Get the latest news coverage of politics including Honolulu city and county government, Hawaii legislative issues, U.S. Congress and the White House.
Green — America’s only sitting governor who’s also a medical doctor — previously testified against the Senate confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. as Health and Human Services secretary because of Kennedy’s skepticism of vaccines. Read more
Experts have said it would take years and hundreds of millions of dollars to make the Qatari aircraft, known as a “palace in the sky,” suitable for use as transportation for the U.S. commander in chief, despite backers of the plan saying it would save money. Read more
Gabbard’s decision comes as President Donald Trump has openly mused to aides over time about whether the office she leads — which was created after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to improve interagency coordination — should continue to exist. Read more
“I know we have deep feelings on these issues, and we may not all agree on everything,” said Guthrie, a Republican who is in his first term as chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Read more
The states called the threats, which would cut federal money for transportation, counterterrorism and emergency preparedness, “blatantly illegal” and a “hostage scheme.” Read more
Harvard filed the amended complaint in federal court in Boston hours after a federal antisemitism task force announced that eight government agencies were canceling additional grants on top of the $2.2 billion in funding President Donald Trump’s administration had already terminated. Read more
Haines, appointed by Trump during his first term, ruled that the administration must give potential deportees at least 21 days’ notice and the opportunity to challenge their removals, to avoid the possibility that people who are not gang members “may be errantly removed from this country.” Read more
The order published late on Monday offers some relief to big Chinese e-commerce players Shein and Temu and follows a weekend deal between Beijing and Washington to unwind for 90 days most of the tit-for-tat tariffs imposed on each other’s goods since early April. Read more
The U.S. agreed to sell Saudi Arabia an arms package worth nearly $142 billion, according to the White House, which called it “the largest defense cooperation agreement” Washington has ever done. Read more
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More than 15,000 USDA staff have been fired or accepted Trump’s financial incentives to leave the agency, leaving fewer experts to respond to an ongoing outbreak of bird flu and draining technical staff from local offices that serve farmers. Read more
Schumer, referring to reports that U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi had signed off on the deal for the plane, called it “a blatantly inept decision.” Read more
Within a split-second of a Friday evening deadline about two weeks ago, state Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole announced in a legislative conference room, “We have a bill. Gotta be the last one.” Read more
Schatz blasted the plan today on the Senate floor and called it a clear violation of the Emoluments Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Read more
The $400 million luxury plane, which would be outfitted to serve as Air Force One, would be one of the most valuable gifts ever received by the U.S. government. Read more
Asked today why white South Africans were being prioritized above the victims of famine and war elsewhere in Africa, Trump said, without providing evidence, that Afrikaners were being killed. Read more
The order gives drugmakers price targets in the next 30 days, and will take further action to lower prices if those companies do not make “significant progress” towards those goals within six months of the order being signed. Read more
Bill 43 would redirect a portion of the 3% visitor-generated Oahu transient accommodations tax, which is earmarked for Honolulu’s rail project, to the city’s sewer fund. Read more
City lawmakers are leading the push to return Sand Island’s name to its Native Hawaiian name Mauliola, which means “breath of life” or “power of healing.” Read more
The U.S. will cut extra tariffs it imposed on Chinese imports last month from 145% to 30% for the next 90 days, the sides said, while Chinese duties on U.S. imports will fall to 10% from 125%. Read more
The luxury plane, which would be one of the most valuable gifts ever received by the U.S. government, would eventually be donated to Donald Trump’s presidential library after he leaves office, ABC said. A new commercial 747-8 costs approximately $400 million. Read more
Calls for greater enforcement efforts were taken much more seriously when the Legislature convened just two weeks after the deadly blast at a New Year’s Eve party in Aliamanu that killed six people, injured or maimed dozens of others and led to arrests. Read more
