Guest Columnist

By James Espinosa, . When I first saw the name “Rosa Gumataotao Rios” on U.S. currency, pointed out by a fellow Guamanian, I felt a profound sense of pride. The name Gumataotao, which she shares with her husband, Jose Diaz Gumataotao Jr., is familiar to anyone from Guam and the Marianas Islands. Mrs. Gumataotao Rios, who served as the 43rd Treasurer of the United States in 2009, left her mark on our nation’s money and an indelible impression on the hearts of those from our is

Our islands are sinking. The ocean creeps closer each year, swallowing beaches where children once played, contaminating wells where families drank, and destroying the gardens that feed us.

For the ocean-dependent island countries, Trump's executive order is undoubtedly a disaster. The ocean is our home, and engaging in deep-sea mining operations without mature technology is dangerous.

By Aldwin Fajardo   It never sits right with me when people question the American-ness of naturalized citizens, as if we’re somehow wearing a knock-off version of patriotism. You know, the kind that looks fine from afar but supposedly falls apart after a few washes. It’s as if the moment you weren’t born within these borders, your allegiance automatically comes with an asterisk: “subject to verification.” Here’s the thing: becoming an American by choice isn’t some impulsive d

When Vice Speaker Tony Ada announced his run for governor with EJ Calvo as his running mate, his first theme was one every family recognizes: the rising cost of living. Speaker Frank Blas Jr. and other contenders are echoing the same promise.

By Mukhtar Babayev The world arrives in Belém for COP30 at a moment of profound division. The international system is being tested in ways we have not seen in decades.  Yet the climate crisis does not wait for stability. It touches every community on Earth, from small islands in the Pacific to farming heartlands on every continent. It demands that, even in a fractured world, we still  find common purpose. Over the past year, too many environmental negotiations have fallen...

By Dr. Michael Cruz As a surgeon who has devoted much of my career to breast oncologic surgery, I have stood beside hundreds of women and families facing one of life’s most difficult diagnoses — breast cancer. My decision to specialize in this field was deeply personal. My own mother was diagnosed at an early age with aggressive Stage III breast cancer. She fought bravely and survived, reminding me — and all who knew her — that breast cancer is not automatically a death sente

When President Donald Trump directed the Pentagon to rebrand itself as the “Department of War,” many in Washington dismissed the move as symbolic political theater.

Proponents of deep-sea mining have long evoked the principle of self-determination to argue in favor of seabed extraction.

We’re told to fear the likes of China, Russia and North Korea. We imagine cyberattacks, spies and invasions. But while we brace for threats from abroad, we ignore the damage we’re doing right here at home, damage that’s deeper, more personal, and far more dangerous.

I had just joined GMH as interim CEO when GRMC opened its doors in July 2015. I remember the opening ceremony as if it were yesterday.

Inside the Reef By Joyce McClure In Washington, a government shutdown is often framed as political theater. But on Guam and across...

View from the West By James C. Pearce  Republicans of old are all a little perplexed about something lately: national defense. It was...

By Christopher Duenas The 38 th  Guam Legislature has spoken. By overriding the Governor’s veto, we ended the chapter of one-party...

oliticians make up the vast majority of our political system. But there were aberrations, like the late former Sen. Bob Klitzkie, Joe Ada and others who cared deeply about our island and its people.

Recently, there’s been discussion about the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act and whether Guam will finally be included.

By Sen. Jesse Lujan The crisis facing Guam Memorial Hospital has been debated in hearings, dissected in reports and litigated in the...

By Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero Dr. Mike Cruz and I agree on more than many might expect. Like him, I believe a strong public-private...

More than a few women—educators, community and church organizers, business owners and political pioneers—played a significant role in advancing the drive for some semblance of self-government for the people of Guam after liberation from wartime occupation.

This crisis is largely of the public sector’s own making, centered on GMH and the Department of Public Health and Social Services. Meanwhile, the private sector continues to deliver quality care despite chronic neglect and a lack of meaningful government support.

Too often on Guam, I’ve heard professionals and policymakers reduced to  labels, called “too white” in one room and “too brown” in another. Whether in meetings or over the airwaves, these aren’t descriptions; they’re put-downs.

The elected officials in the government of Guam are always saying that the children are our future, health care and education are their priorities and that honesty in government is what they believe should be the hallmark of elected and appointed officials.

Gov. Palacios’ own words tell his story.  In a presentation at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington in 2024, he described how, when he came into office, he tried to find out what happened to around $1.6 billion in federal funding (CARES, ARPA, etc.) that had been given to the CNMI, (population around 45,000) during the pandemic era.

By Frank Blas Jr. On Aug. 1, Guam marks a profound milestone—75 years since the passage of the Organic Act of 1950. This landmark...

Are popular people who are elected or appointed to office actually leaders, or are they simply well-known people who fit into your familial chart?

Because U.S. “nationals” and “citizens” have the same legal duty of “allegiance” to America, some American Samoans may have thought there was no need to pay fees for reclassification as both nationals and citizens in order to vote. 

As Guam marks the 75th anniversary of the Organic Act, we are called to more than remembrance—we are called to revival.

By Patricia L. Diego I recently had the chance to attend Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan. It’s not just an expo; it’s a global showcase, a...

Beyond the Middle East, the stakes for global nuclear norms, the world economy and international institutions are high. By Carlos...

Here, we remember the sons of this land who died in service during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. These are not just names on marble.

The findings are clear: self-censorship is a real and pressing challenge, especially as intentional disinformation and misinformation campaigns create fractures and divide our communities.

The leaders of U.S. territories should not need to beg for what has been approved, allocated and is owed to them.

rump, if consistent in nothing else, has always been skeptical of U.S. alliances. So what gives? And will the Quad alliance actually step up

As global defense priorities shift, the Indo-Pacific is increasingly recognized as the world’s new “center of gravity.”

By Abdul Rafay Afzal In recent years, Somaliland has become a symbol of stability in a region (Horn of Africa) often defined by...

Donald Trump Inside the Reef By Joyce McClure The administration in Washington has turned over once again after four orbits around the...

Recent reporting suggests that the nomination of Tulsi Gabbard for director of National Intelligence is in jeopardy.

Consulting the Chamorro-English dictionary, we found "taotao" means "human being, person, people," while "mo'na" means "front, be first, in

In the modern era, the causes of disarray and solutions for each island territory differ, and D.C. is a federal city issue, not a territoria

The CHamoru sling stone stands out as a remarkable testament to the advanced skills and resourcefulness of our ancestors.

This term has been marked by historic bipartisanship and a strong commitment to transparency, accountability and action

After 125 years of U.S. rule in Puerto Rico, voters now have given the most convincing mandate ever for a new political status option, usher

The Guam National Guard stands at the forefront of these efforts, uniquely positioned to respond to the challenges of the region with agilit

While pre-discovery Guam remains a mystery, historians tirelessly piece together our CHamoru heritage through available documents.

U.S. Indo-Pacific Command established JTF-M to strengthen regional cooperation and provide a unified U.S. presence in one of the most strate

Saipan and the greater Northern Mariana Islands is a very small region for news coverage, so it’s inevitable that both newspa

There will be a significant political landscape transformation in Guam as President Donald J. Trump's inauguration approaches in January 202

The word Austronesian in the title of Lai’s visit refers to the fact that the Indigenous peoples of Taiwan and the peoples of most Pacific c

GHURA is not only unique in that it is the only GovGuam agency that is 100 percent federally funded, but it is also the only HUD Public Hous

Charlottesville, VA — Living in over a dozen different places in my lifetime has given me a unique perspective on the world. Three of...