
Asian Americans were already living in fear. The Atlanta-area spa killings feel like a terrifying escalation for them
CNN
A restaurant was spray-painted with the message "Kung flu" in Texas. A travel agency employee in California was nearly blinded. An 84-year-old man from Thailand died after being shoved to the ground during his morning walk.
Many Asian Americans across the United States have been verbally harassed, spat on and injured for months in a "disgusting pattern of hate" that coincides with the Covid-19 pandemic. The killings of eight people, most of them Asian, at three spas in the Atlanta area Tuesday jolted a community already on edge, even as law enforcement has not yet determined a motive. "We don't know if this incident is racially motivated, but you have to understand the deep-seated fear that our community is experiencing," said Cynthia Choi, one of the co-founders of Stop AAPI Hate, a coalition tracking violence and harassment against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
The Trump administration is preparing to use private military contractors to protect oil and energy assets in Venezuela rather than deploying US troops, according to two sources familiar with the plans, setting up a potential boon for security firms with experience in the region and ties to the administration.

Maria Corina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition leader and 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner, arrives in Washington this week for high-stakes talks with US President Donald Trump on the future of Venezuela following the ouster of Nicolás Maduro. The meeting comes after Trump surprised many by allowing Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, to assume control, dashing opposition hopes for a new democratic era.

Most Americans see an immigration officer’s fatal shooting of Minneapolis resident Renee Good as an inappropriate use of force, a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS finds. Roughly half view it as a sign of broader issues with the way US Immigration and Customs Enforcement is operating, with less than one-third saying that ICE operations have made cities safer.










