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Russ Roberts (https://hawaiinewsjournal.blogspot.com).

Breaking News | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

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Hawaiian Airlines issues layoff notice for 252 noncontract jobs

100+by Allison Schaefers / 1d

Hawaiian Airlines began its third round of merger-related layoffs, issuing a WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification) notice today indicating that it planned to cut another 252 of its noncontract jobs based in Honolulu.

Trump: Coca-Cola agreed to use cane sugar in Coke made in U.S.

37by New York Times / 22h

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he had spoken to the Coca-Cola Co. about using “REAL cane sugar in Coke” in the United States and that the company had agreed to begin adding it. A spokesperson for Coca-Cola would not comment on whether it had agreed to do so.

Couche-Tard pulls $47B takeover bid for 7-Eleven parent company

by Reuters / 1d

Canadian retailer Alimentation Couche-Tard said today it was withdrawing its $47 billion takeover bid for Seven & i Holdings, citing a lack of “constructive” engagement with the Japanese company’s founding Ito family.

Yesterday

State jobless rate in June remained steady at 2.8%

by Dave Segal / 9h

Hawaii’s unemployment rate held at 2.8% in June for the second month in a row as the low level continued to rank among the best in the country.

Trump budget would shut Mauna Loa climate observatory

by New York Times / 15h

More than 11,100 feet above sea level, surrounded by nothing but black rocks, white clouds and blue sky, the Mauna Loa Observatory is in a Goldilocks spot for studying the atmosphere.

Stephen Colbert’s late-night show on CBS to end in May 2026

Late Show with Colbert ending

•

by Reuters / 15h

LOS ANGELES >> “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on CBS will end in May 2026 after the upcoming broadcast season, the network said today.

Bondi visits Alcatraz after Trump call to reopen prison

by Reuters / 17h

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi visited the infamous Alcatraz prison in the San Francisco Bay today, weeks after President Donald Trump said he would order the long-shuttered facility, now operated as a historical site, to once again house violent criminals.

U.S. health department hands over Medicaid personal data to ICE

by Reuters / 18h

WASHINGTON >> The U.S. health department is giving Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials access to the personal data of 79 million Medicaid enrollees to help them track down immigrants who may not be living legally in the country, it said today.

Trump will not recommend special prosecutor in Epstein case

by Reuters / 19h

WASHINGTON >> President Donald Trump will not recommend appointing a special prosecutor in the Jeffrey Epstein case, his press secretary said today, amid pressure from some of his supporters and renewed public scrutiny on the convicted sex offender’s connections to powerful figures.

Trump diagnosed with chronic vein condition, White House says

by Reuters / 20h

President Donald Trump has been diagnosed with a “common” vein condition after being evaluated by his doctor over swelling in his lower legs, the White House said today. Reading a letter from Trump’s physician, Leavitt said at a press briefing that an ultrasound on the president’s legs “revealed chronic venous insufficiency … a common condition, particularly in individuals over the age of 70.”

Feds ask for 1-day sentence in Breonna Taylor raid conviction

by Reuters / 20h

WASHINGTON >> The U.S. Justice Department has asked a federal judge to sentence a former Louisville police officer who was convicted last year of violating Breonna Taylor’s civil rights to serve just one day in prison, despite the fact that the conviction carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Prosecutor fired by Trump calls fear the ‘tool of the tyrant’

by New York Times / 20h

Maurene Comey, a career federal prosecutor who worked on the Jeffrey Epstein case and was abruptly fired by the Trump administration this week, warned her colleagues today about the chilling effect such firings could have on their work.

U.S. retail sales beat expectations; labor market stable

US retail sales rebound June

•

by Reuters / 21h

WASHINGTON >> U.S. retail sales rebounded more than expected in June, suggesting the economy was regaining momentum and giving the Federal Reserve cover to delay cutting interest rates while it gauges the inflation fallout from import tariffs.

Wells Fargo suspends China travel after employee exit ban

by Reuters / 23h

Wells Fargo has suspended all travel to China after a banker was blocked from leaving the country, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters today.

FDA approves Juul’s tobacco and menthol e-cigarettes

FDA approves Juul e-cigarettes

•

by Reuters / 23h

Juul Labs said today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized the sale of its e-cigarette device and refill cartridges in tobacco and menthol flavors, after years of struggle with heightened regulatory scrutiny.

Senate passes aid, public broadcasting cuts in victory for Trump

by Reuters / 1d

WASHINGTON >> The U.S. Senate early on Thursday approved President Donald Trump’s plan for billions of dollars in cuts to funding for foreign aid and public broadcasting, handing the Republican president another victory as he exerts control over Congress with little opposition.

Jul 16, 2025

Mountain View man charged with vehicle theft, resisting order to stop

by Star-Advertiser Staff / 1d

Justin Yamauchi, 30, of Mountain View on Hawaii island was arrested and charged in relation to the theft of a Subaru Outback, originally reported stolen on June 29 from a residence on Kinoole Street in Hilo, and two separate police resist-order-to-stop incidents in Puna which occurred on July 7 and Monday, respectively. On Tuesday, Crime Reduction Unit officers arrested Yamauchi at the Kurtistown

Residential building fire extinguished in Waipahu

by Star-Advertiser Staff / 1d

A two-alarm building fire at the Su Casa Apartment building in Waipahu was put out this afternoon with no injuries.

HHSAA adds surfing as state championship sport

by Billy Hull / 1d

The Hawaii High School Athletic Association announced today that surfing will become the 21st sport offered in Hawaii by the HHSAA as the inaugural state championship will take place in spring 2026.

Magnitude 7.3 earthquake strikes off Alaska, no Hawaii tsunami threat

by Star-Advertiser Staff / 1d

A preliminary magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck off the coast of Alaska this morning but does not pose a tsunami threat to Hawaii.

Dollar dips as Trump denies planning to fire Fed Chair Powell

by Reuters / 1d

NEW YORK >> The U.S. dollar fell but rose off its lows today after President Donald Trump denied news reports that he is planning to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.

RFK Jr. fires 2 top HHS officials in latest department shakeup

by Reuters / 1d

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has fired two top leaders at the department, chief of staff Heather Flick Melanson and deputy chief of staff for policy Hannah Anderson, a spokesperson said today.

FDA to screen all imports, ending $800 shipment exemption

by Reuters / 1d

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday it will now review all imports of the products it regulates, regardless of their quantity or value, after a federal law enforcement agency recently rescinded an exemption for small shipments.

States sue Trump administration over FEMA disaster grant cuts

by Reuters / 1d

A group of 20 mostly Democrat-led U.S. states filed a lawsuit today seeking to block the Trump administration from terminating a multibillion-dollar grant program that funds infrastructure upgrades to protect against natural disasters.

Reddit back up after outage affects over 100,000 users

Reddit experiencing widespread outage

•

by Reuters / 1d

Social media platform Reddit said today its services were restored, after a global outage affected more than 100,000 users according to reports on Downdetector.

Hawaii Gov. Green ranks among top 5 most popular governors

100+by Dan Nakaso / 1d

Gov. Josh Green has a 63% approval rating among Hawaii’s registered Democratic, Republican and Independent voters, placing him in a tie for the fifth most popular governor in the nation, according to the results of a voter survey released today by Morning Consult Pro.

Trump drafts letter to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell

by New York Times / 1d

President Donald Trump showed off a draft of a letter firing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell during a meeting with roughly a dozen House Republicans on Tuesday night, polling them as to whether he should do it and indicating that he likely would, according to two people briefed on the meeting.

Weight-loss drug costs drive employers to trim health benefits

by Reuters / 1d

NEW YORK >> More than half of large U.S. employers plan to scale back healthcare benefits next year as rising costs from weight-loss and specialty drugs squeeze budgets, according to a new survey released by consulting firm Mercer today.

Trump, White House race to stem Epstein conspiracy fallout

by Reuters / 1d

WASHINGTON >> For years, President Donald Trump and his Republican allies benefited from conspiracy theories that fueled the conservative MAGA movement and targeted his political enemies.

Japan’s ‘Japanese First’ party gains support with anti-immigrant push

by Reuters / 1d

TOKYO >> An upstart party is gaining support ahead of elections in Japan by railing against a ‘silent invasion’ of immigrants, pushing the government to tackle fears about foreigners as it drags into the mainstream rhetoric once confined to the political fringe.

Warriors slotbacks Ashlock, Cenacle selected preseason all-MWC; UH picked seventh

by Stephen Tsai / 2d

LAS VEGAS >> University of Hawaii slotbacks Pofele Ashlock and Nick Cenacle today were named to 2025 preseason All-Mountain West football team.

Ford recalls 694,000 SUVs over fire risk from fuel injector leak

Ford recalls over 850000 vehicles

•

by Reuters / 2d

Ford is recalling 694,271 crossover SUVs in the United States due to a fuel leak issue that could increase the risk of a fire, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said today, following a year-