Free Republic

Tulsi Gabbard's older brother was arrested after he allegedly tried to lure children into his Hawaii hotel room using cash and gum. Bhakti 'Batarti' Gabbard, 55, is accused of approaching several children, including a nine-year-old boy, near the pool at a hotel in Waikīkī on July 12, according to Honolulu police.

The attorney who helped persuade the Supreme Court to strike down Hawaii’s private-property concealed-carry restriction on Thursday criticized the state’s reliance on a Reconstruction-era Black Code to defend the law. In a 6-3 decision in Wolford v. Lopez, the Court held that Hawaii cannot require licensed gun owners to obtain express permission before carrying firearms onto private property open to the public. Gun-rights challengers dubbed the policy the "vampire rule" because lawful gun owners had to be "invited in" before entering businesses while armed. "It is disgraceful that any state would rely on a law specifically aimed at taking away...

The Supreme Court on Thursday struck down a Hawaii gun restriction that limits when people can carry firearms on certain private properties open to the public, saying it infringes on the right to bear arms. On a 6-3 vote, the court invalidated the measure that requires people with concealed carry permits to seek permission from a property owner before entering. It has been dubbed the "vampire rule" because, as in the classic novel "Dracula" and related tales, vampires can only enter someone's home if they are invited in. The court, often supportive of gun rights, concluded that the provision violates...

Police, fire and Emergency Medical Services responded to a 5:20 p.m. crash today involving multiple vehicles and injuring several including children, on the eastbound lanes of the H-1 freeway in Pearl City. EMS responded with multiple units to the crash. EMS personnel administered advanced life support to six patients, and transported them to hospital emergency rooms for further treatment. They included an infant girl in stable condition, a 7-year-old girl in serious condition and a 10-year-old girl in stable condition. Also taken to the hospital were a woman, 34, who was in serious condition; a man, 33 in stable condition,...

A veteran has sparked fierce controversy after publicly blaming Donald Trump for the deaths of school children in Minab, alleging that Tomahawk missile strikes caused catastrophic destruction. The explosive accusation has reignited debate over military accountability, civilian casualties and the human cost of conflict. The remarks are drawing intense scrutiny as questions grow over command responsibility, rules of engagement and the wider fallout from US military actions in the region. The claims have fuelled sharp political reactions, renewed outrage over civilian harm and fresh demands for transparency surrounding the deadly Minab incident.

The Legislature was jubilant as it passed SB2471 on Friday, seeking to overturn the effects of the Citizens United decision in Hawai‘i and get big money and outside influences out of our elections. The irony is, Mainland power players were pulling our strings the whole time. The rhetoric on Friday when the Legislature passed SB2471, was triumphant. All but one of the legislators voted for this attempt to nullify the Citizen’s United decision for Hawai‘i, and did so with bold claims. We’re standing up for Hawai‘i! We’re standing against dark money! We’re making history! We’re protecting democracy! These people are...

2007—Year of the Lapita? Volume 61 Number 1, January/February 2008 by Mark Rose Polynesian Breakthroughs A Polynesian chicken (Anita Gould) and a Chilean chicken bone (Courtesy Alice Storey) There was no doubt about including in our 2007 Top Ten the discovery that chicken bones from ancient Polynesian sites in Tonga and Samoa and El Arenal, a Chilean site occupied between A.D. 700 and 1390, had identical DNA. The chicken was domesticated in Southeast Asia, but how it arrived in the New World before Europeans arrived was a mystery. Now it seems that Polynesian seafarers brought them, adding to the evidence...

Elena Branson, a dual Russian and U.S. citizen, has been charged with acting and conspiring to act in the United States illegally as an agent of the Russian government, willfully failing to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (“FARA”), as well as conspiring to commit visa fraud and making false statements to the FBI. As alleged, beginning in at least 2011, Branson worked on behalf of the Russian government and Russian officials to advance Russian interests in the United States, including by coordinating meetings for Russian officials to lobby U.S. political officials and businesspersons, and by operating organizations in...

An accused Russian spy who worked as a merchant banker in New York City called convicted spy Maria Butina after 30 FBI agents showed up at her apartment with a battering ram. Elena Branson, 61, who holds dual U.S. and Russian citizenship, was accused of running a 'Russian propaganda center' in New York and communicating directly with President Vladimir Putin. She shared details of her encounter with the law during a cozy chat with Butina broadcast on Russian state broadcaster RT, and recalled how Butina had been one of the first people she'd contacted.

Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, intended to hit President Donald Trump amid nationwide "no kings" protests, but instead Republicans argued her comment admits the flimsy case being made. "Donald Trump is not, never will be, and has never been a king. #NoKings," Hirono's Saturday morning X post read as left-wing protesters marched in various anti-Trump demonstrations. The remarks landed with rare agreement from figures on the right, though. "So you agree – you think your 'no kings' rallies are stupid…," replied Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, who once backed Trump's 2024 Republican primary opposition from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. "Roger that!" Sen....

...testimony of Jeffrey Epstein personal attorney...raising suspicions... Crown Princess Mette-Marit portraying herself as a victim of Jeffrey Epstein... United Airlines cutting scheduled flights by five percent... 10 killed, 59 injured...fire...auto parts factory...South Korea... Lebanon late tonight new Israeli evacuation orders... Iranian missile attacks on Israel late tonight... President Donald Trump rejecting any truce...objectives are 'very close' to being met... US Marines that could seize Iranian territory moving towards... Israeli air attacks on Tehran late tonight... A jury finding Elon Musk liable for misleading investors... Heavy rains...flooding Hawaii...residents ordered to evacuate... US easing sanctions on Iranian oil... US federal prosecutors probing...

Mazie Hirono says that non-citizens wouldn’t dare try to vote, because it’s already illegal and they can be put in prison for it. "Who's going to commit this kind of fraud knowing that they could be in prison for five years?" She was very proud of herself for this one.

Iconic actor and martial artist Chuck Norris died on Thursday morning, according to a family statement posted on his Instagram account on Friday morning. "It is with heavy hearts that our family shares the sudden passing of our beloved Chuck Norris yesterday morning. While we would like to keep the circumstances private, please know that he was surrounded by his family and was at peace," the post reads. "To the world, he was a martial artist, actor, and a symbol of strength. To us, he was a devoted husband, a loving father and grandfather, an incredible brother, and the heart...

Chuck Norris dead at 86 following medical emergency Chuck Norris, the martial-artist-turned-actor who helped popularize karate and action films in the US and became a TV mainstay with “Walker, Texas Ranger,” has died. He was 86. Born March 10, 1940, in Ryan, Okla., Norris first rose to prominence in the 1960s and 1970s as a champion martial artist who helped bring martial arts into the American mainstream. At a time when Eastern fighting disciplines were still relatively unfamiliar to US audiences, Norris became one of their biggest champions by blending the principles of athleticism, discipline and showmanship.

Legendary actor Chuck Norris has died aged 86 following a sudden medical emergency in Hawaii. The actor passed away Thursday morning, according to a post shared by his family to Instagram.

Movie martial arts legend Chuck Norris has been hospitalized in Hawaii after a reported medical emergency.The famed movie tough guy, who is 86, was reportedly hospitalized over the last 24 hours in island of Kauai, according to TMZ.He is reportedly in good spirits, the site added.Norris only just turned 86 on March 10 and posted a video of his sparring workout to social media to show fans that he’s still got it.Norris has been deeply involved in conservative and Republican politics fpr years and is a strong supporter of President Donald Trump.

No power here in eastern Honolulu. Out all night and continuing this morning. High winds took off part of our plastic lanai roof, uprooted tree in front yard which is currently covering sidewalk. Cable box cover torn off and blown into front yard. You'd think a hurricane came through. No ETA of power return. Ah! Life in paradise.

Health officials have confirmed 12 cases of rat lungworm disease in the continental United States since January 2011 — including six patients who had not traveled abroad but still contracted the illness caused by a parasite endemic to tropical regions in Asia and Hawaii. [...snip...] The disease is also known as angiostrongyliasis, after the parasitic roundworm Angiostrongylus cantonensis whose larvae hatch in the lungs of rats and then are expelled in the rodents’ excrement. At that point, the larvae can be picked up by snails and slugs, and then passed along to humans if the snails and slugs are eaten...

A highly acclaimed Nigerian professor at Aquinas College is facing two decades in prison after she admitted to swindling more than $1 million from taxpayers and poor minority children in West Michigan. Nkechy Ezeh, founder and CEO of the Early Learning Neighborhood Collaborative, pleaded guilty last week to wire fraud and tax evasion in a scheme that forced the nonprofit to shut down after a dozen years preparing about 8,000 preschoolers for kindergarten in Kent County, Battle Creek and Kalamazoo, WOOD reports. Ezeh worked with ELNC bookkeeper Sharon Killebrew to create nearly $500,000 in fake invoices, as well as created...

There will be no criminal charges filed against Hawaii Police Department Officer Sidra Brown, the handler of K-9 Archer, the narcotics detection dog that died Sept. 4 after being left unattended in a police vehicle in Kona. Archer was a 6-year-old narcotics detection dog. The Dept. of the Attorney General said, “After careful consideration of the evidence associated with this case, examination of the scene, and possible applicable law, our office has declined to prosecute this matter due to insufficient evidence of a crime.” Hawaii has both misdemeanor and felony charges for animal cruelty. First- degree animal cruelty is a...