Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

We Now Know Why Senator Mazie Hirono Made an E-Mail From Brett Kavanaugh About Native Hawaiians Public, and It's All About Alaska

We Now Know Why Senator Mazie Hirono Made an E-Mail From Brett Kavanaugh About Native Hawaiians Public, and It's All About Alaska
Credit: C-SPAN

Playing the long game.

Democratic Senator Mazie Hirono (HI) is on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and as such has been front and center in the questioning of Brett Kavanaugh during his Supreme Court confirmation hearings.

Yesterday, Hirono made waves when she tweeted previously "committee confidential" emails from Kavanaugh revealing his troubling views on the status of native Hawaiians, who, Kavanaugh felt, do not qualify for certain government benefits as they do not qualify as "Indigenous people."


Kavanaugh wrote:

"any programs targeting Native Hawaiians as a group...is of questionable authority under the Constitution."

This set the stage for a Hirono's comprehensive questioning of Kavanaugh both about this email and about an opinion piece he wrote called Are Hawaiians Indians? 

At the end of her questioning, she concluded that Kavanaugh's hostility toward the notion that Native Hawaiians do in fact qualify as "indigenous people" would have resonance in another state as well:

"Your argument raises a serious question about how you would rule on the constitutionality of programs benefitting Alaskan Natives. I think my colleagues from Alaska should be deeply troubled by your views."

You can watch the full smackdown below:

But while she says "my Alaska colleagues" it's likely that she has an audience of one here, namely Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who is widely seen as a potential Republican No vote on Kavanaugh.

Here's some context:

Under the Hawaii Admission Act of 1959, Lands originally belonging to the Hawaiian monarchy then stolen by U.S. forces were ceded from federal control and back to the state of Hawaii for "the betterment of the conditions of the native Hawaiians."

Forty years later, Kavanaugh implied in his op-ed that because native Hawaiians are dispersed throughout the state rather than on reservations or in sects, they are undeserving of benefits extended to Native Americans.

Notably, Native Alaskans were also granted land and benefits with the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. By extension, the views Kavanaugh has expressed on indigenous peoples of Hawaii could reasonably be seen as a threat to indigenous peoples of Alaska as well. Hirono pointed this out, asserting that "her colleagues from Alaska should be deeply troubled."

Hirono's assertions that Alaskans should be troubled is adding even more pressure on Murkowski to block the confirmation:

It wasn't the only time Democrats of the Senate Judiciary Committee seemed to be systematically evoking concerns of Murkowski and a certain other Republican.

Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) is thought to be the second vital Republican in blocking Kavanaugh's appointment. Now, Democrats are putting the pressure on her as well, with one PAC raising over 500,000 dollars to Collins's opponent in the next election should she vote to confirm Kavanaugh.

Collins has previously stated that an anti-abortion justice would be "unacceptable." Yet when faced with a leaked Kavanaugh email from 2003 in which he appeared to contradict his repeated assurances that Roe v. Wade was settled law, Collins downplayed the revelation:

I am told that he was editing an op-ed for clarity and was merely stating a fact that three judges on the court were anti-Roe. If that’s the case then, and it’s not expressing his view, then I’m not sure what the point is.”

The statement has disturbed Democrats.

But hope, however far-fetched, is not dead for some.

The Senate Judiciary Committee has now embarked on the fourth day of the Kavanaugh hearing. It's untold how much additional pressure from Democrats will be needed for Murkowski and Collins to be convinced.

More from News

Screenshots from Dove's ad featuring transgender women
Dove

'One Million Moms' Calls For Dove Boycott Over Hair Care Ad Featuring Trans Woman

The vehemently transphobic conservative group One Million Moms (OMM)—an arm of the Christian fundamentalist nonprofit American Family Association (AFA)—called for a boycott of Dove products after the company featured a transgender woman in an advertisement for their Damage Therapy Intensive Repair Conditioner.

The ad garnered attention after it was shared by the social media account Libs of TikTok—run by the anti-LGBTQ+ conservative Chaya Raichik—which described the ad as an example of "another woke company trying to erase women."

Keep ReadingShow less
Alyssa Milano; Julian McMahon
Michael Kovac/Elton John AIDS Foundation/Getty Images; Marcus Ingram/The Surfer/Getty Images

Alyssa Milano Shares Poignant Tribute To 'TV Husband' Julian McMahon After His Death At 56

Actor Julian McMahon lost his battle with cancer at the age of 56 earlier this week, and to say that the Charmed, Nip/Tuck, and Fantastic Four actor touched many lives would be an understatement.

When the news of McMahon's passing went public, his Charmed costar and "TV wife" Alyssa Milano came forward and expressed her sadness and condolences on Instagram. The pair were a favorite couple on Charmed, and it was clear from her post that their care for each other extended beyond the screen.

Keep ReadingShow less

People Who Slept With Their Best Friend Describe The Aftermath

When two people have a deep and meaningful friendship, the question might eventually come up of whether or not they could be more. Agreeing that their friendship might deserve more, they might try to date or at least explore physical intimacy.

But crossing that line carries with it consequences, and it's only once the pair crosses that line that they'll find out if crossing it was good or bad.

Keep ReadingShow less
child writing on chalkboard
Leonardo Toshiro Okubo on Unsplash

Bilingual People Explain Which Words They're Surprised Don't Exist In English

According to one report, approximately 3.3 billion people worldwide—43 % of the population—are multilingual, meaning they speak at least two languages. According to the last Census, 21.6% of people in the United States speak more than one language, while in the United Kingdom, the number is 36%.

More multilingual people speak English as a second language than English speakers who have learned another language besides English. Worldwide, people who learned English as a first language rate among the lowest in multilingual rates.

Keep ReadingShow less
Andrew Garfield at the 2025 Glastonbury Festival
Harry Durrant/Getty Images

Andrew Garfield meets fan with wild tweet!

American actor Andrew Garfield had a funny yet awkward reunion with a fan from a viral “Thirst Tweet” featured on Buzzfeed Celeb.

The Thirst Tweet compilation shows celebrities reading a collection of scandalous tweets from fans commenting on their looks, attractiveness, and sex appeal. Blushing stars include James McAvoy, Renee Rapp, Keanu Reeves, Anthony Mackie, and more recently, Brad Pitt and Javier Bardem, as they promote F1 the Movie that was released in theaters last week.

Keep ReadingShow less