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San Francisco Chronicle
3 days ago
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
These Bay Area communities are most vulnerable to Trump's immigration crackdowns
With the Trump administration clamping down on immigration, experts say some Bay Area immigrants may pursue one of the surest ways to protect their ability to remain in the country: becoming a citizen. That is, if they want to — or even can. Just 25% of Bay Area residents born in Guatemala, excluding children of American parents, are citizens. The same was true for 35% of Mexico-born residents. Meanwhile, nearly 60% of residents born in China and Nicaragua are naturalized. Still, overall more than half of the Bay Area's foreign-born population has already won citizenship, 2023 data from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey shows, similar to the national figure. That means many of the region's immigrants are likely protected from deportation and scrutiny from border officials, said Bill Hing, a professor of law and migration studies at the University of San Francisco — though there have been some exceptions. As President Donald Trump continues to restrict immigration, more people who are eligible for naturalization will likely pursue that option, Hing said. It might not be the first time — naturalizations rose during Trump's first term. Naturalized citizens are less likely than lawfully present immigrants to report fearing detention or deportation, though about 1 in 4 say they are worried for themselves or a family member, according to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll. Hing expects a particularly large surge in people born in Mexico, Central America and South America to seek U.S. citizenship, hoping to avoid getting caught in Trump's mass deportation plans. Many immigrants from those countries who can pursue citizenship often don't, due to a variety of factors. Deportation fears could change that for some immigrants. 'The kind of enforcement that's going on right now is racially profiling those groups,' Hing said. The reasons some groups have relatively low naturalization rates vary, said Eric McGhee, a senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California. Many immigrants from Honduras, for example, arrived in the past two decades, meaning they've had less time to seek citizenship. Even among groups for whom naturalization is more common, such as China- and India-born immigrants, few of those who came to the U.S. in the past two decades are citizens. Indian immigrants in particular can face long wait times for permanent legal status — the longest of any nationality, according to some research. Naturalization applicants must have a green card for at least five years or be married to a U.S. citizen or permanent resident for at least three years, with exceptions for members of the military. Even with those hurdles cleared, there are often others, including language barriers. And undocumented immigrants are, of course, completely ineligible to become citizens. That likely explains why so few people among certain foreign-born groups, such as those born in Guatemala, are naturalized, McGhee said. While the Trump administration has targeted immigrants who are in the U.S. lawfully, such as by targeting international students, the crackdown will undoubtedly affect undocumented immigrants the most. 'There's a lot in flux and in play, but there's no question that the flexibility and range of options for the Trump administration are greater on the undocumented side,' McGhee said. There are additional reasons immigrants from some countries might be more likely to be citizens than others. Bay Area nonprofits previously encouraged Chinese-born residents to become citizens so they could gain the right to vote and become a political force, Hing said. The effort, made possible by the repeal of the Chinese Exclusion Acts in 1943, was a success. More than 90% of Bay Area Chinese-born residents who immigrated to the U.S. from 1970 to 1990 are citizens. Whether immigrants seek to become citizens also depends on the situation in their home country, Hing said. For example, Taiwan's political upheaval in the 20th century, and now its tensions with China, may give immigrants born there more of an incentive to seek naturalization. But those factors may matter less for immigrants from wealthy, stable countries like Japan, Singapore and Australia, especially for those who plan to travel often (or ultimately return) to their birth country. But anti-immigrant sentiment can also lead to an increase in naturalization, as Hing predicts will happen again. After California Proposition 187 was passed in 1994, cutting undocumented immigrants' access to social services, the state saw a surge in naturalization applications.
USA Today
17-05-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Flat Earth on the ballot? Debunked claim pops up in US politics.
Flat Earth on the ballot? Debunked claim pops up in US politics. Show Caption Hide Caption Fact-checking flat Earth claims before 2024 eclipse A total solar eclipse is expected to cross the U.S. on April 8. That isn't stopping some skeptics from believing the Earth is flat. Humans have known the Earth is round for more than 2,000 years, but a movement questioning that fact has reached the corners of American politics. People involved in politics in Alabama, Georgia and Minnesota have attracted attention for their links to the flat Earth movement, although their beliefs and reasoning vary. To some, the beliefs have a spiritual connection. Others say they have a healthy skepticism of scientific consensus. Data from a 2021 University of New Hampshire survey shows nearly 10% of Americans believe the Earth is flat, indicating how widespread pseudo-scientific conspiracy theories are emerging in the U.S. Meanwhile, political observers have met the emergence of some flat Earth beliefs in politics with a mix of alarm and apathy. Political candidates who believe the Earth is flat and other similar beliefs are "consistent with the current dumbing down and anti-intellectualism of America," said James Taylor, a political science professor at the University of San Francisco. Taylor said these theories have thrived mostly due to the internet and social media compared to 20 years ago. Flat Earth presence in politics In Alabama, there's Dean Odle, a pastor who lost when he ran for governor in 2022, and is now seeking to become lieutenant governor next year. Odle, who describes himself as the "Anti-estabishment Republican," told USA TODAY he became "a flat-earth/biblical-earther believer" in 2015, even attending the inaugural Flat Earth International Conference in 2017. He cites his 2019 self-published book, titled "Like Clay Under the Seal," saying his belief that the Earth is flat initially came as a "spiritual download from the Holy Spirit." Odle said he's aware of the flak he gets for his beliefs, but it won't stop him from running for office to try improving the state's low-ranking education status and stop the Second Amendment from being attacked. "I typically refer to Article VI, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution, which says no religious tests should be put on a person as a qualification or disqualification to run for office," Odle said. "What that means is we're all going to have different beliefs, but that doesn't mean we're unfit to protect the God-given constitutional rights of all Americans and Alabama residents." In Minnesota, Bret Bussman, an Army veteran who became Minnesota's 7th Congressional District Republican Party chair in March, has reportedly publicly shared videos on social media explaining why he believes the Earth is flat. That includes a 2024 Facebook post titled, "5 Reasons Why I BELIEVE in the Flat Earth (And You Should Too!)." When asked about his beliefs by the Minnesota Reformer in April, Bussman said, "You can print whatever you want. I spent 20+ years in the Army defending that right, but if you do that, there would be no chance of me speaking with you in the future." (USA TODAY has reached out to Bussman for comment.) And in Georgia, Kandiss Taylor, a former Georgia Republican gubernatorial candidate and the state's current District 1 GOP Chair, has announced she's running for Congress in 2026. She faced scrutiny after interviewing two prominent flat Earth believers on a podcast two years ago, at one point saying: "Everywhere there's globes. It's constant…and that's what they do to brainwash," Taylor said. "For me, if it is not a conspiracy, if it is, you know, 'real,' why are you pushing so hard? Everywhere I go, every store, you buy a globe, there's globes everywhere—every movie, every TV show, news media. Why? It doesn't make sense." Taylor has since said she does not believe the Earth is flat, but that she remains skeptical. "I will clearly state that I simply do not believe anything that I have not seen for myself," Taylor said in an emailed statement to USA TODAY. "With that being said, I will gladly take one of those 11-minute rocket flights to the stratosphere (Like Katy Perry did) and report back to the people what I see." What do flat-earthers believe? In general, most flat-earthers believe Earth is a flat, hockey-puck-like object covered by a dome, sometimes called a firmament, with walls of ice around the edges of the dome. Flat-earthers think they can prove this because the seas appear level, not curved, and say it is not possible to view the Earth's curvature of the horizon from airplanes. They also dispute photographic evidence from space, saying it cannot be trusted and that the NASA moon landing was a hoax. Flat Earth in politics: What does it mean? Fact check roundup: Debunking the flawed science behind flat Earth claims Although some flat Earth believers have been active in politics, there's no evidence of an organized flat-earther movement in U.S. politics, political experts told USA TODAY. "You're unlikely to have candidates openly saying they think the earth is flat because it sounds like a goofier position and a less widely held belief," said John Cluverius, a political science professor at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. "I hesitate to think about this as a conspiracy theory as much as it is an anti-science belief that can be countered with scientific evidence." Round and round: Surreal April 2024 total solar eclipse renews debunked flat Earth conspiracy theories When did people know the Earth is a sphere? There's a common flat Earth error, popularized in the 19th century, suggesting that before scientific study began in the 17th century, most people believed the Earth was indeed flat. However, ancient Greeks figured out the Earth was round around 500 B.C., and it's been commonly accepted by scholars, navigators and cartographers since. The flat Earth belief as a conspiracy theory rose again in the mid-1800s in England. The Flat Earth Society was founded in 1956. Then, flat-earthers had a resurgence in the 2010s as the rise of social media became a portal for conspiracy theorists, as James Taylor, the San Francisco political scientist, mentioned. Contributing: Elizabeth Wiese, Doyle Rice, USA TODAY
The Guardian
21-04-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
What do we mean when we say women can be ‘too muscular'?
What does it mean when we call a woman 'too muscular'? A muscular woman has historically been a difficult woman. The way we perceive beauty in the muscular form is influenced by many factors, not least of which is gender, and it goes far beyond aesthetics. 'Too muscular' can call into question one's identity as a woman: are you a real woman if your muscles are bigger than the societal norm? 'Too muscular' can also be accusatory: are you a cheat, guilty of using steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs? At a 2017 talk with students at Harvard, the ballet superstar Misty Copeland spoke about close-minded ideals of beauty. 'Why am I being told my body is too muscular?' she said. 'It's code language for your skin is wrong.' The tennis great Serena Williams, in a 2016 interview with the Guardian, said that she has been described as 'too muscly and too masculine, and then a week later too racy and too sexy'. In white-dominated spaces like ballet and tennis, 'too muscular' can be code-speak for 'too Black', for bodies that don't belong – often jumbling up issues of femininity, race and power. 'Too muscular' is also used to disparage transgender women and intersex athletes with naturally high levels of testosterone. The growing controversy over the participation of transgender women in athletic competition is rooted in muscle, and the perceived unfairness of muscles that come with puberty. This, of course, disrupts the long-standing division of sports participation based on sex. The recent establishment of non-binary divisions for major marathons including the Boston Marathon and the New York City Marathon is one way that organizers of athletic competitions are addressing the issue. There will undoubtedly be more rethinking to come. All kinds of wacky theories around hormones have been used to delegitimize women in power, connecting the body to the body politic: menopause has been called out as something that makes women unstable leaders (see: Clinton, Hillary), and yet testosterone is the hormone that actually makes people reckless (see: Clinton, Bill). All this is to say that pseudoscience has long governed norms around women's anatomy and biology – and, by extension, their strength and power in society. Maybe our viewing habits around muscular beauty have become a bit rigid. If we go back to the muscle itself, could that loosen up – and maybe even stretch – our thinking? Amber Fitzsimmons is a modern-day anatomist – a professor of anatomy and chair of the department of physical therapy and rehabilitation science at the University of San Francisco, California (UCSF) who instructs students at one of the top medical schools in the country. She is also a physical therapist who has seen all kinds of real bodies enter the clinic. During my visit to her anatomy lab to observe a dissection, I asked what 'too muscular' means to her, and she reminded me that Americans have been socialized to not want to see the female weightlifter body, the bulked-up form that became especially taboo in the 1970s and 80s. ''Too muscular' means 'too masculine',' Fitzsimmons said matter-of-factly. 'You don't want to be seen as a man. And that fear still persists around women and exercise.' Before our dissection, she'd gathered an audience of anatomist colleagues – Dana Rohde, Barbie Klein and Maddie Norris, all instructors and researchers at UCSF – on my behalf, to help unpack the vocabulary of muscle and where the gendering of those ideals comes from. Swimmers' shoulders. Runners' legs. Gymnasts' abs. Dancers' posture. These phrases summon up different body types, all admired in one circle or another. They raise the question of what is behind the appeal of specific muscles and the characteristics they connote. Look at the way 'muscle' insinuates itself into the lexicon. Synonyms for muscle include potency and domination. When you force someone to agree with you, you're strong-arming them. To make a muscle, you contract your biceps – or more accurately, the biceps brachii. There is no more stereotypical symbol of strength than the bent-arm curl – in fact, it's the stand-in for all muscle (see: emoji). And yet, despite its visible prominence, Fitzsimmons explained, the biceps is the strongest arm muscle only when the arm is in this 'Popeye' position – otherwise, it's the brachialis, a deeper, 'pure flexor' muscle in the upper arm, which generates the most force, relegating the biceps to a supporting role. What does a person who studies and teaches anatomy think when they see muscles on display? The room started buzzing with debate. 'Well, if you look at bodybuilders,' Rohde said, 'sometimes their muscles are all for show – all that bulk makes it difficult for them to walk, and their lats are too big for a natural arm swing.' Contrast this with gymnasts, Klein pointed out: 'They can lift their whole bodies with their hands, with such control – for me, what makes a muscle beautiful always goes back to function.' Sign up to Well Actually Practical advice, expert insights and answers to your questions about how to live a good life after newsletter promotion Form and function: I thought about Marvel superheroes. Are their muscles functional? When my brother and I were kids, our father gave us comic books – X-Men, Wolverine, Dark Phoenix – to motivate us to draw human anatomy. We were instructed to study superhero physiques and practice sketching. What I absorbed from those comic books – other than the multiverse of stories, which I loved – was that male superheroes were top-heavy with biceps and that female superheroes were top-heavy with boobs. And that drawing that fictive landscape of muscles was a lesson in the American cultural psyche, with impossible ideals. I wondered aloud: 'What if you were a Hollywood trainer for a superhero movie? What specific muscles would you target to give the appearance of strength, on the ideal body, to an American audience?' 'Let's start with a quintessential male superhero: Captain America,' Fitzsimmons said. 'Certainly, the arms – triceps, biceps. Then deltoids, pectorals and latissimus dorsi, to create the exaggerated triangle from wide shoulders to a narrow waist. They overbuild the upper trapezius – that's around the neck – for a wide shoulder, then define the thorax with the external obliques' – the most superficial of the lateral abdominal muscles. And, finally, the rectus abdominis – the six-pack. 'It's funny that if we see someone with a six-pack, we automatically think they're strong and really fit,' Klein added thoughtfully. 'But they might just be naturally leaner.' Our discomfort with muscles begins when we move too far into that same territory for a woman. 'The female equivalent is not equivalent at all,' Ftizsimmons said. 'Female superheroes are strong, but they'll have boobs and a bottom. Smaller shoulders – not too wide. You'll have a flat stomach, but you won't see a supercut six-pack. Enhanced hips and glutes, tapering to a narrow waist – a controlled hourglass. You can't be too extra. If you see the thick neck, thighs and wide shoulders that we expect on a man, it throws people off – and that's because we've been conditioned that way.' In other words, we allow a greater spectrum of muscular beauty for men – from the lean, wiry marathon body to the big, beefcake muscles of the heavyweight wrestling body. Even among female athletes themselves, there is a self-perceived conflict between their 'performance body' in the sports context and their 'appearance body' in the social world – across multiple studies of NCAA athletes in different sports, women have expressed pride in the utility of their muscularity on the playing field, but also worry that those same muscles would make wearing jeans or dresses look 'abnormal'; they compensate by holding back in the weight room to avoid getting 'too big' and by wearing makeup to emphasize their femininity. When it comes to the superhero body, it's all about signaling fitness and outward muscular appeal rather than actual function, no matter what the gender. Theirs are the muscles that we – the audience – are indoctrinated to receive. We absorb that information into our daily lives and respond in kind. 'All you need to do is go to a gym and see what's happening there,' Fitzsimmons said. 'It trickles down.' This kind of thinking, it turns out, isn't just Marvel comics, Hollywood superficiality, and gym culture talking – it's embedded in our medical textbooks too. In these ways, muscle iconography in modern society can be harmful to men, too. The social psychologist Jaclyn A Siegel has studied how the stereotypical male body ideal contributes to eating and muscle dysmorphic disorders. In the attempt to become muscular, she has said, men are vulnerable to 'the masculine norms of dominance, confidence, sexual success, and physical and emotional self-control', which make them susceptible to eating disorders. In fact, the quiet increase of boys and men seeking help for disordered eating, excessive exercise and performance-enhancing substance abuse reveals how surface ideals of muscularity can hurt us all. Thankfully, little shifts are happening all the time. Norms vary by culture and geography, and they aren't static. Medical textbooks are beginning to feature more varied bodies; influential athletes are becoming more visible and vocal about body image and mental health; and women of all ages are lifting heavy at the gym – often because doctors have begun prescribing them that regular dose of iron. Maybe you've heard of 'Granny Guns', AKA Marlene Flowers, the 68-year-old social media sensation who started lifting weights a decade ago and is now followed by millions. Her witty, satirical videos challenge stereotypes around ageing women and strength, and encourage others to follow her example. I know I am. Bonnie Tsui is the author of On Muscle: The Stuff That Moves Us and Why It Matters, out tomorrow
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
San Francisco Supervisor Bilal Mahmood opens up about autism diagnosis
SAN FRANCISCO - April is Autism Awareness Month, and a San Francisco politician has gone public with his diagnosis. San Francisco Supervisor Bilal Mahmood opened up about his diagnosis on Tuesday, pledging his support for ongoing funding and resources for those on the spectrum. Local perspective Mahmood shared how an autism diagnosis can make navigating social interactions sometimes challenging. "There's parts where it's difficult to interact, human interactions," Mahmood said. "But also there's strengths. Monotropism or being extremely organized, sometimes to a fault. There are parts of being autistic that I think can be a strength of an asset in your life and in your relationships." Mahmood said he knew he was different from others for a long time and was diagnosed later in life. He is now on a mission to spread awareness about what is possible for people with autism, especially for the families of children who have been diagnosed. "You can go into technology, you can go into the private sector, you can go into government and be an elected government official and still succeed," he said. Bill Bosl, a neuroscientist at the University of San Francisco studying autism, said the condition can make it difficult for some to read and navigate social interactions and can even leave some unable to communicate with the outside world. "[Autism] can range anywhere from mild, one might describe as simply another personality type," said Bosl. "To more severe, which involves certain impairments." Bosl said the supervisor coming forward to discuss his own diagnosis can help raise awareness and encourage a deeper understanding of those whose brains work a bit differently. "The more aware we are of that, the better we'll get along as a society," said Bosl. Dig deeper Mahmood has introduced a resolution encouraging investment in services that many with autism rely on, including Muni, San Francisco schools, and the city's Department of Children, Youth, and Their Families. "Really highlighting that these services are a lifeline for these communities, especially for those with a higher level of autism who are unable to function as regularly in society," Mahmood said. Bosl said that early diagnosis is critical to helping those with autism achieve their highest potential. Mahmood said that autism diagnoses have increased by about 30% in San Francisco in the last decade, which is one reason he believes protecting these programs is so important. The Source San Francisco Supervisor Bilal Mahmood, and neuroscientist Bill Bosl
CBS News
25-03-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Florida Gators land spot at coach Todd Golden's favorite San Francisco restaurant after all
Coach Todd Golden managed to get his top-seeded Florida Gators basketball team a reservation at his favorite San Francisco restaurant after all. Golden said Tuesday that Original Joe's, a popular San Francisco eatery with several Bay Area locations, created space for the Gators to dine this week before their Sweet 16 matchup against No. 4 seed Maryland. Florida was scheduled to fly cross-country Tuesday and practice at the University of San Francisco, the school where Golden got his first head coaching job. The Gators will dress up (maybe) and chow down (definitely) at Joe's after. Golden had been thinking about the possibility of taking his players and staff to his hot spot once the NCAA Tournament bracket was revealed and the Gators landed the No. 1 seed in the West Regional. But the coach didn't want to get ahead of himself with first- and second-round games to be played before a potential trip to the West Coast. So by the time Golden called Original Joe's, there was not space for 17 players, six coaches and more than a dozen additional staff members on relatively short notice. But Joe's ended up making it work, getting Golden's homecoming off to a rousing start. The 39-year-old Golden played basketball at Saint Mary's College in Moraga and returned to the region to coach at the University of San Francisco, first as an assistant and then as the head coach for three seasons. Golden is 72-33 in three seasons in Gainesville.
