“Top stories and breaking news from Hawaii, across the state, and around the world.”
Views expressed in this Hawaii and U.S. News update are those of the reporters and correspondents.
Accessed on 28 January 2026, 1334 UTC.
Content and Source: “Honolulu Star-Advertiser.”
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Russ Roberts (https://hawaiinewsjournal.com).
Wednesday, January 28, 2026 68°Today’s Paper
Breaking News
Get the latest top stories and breaking news today from Hawaii, across the nation and around the world.
Bill Belichick fails to make NFL Hall of Fame on first ballot
According to ESPN, Belichick was informed Friday that he did not reach the threshold of 40 out of 50 votes from the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. Read more
U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar attacked at town hall in Minneapolis
The Minneapolis police said the man, whom they later identified as Anthony J. Kazmierczak, 55, was arrested and booked into jail on suspicion of assault. Read more
Teens seriously injured when e-bike crashes in Ewa Beach
Under Hawaii law, the minimum age to ride a low-speed e-bike is 15 years old, with helmets mandatory for riders under age 18. Read more
Woman killed, 6 hurt after vehicle rear-ends pickup truck on H-1
This was Oahu’s fifth traffic fatality this year, compared with six at the same time in 2025. Read more
Kahala fire was caused by overloaded surge protector
The estimated damage is $664,000 to the structure and its contents. Read more
Dollar reaches 4-year low as Trump says currency’s value is ‘great’
The dollar’s recent weakness stems from multiple factors: expectations of continued Federal Reserve rate cuts, tariff uncertainty, policy volatility including threats to Fed independence and rising fiscal deficits, all of which have eroded investor confidence in U.S. economic stability. Read more
Trump in Iowa touts economy as protests roil neighboring Minnesota
The Republican president traveled to Iowa to rally his stalwart rural supporters in a state that hosts key congressional races in November. Mounting stress in the farm economy and delays in biofuel policy are testing the patience of farmers and renewable-fuel producers. Read more
Troop casualties in Ukraine war near 2 million, study finds
The Center for Strategic and International Studies study says nearly 1.2 million Russian troops and close to 600,000 Ukrainian troops had been killed or wounded or were missing. Read more
John John Florence extends sabbatical from surfing’s Championship Tour
Florence confirmed today that he would sit out 2026 to continue an extended global sailing expedition with his family. Read more
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NOAA asks mariners to watch out for entangled humpback whale
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is asking Maui’s on-water community to be on the lookout for Palette so that trained teams can help her. Read more
S&P 500 marks closing record as corporate earnings roll in
The S&P 500 touched a record high and angled for its fifth advance in a row on Tuesday with a mixed reception for the latest earnings reports and a steep selloff in health insurers countering optimism ahead of megacap reports. Read more
NTSB: FAA repeatedly failed before fatal D.C. air collision
The FAA safety culture is badly in need of reform and the agency did not act on a recommendation to move helicopter traffic away from Reagan, the board said during a day-long hearing. Read more
UPS to eliminate 30K more jobs as Amazon volume cuts accelerate
Shares of the company, which also announced fourth-quarter results that topped Wall Street estimates and forecast a surprise rise in annual revenue, rose 4% in midday trading. Shares of FedEx gained 2.6%. Read more
Trump administration sued over 2 deaths in Venezuela boat strike
Civil rights lawyers filed the lawsuit in Boston’s federal court, marking the first court challenge to one of the 36 U.S. missile strikes on vessels in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean authorized by President Donald Trump’s administration that have killed at least 125 people since September. Read more
Winter storm kills dozens in central and eastern U.S.
Ten of the storm’s fatal victims were in New York City, where temperatures were the coldest they had been in eight years, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at a news conference on Tuesday, when the low hit 8 degrees Fahrenheit. Read more
Hilo man, 37, dies in apparent drowning off Naalehu
At 2:10 p.m. Saturday, Kau patrol officers and Hawaii Fire Department personnel responded to Whittington Beach Park after a diver was reported missing. Read more
Bicyclist, 50, injured in Sand Island Parkway hit-and-run
An unidentified motorist traveling south hit a man riding a bicycle then continued driving south without stopping to render aid or provide information, according to police. Read more
Police investigating gunshots fired from car in Halawa
The unknown suspect allegedly fired multiple rounds from a vehicle before fleeing the area prior to police arrival. Read more
U.S. ICE agents to support security at Olympics, stirring anger in Italy
ICE and Border Patrol agents have come under heavy criticism in the United States after federal agents fatally shot two U.S. citizens in separate incidents this month in Minnesota. Read more
TikTok settles social media addiction lawsuit before landmark trial
The case is the first in a series of lawsuits expected to be heard this year against Meta, YouTube, Snap and TikTok. Read more
U.S. population growth slows sharply as immigration plunges
The nation’s population increased by about 1.8 million over the year, and stood at 331.5 million on July 1, the estimates say. That is a growth rate of about 0.5%, the lowest since 2021. Read more
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U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar attacked at town hall in Minneapolis
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