Read the latest news from regional and global sources, presenting different voices and perspectives.

DoH awarded $275,025 for scientific health research
Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata is highlighting a grant notice of $275,025 for the American Samoa Department of Health from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This...

House Committee approves Ocean observation bill
Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata is welcoming Natural Resources Committee passage of a bill she co-led as original cosponsor to reauthorize the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) for the next five fiscal years with enhancements and updates....

Game fishers ‘Passport to Fishing’ a success
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The Pago Pago Game Fishing Association (PPGFA) successfully hosted the Passport to Fishing event, open to the community, this past Saturday. Over 40 kids participated in the program, learning about knot tying and...

A New Era for the Stablecoin Industry: The GENIUS Act
Key Takeaways The U.S. House of Representatives passed the GENIUS Act on July 17, clearing it to be signed into law by President Donald J. Trump on July 18. The GENIUS Act is historic legislation that will shape the stablecoin industry’s growth in...

Reunification of the Aleutians: A strategic proposal for the Commander Islands
The Russian island of Big Diomede, or Ratmanov (right), and the U.S. island of Little Diomede, or Krusenstern (left), are found in the Bering Strait. (Photo by Jacques Langevin/Sygma/Sygma via Getty Images) In 1867, Secretary of State William H....

OPINION : Help ease the suffering first
Voluntary Liquidation – Sierra Invetment LtdJuly 23, 2025SIERRA INVESTMENT LIMITED Notice is given that the above company incorporated under the Samoa International Companies Act 1988 is in voluntary liquidation. Any creditor claims against this...

AM Briefing: America's Big Nuclear Milestone
Current conditions: The record-setting heat roasting more than 100 million Americans in the central U.S. is now headed for the densely populated Northeast • The American Samoan capital of Pago Pago faces “imminent” flash flooding on Friday amid...

Adam Silverman: LACMA’s Seeds and Weeds are Ceramic Art
LACMA Seeds and Weeds, Installation view, Los Angeles, 2025, Photo: Evan Walsh Courtesy of the artist and BLUM Gallery Ceramics has long oscillated between the functional and the artistic. California has a long tradition of makers who span the...

Governor’s legal counsel in ‘hot water’ over remarks made at Senate hearing
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Several Senators voiced strong concern over remarks made by the Governor’s Chief Legal Counsel, Barry Fundt, during last Thursday morning’s hearing on a bill addressing the role of government employees serving on boards...

Te Ipukarea Society: Ocean lovers unite against deep-sea mining
Saturday July 19, people worldwide gathered to join the call to defend the deep. Our event included creative, imaginative sea-creature costumes, Tumu the eke, and paddling into the water with the large ‘Protect our Ocean’ banner, for a group chant...

House Concurrent Resolution asserts Fono’s opposition to seabed mining
A House Concurrent Resolution that was introduced on Friday resolves that the American Samoa Legislature opposes deep sea mining without science driven policies, legal transparency and mandates that all entities engaging in marine extraction...

A Hawaiian Volcano Observatory Made Climate History, But Trump Wants It Gone
The greenhouse effect was discovered more than 150 years ago, and the first scientific paper linking carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere with climate change was published in 1896. By the mid-20th century, scientists definitively connected the...
A Terrorist Tidal Wave of Dirty Tricks Struck Oceania 40 Years Ago
Four decades ago, in the middle of political turmoil fanned by the U.S., Palau President Haruo Remeliik (far right), leader of the world’s first nuclear-free nation, was assassinated. [Source: earthisland.org] From Tahiti to New Zealand to New...

Bipartisan Coalition Of 32 Attorneys General Pushes Congress To Urgently Pass Marijuana Banking Bill
A bipartisan coalition of 32 state and territory attorneys general from across the U.S. are calling on Congress to pass a marijuana banking bill to free up financial services access for licensed cannabis businesses. In a letter sent to House and...

What about the ’spikes’ in ASGERF operating expenses?
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — In his final letter to the editor about the status of the American Samoa Government Employees Retirement Fund (ASGERF), “Encore: Proof of Decay at ASGERF”, Fuiavailili Keniseli Lafaele in part writes: “At the May 2022...

NOAA Fisheries designates Critical Habitat for five corals in U.S. Pacific
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — If you had to describe corals in one word, what would it be? Maybe “colorful,” “amazing,” or “vibrant” come to mind? One word that definitely suits them is “powerhouse.” Corals do a lot for the ocean—and for us. They...

U.S. House Committee passes Ocean Observation Bill
Washington, D.C. — Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata is welcoming Natural Resources Committee passage this week of a bill, H.R. 2294, that she co-led as original cosponsor to reauthorize the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) for the next five...

PFAS Levels in Tap Water for 73 Million People in U.S. Exceed EPA Thresholds: NRDC Report
Pouring a glass of water from a kitchen faucet. Leonard Ortiz / MediaNews Group / Orange County Register via Getty Images Why you can trust us Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to...

U.S. House committee requests briefing on deep sea mining sector
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A July 15, letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth from Rep. James Comer, chairman of the House Committee on Oversite and Government Reform has requested a staff- level briefing as soon as possible but no later than...

University of Hawaii secures $1.5M grant to improve healthcare access across the Pacific
The University of Hawaii received a $1.5 million grant from the Helmsley Charitable Trust to help close critical healthcare gaps across the islands and in American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands. UH researchers will use this funding to...