As advancements are made in biotechnology and the treatment of diseases, the U.S. government must strengthen its security to combat the threat of states or individuals potentially launching a biological attack, argues the president’s Council of Advisors on Science and … Read More
The U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan bill introduced by U.S. Sens. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Chris Coons (D-DE) that makes anthrax vaccines available to first responders. The First Responder Anthrax Preparedness Act has been endorsed by the … Read More
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü recently met with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship of Costa Rica H.E. Alejandro Solano Ortiz to discuss a range of issues related to chemical weapons … Read More
U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) was recently selected to serve as the vice chairman of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence in the 115th Congress. “With a new administration starting to assemble its national security team, I look … Read More
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), through its Commission on Countering Violent Extremism (CVE), recently called for a comprehensive strategy to combat the growing threat of violent extremism against the United States and abroad. The commission, chaired by … Read More
The House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology and the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade held a joint hearing on Wednesday that examined the recent distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) on Internet of Things (IoT) connected devices. On Oct. 21, hackers … Read More
U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the Champlain Border Patrol Station, Swanton Sector, in New York, arrested two Albanian nationals on Nov. 13 who entered the country illegally after their visa requests were denied. The Swanton Border Patrol Sector Tactical … Read More
U.S. Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Gary Peters (D-MI) expressed their concerns regarding recent changes to the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) station in northeast lower Michigan. The agent at the Alpena County CBP station is retiring and CBP does … Read More
According to a recent clinical trial conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the experimental Ebola virus disease (EVD) treatment ZMapp was found to be safe and well-tolerated amongst participants. NIH said that while the treatment appeared to be … Read More
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently issued a guide for Internet of Things (IoT) cybersecurity to equip stakeholders with the knowledge to make risk-based decisions as they design, manufacture and use internet-connected devices and systems. DHS issued the … Read More
The Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) is hosting an event this week in Virginia to bring together international government officials and nuclear industry experts to discuss radiological, nuclear and cyber security priorities. The project was initially launched to define the Nuclear … Read More
U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said in a November terror threat snapshot that the growing threat of ISIS’ messaging continues to resonate in America, while the terror group targets the West at an … Read More
A team of researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently published a study in The Journal of Infectious Diseases on the impact big data, such as electronic health records and social media, could have on identifying emerging disease … Read More
The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) recently released new guidelines for preventing and combating an emerging parasitic infection called leishmaniasis. The leishmania parasite is found in approximately 90 percent … Read More
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently began recruiting military veterans under veterans’ recruitment appointment (RA) announcements for multiple CBP positions at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and the Los Angeles/Long Beach seaport complex. The announcements began on Nov. … Read More
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons’ (OPCW) executive council on Friday voted to adopt a decision that condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic. OPCW called on all parties … Read More
Daniel Espejo Amos, a former officer with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison on Friday for taking tens of thousands of dollars in bribes. Amos was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge … Read More
The MITRE Corporation recently elected former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI) and Cathy E. Minehan to its board of trustees. Rogers previously served as a U.S. House member from Michigan’s eighth congressional district for a total of seven terms. In … Read More
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently began recruiting military veterans under veterans’ recruitment appointment (RA) announcements for multiple CBP positions at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and the Los Angeles/Long Beach seaport complex. The announcements began on Nov. … Read More
The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) recently awarded $596,533 to Collaborations Pharmaceuticals Inc. (CPI) to develop a partnership with the Texas Biomedical Research Institute to repurpose an antimalarial for use against the Ebola virus disease. Since the beginning … Read More
U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Jeh Johnson said 46,195 individuals were arrested in October between ports of entry along the U.S. southwest border, up from 39,501 the prior month. “I have told our border security and immigration enforcement … Read More
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) recently conducted the largest-ever test of its SIGMA program, a network of lower-cost radiation detectors with spectroscopic gamma and neutron-sensing capabilities. The sensors are networked via smartphones to provide first responders and law … Read More
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) on Friday announced the selection of Rick Bright for the position of Deputy Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, and Director of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA). “BARDA … Read More
The United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) recently took proactive steps to disrupt al-Nusrah Front’s military, recruitment and financing operations. OFAC blocked all property and interests in property of four key al-Nusrah Front leaders … Read More
Members of the European Parliament’s Transport and Tourism Committee (MEPs) approved plans to update EU civil aviation safety standards on Thursday, implementing revisions that aim to address emerging risks and establish EU-level requirements for drones. The updated plans would transfer … Read More
The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) marked the opening of a new test lab this week that will specialize in testing public safety features, devices and apps before network deployment. The FirstNet Innovation and Test Lab, operating at FirstNet’s … Read More
The American Society for Microbiology (ASM) on Wednesday identified three specific areas the the incoming Trump Administration should address to benefit public health — combatting drug-resistant infectious diseases, dedicating federal funding for rapid response to microbial outbreaks and promoting the … Read More
U.S. Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR), chairman of the House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, and U.S. Rep. Michael C. Burgess (R-TX), chairman of the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade recently scheduled a joint hearing on Nov. 16 to … Read More
A lack of biometric data sharing regarding terrorist groups at the international level creates a security gap that could be exploited by returning foreign fighters, Interpol said on Wednesday. The Interpol General Assembly has said the threat needs to be … Read More
Global specialty biopharmaceutical company Emergent Biosolutions Inc. has appointed Dr. Kathryn Zoon to its board of directors. Zoon is currently a Scientist Emeritus of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Zoon’s … Read More
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers apprehended a double homicide suspect at the San Ysidro PedWest crossing in San Diego this week. Pete Flores, the director of field operations for CBP in San Diego said, “CBP officers perform the … Read More
U.S Border Patrol agents at the Falfurrias Checkpoint in Texas rescued several undocumented immigrants last weekend as smugglers attempted to bring them into the United States illegally. Agents managing inspections at the checkpoint referred several drivers over to a secondary … Read More
New research analyzing the 2012 chikungunya outbreak in a Bangladeshi village may provide insight on how mosquito-borne illnesses like Zika are spread. The study, recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was funded by the Centers … Read More
The head of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) discussed the growing threat of chemical terrorism and the challenges of permanently eliminating chemical weapons during a visit to Poland this week. OPCW Director-General Ahmet Üzümcü met with … Read More
A new study, which could lead to the development of vaccines to prevent the spread of the Zika virus, has found that administering a human antibody to both pregnant female and male mice neutralizes the virus. Researchers isolated immune B … Read More
