President Joe Biden called on Congress Friday to "swiftly" pass the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act days after six Asian American women were killed in Georgia.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y, District 6), would create a position at the Justice Department that would specifically deal with handling and reviewing hate crimes related to the pandemic. A recent study by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at the California State University, San Bernardino, found that although hate crimes dropped overall in the U.S. in 2020, crimes against people of Asian descent jumped nearly 150 percent. If passed, the new law would also expand resources dedicated to stopping these crimes.
"It also means working with law enforcement, training law enforcement to communicate with Asian American communities, and helping those communities be able to report those crimes," Rep. Mark Takano (D- Calif. 41st District) told Cheddar.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris met with Asian American leaders in Atlanta on Friday, three days after eight people were killed at area spas, six of the victims being women of Asian descent. Biden urged Congress to pass the legislation so the federal government can offer aid.
Takano noted that Biden has already signed executive orders directing agencies to turn their attention to the rise of violence against the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. He said it will take strong leadership to guide the country in the right direction, noting the rhetoric Americans have heard from former President Donald Trump.
"This has been a huge change in tone from the last president," he said.
Americans need "leadership that doesn't use words like 'kung flu' or 'China virus' to describe a pathogen that comes from nature and therefore leave a whole population of Asian Americans subject to being stigmatized and blamed for something that they're not responsible for," Takano added.
The congressman said former President Trump's language toward Asians was simply an attempt to "distract from his low, inadequate ways."
Though the California representative said it is often difficult to prove hate crimes in a courtroom, creating systems where individuals can safely and confidently report incidents could help improve chances for more favorable outcomes.
"Regardless of what the assailant said, the murderer said, and how the local sheriff characterized it," said Takano, "It very much looks to those of us in the Asian community and broader, that this was really an attack on people based on their descent, their Asian-ness. But the legal standard is a much different thing."
Amazon closed its deal to buy MGM's many content brands for $8.5 billion, and Michael Pachter, a managing director at Wedbush Securities, joined Cheddar News to discuss the e-commerce giant's second-largest acquisition to date and how he thinks it will all pay off. "To make a movie today, you just can't even think about it for less than 30 million bucks, so 4,000 movies, I mean that's several billion dollars worth of assets," he said, noting how it would also add to Amazon's little-known ad-supported IMDb TV service. "I don't know that the IMDb TV guys actually talk to the Amazon Prime Video guys, but a lot of content, it makes the value of a Prime subscription much, much greater, and people are far, far less likely to churn even if they're only buying one package every three months."
Rachel Thomas, the co-founder and CEO of the non-profit Lean In, joined Cheddar amid Women's History Month, to discuss how the organization is taking on issues that continue to impact the workplace through its Circles program. "These are a program that brings women together in small groups, usually 8 to 12, for support, camaraderie, and to learn together," she said. "We also we have a lot of curriculum so women can learn how to navigate workplace biases, how to negotiate with women." Thomas also applauded President Biden's recent call to action on equal pay for women, noting that businesses must do more to be cognizant of inherent gender and racial biases.
Beer brand Heineken recently revealed its foray into the metaverse was something of a joke, but how serious are brands taking the latest craze in general? Cheddar's Alex Vuocolo takes a closer look.
With the highest inflation in 40 years, some retailers say shoppers are reaching their limits. Efforts to charge more for items are being met with new resistance from customers, especially on lower-priced apparel and furniture. Marshal Cohen, the chief retail industry analyst at market researcher NPD Group, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss the latest trends in consumer spending and how the hike in interest rates might impact wallets moving forward. "What's really impacting the consumer: higher prices, less promotions." He also noted other headwinds for the economy on the horizon including skimpier tax refunds for those who took advantage of child credits and student loan repayments possibly restarting.
Caroline Aaron, who plays matriarch Shirley Maisel on Amazon Prime's "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," joined Cheddar News to talk about her "thrilling" turn as the character as well as what to expect in Season Five. “It's very exciting actually to be a part of something so iconic. It's New York, it's the 1950s, and it's about women, so it's like all this and heaven, too," she said. "What it's been like to play Shirley is to walk around with your heart on the outside of your body." The award-winning show will be ending with its fifth season.
Catching you up on what you Need to Know on Mar 18, 2022, with updates on the war in Ukraine, President Biden’s meeting with Xi Jinping, Meta removing a deepfake video of Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Britney Griner, vaccine updates, and tech news.
