Good evening, Hawaii. Here are the main stories we've been following today:
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Today's Big Stories
1. NIH blocked from imposing indirect funding cap on grant recipients
State attorney general Anne Lopez said a nationwide preliminary injunction barring the Trump administration, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health from cutting billions of dollars in research funding confirms that the administration’s attempt to extend its widespread effort to slash federal spending to NIH’s coverage of indirect research costs “was as illegal as it was arbitrary.”
“Once again, the courts are sending a clear message that President Trump’s efforts to paralyze the government through arbitrary funding cuts are illegal,” Lopez said in a statement issued on Wednesday. “The people of Hawaii rightfully expect that the federal administration will act lawfully, and my department will work to protect the interests of this state.”
As part of the administration’s multipronged approach to reducing federal spending, NIH had sought to impose a 15% cap on its coverage of grant recipients’ overhead costs, which may include facilities, equipment, utilities and support staff. NIH said diverting the funding to other areas could save an estimated $4 billion.
In response to the suit, U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley issued and later extended a temporary restraining order against NIH. On Wednesday, Kelly replaced the order with the nationwide preliminary injunction, which will remain in effect until a final judgement is made.
The injunction means research at institutions like the University of Hawaii will be able to continue without interruption for the time being.
2. Planned Parenthood Hawaii launches Virtual Health Center
Rural areas across the state will now have an easier time accessing essential health services with the launch of the new Virtual Health Center by Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawaii, Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky.
Barriers to in-person visits include taking time off from work, finding child care, long travel times, even a costly flight and hours of travel for those off-island. These can delay or even prevent people from receiving timely healthcare.
“This telehealth expansion means more people can access the care they need, on their terms. With Hawaii’s unique challenges, from interisland travel to an overburdened health care system, it’s more important than ever to provide flexible, reliable health care options. No matter where you live, Planned Parenthood is here for you,” said PPGNHAIK CEO Rebecca Gibron.
Virtual health appointments are available every Monday through March 24. Beginning April 1, availability will include partial days on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Visit the Planned Parenthood website for more information and to connect to a Virtual Health Center in Hawaii.
3. Tokuda, Case denounce 'divisive' Trump address
U.S. Reps. Ed Case and Jill Tokuda, both D-Hawaii, responded to President Donald Trump’s first State of the Union address since returning to office in uniquely personal fashion on Wednesday.
Trump spoke to the joint session on Tuesday, delivering an expansive, 100-minute pitch for a new "golden age of America" and a recitation of the bold steps his administration has taken — many under the consultation of billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency — to carry out that vision.
Members of the Democratic Women’s Caucus wore all-pink to protest Trump policies that they say harm women and children. No caucus member drew more eyes than Tokuda, who wore a pink suit jacket that she personally emblazoned with “We the People” and passages from the Constitution, including Article II, Section 1, Clause 2, which requires the president to “faithfully execute the Office of the President of the United States.”
Tokuda later dismissed Trump’s speech as a collection of inaccuracies, outright lies and intentional misrepresentations designed to draw support for his agenda and justify cuts to essential programs like Social Security and Medicaid.
In a statement released on Wednesday, Case also called out Trump for what he characterized as “by far the most divisive, polarizing and destructive” of the 11 SOTU addresses he’s witnessed as a member of Congress.
“It could and should have been an appeal to our country and world about we and us together,” Case said. “It could and should have been about the real, everyday problems facing Americans, like the cost of living and saving Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. It was none of that.”
4. For the first time, a team in Hawaii is trained to save animals during a disaster
Two black Dexter cows are being moved by five emergency response trainees — without using prods or commands — at Kulaniapia Farms in the mountains behind Hilo on Hawaii Island. The cows prefer to walk single file in a semicircle, cannot see directly in front or behind them and will stop walking if they are crowded. The trainees are learning these animal behaviors and more as part of a five-day course that will prepare them to rescue animals during a disaster.
The training is run by Code 3 Associates, a Colorado-based nonprofit focused on disaster response and animal rescue, and the Hawaii Animal Kuleana Alliance, a grassroots nonprofit that was started by five women during the 2018 Kilauea eruption, when they created and mobilized an online network of animal lovers to help move and house about 1,200 critters.
This is the first time Code 3 has taught its animal search and rescue course in Hawaii. From Feb. 25 to March 1, participants learned about small and large animal rescue, using ropes and knots to make an emergency halter or a pulley to get an animal across a river, animal emergency sheltering, livestock behavior, emergency responder safety and more.
On the continental U.S., there are multiple disaster response teams equipped to help animals, including those with Code 3, the International Fund for Animal Welfare and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Now, Hawaii Island will have its own professionally trained team with HAKA that would be ready to deploy quickly in an emergency. Perhaps, they could also deploy to neighbor islands.
Two days after enacting a 25% tariff on all imports from Canada and Mexico, President Donald Trump on Thursday signed executive actions delaying the levies on products from the two countries that fall under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement until April 2.
The president had already announced that such an amendment to his orginal tariffs would apply to Mexico but not Canada in a post on Truth Social earlier Thursday, saying he made the decision after speaking with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.
Sheinbaum thanked Trump in a post on X shortly after his announcement.
"We had an excellent and respectful call in which we agreed that our work and collaboration have yielded unprecedented results, within the framework of respect for our sovereignties," she wrote.
The USMCA free trade pact was reached and signed by Trump during his first term in the White House.
Roughly 62% of imports from Canada would likely still face the new tariffs because they're not USMCA compliant, according to a White House official who insisted on anonymity to preview the orders on a call with reporters. Half of imports from Mexico that are not USCMA compliant would also be taxed under the orders being signed by Trump, the official said.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, the leader of Canada’s most populous province, said that starting Monday the province will charge 25% more for electricity shipped to 1.5 million Americans in response to Trump’s tariff plan. Ontario provides electricity to Minnesota, New York and Michigan.
“This whole thing with President Trump is a mess,” Ford said Thursday. “This reprieve, we’ve went down this road before. He still threatens the tariffs on April 2.”
Your Notes for Tomorrow
Friday, March 7
- Monthly Employment Report
- U.S. Supreme Court meets in private conference to discuss cases and vote on petitions for review
- 60th anniversary of Bloody Sunday
- NASA media preview for the agency's Artemis II Orion spacecraft and twin SLS (Space Launch System) solid rocket boosters
- Lady Gaga releases new album
In Case You Missed It
Hawaii baseball team takes hot season start into Big West opener at UC Riverside
Can the Hawaii baseball team begin Big West play as effectively as it ended it in 2024?
So far, at least, the Rainbow Warriors recaptured their hot play from the final five weeks of last spring and have produced. UH (10-2) picked up a rousing, 3-2 win over Northeastern on Matthew Miura's hit up the middle in the 12th inning on Monday night, its nation-leading fourth walk-off victory of the season.
The Rainbow Warriors took all three of their pre-conference series, against Marshall, Wichita State and Northeastern, in 12 games at Les Murakami Stadium. Now they begin Big West play on Friday with a reasonable first road test at UC Riverside (8-5), an earlier-than-usual start to conference play with the addition of the first Big West baseball tournament in May.
First pitch for UH and UCR at the Riverside Sports Complex is scheduled for 4 p.m. Hawaii time Friday.
