforcement for their help in the search.

Brooklyn councilman mocks councilwoman who bit NYPD chief: Justin Brannan faces an ethics complaint for allegedly mocking fellow Brooklyn City Councilmember Susan Zhuang, who was arrested during a protest against a men’s shelter and faces charges including assault and resisting arrest for allegedly biting an NYPD chief. Brannan reportedly referred to Zhuang as “Susan Fang” and brought “mock teeth” to City Hall, which Asian American activist Tim Law condemned as an offensive “anti-Asian slur.” Through a spokesperson, Brannan defended his actions, suggesting the criticism is a distraction from Zhuang’s legal troubles: “Sadly, Mrs. Zhuang has shown zero remorse for biting a cop. She should take responsibility for her own actions, stop deflecting and start by apologizing to the NYPD instead of organizing a parade in her own honor.”

Kakao’s billionaire founder arrested for stock manipulation in K-pop deal Kim Beom-su, the founder of South Korean tech giant Kakao Corp., was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly manipulating stocks during the acquisition of SM Entertainment — the label behind acts such as Aespa, NCT and Red Velvet — last year. Prosecutors claim Kim, also known as Brian Kim, hindered competitor Hybe — which manages BTS, Seventeen and Le Sserafim — from acquiring the K-pop agency by manipulating its stock price. Kim, who denies the accusation, is being held at the Seoul Nambu Detention Centre and has not been formally charged. His arrest has led to a significant drop in Kakao’s share value.