WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday weighs a challenge to a Hawaii gun restriction dubbed the “vampire rule” because, as with the fictional creatures in folk tales and the novel “Dracula,” people carrying firearms are required to seek permission before entering private property.
The justices will weigh whether the requirement, enacted in 2023 as part of a broader gun law, violates the Constitution’s Second Amendment, which protects the right to bear arms.
The Supreme Court’s conservative majority regularly backs gun rights.
Although in most states the law assumes that people can enter private properties while armed if they have a concealed carry permit, several states have joined Hawaii in flipping that rule. The others are New York, New Jersey, Maryland and California.
The Hawaii measure concerns a host of private properties that are generally open to the public, such as gas stations, stores and restaurants. Lower courts have partly blocked other provisions of the law that impose different restrictions on where people can take guns.
People who violate the private property provision can face up to a year in prison.
The law was challenged by three gun owners with concealed carry licenses, Maui residents Jason Wolford, Alison Wolford and Atom Kasprzycki, as well as the Hawaii Firearms Coalition, a gun rights group. The Trump administration has filed a brief backing the challengers.
A federal judge earlier blocked the private property provision, but the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in the state’s favor in a September 2024 ruling.
Gun rights advocates say the “vampire rule” effectively nullifies the right to carry a firearm in public, which the Supreme Court endorsed in a major 2022 ruling that found for the first time that the right to bear arms under the Constitution’s Second Amendment extends outside the home.
“Hawaii’s intent to eliminate the right to carry is both self-evident and illegitimate,” lawyers for the challengers said in court papers.
Hawaii and gun control advocates stress the state’s separate interest in protecting property rights, which are also enshrined in the Constitution.
“Since our founding as a nation, private property rights have been foundational to American identity and embedded throughout our system of government and our Constitution,” Douglas Letter, chief legal officer at the gun control group Brady, told reporters last week.
The 2022 Supreme Court ruling led both to a surge of new gun laws being passed and a wave of new challenges to long-standing firearms restrictions.
In its most recent Second Amendment case, the court in 2024 appeared to backtrack somewhat on that 2022 ruling, upholding a federal law that prohibits people subject to domestic violence restraining orders from possessing firearms.
The justices are hearing another gun case in March, on whether a federal law that bars users of illegal drugs from possessing firearms is unconstitutional. Hunter Biden, the former president’s son, was convicted under that law before his father pardoned him.
The concept of vampires not being able to enter properties without consent was popularized in Bram Stoker’s classic book “Dracula,” in which one of the characters, professor Van Helsing, states: “He may not enter anywhere at the first, unless there be someone of the household who bid him to come.”
– Liverpool center back Ibrahima Konaté remains a way off signing a new contract, reports Teamtalk. Konate believes he should be among the highest-paid defenders in the Premier League, causing an issue with signing a contract extension. However, Teamtalk also report that Liverpool have a replacement in mind. The club are interested in Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven, even though any deal would likely have to invovle a significant transfer fee. Real Madrid are also keeping tabs on the Netherlands international’s situation.
– Arsenal are willing to part ways with striker Gabriel Jesus. The Daily Mail reports that Palmeiras are interested in the 28-year-old, but it is said that he would prefer to be given until the end of the season to prove himself. Meanwhile, The Sun reports that Arsenal are looking at 19-year-old Real Madrid defender Víctor Valdepeñas. They are reported to be among several top clubs that have sent scouts to watch him after he made his debut in the LaLiga match against Alaves last month. Valdepenas is able to be deployed at center-back as well as full-back.
– Uncertainty is growing regarding the future of Atletico Madrid forward Julián Álvarez, according to journalist Matteo Moretto. It is reported that clubs are checking on the 25-year-old’s situation, who has recently been linked to Barcelona. The Blaugrana believe that a deal could be difficult to secure for Álvarez given Atleti’s expected valuation, but they are prepared to make a move if there is a willingness to negotiate. Fabrizio Romano reports that the LaLiga club are “closely following” Paris Saint-Germain forward Gonçalo Ramos as a signing for the summer, which could see the 24-year-old Portugal international lined up as a potential replacement for Álvarez should he leave the Wanda Metropolitano.
– Al Hilal midfielder Rúben Neves is open to a switch to Manchester United, per Football Insider. The 28-year-old’s representatives are said to have made contact with United regarding a potential switch to Old Trafford, and there is a possibility that they make a move for him before the transfer window closes. Elsewhere, manager Michael Carrick is keen to keep hold of midfielder Kobbie Mainoo,according to Fabrizio Romano. Despite previous reports indicating that he could be sent out on loan, he is believed to have earned the “instant trust” of the Man United interim head coach. Mainoo played 90 minutes of the 2-0 Premier League win over Manchester City on Saturday.
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Ogden questions how Slot will deal with Mo Salah’s Liverpool return
Mark Ogden talks about Arne Slot’s future at Liverpool with Mohamed Salah’s return from AFCON imminent.
DONE DEALS
– Bournemouth have signed Hungary midfielder Alex Toth a reported £10.4m.
EXPERT TAKE
Is Man City’s signing of defender Marc Guéhi a shrew signing or an unnessary premium? ESPN’s Nedum Onouha gives his take:
I think Abdukodir Khusanov has done well. Max Alleyne has done well, but to bring in a full England international at this point of the season. Yes, the premium is paying £20m for him and maybe he would have come at the end of the season. But the necessity is there now. If they want to be successful at the end of the season, they can’t really afford to have that [weaknesses] come March and April time when push comes to shove.
One thing about City’s defence is that John Stones, Nathan Aké, they are getting a little bit older than you’d hope when building a team for the future. But Guehi, in his mid-20s, is a great signing not just for now but for the future as well.
OTHER RUMORS
– Marseille are trying to sign Arsenal teen Ethan Nwaneri on loan for rest of season. (The Athletic)
– Barcelona are keen on Real Sociedad goalkeeper Alex Remiro. (Mundo Deportivo)
– Napoli have been offered the chance to sign Chelsea winger Raheem Sterling on loan. (Nicolo Schira)
– The €15m permanent option clause in the loan deal of Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji is expected to be activated by Internazionale. (Fabrizio Romano)
– Atletico Madrid have identified Atalanta midfielder Ederson as a potential replacement for Conor Gallagher, who joined Tottenham Hotspur this month. (Mundo Deportivo)
– Girona are set to sign Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen on an initial loan deal. (Marca)
– A switch away from Anfield is expected for Liverpool winger Federico Chiesa in the summer. (The Times)
– Fenerbahce are continuing their pursuit of Al-Ittihad midfielder N’Golo Kanté. (Fabrizio Romano)
– Schalke and Paris FC are battling to sign Fiorentina striker Edin Džeko. (Florian Plettenberg)
– Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest, and Leeds are interested in Fenerbahce defender Jayden Oosterwolde. (The Sun)
– An approach for Al-Ahli midfielder Franck Kessié is under consideration from Juventus. (Calciomercato)
– Wolves and Crystal Palace are leading the race to sign Chelsea defender Axel Disasi. (Ekrem Konur)
– Multiple clubs including Everton and Newcastle are interested in Genoa versatile wing-back Brooke Norton-Cuffy. A deal worth €20m would be enough to land the England youth international. (Ben Jacobs)
– Cruzeiro are demanding an offer worth in the region of €15m for left-back Kaiki, who is on the radar of Como. (Fabrizio Romano)
– A move for Atletico Madrid midfielder Thiago Almada is being considered by Galatasaray. (Foot Mercato)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Thousands gathered across New Mexico on Monday to honor and recognize the life and legacy of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. A local non-profit Vizionzs Sinkofa, hosted a special screening of the famous ‘I Have A Dream’ speech, teaching a group of young African refugee students about black history in the […]
President Trump continued his push for the U.S. to take over Greenland, telling the prime minister of Norway his perceived snub for the Nobel Peace Prize meant he no longer feels obligated to “think only of peace.” The prize is awarded by the private Nobel Institute, not the Norwegian government. Ed O’Keefe has more, and then Holly Williams joins with analysis.
Any hope the Golden State Warriors had of making a run into the postseason might have just come to an abrupt halt as Jimmy Butler went down Monday night with what is said to be a torn right ACL, according an ESPN report citing sources, in a game against the Miami Heat.
With 7:41 left in the third quarter, Brandin Podziemski tried to float a post entry pass over the top to Butler, who had his man sealed; however, as he went up for the catch, Davion Mitchell collided with Butler, who came down awkwardly on his right leg.
The immediate pain felt by Butler and the seriousness of the injury were obvious.
One can hear Butler scream in pain immediately, and he was unable to put any weight on the leg as teammates helped him to the locker room.
All the Warriors said on Monday night is that Butler suffered a “knee injury,” though by early Tuesday morning Shams Charania reported that sources have said that it was an ACL tear in his right knee, an injury that would end his season.
If Butler’s season is in fact over, Golden State’s campaign would be as well. The Warriors were already going to have to go on a big second-half run to crawl above the play-in line, but without Butler, who was in the middle of a terrific season, there is no chance they can do anything in the playoffs, even if they were to somehow qualify. Aside from monitoring Butler’s status, this development figures to impact Golden State’s approach to the Feb. 5 trade deadline.
YOU’RE WATCHING KOAT ACTION SEVEN NEWS ALBUQUERQUE POLICE ARRESTING A MAN WHO THEY SAY STOLE MORE THAN $50,000 IN METAL AND COPPER PIPING FROM AN AVIATION COMPANY. POLICE SAY JOSE LUIS QUEZADA, ALONG WITH ANOTHER SUSPECT, BROKE INTO ECLIPSE AVIATION IN NOVEMBER BY CUTTING THROUGH A FENCE AND USING POWER TOOLS TO DISMANTLE AN HVAC UNIT TO REMOVE THE METAL INSIDE. THE COMPANY PAID 120,000 TO REPLACE IT AND 20,000 TO REPAIR THE FENCE. POLICE IDENTIFYING QUEZADA BY USIN
Suspect arrested in theft of copper at aviation company
Police identify Joseluis Quezada using facial recognition database.
One of two suspects who allegedly stole copper and caused damage at a local business last November has been arrested.Joseluis Quezada, and another suspect who remains at large, broke into a fenced-in area at Eclipse Aviation, 2800 Karsten Center SE, where they used tools they brought to dismantle an HVAC unit and remove its copper. Albuquerque police were able to identify Quezada using a facial recognition database with which they matched his face with a previous mug shot.The combined copper and the damage to the fence was worth an estimated $50,000. The cost of replacing the HVAC unit was $120,000, and fixing the fence cost $20,000.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. —
One of two suspects who allegedly stole copper and caused damage at a local business last November has been arrested.
Joseluis Quezada, and another suspect who remains at large, broke into a fenced-in area at Eclipse Aviation, 2800 Karsten Center SE, where they used tools they brought to dismantle an HVAC unit and remove its copper.
Albuquerque police were able to identify Quezada using a facial recognition database with which they matched his face with a previous mug shot.
The combined copper and the damage to the fence was worth an estimated $50,000. The cost of replacing the HVAC unit was $120,000, and fixing the fence cost $20,000.
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un dismissed a vice premier in charge of the country’s machine-building industry, state media reported Tuesday, in an apparent bid to strengthen discipline among senior officials ahead of the upcoming ruling Workers’ Party congress to establish new economic and other state objectives.
The Korean Central News Agency said that Kim blamed Yang Sung Ho for causing “unnecessary man-made confusion” in a speech marking the completion of a first-stage modernization project at the Ryongsong Machine Complex in the northeast on Monday.
Kim said the project suffered “not a small amount of economic loss” because of irresponsible and incompetent officials. Kim said authorities wasted “large amounts of funds and labor” and that the munitions industry sector was subsequently left with a heavier burden, according to KCNA.
Kim said he criticized Yang during a party meeting in December and watched him closely, but found that he felt no sense of responsibility at all, KCNA said.
“As of today, I declare you dismissed, comrade vice premier,” Kim said.
In recent years, Kim has pushed to overcome what he calls defeatism, irresponsibility and passiveness at economic sectors as part of efforts to address the country’s chronic economic difficulties. Kim has also occasionally publicly rebuked or fired senior officials to restore discipline or place blame on them for economic hardships and policy failures.
North Korea’s economy suffered major setbacks during the COVID-19 pandemic. South Korea’s central bank said North Korea’s economy grew 3.7 % in 2024, but many observers say the country would find it difficult to achieve major, rapid economic growth due to its devotion of scarce resources to weapons programs, its inefficient highly centralized economy and persistent international sanctions.
The Party congress, the first of its kind in five years, is likely to open later in January or February, according to South Korea’s spy service.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The distance between the frozen 50-yard line at Memorial Stadium, home to the Hoosiers of Bloomington, Indiana, to the center of the floor of Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium, where those Hoosiers did snow angels in red and white confetti celebrating a College Football Playoff national championship on Monday night, is 1,166 miles.
But it’s a hell of a lot of further than that.
It is also 715 losses, which was the most recorded by any team in the 156 years of college football. Was. It was an all-time bowl record of 3-8. Was. It was zero double-digit win seasons since 1887. Was. It was the promise of so many coaches hired — nine from 1982-2023 — brought to town with so much energy, from Lee Corso and Cam Cameron to Gerry Dinardo to Kevin Wilson to Tom Allen. All flirted with winning, all teased the fanbase with signs of success, but all ultimately left town as just another letdown with another folder full of losing records.
Was no outright Big Ten titles since 1945. Was no appearances in the Big Ten championship game. Zero weeks atop the AP Top 25 poll. No Heisman winners. No Rose Bowl wins. No national titles.
Was. Was. Was. Was.
All that came before — more accurately, all that never came before — was swept away in a wave of was on Monday night. So many years. So many games. So many moments of acceptance that, well, hell, Indiana is just never going to be good at football. Gone. Erased by way of a thrilling 27-21 victory over a resurgent college football blue blood, the Miami Hurricanes, and in Miami’s home stadium. The kid who won that Heisman won the game not with the arm that earned his accolades, but with a bulldozer 12-yard touchdown run. And a team that made its living breathlessly outscoring teams iced the victory with a red zone INT in the closing seconds.
People argue that the multiverse isn’t real. But we now live on a college football timeline where the worst program in the game’s history is now one of the most memorable national champions that history has ever witnessed.
“I know Indiana’s football history has been pretty poor with some good years sprinkled in there,” said coach Curt Cignettil, who removed his team from the top of the all-time loss rankings with a 16-0 season. “It was because there wasn’t an emphasis on football, plain and simple. It’s a basketball school. Coach [Bobby] Knight had great teams. The emphasis 1768898803 is on football. It’s on basketball, too. But you’ve got to be good in football nowadays. … We’ve got a fan base, the largest alumni base in the country, Indiana University. They’re all in. We’ve got a lot of momentum.”
Indiana. Football school. It is a truth that is hard to accept. But none of us should feel guilty about that, because the Hoosiers themselves are having a hard time with it, too.
“What I want to do right now is go back to the 1990s and tell everyone that this is going to happen, because they won’t believe it. And I know that because honestly, it’s hard for me to believe it, and I’m standing out here on the field right now,” said Adewale Ogunleye, perhaps the perfect one-man encapsulation of the Indiana football story. A three-time All-Big Ten defensive end and Indiana Athletics Hall of Famer who had an 11-year NFL career that included a first-team Pro Bowl selection. And yet from 1996-99, his four Indiana teams went 13-31 with zero bowl appearances and never finished higher than eight in the conference.
The former captain of his team and honorary captain of this team paused and pointed towards the crowd as they serenaded that Heisman winning QB, Fernando Mendoza, with ABBA’s “Fernando.”
“I love all the people who have gotten onboard with Indiana football this year and last. But what I really wish is that every single one of those old school fans who stuck it out with us back in the day, I wish we could have them all here tonight,” Ogunleye said as he sneaked a peak at his phone and grinned. The texts were rolling in from his NFL friends from the so-called football schools, including a few of the Miami “U” legends who had been on the Miami sideline but were already hitting the exits for home. “The fans who showed up on a cold Saturday in November, knowing we were going to lose to Ohio State or Michigan, all the schools these guys are texting me from right now. Those fans, the ones who showed up then, they earned this just as much as those guys up on that stage with that trophy. They deserve to be here.”
So many were. They made that 1,166 mile drive south over the weekend, many at the last minute and more than many without a ticket. A modern day version of those classic images in the film “Hoosiers.” A conga line of cars and trucks rolling down I-95 into South Florida like they were following the Hickory High bus to Indianapolis for the big game. Inspired by their teams postseason run through the throne rooms of college football royalty, beating Ohio State, Alabama, Oregon, and now a chance to topple The U it’s own backyard.
Like Harry Davis of Indianapolis, wearing a red and gold Hickory High T-shirt that he bought from the Hoosier gym in Knightstown, Indiana, where they shot the game scenes for the movie. In giant lettering on the back was Gene Hackman’s quote: “My team is on the floor.”
“I ain’t telling you how much I paid for this ticket because I don’t want my wife to read this and divorce me for irresponsible spending,” Davis said from his seat located four rows from the top of Section 345. Secondary market ticket prices for the game reached record levels thanks to the participation of the hometown Miami Hurricanes, but according to one streetside ticket seller outside of the Indiana team hotel on Sunday afternoon, “It’s because of the Indiana people.”
“But what the hell was I supposed to do?” continued Davis. “Wait and hope the prices came down next year? Do you know how long I’ve been waiting on next year to happen? You think I’m gonna wait for another one?”
Davis politely told this nosy reporter that he didn’t want to talk anymore because, well, there was game going on. Same for the Indiana fraternity guys wearing vintage 1991 Final Four T-shirts. “I took mine from my Dad’s closet. The other guys got theirs on the internet.” Same for the Johnson brothers from Terre Haute, who wore the jerseys of the two greatest pre-Mendoza Hoosiers, the quarterback from Ogunleye’s era, pre-internet dual-threat QB sensation Antwaan Randle El and the pride of Terre Haute, running back Anthony Thompson, who finished second in the 1989 Heisman race. “We went with our Dad to Wisconsin and saw Anthony run for four TDs and almost 400 yards,” one of the brothers shouted over the crowd singing The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside.” The other brother added: “That team went 5-6. Welcome to Indiana football.”
Was. What Indiana football was.
It was, like Thompson’s career, all about great moments that added up to great disappointments. Pretty good. Never great. No offense to Corso’s 1979 Holiday Bowl champs or Vaughn Dunbar’s heroics in the 1991 Copper Bowl, but that’s as good as it ever was. The good people of Bloomington content to let Notre Dame be the state’s football school with occasional loan-outs to Purdue, while everyone in red waited for hoops season to finally tip off.
“Even last year, it was like, that was amazing, but you could feel people saying, well, will they just settle back into what they always do?” confessed Alberto Mendoza, Fernando’s younger brother and backup QB, as that CFP title confetti settled on his shoulders in the same stadium where the Miami natives used to attend Hurricanes games. He was speaking of 2024, he and Cignetti’s first season in Bloomington, a year that produced a then-school record 11 wins and a playoff berth that ended with a first round exit. “I get it. When you’ve been beat down, you have to be careful about your expectations. Now I think those expectations have changed, don’t you?”
Yes sir. What we thought — what everyone outside of the Indiana locker room thought — was just a Cinderella in high top sneakers, a one-season wonder, it now feels like the origin story of a Midwestern monster.
“I will have a beer and I will give myself a day to enjoy this. Maybe. A day sounds too long, doesn’t it?” Cignetti said as a smile finally cracked his now-internet-famous scowl. “No one expected this. Even if they are a believer tonight, I know they aren’t expecting Indiana to keep rolling. So, let’s get to work on that.”
