DefCon 1: Amidst heightened missile threats by North Korea, the state of Hawaii mistakenly put out an alert for a missile aimed at the island state, sending residents into a tizzy. The alert sent to cellphones said in all caps, “Ballistic missile threat inbound to Hawaii. Seek immediate shelter. This is not a drill.”

People abandoned their cars on the H-3 Highway on Oahu and ran for a nearby tunnel. CNN’s Jake Tapper tweeted, “we know someone who’s there with her family. Crying in closet texting goodbyes to loved ones, husband shielding their baby. Sounds traumatic.”.

It wasn’t a drill, or anything else. It was a huge mistake, and the all-clear was not issued until 38 minutes later.  Hawaii David Ige said, “somebody pushed the wrong button.”

Reprieve: Following a court order, the federal government announced yesterday that it will resume accepting applications for the program that shields immigrants brought to the country illegally as children. A statement said, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, known as DACA, “will be operated on the terms in place before it was rescinded” in September by President Trump.

About 800,000 young immigrants have been protected from deportation by DACA.

Race: Cable news continued yesterday jawboning President’s Trump insults to Haiti and African countries, repeating the expletive he used.

Columnist John Cassidy wrote the following for The New Yorker:

“For the past year, Republicans, senior Democrats, and many media commentators have held back from applying the R-word to Trump. In some circumstances, there are good reasons for exercising such caution. Calling someone a bigot is not a step to take lightly. Often, it can shut down discourse and fuel animosity. With Trump, there is the added consideration that, as long as he’s the President, other politicians in Washington have little choice but to deal with him. Also, he runs his mouth so much that a lot of what comes out of it doesn’t merit serious consideration. After this latest outburst, however, the arguments for being reticent seem absurd. The obvious truth can no longer be avoided or sugarcoated: we have a racist in the Oval Office.”

Deranged: The bestseller “Fire and Fury” about Trump’s White House has embedded itself under the President’s thin skin. He tweeted yesterday, “So much Fake News is being reported. They don’t even try to get it right, or correct it when they are wrong. They promote the Fake Book of a mentally deranged author, who knowingly writes false information. The Mainstream Media is crazed that WE won the election!”

Drill Baby, Drill: President Trump caused an uproar this past week when he declared almost all of coastal America open for oil drilling. Then things got even louder when the administration suddenly granted Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s request for an exemption.

EPA administrator Ryan Zinke, who’s no friend of the environment, said “I support the governor’s position that Florida is unique and its coasts are heavily reliant on tourism as an economic driver … I am removing Florida from consideration for any new oil and gas platforms.”

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown declared it, “outrageous.”

Rick Scott, who’s spent seven years gutting environmental regulation in his state, is running for US Senator and needed a favor. His opponent is against offshore drilling, so the exemption removes that as an issue.

Governors and lawmakers of both parties from other states also value their clean beaches and water. Republican congressman and former South Carolina governor Mark Sanford said, “I mean, you can’t say, ‘I don’t want to see an oil rig from Mar-a-Lago as you look out from the waters of Palm Beach, but it’s OK to look at an oil rig from Hilton Head or Charleston.’”

Mudslide: The death toll in the giant Southern California mudslide is now up to 19. Five people are still missing, including a two-year-old child.

John Hancock: The signature requirement on credit card slips is going away. Visa announced that signatures will no longer be required on credit and debit-card charges starting in April. The signature was once the primary mode of security. Mastercard, American Express, and Discovery all are doing the same. The card companies say new measures like security chips, biometrics, and even zip codes are more secure.

The Obit Page: Sports broadcaster Keith Jackson, who for many years was considered “the voice of college football,” has died at age 89.

Jackson had a knack for sports clichés, exclaiming things like “Whoa, Nellie,” and “Big Uglies.” He nicknamed the Rose Bowl “The Granddaddy of Them All” and Michigan’s stadium “The Big House.”

Jackson began calling college football for ABC Sports in 1966 and was the first play-by-play man for Monday Night Football. He also worked NFL and NBA games, 11 World Series, 10 Winter and Summer Olympics, and auto racing.

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