Deep-Sea Mining Fight: A House Rules Committee blocked Rep. James Moylan’s bid to carve seabed mining out of FAST-41 expedited review, while American Samoa and others continue pushing back against deep-sea mining plans tied to federal leasing. Pacific Security & Missile Transparency: Pacific Islands Forum leaders urged advance notice for ICBM tests after China’s July test reportedly passed over islands without adequate warning; Nauru dissented. Local Youth & Consumer Impact: Attorney General Gwen Tauiliili-Langkilde announced American Samoa will receive $1.1 million from Meta’s $17.1B multistate youth-safety settlement, with new limits and safety features for Instagram and Facebook. Workforce Policy: A Senate bill would create a one-time 90-day Critical Guest Worker Amnesty Program for out-of-status foreign nationals to work for StarKist Samoa and other “critical” employers. Agriculture Weather Watch: ASCC Land Grant, NWS Pago Pago, and the Department of Agriculture discussed potential El Niño impacts and preparedness steps for farmers. Food Prices: The Basic Food Index rose 0.2% in August; rice, milk, fish, and ice cream increased, while chicken, eggs, turkey tail, and sugar fell. STEM for Prevention: The Foeoletini Foundation’s PITA Jr. STEAM Bootcamp concluded after three weeks of robotics and engineering training for ages 10–12. Maritime Enforcement: The U.S. announced a Pacific IUU fishing project to counter illegal fishing, including support for compliance training and enforcement tools. Community Protest at NOAA Ship: American Samoan leaders and Greenpeace USA protested NOAA’s Okeanos Explorer mission over concerns it could advance deep-sea mining.