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Asian American voters diverse in culture, political views

Since 2020, Asians Americans have been the fastest-growing group of eligible voters in the U.S., according to Pew Research Center. In 2022, California had the most eligible Asian American voters in the U.S., followed by New York and Texas. From Houston, Texas, Elizabeth Lee has more on the potential and challenges of the Asian American vote.
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No federal abortion ban under Trump, says JD Vance; Harris campaign breaks donations record

Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance said Sunday that he won’t impose a federal abortion ban in the United States if he and Donald Trump win the White House. Meanwhile, the Democratic presidential ticket of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz keeps pushing its messaging for reproductive rights and announced record-breaking campaign donations. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias has the details.
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Trump, Harris head to political battleground states

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While in Taiwan, former US ambassador to UN says isolationist policy not ‘healthy’

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said on a visit to Taiwan Saturday that an isolationist policy isn’t “healthy” and called on the Republican Party to stand with her country’s allies, while still putting in good words for the party’s nominee, Donald Trump.

Haley, who ran against Trump for the Republican presidential nomination, told reporters in the capital, Taipei, that supporting U.S. allies, including Ukraine and Israel, is vital. She underscored the importance of Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory, to be brought under control by force if necessary.

“I don’t think the isolationist approach is healthy. I think America can never sit in a bubble and think that we won’t be affected,” she said.

While the U.S. doesn’t formally recognize Taiwan, it is the island’s strongest backer and main arms provider. However, Trump’s attempt to reclaim the presidency has fueled worries. He said Taiwan should pay for U.S. protection in an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek published in July and dodged answering the question of whether he would defend the island against a possible Chinese military action.

When Haley shuttered her own bid for the Republican nomination, she did not immediately endorse Trump, having accused him of causing chaos and disregarding the importance of U.S. alliances abroad. But in May she said she would be voting for him, while making it clear that she felt her former boss had work to do to win over voters who supported her.

On Saturday, she spoke in Trump’s favor. She said that having previously served with Trump’s administration, “we did show American strength in the world,” pointing to their pushback against China and their sanctioning of Russia and North Korea, among other efforts.

“I think that all of that strength that we showed is the reason that we didn’t see any wars, we didn’t see any invasions, we didn’t see any harm that happened during that time. I think Donald Trump would bring that back,” she said.

Trump has claimed that if elected, he would end the conflict in Ukraine before Inauguration Day in January. But Russia’s United Nations ambassador said he can’t. Trump’s public comments have varied between criticizing U.S. backing for Ukraine’s defense and supporting it, while his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, has been a leader of Republican efforts to block what have been billions in U.S. military and financial assistance to Ukraine since Russia invaded in 2022.

Concerns among Ukraine and its supporters that the country could lose vital U.S. support have increased as Trump’s campaign surged.

Haley criticized Trump’s rival, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, saying she would “do exactly” what President Joe Biden had done. She said Harris was part of his administration when the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021, when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 and when the Hamas-Israel war broke out last year.

“She was in the situation room right next to Joe Biden. She was there making the exact same decisions. Those decisions have made the world less safe,” she said.

Haley added that while the Republicans and Democrats may not currently concur on much, they agree on “the threats of China,” adding that Taiwan is now looking “to make sure that if China starts a fight with them, that they are prepared to make sure that they can fight back.”

She said her party should stand with the country’s allies and make sure that U.S. shows strength around the world. She also said any authoritarian regime and “communists” harming or hurting other free countries should be a personal matter to the U.S.

“We don’t want to see communist China win. We don’t want to see Russia win. We don’t want to see Iran or North Korea win,” she said.

Haley met Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te during this week’s trip. She called for more international backing for the self-ruled island, a coordinated pushback against China’s claims over it, and for Taiwan to become a full member of the United Nations.

Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said Saturday that 38 warplanes and 12 vessels from China were detected around the island during a 24-hour period from Friday morning. Thirty-two of the planes crossed the middle of the line of the Taiwan Strait, an unofficial boundary that’s considered a buffer between the island and mainland.
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RFK Jr. endorses Donald Trump

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced his endorsement of former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, on Friday. VOA’s Carolyn Presutti reports from Glendale, Arizona, where the two politicians campaigned together for the first time.
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Sidelined at the DNC, pro-Palestinian Democrats still see progress

Chicago — Hundreds of pro-Palestinian delegates were sidelined at the Democratic National Convention that ended with Vice President Kamala Harris reaffirming her support for Israel.

“The people of Israel must never again face the horror that a terrorist organization called Hamas caused on October 7,” she said in her speech accepting the party’s presidential nomination Thursday evening.

As anti-war protesters filled the streets throughout the week, 270 pro-Palestinian Democrats calling themselves “cease-fire delegates” signed a petition demanding Harris, if she’s elected, enact an arms embargo on Israel.

The unheeded petition was pushed by leaders of the “Uncommitted” movement, which garnered hundreds of thousands of votes in Democratic primaries across the nation.

These delegates staged a sit-in outside Chicago’s United Center, the convention’s venue, to protest the Democratic National Committee, who denied a speaking request for Tanya Haj-Hassan, a pediatric doctor who treats wounded children in Gaza.

The DNC, according to Uncommitted National Movement spokesperson Layla Elabed, didn’t want Harris to be “overshadowed.”

Asked by VOA for a reaction to Elabed’s claim, the Harris campaign said, “There have been a number of speakers who have spoken about the war in Gaza and the need to secure a cease-fire and hostage deal.”

Uncommitted delegates

Elabed spoke to VOA on behalf of the 30 “Uncommitted” delegates who voted present in the nomination roll call. That’s less than 1% of the roughly 4,700 delegates who voted for Harris.

The pro-Palestinian group, however, was given a speaking opportunity Monday in a panel event outside of the convention.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, a Muslim sympathetic to the Palestinian cause who spoke on the panel, was given time at the convention main stage on Wednesday. However, he did not mention Gaza in his speech.

The war in Gaza is “not the topic that I would decide” to speak about, Ellison told VOA before his speech, indicating that pragmatism is key to affect change within the party.

“I’m not one of those people who believe that we vote for perfection. What we vote for is conversation,” he said.

Party platform supports Israel

As the convention kicked off, Democrats voted to adopt the party’s platform that recommitted support for Israel, a cease-fire for hostage release deal and the two-state solution.

Pro-Palestinian delegates tried to include language backing enforcement of laws that ban giving military aid to individuals or security forces that commit gross violations of human rights.

“What we are asking is that our tax dollars not be used to kill men, women and children. This is not a controversial demand and is actually more aligned with our Democratic values,” Elabed said.

Compared to Biden, Harris appears to offer more sympathy for Palestinian suffering, repeating Thursday of the “devastating” situation in Gaza over the past 10 months.”

“So many innocent lives lost. Desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety, over and over again,” she said in her convention speech. “The scale of suffering is heartbreaking.”

But policy-wise she signaled continuity from the current administration.

“President Biden and I are working to end this war such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination,” she said in her speech to thunderous applause.

Harris’ current and former aides say her Israel policy is unlikely to diverge from President Joe Biden. Halie Soifer, national security adviser to Harris while she was in the Senate, said that the vice president has always been a “strong supporter of the U.S.-Israel relationship,” while upholding humanitarian values.

“She does not want to see the suffering of innocent civilians, nor do the vast majority of Americans and Jewish Americans,” said Soifer, who is now CEO of Jewish Democratic Council of America.

“We don’t have to view it through binary lens,” she told VOA. “We support both.”

Not discouraged

Uncommitted delegates say they’re not discouraged.

Inga Gibson, a delegate from Hawaii, a state where seven out of 31 delegates are uncommitted, said she has made “tremendous progress” with her fellow delegates.

“I found that a lot of people are really with us on this issue, but they don’t know where to begin or how to get involved,” she told VOA.

She and other uncommitted delegates gave out keffiyehs, “Democrats for Gaza” flyers and “No More Bombs” pins. The pro-Palestinian symbols are emblematic of a key area of disagreement among Democrats – how much support to give to Israel.

Pro-Israel delegates say it should not create division within the party.

“We can all do better to try to understand the complications of the conflict,” Andrew Lachman, a delegate from California told VOA. “We’re all concerned about the civilians of Gaza, but we’re also concerned about the people of Israel and their safety and security.”

Polls show an increasing number of Americans want their leaders to reduce support for Israel. Some say Harris missed an opportunity.

As a former prosecutor, Harris can and should strictly enforce laws and suspend weapons even to allies who violate international or U.S. law, said Nancy Okail, president and CEO of the Center for International Policy, a left-leaning think tank.

“She could make clear this doesn’t just apply to their misuse by Israel to cause disproportionate civilian harm in Gaza, but to their misuse by Netanyahu’s extremist government to dispossess and abuse Palestinians in the occupied West Bank,” she told VOA.

Turning protest into agenda

Scholars of social movements say it takes time and work to turn protests into a political agenda. Elisabeth Clemens, a sociologist from the University of Chicago, said that includes building coalitions, negotiating and compromising.

“Finding a way forward that almost never gets all the way to where the protesters hoped it would get but is nevertheless an important change,” she told VOA.

And on an issue as complicated as the Middle East peace process, there are different pressures exerted on multiple sides.

“American domestic politics only garners a slice of that,” she said.

Elabed said they’re in for the long game.

“Our strategy is not to abandon the Democratic Party, but to essentially revolutionize the Democratic Party and listen to its core base.”

For now, the vice president is their best bet.

“I don’t care what you think, you need to win to have power,” Ellison said. “Harris, the numbers are up everywhere. The chances for success are higher.” 
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Sidelined at their party’s convention, pro-Palestinian Democrats play the long game

Vice President Kamala Harris reaffirmed support for Israel in her Democratic National Convention acceptance speech. Pro-Palestinian delegates say they will push to condition U.S. military aid to Israel. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara reports from the convention in Chicago, Illinois.
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Secret Service agents reassigned in response to Trump assassination attempt

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3 journalists arrested covering DNC protests, prompting press freedom concerns

washington — At least three journalists were arrested in Chicago this week while covering protests during the Democratic National Convention.  

On Tuesday night, a small group of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside the Israeli Consulate in Chicago. The demonstration intensified, with protesters and police clashing and protesters charging the police line.  

More than 70 people were arrested, according to the Chicago chapter of the National Lawyers Guild. At least three journalists were among those arrested.  

Sinna Nasseri, a freelance photographer who was arrested that night, said the situation was chaotic.  

“There was just pandemonium,” Nasseri told VOA. “There was really nowhere to go. Everyone was really tight together, and I was just photographing and was grabbed and handcuffed.”  

The other two journalists arrested that night were independent photojournalists Olga Fedorova and Josh Pacheco. All three journalists were held by police for about nine hours and charged with disorderly conduct.  

Fedorova and Pacheco did not reply to VOA’s requests for comment.

Press advocates condemn arrests

Several press freedom groups condemned the journalists’ arrests.  

“It’s really important that law enforcement distinguishes between journalists and protesters and does not charge journalists for engaging in newsgathering activities,” Katherine Jacobsen, the U.S. and Canada program coordinator at the Committee to Protect Journalists, told VOA. Jacobsen added that she hopes police drop the charges against the three journalists.  

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemned the incident.  

“At best, this shows a lack of professional diligence on the part of the police. At worst, it’s a gross disregard for the First Amendment,” Clayton Weimers, executive director of RSF’s Washington bureau, said in a statement.  

Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said three journalists were arrested for not complying with officers’ orders when police began moving in to arrest protesters who had attacked police, CBS News reported.  

But Nasseri, who was on assignment for the German outlet Zeit, told VOA that it was impossible to hear what police were saying.  

“I showed them my press identification, and they didn’t care,” he said. “It was sort of a baffling situation.”  

Pacheco also told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker that orders from police were unclear.  

“The police are saying they ordered a dispersal three times and warned of a mass arrest, which did not happen, and even if it did, there was no way to hear it,” Pacheco said. “They weren’t using megaphones. There were just random police officers screaming different orders.” 

Some of Pacheco and Fedorova’s equipment was also damaged in the incident, according to the Tracker.  

‘Simply doing their jobs’

Fedorova’s lawyer, Steven Baron, told the Tracker that Fedorova and the other journalists were “simply doing their jobs as reporters.”  

“We are disappointed that the City of Chicago chose to sweep the First Amendment under the rug with its heavy-handed tactics against working journalists,” Baron said. 

The Chicago arrests are part of a broader pattern in the United States. Across the country, police have arrested reporters at protests more than 30 times in 2024 alone, according to the Tracker.   

“The Chicago police officers who arrested and charged the journalists covering Tuesday’s protest either didn’t have clear directives — or didn’t follow them — when it comes to codified protections of the press in the First Amendment and their right to cover the news,” Kirstin McCudden, vice president of editorial for Freedom of the Press Foundation, which runs the Tracker, told VOA. 

Nasseri, who works for outlets including The New Yorker, The New York Times and Vogue, said he has a court date scheduled in late September.  

“I think it’ll be interesting to fight this,” he said. “I’m very happy to fight this on behalf of my colleagues and myself and the First Amendment.” 
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