This Is Now (July 29, 2026)

Senator Paul says the committee will soon hold a vote on whether to hold Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress. We believe that with his liability, his immunity from criminal liability, that he didn't need to hide behind the Fifth Amendment and that maybe the Fifth Amendment doesn't attach when you have a pardon in place. At the state level, Florida's Republican Attorney General promised to launch an investigation into Anthony Fauci. Natalie Brandt, CBS News, Capitol Hill. Back here at home, Maui police have made more arrests for an alleged assault and riot at the Kaanapali Alii Resort. Police say a California family was in a barbecue area two Fridays ago when two vacationing teen juniors ran up saying they were being chased. A group of Maui youth followed and a fight ensued. About 30 people were involved in at least six needed medical treatment. The latest suspects include three 14-year-olds, two 16-year-olds and a 17-year-old. All were released to the custody of their parents. A 20-year-old Makkawal man was previously arrested, but he's been released pending investigation. In a group of Maui property owners is hoping to restore the sand at Kaanapali Beach. They've now submitted a permit application to the state land board. If approved, crews would scoop up about 75,000 cubic yards of sand from offshore and deposit it from Hanaka-Oo Beach Park to Pu'u Kaka or Black Rock. Scientists say this would restore the beach to what it looked like in 1988 and last about 20 years. But opponents are skeptical. They believe erosion requires a longer-term solution. This will be the Mauna Kea being brought to West Maui, and they are ready to stand in front of the machines because that's how strongly they want to protect our beach. Personally and professionally, I believe in this project. This is habitat and resource restoration. It has added benefit of being all for the public domain, but completely privately funded. It is a win-win on multiple levels. Resort and property owners have developed the plan of over years of community meeting, and they're pitching in about $11 million for the project, which could begin in about a year. You can read more about their proposal at hawai-newsnow.com. All right, well, happy Wednesday, everybody. We're going to start out by taking a live look outside. A week ago, we were talking about Fausto. Fausto has now fallen apart if you look outside compared to some of the models that we saw last week. It's very sunny. We are still seeing impacts from post-tropical cyclone Fausto. We've got 85 degree temperatures, but the added humidity, it feels like 91 outside. It feels very warm out there. Also, southwesternly winds around 10 miles per hour at the airport. There's Fausto. Again, it's a remnant low just off to the northeast of us. You can still kind of see the circulation with this system. but we're still seeing some impacts. We've got a large surf on east facing shores, a high surf advisory for all east facing shores, except for Caho, Lanai, and Niihau. It's going to be up until 6 p.m. on Wednesday. Winds all over the place. These are going to get pretty breezy going into Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. We'll give you the breakdown on that coming up. Thanks so much, Drew.

A Big Island family chased from their home by flames earlier this week is filled with gratitude after receiving support from their community. And as Raquel Kahlo reports, their spirits are also lifted by what they found in the ashes. Investigators have not determined a cause of Sunday night's fire in South Kona. The home had become a refuge for a family who suffered a terrible loss five years ago. In 2021, we lost our daughter to suicide. So we moved in there and it was like... peace for us. Lena a la Slight Home was one of seven family members who lived in this home on Ho'okinastry. They heard popping noises Sunday night, then escaped within seconds as flames swallowed the house. By the time I got out there, my daughter-in-law and our granddaughters ran outside too. The fire was so hot that I had to jump into the passenger side of our truck. to try to move them. We had picked up our daughter from them, from my brother-in-law, who does live in the house. And about 30 minutes later, she had called us with the news and had said that everything was gone and the house had burned down. Everyone inside made it out safely. But one dog suffered burns and a cat is still missing. And nearly everything the family owned was destroyed. I had a lot of special things of hers, like cute things like her bento box or. her hydroflask, her glasses. And I think that was the hardest part for me. But while searching through the rubble, they found something they never expected. And I went into my closet and I had handprints of hers. And in this burnt box, my son opened it up. There's like it's burnt all the way around the paper. But just her right and left hand prints survived that. So it was wet. But. They were there. She also recovered her late father's class ring and her wedding rings. They're such giving people. My in laws, they've been there for many people. Just seeing them get all of that in return is very heartwarming. We've had donations of clothes. We have food, monetary donations. I just feel like there's so many other people that are more deserving than we are. But we are just really truly grateful. As they begin rebuilding, the family says the support they've received from neighbors and friends has reminded them even after a tragedy. They're not alone. Raquel Kahlo, Hawaii News Now. The power is still loud at Topa Financial Center in downtown Honolulu. The trouble began last week Thursday when a leak in an AC-chiller knocked out the building's electrical system. Property owner, Avalon Group, says it expects the Fort Street Tower to reopen in a couple weeks, but the Bishop Street Tower won't be ready for a month. One attorney we spoke with had to walk up and down 20 flights of stairs. The down part wasn't as hard as the up part, though, and yes, I am out of breath. pouring out a lot of perspiration and my heart rate is probably above where my doctor would approve. So we're trying to make do as best we can. We realize, you know, it was, you know, an accident in the building, bursted pipes and flooding. So sometimes those things you can't get around them.

Avalon says it is helping tenants with temporary office space at the nearby Davies Pacific Center and working on interim solutions to power elevators and lights. Right now, all tenants can still access their suites to remove items. Confusion in the East Honolulu City Council race after a judge ruled council chair Tommy Waters ineligible to run for re-election. Will there be a re-vote since voting by mail has already started or Mahalani Richardson has been trying to find answers? A statement from the City Corporation Council this afternoon said the city clerk is awaiting Judge Ashford's written order and judgment and does not intend to appeal his ruling. So what's next for East Honolulu voters? We just don't know. Today we saw ballots from the drop boxes and USPS coming in to a secure city elections transfer site near Honolulu's airport for signature verification and pre-processing. Then they're sent to the state capital for scanning. On Monday, the judge said council chair Tommy Waters could not run for a third term. After longtime rival, former councilman Trevor Ozawa had filed a lawsuit. Waters said he planned to appeal. Two other candidates for the district four seats say they've been flooded with... with questions. I think it's an upheaval because this is a little bit of an orchestrated delay in justice. This should have been nipped at the bud last year, in my opinion, when Mr. Rogers, Chair Waters came out and even announced it. A lot of buzz going around and yeah, I say a lot of confusion. I think what's... Fares for the voters would be a special election, but in terms of what the law calls for, I'm not an expert. Government watchdogs are crying foul. We are seemingly two weeks away from the primary election, and voters don't have answers right now as to who's going to be on the ballot, how they're going to do it, or if they're going to do anything different. How is anybody supposed to trust an election process like that? Mayor Blangiardi says he was surprised and addressed his strained relationship with Waters. Corporation counsel, the very people who represent me, represented Chair Waters, and they told me they felt like they did a great job and made the argument really strong. So honestly, I was very surprised. And look, I... Tommy Waters and I have had a pretty good relationship for five and a half years. The last couple of months have been pretty rough, so I don't want to talk about anybody when I'm still angry. We are examining the implications of the ruling. No, I haven't been through anything like this before. Let's just be. I've only been doing this for a quarter century. Honolulu election administrator Rex Kadia remembers in 2002. Congresswoman Patsy Mank died after winning the primary election. Her name remained on the ballot, and she won the general election. posthumously, leading to a special election where Ed Case won. Now, we also contacted the state chief elections officer, Scott Nago, who said we don't comment on ongoing litigation. Mahailani Richardson, Hawaii News now. The explosive indictment in the bribery scandal is now sparking calls at the Capitol for a special legislative session. Lynn Colano shows us what lawmakers want addressed and why they say it's directly tied to the case.

A bill to ban government contractors from donating to politicians nearly made it to the finish line last session. Some lawmakers say the indictment show it can't wait until next session. There are new calls for lawmakers to return to the Capitol for a special session focused on Senate Bill 2530, a campaign finance reform measure. This bill calls for the banning of government contractor donations and donations from their immediate family members to political candidates. We all know it's meant to influence. You can raise money, but what this does is eliminate. State contractors, people who can directly benefit from that influence of giving money. The effort follows Friday's alleged bribery conspiracy indictments of Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke, current and former state employees, and contractor Toby Soledom, whose company made millions from government-funded COVID-19 testing. SB 2530 had House support last session but died in the Senate as some questioned how much of the contractor's family tree should be included in the ban. So we are not far apart. It would take some negotiations. We can go in and have a very tight... very focused, five, six day special session, and we can close a contractor loophole. Government contracts can be very lucrative. And so by stopping this government contractor loophole and closing that gap, we are able to make sure that legislators are not being influenced. Special sessions are rare and usually happen in an emergency situation. To address something that simply can't wait. because of some deadline or because of some pending crisis. There are some lingering differences between the House and the Senate about this bill. You wouldn't want to call a special session only to have that debate again if these haven't been ironed out. State law requires the governor to call a special session, but lawmakers can force one with two-thirds of the membership requesting it. I'm Lynn Cawano, Hawaii News Now.

And let the splendor of holiness shine in you so that when the chief shepherd appears, you may merit to receive an unfailing crown of glory. Jesuit father, Michael Thomas Tupolkastore, is the new bishop of the diocese of Honolulu. The 65-year-old, originally from California, was installed yesterday during a three-hour mass at the Cathedral of St. Teresa on School Street. He is Honolulu's sixth bishop, replacing Bishop Larry Silva, who resigned earlier this year. Bishop Castori's coat of arms was designed by his sister, and his motto is, Ehikimai Koalpuni, which means thy kingdom come. Coming up today at 1230, it's covering the cost with me, Annalisa Burgos. Don't forget to catch covering the cost on the HNN streaming app available on Roku, Apple TV, or Amazon Fire. Weather in Hawaii differs island by island, neighborhood by neighborhood, and at times hour by hour. No matter where you are or where you're headed, make sure you have the free Hawaii News Now First Alert Weather app so you can be ready for your day. Available in the app store and Google Play.

Animal rights advocates are outraged after a calf was killed during a Maui rodeo. Event organizers say it was an accident. Ali Duclo reports. The calf was killed during the popular 4th of July Makawa rodeo. It was all caught on camera, but we're not showing the moment the animal died out of sensitivity. You got it. He's got a clean horn shot. A crowded Oski Rice Arena. Was the last thing this baby cow saw before being killed? This horrific video shows a calf violently wrapped around a pole by the neck and evidently killed after being roped in this rodeo. The people for the ethical treatment of animals sent us the video, citing Hawaii state law prohibiting reckless bodily harm to animals and condemning all rodeos. Eda regularly receives reports of animals exploited by rodeos who have suffered broken necks, legs, or backs. Rodeos consider these animals to be cheap, expendable, and replaceable. But that's not how Maui's rodeo community says they view their livestock. The loss of any animal is very concerning and deeply. concerning to everyone involved. We don't condone any use of anything that's going to hurt. Right. Or, you know, anything, these animals. The event organizers want to make it clear that the killing was an accident, and they have clear guidelines and safeguards to prevent animal deaths and injuries. In 40 years of rodeo, I had not seen... a run like that. It was, you know, and it wasn't the contestant. If nobody does this on purpose. PETA is not convinced by the rodeo's protections and sent a letter to the county prosecutor's office calling for an investigation and charges. This calf's death rises to the level of reckless cruelty to animals. Rodeo leaders point out they have their own penalties for participants who violate their animal protection rules, and they're looking into more safety measures for the livestock involved. There was no intentional abuse or mistreatment of the animal. It was an accident. All the precautions were put in place, and it was unfortunate. Maui County Prosecuting Attorney Andrew Martin told H&N that his office received the letter and a link to the video and that they're currently reviewing the matter. Aali Iduklo, Hawaii News now. And stick around. Coming up after the break, we've got your full first alert weather forecast. Fausto, now a remnant low. The details of how it's still impacting us coming up.

We all know Hawaii is packed with talented athletes with big stories to tell. This is Mark Carpenter, and I invite you to check out the long game podcast. It's a weekly talk story with influential figures from legends to rising stars. Catch a long game on the H&N streaming app or wherever you get your podcast. Now, first alert weather with Drew Davis. All right, well, happy Wednesday, everybody. Again, we've been watching Fausto over the last week or so. Fausto has now fallen apart. It's no longer a tropical storm. It is a remnant low off to the north of us, still impacting us slightly. There's a couple of things. The high surf advisory that we talked about at the top of the show, that was just canceled by the National Weather Service. So that's no longer up for east-facing shores. And also a chance for some heavier showers this afternoon. We're seeing light and variable winds out there, which means we might see some pop-up sea breeze showers this afternoon. It's pretty hot outside, which will fuel some of those storms. There's Fausto. Off to the northeast of us is a remnant low, continuing to move off to the northwest. Kind of still see the circulation on the satellite imagery, but not seen much in terms of rainfall out there. We're going to be watching this to see if we see any showers this afternoon. Moving over to Maui County, you're seeing a little bit of rainfall over on Molokai, some showers over the Malka areas of Lanai, and even some showers over near Kihei on Maui. A band of moisture moving in towards the eastern side of Hawaii Island. We're going to be seeing some heavier showers getting closer to Puna over the next couple of probably the next hour or so. Not much over on Kaua, besides some cloud cover over Mount Hawaii. Aalai will likely see some showers up near Honolay and along the Malka areas of Kaua today. Now, our first alert future cast, you'll notice not much out there, but again, with these pop-up showers, they're going to be very isolated. There is the chance of them today. Right now, it's partly sunny. It's pretty nice across the state, but as we're going into this afternoon, a better chance for some rainfall. A more typical trade-win pattern going into Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Now, taking a look at the rainfall accumulation. This is what we could see in the rain gauge. Not much out there from now until Friday. Maybe some areas seeing more isolated, higher rainfall totals, but not a ton of rainfall going to the next couple of days. South facing shores around 4 to 6. East facing shores that... High Surf Advisory has dropped. Now, our seven-day forecast, we've got a real treat for you guys today. I am actually, I've done enough of these seven-day forecasts. So I'm going to bring in a friend. Jonah, come on over here. Hi. Jonah is a, give me a fistball, man. Jonah is a big fan of weather. He's loved weather since as long as he can remember. Jonah, do you want to take it away? Do you want to do the seven-day forecast for us? What can you tell me about Wednesday? Okay. On Wednesday, today, there's light wind, there are going to be showers, hot and humid. Yeah. What about Thursday? Okay, on Thursday, there's northeast.

winds to 15 miles per hour. And what about the winds on Friday and Saturday? It's going to be pretty windy, right? Yeah. Nice. All right. Up top, Jonah, that was awesome. Jonah, thank you for doing that. I'm glad you came in. We gave him a little tour of the studio. Coming up, we're going to do another weather show. The final episode of The Drew Point is today at 1.30 before my last day on Friday. Make sure to tune in. It'll be live on the H&N streaming app. Thanks, Jonah. Weather in Hawaii differs island by island, neighborhood by neighborhood, and at times hour by hour. No matter where you are or where you're headed, make sure you have the free Hawaii News Now First Alert Weather app so you can be ready for your day. Available in the app store and Google Play. All right, time for some good news now. Time for a bit of catitude. Check out this year's finalist for the International Pet Photography Awards. The entries were chosen by an international panel of judges and animal photographers. They received over 4,200 photos from nearly 50 different countries, so no shortage of entries here. Winners in a dozen categories will be announced during a live awards ceremony. This coming Saturday, head to Pet Photography Awards.com to check it out. They're doing a Zoom Awards. ceremony. Yeah, pretty neat. Mark your calendars, everyone. Have a good day. This podcast is sponsored by Long's Drugs. Download the CVS app today and make Longs a part of your day. Weather in Hawaii differs island by island, neighborhood by neighborhood, and at times hour by hour. No matter where you are or where you're headed, make sure you have the free Hawaii News Now First Alert Weather app so you can be ready for your day. Available in the app store and Google Play.