#TBT: July 10, 2025
Born July 10, 1940, Juan Luis was a Puerto Rican-US Virgin Islander politician who served as the third elected Governor of the US Virgin Islands. The longest-serving governor in the territory, he is widely credited with overhauling and establishing the current USVI...
Politician profile: Jennifer González-Colón
Jennifer González-Colón has been the governor of Puerto Rico since January 2025. She has been in politics her entire life, holding many roles as a representative and advocate, with the ultimate goal of representing all Puerto Ricans. This is an overview of Gonz...
Out of sight, out of coverage
As a Puerto Rican, when I first began to engage with mainland citizens, I wasn’t old enough to understand that although my birth certificate held the same legal weight as theirs, there was still an invisible border between us. Though I was a US citizen, I quickly...
Guam’s political and economic affairs, in context
The current political climate in Guam is ever-changing and unique in its structure. The island first became a United States territory in 1898. At this time, it was placed under the authority of the US Navy. In 1950, the Guam Organic Act granted the people of Guam US...
#TBT: July 3, 2025
Signed into law on July 3, 1950, by President Harry Truman, the Puerto Rico Federal Relations Act of 1950 enabled the residents of Puerto Rico to organize the insular government of the unincorporated territory under a constitution of its own, comparable to those of...
AARP meets with Congress to advocate for Social Security, Medicaid, and caregiver support
As federal lawmakers continue negotiations on key provisions of the upcoming budget reconciliation package, AARP deployed staff and volunteers from across the United States and its territories to Capitol Hill on June 25, 2025, urging congressional leaders to...
#TBT: June 26, 2025
The 1917 Samoa earthquake affected the Samoan Islands, including American Samoa, on June 26, 1917. The epicenter of the magnitude 8.0 earthquake was located in the southwest of the Samoan Islands. It was described as the worst earthquake in Samoa in 50 years, although...
How the reorganization of the US Department of Health impacts the US Territories
In late March, United States Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. unveiled a sweeping restructuring plan to streamline the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and cut an estimated 10,000 full-time jobs. This drastic policy reduces...
Oil spill, troop activity, and conservation collide in the Northern Mariana Islands
On June 6, 2025, over 113.5 liters of oil were spilled near the Tinian Harbor by the United States-flagged vessel Mariana. Crew members of both the Mariana and Galide successfully coordinated clean-up efforts, which officially ended on June 8. The oil spill was...
Praise and pushback follow Governor González-Colón’s first major speech to Puerto Rico
Governor of Puerto Rico Jenniffer González-Colón (NPP, R) delivered her first major address on May 29, 2025, outlining her administration's early achievements and priorities. While the nearly two-hour state of the territory speech was met with applause from her...
