News
Rep. Barletta chairs hearing on successes of emergency preparedness grants for public safety threats
U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta (R-PA) held a hearing last week to examine the effectiveness of emergency preparedness grant programs that allow locales to identify and respond to various disaster scenarios. Barletta, who chairs the House Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and... Read More »Known human trafficker apprehended in Rio Grande City
U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP), in conjunction with the Joint Task Force-West, South Texas Corridor (JTF-W STC), recently apprehended a known human smuggler operating in Rio Grande City. Abigail Del Angel was arrested in a joint operation on Mar. 8 by JTF-W STC and the Starr County... Read More »Sen. Roberts introduces bill to protect the nation’s food supply from agro-terrorism
U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS), chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, introduced legislation last week to ensure the safety of the nation’s food supply by addressing various threats posed by acts of agro-terrorism. The bill was cosponsored by U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO), who serves... Read More »Bills aimed at protecting social security numbers introduced in House
The U.S. House Ways and Means Committee introduced two bills last week in an attempt to prevent identity theft by enhancing protections for social security numbers (SSNs). The first bill, titled the Social Security MAIL Act (H.R. 1513), would prevent the Social Security Administration from... Read More »
Rep. Thompson sends request for oversight hearings, bill markup for countering domestic threats to religious institutions
U.S. Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) sent a public request last week to U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, for a comprehensive oversight hearing on the various domestic threats on religious institutions and a markup to pass the Securing American... Read More »
BARDA awards $100 mln contract to Emergent Biosolutions for the delivery of anthrax vaccine to national stockpile
Emergent Biosolutions Inc. on Friday signed a two-year contract with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) valued at $100 million for the delivery of the company’s anthrax vaccine, called BioThrax, to the U.S. Strategic National Stockpile (SNS). The most recent... Read More »
Gen. Dunford discusses recent North Korean missile launch with South Korean counterpart
In response to recent missile launches by the North Korean government, U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joe Dunford held a 30-minute telemeeting with the Chairman of South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Sun Jin-Lee to assess the security situation for allies in the area. On... Read More »
Interpol’s Stock addresses effective information sharing to counter extremism, organized crime
Secretary General of Interpol Jürgen Stock recently addressed the Chiefs of Police Conference of South Asia and Neighboring Countries, stating that regional and global police cooperation has never been more essential in the fight against terrorism and organized crime. “In today’s world,... Read More »
South Texas CBP officers, agriculture specialists seized nearly $190 million in narcotics during FY2016
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents and agriculture specialists stationed along eight different South Texas ports of entry seized a series of shipments containing a large amount of narcotics, currency, false documents, while uncovering numerous agricultural violations over the course of... Read More »
Naturally-produced compound may help protect against Zika infection and microcephaly, according to study
Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) recently discovered that a naturally-produced enzyme called 25-hydroxycholestrol (25HC) protects animals against Zika virus infection and can be manufactured to create compounds against a broad range of viruses. Research for this... Read More »
ICE arrests 248 individuals in three states during targeted enforcement operations
Over a series of targeted enforcement raids conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, a total of 248 foreign nationals were recently arrested in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Delaware. ICE officials said the raids were specifically targeted at migrants who had... Read More »
La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology study examines link between dengue immunity, immune responses to Zika virus
According to a recent study at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, Zika virus and dengue fever are so closely related to one another that the body’s immune system treats Zika like another version of dengue. The researchers said the immune response showed that pre-existing... Read More »
House Homeland Security Committee Democrats appoint members to Terrorist Travel Task Force
Democrats serving on the House Committee on Homeland Security recently appointed its members to the committee’s Task Force on Denying Terrorists Entry into the United States. Democratic members on the temporary panel include U.S. Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), vice ranking member of the... Read More »
CDC releases new information on blood, tissue samples from areas with active Zika transmission
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently updated its epidemiological information to its website regarding Zika virus, which includes implications to the blood and tissue collection community. The new information includes data about areas with potential increased risk... Read More »Stanford study reveals drug combination shows efficacy against dengue fever, Ebola virus in mice
During a recent Stanford University School of Medicine study, a combination of two cancer drugs inhibited both dengue fever and Ebola virus infections in mice subjects, despite the viruses being so different from one another. Results of the study were published in the Feb. 27 issue of the... Read More »
OPCW Executive Council votes to condemn the use of VX nerve agent in recent Malaysian airport attack
The Executive Council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) recently adopted a decision to condemn the use of the Schedule 1 liquid nerve agent VX, which was used in a fatal incident last month at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The incident occurred on Feb.... Read More »
Democratic Congress members raise concerns over impact of executive orders on preparedness for pandemic flu outbreak
A group of Democratic members of Congress recently sent a public letter to Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price and the acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), questioning how actions by the Trump Administration could harm the CDC’s preparedness in the... Read More »CDC adds four countries to Zika virus-related travel guidance
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued last week a Zika virus travel notice for Angola, Guinea-Bissau, Maldives, and the Solomon Islands. The CDC’s travel notices warn individuals, particularly pregnant women, to practice enhanced precautions when traveling to... Read More »Former ICE employee convicted of accepting bribes, lying to investigators
A former Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer was convicted by a federal jury last week on charges of accepting cash bribes and sexual favors in exchange for providing employment authorization documents and concealing the employment of an undocumented migrant at a hair salon he owned.... Read More »
Bill to help local law enforcement, government organizations better prepare for cyber attacks introduced
Congressmen of the San Antonio, Texas delegation recently introduced a cybersecurity preparedness bill to both the U.S House of Representatives and the Senate, aiming for better training for local authorities against cyber attacks. The National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium Act requires... Read More »
Trump administration urged to strengthen public health emergency response before next threat arrives
Recent presidential administrations confronted infectious disease emergencies that threatened both human lives and the U.S. economy, and with the likelihood high that the Trump administration will be no exception, the U.S. government should strengthen its public health emergency preparedness now,... Read More »
NIAID’s Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group provide progress updates, challenges
The Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group (ARLG), an initiative launched by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), recently provided an update in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases on ARLG progress, outlining its ongoing and future efforts. The leadership... Read More »
GAO report: Opportunities exist to strengthen security for ground transport of risk-significant radioactive materials
According to a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, more actions are needed from federal agencies to strengthen transportation security for risk-significant radioactive materials during ground transport. GAO was originally asked to review federal procedures over risk-significant... Read More »
Experts discuss chemical safety, security at meeting in Doha, Qatar
At a meeting coordinated by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the National Committee for the Prohibition of Weapons (NCPW) of Qatar, experts discussed the latest trends in chemical safety, security, and nonproliferation initiatives. The Fifth Seminar on Chemical... Read More »Ratcliffe chairs hearing on DHS-private sector partnerships on cybersecurity
U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX) chaired a cybersecurity hearing last week to examine various opportunities for enhancing partnerships between the private sector and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The hearing, titled The Current State of DHS Private Sector Engagement for... Read More »
NIAID doctors warn of yellow fever outbreak in rural Brazil
Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), recently published an article in the New England Journal of Medicine, discussing the unusually large outbreak of yellow fever in rural Brazil and how the situation needs careful attention by world... Read More »
New York receives more than $5 million in federal grant funding for public safety initiatives
The State of New York recently received more than $5 million in federal Homeland Security grant funding for local governments across the state to enhance counterterrorism initiatives and strengthen public safety-related projects. The funding was announced by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, U.S.... Read More »
FBI Director Comey details strategy to curtail cyber intrusions
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey delivered a keynote address at the inaugural Boston Conference on Cybersecurity last week and laid out the bureau’s five-part strategy to address various cyber intrusions. The conference is part of a partnership between the FBI and... Read More »House Small Business Committee holds hearing on coordinating federal resources for cybersecurity
During a hearing with the U.S. House Small Business Committee, a panel of experts said that the government must do a better job coordinating federal resources to protect the country’s small businesses from various cybersecurity threats. The hearing comes in the wake of a recent report from... Read More »
Homeland Security Committee debates bill on denying foreign fighters entry into US
The U.S. House Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday marked up a bill that requires a stress test of various U.S. government protection and prevention programs against potential terrorist attacks. The Terrorist and Foreign Fighter Travel Exercise Act of 2017 was introduced by U.S. Rep.... Read More »
DHS private sector cooperation necessary for success of nation’s cybersecurity efforts
More work needs to be done to strengthen the alliance between the private sector and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in combating cyber attacks, private stakeholders testified at a House Homeland Security subcommittee hearing Wednesday. “In the cyber domain, we are constantly learning... Read More »
Laredo CBP officers seize almost 50 pounds of cocaine, arrest driver at World Trade International Bridge
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents stationed near the Laredo Port of Entry recently seized a shipment of alleged cocaine worth approximately $365,000. The incident occurred on Mar. 2, as agents stationed at the World Trade International Bridge in Texas referred a 2006 Wentworth... Read More »
House Homeland Security Committee releases March terror threat snapshot
U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, released this week a terror threat snapshot for the month of March, which stated that homegrown jihadist cases hit a new high since the Sept. 11 attacks. “This month marked a grim milestone, as we surpassed 200... Read More »Research teams capture first 3D images of operating high explosive detonators
Researchers from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) recently captured 3D images of operating high explosive detonators for the first time. For the study, the research teams utilized state-of-the-art imaging systems with computed... Read More »