NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro speaks with Hua Hsu, writer for The New Yorker, about the increasing power of Asian-American voters.
Welcome back for Week 8 of the 2020 NFL season. We once again had some Covid-19 concerns this week, but for the time being it looks like the schedule will go off as planned. Plenty can change at the last minute, but fingers crossed there are no more positives.
We had a moderately fun Thursday Night Football contest this week with the Falcons holding off the Panthers 25-17. I had the Panthers at -1.5 and that did not pan out for me. I’m still not sure what kept the line low, but the Falcons were the better team.
Last week, I again went 6-8 with my picks, but did go 4-1 with my five best bets of the weekend. It moves me to 54-50-1 on total picks and 23-12 on my best bets. A year ago, I went 131-117-4, finishing with a 52.78 win percentage. That’s barely turning a profit, but for a season’s worth of picks, that’s not too bad. I did not track my best bet percentage over the course of the season, but will make sure to do that this year.
I’m going to pick my five “best bets” each week, similar to what you might use in the DraftKings Pro Football Pick ‘Em National Championship. Lines are moving so some of the lines below will be different from what you see on game day. Look for value where you can!
In the meantime, here are my five picks of choice for this weekend:
Lions (+3) over Colts
Packers (-7) over Vikings
Bills (-3.5) over Patriots
Titans (-5.5) over Bengals
Seahawks (-3) over 49ers
Here’s my full list of picks for Week 8.
Falcons @ Panthers (-1.5) — Panthers — LOSS
Colts @ Lions (+3) — Lions
Vikings @ Packers (-7) — Packers
Patriots @ Bills (-3.5) — Bills
Titans @ Bengals (+5.5) — Titans
Raiders @ Browns (-2.5) — Raiders
Jets @ Chiefs (-20) — Chiefs
Rams @ Dolphins (+3.5) — Rams
Saints @ Bears (+4.5) — Saints
49ers @ Seahawks (-3) — Seahawks
Cowboys @ Eagles (-9.5) — Eagles
Chargers @ Broncos (+3) — Broncos
Steelers @ Ravens (-4) — Steelers
Buccaneers @ Giants (-12.5) — Giants
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL).
Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ/WV/PA), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (NH/CO) or 1-800-BETS OFF (IA). 21+ (18+ NH). NJ/PA/WV/IN/NH/IA/CO/IL only. Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for full terms and conditions.
Members of Massachusetts' Asian American Commission protest on March 12 in Boston. Asian American leaders in the state condemned what they say is racism aimed at Asian communities amid the coronavirus pandemic. Steven Senne/AP
In April, Yuh-Line Niou, a member of the New York Assembly, was passing out KN95 masks in front of a Kosher deli in her district when she was verbally harassed by a stranger who approached her on the street.
"He said something like, 'You're the one who brought the virus here. I hope you die,' " she recalled. "It's horrifying. You're doing what you can to help people and everyone else wants you to die."
Niou, who's Taiwanese American, says that addressing the pandemic's toll on her district has left little time to campaign for reelection. In the spring, she says many Asian American businesses in her district, which spans lower Manhattan and includes Chinatown, were forced to shut down as customers avoided their restaurants and neighborhoods. She says the economic impact was an early consequence of racism that links the coronavirus to Asian American communities.
While the pandemic has made this an unprecedented election for all campaigns, it's brought a particular challenge for the record number of Asian American and Pacific Islander candidates running this year.
According to Madalene Mielke, president of the nonpartisan Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies, the number of AAPI candidates who ran for federal offices this year doubled to 99, from 48 in the 2018 midterms. And the number running for state legislature seats across the country grew by at least 21.
But these candidates have faced an environment of heightened anti-Asian racism that has surged since the pandemic began.
A group called Stop AAPI Hate, one of a handful of tracking efforts launched this year, received more than 2,500 reports of anti-Asian incidents between March 19 and Aug. 5. And a United Nations document made public in October cited an "alarming level" of racially motivated violence and other incidents against Asian Americans in the U.S.
These racist attacks extend to many Asian American political candidates and leaders, who say that President Trump's rhetoric around the coronavirus has exacerbated the racism they've faced throughout their lives. Trump, who blames China for letting the virus spread, calls it the "China virus" and has also used the term "kung flu."
Online and in person, Niou has faced racist remarks, including being called "kung flu."
"The thing is, I'm the elected, so I'm probably getting the least of it," Niou said. "But there are people who have been punched in the face for wearing a mask. There have been people set on fire. ... I think I'm just hurting for everybody else."
"I'd never heard that type of racism"
For a few weeks this spring, it was hard for David Kim to look at his direct messages on Twitter. Kim, a Democratic congressional candidate in Los Angeles County, has run a largely virtual effort while the pandemic has limited in-person campaigning. But his Twitter inbox had filled with racist messages telling him to "go back to your country" and "eat bats."
"I've gotten so many comments, online at least," Kim said. "I'd never heard that type of racism to my face — not to that extreme."
Kim, who's Korean American, said it's hard to tell whether the messages can be tied to Trump's language. Despite Trump's focus on China, Kim and many other AAPI candidates, not just Chinese Americans, have been affected.
He said he expected to experience some racism as a candidate. "But the whole national sentiment sort of supersized it and blew it up," he said.
APAICS' Mielke said she has seen a pattern targeting Asian Americans in general, not just political candidates.
"The racist comments and attitudes are happening more to regular people," she said. "If you're running for office, you already have a platform where you can highlight someone who's being racist."
But Mielke added that the pandemic has created other challenges for some candidates of color, who often rely on in-person conversations and door-to-door campaigning to combat biases voters may have against nonwhite faces and names.
This was a hurdle Democrat Albert Lee faced when he ran an unsuccessful primary challenge in an Oregon congressional district that includes Portland. Lee, who's Korean American and Black, said the virtual nature of the campaign made it harder to reach voters, especially while running against an incumbent congressman who has held the seat for nearly 25 years.
The onset of the pandemic was a "death knell" for his campaign, Lee said.
Lee and other AAPI candidates, motivated both by anti-Asian racism and the Black Lives Matter movement, have come together to address attacks on their communities.
Lauren Ashcraft, a Democrat who was defeated in a congressional primary in New York, formed a coalition with Lee and other progressive Asian American candidates who have hosted virtual town halls and shared resources on anti-racist education.
"People really strengthened their relationships to fight against hate," Ashcraft said.
How it's been for conservative Asian Americans
Navigating Trump's comments has been trickier for conservative Asian Americans like Peggy Huang, who ran and lost in a congressional primary in a district based in Orange County, Calif.
Though Huang said race was "never an issue" for her campaign, she recalls confronting attendees of at least two political events in the spring who used the term "China virus" in a way that left her in "absolute discomfort."
"It all came back to the fact that China's government didn't disclose the virus," Huang remembered. "And I said, 'Well then let's talk about it being a problem. Don't make it into a Chinese American issue.' "
While Huang has often found Trump's language racist, she believes the majority of Republican leaders only use the phrase "China virus" to note the pandemic's origin. She's found some reaction to this language to be "overly sensitive."
Cliff Li, the founder of the National Committee of Asian American Republicans, said he wishes he saw more Republican AAPI candidates speak out against racism spawned by the pandemic.
Both Li and Huang identified Young Kim, who's running in a close congressional race in Southern California, as one Republican Asian American candidate who's openly criticized Trump.
In June, Young Kim condemned "the president's continued use of terms associating COVID-19 with the AAPI community" on Twitter. "No American of any race or ethnic group is responsible for the virus," she wrote.
1/2 The President’s continued use of terms associating COVID-19 with the #AAPI community is hurtful to many across our diverse nation. As I have said in the past, no American of any race or ethnic group, is responsible for this virus.
— Young Kim (@YoungKimCA) June 21, 2020
But Li said Young Kim was one of the only conservative Asian American leaders to speak out, though he added Democratic AAPI candidates and elected officials "far outnumber" Republican ones.
"I understand why they don't say much. Because the Republican Party is the Trump party," Li said. "So [going] against Trump is suicidal."
"Every AAPI is on edge"
Some Democratic organizations have leveraged anti-Asian language into campaign ads aimed at reaching Asian American voters.
In March, for example, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said China was to blame for the coronavirus because of "the culture where people eat bats and snakes and dogs and things like that." The AAPI Victory Fund, a Democratic political action committee focused on mobilizing Asian American voters, responded with an ad that tied Cornyn's comments to the president.
Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., said ASPIRE PAC, the political arm of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, also ran a Facebook ad campaign calling out some of the 164 Republican lawmakers who in September voted against a House resolution to condemn anti-Asian sentiment related to the pandemic. The ads directly targeted Republicans with large AAPI populations in their districts.
While debating the bill on the House floor, some Republicans, like Rep. Doug Collins, a Georgia Republican who's running for U.S. Senate, argued the legislation was "just for the opportunity to criticize the president."
Chu said CAPAC's efforts to respond to anti-Asian racism — through hearings, press conferences and social media — have monopolized her reelection campaign. She added that the stories and videos she's seen from Asian Americans across the country "send chills down her spine."
"Every AAPI is on edge," Chu said. "But now is the time to use our voices."
COLLEGE STATION – This time, things were decided relatively early against an old Southwest Conference rival.
No need for last-minute heroics with the game hanging in the balance.
No. 8 Texas A&M provided another example of how things may actually be different this season, dispatching Arkansas 42-31 at Kyle Field – a rare campus stop in the series that was moved this year from AT&T Stadium. The win was the Aggies' ninth straight over the Razorbacks but unlike five of the last six meetings, this wasn’t a one-score game – or even in doubt, despite the final score. And Arkansas (2-3 overall, 2-3 SEC) is far more competitive under first-year coach Sam Pittman than it has been the past few seasons.
A&M’s offense might have been as crisp and efficient has it has been this season, producing touchdowns on six of its first eight possessions through three quarters, with one of the drives ended by the half.
“Very proud of our team,” A&M coach Jimbo Fisher said. “Guys answering back was huge. … Our competitive nature to keep matching, keep playing no matter the circumstances was very good.”
Senior quarterback Kellen Mond became A&M’s all-time leader in total offense, passing Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel on a 15-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Wydermyer in third quarter. Mond later passed 10,000 yards for his career, just the 12th player in SEC history to hit that milestone.
“For me, I think I have a lot more work to do,” Mond said. “I felt really good trusting my eyes tonight, getting us into better plays. I think my growth is nowhere near where it can be by the end of the season.”
He finished 21 of 26 passing – including 11 straight completions at one point -- for 260 yards and three touchdowns, while also rushing for 32 yards.
“I’ve always believed in Kellen,” Fisher said when asked about some of the criticism Mond received early in the season. “He keeps growing and growing and keeps getting better and better each week.”
Arkansas entered the game leading the SEC in third-down defense but the Aggies converted seven of their first eight third-down chances and finished 7-of-11.
Sophomore Ainias Smith had two first-half touchdowns, a 15-yard run and 35-yard reception.
“We’re all feeding off each other. I’m loving it,” Smith said of the offense.
Smith said the Aggies haven’t played their best.
“I feel like we can definitely elevate,” Smith said. “There’s never a time when we’re actually playing to our full potential.”
The offensive line did not allow a sack for the fourth straight game, a span of 144 pass attempts.
A&M has started 4-1 in the SEC for the first time since 2016 and – more importantly – maintained its outside hopes for the College Football Playoff with a little help from Texas.
Yes, Texas, the hated former rival, which handed No. 6 Oklahoma State its first loss in overtime and dealt a blow to the Big 12′s CFP hopes. While A&M has consecutive road games at South Carolina and Tennessee and closes the regular season at Auburn, a path remains to the CFP, which is all that matters right now. But Fisher wasn’t biting when asked if his team was playing at a Top 10 level.
“I don’t know what a top 10 team looks like,” Fisher said. “We’re far from a polished group. It’s encouraging that we’re able to pull some wins out and we got a lot of work to do to get better. I’m just happy we’re playing as well as we’re playing.”
Added senior linebacker Buddy Johnson, who had team-high 12 tackles and one of four A&M sacks: “We try to not get carried with the playoffs. … We’re playing with that pride, that grit and that toughness. The effort we play with, that’s what it’s about.”
The Aggies built a 28-14 halftime lead on a 6-yard run by Isaiah Spiller (82 yards rushing on 21 carries) with 1:13 remaining in the second quarter.
The margin grew to 45-17 in third quarter on Mond’s completion to Wydermyer (six catches for 92 yards) and a 30-yard touchdown run by Devon Achane. The Razorbacks scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including one with 36 seconds remaining, to make things a little closer.
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