UNITED STATES NEWS

Emhoff will become the highest-profile US official to visit Samoa as US makes a Pacific islands push

Jul 19, 2023, 2:37 AM

First lady Jill Biden listens as Doug Emhoff, husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, speaks durin...

First lady Jill Biden listens as Doug Emhoff, husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, speaks during an event about reproductive rights in Washington, Friday, June 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS

(AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Kamala Harris, next week will become the highest-profile U.S. official to visit Samoa, as the Biden administration steps up its outreach to Pacific island nations.

Emhoff will meet with government officials, community leaders and female entrepreneurs during his July 23-24 visit to Samoa’s capital, Apia. His communications director, Liza Acevedo, said he will be the first White House principal to visit the country. His visit comes as the U.S. is aiming to deepen diplomatic and economic ties to Samoa and other countries in the region.

The renewed focus on the Pacific islands is part of a yearslong strategic shift in U.S. focus toward the area. It is meant in part to counter China’s efforts to significantly expand its military, economic and diplomatic influence across the Pacific.

Emhoff will visit Samoa after he leads the official U.S. delegation to the opening of the Women’s World Cup in Auckland, New Zealand. The State Department has announced that Samoa will soon receive a dedicated ambassador on the island, among other diplomatic expansions in the region.

Acevedo said Emhoff’s visit “will underscore the strong U.S. relationship with Samoa and the commitment of the United States to the Pacific Islands.”

“The second gentleman will highlight our shared work to address the climate crisis, enhance disaster preparedness, promote sustainable and inclusive economic development, and invest in the economic empowerment of women,” Acevedo said.

Earlier this year, the Peace Corps returned to Samoa for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and the U.S. opened its second American Corner in the country, which provides the only free internet on the island of Savaiʻi. The U.S. Coast Guard is also helping Samoa patrol its exclusive economic zone and deepening ties with the country’s maritime and fisheries agencies.

President Joe Biden was to have been the first American president to visit Papua New Guinea earlier this year, but he had to cancel the stop to return to Washington for negotiations with Congress over raising the U.S. debt limit.

United States News

Associated Press

Man who was rescued after falling overboard from tanker has died

BOSTON (AP) — A man who was rescued by the crew of a commercial fishing boat after he fell overboard from a tanker has died, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office said Wednesday. The crew of America pulled the man from the water Tuesday morning, and Boston Fire Department and Coast Guard personnel came aboard […]

1 minute ago

Associated Press

Apple leverages idea of switching to Bing to pry more money out of Google, Microsoft exec says

WASHINGTON (AP) — Apple was never serious about replacing Google with Microsoft’s Bing as the default search engine in Macs and iPhones, but kept the possibility open as a “bargaining chip” to extract bigger payments from Google, a Microsoft executive testified Wednesday in the biggest U.S. antitrust trial in a quarter century. “It is no […]

7 minutes ago

Associated Press

Winner of $1.6 billion Mega Millions jackpot claims prize in Florida

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The winner of the $1.6 billion Mega Millions jackpot in August has come forward to claim the prize, officials said Wednesday. Under a new Florida law, the winner’s name remains anonymous for 90 days from the date the prize was claimed, which was on Sept. 25, lottery officials said in […]

33 minutes ago

Associated Press

University of the People founder and Arizona State professor win Yidan Prize for education work

NEW YORK (AP) — Shai Reshef, president and founder of the online, tuition-free University of the People, and Arizona State professor and researcher Michelene Chi, who has developed a framework to improve how students learn, are the 2023 winners of The Yidan Prize, the biggest award in education. Reshef and Chi will each receive 15 […]

2 hours ago

Associated Press

Massachusetts man stabs five officers after crashing into home following chase, police say

TAUNTON, Mass. (AP) — A Massachusetts man who sped away during a traffic stop led police on a chase that ended with him crashing into a home and then stabbing five officers, including the local police chief, before he was arrested, authorities said. The Taunton police officers were injured trying to take Douglas Hagerty, 35, […]

2 hours ago

Associated Press

3 dead after car being pursued by police crashes in Indianapolis minutes after police end pursuit

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Three people including a teenage boy died when a car being chased by police in Indianapolis for reckless driving collided with another vehicle only minutes after officers ended their pursuit, authorities said Wednesday. An Indiana state trooper began the pursuit Tuesday night when the driver of a Dodge Challenger fled the officer’s […]

2 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

...

DAY & NIGHT AIR CONDITIONING, HEATING AND PLUMBING

Importance of AC maintenance after Arizona’s excruciating heat wave

An air conditioning unit in Phoenix is vital to living a comfortable life inside, away from triple-digit heat.

...

re:vitalize

When most diets fail, re:vitalize makes a difference that shows

Staying healthy and losing weight are things many people in Arizona are conscious of, especially during the summer.

...

Mayo Clinic

Game on! Expert sports physicals focused on you

With tryouts quickly approaching, now is the time for parents to schedule physicals for their student-athlete. The Arizona Interscholastic Association requires that all student-athletes must have a physical exam completed before participating in team practices or competition.

Emhoff will become the highest-profile US official to visit Samoa as US makes a Pacific islands push