News
Assault weapons ban introduced in Senate
Following the recent church shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas, that left 26 people dead, Democratic lawmakers introduced a bill on Thursday that would make it illegal to sell, transfer, manufacture or import military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. The bill, titled the... Read More »
GAO reviews use of predictive modeling for infectious disease outbreaks
Leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee requested a review on Thursday to gauge how federal agencies are using predictive modeling and simulations to prepare for and respond to Zika, Ebola and other infectious disease outbreaks. A recent Government Accountability (GAO) report found... Read More »
GAO looks at Border Patrol deployment of agents in Southwest
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report last week examining the deployment strategy of U.S. Border Patrol agents and activities at immigration checkpoints in the Southwest region of the United States. U.S. Border Patrol deploys agents along the southwest border in areas both... Read More »
Sen. Blumenthal presses Department for Defense for answers, reforms following Texas mass shooting
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) sent a letter to the Department of Defense (DOD) seeking answers and reforms related to the reporting system failure that enabled the gunman in Sunday’s mass shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas, to obtain firearms. Under the National Instant Criminal... Read More »
National Nuclear Security Administration awards $27.5 million to Cornell, Notre Dame researchers
The Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) awarded research grants totaling $27.5 million to researchers at Cornell University and the University of Notre Dame, NNSA announced this week. The researchers will receive the funds the Stewardship Science... Read More »
Democratic Senators push for Assault Weapons Ban in wake of year’s mass shootings
A new bill from the Democrat side of the aisle in Washington, D.C. seeks to ban the sale, transfer, manufacture, and importation of military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. The push is coming from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and ranking member of the Senate... Read More »
Baylor researchers link West Nile virus, neurological disorders years after original infection
Researchers from the Baylor School of Medicine released a report Tuesday that documents a link between West Nile virus and brain damage years after the original infection, even among those who did not experience any symptoms at the time of infection. Baylor researchers released a report on... Read More »Researchers find mutation of benign Zika strain not responsible for 2015 microcephaly outbreak
Contrary to early theories, high rates of microcephaly and other neurological deficits recorded during a 2015 Zika outbreak in Brazil were not the result of modern mutations of the virus, scientists from the Columbia University Medical Center concluded in a report released this week. Zika virus... Read More »
Chemical sensor testbed being deployed at World Trade Center Transportation Hub
A testbed will be established in the World Trade Center Transportation Hub in New York City for chemical detection sensors under an agreement announced between the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey on Tuesday. The agreement outlines the... Read More »
Progreso/Donna Port of Entry CBP agents seize more than $1.5 million in heroin
Officers with U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Office of Field Operations (OFO) at the Progreso/Donna Port of Entry recently confiscated over 69 pounds of alleged heroin valued at over $1.5 million. “This weekend’s seizure is a vast illustration of the dedication and commitment... Read More »
Three reported Marburg cases in Uganda outbreak have died, WHO says
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported recently that the three previously reported cases of Marburg virus disease in the Kween District of Eastern Uganda had died as of November 3, resulting in an overall case-fatality rate of 100 percent for the outbreak. The Ugandan Ministry of Health... Read More »
Security firm Chertoff Group granted SAFETY Act designation by DHS
The global security and risk management advisory firm known as The Chertoff Group has become one of a select few companies to be granted a SAFETY Act “qualified anti-terrorism technology” designation for its methodology by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The company uses what they... Read More »
Boeing announces placement of 44th interceptor in long-range ballistic missile defense system
America's long-range ballistic missile defense system recently added a 44th interceptor as Boeing and the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) team announced that a missile had been loaded into a silo. The GMD system consists of command and control facilities, communications terminals, and a... Read More »
Early threat assessments understated Asian tiger mosquito’s ability to spread Zika virus to humans
The invasive Asian tiger mosquito that is proliferating across the United States and Europe can spread Zika and dengue virus infections three times more effective than previously believed, according to a study presented on Tuesday. After noting that earlier risk assessments of the Asian tiger... Read More »
Monthly threat assessment warns that terrorist groups are intent on carrying out large-scale attacks
Although terrorist groups like ISIS have al-Qaeda have recently been plotting small-scale attacks, intelligence indicates that terrorists want to bring down an aircraft and create a “big explosion” on the scale of 9/11, according to a threat assessment released on Tuesday. The House... Read More »
House Homeland Security Committee pushes for CT scanning at all airports after briefing on terror threats
Members of the House Homeland Security Committee pressed David Pekoske, the newly confirmed administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), on how quickly the country could integrate computed tomography (CT) scanners into every airport in the country to thwart threats at a... Read More »
Committee releases report on security information-sharing hubs
The House Homeland Security Committee majority staff released a new report reviewing the nation’s network of fusion centers, hubs for sharing information related to security between federal, state and local government entities. The new report, Advancing the Homeland Security Information... Read More »
Reed calls for review of criminal record reporting systems, answers in Texas church shooter case
U.S. Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released a statement Monday calling for a review of criminal record reporting systems, including the system that allowed a Texas gunman to illegally acquire a firearm. The statement came after the Air Force... Read More »
WHO warns against any travel restrictions to Burkina Faso despite dengue fever outbreak
A report released by the World Health Organization (WHO) this week analyzed a dengue fever epidemic that caused them to declare an outbreak in Burkina Faso in September and urged countries to consider dengue vaccines. Notably, this case has differed from past outbreaks in that several serotypes... Read More »
Dem. Senators request information from CDC on spread of water- and vector-borne diseases on Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands
As Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands continue to recover from the devastating effects of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, a group of Democratic U.S. Senators recently sent a letter to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Brenda Fitzgerald requesting information on the... Read More »
Council on Foreign Relations launches database of state-sponsored cyberattacks
The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) recently announced its Digital and Cyberspace Policy program is launching a Cyber Operations Tracker, a database of all publicly-known state-sponsored incidents that have occurred since 2005, in order to gain a better understanding of the current cyber threat... Read More »
California CBP officers seize 314 pounds of narcotics over separate incidents
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers stationed at various ports of entry in California recently intercepted 314 pounds of illicit narcotics and arrested 14 fugitives over multiple incidents. From Friday, Nov. 3 through Sunday, Nov. 5, California CBP officers seized more than 181... Read More »
DHS joins major sports leagues to upgrade stadium security
Under the Support Anti-Terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies (SAFETY) Act, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate is assisting the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), and National Basketball League (NBA) in updating sports... Read More »
Moore named permanent director of Army’s Edgewood Chemical Biological Center
After serving as the acting director of the Army’s Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) since May, Eric Moore was named the permanent director of ECBC by Maj. Gen. Cedric Williams effective Oct. 29. ECBC is tasked with research and development efforts related to non-medical components of... Read More »
Senators aim to boost federal investments in Next Generation 911 technology
Existing federal grant programs would be expanded to help state and local governments deploy modern 911 systems that enable citizens to text for help and send audio, text or video files during emergencies under legislation introduced on Thursday. The Next Generation 911 Act of 2017, which was... Read More »
GAO warns of need to strengthen pathogen research lab oversight in wake of safety incidents
The labs working to protect the United States from hazardous pathogens are themselves in need of oversight updates, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), owing to several lapses in safety. The labs in question--overseen by the Federal Select Agent Program--amount to more... Read More »
Recent WPA2 protocol vulnerability highlights critical need for information sharing, according to DHS
A vulnerability recently identified in the Wi-Fi Protected Access II (WPA2) protocol that secures most wireless network traffic highlights the critical nature of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) information sharing, according to a recent DHS release. Jeanette Manfra, the assistant... Read More »
President signs bill formally authorizing National Computer Forensics Institute
State and local law enforcers will continue to receive specialized training to incorporate cyber and digital tools into criminal investigations following the President’s signed a bill last week that formally authorizes the National Computer Forensics Institute (NCFI). The NCFI has trained... Read More »
Emerging threats to air cargo prompts legislation to enhance screening, partnerships
Under a bill introduced in the House of Representatives on Thursday, 3D imaging technology and stronger public-private partnerships would be leveraged to enhance Transportation Security Administration (TSA) air cargo security protocols. The Air Cargo Security Improvement Act of 2017, H.R.... Read More »
Infectious Diseases Society of America opposes House bill seeking to eliminate Prevention and Public Health Fund
A federal fund that helps state and local efforts to detect and respond to disease outbreaks, supports immunization and critical health responses is at risk of legislative elimination, according to the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA). The bill that would do so--the CHAMPION Act--is... Read More »
GAO recommends that Energy Department lead collaborative efforts on low-dose radiation research
In a recent report and testimony, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) recommended that the Department of Energy (DOE) take a leading role in a collaborative interagency effort on research into low-dose radiation’s health effects. GAO identified seven federal agencies that obligated... Read More »
CBP officers intercept $500K in counterfeit US currency at Atlanta airport
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport this week intercepted $509,700 in counterfeit U.S. $100 bills that a 62-year-old U.S. Citizen arriving from Peru attempted to hide in his luggage. “This seizure demonstrates how U.S. Customs... Read More »
CBP agents rescue injured man, woman from storm drain in El Paso
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents helped rescue two people on Tuesday who were injured while hiding in El Paso’s storm drain system after reportedly entering the United States illegally. CBP’s Confined Space Entry Team (CSET) was deployed following a report on Monday that five... Read More »
Half of states commit to FirstNet, committee hears concerns about tight state deadlines
The first nationwide public safety broadband network, known as FirstNet, secured partnership commitments from about half of the states and two U.S. territories by the end of October, according to testimony before a congressional panel on Wednesday. Members of the House Energy and Commerce... Read More »