Government
Although it already has a successful COVID-19 vaccine in circulation, Moderna is developing a vaccine designed to address the troubling South African variant of the disease (B.1.351), and as of last week, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) began a phase one trial to evaluate it.
Known as... Read More »
Homeland Security Investigations, a division of the Department of Justice, is warning U.S. citizens about a scam targeting vulnerable consumers with promises of gifts and cash in exchange for participating in fraudulent post-vaccination surveys.
The fraudulent surveys are used to illegally... Read More »
Members of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workforce are helping the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) pandemic response by volunteering to help at community vaccination centers.
The volunteers are part of TSA’s Surge Capacity Force (SCF), a program for federal... Read More »
Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) personnel recently joined NASCAR and law enforcement officials in a tabletop exercise focusing on GEICO 500 hypothetical public safety incidents.
CISA Executive Assistant Director for Infrastructure Security... Read More »
Bell Textron and Army officials said terms have been reached regarding the execution of the Competitive Demonstration and Risk Reduction (CD&RR) contract's second phase involving the V-280 Valor design.
“This is the next step to a program of record, and Bell is proud to closely collaborate... Read More »
Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) officials said the agency has provided funding for studies evaluating the therapeutic potential of aCT1 eye drops in models of sulfur mustard corneal injury.
BARDA officials said the effort is via its Division of Research, Innovation... Read More »
The Navy has awarded BAE Systems a four-year $42.5 million contract to provide shore-based landing systems integration (LSI) support services for instrument carrier and instrument landing systems (ICLS/ILS).
“For several decades, we have been responsible for integrating the Navy’s landing... Read More »
Over the next year, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) will lead a study of COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness on health workers, thanks to a $4.9 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Participants in what is being called the PREVENT (Preventing... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Terri Sewell (D-AK), John Katko (R-NY), Tom Suozzi (D-NY), and Rodney Davis (R-IL) introduced legislation Monday designed to mitigate the nationwide physician shortages by boosting the number of Medicare-supported residency positions.
The Resident Physician Shortage Act of 2021 would... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently partnered with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Administration for Community Living (ACL) to expand older adult COVID-19 vaccine access.
The initiative would provide nearly $100 million to assist with... Read More »
A total of five national laboratories are now a part of the Accelerating Therapeutics for Opportunities in Medicine (ATOM) consortium, assisting public-private efforts to develop an artificial intelligence(AI)-driven drug discovery platform.
The latest labs to join this week were the U.S.... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Jim Risch (R-ID), Todd Young (R-IN), and Ben Cardin (D-MD) introduced last week the Israel Relations Normalization Act of 2021, hoping to strengthen and expand peace and normalization agreements between Israel and surrounding nations.
The bill... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) recently reintroduced a bill designed to enhance the relationship between the United States and Taiwan.
The Taiwan Relations Reinforcement Act would strengthen the relationship between the nations by creating an interagency Taiwan policy task... Read More »
Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Jon Tester (D-MT) and Sen. John Boozman (R-AR) recently introduced a measure they said adjusts monthly benefits for family members and survivors of veterans who lost their lives in service to the nation.
The Caring for Survivors Act of 2021 seeks to... Read More »
A bipartisan group of senators, led by U.S. Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), wrote to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) last week with concerns about and calls to action against coronavirus vaccine misinformation being sown among veterans.
While misinformation has been a... Read More »
A Phoenix man is in custody after being charged with fraudulently applying for Paycheck Protection Program loans, investigators with the federal government said.
James Theodore Polzin, 47, of Mesa, Ariz., was charged with three charges of fraud in connection with major disaster or emergency... Read More »
Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) have offered thoughts regarding the Government Accountability Office's (GAO) update of its January 2016 report assessing firearms trafficking from the United States to Mexico.
Meeks and Durbin provided input regarding how the report... Read More »
Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) has introduced four bills designed to empower immigration courts and make offender aliens deportable.
“The Biden administration’s reckless policies are openly inviting gangs and cartels to flock to the border, so it’s more urgent than ever that we ensure dangerous... Read More »
The Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) is playing a major role in the fight against COVID-19 in the United States, deploying more than 300 units to assist vaccination efforts in 43 states, plus Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands.
“MRC units started training for COVID-19... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Wednesday that they will be making available $20 million in grant funding through the Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention (TVTP) Grant Program to help communities develop programs to combat terrorism and targeted violence.... Read More »
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is reemphasizing the federal government needs to proceed with greater urgency to bolster cybersecurity initiatives across the board amid rapidly evolving threats.
Per the GAO, the government needs to take 10 actions to address four major challenges... Read More »
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and INTERPOL personnel said the agencies have partnered to issue public warnings concerning online COVID-19 vaccines and treatment purchases.
“Counterfeit vaccines threaten the health of consumers who are duped by nefarious actors seeking to exploit the... Read More »
A bill first introduced in the 116th Congress -- the Securing America from Epidemics (SAFE) Act (H.R. 2118) -- is making the rounds in the House of Representatives again, thanks to its reintroduction by U.S. Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA).
Bera, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia,... Read More »
Northrop Grumman Systems and Lockheed Martin have been awarded Department of Defense (DOD) contracts supporting the Next Generation Interceptor (NGI) program.
NGI is an advanced interceptor designed to protect against intercontinental ballistic missile attacks. The DOD would ensure the overall... Read More »
Lawmakers began laying the groundwork for domestic terrorism legislation that would explicitly bar certain violent and/or hate groups and acts occurring in the United States, much the way that current legislation bars international acts of terrorism and violence.
“As we sit here today, we are... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V), ranking member of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, visited the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) training facilities in West Virginia Monday.
Capito visited the training facilities in Summit Point, W.V, and the Advanced... Read More »
Department of Defense (DOD) officials have proceeded with transportable advanced nuclear microreactor prototype design initiatives through two contract options.
Teams led by BWXT Advanced Technologies, LLC, of Lynchburg, Va., and X-energy, LLC, of Greenbelt, Md., were selected from a preliminary... Read More »
Rep. John Katko (R-NY), lead Republican of the House Homeland Security Committee, recently highlighted the great powers’ competition between the United States and China and how the homeland security mission plays a heightened critical role.
House Republicans maintain China will be the chief... Read More »
The Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) awarded $959,305 to the University of Washington’s Applied Physics Laboratory this week to create testing criteria for a COVID-19 digital contact tracing app.
The award was granted through the Silicon... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY) commended President Joe Biden for his statement of support for the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act.
The legislation seeks to combat ongoing anti-Asian racism and violence and all other types of hate related to the coronavirus. Meng introduced the bill, with U.S. Senator... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Tina Smith (D-MN) and Todd Young (R-IN) introduced a bill that would improve coordination among government agencies when studying animal and human health to prevent disease outbreaks.
Specifically, the Advancing Emergency Preparedness Through One Health Act would require the... Read More »
U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) personnel recently joined Connecticut and New York law enforcement and police departments in aiding the Connecticut State Police (CSP) with drone detection testing.
“If you want to fully neutralize the threat from a drone, you need to locate... Read More »
Sens. Tom Carper (D-DE), Susan Collins (R-ME) and Jon Tester (D-MT), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD) reintroduced legislation last week designed to support federal firefighters by correcting disparity between federal firefighters and state, local and municipal... Read More »
A new bill introduced by U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO) last week, the Stopping Illicit Fentanyl Trafficking Act, seeks to permanently schedule all illicit fentanyl and remove concerns surrounding the pending expiration of a temporary Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) effort.
“One of... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA) reintroduced legislation that would establish and expand state strategic stockpiles Thursday.
The legislation, H.R. 2006, would help states prepare for future events like the COVID-19 pandemic, the Congressman said.
"The COVID-19 pandemic made it... Read More »
