Free Republic

Two teenage girls from Germany were detained, arrested, and deported at an airport in Hawaii after immigration officials said it was suspicious they had not booked a hotel room. Backpackers Charlotte Pohl, 19, and Maria Lepere, 18, arrived in Honolulu from Auckland while undergoing a round-the-world trip. The duo planned to spend five weeks in Hawaii before moving onto California and Costa Rica for the next legs of their journey. But despite having ESTA travel authorization, immigration officials accused them of attempting to enter the U.S. to work illegally, and they were placed in handcuffs and taken to a nearby...

Hawaii Democrats have advanced a bill that would clear the way for individuals and insurers adversely affected by an “event attributable to climate change” to sue companies and other entities for spreading climate “misinformation.” S.B. 1166, introduced by Democratic Hawaii State Sen. Chris Lee, aims to “provide a new, specific cause of action for any person other than an officer or employee of a state or local governmental entity” and insurers to file suit against companies or other entities that supposedly misinformed the public about the nature of climate change. Lee introduced the bill on Jan. 17, and it is...

April 18, 2025, marks the 80th anniversary of Ernie Pyle’s death on the battlefield Eighty years ago, Ernie Pyle, one of America's most recognized war correspondents, was killed while covering the Battle of Okinawa during World War II. HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) -- Eighty years ago, one of America’s most recognized war correspondents was killed while covering the Battle of Okinawa during World War II. When it came to telling the story of the American soldier fighting the good fight overseas, no one compared to Ernie Pyle. “He exemplified the courage and the willingness to hear the story of the common soldier,...

At 106 years old, Vaughn Drake Jr. was the oldest known survivor of the attack on Pearl Harbor until his death on April 7, according to his obituary. Born Nov. 6, 1918, in Winchester, Kentucky, Drake served in the Army Corps of Engineers during World War II. He saw the battles of Pearl Harbor and Saipan in the Marianas, collecting an array of honors including the special congressional medal for Pearl Harbor veterans and the World War II Victory Medal. In 2016, the Lexington Herald-Leader sat down with Drake to record some of his memories of the fateful attack on...

HONOLULU (KHON2) — Recently, there was an expose on Mark Zuckerberg’s Kauaʻi compound where he and his partner have been making waves in the local community. As sea levels rise, you’re probably asking yourself why he’s investing so much money into a compound that will be impacted by beach erosion, rising ocean levels and a disappearing island. One article that gives a bit of insight into why Zuckerberg is sinking so much money into the property comes from a tech futurist writer with The Guardian. This writer was asked by the world’s biggest tech leaders to a meeting to explain...

A former Hawaii resident, and longtime green card holder, is among those being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. HONOLULU (Hawaii News Now) -- Green card holders are officially Lawful Permanent Residents of the United States, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. But being a resident of the United States is very different from being a citizen. Lewelyn Dixon immigrated from the Philippines to Hawaii 50 years ago. She graduated from Farrington High School and has been working as a lab technician at the University of Washington. Dixon was returning home to Seattle from a family trip...

Steering the utility from the brink of bankruptcy justified a $1.7 million raise for its CEO, the company said. Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc. and its subsidiaries faced torrents of bad news in 2024. Federal investigators found the company’s equipment had started the Lahaina wildfire that killed 102 people and destroyed most of the historic town. The company agreed to pay $1.9 billion to settle hundreds of lawsuits blaming it for the fire. Legislative measures to help bail out the company stalled. The bottom line: a net loss of $1.4 billion for the company. [Caption] Hawaiian Electric Industries, whose equipment sparked...

[Video] After an outcry, the Army has republished a history of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team on its website. WASHINGTON, D.C. (Hawaii News Now) -- The U.S. Army has republished an article detailing the history of the famed 442nd Regimental Combat Team on it’s website. https://www.army.mil/article/283793 The article was republished Saturday, replacing the webpage that was taken down sometime earlier this month, https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2025/03/14/history-nisei-go-broke-wwii-unit-removed-army-website/ triggering an outcry from relatives of members of the unit and others, including U.S. Congressmen Ed Case of Hawaii and Mark Takano of California, whose great uncle was a veteran of the 442nd. The 442nd, combined with...

The Trump administration is planning to cancel its lease at a government laboratory in Hawaii, a site where scientists support key observations of surging greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere, according to a list obtained by Democratic members of Congress and shared with The Washington Post. The Global Monitoring Laboratory in Hilo, Hawaii, is on a list of dozens of National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration facilities whose leases are set to expire later this year. The lab is connected to the Mauna Loa Observatory, where scientists gather data from atop a volcano to produce the famed Keeling Curve, a chart on...

Democrat Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) this week blocked a border reform bill introduced by freshman Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH), despite his plea to Democrats to unite on something so common sense. “I know that my Democrat colleagues are in a mode where they want to fight everything that we’re doing, Mr. President, but we should at least come together on this,” Moreno said on the floor. “As I look over at my democratic colleague, there’s only two of us — two of us as entire chamber — that are naturalized U.S. citizens,” he said of himself and Hirono. “We know...

United States Geological Survey said that it started around 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, and fountains of lava are now reaching up to 600 feet. [Video] HONOLULU (Hawaii News Now) -- Fountaining at Kilauea reached dramatic heights Tuesday evening. Episode 12 of Kilauea’s current eruption began at around 7:30 a.m. Tuesday with small, sluggish lava flows from the south vent. Two hours later, similar flows erupted from the north vent and both grew significantly throughout the day. The U.S. Geological Survey said as of 3:15 p.m. fountains reached heights of 600 feet with flows covering approximately a third of Halemaumau crater. Kilauea’s...

More rallies in Hawaii as DOGE cuts hit NOAA in the islands HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) -- A march and rally in support of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) was held on Saturday. A newly formed citizen group called Allies in Resistance hosted the event in honor of human rights champion and former U.S. Rep. Patsy Mink. Mink was a champion of Title IX, which is part of the Education Amendments of 1972. It is a federal law that prohibits discrimination based on gender in any school or education program. Organizers said the march started at 11 a.m. at Iolani Palace. The...

Hawaiian Supreme Court rules that individuals have no Second Amendment rights under its history, state law, and “spirit” “As the world turns, it makes no sense for contemporary society to pledge allegiance to the founding era’s culture, realities, laws, and understanding of the Constitution. ‘The thing about the old days, they the old days.’” –Justice Todd Eddins Justices with the Hawaii Supreme Court argue that Hawaii must follow the “spirit of Aloha,” not the rulings of the U.S. Supreme Court, when it comes to the Second Amendment rights of individuals. The Supreme Court of Hawaii has handed down a decision...

Uncle Sam is looking far and wide for some of the best muscle money can buy to help guard the nation's capital through Joe Biden's inauguration -- and it looks the feds found some ... in the Aloha State. TMZ has obtained federal procurement docs that show the Dept. of Homeland Security recently awarded a private security company called Hana Industries Inc. a $1.6 million contract for protective services, effective now until the very end of the month. According to the paperwork ... Hana's protective security officers will be standing watch in the capital and surrounding areas. The move to...

a tax on troops -- taken from their Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS) payments, roughly $460 per month that is automatically deducted from the paychecks of service members who live in barracks and is intended to help cover food costs. For junior enlisted troops who earn about $30,000 annually, the cost can be consequential. 2024 financial records provided by the service from 11 of the Army's largest bases show that more than $151 million of $225 million collected from soldiers was not spent on food. Given that the Army operates 104 garrisons, the true amount of unspent funds is likely...

British security chiefs are alarmed at Donald Trump’s choice for the most senior intelligence role in America and hope she is blocked, The Telegraph can reveal. Tulsi Gabbard is facing intense scrutiny over her perceived support for Russia and Syria as she seeks to become the US director of national intelligence, an appointment that needs US Senate approval. The Telegraph understands that there is also deep disquiet at senior levels of the UK security services over the prospect of her appointment, which would give her access to the most sensitive secret intelligence. After being grilled by the Senate intelligence committee...

Jack Poso 🇺🇸 @JackPosobiec BREAKING: FETTERMAN ANNOUNCES HE WILL OPPOSE RFK AND TULSI’S CONFIRMATIONS 10:21 PM · Feb 6, 2025

The director of national intelligence nominee cleared a major hurdle, but there are still a handful of GOP senators who could oppose her on the floor.The Senate Intelligence Committee approved Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence in a private vote Tuesday, sending her to the full Senate floor for consideration. While the panel vote represented a major hurdle, her confirmation by the full Senate still isn’t certain. She can only afford to lose three Republican votes, if all Democrats vote against her, as expected.

Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) announced Tuesday that he will support Tulsi Gabbard’s nomination to become director of national intelligence, paving the way for her to reach a floor vote and increasing her chances of winning full confirmation. Young had been considered a crucial Intelligence Committee GOP swing vote on Gabbard’s nomination. “I appreciate Tulsi Gabbard’s engagement with me on a variety of issues to ensure that our intelligence professionals will be supported and policymakers will receive unbiased information under her leadership,” Young posted on the social platform X alongside a letter Gabbard sent him of commitments in order to win...

Sen Mark Kelly (the astronaut) tried to hit Tulsi and Trump — got hit back so hard he burned up on re-entry. The problem with so many ‘gotcha’ questions is the fact that throwing a surprise question at someone betrays the #1 rule of asking witness testimony: never ask a question to which you do not already know the answer. Sen Kelly may have thought he had her dead to rights in a question designed as a trap, where either Tulsi or Trump would take a hit in the way it was worded. If he had even the remotest idea...