Funding cuts seen compromising America’s ability to fight global infectious disease threats
To advance U.S. leadership in fighting threats against human health – potentially deadly threats that can be transmitted between people like HIV, malaria, tuberculosis and the Ebola and Zika viruses – requires Congress to “resolutely reject” the Trump administration’s proposed FY 2018... Read More »
Sen. Peters introduces three amendments to FAA Reauthorization Act
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) recently introduced a series of amendments to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act of 2017 that will help enhance the safety of airline passengers at local airports and ensure that relevant stakeholders are consulted when the FAA forms its new... Read More »National Cyber Security Alliance releases statement on potential ransomware attack on international financial, transportation computer systems
In the wake of the international WannaCry ransomware attacks, reports have recently surfaced that another attack, potentially related to an existing strain of malware called Petya, has been infecting computer systems throughout Europe and the United States. While little is currently known about... Read More »
Estes appointed to House Homeland Security Committee
House Homeland Security Committee Chairman U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) recently announced that U.S. Rep. Ron Estes (R-KS) would be the newest addition to the House Homeland Security Committee. “Ron has a proven record of streamlining operations and increasing efficiency—and the... Read More »
Port of Nogales CBP officers seize more than $1.1 million in narcotics, arrest four in one day
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents stationed at the Port of Nogales in Arizona recently made a series of narcotics seizures and arrested four Mexican nationals over separate incidents. The first incident occurred on Sunday as officers assigned to the Dennis DeConcini crossing... Read More »
Rep. Walorski introduces bill to provide Congressional oversight of Gitmo detainee transfers
A bill that seeks to enhance Congressional oversight of future Guantanamo Bay (Gitmo) detainee transfers by closing a loophole that allowed the executive branch to keep secret the terms under which terrorist detainees were released was recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by... Read More »
Sen. Flake requests that Sessions restore zero-tolerance approach to first time illegal border crossers
U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) recently sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions requesting that he reenact Operation Streamline’s zero-tolerance approach to illegal border crossings and reverse actions from the Obama Administration that undermined the program’s intent. Flake’s... Read More »
ECBC researchers receive patent for chemical warfare agent destruction system
Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) researchers recently received a patent for their field deployable hydrolysis system (FDHS), which was used to destroy approximately 600 tons of Syrian chemical warfare material aboard a maritime vessel in international waters back in 2014. According to... Read More »
California CBP agents seize $1 million in cocaine, apprehend wanted fugitive for homicide in separate incidents
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents stationed at the San Ysidro Port of Entry and the PedWest facility in southern California recently seized more than $1 million in cocaine and apprehended a U.S. fugitive wanted for homicide in separate incidents. The first incident began as San... Read More »
House Democrats urge DHS Secretary Kelly to not back down on critical infrastructure designation for election systems
Democratic members of the House Homeland Security Committee recently sent a public letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary John Kelly requesting information regarding plans to work with states to secure election infrastructure in the wake of intelligence officials confirming that... Read More »
Denmark’s Permanent Under Secretary of State visits OPCW headquarters to discuss Chemical Weapons Convention implementation
The Kingdom of Denmark’s Permanent Under-Secretary of State Michael Starbæk Christensen recently visited the headquarters of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague to discuss ways to strengthen international cooperation against chemical weapons use.... Read More »
Joint Johns Hopkins, CDC checklist for disease response reveals diverse, complex involvement needed to ready public health sector
Joint efforts from university and federal researchers have prepared a checklist designed to help strengthen communities against infectious disease outbreaks – and what they’ve learned is it’s a messy web to navigate. The report was prepared against the backdrop of the 2014 Ebola crisis,... Read More »
Homeland Security awards $10 million for community-led counter terrorism initiatives
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently announced 26 awards totaling $10 million for the Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) Grant Program, which seeks to address the issue of violent extremism in the United States through a series of community-led initiatives. DHS said the... Read More »
Global macroecologists call attention to lack of shared information on disease-causing organisms
A group of scientists from the Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, the University of Copenhagen, and North Carolina State University recently published a joint statement that called attention to the lack of information regarding worldwide distribution of disease-causing organisms.... Read More »