Neil Abercrombie News

Hawaii's two U.S. senators, Daniel Inouye and Daniel Akaka, are in strong support of President Barack Obama's plan to add 30,000 troops to the Afghanistan war.

WASHINGTON Hawaii's congressional delegation reacted Tuesday afternoon to President Obama's strategy speech on Afghanistan.

Hawaii may be the birthplace of President Barack Obama and one of the nation's Democratic strongholds, but Republicans have picked Honolulu as the site of their winter national committee meeting.

A recent letter initiated by a bipartisan coalition of eight anti-war Congress members urges President Obama to reconsider his choice of further military escalation in Afghanistan.

One of the highest ranking education officials in the country is touring some of Hawaii's public schools.

Hawaii's congressional leaders on Tuesday issued statements supporting President Barack Obama's plan to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan.

HERBERT A. SAMPLE Federal education official visits Hawaii schools, urges end to teacher furloughs HONOLULU - HONOLULU a ' A top aide to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on Monday began a weeklong trip to Hawaii, Guam and American Samoa to glean ideas and concerns about education reform from school officials, parents and politicians.

If You Hate the Bowl Championship Series. . . . . . now you can blame George Bush : College Football's Bowl Championship Series has turned to Ari Fleischer, the former press secretary to President George W. Bush, to spiff up its image.

Sen. Tom Coburn is against earmarking altogether. President Obama has declared war on "earmarks," funding for special projects that end up costing taxpayers billions.

A couple of weeks ago, The Agenda reported that a measure intended to extend recently enacted consumer credit card protections to small business borrowers had been stymied by none other than the chair of the House Small Business Committee, Representative Nydia VelA zquez.

The new head of the Honolulu Police Department will likely be chosen today, despite criticism of the selection process and calls by City Council members to delay a decision.

U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye has not endorsed a candidate for governor in 2010, but his staff does not dispute Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann's claim that the senator has urged him to run.

Mayor Mufi Hannemann took a step closer toward officially entering the race for governor last night as he hosted a $500-a-ticket fundraiser to fuel his campaign.

Political leaders are supporting Gov. Linda Lingle's proposal to end Furlough Fridays next year by changing the public school teachers' labor contract and raiding the state rainy day fund.

The 2011 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders meeting in Honolulu will be the largest intergovernmental meeting of world leaders in the state's history, according to the president of the East-West Center, who played a key role in coordinating the bid.

School's out for Fridays. Hawaii's 256 public schools have switched to a four-day school week as part of statewide cost cuts.

Last week, small-business advocates once more tried, and failed, to get new consumer protections for credit cards extended to small-business cardholders.

By Ben Pershing Less than a week after the deadly shootings at Fort Hood, multiple congressional probes of the incident have already begun to take shape.

Small businesses make up around 98 percent of all Hawaii businesses. Most of them rely heavily on part-timers. But some, including Nalo Farms may be forced to cut these workers.

While local Democrats waxed ecstatic over the House's passage of a $1.2 trillion health care bill, one Republican state senator sees no cause for celebration.