News
Johns Hopkins researchers discover fungus fueling dengue virus growth among mosquitoes
A study conducted by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has discovered one of the natural factors aiding the spread of dengue globally: common fungus. Apparently, the fungus lives in the gut of certain mosquitoes, and its presence there helps dengue virus to survive in the... Read More »
US, Mexico launch pilot program to collect biographic information on travelers at San Ysidro-El Chapparral Port of Entry
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Mexico’s National Migration Institute (INM) recently launched a pilot program to collect and share biographic information on pedestrians leaving the United States for Mexico at the San Ysidro-El Chaparral Port of Entry. The Joint Pedestrian Land... Read More »
House panel explores US ability to counter weapons of mass destruction
Leaders of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) testified before a congressional panel on Thursday about the United States’ ability to counter weapons of mass destruction and additional emerging threats. U.S. Rep. Dan Donovan (R-NY), the chairman of the House Homeland Security... Read More »
International Partnership for Nuclear Disarmament Verification defines a Phase II program of work
The International Partnership for Nuclear Disarmament Verification (IPNDV) defined a Phase II program of work to increase the scope of its activities at its fifth plenary meeting recently held in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Phase II aims to emphasize the importance of verification ahead of the... Read More »
DHS announces establishment of new Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office
A new Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) Office within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will consolidate the efforts to thwart and counter WMD attacks, the department announced on Thursday. DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen announced the creation of the CWMD Office, which will... Read More »
DHS consolidation of chemical, radiological, nuclear, explosives functions advancing without key recommendations, GAO says
A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposal to begin consolidation of chemical, radiological, nuclear and explosives (CBRNE) functions this month does not reflect recommendations made by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in August 2016. Congress directed DHS to review its weapons... Read More »
Congress probes new office within DHS to counter diverse threat of weapons of mass destruction
A witness at a House subcommittee hearing on Thursday identified drone delivery of biological, chemical and nuclear weapons as one of the newest threats to homeland security, as lawmakers examined a proposal to reorganize and enhance U.S. defenses against weapons of mass destruction. The... Read More »
Diphtheria ravaging Bangladesh’s refugee Rohingya population
The World Health Organization (WHO) warns of rapidly spreading cases of Diphtheria in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, where Rohingya refugees from Myanmar have taken shelter. Already, six have died and more than 110 suspected cases have been linked to the disease by health partners in-country. A mix... Read More »
US Customs and Border Protection reports increase in unreported currency, cocaine seized in South Texas in fiscal year 2017
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported on Wednesday significant increases in seizures of cocaine and unreported currency at eight South Texas ports of entry in fiscal year (FY) 2017 as compared to FY2016. CBP officers at the eight ports of entry from Brownsville to Del Rio that... Read More »
Government agencies’ use of Kaspersky Labs products subject of congressional inquiry
U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) requested information this week about how many government agencies have complied with a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) directive to identify Kaspersky Labs software on government computers and to plan for its removal. DHS Binding Operational Directive (BOD)... Read More »
Financial Crimes Enforcement Network launches program to enhance information sharing with financial institutions
The United States Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) launched a program this week to improve information sharing with financial institutions. The FinCEN Exchange program will include regular briefings with financial institutions to share information on... Read More »
House bill would modernize Medicare identification cards with chip technology
Legislation introduced in the House of Representatives on Tuesday would add chip technology to Medicare identification cards to better protect seniors and to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse. Under the Medicare Common Access Card (CAC) Act, Medicare cards would use the same chip technology that... Read More »
House Foreign Affairs Committee urge CDC, NIH to lead investigation into attacks on US Embassy in Cuba
Bipartisan leaders of the House Foreign Affairs Committee called on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) on Tuesday to lead the investigation into sonic attacks on personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuba. The State Department... Read More »
Customs and Border Protection officers arrest two “Trusted Travelers”
Customs and Border Protection officers at Arizona’s Port of Nogales recently arrested two individuals with “Trusted Traveler” status after finding drugs in their vehicles. The two individuals were enrolled in the Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection (SENTRI) program,... Read More »
Zika vaccine shows positive results during immune response studies
Encouraging results have stemmed from human testing of a Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) developed Zika vaccine. In three separate trials, a Zika purified inactivated virus was introduced into 67 otherwise healthy adults. All were able to tolerate it with no adverse effects, and... Read More »
Panel discussion focuses on Russia’s perspective on potential nuclear conflict
A forum hosted by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace last week focused on the risk of nuclear conflict from Russia’s perspective, exploring Russia’s position on topics like tactical nuclear weapons, arms control agreements, and cyberattacks. James Acton, co-director of Carnegie... Read More »
Department of Homeland Security announces end-of-year immigration enforcement numbers
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released Tuesday its end-of-year immigration enforcement statistics, which showed historically low border apprehension numbers but an increase in removals. We have clearly seen the successful results of the President’s commitment to supporting the... Read More »
November Terror Threat Snapshot highlights increased threats during holiday season
Efforts to enhance vetting of travelers to the United States, to intercept ISIS fighters fleeing Syria and Iraq, and to remain vigilant of “homegrown violent extremists” highlighted a Terror Threat Snapshot released by the House Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday. Key developments... Read More »
ATF, Department of Justice initiate rulemaking process to review, restrict legality of bump stocks
The Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Department of Justice (DoJ) initiated a regulatory process on Tuesday to determine if bump stocks are illegal under federal prohibitions on machineguns. The ATF has submitted an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking to the Office of... Read More »
US losing ground in artificial intelligence race
With billions of dollars flowing into a focus on artificial intelligence, China poses both a military and commercial threat to the United States where artificial intelligence is concerned, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. While the exact amounts invested remain hazy, experts dub... Read More »
NATO agrees to purchase Enhanced Laser Guided Training Rounds from Lockheed Martin for member countries
Lockheed Martin and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) recently signed a five-year agreement for NATO to purchase Enhanced Laser Guided Training Rounds (ELGTRs) on behalf of member countries. Under the agreement, which is in effect through 2021,... Read More »
CBP officers seize $1.3 million in marijuana, cocaine at Laredo Port of Entry
Mass amounts of marijuana and cocaine with an estimated street value of more than $1.3 million were recently intercepted by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Laredo Port of Entry in two separate seizures. On Saturday, CBP officers found 53 pounds of cocaine hidden on a... Read More »
ZIka vaccine triggers immune response in clinical trials
An investigational vaccine developed by scientists at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and Technology (WRAIR) successfully triggered an immune response among adult participants of clinical trials, according to a study published on Monday. The Zika purified inactivated virus (ZPIV)... Read More »
GAO makes recommendations to improve foreign airport assessments, inspections despite recent improvements
Despite gains made by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in foreign airport assessments and air carrier inspections, a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) study found “considerable regional variation” in compliance with security standards and recommended practices.... Read More »
Senate bill would establish criminal penalties for corporate employees concealing data breaches
Businesses would have to adhere to new customer notification requirements for data breaches under a bill introduced in the Senate on Thursday, and corporate employees could face new criminal penalties for deliberately concealing breaches. Democratic members of the Senate Commerce, Science and... Read More »
ICC dispatches 1.4 million yellow fever vaccines to Nigeria
Nigeria, which has been stricken by outbreaks of yellow fever, received aid from the International Coordinating Group (ICC) last week in the form of 1.4 million vaccines. Distribution of those vaccines will be aided by the World Health Organization (WHO), which is working to support the... Read More »
Customs and Border Patrol officers seize six tons of narcotics in 24-hour period
During a 24-hour period last week, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers intercepted a total of 12,215 pounds of narcotics valued at more than $9.1 million at ports of entry along the California border with Mexico. The officers seized 11,895 pounds of marijuana, 227 pounds of... Read More »
Spanish Ambassador Arias appointed director-general of Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
The Twenty-Second Session of the Conference of the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) recently appointed H.E. Ambassador Fernando Arias of Spain as the next director-general of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). Ambassador Arias will take over... Read More »
Modernization of Douglas Port of Entry advances with GSA’s naming of contractor
Efforts to modernize the Douglas Port of Entry in southeastern Arizona advanced on Friday with the General Services Administration (GSA) awarding a contract to Tuscon-based architectural firm Line and Space to conduct a feasibility study. The feasibility study will aim to evaluate and identify... Read More »
Military leaders warn US space dominance could be lost without action
With U.S. adversaries making steady gains in space capabilities in the decades following the first Gulf War, military leaders called for swifter action to secure U.S. space dominance and for reforms to procurement processes on Saturday. Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson and Air Force Gen. John... Read More »
Border Patrol needs to improve data quality, assessment of surveillance technology on southern border, GAO reports
U.S. Border Patrol has effectively deployed surveillance technology like radars, sensors, and cameras along the southern border, but data quality and efforts to assess the effectiveness need to be improved, a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) review found. Although technology... Read More »
New CDC-supported document lays out infectious disease response guide for hospitals
The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has published a new guidance document to aid hospitals’ response to disease outbreaks. The new guide, published in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology and titled,... Read More »
Study of horseshoe bats offers clues into origin of SARS virus
A recently published study from researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Wuhan, China, found that viral strains in bats contained all the necessary genetic building blocks of the human SARS coronavirus. The findings, published in PLOS Pathogens, suggest that genetic recombination... Read More »
Study finds that risk of Madagascar’s pneumonic plague spreading elsewhere is limited
A study by researchers at Hokkaido University recently used mathematical models to determine that the risk of the pneumonic plague epidemic in Madagascar spreading elsewhere in the world is limited. The researchers estimated that the number of exported cases was below 0.1 person in each country... Read More »