December 18, 2024 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

Hawaii Daily News Read

Wednesday, December 18, 2024

December 18, 2024 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 2:43 PM :: 1878 Views

FBI Honolulu Publishes 2024 Fiscal Year in Review Document

Hawaii AG Joins 18-State Coalition Targeting 'Ghost Guns'

‘Lack of Significant Intelligence’: ‘Serious pessimism about whether Gabbard could secure the votes’

R: …Eight Republican senators are unsure about supporting former Democratic member of congress Tulsi Gabbard to become America’s top spy, according to a Trump transition source and a second source with knowledge of the issue, increasing doubts about whether her nomination will secure Senate confirmation.

A Trump associate in close contact with the team trying to push the president-elect's nominees through the Senate also said there was serious pessimism about whether Gabbard could secure the votes she needs to become director of national intelligence.

The transition team source and the source familiar with the issue said eight Republican senators harbored doubts about supporting the former lawmaker because she was unprepared to answer tough questions during an initial round of meetings last week on Capitol Hill.

Her failure to address those questions sufficiently, her 2017 visit to Syria to meet then-Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and her lack of significant intelligence experience fueled those concerns, the sources said….

several Republican senators and senators-elect plausibly could vote against Gabbard, including Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, John Curtis and Mitch McConnell….

Trump’s selection of the former Democratic U.S. representative from Hawaii and combat veteran to be the nation's top intelligence official sent shock waves through the national security establishment, raising fears over politicization of the intelligence community.

In addition to visiting Syria and her lack of intelligence experience, Gabbard has been viewed as soft on Russia. Critics point to her opposition to U.S. military aid to Ukraine for its battle to reclaim territory seized by Moscow since its 2022 full-scale invasion, her assertions that Kyiv cannot win, and what they say is her parroting of Kremlin views.

Nearly 100 former national security officials signed a statement this month criticizing Trump's decision to nominate Gabbard and calling for closed Senate hearings to review government information about her….

read … Exclusive: Some Republican senators reluctant on Gabbard for spy chief | Reuters

Council Votes Kahuku Wind Turbines to be Torn Down Starting in 2031

CB: … the Honolulu City Council has … new land use rules that mean many of the turbines must come down at the end of their current power contracts….

The Honolulu City Council last week changed land use regulations governing setbacks for the winds turbines, from a 1-to-1 ratio that would allow a 568-foot turbine to operate 568 feet away from homes to a new distance of 1.25 miles or 10 times their height — whichever is greater — from many property lines….

Many Kahuku residents have opposed the wind turbines for years, saying they are too big and too close. They maintain that their well-being suffers from the turbines’ proximity, and that they feel pestered by shadow flicker caused by the setting sun shining through spinning blades. Research on human proximity to wind farms generally says that annoyance levels due to noise and light flicker can lead to stress and poor sleep….

The Kahuku residents, some of whom testified at the City Council last week, also worry that mechanical failures of the turbines could threaten nearby homes and an elementary school that sits about 1,900 feet away. …

Council members ultimately decided against allowing wind turbines to continue operating after the end of their current 20-year contracts with Hawaiian Electric Co. That means the first batch of turbines will have to close in 2031 and the last batch will have to close in 2040….

For residents opposed to the turbines, last week’s decision was both a long-awaited victory and a compromise. Developers are allowed to replace blades with slightly longer versions during the current power purchase agreement, but after that the turbines must go….

Morning Beat: New land use rules to determine future of Hawaii's wind energy

FLASHBACK:

2010: Wind Energy's Ghosts

2012: Broken promises: The rusting wind turbines of Hawaii

2013: Skeletons in the Closet of the Wind

read … Wind Turbines Set To Come Down, Threatening Hawaiʻi Renewable Energy Goals - Honolulu Civil Beat

Board of Water Supply manager calls proposed landfill site ‘Red Hill Two’

HNN: … “I think we’ve learned from the situation at Red Hill and I almost think of this as Red Hill No. 2 that we are dealing with,” Lau told Spotlight Now.

The city’s selected site for a new landfill is outside Wahiawa in a Dole pineapple field, but Lau says he’s against it because it would be 800 feet above Oahu’s aquifer.

He called it a potential risk to drinking water and future generations, just like the Navy’s fuel leaks that sickened thousands of people in 2021….

read … Board of Water Supply manager calls proposed landfill site ‘Red Hill Two’

Congress Is Poised To Approve Another $1.6 Billion For Maui Fire Aid

CB: … The money is slated for long-term housing programs but the county is also in line to receive millions more for jobs, small business loans and rebuilding efforts….

read … Congress Is Poised To Approve Another $1.6 Billion For Maui Fire Aid

In Hawai‘i Congressional Fundraising, Tokuda Outraises Case

CB: … Rep. Jill Tokuda, a first-term Democrat, outraised veteran Hawai‘i congressman Ed Case in the current election cycle, even though she refused to accept contributions from most political action committees tied to corporations.

As of Oct. 16, Tokuda had raised more than $900,000 compared with Case, who took in more than $650,000, according to an analysis of Federal Election Commission data.

Case raised the bulk of his funding from PACs, including those representing defense companies. By contrast, about 70% of Tokuda’s contributions came from individual donors, compared with less than a quarter for Case. …

read … In Hawai‘i Congressional Fundraising, Tokuda Far Outraised Case - Honolulu Civil Beat

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