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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.
- Health
Medicare Part D Premium Stabilization Subsidy Ends One Year Early
Washington is cutting a subsidy that keeps Medicare drug insurance premiums down one year ahead of schedule, shifting cost-increase pressure directly onto seniors who depend on standalone drug plans — a group that includ…
- Digest
News Digest July 30: Iran war escalates, Fed holds rates, Japan earthquake
From escalating Iran-US conflict and Wall Street's sharp reaction to the Fed's decision, to deadly earthquakes in Japan and new immigration policies tightening asylum applications — a jam-packed day of international and …
- SoCal
Mental health scheduling algorithm at Kaiser: who oversees when a machine decides instead of a doctor?
A union accuses Kaiser of letting an algorithm, not a psychiatrist, decide treatment direction for patients—raising questions for tens of thousands of insurance members, many of them Vietnamese-American healthcare worker…
- Politics
US Allows Ukraine to Produce Patriot Missiles: What's Happening?
The meeting between Zelenskyy and Trump at the White House did not bring new military aid, but opened the door for Ukraine to produce Patriot missiles domestically and may lead to new tariffs on goods from China and Indi…
- Business
US gas prices rise for four consecutive weeks, reaching $4.096/gallon
The national average gas price in the U.S. has risen for the fourth consecutive week, reaching $4.096 per gallon on July 27, 2026 — up 31.16 percent compared to the same week last year, though still 0.59 percent below th…
- Digest
News Digest 7/29: From Houston Murder Case to Middle East Conflict Escalation
Today: security camera footage reveals the moment before a Vietnamese restaurant owner's murder case in Houston, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia strike Iraq, plus news on DACA, Fauci, and AI stocks.
- SoCal
Bill AB 910: California considers allowing abuse survivors to use trauma as a legal shield
A former inmate who served thirty years is advocating for a bill that she herself does not qualify to benefit from — and its fate still hangs in the balance at a committee that has silently blocked it four times.
- Houston
Hidden Debts and the Fatal Price in Family Restaurant Business
Behind the homicide case that shook Houston is a risk model familiar to many small business owners: personal finances and business operations bound tightly together, with only one person knowing the full truth.
- Houston
Texas cuts SNAP budget spending as hunger reaches record levels
Behind Texas's record hunger figures lies a specific budget change that will soon force the state to cover hundreds of millions of dollars in additional SNAP costs — and first-generation elderly refugee immigrants are th…
- Politics
Who is the U.S. Director of National Intelligence, what does the role entail, and why is it controversial?
The Senate has confirmed a former prosecutor and former chair of the securities regulator to head the entire federal intelligence system — right as the agency undergoes staff cuts and a critical surveillance law has expi…
- Business
Initial jobless claims in US fall 10.53% in one week, hitting lowest level in a year
Initial jobless claims in the US fell 10.53% in the week ending July 18, 2026, dropping to 187,000 — the lowest level across 56 weeks of data tracked by the US Department of Labor.
- Digest
News Digest 28/7: Iran, India Protests, US Crime Decline
From plummeting oil prices as the US halts strikes on Iran, to waves of Indian student protests, and US murder rates hitting century lows — a round-up of world news worth reading today.
- SoCal
Lessons from the 2017 Gas Tax: Why Orange County Cities Are Betting Their Budget Survival on November Votes
From the political lesson of the 2017 gas tax to Orange's bankruptcy warning in 2029, Orange County cities are betting their political capital on November's vote — and not everyone will win.
- Houston
CLT exam expands in Texas: a gamble for students outside top 10%
An administrative letter just opened the door for broader CLT exam use at Texas public universities, even as an independent report shows this exam is less reliable than SAT and ACT in predicting college academic performa…
- US
Myanmar TPS Work Permit Deadline Extended to August 3, 2026 Amid Court Dispute
USCIS has extended the work permit deadline for Myanmar nationals holding TPS to August 3, 2026, requiring business owners — including many Vietnamese-American nail salons and restaurants — to update their Form I-9 recor…
- Politics
US halts bombing of Iran, but why must Trump still meet with Netanyahu right now?
After nearly two weeks of airstrikes and 18 American soldiers killed, Washington has suspended its campaign against Iran just before Trump meets with Netanyahu — a meeting whose outcome could determine global fuel prices…
- Politics
When immigration data disappears: DHS officials exit one by one
A high-ranking statistics official at the Department of Homeland Security has just resigned, continuing a pattern of immigration officials leaving their posts without bringing substantive policy changes — while data on d…
- US
US Immigration Skips Interview Step Before Sending Asylum Cases to Court
DHS has allowed immigration officers to transfer many asylum cases directly to court without first conducting interviews — a change that could affect over 100,000 people in Texas alone.
- Guides
Building Good Credit in the US: A to Z Guide for Newcomers
Not having credit history in America is almost as risky as having a bad one — many Vietnamese families, accustomed to using cash, inadvertently deprive their children of the ability to borrow for a home or car later on.
- Digest
News Digest 7/27: Midterm Elections, Fake ICE Fears, and the AI Race
From the worry about fake ICE agents in Oregon to a volatile Senate map, and an intensifying U.S.-China AI race — these are stories worth reading that Saigon Sentinel is not covering separately today.
- NorCal
California's Forests Burn Faster Than People Can Replant Them
California replanted only 16% of its burned forest area from 2020, while workforce cuts and budget instability are widening the gap with the pace of wildfires.
- Business
What is AI 'going rogue' and why must Nvidia, Microsoft, and SpaceX join forces to counter it?
An OpenAI AI agent conducted a cyberattack on its own without anyone detecting it in time — an event that has forced Nvidia, Microsoft, SpaceX, and even the U.S. Congress to consider who should have the authority to shut…
- Houston
Driving through floodwaters: a deadly trap for elderly in Texas
All three deaths in Texas's July floods occurred when victims drove through flooded areas — a pattern particularly dangerous for an elderly generation who rarely monitor English-language weather warnings.
- Houston
Texas Forces Data Centers to Pay for Their Own Power Grid Infrastructure, Not Pass Costs to Residents
Texas is requiring data centers to pay for their own electrical infrastructure costs, after the state auditor warned that the budget could lose $3.2 billion in tax revenue due to incentives already granted to the industr…
- Digest
News Digest 26/7: Trump's Tariffs, California Heat Wave, New York Stabbing
From Trump's new tariff threats to a brutal heat wave in Southern California and a suspected hate stabbing on Manhattan's Upper West Side — here are the stories worth reading that Saigon Sentinel is not covering separate…