The Conversation

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

HPR's Ashley Mizuo reports on how the Office of Elections is pushing back after being accused of overcounting hundreds of ballots received in Kauaʻi County during the 2024 election; Honolulu Marathon President Jim Barahal shares that there's been an increase in runner signups in all categories

Steve Wood, president of the Aiea Community Board, discusses concerns he's heard from the community about the development of the new Aloha Stadium; Freelance investigative reporter Guthrie Scrimgeour reports on the Robinson family's ownership of 100,000 acres of Hawaiʻi land, including the island of Niʻihau

We're hosting a call-in about the redevelopment process for Aloha Stadium, which is now set to open in 2029. Call 808-941-3689 during the live show or email talkback@hawaiipublicradio.org. You can also leave a voicemail before the show starts on our Talkback Line at 808-792-8217.

Today on the program, we're revisiting interviews with local authors to help you find your next favorite read.

Seth Colby steps into the role of Hawaiʻi's chief economist; The Hawaiʻi Department of Health addresses concerns over a rise in national cases of cannabis poisoning among children

University of Hawaiʻi climate scientist Matthew Widlansky develops a new AI tool to help researchers explore complex data; Kaimuki High School teacher Chu Hong shares what her students are cultivating in WORMS club

Residents of Molokaʻi are pushing for new agricultural regulations in an effort to keep out invasive coconut rhinoceros beetles; Sara Kehaulani Goo charts the history of land ownership in Hawaiʻi through the lens of her own lineage in her new book "Kuleana"

Jean Lee, presidential chair at the East-West Center, discusses President Donald Trump's first meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung; Listen to HPR's "Chief of War" companion podcast

Today, The Conversation reairs recent interview with Hawaiʻi leaders and experts on the rule of law.

Gov. Josh Green discusses the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority's new board and the latest on military leases; East-West Center President Celeste Connors talks about the Center's budget uncertainty

U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz shares what he's hearing from his constituents across the islands; Historian Alan Rosenfeld discusses myths about WWII-era internment in Hawaiʻi to mark 10 years since Honouliuli Interment Camp was named a national historic site

Hawaiʻi Chief Elections Officer Scott Nago responds to President Donald Trump's calls to end the use of mail-in ballots and voting machines; New research investigates the low number of solid organ transplants in the U.S. Pacific territories

Researchers brief officials on the increasing risk of flooding in Waikīkī due to sea level rise; Uilani Souza shares her experience driving for TheBus for over 40 years

Ron Balajadia with the Hawaiʻi Department of Health shares what parents need to know about the uptick in whooping cough cases across the state; Adaptations Dance Theater on Maui cultivates homegrown talent through a new summer residency

A judge has ruled against allowing commercial fishing in the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument; A free seminar helps couples navigate divorce

A new policy paper says the Trump administration's actions may be weakening the country's position in the Pacific; Colliers has the latest findings on Honolulu's empty office space

Today on The Conversation, we broadcast live from Fort Street Mall and explore plans to revitalize downtown Honolulu through the creation of a business improvement district.

HPR's Catherine Cluett Pactol speaks with Maui residents as they commemorate two years since the Maui fires; Dr. Alika Maunakea shares insights on the mental and physical health of people exposed to the Maui fires

Maya Hara, Executive Director of the Lahaina Jodo Mission, shares how she and her fellow congregants are honoring those who lost their lives in the Lahaina fire; California Energy Commission Chair David Hochschild discusses the rollback of federal programs to support renewable energy

Sacred Hearts School principal Tonato Lolesio talks about plans to set up classrooms in temporary facilities while rebuilding their campus, which was destroyed in the Lahaina fire; Hawaiʻi County Council Member Matt Kanealiʻi-Kleinfelder and Elaine Parlow from Action 4 Animals discuss a divisive measure that would prohibit the feeding of stray or feral animals on county property

Leadership with the Hawaiʻi Visitors & Convention Bureau discuss efforts to boost Maui's tourism economy; Kumu Paul Neves walks 300 miles across Hawaiʻi Island in support of caretakers

Theo Morrison with the Lahaina Restoration Foundation shares plans for a park under Lahaina's historical banyan tree; David Tumilowicz with the Domestic Violence Action Center discusses federal funding cuts and staff departures

Local film industry professionals form the Hawaiʻi Film Alliance; NPR "Short Wave" co-hosts Emily Kwong and Regina Barber dive into the ocean in a new series called "Sea Camp"

Transportation officials on the lessons learned from Tuesday's tsunami traffic jams; A community forms around a tiny race track

Gov. Green discusses the latest damage assessments after yesterday's tsunami scare; Hawaiʻi's new state fire marshal shares what she's learned during her first two months on the job

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa John A. Burns School of Medicine Dean Sam Shomaker discusses challenges and opportunities in health care as students gear up for a new academic year; Hawaiʻi Pacific University College of Business Dean Amy Nguyen-Chyung discusses a new $700,000 initiative to jump-start entrepreneurship

Former Hawaiʻi Gov. David Ige and former Hawaiʻi State Sen. Randy Iwase discuss the rule of law; Irish poet and theologian Pádraig Ó Tuama to give talks on Oʻahu and Maui as part of the Merwin Conservancy's "In the Green Room" series

Today, we're giving the spotlight to Hawaiʻi's lesser-known specialty crops.

Louis Erteschik, executive director of Hawaiʻi Disability Rights Center, discusses possible federal funding cuts; Hydrofoil champions Edo Tanas and Annie Reickert talk about their wins in the Molokaʻi 2 Oʻahu race across the Kaiwi Channel

United States Postal Service spokesperson John Hyatt shares highlights from 250 years of mail delivery; Fernanda Camarena with the Poynter Institute discusses the consequences of media blackouts

Rural health advocate John Desfur talks about how transportation shapes health care in rural Hawaiʻi; Investigative reporter Guthrie Scrimgeour delves into Mark Zuckerberg's land holdings on Kauaʻi