Aloha Reader,

Primary season is in full swing, and your IHSN Sunday newsletter is here with state and national news to keep you informed and ready to act. For county and local happenings, check in with your chapter. You can update your email preferences here.

We're always looking to improve - tell us what's working. There's a lot happening, so thanks to your feedback we've added a Table of Contents this week - skip to what matters most to you, and never miss what's important. Now let's get into it. 🤙

What's Inside

• National News: Courts Push Back, Cover-Ups Continue
• Ed Case Won't Debate — Five Weeks to Primary
• Della Au Belatti: Talk Story for Lieutenant Governor
• Act 11 (SB 2471): Dark Money Deep Dive
• Hawai'i Elections Commission: Recusal Controversy
• Rise Up and Sing Out — This Sunday, June 14

National News

The Cover-Ups Continue 🏛️

It was a rough week in federal court for the Trump administration. The "Anti-Weaponization Fund" was blocked, again. National Parks were ordered to restore accurate information about slavery, civil rights, and climate change — actual history and science, not curated erasure. Citizenship and Immigration Services was ordered to resume processing green cards, work permits, asylum applications, and citizenship cases for nationals of 39 countries. And to drop the $100,000 fee for H-1B visas for highly skilled workers.

But what stopped the internet cold? The order to restore the proper name of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts — because Congress named the building, and only Congress can rename it. Trump's loyalist board — stacked with cronies including former Attorney General Pam Bondi, Fox News anchor Laura Ingraham, and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles — tried a last-minute appeal to stop it. Denied. 🍿🍿🍿

Tens of thousands watched live as workers put up scaffolding, crowds gathered outside, and a rainbow appeared over the Potomac. A perfect Pride month moment🌈

So what did the MAGA board do? They covered it up. Literally. A tarp now blocks the entire name of the building — the Kennedy Center, on public land, in plain sight of the city it belongs to.

If it works for 3 million Epstein documents, why not a white marble façade? They must think we've grown so numb to corruption and cover-ups that we won't notice they actually had to obey a court order.

We are not numb — not even close. When Trump appeared on the Jumbotron at Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden Monday night, he was thunderously booed — loud and long, according to the White House press pool. He told reporters afterward it was "mostly cheers." It was not. People are watching. People are pushing back. That's what we do!

State News

Ed Case continues to hide from his voters

In Hawaiʻi, the Democratic Primary is the election — and this one is Saturday, August 8, 2026. Ballots start arriving as early as July 21. Five weeks. CD1 hasn't sent a Republican to Congress in decades. What happens on August 8 is what matters. The time to get involved is now.

Congressman Case has refused to debate Senator Jarrett Keohokalole — and the list of forums he's ducked keeps growing. PBS Hawai'i canceled its planned candidate forum after he failed to respond to the invitation. Hawaii News Now, Spotlight Hawaii, and KHON2 have all confirmed he won't be available for an in-person debate in July. A response to the Common Cause Hawai'i candidate forum remains outstanding.

Senator Keohokalole is now formally offering to fly to Washington, D.C. to debate Case at any venue, in any format, on any date of his choosing — before ballots arrive. As campaign co-chair Amy Agbayani put it: "If the Congressman cannot make the time to come home, we will bring the debate to him."

📢 Take Action: Find events and sign up to volunteer here.

📢 Take Action: Write postcards to persuadable voters in Congressional District 1. Sign up or host a party, or write from home. Questions? Email bluewave@indivisiblehawaii.org.

Della Au Belatti: Talk Story for Lieutenant Governor

Last Wednesday, Representative Della Au Belatti joined us to talk about her campaign for Lieutenant Governor. She covered affordability, good government, stopping federal overreach, sustainable tourism, housing, Ready Keiki, healthcare access, and more. She also discussed her plans to champion Act 11 (SB 2471) through any necessary court amendments — and her grassroots push to connect with voters across all the islands.

Watch the session here.

Representative Belatti has committed to refusing corporate and dark money — which means she depends on people like us. Small-dollar donations up to $100 help her qualify for partial public funding — and please note, anything over that threshold does not count toward qualification. If clean elections matter to you, here's a concrete way to show it.

Act 11 (SB 2471): Dark Money Deep Dive

Senators Keohokalole and Rhoads joined Tom Moore of the Center for American Progress for a virtual constituent meeting on Act 11 — the Sunshine Over Dark Money law that counteracts Citizens United. The recording is here.

Starting at 21:50, Senator Keohokalole speaks to how essential Indivisibles' voices were in passing this bill — and how central our Public Policy Action Group has become. This was no accident: read the full story of how Indivisible Hawai'i helped shepherd SB2471 through the legislature.

Tom Moore noted that up to 30 other states are expected to take up similar legislation next year. Hawai'i didn't just win this one — we started a national movement 😊

Hawai'i Elections Commission

Mahalo to everyone who showed up Wednesday to advocate for Judge Wiseman (retired) as chair of the Elections Commission. Several Indivisible members watched the entire six-hour meeting — and came away shocked by what they saw.

Commissioner Cushnie, himself an applicant for the chair position, participated in the interview and evaluation of other applicants rather than recusing himself. Judge Wiseman has noted that while this may be technically permissible under Hawai'i law, it directly undermines the transparency and appearance of impartiality that an elections commission and State ethics policies demand. As Judge Wiseman put it, an applicant-commissioner should recuse from any review or evaluation of competing applicants — anything less compromises public trust in the process.

No surprise, then, that the meeting ended with no chair chosen. If the June 24 meeting again fails to produce a result, the appointment falls to the Chief Justice.

Rise Up and Sing Out — This Sunday, June 14 🎶🎶

If you haven't made plans yet, now's the time. Check with your chapter about pop-ups and watch parties near you.

Right after the concert, Judith Wong of the League of Women Voters will join the Honolulu chapter for a conversation about voter access, voter registration, and election security. Anyone with questions — or anyone who's simply curious — should attend.

📢 Take Action: Register for the post-concert League of Women Voters event.

Thanks for the kind words about the new newsletter format. If you know someone who isn't yet an Indivisible member, send them to IndivisibleHawaii.org to sign up.

See you at Rise Up and Sing Out! 🎶

Sam Guckenheimer​ ​Editorial Lead ​Want to support our work? Donate here​ ​ ​​​​​​

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