Why some places get better storm warnings than others – and what that means for Puerto Rico
By Ellen Ruth KujawaCoastal Change Research Fellow, University of Hull; University of Cambridge Hurricane Melissa devastated Jamaica in late October, killed dozens in Haiti, and forced nearly three-quarters of a million Cubans to evacuate. The death toll across the...
Samoan communities celebrate Lotu Tamaiti across islands and the diaspora
The Samoan tradition Lotu Tamaiti, also known as White Sunday or Children’s Sunday, is an annual tradition held on the second Sunday of October. This tradition is a cultural and religious celebration focusing on children. It's a national holiday celebrating the...
Puerto Rico faces legal challenge over driver privacy rights
The American Civil Liberties Union of Puerto Rico (ACLU) has filed a lawsuit against the territory’s Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTOP) and the Puerto Rico Department of Justice (PR DOJ), accusing the government of sharing personal driver information...
Weekly Action Checklist: December 5, 2025
Take Action with the Americans of Conscience Checklist: Action 1: Insist on an investigation into possible war crimes committed by the U.S. military. Action 2: Advocate for policies that provide SNAP for our neighbors. Action 3: Protect science-based decision making...
#TBT: November 4, 2025
3rd MSG Army Reserve Soldiers traveled to the Northern Marianas Islands on December 4 and 5, 2023, to inspect ports and airports and meet with local agencies that play a critical role in the preparation, response, and recovery for their communities during disasters...
Google Trends in the US territories: October 2025
This is 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 personally...
Five nonprofits from the United States territories to support this GivingTuesday
GivingTuesday offers a chance to highlight the work of nonprofits serving the United States territories, where community needs are often overlooked by national philanthropy. Each territory is home to organizations filling critical gaps in economic development,...
Missing from the map: How the US Territories are left out of federal data
The United States collects extensive data on demographics and analysis across all 50 states, yet data from its territories remain inconsistent or incomplete. Federal agencies, including the Census Bureau and Bureau of Labor Statistics, have long faced logistical and...
#TBT: November 27, 2025
Benjamin Franklin Tilley was an American Naval officer who was the first acting governor of American Samoa as well as the territory's first naval governor, serving until November 27, 1901. He negotiated a deed of cession with the local powers to ensure a formal...
American Samoa raises concerns as federal deep-sea mining review advances
On June 12, 2025, the United States Department of the Interior (DOI) announced its initial steps for a potential deep-sea mineral lease sale in federal waters near American Samoa. The proposition marked the first stage of a public review that seeks to open the...
