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Saigon Sentinel · All articles
Browse every article we've published, from the latest news to long-form analysis and practical guides.
- Politics
Why the way Kansas chooses judges is connected to abortion rights
Kansas voters just rejected a proposal to change how the state's highest court judges are selected, a strategy that abortion opponents had publicly viewed as a workaround to overturn abortion rights in the state constitu…
- Digest
News Digest 05/08: U.S. Security, Immigration, and Welfare Machinery in Motion
From the new director of national intelligence to diplomatic agency cuts and tighter Medicaid rules, these are the major U.S. policy shifts the Vietnamese community should understand this week.
- SoCal
Gann Fire in Calaveras Forces Over 1,400 People to Evacuate, Federal Government Steps In
The Gann Fire near New Hogan Lake has nearly doubled its burn area in half a day, forcing Calaveras authorities to declare a state of emergency while the federal government provides additional firefighting funds.
- Digest
News Digest 04/08: Trump Pressures Iran, Oil Prices and US Politics Intensify
From Trump's ultimatum to Iran to pressure on oil companies and a federal prosecutor about to be replaced, plus a few climate and sports stories worth reading.
- Houston
Ten Commandments lawsuit in Houston shifts to state law, opening a new test for religious boundaries in Texas classrooms
When the federal legal door has closed, three Houston mothers turn to Texas law itself to fight against the Ten Commandments board—a strategy that could determine whether the board remains hanging in classrooms when the …
- US
Why Do People Held by ICE Keep Dying in New Jersey?
A 41-year-old Salvadoran man died at Delaney Hall detention center in New Jersey on August 2, 2026, the second death in less than a year at the facility — and a sign of a larger trend in the U.S. immigration detention sy…
- SoCal
Swapping funds for votes: how the Justice Department unlocked the cabinet seat
Acting Attorney General Blanche's cancellation of the $1.8 billion fund does more than unlock a cabinet seat — it exposes the fragile boundary between presidential power and the judicial apparatus that is supposed to be …
- Houston
Deadline for Food Stamp Reimbursement Claims for Texas Flood Victims Extended to August 12
After two consecutive extensions, food stamp recipients in 11 Texas counties devastated by July flooding now have additional time until August 12, 2026 to claim reimbursement for lost benefits.
- Politics
Texas Senate Race: Polling Gap Narrows, but Neither Candidate Has a Lock on Victory
Polls on the Texas Senate race between Talarico and Paxton are swinging in different directions, but the real story lies with Latino voters and immigration policy — two factors that could directly affect Vietnamese-Ameri…
- US
Washington bans outdoor fires statewide amid record wildfires
Washington's governor issues a statewide outdoor burning ban extending through late September, while three fires combined near Spokane have destroyed hundreds of structures in just one night.
- Digest
News Digest 03/08: Iran War Drains Budget, Fed Threatens Rate Hikes
From the Iran war draining the Pentagon's coffers to the possibility that the Fed could raise rates again, today's international news stories all have the potential to hit Vietnamese Americans' wallets and way of life.
- World
Outsourced Borders: Why Ceuta Bleeds and No One Takes Responsibility
Death tolls in Ceuta range from 67 to 88 people depending on the source, and how Morocco and Spain are handling this discrepancy nearly mirrors the responsibility-concealment pattern that occurred in Melilla in 2022.
- US
Social Security Administration Eliminates Paper Checks, Switches Entirely to Electronic Transfers
The Social Security Administration will stop sending paper checks, requiring beneficiaries to receive payments entirely through bank accounts or Direct Express cards — part of a series of technical reforms that have been…
- US
South Sudan TPS Work Permit Extended to August 6, 2026
A federal court order is keeping numerous South Sudanese work permits valid until August 6, 2026, even though the administration officially terminated Temporary Protected Status as of November 2025.
- US
Spokane Wildfires: Why Fire Spreads So Fast and Who Is Being Evacuated?
Intense wildfires around Spokane have destroyed hundreds of homes and forced 60,000 people to evacuate in just a few days. Here is what you need to know about the cause, scale, and unusual nature of this fire outbreak.
- Houston
Why a Pending Court Ruling in Texas Could Strip Work Rights From Hundreds of Thousands of DACA Recipients
A pending ruling at a South Texas federal court could create an America with two different tiers of DACA protection, depending on where someone lives.
- US
IRS Automatic Penalty Exemption — No Application Needed, Starting This Summer
The IRS will automatically remove failure-to-file, failure-to-pay, and failure-to-deposit penalties for taxpayers with a good compliance history, with no need to submit an application—a change that could help over one mi…
- Politics
Mayor Refuses ICE Cooperation: What Legal Boundaries Are Being Tested
A small-town mayor's statement in Connecticut touches on a legal boundary that the Department of Justice is now challenging nationwide: how far can local governments go in refusing to cooperate with ICE before facing law…
- US
Temporary Protected Status for Syrian Citizens Officially Expires
USCIS confirms Temporary Protected Status for Syrian citizens ended on July 27, 2026, rendering thousands of work permits invalid and forcing employers to review employee records.
- Digest
News Digest 08/01: Hormuz heats up, immigration crackdown on children, disease outbreak in US
From oil tankers attacked near Oman to the US Immigration Service pushing through child refugee cases, and a deadly Legionnaires outbreak in New York — a round-up of today's must-read stories that Saigon Sentinel isn't c…
- SoCal
Automatic Formula Pushes California's Wage Floor to $17.40, Leaving Vietnamese-Owned Nail Salons and Restaurants to Recalculate Payrolls
The minimum wage of $17.40 per hour, the highest among U.S. states, will take effect from the beginning of 2027 under California's automatic inflation adjustment formula.
- US
After Six Months at a Standstill, Tucson Police Bet on Linguistic Analysis to Find the Kidnapper
After six months with no suspect identified, Tucson police are turning to linguistic analysis of two ransom letters, as DNA and surveillance cameras have not yet provided enough evidence to close the case.
- Houston
Vietnamese-American Shop Owners in Texas Caught Between THC Ban and Pending Lawsuit
Texas's new THC regulation took effect but a judge has partially blocked it, leaving Vietnamese-American grocery stores and small retailers in the position of having to comply with a law they are unsure will actually sur…
- Guides
Voter Registration: Why Vietnamese American Ballots Could Decide the Midterm Election
Only a few thousand votes can determine who wins in closely contested districts — and Vietnamese American communities in Orange County and Houston typically find themselves right in the middle of that thin margin. Here i…
- Digest
News Digest 7/31: Middle East Conflict Escalates, U.S. Economy Slows
From fragile ceasefires in the Middle East to sluggish U.S. economic growth and the Microsoft stock earthquake — here's a roundup of today's must-read stories that Saigon Sentinel didn't cover separately.