ASD icon blue inverse lighter

ASD Staff

Daily Smile

This is Penny. She found the perfect stick today and is determined to retrieve it. Hasn’t moved an inch so far, but her human didn't raise a quitter.

Smile 26 6 28

<title>Daily Smile: Sunday, June 28, 2026</title>

Daily Smile: Sunday, June 28, 2026

 This is Penny. She found the perfect stick today and is determined to retrieve it. Hasn’t moved an inch so far, but her human didn&#039;t raise a quitter.

Square Mike Brestovansky Headshot RGZ3736 Large

Michael Brestovansky

Government & Politics

Gov. Josh Green signed a $20 billion budget bill and the death warrants for four other bills Friday.

, the state's supplemental budget bill, appropriated funds for the executive branch's operating budget and capital improvement projects for the 2026 and 2027 fiscal years.

The measure includes $10.4 billion and $10.6 billion to the operating budget for the 2026 and 2027 fiscal years, respectively, along with another $1.5 billion for capital improvement projects.

Green announced Friday that the bill "balances the financial plan and maintains state reserves ... continues to invest in Hawai‘i's priorities, including affordable housing, support for local families, public health initiatives and economic development opportunities."

Among the capital improvement projects funded by the bill are $100 million for the Hawai‘i Housing Finance and Development Corp. "to finance additional affordable rental housing statewide," $58.5 million for improvements to the Wahiawā Dam, $7 million for a Waikīkī beach restoration project, and much more.

Green also unveiled his intent-veto-list, which included only four measures this year.

[{"type":"text","text":"The four measures Green plans to veto are:"}]

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"An independent commission to close schools"}]

 would have established a temporary “Public School Realignment and Closure Commission,” independent of any state agency, to develop recommendations for consolidating and closing public schools.

In the preamble to the bill, lawmakers wrote that current school enrollment declines have left school facilities underutilized, diverting resources away from areas where they could be better spent.

Lawmakers added that a federal process for making military realignment decisions — the 

, which includes the establishment of an independent commission — ensures that those decisions are guided by objective data.

Green explained in his announcement that decisions for closing or consolidating schools are already within the authority of the state Department of Education, and that HB 2344 would be redundant.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"A $50 million infusion to the Rainy Day Fund"}]

 is a brief measure making a large contribution to the state’s emergency and budget reserve fund, commonly referred to as the Rainy Day Fund.

The bill noted that the state Legislature is constitutionally required to dispose of excess tax revenues whenever the state general fund balance exceeds 5% of general fund revenues for the previous two fiscal years, and would therefore transfer $50 million from the state general fund to the Rainy Day Fund.

Earlier versions of the measure also allowed for an income tax credit for all taxpayers in the state, but that was removed from the final version that reached Green’s desk.

Green explained in his Friday announcement that such a use of funds is not prudent “given disaster recovery efforts and other state priorities such as affordable housing and reducing the cost-of-living for our residents.” He added that the current balance of the Rainy Day Fund is more than $1.5 billion, “the largest it has ever been.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"More oversight for the Teacher Standards Board"}]

 would require the Board of Education to select an executive director for the Hawai‘i Teacher Standards Board — the body that sets teacher credentialing standards — from three candidates selected by the HTSB. Currently, the HTSB is only required to forward a single nominee to the BOE.

Furthermore, SB 3262 also requires the state Senate to confirm the final nominee.

Green explained that the measure needs to be reviewed further for possible entanglements of the responsibilities and duties of both boards. The changes in the bill, he explained, may “create ambiguity regarding governance and accountability.”

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"A shakeup at state housing offices"}]

 made several administrative changes throughout the Hawai‘i Housing Finance and Development Corp. and the Hawai‘i Community Development Authority, a pair of agencies attached to the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.

Among other things, the bill removed a requirement that DBEDT’s director must approve the job descriptions of employees of the two agencies, and set salary guidelines for the top positions of HHFDC and HCDA — the executive directors of both agencies could be paid no more than 99% of the governor’s salary, which will be nearly $227,000 

Green explained that the intended effects of the bill can probably be achieved through current administrative rules, and that legislation is superfluous to the goal.

Green must issue final vetoes by July 15, after which all bills not vetoed will become law. He is not required to veto all bills on his intent-to-veto list, but he cannot veto any bill not on the list.

Outside the four bills on Green’s list, 263 other measures made it to his desk and seem likely to become law.

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Green Budget

<title>Green signs $20 billion budget bill, plans to veto 4 others</title>

Gov. Josh Green signed a supplemental budget bill Friday and unveiled his list of four measures he intends to kill.

Green signs $20 billion budget bill, plans to veto 4 others

Crime & Courts

A Hawai‘i law prohibiting guns on private property has been overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.

 to the state’s gun control laws included the so-called “

.” Named after the folkloric belief that a vampire cannot enter a home without first being invited, the vampire rule prohibited a person from carrying a concealed firearm onto private property without the property owner’s express consent.

The bill effectively required establishments such as restaurants that serve alcohol, as well as public beaches and parks, to opt in to permitting concealed firearms.

But the Supreme Court put a stake through the heart of the vampire rule Thursday, finding it to violate the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

, Justice Samuel Alito described a hypothetical situation where a woman carrying a handgun in her purse attempts to run basic errands: “When she arrives, she will violate the literal terms of the Hawaiʻi law merely by pulling into the parking lot while having her handgun concealed on her person.

“She may choose to remain armed when she enters the supermarket and promptly search for someone who is authorized to provide the consent that the law demands … During all the time this search goes on, our hypothetical young woman will be violating the terms of the statute, and if that is brought to the attention of the police … she may be charged with a criminal offense or lose her license.”

This presents an intolerable burden upon the right to bear arms, wrote Alito, which is sufficient to conclude that the law violates the Second Amendment.

Arguments by the state that Hawai‘i's historic opposition to firearm possession — stemming to King Kamehameha III — fell flat, as Alito wrote that local attitudes cannot alter the fundamental rights in the Constitution.

Other arguments by the state — including a comparison to an 1865 Louisiana law that was created as part of the infamous “Black Codes” in order to disarm black citizens fallowing the abolition of slavery — were similarly found unconvincing. The Black Code comparison in particular “cannot be taken seriously,” Alito wrote, in part because that law was a “tainted artifact” aimed at depriving citizens of rights so they could be further oppressed.

The court’s verdict was not unanimous, however. Justices Elena Kagan, Ketanji Jackson and Sonia Sotomayor — all appointed by Democratic presidents — dissented.

Jackson’s dissent, co-signed by Sotomayor, argued that “the Court’s objective is protecting guns, not consistently preserving any principle of law.” She argued that there is no constitutional right to enter private property without the owner’s consent, irrespective of whether a firearm is present at all. Therefore, a rule allowing the property owner to withhold consent on the grounds of firearms doesn’t violate the Second Amendment, she argued.

The vampire rule, Jackson wrote, simply requires gun owners to seek express consent to bring a gun onto their property, rather than assume implicit consent.

The case originated from three Maui residents — Jason and Alison Wolford and Atom Kasprzycki — who had been able to carry concealed handguns at places like restaurants without issue before the vampire rule was put in place. The trio were represented by the nonprofit Hawai‘i Firearms Coalition in filing their suit against the state.

The verdict drew plaudits from other Second Amendment groups. The Second Amendment Foundation, a national nonprofit which filed a brief in support of the plaintiffs last year, called the verdict “a victory to gun owners.”

“This law was nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt to disarm peaceable citizens, and we’re grateful the Supreme Court saw through the ruse,” SAF founder Alan Gottlieb said in a statement Thursday. “With this precedent-setting ruling in hand, other states that have similar laws in place should be on notice – SAF is coming after you and will not hesitate to challenge the continued disenfranchisement of our members and the public.”

But multiple Hawai‘i lawmakers condemned the decision. Sen. Mazie Hirono attributed the verdict to an “out-of-control Supreme Court majority … placing political ideology above protecting lives.” Hirono said in a statement that Hawai‘i’s strong gun control laws have given the state the lowest rate of gun deaths in the country.

Rep. Jill Tokuda said the ruling takes away “Hawai‘i's ability to determine what safety looks like in our own communities and businesses.” She compared the vampire rule to businesses’ “no shirt, no shoes, no service” rules, calling them both “basic rules … about what is allowed on their property and what is not.”

Aloha State Daily reached out to the Hawai‘i Firearms Coalition, the Hawai‘i Defense Foundation, the Hawai‘i Rifle Association, and Sen. Glenn Wakai, co-introducer of the 2023 bill that established the vampire rule, for further comment.

Court Building 16x9

<title>U.S. Supreme Court stakes Hawai‘i's 'vampire' gun law</title>

A 2023 law prohibiting bringing concealed firearms onto private property without the owner's explicit consent has been deemed unconstitutional.

U.S. Supreme Court stakes Hawai‘i's 'vampire' gun law

Katie Helland Headshot

Katie Helland

Arts & Entertainment

Aloha Spirit

Today, U.S. Army Sgt. Isaac Atkins joined his platoon for a watch party for the next episode of Season 21 of “America’s Got Talent,” where Atkins is one of the featured contestants. 

In the episode, Judge Melanie Janine Brown hit 

, sending him straight to the live shows.

Atkins, who is stationed on Oʻahu, is one of several contestants, including Bruno Mars’ nephews — the North Shore-based brothers 

 — competing in the current season of “America’s Got Talent.”

“I’m having a watch party with my soldiers on base,” Atkins told Aloha State Daily 

the day before the show aired on television

. “Obviously, it's just a platoon internal thing, where my soldiers — the soldiers that I'm in charge of — we're gonna ... watch the show and have a good time.”

, when the episode streams on Peacock at 

 New this season is the judges’ callbacks round, where select acts, including Atkins, are asked to perform again, and the final remaining live show spots are on the line.

 but Atkins has not been able to talk much about it prior to airing. While in California, he made sure to visit a food spot, which is not currently in Hawaiʻi.

“I wanted Chipotle," he said. "I got off the plane at LAX, and I took a Lyft to the hotel, but I asked my driver to stop at Chipotle first, so that's the very first thing I did.”

For Atkins, the “America’s Got Talent” stage is the largest of his musical career so far. His previous performances include one in high school, where he had a solo with his choir, he said, but this was different.

“It was crazy because when I was up on the stage, I had the earpieces in, but I could still hear the audience — how loud they were,” he said. “It was super encouraging when I was singing to hear them cheering. It amped me up even more, even though I was still extremely nervous, because who wouldn't be? I’m not an experienced performer. I'm just some guy.”

Atkins grew up influenced by his father’s music, which included classics such as The Temptations, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Smokey Robinson and Motown.

“I grew up on all that music,” he said. “That's really the kind of music that inspired me to sing because it's just classic. It's never going to go out of style, and I still listen to that to this day.”

, where he posts videos of himself singing in the car.

“It was never really my intention to take it to this level,” Atkins said. “But I was doing the car singing thing — and I started getting a lot of traction on TikTok and whatnot and getting the likes and getting comments. That kind of motivated me to take it that step further. And to be able to venture out into doing something this big like ʻAmerica’s Got Talent.’”

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

Isaac Atkins

These North Shore brothers will be featured in Season 21 of “America’s Got Talent.” Tune in Tuesday, June 9, to catch their performance.

Nyjah Music and Zyah Rhythm

'America’s Got Talent' has Hawaiʻi contestants

<title>UPDATE: Hawaiʻi contestant gets golden buzzer on ʻAmerica’s Got Talent’</title>

This Army sergeant got his musical break when he recorded himself singing in a car. Now, Oʻahu resident Isaac Atkins is reflecting on the “America’s Got Talent” auditions that recently took him to California.

UPDATE: Hawaiʻi contestant gets golden buzzer on ʻAmerica’s Got Talent’

Higa headshot white shirt square

Sterling Higa

Columnists

Last week, State Sen. Brenton Awa rose on the Senate floor. He clarified that the Senate doesn’t “condone violence.” Then he held up a letter of recognition for “Mister Ambassador of Aloha.” The commendation was intended for a shirtless man recorded beating a tourist on Maui. The tourist had been filmed earlier throwing a rock at a monk seal.

The clip of Awa’s remarks has been viewed 29.3 million times on his 

. In the chamber where laws are made, a sitting senator stood to commend a man for a beating.

The tourist was wrong. That part isn’t in dispute. Throwing a rock at a protected animal earns charges, and ought to. The question is why a senator commended the man who beat him.

Awa represents State Senate District 23, which includes Kāneʻohe and the rural areas of the North Shore, including Kahaluʻu through Lāʻie, Kahuku to Mokulēʻia. It is one of the most conservative and religious districts in the state, with a significant presence of Christians and Mormons. Though they differ on major theological issues, they share most moral commitments. Many of them read Scripture and try to live by it.

Paul tells the Roman church plainly: never avenge yourselves, for vengeance belongs to the Lord, and He will repay. He says this in Romans chapter 12. In the next chapter he describes the magistrate as the servant of God who carries the sword on God’s behalf. The magistrate is the appointed avenger of wrath against the wrongdoer. Awa sits in the office Paul describes. To commend a man for taking justice into his own hands is to undercut the office God established to do that work.

A reader may reply that the justice system fails locals, that private justice is what’s left when the courts won’t act. There are two answers. The first is that the system was working. The whole state was outraged. The tourist was being identified and pursued. The vigilante did not help. He committed a crime of his own, and gave the tourist a grievance to point to.

The second answer is older. Vigilante justice doesn’t end disorder. It feeds it. Shakespeare worked this out in Verona, and the Capulets and Montagues are not a model anyone wants for Hawaiʻi. Due process is the rope that pulls communities out of that pit.

The seal speech was not a stray moment. Awa brought a polygraph to the floor during the $35,000 paper bag scandal. He has made props a feature of his floor speeches. He posted a video walking viewers to Rep. Linda Ichiyama’s office after she killed his bill prohibiting foreign ownership of land, and she received death threats. His congressional campaign website celebrates his record of voting no more than any other legislator. The posture is consistent: media first, lawmaking second.

A rock thrown at a seal and the beating of a tourist got Awa to stand and speak. The everyday violence in Hawaiʻi — robberies, killings, home invasions — has not moved him the same way. Neither has abortion, though his Christian and Mormon constituents care about it as deeply as any voters in the state. Awa casts his no votes and counts them on his campaign website. But a ceremonial no vote does not save a life.

He has a platform few legislators command. He could use it to speak about the issues his district cares about. He has chosen to use it to glorify lawless violence.

Moral leadership in a minority caucus is possible. It starts with respect for the office, since God has established it. The slow work of building coalitions and passing bills must follow, since social media clips don’t affect statutes. Underneath all of this lies the harder discipline of applying Christian conviction even-handedly. It must name the sins of allies as readily as opponents, the populist right as readily as the progressive left. A lawmaker who held those things together would be doing something that all of Hawaiʻi has been waiting for.

On opening day this session, Awa quoted James: “Be quick to listen and slow to speak.” He should have taken his own advice. Later in that 

, he told his colleagues, “We can accomplish impossible feats just by showing aloha. In other words, the next time you’re feeling like throwing blows, throw aloha.”

Awa upscaled

<title>'Mister ambassador of aloha'</title>

It's a bad look for the word "aloha" when it's used to commend a vigilante beat down, as state Sen. Brenton Awa did last week, says ASD opinion columnist Sterling Higa.

Daily Smile: Sunday, June 28, 2026

ASD Staff

Reporter

More in Daily Smile

Daily Smile: Saturday, June 27, 2026

Daily Smile: Friday, June 26, 2026

Daily Smile: Thursday, June 25, 2026

Daily Smile: Wednesday, June 24, 2026

Most read

Daily Smile: Sunday, June 28, 2026

Authors

ASD Staff

Reporter

More in Daily Smile

Daily Smile: Saturday, June 27, 2026

Daily Smile: Friday, June 26, 2026

Daily Smile: Thursday, June 25, 2026

Daily Smile: Wednesday, June 24, 2026

Most read