Officials in Hawaii and beyond are looking for answers after a false missile notification sent most of its 1.4 million residents into a panic this weekend.
Rep. Colleen Hanabusa (D-HI) told Cheddar that many constituents assumed that the missile was coming from North Korea. If that were the case, it would’ve only taken 20 minutes before it hit Hawaiian land.
“But we took 38 minutes to withdraw this, and not everyone got notice, which is part of the problem,” she said. “What I’m hearing more and more is were we really prepared? Why wasn’t someone watching the screen? Why wasn’t it retracted?”
FCC chairman Ajit Pai has opened on investigation into the incident, saying the state didn’t have “reasonable safeguards” in place to stop the false alert from being sent.
The ominous alert, which didn’t reach all Hawaiians, encouraged residents to seek shelter from an inbound ballistic missile, but gave no specifics. Hanabusa says that early Saturday was "really pandemonium."
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/rep-colleen-hanabusa-d-hi-wonders-if-her-state-was-prepared-for-an-attack).
While Donald Trump stated he would be willing to pardon Capitol Hill insurrectionists should he return to the presidency, the January 6 Committee issued subpoenas to 14 individuals who cast bogus electoral votes for the former president in seven states won by Joe Biden in 2020. Molly Jong-Fast, editor-at-large at The Daily Beast, joined Cheddar News to discuss the ongoing congressional investigation. "It is kind of crazy that every time Trump speaks, he kind of confesses a little more of what he was up to, but you really have to have proof," said Jong-Fast.
Natalie Fertig, federal cannabis policy reporter at Politico Pro, joins Cheddar News to discuss a new YouGov poll that looks at how Americans feel about marijuana and politics.
Alex Ward, National Security Reporter at Politico, joined Wake Up With Cheddar to discuss the latest in a looming international threat as Russia continues aggression against Ukraine, in defiance of Western nations.
The recent Virginia and New Jersey elections are making one trend line pretty clear: voters in this climate will vote on education, and it could be a winning tactic for Republicans.
Virginia's race for governor was defined by, as the Republican candidate and eventual winner described it, "school-choice." Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is taking a page out of Governor Youngkin's playbook for his upcoming reelection bid, over-indexing on themes of education. John Kennedy, Florida capital reporter at Gannett, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
North Korea launched its sixth missile test this month, equaling the total number performed in all of 2021. Cheddar News speaks with Bruce Klinger of the Heritage Foundation on why the regime is suddenly ramping up its weapons testing program.
More than 80 lawmakers are calling for President Biden to release a memo outlining the legal pros and cons regarding the president's authority to cancel student loan debt, the total of which sits around $1.75 trillion. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.), joined Cheddar to discuss the memo and support the push to forgive student debt that could potentially have a massive positive impact on the U.S. economy. "I think that would be really helpful for all of us to be able to see as we figure out how we can go forward," she said. "It seems like a simple thing to do, and I hope that the administration will release this memo." For her part, Sen. Smith said she believes the president does have the authority to abolish student loan debt.
Dr. Celeste González de Bustamante, professor and director of the Center for Border and Global Journalism at the Univerity of Arizona, and Dr. Jeannine E. Relly, professor and director of Global Initiatives at the Center for Border and Global Journalism at the University of Arizona, join Cheddar News to discuss the recent journalist killings in Mexico.
