Countermeasures
In a study conducted on non-human primates, Soligenix, Inc.’s CiVax COVID-19 booster vaccine candidate produced increased neutralizing antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 and its Delta Omicron variants.
The results, released last week, showed the heat-stable vaccine candidate generated as much... Read More »
Under a bill introduced to the House of Representatives this week, the Empowering the U.S. Fire Administration Act, four legislators proposed changes to federal legislation that would allow the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) to aid local firefighter investigations after major... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and John Cornyn (R-TX) recently reintroduced legislation to strengthen border security and address ports of entry personnel shortages.
The Securing America’s Ports of Entry Act, which passed out of committee last Congress, would fully staff the nation's airports,... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL) is commending President Joe Biden's signing of legislation introduced to bolster gun violence prevention efforts.
The NICS Denial Notification Act was signed into law by Biden under the FY22 Omnibus package. It requires federal authorities to alert state and local... Read More »
The more detail provided on a disease, the better for doctors to pursue proper treatment, and in that regard, Roche and its subsidiary TIB Molbiol announced this week that they have tests capable of identifying between the Delta variant and various Omicron subvariants of SARS-CoV-2.
These tests... Read More »
A new solicitation issued by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) this week sought modern means of identifying and mitigating threats to so-called soft targets: sports venues, shopping complexes, schools, and more.
As a program, Securing... Read More »
A new attempt to strengthen the U.S. public health, medical preparedness, and response system will have its day in the Senate, after it was voted forward in a 20-2 vote by the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee.
The Prepare for and Respond to Existing Viruses, Emerging New... Read More »
A group of lawmakers recently forwarded correspondence to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, encouraging Ukrainian Armed Forces' support against Russia.
U.S. Reps. Michael Turner (R-OH), Mike Rogers (R-AL), and Michael McCaul (R-TX) joined U.S. Sens. Jim... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and Rob Portman (R-OH) are espousing the benefits of a critical infrastructure cybersecurity threat reporting provision signed into law as a part of the government funding legislation.
Peters and Portman authored the provision requiring critical infrastructure... Read More »
With an eye on potential vaccine development, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) announced this week that it will expand its partnership with Bangladesh’s icddr,b for a study into survivors of the deadly Nipah virus.
This support will take the form of nearly $1 million... Read More »
Over three days last week, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) drew together more than 2,000 representatives from approximately 200 international organizations for an extensive cybersecurity exercise revolving around critical infrastructure: Cyber Storm VIII.
“Over the... Read More »
Four congressmen founded a new bipartisan Border Security Technology Caucus this week to keep Congress informed of available technologies to improve U.S. border security.
It was created by U.S. Reps. Tony Gonzales (R-TX), Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN), Tim Ryan (D-OH), and Vicente Gonzalez... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), and Mike Rounds (R-SD) joined 19 colleagues in sending correspondence to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, seeking information regarding agency efforts to protect the nation from Russian... Read More »
A group of 49 Republican Senators recently expressed to President Joe Biden they are not in favor of the revived Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran.
“According to press reports, the Biden Administration may soon conclude an agreement with Iran to provide substantial sanctions relief... Read More »
The Director of National Intelligence (DNI) research and development arm, the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA), has initiated the Biometric Recognition & Identification at Altitude and Range (BRIAR) program.
“National security technologies must accurately and reliably... Read More »
Included in the omnibus spending bill advanced by the Senate last week, the Intelligence Authorization Act for FY 2022 (IAA) would authorize funding and legal authorities for the U.S. Intelligence community while increasing oversight of it.
“The Intelligence Authorization Act ensures that... Read More »
U.S. Sens. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) introduced legislation Thursday that would modernize programs currently focused on surveilling and forecasting future pandemic-causing viruses.
Called the Modernizing Biosurveillance Capabilities and Epidemic Forecasting Act, the bill... Read More »
The Senate advanced as part of the government funding legislation a provision from U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and Rob Portman (R-OH) that would require cyber attacks on critical infrastructure to be reported and further federal oversight.
Peters and Portman, chairman and ranking member of the... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently released a report that seeks to assess efforts to maximize preventing, detecting, and responding to potential domestic violent extremism threats.
“Every day, the more than 250,000 dedicated public servants at DHS work to ensure the safety... Read More »
Dosing officially began last week in a Phase 2 trial of Moderna’s COVID-19 Omicron variant-specific, bivalent booster vaccine candidate.
Known currently as mRNA-1273.214, the candidate combines another Omicron booster candidate with Moderna’s official COVID-19 vaccine, mRNA-1273.
"We are... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Justice said a recent collaboration of U.S. and Mexican law enforcement resulted in an enforcement operation dismantling a transnational human smuggling organization in Nogales, Sonora.
“The Attorney General established Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA) to address the threat... Read More »
In a new report released this week, the nonprofit Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) called out gaps in states’ emergency response capabilities and advocated for urgent investment in a new public health system.
The report, Ready or Not 2022: Protecting the Public’s Health from Diseases,... Read More »
The Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine (AUCVM) has been awarded a five-year, $24 million Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) canine development contract.
“Canines are an important tool in support of the S&T mission to prevent and respond... Read More »
The U.S. Navy recently awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation a $65 million contract to execute Link-16 full rate production for Marine Corps H-1 AH-1Z and UH-1Y aircraft to modernize electronic systems fleetwide.
Link-16 is a secure data link enabling H-1 crews to share data and communications... Read More »
Researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) began a clinical trial this week investigating rare but potentially serious systemic allergic reactions to COVID-19 mRNA vaccines.
“People who experienced an allergic reaction after receiving a COVID-19 mRNA... Read More »
U.S. Rep. John Katko (R-NY) said the House of Representatives' advancement of the Shadow Wolves Enhancement Act (H.R. 5681) represents wins for border security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Katko is ranking member of the House Committee on Homeland Security and introduced the... Read More »
In a move hailed by U.S. Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, the bipartisan Omnibus Appropriations Agreement for FY 2022 now includes an increase of funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program to $250 million.
The funding, representing a 39... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) applauded the Senate's recent passage of a resolution condemning a recent series of bomb threats against Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
Warner and Kaine indicated the resolution, spearheaded by U.S. Sens. Chris Coons... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ), and U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA) recently introduced the Stopping the Fraudulent Sales of Firearms Act, which seeks to prevent gun sellers from circumventing technology companies’ terms of service by prohibiting fraudulent sales of... Read More »
According to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), its effort to produce safe and effective vaccines within 100 days of an identified epidemic or pandemic threat has garnered $1.535 billion from world governments and organizations.
The 100 Days Mission is a five-year plan... Read More »
Joined by nine of his colleagues, U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) wrote to House Appropriations Committee leaders this week requesting additional financial support for global vaccination efforts to end the COVID-19 pandemic and strengthen international relations.
The effort is, at least in... Read More »
A bipartisan group of legislators recently introduced a Senate resolution calling for Russian President Vladimir Putin and members of his regime to be held accountable for various war crimes in the wake of the nation's Ukraine invasion.
U.S. Sens. Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Roger Marshall (R-KS)... Read More »
With the introduction of the DICTATOR Act to the House this week, U.S. Reps. Young Kim (R-CA) and Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) are pushing for investigations into whether the Chinese government is helping Russia evade international sanctions linked to its invasion of Ukraine.
While most nations agreed... Read More »
For its second year of Operation Engage – a community-level approach to tackling the drug epidemic – the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Detroit Field Division received funding to add efforts in a second Michigan city: Kalamazoo.
“The Detroit Field Division is bringing... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) recently forwarded correspondence to Attorney General Merrick Garland, seeking more details regarding Justice Department hate crime investigative efforts.
"Hate crimes are on the rise across the country," the... Read More »
