Remembering Thuy Trang's bold speech
Revisiting the moment that cost Thuy Trang her Power Ranger suit—but cemented her legacy
The Rebel Yellow - Issue #56
Civil rights advocate Amanda Nguyen makes history as the first Vietnamese and Southeast Asian woman in space, joining an all-female Blue Origin crew on a mission that blends science, storytelling, and representation. Also in this issue: China fires back in the escalating U.S. trade war, Oakland Chinatown business owners fight graffiti fines, and we revisit the moment that cost Thuy Trang her Power Ranger suit—but cemented her legacy.
Amanda Nguyen is the first Vietnamese and Southeast Asian woman in space
Amanda Nguyen has made history as the first Vietnamese and Southeast Asian woman to travel to space, launching aboard Blue Origin’s all-female NS-31 mission on April 14. The 33-year-old civil rights activist and bioastronautics researcher joins a pioneering crew that includes Katy Perry, Gayle King, Aisha Bowe, Lauren Sánchez and Kerianne Flynn.
Sponsored by Space for Humanity, Nguyen’s flight marks not only a personal milestone but a broader moment of cultural and scientific significance — landing on the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War and spotlighting both representation and resilience. “I fly into space so that Vietnamese girls can imagine themselves among the stars,” Nguyen told The Rebel Yellow ahead of the launch. “I may be the first, but I will not be the last.”
Inspired by her mother, a boat refugee who navigated by the stars, Nguyen studied astrophysics at Harvard and interned at NASA before her path was redirected by a traumatic assault in college. Channeling that experience into activism, she founded Rise and helped pass the landmark Sexual Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights in 2016. Now, a decade later, she returns to her earliest dream — conducting research in space on Southeast Asian plant biology and menstrual health, in partnership with the Vietnamese National Space Center. “My mother swam so that I could fly,” Nguyen said. “This mission is not just about me—it’s about opening doors that were never meant to stay closed.”
Blue Origin aired a livestream of the event on YouTube and its official website that began at 8 a.m. ET.
U.S.-China trade clash deepens as Beijing strikes back over targeted tariffs
The U.S.-China trade standoff intensified this week as China imposed sweeping 125% tariffs on American goods, responding to a targeted escalation by the Trump administration that left China isolated from a broader tariff pause.
Trump’s tariff strategy
On April 2, President Donald Trump announced a sweeping new tariff regime, declaring it “Liberation Day” and implementing a 10% baseline tariff on all imports, with significantly higher rates for countries deemed to have unfair trade practices. After facing immediate backlash from markets and U.S. allies, the administration walked back the steepest tariffs within a week, issuing a 90-day pause for most countries.
China, however, was pointedly excluded from this reprieve. As a result, Chinese imports into the U.S. now face tariffs as high as 125%, affecting a wide range of goods including electronics, auto parts and agricultural products.
“China was by far the biggest abuser in history,” Trump said at an April 9 press conference at Mar-a-Lago. “China wants to make a deal — they just don’t know quite how to go about it ... But they’ll figure it out. They’re in the process of figuring it out. But they want to make a deal.”
Beijing’s response
In direct retaliation, China’s Ministry of Finance announced on April 11 that it would raise tariffs on U.S. goods to 125%, effective the following day. The move was accompanied by an expansion of China’s export control list — blocking shipments of critical minerals — and the addition of multiple American firms to its “Unreliable Entity List,” which restricts their operations within China.
“The U.S. cannot win the support of the people and will end in failure,” said Lin Jian, spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry. “China will not sit idly by and let the legitimate rights and interests of the Chinese people be deprived of, nor will we allow the international trade rules and multilateral trading system to be undermined.”
China has since reached out to G20 nations to rally support for multilateral trade principles, accusing the U.S. of unilateralism and economic coercion.
Chinese regulators also announced restrictions on Hollywood film imports, though analysts say the gesture is largely symbolic. Hollywood films now account for only about 5% of China’s box office revenue, down from nearly 50% a decade ago.
Bracing for impact
As the tariff clash sends shockwaves through global markets, neither Washington nor Beijing has scheduled bilateral talks, with both sides showing no signs of backing down. Economists warn that a prolonged standoff could drag down global growth, drive up consumer prices and erode corporate earnings.
In the meantime, retailers like Walmart and Costco have been urging Chinese suppliers to lower prices to mitigate the impact of tariffs, but many manufacturers, already operating on thin margins, have little room to adjust.
While electronics like smartphones and laptops were initially exempt from the new tariffs, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick later indicated those exemptions may be short-lived. “All those products are going to come under semiconductors, and they’re going to have a special focus type of tariff to make sure that those products get reshored,” Lutnick said, suggesting that devices like iPhones could face new tariffs within weeks.
Fast-fashion retailers such as Shein and Temu are preparing for significant changes as the U.S. is set to eliminate the "de minimis" rule, which previously allowed goods under $800 to enter duty-free. This change, to take effect on May 2, means that low-cost imports from China will now face tariffs starting at 30% or $25 per item, increasing to 90% or $75.
China cautions its citizens to “assess the risks” of travel to the U.S.
China has issued a formal warning to its citizens about traveling to the U.S., citing growing economic tensions and concerns over safety. In a statement released April 9, the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism urged travelers to “fully assess the risks of travelling to the United States and travel with caution,” pointing to the “deterioration of China-US economic and trade relations and the domestic security situation in the US.” The Ministry of Education also followed with a similar advisory for students considering academic exchanges, citing legislative efforts in U.S. states like Ohio that may restrict educational cooperation.
The travel alerts come just days after China announced it would impose an additional 50% tariff on all American imports, a response to the Trump administration’s 145% tariff hike on Chinese goods. President Trump followed with inflammatory posts on Truth Social, declaring that China “will realize that the days of ripping off the U.S.A. ... is no longer sustainable or acceptable.” These developments have further strained already fragile diplomatic relations, reversing modest gains made under former President Biden, who had downgraded the U.S. travel advisory for China late last year. While the U.S. State Department currently advises travelers to China to “exercise increased caution,” Chinese officials are now warning their citizens of rising risks on American soil.
Chinese student in final semester at Carnegie Mellon gets hit with visa termination
A Carnegie Mellon University engineering student is scrambling to complete his degree after his student visa was suddenly revoked without explanation with just weeks remaining in his final semester.
Revoked despite validity
Jayson Ma, who moved from China to the U.S. in 2016 to attend high school before enrolling at Carnegie Mellon, learned through a call from his designated student officer that his visa had been revoked despite being valid through spring 2026. “I only have a semester left and there’s only three weeks left for the semester. We have finals coming up. So, with everything going on, it’s kind of hard to process,” Ma told reporters last week.
Adding to the urgency of his situation, the 24-year-old has been working to complete his electrical and computer engineering degree by December so he can return to China to visit his mother, who is battling terminal cancer.
His immigration attorney, Joseph Murphy, believes the visa revocation might be connected to an expunged DUI case from 2023. Ma completed an Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition program and the case was dismissed.
The big picture
Ma is just one case impacted under Trump’s sweeping immigration crackdown. Seven current and recent Carnegie Mellon graduates had their visas terminated, while the University of Pittsburgh confirmed at least one current student and two recent graduates have faced similar revocations. Schools nationwide, including Harvard, Stanford and UCLA, are discovering students whose legal status has been terminated.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed late last month that at least 300 visas had been revoked under a “Catch and Revoke” program, with numbers potentially rising into the thousands. Some immigration attorneys estimate that many affected students come from Muslim-majority countries or other nations in Asia and Africa.
The Department of Homeland Security has reportedly created a task force that uses data analytics to examine international students’ social media histories and criminal records for potential grounds to revoke visas.
What students can do
Affected students can seek help to challenge their visa revocations in court. Other international students are encouraged to carry their passports and other critical documents in case they are approached by federal law enforcement or ICE agents.
Ma himself has taken precautions. “Part of the reason I have [my passport] is because I don’t know what’s going to happen to the future. And it’s not just my passport I'm packing with me. I make sure to pack my house last night. I make sure to clean the cat litter. I’m ready to leave if I have to,” he said.
Meanwhile, several affected students have reportedly filed lawsuits against the government, challenging the visa revocations on the grounds that they violate due process rights by providing no notice or proper hearing.
RFK Jr. vows to determine cause of “autism epidemic” by September
CDC data shows AAPI children more likely to be diagnosed with autism
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has announced a “massive testing and research effort” that he claims will determine the cause of autism by September, drawing skepticism from scientific experts and advocacy organizations.
“Everything is on the table”
At a White House Cabinet meeting on Thursday, Kennedy told President Donald Trump that his department had launched a global research initiative involving hundreds of scientists to identify the cause of what he termed the “autism epidemic.”
“By September, we will know what has caused the autism epidemic, and we’ll be able to eliminate those exposures,” Kennedy declared. Trump in response said, “There’s got to be something artificial out there that’s doing this,” suggesting the answer might be found in “something you stop taking, you stop eating something, or maybe it’s a shot.”
Kennedy later elaborated on Fox News that “everything is on the table” for investigation, including “our food system, our water, our air, different ways of parenting” and vaccines. Kennedy has a well-documented history of questioning vaccines, despite scientific consensus supporting their efficacy and safety.
The facts of autism
Autism rates in the U.S. have risen to approximately 1 in 36 children as of 2020, with Kennedy suggesting more recent figures show rates approaching 1 in 31. The latest available CDC data shows that among 8-year-old children, Asian and Pacific Islanders have the highest prevalence at 33.4 cases per 1,000 — higher than Hispanic (31.6), Black (29.3) and white (24.3) populations. A 2023 study from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia found that 5.4% of Asian children (or 1 in 19) were diagnosed with autism.
Despite higher diagnosis rates, Asian American families often face unique challenges including stigma, language barriers and limited resource access, hindering diagnosis and treatment efforts.
Scientific consensus indicates that autism develops from a combination of genetic influences and environmental factors, with extensive studies finding no established link to vaccines. Meanwhile, researchers attribute the rising autism rates to increased awareness, broader diagnostic criteria, improved screening tools and earlier detection.
Unrealistic goal?
The Autism Society of America, the country’s oldest and largest grassroots organization dedicated to autism, called Kennedy’s pursuit “harmful, misleading and unrealistic.”
In a CBS News interview Friday, Dr. Peter Marks, who led the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research — which oversees vaccine approval — before being ousted by the Trump administration, also cautioned against giving families “false hope.” Marks noted that as a scientist, he does not “see any possible way” to determine the cause of autism by September.
Kennedy’s appointment as HHS secretary has raised concerns given his controversial history, including statements in 2023 when he alleged that COVID-19 “attacked only white and Black people while sparing the Chinese and Ashkenazi Jews.” His hiring of David Geier — a self-proclaimed autism expert who was disciplined in 2011 for practicing medicine without a license — to lead autism research has also prompted a House investigation.
Sen. Andy Kim denounces Trump’s immigration and trade policies
U.S. Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) is sounding the alarm on two fronts of the Trump administration’s policy agenda, denouncing the former president’s aggressive immigration crackdown as “political retribution” and condemning what he describes as the economic “whiplash” caused by Trump’s tariff moves.
Targeting students and immigrants
Speaking out in the wake of federal immigration enforcement actions targeting international students, including 21-year-old Columbia University student Yunseo Chung, Kim criticized what he called the administration’s “cruelness” and disregard for constitutional protections.
“The cruelness being inflicted on people like Yunseo Chung… is yet more evidence of this administration’s lawlessness and failure to lead with a sense of humanity,” Kim said in an email to The Korea Times. Chung, a permanent U.S. resident, had faced deportation for participating in pro-Palestinian protests until a judge intervened with a temporary restraining order.
Kim emphasized that these actions are part of a broader pattern that threatens immigrant communities nationwide, including Korean Americans. “At this moment… it is crucial we denounce this for what it is, political retribution — that cannot stand,” he said. As the Korean government monitors the situation, U.S.-based consulates have begun coordinating efforts to safeguard Korean nationals amid what many fear is an escalating clampdown.
Economic isolation and “tariff whiplash”
Kim also took aim at Trump’s tariff policy at a press conference in Washington on April 9. “The damage is already done and that uncertainty remains,” Kim recalled hearing from constituents. Criticizing the isolationist tilt in Trump’s approach, Kim remarked, “America first to Donald Trump when it comes to foreign policy means America alone. Look how alone we are in this moment. It is shameful.”
A former national security official, Kim said he’s “never seen this level of isolation” for the U.S. on the global stage. He has since joined Senate Democrats in demanding oversight hearings on the tariff impacts, calling the policy “an abuse of presidential power” that’s hurt working families and small businesses across the U.S.
Oakland Chinatown business owners demand city hold taggers accountable, not victims
Oakland Chinatown business owners are protesting city policies that fine them for graffiti while perpetrators face few consequences.
Driving the news: Shirley Luo, owner of Won Kee Supermarket, recently accumulated over $3,000 in fines for not removing graffiti fast enough, despite cleaning it multiple times only to have taggers return within days. The Oakland Chinatown Improvement Council (OCIC) reports this is a widespread problem, with businesses facing fines up to $6,200 if graffiti is not removed within 10 days of notification.
Why this matters: Oakland Chinatown businesses have always been targets of graffiti, including anti-Asian messages during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the city receives nearly 3,000 graffiti complaints annually — with three times more in Chinatown than other areas — it offers no financial assistance for removal due to budget constraints. For this reason, business owners often feel victimized twice: first by vandals, then by city penalties. “It’s not fair. We are the victims, and yet we’re being penalized,” Luo told KPIX.
Temporary solutions: Oakland’s $89 million budget deficit makes additional resources for graffiti abatement unlikely. For now, the OCIC is stepping in with an $85,000 program that will include artists painting murals over the affected areas. Rep. Lateefah Simon (D-Calif.), who represents the 12th congressional district including Oakland, has called on city leadership to address the policy within 30 days after Tuesday’s mayoral election following the recall of Sheng Thao.
Vancouver police identify suspects in death of 92-year-old Chinatown resident
Vancouver police have identified three suspects in connection with an assault that may have contributed to the death of a 92-year-old Chinatown resident last month.
What happened: A local worker found the elderly victim in medical distress in an alley behind the Carnegie Community Centre on March 18. The senior, who was out with his wife and daughter, separated from them to use a washroom but never returned. After being hospitalized, he died on March 31. Medical staff determined his injuries warranted investigation, prompting police involvement.
What authorities are saying: Vancouver Police Department Sgt. Tania Visintin told reporters last week that the victim “was assaulted by multiple people prior to his death,” noting that their investigation is focused on whether those assaults contributed to his death. While three suspects have been identified, no arrests have been made as of Friday.
The big picture: Vancouver’s Chinatown has struggled against violent crime — including anti-Asian hate attacks — in recent years, prompting massive budgets on security. One widely reported incident in 2023 involved a man allegedly stabbing three individuals during a festival.
Anyone with information on the latest incident is asked to contact the VPD’s homicide unit at 604-717-2500.
Thuy Trang's bold speech that led to her “Power Rangers” firing
Thuy Trang, the late Vietnamese American actress who portrayed the original Yellow Ranger in “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers,” was fired from the hit 1990s series after boldly confronting executives over unfair pay in 1994. According to a former stunt coordinator, the speech — delivered in front of Fox executives and network affiliates — was a courageous stand for justice that Trang instantly regretted.
A call for fairness
After the series debuted in 1993 and became a massive cultural phenomenon, the actors — including Trang, Walter Emanuel Jones (Black Ranger) and Austin St. John (Red Ranger) — began pushing for better wages. Despite the franchise generating over a billion dollars in toy revenue by 1994, the original cast received little compensation and were employed on a non-union contract.
“One of the things Saban said was, ‘Look, I’m giving them the chance to become stars,’” recalled stunt coordinator Jeff Pruitt in the docuseries “Hollywood Demons: Dark Side of the Power Rangers.” “But from the actors’ point of view it was, ‘Well, now the show has taken off and I’m still not making any money.’”
The speech that changed everything
In a desperate bid to be heard, Trang took the microphone during a 1994 presentation to network affiliates and gave scathing critique of Fox’s treatment of the cast. The event was attended by Power Rangers creator Haim Saban and media mogul Rupert Murdoch.
“Thuy went up to the microphone and started reading this speech,” Pruitt said. “How rotten Fox was for not paying them more money, and how they all deserved more money... the station owners were just looking like, ‘What is this?’”
Tony Oliver, the series’ head writer, recalled that Trang went off-script: “She said something along the lines of, ‘We’re up here giving you a show, and maybe you should be up here giving us a show, because we’re giving you all the ratings.’”
Immediate consequences
Trang’s defiance was met with swift retaliation. “When it was over, she walked backstage, and she just ran to me and grabbed me and started crying,” Pruitt remembered. “‘What did I do? Oh God, what did I do?’ She regretted it instantly, but it was kind of too late.”
Without any formal announcement to the rest of the cast and crew, the three actors were fired soon after. Director Worth Keeter found out only when he noticed unfamiliar faces on set. “I see a guy in the Red Ranger costume. I said, ‘Who is that, a stunt double?’ They said, ‘No, it’s the new Red Ranger.’” Trang was replaced by Karan Ashley, Jones by Johnny Yong Bosch and St. John by Steve Cardenas.
A message to the rest of the cast
The abrupt firings had a chilling effect on the rest of the team. “Everybody got scared by cutting off three of the Rangers,” Oliver said. “It sent a message to everybody: ‘Don’t even try it. We’ll just replace you like that. We don’t care.’”
Despite the personal cost, Trang’s stand has been remembered as a rare moment of resistance in an industry where actors, especially actors of color, often lacked bargaining power.
Lingering controversies
Trang’s time on the show also reflected deeper issues of race and representation. In the documentary that premiered April 7 on Investigation Discovery, Oliver admits it was a mistake to cast a Black actor as the Black Ranger and an Asian actress as the Yellow Ranger — decisions he says were made without initially realizing the racial optics.
“None of us [were] thinking stereotypes,” Oliver said. “It wasn’t until my assistant pointed it out in a meeting one day... It was such a mistake.”
Trang was not the original Yellow Ranger; she replaced Audri Dubois, who left over a pay dispute. Despite her brief stint, Trang’s performance left a lasting legacy with Asian American fans who saw themselves represented in a genre that rarely included them.
A legacy cut short
Trang died in a car accident in 2001 at just 27 years old, but her legacy as Trini Kwan — and her courage to speak up — continues to resonate. Though her firing was swift and painful, her actions exposed the stark inequities behind one of the most iconic children’s shows of the 1990s.