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Efforts by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) continue to produce state-sponsored ransomware and have successfully attacked healthcare and public health sector organizations and other critical infrastructure, according to a new advisory.
This Cybersecurity Advisory (CSA) was the... Read More »
Although crossing into the United States unlawfully is a crime, some argue financially assisting that crime is only vaguely addressed as a crime itself - so this week, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and several colleagues set out to change that through the No Coyote Cash Act.
“President... Read More »
A coalition of 21 Republican state attorneys general wrote President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken this week urging them to designate Mexican drug cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and provide additional federal resources for combating fentanyl.
“The national... Read More »
Despite major economic restrictions placed on Iran, U.S. intelligence has estimated that perhaps 75 percent of the components for Iranian drones recently used by Russia in suicidal bombing raids against Ukraine were U.S.-made, which caused a stir among House members this week.
A bipartisan... Read More »
A neo-Nazi leader from Florida and a woman with whom he had a personal relationship were charged by federal prosecutors with plotting to attack electrical substations around Baltimore and cripple the city, according to authorities this week.
In an unsealed federal criminal complaint, Sarah Beth... Read More »
Successful commercialization greeted the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) last week, as U2opia Technology purchased exclusive licensing to two of its technologies for advanced cybersecurity monitoring in real-time.
U2opia is a consortium of technology and... Read More »
In a bicameral move, U.S. Reps. Dave Joyce (R-OH) and David Trone (D-MD) introduced the Protecting First Responders from Secondary Exposure Act last week to create a federal program providing local governments with resources to purchase containment devices for narcotics and offer training to first... Read More »
Although the majority – nearly 79 percent – of recommendations related to federal cybersecurity called for by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in 2010 have been implemented, major room for improvement remains, and this week, U.S. Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY) added her voice to the... Read More »
Seeking to increase preparedness for wildfires and reduce the risks they pose, a bipartisan group of senators this week introduced the Wildfire Emergency Act, using it to push for funding, new programs, and greater firefighter training efforts.
“Wildfires throughout Western states,... Read More »
The joint work of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Air Force Research Lab (AFRL), Lockheed Martin, and Aerojet Rocketdyne yielded a successful second flight test for the Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC) this week.
HAWC is a cruise missile that uses its own... Read More »
Fallout continues for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) over the hack and release of data from its official No-Fly List earlier this month, as U.S. Reps. Mark Green (R-TN) and Dan Bishop (R-NC) demanded answers and oversight of how this happened.
Green is the chairman of the... Read More »
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, agents last week concluded efforts ongoing since July 2022 to infiltrate the computer networks of the Hive ransomware group, seize its decryption keys and offer them to victims targeted for more than $130 million in demands.
“Last night, the Justice... Read More »
According to preliminary figures touted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), new measures deployed by the Biden administration have led to drastic reductions in illegal border crossings in the first month of 2023, setting January up for the lowest levels of monthly border encounters since... Read More »
United States Reps. Earl Carter (R-GA) and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) took a second go at introducing the Essential Medicines Strategic Stockpile Act (H.R.405) this week, seeking to create a pre-plotted list of generic medications essential for public health emergencies and cut dependence on China... Read More »
This week, U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CN), and Chris Murphy (D-CN) introduced two bills to increase protections against guns nationwide following another series of mass shootings in California.
Respectively, the bills proposed were the Assault Weapons Ban and the Age... Read More »
In its latest operational update, covering the final month of 2022, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) figures showed a mix of figures, with overall encounters along the border increasing even as unlawful crossings fell and migration patterns shifted overall.
Large numbers of people... Read More »
Last week, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) turned to the public for information on those responsible for a series of threats against and attacks on reproductive health service facilities nationwide – and it put up $25,000 in rewards for that information.
In all, 10 incidents were... Read More »
As called for under the CARES Act stimulus bill of 2020, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) conducted an investigation of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) oversight practices surrounding research into pandemic pathogens and found cause for concern.
While such... Read More »
As lawmakers process the passage of the government funding bill at the tail end of December 2022, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) announced that major portions of the Prepare for and Respond to Existing Viruses, Emerging New Threats, and Pandemics Act (PREVENT Pandemics Act) were included in its... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a new process of deferred action requests for noncitizen workers victimized by or witnesses to the violation of labor rights, allowing them greater potential protections against exploitation.
The change in process will shift more scrutiny... Read More »
Despite being required to develop the ability to make at least 80 plutonium pits per year by 2030, the National Nuclear Security Administration’s (NNSA) current plans fail to follow best practices, increasing the odds of costly increases and delays, according to an investigation from the... Read More »
A new directive from the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) service determined that changes were needed and clarity provided for weighing the risks of vehicular pursuit but refrained from banning the practice.
The decision followed an extensive review of the agency’s past... Read More »
Through an Executive Summary of the U.S. Fire Administrator’s report, released this week, the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) has put out both a warning of the dangers posed by growing wildfire issues and a series of recommendations and strategies for fighting back.
The USFA is a component of... Read More »
In an attempt to hasten the deportation of convicted illegal immigrants, United States Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) reintroduced the Help Ensure Legal Detainers (HELD) Act this week, a bill that would incentivize state and local law enforcement to transfer those immigrants to federal... Read More »
Through the largest presidential drawdown authority committed to date, the Biden administration greenlit $2.85 billion in military equipment to benefit the Ukrainian military’s defense against the ongoing Russian invasion, along with $225 million in additional foreign military financing.
"The... Read More »
Currently, immigration to the United States is still bound by the requirements of the Title 42 public health order enacted in March 2020, but while the legality of this remains bound up in court, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated this week that it is preparing for a return to Title 8... Read More »
Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a reference material based on baker’s yeast cells – a harmless yet living biological material – that they intend to use for training first responders on biothreats.
“Suspicious powder incidents occur... Read More »
Last year brought serious increases in encounters along south Texas ports of entry, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers, who reported 10,243 pounds of cocaine seized and 57,732 non-U.S. citizens encountered in violation of immigration laws.
The figures spanned the... Read More »
With the finalization of their Lots 15 and 16 agreement, the Pentagon’s F-35 Joint Program Office and Lockheed Martin announced this week that the company will produce and provide up to 398 F-35s in exchange for $30 billion.
These lots themselves include 272 aircraft. However, the arrangement... Read More »
In a civil complaint filed last week, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) opened a nationwide lawsuit against AmerisourceBergen Corp. and two of its subsidiaries, which together form one of the largest pharmaceutical distributors, for violating federal law on the distribution of controlled... Read More »
President Joe Biden signed Thursday a critical omnibus into law, setting up the Congressionally approved Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 2617) to fund the government and, importantly, numerous health care and consumer protection efforts.
“As Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee,... Read More »
The Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act became law this week in the United States, establishing a series of new priorities and requirements for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to guide federal cybersecurity to post-quantum cryptography.
Specifically, the legislation–... Read More »
With a signature from President Joe Biden, the Protecting Firefighters from Adverse Substances (PFAS) Act became law this week, officially directing federal agencies to create new best practices, training, and educational programs to limit and shield firefighters from exposure to hazardous... Read More »
In a tour of local fire stations, U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) used this week as an opportunity to promote new legislation that would renew federal grants programs supporting local fire departments in Michigan and beyond and expand their capabilities.
“Firefighters put their lives on the line... Read More »
After being worked into the FY 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2022, the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) Reauthorization Act, and several oceans provisions are slated to be signed into law by President Joe Biden.
As part of the larger... Read More »
