A push for parity: The in-state tuition bill for US territories
Early in March, the United States House of Representatives passed HR 6472, entitled the Territorial Student Access to Higher Education Act. This marks a significant achievement since December 11, 2025, when Delegate James Moylan (R) of Guam introduced the bill to...
Governor highlights infrastructure, energy in American Samoa’s State of the Territory address
Thousands of miles from the United States mainland, American Samoa sits as one of the most remote territories in the South Pacific—and on January 12, 2026, its leaders gathered to chart a path forward for the islands. The Thirty-Ninth Legislature of American Samoa...
Anibal Acevedo Vila, Jeffrey Epstein and their ties, in context
The December 19, 2025, public release of Epstein-related documents fueled an intense investigation far beyond New York and Washington, reaching Puerto Rico. Among the photographs circulated are images taken in Old San Juan that show Epstein during a visit to the...
#TBT: April 16, 2026
Sailors and guests pose for a photo during the grand opening ceremony of the Navy Recruiting Station American Samoa in Pago Pago, American Samoa, on April 16, 2025. The event was during American Samoa Navy Week, one of 15 Navy Weeks during the Navy’s 250th year...
Super Typhoon Sinlaku batters Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands
Super Typhoon Sinlaku struck Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands on April 14, 2026, bringing ferocious winds, relentless rain, and widespread damage. The storm made its most direct impact on Saipan and Tinian—the two most populated islands of the Northern Mariana...
American Samoa said ‘no’ to deep sea mining, Washington heard ‘faster’
For Mongabay, Jackie Dragon, a senior oceans campaigner at Greenpeace USA, with a commentary piece on how, despite overwhelming local opposition to deep-sea mining efforts in American Samoa, the federal government is pushing ahead. This is in alignment with corporate...
#TBT: April 9, 2026
Archibald Alphonso Alexander was an American architect and engineer. He was appointed Governor of the United States Virgin Islands by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on April 9, 1954, being the first Republican governor there since the establishment of the civil...
Could emerging technologies to cool the planet help coral reefs?
Coral reefs, which support a quarter of all marine species, are facing an increasingly dire future as climate change and ocean acidification push these ecosystems toward irreversible collapse—and scientists are now exploring whether emerging technologies to cool the...
Caught in the middle: How the de minimis suspension punishes US territories
On February 20, 2026, President Donald J. Trump (R) issued Executive Order 14388, titled “Continuing the Suspension of Duty-Free De Minimis Treatment for All Countries.” It explained that he still deems it necessary and appropriate to suspend duty-free de minimis...
Has Puerto Rico normalized a culture of escalating violence?
Violence seems to be everywhere, even in the most unexpected circumstances, and the Caribbean is certainly not exempt. Recently, there have been cases in Puerto Rico in which misunderstandings escalated into violence and have forced us to reevaluate societal...
