Hawaii Archives - The Connecticut Star

Biden Admin Threw Billions at EV Charging Stations, But Only a Handful Have Been Built

April 2, 2024 Connecticut Star Staff

The Biden administration’s well-funded push to build out a national network of electric vehicle (EV) chargers has so far resulted in only a handful of installations, according to The Washington Post.

The bipartisan infrastructure bill of 2021 allotted $7.5 billion to subsidize thousands of EV chargers to help the administration’s goal of having EVs constitute 50 percent of all new cars sold in 2030, but only seven stations in total have been built in four states to date, according to the Post. The slow rollout of the EV charger funding is unfolding as the Biden administration has recently issued stringent emissions standards for light-, medium- and heavy-duty vehicles that will result in significant increases of EV sales for all three classes of vehicle.

Climate Activist and Liberal Billionaire Quietly Gobbles Up Rural Land in Hawaii

March 1, 2024March 1, 2024 Connecticut Star Staff

Salesforce CEO and climate activist Marc Benioff is purchasing rural land in Waimea, Hawaii, NPR reported on Wednesday, citing public records.
Benioff’s funds have invested hundreds of millions into climate agendas and he is a prominent proponent of net zero, the complete negation of human greenhouse gas emissions. His recent acquisitions of rural land have prompted local residents to express concerns about the implications on prices in the area, according to NPR.

Federal Figures Show Surge in Homelessness

December 19, 2023 The Center Square

The number of homeless people in the U.S. jumped 12 percent to more than 653,000 people as pandemic spending expired, the highest level on record since the counts started in 2007.

Figures released Friday provide a snapshot of the number of people in shelters, temporary housing and in unsheltered settings. The report found 653,100 people were experiencing homelessness on a single night in January 2023, a 12 percent increase from 2022. That figure of 653,100 people is equivalent to about 20 of every 10,000 people in the U.S.

Commentary: Mail Ballot Security Is Under Nationwide Assault

November 13, 2023December 7, 2023 Connecticut Star Staff

The Left loves to tout universal mail-in voting. Liberal enclaves like California, Hawaii, and Oregon have implemented it, while activists push aggressively to impose mail-in voting on Americans. But even as they push it, despite repeated instances of fraud, the Left simultaneously attacks any efforts to make vulnerable mail voting more secure. Indeed, the Left holds outright disdain for even minimal safeguards for mail ballots.

Biden Admin Reports Over 3 Million Illegal Aliens Cross America’s Borders in Single Year

October 22, 2023October 22, 2023 Connecticut Star Staff

For the first time ever, U.S. border agents encountered over 3.2 million illegal aliens on America’s borders in a single fiscal year, a number that is greater than the combined population of Hawaii, Alaska, and Vermont.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection, or CPB, reported Saturday that agents encountered 3,201,144 illegal immigrants at or between ports of entry to the country between October 1, 2022, and September 30, 2023. (The federal government’s fiscal year runs from October through September.)

James O’Keefe Faces Arrest Threat in Hawaii for Capturing Burn Zone on Camera

September 16, 2023 Kaitlin Housler

James O’Keefe, founder of O’Keefe Media Group, recently traveled to Lahaina, Hawaii where he was threatened with arrest by police for taking photos and videos on public land near the burn zone.

Vivek Ramaswamy Slams Delayed Water Request for Maui Residents

August 17, 2023 Kaitlin Housler

GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy responded to revelations this week detailing that the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DNLR) delayed its response to a major Maui water company’s request to divert water amid the wildfires.

Advocates Warn of ‘Desperate’ Movement to Undermine the Electoral College

April 25, 2023May 23, 2023 Connecticut Star Staff

An organization’s efforts to circumvent states’ rights are “getting desperate” as they try new ways to push their interstate compact through state legislatures, two pro-Electoral College advocacy groups told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The National Popular Vote (NPV) is a group initiative to reform the U.S.’ two-step, Electoral College system by ensuring that the candidate with the most popular votes nationwide becomes the president. Now that NPV has enacted its interstate compact in all of the “easy,” bluer states as a standalone bill, it is getting creative to force the law through in swing states like Minnesota, Nevada, Michigan and Maine, Trent England of Save Our States and Jasper Hendricks of Democrats for the Electoral College told the DCNF.

Supreme Court Declines to Hear Energy Companies’ Appeals to Climate Damage Lawsuits

April 25, 2023May 23, 2023 Connecticut Star Staff

The Supreme Court declined Monday to hear local governments’ climate damage lawsuits against energy companies on Monday.

The companies, who localities want to hold financially accountable for burning fossil fuels they allege damaged the climate, appealed their cases to the Supreme Court, asking it to weigh in on whether the claims should be heard in state or federal courts. The Court’s decision benefits the environmental activists behind the lawsuits, who prefer the matter to play out in state courts, where judges may be more inclined to rule in their favor, experts previously told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Hawaii Governor Signs Bills Blocking Penalties for Abortion

March 26, 2023 The Center Square

Hawaii will not cooperate with other states’ civil or criminal investigations related to abortion under a new law signed by Gov. Josh Green.

Senate Bill 1, also known as Act 2, prohibits the issuance of a subpoena in connection with an out-of-state or interstate investigation related to abortion and bans any agency from providing information or spending time or resources to further such an investigation.

Fiscal Watchdog Warns Against Wealth Tax in Connecticut and Five other States

February 7, 2023February 6, 2023 The Center Square

New York is being cautioned against raising taxes on its top earners as lawmakers consider plans to drum up more money from the state’s wealthiest.

A group of progressive Democratic state lawmakers have proposed a raft of tax reforms targeting New York’s ultra-rich that includes adding new tax brackets for the highest earners, increasing corporate taxes for the top companies, and setting wealth taxes on capital gains and inheritances.

Backers of the Invest in New York proposal say the package of reforms would drum up another $40 million to $50 million for the state’s education, housing and transportation needs.

Eighteen State AGs Voicing Support for New York Gun-Industry Liability Law

January 23, 2023January 22, 2023 The Center Square

A coalition of 18 state attorneys general, all Democrats, on Wednesday submitted an amicus brief in support of New York’s firearms industry accountability law.

Commentary: Republicans Can Thank the Federal Government’s Bungled 2020 Census for Their Razor-Thin House Majority

December 19, 2022December 18, 2022 Admin

Republicans will soon take control of the House of Representatives, but with a margin so narrow it may prove difficult to achieve their legislative and oversight objectives. That margin might have been larger, were it not for egregious errors made by the U.S. Census Bureau in the 2020 census.

Come January, House membership will consist of 213 Democrats and 222 Republicans. A party must hold 218 of those seats to control the House. Thus, Republicans will have only a four-seat majority. That extremely narrow majority means that GOP leadership can lose any vote on any issue if only four Republicans defect and the Democrats stay united in opposition.

Google Agrees to Nearly $400 Million Settlement with 40 States over Location-Tracking Probe

November 15, 2022November 14, 2022 Just the News

Google agreed to a $391.5 million settlement with 40 states after an investigation found that the tech giant participated in questionable location-tracking practices, state attorneys general announced Monday.

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong called it a “historic win for consumers.”

Connecticut’s AG Tong Among 20 State Attorneys General Supporting New National Gun Control Rule

July 12, 2022July 12, 2022 The Center Square

A coalition of 20 state attorneys general, all Democrats, are backing a federal gun rule in court.

The Final Rule, as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives named it, would enable law enforcement officials to trace any homemade guns used in crimes. In addition, the rule limits trafficking the weaponry.