PRSRT STD U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 746 Seattle, WA
VOL 38 NO 39 SEPTEMBER 21 – SEPTEMBER 27, 2019 FREE 37 YEARS YOUR VOICE
Gates Foundation to honor India’s Modi despite outrage Photo from Stand with Kashmir-Seattle
By Ruth Bayang NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Stand with Kashmir-Seattle held a protest at Westlake Center earlier this month, in solidarity with the people of Kashmir in ending the occupation.
see MODI on 11
YANG’s
debate surprise Andrew Yang began teasing on Sept. 10 before the third presidential debate that his campaign will do “something no presidential candidate has ever done before in history.” He kept that promise by announcing in his opening statement on Sept. 12 that he would give away $1,000 a month—$120,000 a year—to 10 randomly selected families as part of a pilot program for his universal basic income (UBI) proposal. “My campaign will now give a freedom dividend of $1,000 a month
for an entire year to 10 American families, someone watching this at home right now,” Yang said. As of Sept. 16, four days after the debate, nearly half a million people have entered the $1,000-a-month giveaway. The contest closed on Sept. 19 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and Sen. Cory Booker had the most speaking time during the debate, while Yang had the least. The New York Times reports that Biden spoke for
AP Photo
House panel investigates Elaine Chao for possible conflicts
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation isn’t backing down from honoring India Prime Minister Narendra Modi despite concerns about human rights abuses in the disputed Kashmir region. A dozen people, some wearing “Free Kashmir” T-shirts, with the Justice For All coalition delivered 100,000 petition signatures, many from people of South Asian descent, to the Gates
Foundation’s Seattle headquarters on Sept. 16. They want the world’s largest private nonprofit to reverse a decision to honor Modi’s Swachh Bharat (Clean India) Mission, a sanitation initiative that improved access to toilets. Local civil rights organization CAIR Washington joined 52 national and international organizations, on Sept. 17, in demanding the Gates Foundation to rescind the award.
Andrew Yang gives his closing statement on Sept. 12 during a Democratic presidential primary debate hosted by ABC at Texas Southern University in Houston.
see YANG on 15
Chinese parent charged in college admissions scandal Elaine Chao
By COLLIN BINKLEY
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Oversight Committee said on Sept. 16 it is investigating whether Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao acted improperly to benefit herself or her family’s shipping company. Two Democratic leaders sent Chao a letter asking her to turn over documents and communications related to the New Yorkbased company, Foremost Group. Chao’s father and sisters own the company, which transports material to and from China. “Federal regulations prohibit federal
BOSTON (AP) — A woman accused of paying $400,000 to get her son into the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), as a fake soccer recruit has become the 52nd person charged in a sweeping college admissions bribery scheme, according to an indictment unsealed on Sept. 17. Xiaoning Sui, 48, of Surrey, British Columbia, was charged with a single count of conspiracy and fraud in the indictment unsealed in Boston’s federal court.
see CHAO on 12
see BRIBERY on 13
By MATTHEW DALY
■
412 Maynard Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98104 • t. 206.223.5559 • f. 206.223.0626 • editor@nwasianweekly.com • ads@nwasianweekly.com • www.nwasianweekly.com