Government
Democratic members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee recently requested information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on its efforts in preparing for and responding to a potential Zika virus outbreak over the summer, when mosquito populations will be at their... Read More »
The United States appears ill-prepared to deal with a Zika virus outbreak although the nation’s federal public health agencies have learned valuable information during the last few years about the disease, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) says in a new report released on Tuesday to... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and John Cornyn (R-TX) recently sent a public letter to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Acting Director Anne Schuchat, regarding the agency’s coordination efforts with Texas public health agencies to prepare for the heightened risk of Zika virus... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers stationed at the Hidalgo International Bridge in Texas recently intercepted a large shipment of liquid methamphetamine valued at approximately $3.7 million.
The incident occurred May 14 when a 20-year old female U.S. citizen approached the bridge... Read More »
The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Communications and Technology Subcommittee recently held a hearing discussing the nation’s emergency alert systems and how technological advancements could alter their future.
“Outfitting first responders with the robust capabilities of broadband... Read More »
In the wake of the international WannaCry ransomware attacks, U.S. Reps. Cedric Richmond (D-LA) and Donald M. Payne, Jr. (D-NJ) recently called upon the House Homeland Security Committee to hold hearings on the cybersecurity posture of the nation’s healthcare and lifeline sectors.
The... Read More »
A bipartisan bill to help mitigate security risks of potential foreign government espionage by collecting beneficial ownership information prior to the federal government leasing buildings for high-security purposes was recently introduced by U.S. Reps. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) and Peter King (R-NY).... Read More »
A bill to provide state and local law enforcement offices with tools to combat cybercrime recently advanced the U.S. House of Representatives.
The Strengthening State and Local Cyber Crime Fighting Act of 2017 was introduced by U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX).
Ratcliffe’s bill authorizes... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), through its Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), recently announced the availability of $6 million in funding for research in combating antimicrobial resistance.
The funds were authorized as part of the the 2014 Farm Bill and will be... Read More »
To achieve a goal of global health security, the United States must extend its legacy as a global leader through forward-looking policies, international partnerships, and continued investment into innovate medical advancements, according to a recent report from the National Academies of Sciences,... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) recently introduced three separate bills intended to provide additional layers of protection for law enforcement officers across the country.
“My legislation stands for two simple propositions: First, America's law enforcement officers should be at least as well... Read More »
A six-week, nationwide gang operation led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) unit netted a total of 1,378 arrests across the country, the largest such operation conducted by HSI to date.
In total 1,098 individuals were arrested on federal... Read More »
A single engine marine vessel, carrying approximately 159 pounds of cocaine, was recently intercepted north of Arecibo, Puerto Rico by officers from U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO) and the Puerto Rico Police Department.
The incident began as a CBP... Read More »
A malicious ransomware software known as WannaCry has recently infected more than 200,000 computer systems across multiple nations, forcing users to pay the equivalent of $300 in the cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, before users regain access to their files.
The ransomware reportedly infects systems... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has taken numerous steps to reduce the risk of avian influenza, but needs a plan to evaluate its efforts going forward, according to a recent report issued by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO).
In preparing its report, GAO was asked to... Read More »
The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Regional Director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti recently visited Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), to hold a meeting with the country’s national authorities to discuss an effective response plan in regards to the recently-verified outbreak of... Read More »
President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order last week, which aims to strengthen the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) role in securing federal networks from potential cyberattacks.
“Our nation’s economic and national security rely on a safe, secure, and reliable cyber... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Brian Schatz (D-HI) recently sent a public letter to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai requesting information on the reported distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) cyberattack on the FCC’s website and the ability of the agency to defend... Read More »
News on Friday about the reemergence of several Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) highlights the need for both a robust global and national health security strategy, said Dr. Jeffrey Duchin, immediate past chairman of the public health committee for the Infectious Diseases... Read More »
In testimony provided to a Senate panel on Tuesday, Navy Adm. Michael S. Rogers stated that U.S. Cyber Command (Cybercom) is continually increasing its cyber mission forces’ readiness to hold targets that are at risk in the face of intensified international conflicts and cyberspace threats.... Read More »
A scenario-based discussion, centering around how the United States and the People’s Republic of China could better cooperate to address nuclear threats, was recently conducted amongst representatives from the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) and the China Institutes of Contemporary International... Read More »
A 20-year old New Jersey man, Gregory Lepsky, recently appeared in federal court to face allegations that he planned to construct and detonate a pressure cooker-style explosive in support of the extremist group the Islamic State and Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
Lepsky is charged with one count of... Read More »
The United States is continuing its fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria’s (ISIS) Afghanistan branch by recently deploying its most-powerful, non-nuclear bomb on a network of underground tunnels which killed 36 members of the extremist group, according to the House Homeland... Read More »
The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) issued a statement of public support last week for the recent congressional passage of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, which helps support a variety of infectious disease programs for public health benefit in the United States and... Read More »
The fragmented, ineffective set of information technology (IT) systems stifles efforts by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to track visa overstays, according to a recent report published by the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG).... Read More »
Three bills to strengthen the federal government’s disaster response and recovery programs of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) were unanimously approved last week by the U.S. House of Representatives.
Each piece of legislation ensures that the federal government fairly considers... Read More »
A health alert notice was issued last week by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which provides guidance for healthcare professionals for interpreting Zika virus test results for women to who live in, or travel to, areas with a CDC Zika travel notice.
The CDC said the... Read More »
Emergent Biosolutions unveiled its new Center for Innovation in Advanced Development and Manufacturing (CIADM) on Tuesday, which is designed to enable manufacturing of various medical countermeasures to address urgent public health threats.
The 112,000-sq. ft. facility was supported through a... Read More »
The Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), in conjunction with the California Department of Public Health and the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, recently held a radiological security workshop May 2-3 to discuss radiological materials and ways to reduce the risks they pose.
The... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Ron Johnson (R-WI), chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, and Claire McCaskill (D-MO), the committee’s ranking member, recently sent a public letter to the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Inspector General John Roth, regarding assaults... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) efforts to address high risk travelers and strengthen visa security programs have experienced progress in some areas and challenges in others, according to a recently-published report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO).
GAO... Read More »
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce recently released a report, which includes policy recommendations that would help align the United States and the European Union (EU), regarding frameworks, standards, and best practices for cybersecurity.
The report, titled Transatlantic Cybersecurity: Forging a... Read More »
An amendment that requires mass-gathering venue operators to be included in law enforcement and first responder exercises to inform response plans was unanimously approved to be added to the Community Counterterrorism Preparedness Act by the House Committee on Homeland Security.
Venues included... Read More »
The Patriot Integrated Air and Missile Defense System has reportedly shot down more than 100 tactical ballistic missiles in combat operations throughout the world, according to a recent release by Patriot manufacturer, Raytheon Company.
The Patriot system utilizes multiple interceptor missiles... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers assigned to the port of entries in San Diego and Imperial Valley counties in California recently intercepted more than 700 pounds of narcotics and apprehended 13 fugitives with outstanding felony warrants over the past weekend.
In total,... Read More »
