Critical Minerals & Supply Chains: A new U.S. Executive Order on securing defense supply chains is pushing harder for critical minerals, and American Samoa is making clear it won’t back exploration in federal waters—though it can still influence the process through its political voice and partnerships. Regional Climate Funding Fight: Australia’s A$20m bill to host a UN climate pre-summit in Fiji (COP31 pre-talks) has turned into a Canberra political clash, with opposition arguing the money should go to cost-of-living pressures instead of climate diplomacy. Fisheries Monitoring & EEZ Security: Samoa is using the WCPFC scientific session in Apia to press for stronger fish stock monitoring and tighter protection of Exclusive Economic Zones, linking sustainability to better data-sharing and joint maritime security operations with partners including Niue.