Frank Chow: Asian- American Political Pundit

  Ronnie Chieng says it best, "Fuck AI." In his address to students at Harvard graduation, he shared what we are thinking. Yes, we've used AI, but for the most part, its continued push on us is leading to more backlash. There are psychological reasons behind it. I think the media and Silicon Valley miss one vital element of their AI evangelism. We've seen what Social Media has done to our society. And we're good. We don't trust the same folks to make sound technology decisions. So today we say, "Fuck AI." Here are your highlights:   Pam Bondi belongs in jail . She'll testify, behind closed doors, about Epstein.  There has never been a more vain loser president than Trump. Treasury to print $250 Trump bills .  Tax Jeff Bezos. Blue Origin rocket blows up .  Israel continues to murder children . Children. Bibi is a monster.  Project 2029 is awful milquetoast . People want bold. People want justice. People are tired and fed up. This ain't it.  PE...

 There's a lot of talk about "vibecession." But as New Deal Democrat at Bonddad points out here : " So why isn’t the US in recession? Because gains by the uppermost in the income and wealth distribution have enabled such free spending that it has more than overbalanced the struggles of most of the rest." People making more money are doing just fine. There's new research that says the rest of us are on "the financial edge." It's not a "vibecession" for many of us; the economy ain't working. With gas prices and groceries as high as they are, it's not surprising that the sentiment is that the economy sucks. It does suck, and the administration is doing nothing about it because they're the "uppermost income" folks.  Here are your highlights:   Stop AAPI Hate launches new voter mobilization initiative.   NPR lays off more journalists. Just as Project 2025 intended . Please support, if you can.  Using the Justice Dep...

 I read somewhere, can't recall, that if gas prices hit double digits, it's officially over for Trump. I'd hope so. But...he's yet to face any consequences, and my rural town still blames Biden. I'm not shitting you, this morning was full of "Trump isn't king, you idiots" and "Biden is a traitor" posts on the local unhinged forum. Love waking up and being reminded that some folks aren't going to be saved.  Here are your highlights:   Trump chooses Paxton. Paxton wins the primary in Texas . I don't believe it's in play yet, but this makes it closer.  I need this. A guide to converting your lawn into a wildlife-friendly garden .  That's an awful lot of hospital visits .  Horrible. ICE must be shut down. ICE detainees are unaliving themselves at an alarming rate .  Chinese dissident escapes to South Korea .  The fallout of the Iran War. The Persian Gulf has been remade .  I am Frank Chow, and I approve this message. 

 I hope everyone had a lovely Memorial Day weekend. We enjoyed a hang with new friends, and I did the age-old tradition of caring for my lawn. Summer has officially begun, and it began with chaos. Ever drive 30 minutes only to find out it's the wrong place? Just me? Cool cool. All is well. Kiddos are at camp. Crisis averted.  Here are your highlights:  Violence in the Congo over the Ebola outbreak .  Unknown Soldiers: The Pentagon can identify thousands, but they haven't .  Bombs away! Live updates on the never-ending Iran War .  ICE agents pepper-sprayed Sen. Andy Kim . An organization filled with thugs.  The Federal Courts just said, " Alabama, you STILL hella racist ." Learn something new every day. Don't recycle plastic bags in the recycling bin .  I am Frank Chow, and I approve this message. 

 This weekend is always tough for me. My mom passed away Memorial Day weekend. Or that's how I remember it. It was over 25 years ago, and yet I can still hear my grandmother cry in anguish. The color of the walls in the hotel when we received the news. My untied tie. The tears. The hugs. The wish to say goodbye. So, all these years later, I will donate to organizations my mom would've loved. I'll pack up clothes that no longer spark joy and donate them. And I will hold our kids ever tighter. Grief is weird like that. You never know when it will come back around.  Here are your highlights:   Democrats need to expand the court . It has to be part of the platform.  Batteries. Batteries will make the energy crisis boring .  Who died when Elon Musk killed USAID?   I thought the election was about the economy. Then why did so many elect the worst to run the economy into the ground?   It seems like Trump wants China to attack Taiwan .  The Broadview Six ...

 Everything is in service of Dear Leader. The Republican Party is a cult dedicated to Donald Trump, of all fuckin people. A man, any sane human, would gladly tell off. A despicable, sad sack of excrement. A dude so incapable of doing his job that he sleeps on it. Yet, if you stand up to him. You lose. MAGA is a cult, and if you have a primary kiss the ring. Or face the consequences. The midterms will be very interesting because there are sane voters out there. And as Trump continues to tank in the polls, they will show up. Will it be enough?  Here are your highlights:   Israel likes to say they don't enjoy killing and abusing dissent. Ben-Gvir said, "Hold my beer." The Ballroom Backlash . Republicans might table the funds for the ballroom.  ICE Agent surrenders to Minnesota authorities . MORE! I'm sorry. I'm over it. Swing voters are just stupid and ignorant people .  RFK Jr.'s entire schtick is making life easier for insurance companies .  Police sue DOJ o...

 I'd like to believe. I'd like to have optimism. HOWEVER, the way the Southern states reacted to SCOTUS gutting the Voting Rights Act has me down bad. SCOTUS basically said, "Do your worst." And the Southern states have acted accordingly. They saw that they were going to lose the midterms and rigged the system in a white supremacist way. It is an act of desperation as Trump is so unpopular that he might as well be the plague, yet last night Republicans showed they still kiss his ring. It has me nervous. Will Republicans call the election off? Challenge even the widest margins? Six months is a long time for them to plot.  Here are your highlights:   Bolivia is under siege. Chaos at the capital.  The Trump slush fund needs to be investigated the moment Dems get the gavel.  Asians Behaving Badly. Steven Cheung is a prick .  Cuba is the next mark . Can we do two wars at once?  Climate Change - Kansas farmers face possibly the worst crop since 1972 ....

 Summer is almost here. The kids are out of school on Friday. I'd say I'm excited, but then the summer crazies hit. Which camp? Where to drop off? Who is doing what? It's all chaotic. Any parent will attest that summer is fun. We'd also say the lack of help or the lack of providers is stressful. We end school and are like, "Parents, good luck!" I get vacation time. I don't get enough vacation time for summer. So to those fellow parents out there, good luck!  Here are your highlights:  Bessent grovels at the G7 conference for allies to go after Iran's finances.  Israel continues to ethnically cleanse Palestinians .  Shooting in San Diego at an Islamic Center . Police are treating it as a hate crime.  Nobody does it quite like JD Vance . Vote them out!  Minnesota to prosecute ICE Agents .  Prayers up. (if that's what you do) An American doctor tests positive for Ebola .  I am Frank Chow, and I approve this message. 

As the US and Iran continue to "negotiate" over the war, it's good to know that Europe is on the edge of an oil crisis. I can't think of a bigger self-own in modern presidential history. Trump has not only made Americans miserable at the pump, but also everyone. Everywhere. All at once. He doesn't care. Heck, he might even start the war back up for funsies. Something tells me this isn't what the Founders had in mind... Here are your highlights: The 250th anniversary celebration in DC is turning out to be a White Christian Nationalist Rally . The very antithesis of America.  House Oversight Committee to interview Epstein guards .  "Cuba has drones!" - I guess this is the next play. Starve Cubans, then war, then what? Asteroid, please hit us . You're our only hope.  Ebola outbreak in the Congo and Uganda. WHO declares an emergency .  MAGA is upset with Trump cuz CHINESE STUDENTS ARE BAD . This is too funny.  I am Frank Chow, and I approve this mes...

 For now, women can receive health care despite the want and fervor of Alito and Thomas to control every uterus. It's clear that the Republican appointees on the Supreme Court, especially the aforementioned, have no desire to call balls and strikes. It's all about returning to "the golden era." An America that never existed. An America where Segregation and Women's Rights weren't a thing. Pollution was all the rage, and you paid $6 a gallon for gas. Out of touch has lost all meaning. Expanding the court is the only way forward for the Democratic Party. Anyone saying otherwise shouldn't be taken seriously.  Here are your highlights:   A terrible story out of NY. Children with disabilities were thrown and confined in wooden boxes at schools .  Turns out nobody, wants Data Centers in their backyard .  The John Roberts Court. A third of the Congressional Black Caucus could lose their seats .  Another Republican, another sexual harassment claim .  Update: T...

 Eggs! Gas! Inflation! Biden is old! They really "But her emails..." anything during a Democratic presidency. And now, I'm paying $5 a gallon in my small rural town, so no way I'm buying beef, cutting back on essentials, and going out less. I guess I'll have to take up gardening or composting. What hippie hobby should I pick up? I have a bandana, need gloves, and I'll need more crusty gear. Time to get dirty! Here are your highlights: China warns Trump about Taiwan . Xi is going to play Trump so badly.  While Alito wants to own every woman's uterus. Abortion providers are scrambling to stay ahead of the courts.  UK Health Minister resigns and is rumored to challenge Starmer .  AAPI Month Alert: A documentary about being AAPI!   More layoffs at Meta. The rot starts at the top .  I'm so old I remember Donald said he'd end the war in Ukraine on day one .  I am Frank Chow, and I approve this message. 

 Trump goes to China. I have no hopes for this visit. Xi has played Trump rather well, and he will continue to, just like Putin. My worry is that Trump will sell out Taiwan at the first mention. He is all about optics after all. He wants the pictures and videos of him and Xi; that's pretty much it. I hate this trip so much .  Here are your highlights:   Please not another COVID. Hantavirus has a French patient in critical condition .  $1.2 trillion for the golden dome .  RIP Jason Collins . A hero in the NBA.  Mamdani is proving that Democrats are better at economics than Republicans .  Gunfire at the Philippine Senate .  The case of the missing Representative .  I am Frank Chow, and I approve this message. 

 A Democratic president could never. Watching gas prices rise, an endless war, a wobbling economy, a pedophile ring, sleeping on the job, etc. A Democratic president could never. Yet Trump continues on his authoritarian ways with zero media accountability. Americans hate the man, and yet the headlines act as if he's independent of the current state of affairs. If Biden were still president, the New York Times would look very different.  Here are your highlights:   The cost of war .   I'm no conspiracy theorist, but most Americans doubt the assassination attempts on Trump were real.  California mayor pleads guilty to being an illegal agent for China .  Fuck Rahm Emanuel and anyone promoting him .  Deal made with the hackers of Canvas .  Starvation on the front lines in Ukraine, Russian war.  I am Frank Chow, and I approve this message. 

 I got caught up with my day job and completely forgot to post. Well, I started to post and then left the tab open. It seems like the ceasefire that wasn't is at the whim of declining Trump. Remember when Biden was criticized for being on the decline?!! Ah, the good old days. Now, we have Trump visibly falling asleep during pressers all the damn time. And threatening to start the war with Iran back up. Two more years of this seems untenable. So instead of highlights today, enjoy a song.  I am Frank Chow, and I approve this message. 

 As we go further down the war hole, I'd like to ask, what's a Congress? What's a law? What's oversight? I hope Democrats hammer this home for the midterms. Trump wants $1.5 trillion for more wars while your gas, groceries, and health care prices go up. Trump is and has been out of touch during both of his terms. He told you to drink bleach while your friends died of COVID. He started a war with Iran, spending billions daily, while gas went to $5 a gallon. He's not like us. Republicans don't care. Hammer it home.  Here are your highlights:  Happy 100th Birthday to the legend David Attenborough .  A data center that's "bigger than Manhattan ". Someone, please, stop these morons.  DOGE dudes should be in jail. Judge rules they had no authority to cut grants .  ICE wants to reopen the "Rape Club." Are we headed towards AI armageddon? Anthropic Mythos is the warning sign.   Maybe, just maybe, more leaders will discover that a ton of schools u...

This weekend I'm older. It's not a big to-do of a birthday, so I'm going to get dim sum, shop, and chill. Maybe I'll stop by the local speakeasy or just mow the lawn. I used to really believe that getting older would be this monumental event. That the shift from my 20s to my 30s would be seismic, and so on. Nope. I've always felt younger than my age. That might be part of it. Regardless, I will enjoy my time. No need to wallow in a number.  Here are your highlights:  Kash Patel is such a loser . He hands out bottles of customized Woodford Reserve.  Surprise! Jobs report, steady as it goes. What is the hantavirus?  I don't think I'm ever going on a cruise ship.  Two former Chinese Defense Ministers were given life sentences for corruption . Xi keeps his tight grip. Segregationists in Tennessee bully protesters .  When the FBI can attack on behalf of a president. They are no longer a viable and respectable organization. It's sickening what they did to VA S...

I hate hate RFK Jr . " In  a statement released Monday  by the Department of Health and Human Services, Kennedy announced 'action to confront our nation’s mental health crisis by addressing the overuse of psychiatric medications.” I have been taking antidepressants for years, and they've been life-altering. I was diagnosed with depression, anxiety, and ADHD. It's been a constant struggle in my life. I wake up and can't get out of bed, I oversleep, I overstimulate, I can't go outside, etc. It isn't some conspiracy or lack of trying. I am clinically depressed. RFK Jr.'s lack of empathy is the problem. Not SSRIs. Fuck him.  Here are your highlights:  Iran says it's opening the Strait of Hormuz .  FRAUD! Republicans screamed. While also taking away SNAP benefits from the poor .  Another bang-up job by RFK Jr. and his ilk. Babies are dying because parents are refusing to give their kids a shot.   I'm ashamed I ever donated to John Fetterman .  Astron...

 My oldest went to the ER last night. I'm discombulated. She's okay, but anytime any of them gets injured or has a scare, it's overwhelming. They are my entire world. You never want to see your kid in pain. I can't imagine what the people of Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran are going through. I don't want to, which is why I mention this. The lack of empathy of the "Department of War", the president, and Republicans is sociopathic. It's so abhorrent. So, so, so I don't have the words.  Here are your highlights:  But Democrats are the Extremists .  The fumble of hosting the World Cup will be studied for decades .  Can Democrats win in Ohio?  Hey, being a Nazi is bad! NYC synagogues and residences vandalized with swastikas .  AI sued in Pennsylvania for fake doctor bots .  Is Hong Kong the next Silicon Valley?  I am Frank Chow, and I approve this message. 

It's Asian American Heritage Month! To kick it off, how about some WAsian music? Yes, I know she's Icelandic, but she lives in LA and went to Berklee College of Music. Our kids love Laufey, and her sound is a lovely chill throwback. Plus, what a fun video with Asian representation. I'll try to showcase talents and remind y'all that Asians kick ass. And if you didn't notice the Asian-AMERICAN part of this video that sticks out is none other than Alysa Liu, GOLD MEDAL FIGURE SKATER FROM THE BAY.  Here are your highlights:  The Forced Birth crowd gets another win. Mifepristone restricted .  13 injured in Oklahoma Lake Party  shooting.  I can't wait for Sen. Fetterman to get the FET out of the Senate .  DRAIN THE SWAMP .  The Southern States are Segregationists . And they aren't afraid to gerrymander to show it.  China blocks US Sanctions . The Chinese are increasingly defying teh Trump.  I am Frank Chow, and I approved this message. 

 Happy Taurus Month! Or something like that. I turn one year older this month, and I probably reflect more on my last year. I won't do that today. I'll spare you the Noah Kahan lyrics of it all, for now. This weekend, I'm headed to a local festival to promote local plants, clean energy, and getting outside. One thing I will share about my last year is that touching grass can be life-altering. Hiking has become my favorite escape from this world we're living in. Even if I spend parts of it cursing the Trump administration and its terrible actions.  Here are your highlights:   May Day Shut Down . Unions have had enough.  Endless war. Republicans, the cucks, defer to Trump on Iran War.   There's an Epstein suicide note, held by his cellmate, and the DOJ left that out .  Trump's running out of Surgeon General nominees . Next one up!  What is happening in shipping waters is "dangerous". From Hormuz to Panama to the South China Sea .  Something to brigh...