“Hawaii is likely to move to elections conducted almost entirely by mail as soon as 2020 after a conference committee of state legislators voted in favor of a measure to overhaul voting in the state,” Honolulu Civil Beat reports.
Hawaiians Rattled by False Missile Alert
Hawaii officials confirmed “that there was no ballistic missile headed toward the state, minutes after an emergency alert was sent to cellphones urging people to seek immediate shelter,” the New York Times reports.
Hawaii Gov. David Ige (D) told CNN that human error caused the alert to go out: “It was a mistake made during a standard procedure at the change over of a shift, and an employee pushed the wrong button.”
Hawaii Prepares for Nuclear Attack
Honolulu Civil Beat: “Dozens of legislators and their staffers met behind closed doors Tuesday to hear a briefing by state Emergency Management Agency officials on preparedness for a North Korea nuclear strike on Hawaii.”
“Some lawmakers who attended stressed that the secret meeting was not called because of any immediate threat to the islands. Instead, it was a discussion of how to help the public prepare.”
Hawaii Will File Lawsuit to Block Travel Ban
“Hawaii is not wasting any time challenging President Donald Trump’s new travel ban,” CNN reports.
“Attorneys for the state explained in court filings Tuesday that they intend to file a motion Wednesday asking a federal judge to issue a temporary restraining order blocking implementation of the new executive order — and fast.”
Sanders Wins Hawaii In a Landslide
Sen. Bernie Sanders “scored a stunning victory over Hillary Clinton in Hawaii Democrats’ presidential preference poll Saturday, mobilizing a grass-roots campaign that signed up thousands of new Democrats and defied the wishes of almost the entire ‘old guard’ of the party,” the Honolulu Advertiser reports.
“The Sanders victory in Hawaii capped a three-state sweep Saturday that showed his campaign continues to mount an unexpectedly potent alternative to former Secretary of State Clinton’s presidential bid. Sanders was also victorious in Washington and Alaska.”
Hawaii’s Favorite Son?
Los Angeles Times: “Obama left Hawaii over the weekend after two weeks of what has become the first family’s traditional end-of-the-year vacation here, but such visits increasingly appear less like homecomings. Obama attends luaus and plays golf with old friends, but he and his family stay at a rented home. He hasn’t lived here since he left for college and few expect him to return full time when he leaves the White House. He only occasionally interacts with the public, and doesn’t return to the sites of childhood exploits.”
“In turn, residents mostly leave him alone, acknowledging his desire to use his yearly visits to recharge, yet still seeing him as one of their own.”
Taegan Goddard
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.
More about Taegan Goddard →