Hawaii Evening Briefing: July 18, 2025

Good evening, Hawaii. Here are the main stories we’ve been following today: 

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Today’s Big Stories

1. Scott Saiki appointed as state insurance commissioner

Nearly a year after losing his legislative seat in a stunning primary loss to Kim Coco Iwamoto, former state House of Representatives Speaker Scott Saiki has been tapped to lead the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs’ Insurance Division. 

Saiki takes over at a critical juncture for the state’s insurance market, which has been roiled by skyrocketing premiums and the retreat of property insurers due in part to a global increase in catastrophic climate-related events (including the 2023 Maui wildfires).

Earlier this month, Green signed into law Act 296, which reactivates the Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund, expands the powers of the Hawaii Property Insurance Association to provide additional coverage options and establishes the Condominium Loan Program to help buildings remain insurable. It will also require Saiki, as the insurance commissioner, to conduct a comprehensive study aimed at developing sustainable strategies for market stabilization.

Saiki holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and a juris doctor from the William S. Richardson School of Law. 

2. Public input sought for managing Maui’s near-shore waters

The Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Aquatic Resources’ Holomua Marine Initiative invites Maui residents to join the conversation and share their input on a revised draft proposal developed to protect Maui’s near-shore waters that will ensure healthy reefs and abundant resources for generations to come.

For over two years, the community-nominated Maui Navigation Team has worked with DAR to create draft management recommendations with the Maui community. These were first shared with the public through three information sessions held in September 2024.

Thanks to the feedback received during these earlier sessions, the navigation team has further revised the proposal to reflect the priorities and needs of the Maui community and now seeks additional input to further refine the revised draft proposal.

The public is asked to RSVP to attend one of the upcoming sessions:

• July 29, 5:30 to 8 p.m. – Mayor Hannibal Tavares Pukalani Community Center, 91 Pukalani Street, Pukalani
• Aug. 5, 5:30 to 8 p.m. – Kihei Community Center, 303 E. Lipoa Street, Kihei

3. Honolulu Civil Beat: Honolulu Police Commission moves forward on search for new chief

The Honolulu Police Commission voted unanimously Wednesday to turn its search for a new police chief over to a consultant who can help commissioners pick a candidate to best fit the department.

Commissioners agreed to send out requests for proposals as soon as they can pull together basic details for potential applicants to consider, including what the panel is looking for in a new chief. That likely won’t be for another few weeks and then months after that for a consultant to bring in candidates, they said.

Commissioners are mindful of public criticism that the last search in 2021 took nearly a year. Current Chief Joe Logan was hired in May 2022.

Still, commissioners agreed that the job of the Honolulu police chief is important enough that they didn’t feel comfortable trying to screen applicants and assess their viability themselves.

Commissioner Doug Chin said he believes the Honolulu police chief is one of the top five public service jobs in the state.

“It’s that important,” he said. “It would be a disservice if we did it on our own.”

Interim Police Chief Rade Vanic, who has already taken over for Logan even though Logan isn’t officially leaving til Aug. 1, said Honolulu is one of the largest departments in the country, whether ranked by the number of uniformed officers, the geographic size of the area it serves or its $380 million annual budget.

Commissioners said they’ve been told to expect dozens of applicants, although probably not the hundreds of candidates they’ve received in prior searches.

4. UH report examines travel-related barriers to health care in rural areas

Residents of neighbor island and rural communities face numerous challenges — from long ambulance response times to costly and unreliable non-emergency transportation to lack of coverage for travel-related expenses — that their counterparts in urban Honolulu do not when trying to access timely and affordable health care, according to a new report by the University of Hawaii Rural Health Research and Policy Center.

Research for The Impacts of Transportation and Travel Access of Rural Health in Hawaii included an extensive literature review and interviews with 40 subjects representing health care, transportation services and insurance. The four-part report, which includes a compilation of policy options for addressing key issues, was authored by Desfor, Keilyn Kawakami, Monica Ho, Diana Shaw, Amy Ma, Tetine Sentell and Aimee Malia Grace.

As the report notes, while approximately 30% of Hawaii’s population lives in rural areas, most specialty care is only available on Oahu. The state’s only Level 1 trauma center, the Queen’s Medical Center, is also located in Honolulu.

Residents of Molokai and Lanai, who are serviced by just one or two commercial airlines, face particular challenges, including frequent delays and flight cancellations.

“Improving access will require coordinated efforts across healthcare, transportation and policy sectors,” said RHRPC policy and data analyst John Desfor. “We hope this research will guide meaningful action to improve transportation access for healthcare in rural communities across Hawaiʻi.”

5. Trump sues Wall Street Journal and media mogul Rupert Murdoch over reporting on Epstein ties

 President Donald Trump filed a lawsuit Friday against The Wall Street Journal and media mogul Rupert Murdoch, a day after the newspaper published a story reporting on ties to wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Miami. It seeks at least $10 billion in damages.

Trump promised a lawsuit after The Wall Street Journal described a sexually suggestive letter that the newspaper said bore Trump’s name and was included in a 2003 album for Epstein’s 50th birthday. Trump denied writing the letter, calling the story “false, malicious and defamatory.”

The letter revealed by The Wall Street Journal was reportedly collected by disgraced British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, as part of a birthday album for Epstein years before the wealthy financier was first arrested in 2006 and subsequently had a falling-out with Trump.

The letter bearing Trump’s name includes text framed by the outline of what appears to be a hand-drawn naked woman and ends with, “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret,” according to the newspaper.

The outlet described the contents of the letter but did not publish a photo showing it entirely or provide details on how it came to learn about it.

Your Notes for the Weekend

Saturday, July 19

• 2025 World Snail Racing Championships, with up to 200 snails taking part. Location Norfolk, UK
• Garden State Cat Club of NJ Annual Cat Expo and Show – largest cat show in New York / New Jersey
• Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent leads a U.S. delegation to attend the World Expo in Osaka, Japan.
• United Launch Alliance 17th annual Student Rocket Launch
• Oleksandr Usyk fights Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium 

Sunday, July 20

• Shark Week 2025, the 37th instalment of the annual franchise launches on Discovery Channel
• 20th anniversary of TV dance competition ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ premiering on FOX, created by Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe
• Eunice Kennedy Shriver Day, honoring the Special Olympics International founder who died in August 2009 and her lifelong commitment to people with intellectual disabilities 

Monday, July 21

• 1st anniversary of Joe Biden dropping out of presidential race
• 2025 Country Radio Hall of Fame Induction Dinner and Awards ceremony
• 15th anniversary of President Barack Obama signing ‘H.R.4173, Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act’