Snow in Hawaii? Cold air and moisture deliver snow to the state’s tallest mountain

HONOLULU (AP) — Snow has fallen on Hawaii’s tallest peak, briefly turning the mountaintop into a winter wonderland. The summit area of Mauna Kea on the Big Island got about 2 inches of white powder this week. Hawaii is better known for its warm weather, beaches and rainforests. But it’s not unusual for snow to fall at the higher elevations on Mauna Kea during the wetter, winter months. This week, an upper level disturbance brought colder temperatures as moisture came in from the east and moved over the islands Sunday through Monday. Webcams showed the ground covered in snow.

About 8,000 North Korean troops now at Ukraine’s border are expected in combat soon, US says

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration say some 8,000 North Korean soldiers are now in Russia near Ukraine’s border and are preparing to help the Kremlin fight against Ukrainian troops in the coming days. The new figure announced Thursday from is an dramatic increase from a day earlier, when Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin would only say “some” of the troops had moved toward Ukraine’s border in the Kursk region. That’s where Moscow’s forces have struggled to push back a Ukrainian incursion. That also would mean most of the North Korean troops that the U.S. and its allies say have been sent to Russia are now on the Russia-Ukraine border.

US imposes sanctions on top members of the armed wing of a Mexican fentanyl-trafficking cartel

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. on Thursday imposed sanctions on senior members of the armed wing of a Mexican drug cartel that operates on border territories in and around Chihuahua, Mexico. Five Mexican citizens and two companies linked to La Linea, a violent Mexico-based drug trafficking organization that smuggles fentanyl and other synthetic drugs into the U.S. on behalf of the transnational Juarez Cartel, were hit with economic sanctions Thursday. The latest action is meant to stem a powerful source of a fentanyl supply coming into the U.S.

‘Obamacare’ enrollment opens, as Republicans threaten the health insurance program used by millions

WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans can start signing up Friday for health care coverage offered through the Affordable Care Act marketplace for 2025. The future of ‘Obamacare’ has emerged as a key issue in the closing days of the presidential campaign, with a top GOP leader promising this week to overhaul the program should Republican Donald Trump assume the presidency. Billions of dollars in tax credits, established during the COVID-19 pandemic, are also at stake. The money has expanded eligibility for millions of Americans, made the health insurance coverage more affordable for many and dramatically boosted enrollment. The credits expire next year.