May-lee Chai (she/her)
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mayleechai.bsky.social
May-lee Chai (she/her)
@mayleechai.bsky.social
Writer. Prof at SFSU. Tomorrow in Shanghai & Other Stories; Useful Phrases for Immigrants; The Girl from Purple Mountain, etc. Board member of NBCC @bookcritics. Web: https://may-leechai.com/
Reposted by May-lee Chai (she/her)
NEW: Hundreds of judges around the country have ruled more than 4,400 times since October that President Donald Trump’s administration is detaining immigrants unlawfully, a Reuters review of court records found.

The government keeps doing it nonetheless.

www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
February 14, 2026 at 12:14 PM
Reposted by May-lee Chai (she/her)
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Myself and @sesmith.lol and others were interviewed for the Lancet’s obituary of our friend Alice. <3
Alice Wong
Writer, editor, and disability justice activist. Born on March 27, 1974 in Indianapolis, IN, USA, she died from an infection on Nov 14, 2025 in San Francisco, CA, USA, aged 51 years.
www.thelancet.com
February 14, 2026 at 7:08 AM
Reposted by May-lee Chai (she/her)
And Liberal Arts majors are actually very hirable and do great in the labor market.

Why? Because we teach students how to think, not to just do tasks.
Again, most people do not work in the fields they studied between 18 and 22.

This is a *good* thing.
Isn't it just a matter of practicality? There aren't that many jobs/careers in liberals arts, not to mention well-paying jobs, famously.
February 13, 2026 at 8:47 PM
Reposted by May-lee Chai (she/her)
INBOX: Rep. Thomas Massie, who has enraged Trump for his insistence on blocking tariffs and releasing the Epstein files according to the law, just issued what is widely known among Chinese dissidents as "a declaration of no suicidal intent" (不自殺聲明), a sign of extreme distress.
February 13, 2026 at 11:17 PM
Reposted by May-lee Chai (she/her)
Mayor, DA, and SFPD should open a kidnapping investigation immediately
'Elderly nanny' arrested in S.F. by ICE is ordered released
The San Francisco Rapid Response Network said an "elderly nanny" was arrested by immigration agents "on her way to work" Friday.
missionlocal.org
February 14, 2026 at 4:36 AM
Reposted by May-lee Chai (she/her)
Ford's top executive spoke to Trump administration officials about a potential roadmap for Chinese automakers to build cars in America by partnering with US car companies.
Ford CEO, Trump Officials Discussed China-US Carmaking Ventures
Ford Motor Co.’s top executive spoke to senior Trump administration officials about a potential framework in which Chinese automakers could build cars in America while offering some protection for domestic companies, according to people familiar with the discussions.
bloom.bg
February 14, 2026 at 5:40 AM
Reposted by May-lee Chai (she/her)
Mikhail Shaidorov:
-has braces 🥹
-skated to music from “The Fifth Element"
-was World's Most Stunned Guy after it became clear he would be on the podium (let alone win the gold medal)
-won the second gold medal *ever* in a Winter Olympics for Kazakhstan 🇰🇿
February 14, 2026 at 5:47 AM
Reposted by May-lee Chai (she/her)
A Friday immigration raid and the alleged detainment of an elderly woman in a quiet San Francisco neighborhood has ignited concern among advocates and drawn a response from Mayor Daniel Lurie.
ICE kidnaps elderly nanny in San Francisco, immigrant advocacy group says
A Friday immigration raid and the alleged detainment of an elderly woman in a quiet San Francisco neighborhood has ignited concern among advocates and drawn a response from Mayor Daniel Lurie.
bit.ly
February 14, 2026 at 5:00 AM
Reposted by May-lee Chai (she/her)
The National Weather Service warned of “very difficult to impossible” travel conditions in the Lake Tahoe area from Sunday evening through Wednesday evening as a cold, long-lasting storm was forecast to drop feet of snow Presidents’ Day weekend. Whiteout conditions were possible. #CAwx
Tahoe snowstorm could make travel ‘impossible,’ officials warn
A major winter storm moving in over the holiday weekend will vastly improve ski conditions but could make highways impassable.
www.sfchronicle.com
February 13, 2026 at 8:03 PM
Reposted by May-lee Chai (she/her)
I want it gone entirely and I want the people who killed observers in cold blood in jail for the rest of their lives.
February 14, 2026 at 1:18 AM
This quote explains so much
February 14, 2026 at 7:01 AM
Reposted by May-lee Chai (she/her)
The @washingtonpost.com layoffs disproportionately affected union members of color, per data from the @postguild.bsky.social.

50% of Hispanic/Latino guild members,​ 45% of Black members, and​ 43% of Asian members were laid off, compared to 37% of white members.

www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/wash...
Washington Post layoffs disproportionately affected union members of color, preliminary Guild data shows
"We cannot ignore what this means for equity, representation, and the future of this organization."
www.niemanlab.org
February 13, 2026 at 10:48 PM
Reposted by May-lee Chai (she/her)
Investigators search second home in Nancy Guthrie kidnapping case
Investigators search second home in Nancy Guthrie kidnapping case
Authorities served a search warrant at a home in Tuscon on Friday night in connection with the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, who investigators say was kidnapped from her Arizona home 13 days ago.
www.latimes.com
February 14, 2026 at 6:29 AM
Reposted by May-lee Chai (she/her)
Prosecutors dropped charges against two men after new evidence appeared to contradict sworn statements about the Jan. 14 incident in Minneapolis. on.wsj.com/4rQe5jU
The Justice Department is investigating whether two immigration officers lied under oath about a shooting last month in Minneapolis, after federal prosecutors dropped criminal charges against two men accused of attacking them
Prosecutors dropped charges against two men after new evidence appeared to contradict sworn statements about the Jan. 14 incident in Minneapolis.
on.wsj.com
February 14, 2026 at 6:32 AM
Reposted by May-lee Chai (she/her)
there’s a longer version here in which our hero follows up by telling him “you can go peacefully fuck yourself” after he claims to be “peacefully standing for my beliefs”
February 13, 2026 at 11:49 PM
Reposted by May-lee Chai (she/her)
"'She is dead,'" Officer Auderer told Officer Solan, before bursting out laughing.

"'No, it’s a regular person,' Officer Auderer said, adding: 'Yeah, just write a check — $11,000. She was 26, anyway. She had limited value.'"
Seattle to Pay $29 Million to Family of Woman Fatally Struck by Police S.U.V.
www.nytimes.com
February 13, 2026 at 3:56 AM
Reposted by May-lee Chai (she/her)
I don't think it's coincidence that this has been a particularly bad week for Hong Kong. I.e., it's the week before Chinese New Year and they are hoping/trusting people will stop talking about this during a festival period where it's considered bad luck to talk about upsetting things.
Grim week.

"According to Kwan, he received demerits for calling the [disciplinary] committee a 'kangaroo panel' and a 'disgrace', and for being charged for 'criminal damage' in 2023 after he placed stickers on lamp-posts to mark the anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown."
University expels student who called for accountability over Hong Kong fire
Discipline committee decides to terminate Miles Kwan from studies because of ‘multiple acts of misconduct’
www.theguardian.com
February 14, 2026 at 6:01 AM
Reposted by May-lee Chai (she/her)
there was this small business owner in Shenzhen who once posted on X. It was something like: many of your electronics (and garments, and other products) are made by people who see their children once a year.
February 14, 2026 at 6:44 AM
Reposted by May-lee Chai (she/her)
Mikhail Shaidorov's triumph marks historic Olympic figure skating gold for Kazakhstan reut.rs/4aiQL8G
Mikhail Shaidorov's triumph marks historic Olympic figure skating gold for Kazakhstan
Sitting in the leader's chair, Mikhail Shaidorov watched one contender after another falter, each mistake sharpening the sense of an upset unfolding, the realisation dawning that the Olympic title was shifting, unmistakably in his direction.
reut.rs
February 14, 2026 at 6:40 AM
What does it say when a Director in 2025 couldn’t imagine the interracial love story that the author could envision in the 19th century?
February 14, 2026 at 6:41 AM
Reposted by May-lee Chai (she/her)
February 14, 2026 at 1:45 AM
Reposted by May-lee Chai (she/her)
Guess it's that time of the year to wheel this out... 😏
February 14, 2026 at 5:25 AM
Reposted by May-lee Chai (she/her)
Hegseth blew up another boat and killed more people. We have no idea who they were or what they were doing because it’s just “trust me, bro” while we kill people.
February 14, 2026 at 1:26 AM
Reposted by May-lee Chai (she/her)