González-Colón announces new nominees for Secretary of State and Justice in Puerto Rico
Governor Jenniffer González-Colón (NPP, R) has announced new nominations for Secretary of State and Secretary of Justice in Puerto Rico following the withdrawal of three failed appointments since January. Rosachely Rivera Santana, current mayor of Gurabo, has been...
Trump administration sees deep-sea mining opportunity near American Samoa
In recent weeks, the Trump administration has found an opportunity in deep-sea mineral mining near the coast of American Samoa. After the signing of an executive order allowing the United States to take steps toward commercially mining the seafloor, the critical...
NOAA predicts above-normal 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, raising concerns for Atlantic territories
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has forecast an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season for 2025, with 13 to 19 named storms, including 6 to 10 hurricanes and 3 to 5 major hurricanes. The outlook, released ahead of the season's June 1 start,...
#TBT: May 22, 2025
On May 22, 2020, the American Civil Liberties Union published this piece on how United States citizenship is not extended to American Samoa residents, and their position in the then-pending case of Fitisemanu v. United States, favoring birthright US citizenship for...
Northern Mariana Islands and Guam territorial delegates push for stronger support for veterans and caregivers
Two delegates representing United States territories have introduced new legislation aimed at improving support for veterans and military families. The bills—introduced by Delegate Kimberlyn King-Hinds (R) of the Northern Mariana Islands and Delegate James Moylan (R)...
American Samoa Government defends reopening of fishing grounds
The recent decision by President Donald Trump (R) to reopen portions of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument (PRIMNM) to commercial fishing has drawn renewed attention to American Samoa’s tuna industry, a key sector of the territory’s economy. While the...
Puerto Rico sees opportunity and risk in Trump-era tariffs
In the wake of a divisive trade war catalyzed by President Donald Trump’s enforcement of extreme tariffs, Puerto Rico is attempting to use the uncertainty of the current global economy to boost manufacturing. Due to their tax-exempt status for shipments from the...
US Virgin Islands Health Department launches outreach campaign amid rising measles cases in the United States
With confirmed measles cases in the United States surpassing 1,000 across 31 states, health officials in the United States Virgin Islands are stepping up efforts to prevent an outbreak in the territory. The USVI Department of Health has launched a direct outreach...
Google Trends in the US territories: April 2025
Welcome back to our monthly series examining the top Google Trends in Puerto Rico, Guam, the United States Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands. Trends data is an unbiased sample of Google search data. It’s anonymized (no one is...
#TBT: May 15, 2025
On May 15, 1981, Mount Pagan erupted, with lava flows covering a large part of the island's arable land; the island's inhabitants were evacuated to Saipan. Mount Pagan is the most active of the two stratovolcanoes on Pagan, a volcanic island in the Northern Mariana...
