Joe Biden

President Joe Biden’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders held its first in-person meeting outside the continental U.S. in Honolulu Thursday.

President Biden has invited the prime minister of Papua New Guinea to Washington, D.C. later this year for a summit with other Pacific island leaders. The president canceled a scheduled visit to the country due to the debt ceiling crisis in Congress. HPR’s Derrick Malama has more in today’s Pacific News Minute.

The U.S. is working on increasing its diplomatic presence across a number of Pacific Islands, which some officials believe is in an effort to counter a growing Chinese influence in the Pacific region. HPR's Derrick Malama has more in today's Pacific News Minute.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is in the United States all this week on a multi-state visit marking the 70th anniversary of the alliance between the United States and the Republic of Korea. Washington-based Vice President of the East-West Center Satu Limaye shared the latest.

American Samoa's representative in Congress is raising urgent concerns about President Biden's initiation of a new National Marine Sanctuary in the Central Pacific. With the Pacific News Minute, HPR's Derrick Malama reports.

In addition to establishing two new U.S. national monuments on the continent, Biden said he has directed the secretary of commerce to consider reclassifying the water surrounding Pacific remote islands as a National Marine Sanctuary.

Hawaiian Airlines plans to add Boeing's latest version of its passenger jet later this year. SEC filings show Hawaiian will take delivery of its first 787 Dreamliner in the fourth quarter, with 11 more to follow over the next four years. News of much more extensive plane orders has recently come from India — which is also in the market for military aircraft. HPR's Bill Dorman has more in todayʻs Asia Minute.

The heads of five Micronesian nations hope that President Biden will soon visit their region for a leaders' summit. Experts say it would be a significant move in U.S. efforts to push back against Chinese influence in the region. HPR's Derrick Malama has more in today's Pacific News Minute.

President Biden is delivering his State of the Union address on Tuesday night at 9 p.m. ET. The speech is expected to highlight the strength of the economy and past legislative wins.

The White House is moving forward with a proposal that would lower student debt payments for millions of Americans now and in the future. It's offering a new route to repay federal loans under far more generous terms.