May 2, 2026 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

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May 2, 2026 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 9:59 AM :: 340 Views

Mafia News: After Raising Your Taxes, Legislators Give More to Movie Moguls

Divided There’s Nothing We Can Do; United Nothing Can Stop Us

Grassroot announces legislative wrap-up tour

Election 2026: 302 Candidates Pull Papers to Run

West Maui Rep. Cochran leads House in floor no-shows — again, but not as much

MN: … State Rep. Elle Cochran of West Maui missed 20% of floor sessions so far this year, the highest absence rate among all House members, according to House of Representatives’ Daily Session Attendance sheets. The records show Cochran was absent for 11 out of 55 session days.

When Maui Now sought an explanation from Cochran via email on Thursday, she dismissed the query, with only a five-word response: “I’m busy; don’t bother me.”

Rank-and-file state lawmakers such as Cochran earn more than $74,000 per year. On top of that, since opening day, Cochran has received 86 days of per diem, equaling $25,370, according to House of Representatives’ Director of Communication Cathy Lee.

“She did not receive two days for which she had unexcused absences,” Lee said. “Her other absences were considered excused.” …

The lawmaker with the second-highest number of absences in the 51-seat House as of Thursday was O‘ahu North Shore Rep. Sean Quinlan, who missed eight roll calls. Central Maui Rep. Justin Woodson and Central-North Central Oʻahu Rep. Amy Perruso tied for third place, each with six recorded absences….

In this election year, Cochran has pulled nomination papers but hasn’t officially filed as a candidate for re-election to House District 14, which includes Kahakuloa, Waihe‘e, portions of Waiehu and Ma‘alaea, Olowalu, Lahaina, Lahainaluna, Kāʻanapali, Māhinahina Camp, Kahana and Honokahua.

Seven other candidates have either picked up or filed nomination papers to unseat Cochran. Those filing papers include Democrats Kanamu Balinbin, Ashley Olson and Sne Patel. Meanwhile, nomination papers have been issued to Republican Mark Kanae Smith and Lorrie Betsill, and Green Party members Jackie Keefe and Paʻele Kiakona….

Read … West Maui Rep. Cochran leads House in floor no-shows — again, but not as much : Maui Now

Judge denies motion to suppress statements in Geanna Bradley murder case

SA: … Defense attorneys for the adoptive parents and grandmother of Geanna Bradley, the 10-year-old girl whose emaciated body was found covered in bruises at their Wahiawa home in 2024, argued their clients were not read their Miranda rights by police who suspected or should have suspected them of what the defense attorneys called “horrific” crimes.

Harrison Kiehm, who represents Bradley’s adoptive mother, Brandy Blas, filed a motion to suppress statements made to police prior to her arrest, and the other defendants, her husband, Thomas Blas Sr., and mother, Debra Geron, joined in the effort….

Additional motions in the case are due to be heard June 19, with trial set for Jan. 25….

KHON: Judge allows key statements in 10-year-old's murder case

2024: AGAIN: Family Court Gave Another Girl to Another Convicted Felon, She was also starved and tortured to death

Read … Judge denies motion to suppress statements in Geanna Bradley murder case | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Honolulu police officer indicted in alleged on-duty sexual assault

HNN: … Officer Christopher John Oallesma, 26, was indicted Tuesday by a state grand jury on eight counts of sex assault, plus official misconduct, obstruction of justice and for using a computer in the commission of a crime….

Multiple sources said the five-year veteran of the force pulled over a woman in Waikiki on April 6. He later went to her hotel room and allegedly had sexual contact with the woman while he was still on duty and in uniform….

The court record said he then intentionally tried to influence and obstruct the case using coercion, fraud or threat of force.

A no-contact order was issued to keep him away from the woman and other witnesses, including a hotel worker….

Oallesma used a bail bondsman to post $150,000 bail….

BONUS: Same cop named in bogus DUI suit 1CCV-25-0001561 Tara Elliott vs. City & County of Honolulu, et al. 18-SEP-2025

BONUS--VICTIM WRONGFUL TERMINATION SUIT: KRISTIN BHASKER VS KITE PHARMA, INC, ET AL

Read … Honolulu police officer indicted in alleged on-duty sexual assault | Hawaii News Now

SB2471: ‘Stop Corporate Personhood’ bill collapses in on itself

HPR: … The House version mimics a ballot initiative adopted in Maine in 2024 that also seeks to limit corporate financing in elections. But it would do so by challenging a Supreme Court ruling in a different case — SpeechNOW.org v. Federal Election Commission.

The high court ruling in the case, made about three months after its ruling on the Citizens United case, said that limiting donations to super PACs also violated the First Amendment.

The Maine law is currently being litigated over its potential conflict with free speech rights.

But the matter has already been settled in Hawaiʻi, which means that the House version of SB 2471 could immediately fail if lawmakers pass it.

(IQ Test: Are you laughing?)

“The Ninth Circuit, which is where Hawaiʻi sits, has already decided this … There have been multiple cases that have basically said, 'Nope. If it's an independent (expenditure-only) political action committee, you can't regulate contributions coming in,'” said Tom Moore, the senior fellow for the Center For American Progress.

He added, “So if the Hawaiʻi Legislature would've tried this right now, it would just be dead on arrival when it got to court, not because it's a bad idea — it's a great idea — but because the Ninth Circuit has already spoken on them, and they have to respect their own precedent.” ….

Today is the last day that lawmakers have to agree on the language of the bill….

REALITY: Federal-Court-Ruling-Sen-Karl-Rhoads-participated-in-Honolulu-County-Council-Kickback-scheme

MORE REALITY: HCR29-Legislators-Vote-to-Abolish-ERS-End-Free-Speech-for-Star-Advertiser

SB2471: Text, Status

KHON: Hawaii bill aims to limit corporate influence in elections

CAP: Addressing Questions Surrounding Hawaii's Bold Move To Undo Citizens United - Center for American Progress

Read … Last-minute proposal threatens Hawaiʻi bill to limit corporate spending in elections | Hawai'i Public Radio

Hawaii Maoists Upset After Philippine Military Kills 19 Maoist Guerillas in Combat—wipes out Commander of ‘New Peoples Army’

SA: … Several ~~community members and activists~~ (Maoists) in Hawaii are mourning the deaths of 19 people — including two American citizens with ties to the islands (and a well-known Maoist hitman with a $20K bounty on his head)— during a Philippine military operation on the island of Negros. (The Star-Adv consistently leaves out this type of detail when writing Maoist fluff-pieces. They’ve been doing it for years.) The Philippine government has described the April 19 incident as a firefight with armed rebels, while ~~activists~~ (Maoists) have described it as a massacre (because they were defeated in combat).

(Speaking of Maoist massacres: Mao murdered 70M Chinese people. Pol Pot murdered 3M Cambodians. Sendero Luminoso murdered thousands of Peruvians.)

“The (Philippine military) claims that these are all armed combatants, but not all of them are,” said (Maoist) Cat Magtalas of the Filipino youth ~~activist~~ (Maoist) group Anakbayan Hawai‘i. “Nine of them were civilians, and at least six of them were there to ~~immerse in~~ (spy on) the community, to ~~do community research~~ (identify ‘informants’ of the military) and to ~~really learn about the plight of~~ (relay the info to guerillas so the informants can be eradicated from) peasant and farming communities in that area (who are scared of the guerillas nearby and therefore tolerate these political commissars).”

(TRANSLATION: I admit that at least 4 were armed guerillas. 19-9-6=4. Or were the 6 a subset of the 9 meaning 19-9=10 armed guerillas? Or is she just lying. And how does she have such intricate knowledge of Maoist guerilla ops in the jungles of Negros Occidental? Just asking for a friend.)

(WIKI: Toboso Encounter “The NPA later acknowledged ten of the fatalities, including Fabillar, as having been their armed revolutionaries, but assert that the remaining nine individuals - including Alano, Santuyo, Ledesma, Wendel, Prijoles, Sorem, and two minors - were civilians.”)

Lyle Prijoles, 40, and Kai Dana-Rene Sorem, 26, were the two American (Maoists) who were among a group of ~~activists and researchers~~ (Maoist guerillas) taking part in a ~~program~~ (salient) put together by ~~leftist organizers~~ (Maoist guerillas) taking them into the countryside. The group also included University of the Philippines (Maoist) students Alyssa Alano and Maureen Keil Santuyo, (Maoist) poet and journalist R.J. Nichole Ledesma and ~~community researcher~~ (Maoist) Errol Wende….

(TRANSLATION: US-based Maoists and Philippine university-based Maoists are cycling into guerilla cells, engaging in combat, and then cycling back out—if they survive.)

Jan 9, 2026—another US Citizen found hiding in hole with guerillas PHOTOS: 𝗖... - 2nd Infantry "Jungle Fighter" Division, Philippine Army | Facebook

WIKI: Toboso Encounter “The Toboso encounter of April 19, 2026, also referred to as the Toboso clash, the Toboso incident, or the Toboso massacre, was an armed confrontation between the 79th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army (79IB PA) and the Northern Negros Front of the New People's Army (NPA NNF) in Barangay Salamanca, Toboso, Negros Occidental, which resulted in the death of 10 members of the NPA and nine unarmed civilians, who are collectively referred to as the "Toboso 19"…. Dead included NPA leader Roger Fabillar, who had a bounty of ₱1 million (US$20,304.57) for his arrest or neutralization at the time of his killing. …

I: NPA leader, 18 other rebels slain in Negros

PNA: NPA hitman, 18 other rebels killed in northern Negros clashes | Philippine News Agency (has photos of Maoist corpses being loaded into truck.)

MB: Fabillar was responsible for the deaths of 36 people, mostly farmers, and one policeman. "This is justice for all the victims they murdered and tagged as spies to justify their killings."

Read … Two Americans with Hawaii ties killed in Philippine military strike | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

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