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

Your Weather Planner  

A low pressure system is weakening near the islands today, allowing high pressure to take control of our forecast pattern. It will be more stable across western and central islands for the rest of this week with easterly trades blowing across the region. Another front approaches this weekend.

Get your 7-day forecast

Introducing Spectrum News+
Watch the latest news from across the country.

Today's Big Stories

1. Green called White House on behalf of UH, 442nd RCT

The Hawaii Department of the Attorney General has prominently led the state’s efforts to push back against the Trump administration’s efforts to reduce the size of the federal government and eliminate so-called DEI programs and initiatives via the courts. Gov. Josh Green has also been working the phones directly with White House officials to remedy targeted issues, most recently to defend the University of Hawaii against allegations of antisemitism and to lobby for the restoration of U.S. Army’s webpage honoring the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. 

UH was identified as one of 60 institutions under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights for alleged antisemitic harassment and discrimination, a status some feared could be used as a pretext to cancel federal funding to universities in blue states or institutions whose student bodies have actively protested Israel’s occupation of Gaza.

The governor’s office said that Green intervened to help protect UH students and preserve key federal funding.

“I couldn’t stand by and allow a misunderstanding from the government to use civil rights investigations as a tool to undermine our students’ future,” Green said. 

Green also stepped in when the Army’s webpage chronicling the history and achievements of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team mysteriously disappeared last week, sparking fears that the apparent deletion was part of the U.S. Department of Defense’s recent efforts to remove public content featuring female and minority service members or units.

Related: Pentagon restores a few webpages honoring servicemembers but still defends DEI purge

2. Risk of measles in Hawaii rises as cases increase across the nation, globally

After being declared eliminated in the United States in 2000, one of the most highly contagious viruses, measles, is making a comeback.

As of March 13, 2025, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported 301 confirmed cases across 15 states. The World Health Organization reports cases are increasing globally with 10.3 million cases worldwide in 2023.

In order to prevent an outbreak, the more infectious a virus is, the higher the percent of the population needs to be vaccinated. For measles, the vaccination rate of a population needs to be at least 95% to protect the wider community from an outbreak.

DOH says the state’s measles, mumps and rubella vaccination rate for kindergarteners was 90% for the 2023 to 2024 school year, which is below the national average of 93%.

In some pockets of the state, vaccination rates are even lower. DOH says multiple schools on Maui, Kauai and Hawaii Island report vaccination rates below 75%, which is lower than the 82% vaccination rate in Gaines County, the epicenter for the Texas-New Mexico outbreak. Any outbreak on a neighbor island would severely strain its healthcare system and no neighbor island hospital has a pediatric intensive care unit.

There have been no reported cases of measles in Hawaii as of March 17. DOH advises people to call their healthcare provider ahead of time if they suspect they have measles. This will start the process to determine whether they indeed have measles and also allow the clinic to prepare for an in-person visit and prevent spread.

DOH urges all residents to get up to date on immunizations, especially children.

Visit the DOH website for more information on measles and vaccinations.

3. Maui wildfire survivors receive gas cards to help with transportation

In order to help survivors of the Maui wildfires, the nonprofit Maui United Way, with the support of the nonprofit Center for Disaster Philanthropy, funded the distribution of $240,000 in gas cards to displaced families facing ongoing transportation challenges. 

The initiative, which provides $100 gas cards each month, benefits about 500 survivors who commute to and from the island’s west side for work and school. The cards will provide relief for the next six months as these families continue rebuilding their lives, according to a news release. 

Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunset Foundation spearheaded the administrative effort for this program, partnering with Hawaii Petroleum, which donated an additional 5% in gas cards. 

For many recipients, the gas cards have already made an impact. “Getting to work and taking my kids to school every day has been one of the hardest parts of starting over,” shared fire survivor Nalani Abellanida. “This support gave us one less thing to worry about, and I can’t tell you how much that has meant.”

Related: Survey indicates slow recovery from Maui wildfires

Nalani Abellanida and her daughter, Lilli, are part of a family of five who relocated to Pukalani after the fires. While Lilli has settled into a new school closer to home, her older siblings continue to attend school on Maui's west side. (Photo courtesy of Maui United Way)

4. Honolulu Civil Beat: How Trump’s economic policies are roiling Hawaiʻi’s economy

The chaotic first two months of the Trump administration leave Alvin Wong, director of sales and marketing for the 1,300-room Waikīkī Beach Marriott Resort and Spa, with a dizzying array of uncertainties.

A suddenly imposed ban on travel by federal employees has left hotel rooms unexpectedly empty. Strong markets for Hawaiʻi tourism, including Canada, are caught up in President Donald Trump’s escalating trade war. And a drop in the stock market over the last few weeks, Wong fears, may turn would-be domestic tourists into penny-pinchers.

Asked what of this most keeps him up at night, Wong said, “Everything.”

“I’ve been waking up at 3 a.m. every night,” he said.

The uncertainties created by Trump’s economic policies are confounding economists as well as business people like Wong. On Wednesday, the state Council on Revenues, which predicts state tax revenue for government budgeting purposes, made only modest adjustments to forecasts of state general fund tax collections for the next six years. 

But the council’s economists admitted Trump’s barrage of new policies and cost-cutting initiatives had in many cases left them stumped about the likely impacts.

Earlier this month, for instance, the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization predicted Hawaiʻi could lose 2,200 federal workers because of Trump-mandated job cuts. But UHERO’s executive director Carl Bonham, who also serves on the Council on Revenues, noted on Wednesday that a federal judge had temporarily halted at least some of the layoffs.

“Some of them, I think, are still happening,” Bonham said during last week’s meeting. “But we don’t have hard data.” 

The breadth of Trump’s sweeping policies, his tendency to quickly change direction or reverse announcements, and aggressive legal pushback by states and other groups combine to make a muddled economic picture for businesses that seek certainty.

5. Judge rules DOGE's USAID dismantling likely violates Constitution

The dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development likely violated the Constitution, a federal judge ruled Tuesday as he indefinitely blocked billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency further cuts to the agency.

U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang in Maryland ordered the Trump administration to restore email and computer access to all employees of USAID, including those who were placed on administrative leave.

The evidence suggests that Musk made decisions to shut down USAID's headquarters and website despite the administration's claim that he was merely President Donald Trump's advisor, Chaung found. Musk's public statements and social media posts demonstrate that he has "firm control over DOGE," the judge concluded.

The judge acknowledged that it's likely that USAID is no longer capable of performing some of its statutorily required functions.

"Taken together, these facts support the conclusion that USAID has been effectively eliminated," Chuang wrote in the preliminary injunction.

Your Notes for Tomorrow

Wednesday, March 19 

• Interest rate decision
• Bruce Willis celebrates 70th birthday
• NCAA Women's Basketball First Four games
• Game Developers Choice Awards
• 'Opry 100: A Live Celebration' hosted by Blake Shelton on NBC