The Conversation

Today, we're hosting a call-in show on Maui water usage amid the ongoing drought and legal battles. Have a question or a comment? Email talkback@hawaiipublicradio.org or leave a voicemail on our talkback line at 808-792-8217.

Kim-Anh Nguyen, the CEO of the Blood Bank of Hawaiʻi, shares the urgent need for donors; Joe Kent, Grassroot Institute executive vice president, on creating OpenHearings, an artificial intelligence program that monitors government hearings

Susan Wilkinson of Susie's Duck Sanctuary on Oʻahu reflects on having to cull her flock due to avian flu; Monica Toguchi Ryan, the owner of the longtime restaurant Highway Inn, on staying in business amid the pandemic, tariffs, and rising minimum wage

The U.S. Army is conducting military exercises across Oʻahu, Maui, and Hawaiʻi Island until Sunday; Designs for a new school in Central Maui that could reshape how the state thinks about public facilities

HPR's Ashley Mizuo reports on what the spending bill to reopen the government means for Hawaiʻi residents; Office of Hawaiian Affairs chair Kai Kahele shares what's next for an OHA emergency relief program now that the shutdown has ended

The state Department of Human Services provides the latest on what SNAP recipients need to know about their benefits; The Aloha Vintage Base Ball Association host their inaugural game

How might the broad flight cancellations affect Hawaiʻi's economy?; Kauaʻi County Councilmember Fern Holland provides details on recent FBI and ICE raids on Kauaʻi

Today, we're hosting a panel discussion on SNAP benefits and other impacts of the government shutdown. Have a question or a comment? Email talkback@hawaiipublicradio.org or leave a voicemail on our talkback line at 808-792-8217.

Daniel K. Inouye International Airport is on a list of 40 airports that have been ordered by the Federal Aviation Administration to cut 10 percent of their flights; The 442nd Regimental Combat Team is immortalized in the documentary "Defining Courage"

Retired federal public defender Alexander "Ali" Silvert calls on the state Legislature to investigate an unnamed lawmaker who allegedly took a $35,000 bribe; Former Miss Hawaiʻi Cheryl Bartlett holds a rally in support of her husband Rogerio Araujo, a Brazilian citizen who has been detained by ICE agents

Staff and volunteers at The Pantry in Kalihi create more food assistance options for furloughed federal workers; Kauaʻi writer Jonathon Medieros shares the intention behind his poem "To the People on the Cruise Ships"

HPR listeners share what SNAP cuts mean for them; HPR's DW Gibson reports on the newly-formed Women's Court on Hawaiʻi Island

Happy Halloween! On today's broadcast, we're revisiting some of our spookiest interviews. Get ready for graves, ghosts, and creepy-crawlies galore!

Gov. Josh Green shares how the state is responding to the threat to the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; Debbie Ngarewa Packer, co-leader of the Māori Party in Aotearoa, or New Zealand, talks about her suspension last year after participating in a haka on the Parliament floor

Dylan Moore with UHERO looks at the economic implications of the suspension of SNAP benefits; Longtime Mid-Pacific Institute baseball coach Dunn Muramaru and Hawaiʻi Pacific University head coach Dane Fujinaka discuss memorable moments from the World Series

C-MORE Lab Director David Karl reflects on the lab's greatest discoveries over the last 15 years; Hawaiʻi Afterschool Alliance Executive Director Paula Adams talks about the demand for child care across the state

Gordon Zane with the Hawaiʻi Department of Taxation discusses vacation rental regulations; Kimberlee Bassford talks about the dark turn her new documentary "Before the Moon Falls" took when its subject, Samoan writer Sia Figiel, was arrested for murder

State Sen. Joy San Buenaventura of Hawaiʻi Island responds to the failure of the Pohoiki Boat Ramp dredging project; Louis Miller and Jon Holshue, aka The Pasta Boys, dish up homemade noodles at Proof Social Club in Chinatown

People who get health insurance through the Affordable Care Act may face higher costs soon; The San Francisco Standard reports on billionaire Marc Benioff's ties to Hawaiʻi

Honolulu Councilmember Tyler Dos Santos-Tam, who represents the new downtown financial district and Chinatown, discusses concerns about pushing the negative elements further into Chinatown as a result of creating the Downtown Honolulu Business Improvement District; Chu Lan Schubert-Kwock takes HPR on a walking tour of Chinatown

Community members rally at ʻIolani Palace in support of Kamehameha Schools' admissions policy; Bishop Museum malacologists Ken Hayes and Norine Yeung share some tips for spotting native snails ahead of the annual Kāhuli Festival

HPR speaks to protestors at Honolulu's 'No Kings' rally; Ben Jones, director of ocean science and technology for the UH Applied Research Laboratory, shows off the building blocks of a new artificial reef system

Today, we're revisiting interviews that highlight the work of Hawaiʻi's specialty courts.

State Insurance Commissioner Scott Saiki discusses the changing insurance landscape; Palestinian Ma'an Odeh shares his thoughts on the ceasefire in Gaza and his recent experience in the West Bank

Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation Director Ed Sniffen talks about opportunities around the new Skyline service to Honolulu International Airport; Community members and state officials say goodbye to the historic vessel Falls of Clyde, which is set to be scuttled 25 miles off Oʻahu's south shore

Oʻahu Transit Services is working to reach an agreement with the Teamsters, who represent Oʻahu bus drivers, ahead of the opening of the second segment of Honolulu's rail

U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda meets with Hawaiʻi's air traffic controllers, who are working without pay during the shutdown; Labor leader Randy Perreira responds to comments from the Trump administration that federal workers may not receive back pay

Israel and Hamas agree to the first phase of a ceasefire deal; Research suggests a gene variant carried by people from American Samoa, Tonga, and Hawaiʻi may be linked to obesity

Another segment of the Honolulu Skyline opens to the public next week; Author Russell Fielding traces the global history of breadfruit

Debora Halbert with the University of Hawaiʻi says enrollment is at its highest level in eight years; Oʻahu lifeguard Kerry Atwood offers an inside look at a day's work at Waimea Bay

U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono talks about efforts to reopen the federal government as the shutdown drags into its second week; Researchers raise alarms about the impact of deep-sea mining on marine life

Today, the Conversation is sharing interviews with the host and panelists of the popular NPR news quiz show 'Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!' ahead of their Honolulu live event.

HPR's Ashley Mizuo speaks to Hawaiʻi's congressional delegation about the government shutdown; Jim McCoy with Pacific Historic Parks discusses how the shutdown is impacting federal parks and historical sites on Oʻahu

U.S. Rep. Ed Case reacts to the government shutdown, the first since 2019; The University of Hawaiʻi has hired eight new faculty to lead a sustainable fisheries graduate program

Mark Recktenwald, chief justice of the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court, reflects on his time on the bench as he prepares to step down; Hawaiian Council CEO Kūhiō Lewis explains the organization's decision to rebrand

Honolulu Councilmember Esther Kiaʻāina talks Native Hawaiian political history and current federal funding threats; The "Mai Poina: The Overthrow Walking Tours" return after a pandemic hiatus

Today on the program, we're revisiting a few of our interviews with accomplished and creative harpists.

Jason Gamel, president and CEO of the American Resort Development Association, gives a snapshot of the timeshare landscape; Author and illustrator Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson tells her family's story of internment during World War II in her new children's book "Shell Song"

Attorney Ted Hong discusses a recent ruling in his lawsuit against HMSA; Hawaiʻi State Auditor Les Kondo talks about the launch of an AI-generated podcast

Former Damien Memorial School president wins a wrongful termination lawsuit; Hawaiʻi's Volcano Circus Executive Director Morgan Langham discusses the charter school's expansion

University of Hawaiʻi leadership is meeting with federal Department of Education officials to discuss funding cuts; More than 2,000 cyclists are expected to take part in the Honolulu Century Ride

Gov. Josh Green extends an invitation to Pope Leo XIV to visit Kalaupapa; E.A.R.L. Hawaiʻi sandwich shop owner Justin Parvizimotlagh goes viral with a video series describing how his business got its start

Chaminade Provost Lance Askildson and Hawaiʻi Pacific University Acting Provost Brenda Jenson discuss the latest effects of federal funding cuts; First Circuit District Court judges Mark Browning and Trish Morikawa share the importance of the Women's Court.

Retired Judge Karen Radius, Judge Dyan Medeiros and supervisor Valerie Lazo share the successes of Hawaiʻi's Girls Court; Author Hampton Sides revisits the story of James Cook in the New York Times bestseller "The Wide Wide Sea"

Legal experts discuss how specialty courts have shaped Hawaiʻi's judicial system; A Hawaiʻi guitarist showcases her unique sound on the national classical program "From the Top"

On today's program, we're revisiting stories of those who left their homelands to start new lives in Hawaiʻi.

Farm Link Hawaiʻi's Claire Sullivan on the recent announcement that it will be carrying fresh milk from Hawaiʻi's last dairy farm, Cloverleaf Dairy, on Hawaiʻi Island; Bahman Sadeghi, who bought the Meadow Gold processing plant on Hawaiʻi Island five years ago, discusses the history of Hawaiʻi's dairy business.

Graeme Blair, co-director of the Deportation Data Project, talks about how President Donald Trump's immigration policies are being felt across the country and in Hawaiʻi; Nancy Holman, Kalaupapa National Historical Park superintendent, discusses what to expect as the park reopens for public tours this week

Maura Okamoto, of the Friends of the East-West Center, discusses why community relationships are important as the center marks its 65th year; HPR's Laura Dux reports on the annual tradition of the Okinawan summer picnic

Karl Kim, head of the Pacific Urban Resilience Lab at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, shares how past threats inform the future of natural disaster planning; HPR's Cassie Ordonio reports on the resurgence of the ‘ahu 'ula, or Hawaiian feather cape

Mafalda de Freitas, megaplastics program director at the Center for Marine Debris Research at Hawaiʻi Pacific University, talks about Hawaiʻi's only marine debris recycling center; Donor Mariel Tadena, stem cell recipient Nicole Fabela, and Erika Sevilla, spokesperson for the National Marrow Donor Program, share their stem cell story