Countermeasures
Top Trump Administration officials dismissed concerns that approval of a COVID-19 vaccine is being rushed to satisfy the President’s reelection efforts and assured the public they would volunteer to take any vaccine themselves that is ultimately approved by the government.
“We do feel the... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel in Boston, Mass., recently seized a Thailand shipment containing 196 grams of the opioid drug Tramadol.
“Illegal trading of opioids poses a significant health threat,” Michael Denning, director of Field Operations for the Boston Field Office,... Read More »
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) expressed gratitude to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) after the agency officially accepted her request to conduct an independent review of federal agencies' less-lethal weapons use.
Duckworth joined a group of lawmakers requesting the GAO to assess the... Read More »
As part of a 250-325 household study spanning three countries, The Saban Research Institute of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles will participate in a $7.1 million effort to investigate some of the unanswered questions surrounding COVID-19 and influenza transmission.
Among those questions being... Read More »
Democratic representatives and senators have introduced the No Nuclear Testing Without Approval Act to make nuclear testing dependent on Congressional authorization.
The effort comes from U.S. Reps. Steven Horsford (D-NV), Reps. Susie Lee (D-NV), Ben McAdams (D-UT), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), and TJ... Read More »
The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation this week that seeks to improve the Strategic National Stockpile and reduce America’s dependence on foreign sources of critical medical supplies.
The bill – Strengthening America’s Strategic National Stockpile Act (H.R. 7574) – focuses... Read More »
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is recommending that the Treasury Department work with other federal agencies and sector partners to enhance cybersecurity within the financial sector.
The financial services sector's reliance on information technology makes it a leading target for... Read More »
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) expanded its partnership with Ortho Clinical Diagnostics to accelerate the development of a COVID-19 antigen test.
The Vitros antigen test is designed for the rapid detection of the virus that causes COVID-19. It is intended for... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, in collaboration with the University of Washington, analyzed kits that could be used as a critical part of a laboratory test used to detect the COVID-19 virus in a sample from an infected person.
“We are pleased the DOE... Read More »
The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) has joined University of Pennsylvania researchers from two labs to build lung-on-a-chip technology, which promises a safe means of studying chlorine gas effects and the discovery of treatments.
Chlorine gas was used as a weapon... Read More »
The global initiative known as the COVAX facility announced major news for all seeking relief from the COVID-19 pandemic: a total of 156 economies have banded together under the program, guaranteeing both robust and lower income economies will get vaccines.
This week marked the formal commitment... Read More »
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officials said the department has launched its CIA Labs, its first lab mechanism designed to drive science and technology breakthroughs amid intelligence challenges.
“Some phenomenal innovations have come from CIA over the years, and with CIA Labs, we’re now... Read More »
A group of legislators recently encouraged the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to invest federal funding in wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) with an eye toward low-cost, effective COVID-19 testing.
Rep. TJ Cox (D-CA) recently joined 11 colleagues in forwarding correspondence... Read More »
Republicans on the Homeland Security Committee introduced a bill that reauthorizes the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for two years.
The Keep America Secure Act would reauthorize the DHS and provide $59 billion for FY2021 and $60 billion for FY2022. It includes funding for border... Read More »
The Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) convened a meeting of more than 40 experts worldwide to address the need for better oversight of biotechnology research.
Biotechnology research is essential for reducing pandemic threats and supporting global health. However, scientific advances in the life... Read More »
Sens. Rick Scott (R-FL) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) have introduced a measure they said is designed to help prevent COVID-19 spread via a pilot program requiring air traveler temperature checks at TSA screenings.
The Fly Safe and Healthy Act establishes a 120-day pilot program via the TSA to... Read More »
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) officials said the agency has posted a request for information regarding portable radio repeater products.
The initiative targets emergency responder community indoor and subterranean environments. S&T’s National... Read More »
In a letter written to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) this week, U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), and John Cornyn (R-TX) pressed for details on drug trafficking crackdown efforts targeting the dark web and its users.
Pointing to... Read More »
Under a new agreement with the European Commission, Sanofi and GSK will provide up to 300 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to the European Union in exchange for manufacturing scale-up support.
The vaccine in question is based on a mix of Sanofi’s recombinant protein-based technology --... Read More »
More than 90 organizations representing scientists, physicians, health providers, as well as patients and medical advocates are urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to ensure that reviews of COVID-19 vaccine candidates meet all regulatory standards prior to authorization.
“While we are... Read More »
A group of Republican Senators introduced a bill that would create federal penalties for individuals who deliberately target local, state, or federal law enforcement officers with violence.
The Protect and Serve Act would make it a federal crime to knowingly cause, or attempt to cause, serious... Read More »
Officials representing the engineering and project management firm Bechtel said its Pueblo Team safely eliminated nearly 300,000 155mm chemical weapons projectiles stored at the Army Pueblo Chemical Depot in Colorado.
The Pueblo Chemical Agent-Destruction Pilot Plant (PCAPP) team executed the... Read More »
Reps. Rodney Davis (R-IL) and Darin LaHood (R-IL) announced they would introduce a House of Representatives measure designed to raise police officer salaries and hire more officers.
The David Dorn Back the Blue Act is named in honor of David Dorn, a retired St. Louis Police captain killed on... Read More »
Eli Lilly and Company announced a new collaboration with Amgen last week that will allow a significant increase in supply capacity and scaling of production of its potential COVID-19 therapies.
The news came a mere day after Lilly announced that proof of concept data from its BLAZE-1 clinical... Read More »
Federal agencies have partnered with Ology Bioservices to expand the capacity for filling and finishing vials for COVID-19 vaccines and drugs in the United States.
The joint effort includes the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and the Department of Defense’s Joint... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security has awarded $10 million for projects that support the development of a nationwide Terrorism and Targeted Violence Prevention (TVTP) Framework.
The grants were made through the Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention Grant Program and went to 29 different... Read More »
The Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) has released the “Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) Program Planning Toolkit” to help local authorities to develop an effective program for alerts, warnings, and notifications.
IPAWS is a national system that provides... Read More »
The Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) TSA Systems Integration Facility (TSIF) recently hosted TSA Administrator David Pekoske, who met with the local TSA workforce and conducted a virtual town hall meeting.
The facility based in Arlington, Va., possesses a 128,000 square-foot... Read More »
Reps. Will Hurd (R-TX) and Robin Kelly (D-IL) recently introduced a concurrent resolution calling for the creation of a national artificial intelligence (AI) strategy.
The effort stems from coordinating with stakeholders and the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) - and includes recommendations from... Read More »
In a letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week, 15 Democratic senators called for the agency to be fully transparent in its COVID-19 vaccine review process, over concerns President Donald Trump is pressuring it to approve a vaccine before Election Day.
Public trust must be... Read More »
Building on an emergency declaration from President Donald Trump, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar has declared a public health emergency in Oregon due to ongoing wildfires that have killed at least eight people and burned approximately 1 million acres.
The emergency declaration... Read More »
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives representing districts along the Northern and Southern U.S. borders introduced a bill that directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to create a strategy to integrate emerging technologies in the nation’s border security strategy.
The... Read More »
Leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee are seeking information from the nine pharmaceutical companies developing COVID-19 vaccines about their research and development efforts and how they are ensuring that only a safe and effective product will be made publicly available.
The... Read More »
The Secret Service recently hosted a virtual Cyber Incident Response Simulation officials focused on ransomware attack and mitigation strategies.
“Recognizing the dynamic nature of this threat, President Trump has made it a priority to build strong and robust cybersecurity across the federal... Read More »
Sen. Martha McSally (R-AZ) has introduced a measure she said is designed to combat cross-border tunnel trafficking operations across the nation’s southern border.
The DHS Illicit Border Tunnel Defense Act has a companion measure introduced by Rep.Debbie Lesko (R-AZ) in the House in... Read More »
