Biden to meet: Asian-Americans after Atlanta spa killings

WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden headed to Atlanta on Friday to comfort an Asian-American community plunged into grief and fear after a killing spree left six women of Asian descent dead and a nation alarmed by pandemic-era hate crimes.

The pre-scheduled trip to the southern metropolis was originally intended to focus on Biden’s Covid-19 battle plan, with a visit to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and promotion of the economic rescue package recently passed by Congress.

But the carnage around Georgia’s largest city prompted the president to add a meeting with Asian-Americans. Biden, accompanied by Vice President Kamala Harris, will "hear about the impact of the incident on the community, and to get their perspective on the rise in anti-Asian hate incidents," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.

Biden will deliver a speech at Emory University, and will use the visit to reaffirm his "commitment to combating xenophobia, intolerance and hate," Psaki said. Three massage parlors around Atlanta were targeted Tuesday, before a 21-year-old man suspected of the killings was arrested hours later. Robert Aaron Long faces eight counts of murder and one charge of aggravated assault.