Government
U.S. Reps. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) and Thomas Massie (R-KY) introduced a bill that would repeal the USA Patriot Act and amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to remove provisions that they say undermine civil liberties.
The bill, the Protect Our Civil Liberties Act (H.R.8970),... Read More »
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has initiated its DARPA Toolbox, which provides open licensing opportunities with commercial technology vendors to researchers behind DARPA programs.
“DARPA performers are frequently encumbered by having to negotiate access to tools, IP... Read More »
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) to Abbott this week for its BinaxNOW COVID-19 Ag Card Home Test, allowing for virtually guided use by anyone 15 years or older, with a prescription.
Healthcare providers will refer such patients to the... Read More »
Bavarian Nordic A/S secured $83 million in funding from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) this week, marking a second investment into its JYNNEOS smallpox vaccine from the U.S. government.
This follows a $106 million investment into the vaccine made in April,... Read More »
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is launching a new campaign that urges the public to “Secure Your Meds” as part of its effort to reduce drug misuse and overdose.
The administration hopes the campaign will remind Americans to clean out their medicine cabinets and secure unused... Read More »
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will award $140 million for COVID-19 vaccine preparedness, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced.
The CDC will also award almost $87 million for tracking and testing to 64 jurisdictions, including all 50 states and... Read More »
Three entities have initiated real-world testing efforts to determine the most effective measures to address the public transit virus spread reduction.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has partnered with the New York Metropolitan... Read More »
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued the first-ever emergency use authorization (EUA) for an over-the-counter, at-home test for COVID-19, awarding that honor to the rapid Ellume COVID-19 Home Test.
This means anyone at least two years of age or older, whether displaying... Read More »
The U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Defense (DoD) have partnered with the non-profit Quantum Leap Healthcare Collaborative on a phase 2 clinical trial to screen multiple potential COVID-19 drugs simultaneously.
Unlike many such trials, which focus on a single drug, this... Read More »
The Delaware Department of Health and Social Services’ (DHSS) Division of Public Health DPH) will allow that state’s residents to access Naloxone free by mail.
In an announcement on Friday, DPH said increasing access to naloxone is critical to reducing overdose deaths, especially as more... Read More »
A bipartisan bill authorizing a public advocacy campaign to promote COVID-19 vaccine participation and provide science-backed information was introduced in the House this week.
The bill provides necessary funds for the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced plans to implement President Trump’s Executive Order to establish the White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative.
The final rule seeks to ensure that religious and non-religious organizations are treated equally in DHS-supported programs.... Read More »
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has earmarked $525,000 in federal grant funding to continue the Hampton Roads Human Trafficking Task Force (HRHTTF) for at least three more years.
The funding allotment via the DOJ's Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) would allow the Task Force to expand into new... Read More »
Although distribution of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine has begun in the United States, Democrats are criticizing reports that the White House failed to pre-order more doses of the vaccine when it had the opportunity and are pressing for more transparent pandemic planning.
News broke last week in... Read More »
In documents released ahead of a vaccine advisory committee meeting on Dec. 17 to discuss the future of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) determined the two-dose vaccine to be effective and safe for adults.
If approved for emergency use authorization later... Read More »
Officials with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations (OFO) at the Laredo Port of Entry said they have seized more than $2.8 million worth of narcotics in two separate and unrelated actions at the World Trade and Colombia-Solidarity Bridges.
“The effort to... Read More »
The 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) conference report, which passed in the U.S. Senate, includes establishing a Cybersecurity State Coordinator position in every state.
The bill would provide each state with a federally funded Cybersecurity Coordinator, responsible for preventing... Read More »
The U.S. Senate passed last week the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (NDAA), which authorizes the Ted Stevens Center for Arctic Security Studies.
The Ted Stevens Center will be the first Department of Defense regional center in the Arctic and the first new DOD regional... Read More »
Bastille Networks has secured a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate’s (S&T) Silicon Valley Innovation Program (SVIP) pact to address unwanted wireless device intrusions.
Through the Phase 5 Other Transaction Agreement (OTA), the Atlanta, Georgia-based... Read More »
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) personnel said recent attempts at airborne retrieval of three unmanned air vehicles, nicknamed Gremlins, was inches from success in the latest flight test series.
During the initiative, which began on Oct. 28, each X-61A Gremlins Air Vehicle... Read More »
With the distribution of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine underway in the United States and an emergency use authorization (EUA) expected to follow for Moderna’s vaccine this week, the federal government is preparing through massive logistics and additional purchases.
The government’s Operation... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is introducing a new program designed to commercialize federally funded breakthrough technologies to support homeland security missions.
The program, called the Homeland Security Startup Studio, will launch on... Read More »
House members of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure are urging leadership at the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) to adopt the recommendations from the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report on unmanned systems, or UxS.
The NAS report, "Unmanned Systems for Coast Guard Missions: A... Read More »
A delegation of Maine lawmakers said they are seeking insight from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regarding transparency and communication with state partners on COVID-19 vaccine distribution.
Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Angus King (I-ME) recently joined Reps. Chellie... Read More »
The International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) is commending the inclusion of provisions benefiting IAFF members in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2021.
“In a year when COVID-19 has been the primary focus of Congress, I am proud of yet another successful... Read More »
Three nurse practitioners have been sentenced for their roles in prescribing massive quantities of opioids from pill mills in Knoxville, Tennessee, representatives from the U.S. Department of Justice said Thursday.
In a press release, Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt with the... Read More »
U.S. Reps. John Larson (D-CT) and Joe Courtney (D-CT) recently introduced the Pandemic Supplies Production Act designed to nationalize the production and distribution of supplies deemed essential to fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As we fight through this second surge of COVID-19, we need to... Read More »
As of Jan. 1, 2021, all international mail coming into the United States will have to provide Advance Electronic Data (AED) for added detection measures as part of a law designed to help reduce the supply of opioids shipped into the United States through the U.S. Postal Service. But federal... Read More »
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is preparing to quickly authorize the Pfizer Inc.-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, following an advisory committee's recommendations.
That committee voted 17 to 4 in favor of approval. Once emergency use authorization (EUA) is granted, the... Read More »
A bill by U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins’ (R-LA), the ranking member of the Border Security Subcommittee, that would provide border patrol agents with stronger opioid detection equipment has passed in the Senate, his office said Wednesday.
H.R. 4761, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Opioid... Read More »
A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators is urging the Senate Appropriations Committee to ensure that the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) is adequately funded to meet the needs of at-risk organizations.
The funding support nonprofit organizations that are deemed most at risk of terror... Read More »
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded a $2 million R01 grant to a Virginia Tech research team to develop a single-dose Zika virus vaccine candidate.
"This grant focuses on a new strategy that we developed to produce safe and effective flavivirus vaccines," Jonathan Auguste, an... Read More »
A group of lawmakers recently forwarded correspondence to the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) requesting a written assessment regarding QAnon threats domestically and abroad.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) joined a group of Democratic colleagues that includes Sens. Chuck Schumer... Read More »
Those in need of a COVID-19 test may no longer need to leave the privacy of their homes, even to gather a prescription for it, with news of authorization granted by the United States Food and Drug Administration to the LabCorp Pixel COVID-19 Test Home Collection Kit.
The first no prescription... Read More »
In the United States, more than 2.8 million antibiotic-resistant infections occur annually, killing some 35,000 people, yet scant financial incentives exist to develop drugs that could treat many of these infections, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
In response,... Read More »
