The Conversation

The Conversation talks with experts about what federal spending cuts mean for education and health care; Chef Ippy Aiona talks about getting comfortable in front of the camera for his award-winning docuseries "Eating Our Roots"

Major General Marcus Evans discusses the U.S. Army's plan to add long-range missiles to its arsenal in Hawaiʻi; Comedian Sheng Wang talks about how he got his start in comedy

Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation director Ed Sniffen discusses plans to scuttle Falls of Clyde; The Navy has released a draft environmental impact statement for the continued use of over 8,000 acres of state land near Barking Sands

On today's program, we revisit the recent changes at the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority, the agency that has long overseen Hawaiʻi's largest industry.

The author of report on Filipino survivors of the Lahaina wildfire push back on a characterization of its findings by the Department of Homeland Security; HDOT director Ed Sniffen talks about efforts to modernize Hawaiʻi's airports

U.S. Rep. Ed Case shares his thoughts on immigration policy and the recently passed GOP-led spending bill; Office of Hawaiian Affairs chair Kai Kahele breaks down the agency's budget

We're opening our phone lines to discuss the crackdown on illegal fireworks. Have a comment or question? Call 808-941-3689 during the live show or email talkback@hawaiipublicradio.org.

Keith Vieira with KV & Associates Hospitality Consultants shares his outlook on tourism; Genealogist Jari Honora talks about Pope Leo XIV's ancestry as Hawaiʻi marks nearly two centuries since the first arrival of a Catholic priest in the islands

DBEDT director James Tokioka discusses next steps for the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority; "Chief of War" co-creator Thomas Paʻa Sibbett shares why he wants to bring the story of the unification of the Hawaiian islands to an international audience

University of Hawaiʻi's Institute for Astronomy Director Doug Simons discusses the proposed federal funding cuts to science; Former Gov. Ben Cayetano reflects on the origin of the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority as the agency faces restructuring

What's next for the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority?; Maui County conservationists work to restore the island's sand dunes with native plants

Gov. Josh Green discusses the Hawaiʻi Tourism Agency's restructuring, proposed Medicaid cuts; HART officials share progress on the Skyline, which is expected to open its second segment in October

Hawaiʻi Chief Energy Officer Mark Glick discusses Hawaiʻi's dependence on oil amid geopolitical tensions in the Middle East; The National Council on Teacher Quality rates Hawaiʻi's math teacher training as "unacceptable"

Oʻahu resident Maseeh Ganjali shares what he's been hearing from family members in Tehran; Travel writer Kelsey Timmerman dives into a decade-long legal battle over pesticide use on Kauaʻi

HPR's Bill Dorman reports on how the recent U.S. strikes on nuclear facilities in Iran affect military operations in the Indo-Pacific region; The University of Hawaiʻi names a new athletics director;

Today, The Conversation is digging into its archives to revisit interviews with local businesses that have been part of Hawaiʻi's landscape through multiple generations.

Maui Brewing Co. CEO Garrett Marrero discusses the state of small business in Hawaiʻi;

Researcher Chris Kyriazis explains the "extinction vortex" facing some endangered Hawaiian honeycreepers; Authors Manny Veincent and Kim Ann Curtain recount the founding the Kawaihae Canoe Club in their new book "Born of Two Oceans"

HPR speaks to participants of the "No Kings" protests in Honolulu; L&L's Eddie Flores Jr. chronicles his journey in the new book "Franchising the American Dream"

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa interim provost Vassilis Syrmos explains how proposed cuts to federal funding would affect research; Grammy-nominated jazz harpist Brandee Younger is recognized by the Doris Duke Foundation

U.S. House lawmakers have voted to cut funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting; Advocate Austin Haleyalpiy with COFA CAN discusses concerns in the COFA community about immigration raids

HPR's Bill Dorman breaks down the brewing fight over public media funding; A Yale professor digs into her family history after she unexpectedly inherits kuleana lands

Honolulu's new Special Agent in Charge discusses the priorities of the FBI under Trump; Pint + Jigger co-owner Dave Newman makes it to the final round of a new cocktail service category of the James Beard awards

Today, the Conversation is revisiting interviews with the creators and performers in Cirque du Soleil's ʻAuana!

Dr. Jim Ireland with Honolulu EMS discusses the response to a major crash between a city bus and a pick-up truck; South Korea has elected a new president months after the country faced a martial law crisis

John De Fries, executive director of the Mauna Kea Stewardship and Oversight Authority, responds to TMT funding cuts; State Comptroller Keith Regan provides an update on repairs to the Hawaiʻi Convention Center's leaky roof

Mayor Kimo Alameda, community members react to the National Science Foundation's decision to cut funding for the Thirty Meter Telescope; HPR joins an early morning Point-in-Time count in Waikīkī

Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke says Hawaiʻi stands to lose $6 million in broadband funding under President Trump's proposed spending bill; Tips on how to identify Medicare scams

Conservation groups have filed a lawsuit against President Trump's move to relax protections in the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument; The UH Institute for Biogenesis Research provides an update on advances in gene editing

Byron Goo, CEO of Tea Chest Hawaiʻi, talks about how tariffs are affecting the tea trade; Jennifer Doudna, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, discusses developments in gene-editing with CRISPR

Ralph Gaston of Rusty's Hawaiian Coffee lays out how tariffs are affecting Kona coffee growers; Overstory's Noelle Fujii-Oride reports on a new program to support mental wellness among farmers

Designer Jalene Kanani of Noho Home talks about how tariffs are affecting her textile business; Kaila Chung, director of Hui Kaululehua, leads the first Polynesian Cultural Festival in Louisville, Kentucky

Today on The Conversation, we're taking an in-depth look at how tariffs are affecting Hawaiʻi businesses.

We revisit an interview with Chris Sanders, the voice and creator of Stitch, ahead of the premiere of Disney's live-action "Lilo & Stitch"; HPR's Cathrine Cluett Pactol shares about Ka La'i Ola, a housing initiative that aims to meet the needs of those who lost their homes to the Maui wildfires

Urban planning experts discuss how to revitalize downtown Honolulu; Tariffs and cuts to federal grants affect local school lunch providers

The military has released a report signalling it may drastically reduce its footprint on Oʻahu; A hula hālau of breast cancer survivors discuss their shared journey

Small Kine Gift owners detail how tariffs are affecting store prices; What is the relationship between hula and health?

The firework industry is seeking an exemption to Trump's tariffs on China; Two-time Olympian Marion Jones prepares for the Honolulu Triathlon

Gov. Josh Green discusses military land leases; Dr. Barbara Natterson-Horowitz shares what we can learn from animals to improve human health

HPR's Savannah Harriman-Pote reports on efforts to slash transportation emissions to get the state back on track towards its climate goals; Author and zen master Norma Wong shares lessons on spiritualism and activism during crisis from her new book "When No Thing Works"

The Supreme Court has allowed the Trump administration to move forward with an executive order disqualifying transgender people from military service; Uncertainty around tariffs affects Chinatown business owners

The University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization forecasts a "mild recession" for Hawaiʻi; Top lawmakers discuss the possibility of a special session amid economic woes

Today on The Conversation, we're revisiting some of our favorite interviews about the plants that Polynesian voyagers brought to Hawaiʻi and the role they play agriculture today.

Today, The Conversation broadcasts live from Waikīkī and provides an in-depth look at the fight to save Oʻahu's iconic beachfront from coastal erosion.

Bishop Museum leadership discusses the status of the museum's federal funding; Researcher Ryan Bos shares what scientists can learn from whale poop

The federal government has tried to block the state's lawsuit against the oil industry with a lawsuit of its own; Pat Tummons of Environment Hawaiʻi gives an update on a public corruption case prompted by her reporting

What does a recent executive order calling to strip public media of federal funding mean for HPR?; The Army has completed its final Environmental Impact Statement for Pōhakuloa

Hawaiʻi's top law officials speak at a UH Law School forum about the state's legal battles against the Trump administration; A march for International Workers' Day rallies support for federal workers

The Lyon Arboretum has lost a federal grant to digitize its collection of rare Hawaiian seeds; Honolulu celebrates the Manu-o-Kū

Former UH law school dean Avi Soifer reflects on the rule of law during President Trump's first 100 days in office; Capital & Main senior reporter Marcus Baram talks about the launch of his newsroom's DOGE impact tracker

Trump calls for mining the sea floor in new executive order; Scientists have discovered a new species of caterpillar in the Waiʻanae Mountains, nicknamed "the bone collector."