News
HHS launches PandemicX Accelerator to narrow health inequities
In an effort to close health disparities brought to light and exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced this week that it has banded together with 15 digital health startups in the 2022 PandemicX Accelerator. “PandemicX will... Read More »DOJ awards $1.6 billion in grants to reduce violent crime
The Department of Justice (DOJ) is awarding $1.6 billion in grants to support programs designed to reduce violent crime while strengthening communities. “The Department of Justice is committed to supporting our state and local partners to combat crime across the country,” Attorney General... Read More »
Moderna’s COVID booster vaccine spurs significant antibodies against Omicron variant
In preliminary showings, a third dose of Moderna Inc’s COVID-19 vaccine increased antibody levels against the Omicron variant currently sweeping the world, painting the company’s strategy forward even as a years-long pandemic continues to evolve. The report followed news that omicron, which... Read More »
House bill seeks to protect supply chain from adversaries
A group of lawmakers have introduced a measure they said seeks to protect the domestic supply chain from foreign adversaries that include China and Russia. Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), and Victoria Spartz (R-IN) introduced the National Critical... Read More »
Marine Corps conduct field training exercise in Japan
Marine Corps and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) personnel recently conducted Resolute Dragon 21, the largest bilateral field training exercise, which was executed in Japan. The exercise involved over 4,000 troops from 3d Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force and the JGSDF’s... Read More »
Congress members urge additional supplemental funding for global vaccinations
Worried by rising COVID-19 variants and the threats of future pandemics, a collection of United States lawmakers last week dispatched a letter to the Senate and House Appropriations Committees asking for further funding in the Fiscal Year 2022 appropriations bill to support global... Read More »
BARDA seeks partners in developing solutions for acute respiratory distress
BARDA’s Division of Research, Innovation, and Ventures (DRIVe) announced a new Area of Interest (AOI) and that it is looking for new partners to evaluate intervention strategies for acute respiratory distress. The goal of the AOI is to improve long-term patient recovery after receiving... Read More »California Gov. Newsom introduces plan to reduce crime in state
California Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled an enhanced public safety plan this week that looks to combat and prevent crime statewide. The Real Public Safety Plan, in conjunction with local law enforcement, focuses on improving law enforcement response, ensuring prosecutors hold perpetrators... Read More »
WHO grants emergency use listing for Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine
The fight against COVID-19 earned another contender last week with the granting of an emergency use listing from the World Health Organization (WHO) to NVX-CoV2373, a vaccine created by Novavax and the first protein-based COVID-19 vaccine to earn that listing. Better known as COVOVAX, as... Read More »
Top NIH scientists call for global collaboration in pursuit of universal coronavirus vaccine
With a growing body of evidence that novel coronaviruses will continue to infect animals to afflict humans anew, top scientists from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have called for collaboration in pursuit of a universal coronavirus vaccine. Drs. Anthony Fauci, Jeffery Taubenberger, and... Read More »
Rep. Thompson, Sen. Warren release report on disaster recovery barriers, equitable outcomes
U.S. Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) released a report Thursday from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) on Federal Government disaster recovery programming and equitable outcomes. The... Read More »
DEA warns criminal drug networks mass-producing fentanyl to flood U.S.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has revealed that criminal drug networks based in Mexico are mass-producing fentanyl and fentanyl-laced products for sale in the United States. Fentanyl has been one of the major drivers of overdose deaths in recent years. Today, the DEA claims that... Read More »
Boost global vaccine rates for faster U.S. pandemic recovery, experts testify
A growing, immediate need exists to accelerate global coronavirus vaccination efforts to help ensure America’s continued economic recovery, experts testified during a Dec. 14 hearing held by the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis. To date, nearly eight billion coronavirus... Read More »
Senate advances bipartisan legislation to recruit, retain federal cybersecurity workforce
Legislation from U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI), John Hoeven (R-ND), and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) that aims to revamp and reenergize the federal cybersecurity workforce passed a major hurdle this week after it won advancement through the Senate. Reckoning with a world at times inseparable from its... Read More »
Sanofi, GSK continue COVID-19 booster vaccine Phase 3 trial after positive preliminary showing
With recommendations from an independent Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) and positive antibody and safety showings from preliminary studies, Sanofi and GSK announced this week that their COVID-19 vaccine booster candidate will continue its Phase 3 trial. So far, the DSMB has identified no... Read More »
Artificial intelligence bills included in FY 2022 National Defense Authorization Act
U.S. Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM), co-founders of the Senate Artificial Intelligence Caucus, said two of their bipartisan bills addressing Artificial Intelligence and the U.S. government have passed as part of the FY 2022 National Defense Authorization Act. The bills, the... Read More »
National Guard’s FireGuard wildfire detection program slated for extension through 2026
Among the many items nearing approval through the federal defense authorization bill this month is the National Guard’s FireGuard wildfire detection and tracking program in California. The defense bill has been advanced by both the Senate and House and merely awaits the signature of President... Read More »
Sens. Wicker, Hyde-Smith tout Huntington Ingalls, Navy contract
U.S. Sens. Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) are touting the benefits of the Navy awarding a $70.8 million contract to Huntington Ingalls to purchase materials for construction of the LHA 9 ship, an America-class amphibious assault craft. The ship will be built in Pascagoula,... Read More »
DHS S&T awards funds for aviation self-screening prototype
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) Screening at Speed Program announced Tuesday it had awarded more than $2.5 million to Vanderlande Industries to develop a passenger self-screening concept design and prototype to streamline TSA PreCheck... Read More »
DHS initiates bug bounty program
The U.S Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the recent launch of its Hack DHS bug bounty program represents an effort to identify potential agency cybersecurity vulnerabilities while increasing cybersecurity resilience. “As the federal government’s cybersecurity quarterback, DHS... Read More »
Senate’s Medical Device Integrity Act would require medical device manufacturers comply with FDA record requests
With as many as 40 percent of medical device manufacturing facilities refusing to submit records when asked by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-IL) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) have proposed a bill that would encourage compliance. The requests were made between... Read More »
Johns Hopkins report cites failure to integrate primary care providers into COVID-19 response as missed opportunity
A new report released by the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security this week determined that the failure to incorporate primary care providers into the frontline response to COVID-19 and the larger public health system could have improved care, testing, and vaccination acceptance. In... Read More »
Northrop Grumman expands participation in SkyRange program
Northrop Grumman has secured an Air Force agreement to expand the company's participation in the Department of Defense's (DoD) SkyRange program. Northrop Grumman's engineering and planning work to reconfigure four United States Air Force EQ-4 Block 20 Global Hawk aircraft for use in the SkyRange... Read More »
Pfizer study confirms 89 percent reduction in hospitalizations and death for COVID-19 oral antiviral
Results came in this week from a Phase 2/3 trial of Pfizer Inc.’s COVID-19 oral antiviral treatment, and the data showed a drug capable of cutting risks of hospitalization or death by 89 percent among high-risk adults, when given within a few days of their first symptoms. The final data from... Read More »
CEPI to invest up to $4.5 million for Affinivax COVID-19 variant vaccine
Seeking broader protection against SARS-CoV-2 variants and other betacoronaviruses, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) announced this week that it would invest up to $4.5 million into development of a vaccine candidate based on Affinivax, Inc.’s Multiple Antigen Presenting... Read More »
Lawmakers initiate Hypersonics Caucus
Lawmakers in the House of Representatives have launched the Hypersonics Caucus to promote hypersonic weapons utilization in accordance with national security strategy initiatives. Reps. Mo Brooks (R-AL) and Jim Banks (R-IN) spearheaded the effort. “Russia and China have spent the past two... Read More »
Senators applaud inclusion of unidentified aerial phenomena in national defense bill
U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), along with U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), applauded the inclusion of their Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon (UAP) amendment in the FY 2022 National Defense Authorization Act. The congressmembers said because UAPs appear in sensitive... Read More »Senators urge DoD to address risk from overreliance on foreign pharmaceuticals
U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) urged the U.S. Department of Defense to address the DOD’s overreliance on pharmaceuticals produced abroad in a letter on Friday. The letter, to Gregory Kausner, acting Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, said... Read More »Lawmakers host cybersecurity roundtable session
Republicans members of the House American Security Task Force recently hosted a cybersecurity roundtable session with industry leaders. Reps. John Katko (R-NY) and Tony Gonzales (R-TX) spearheaded the effort, which focused on the present state of the nation's cybersecurity and what Congress can... Read More »
DHS issues RFP for information on automatically activated body cameras
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) officials said the agency is soliciting information regarding automatically activated body cameras. Officials said a request for information (RFI) has been issued regarding the commercially available body cameras... Read More »Moderna: 20 million additional doses of COVID-19 vaccine for COVAX
On Friday, Moderna, maker of one of the FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccines, announced it will amend its contract with Gavi, the vaccine alliance, to accelerate the supply of 20 million doses of the vaccine to COVAX by the end of the year. The total number of vaccines supplied to COVAX in 2021 now... Read More »
HSI-led investigations net seizure of Iranian weapons, fuel
An investigation by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigation’s (HSI) Washington D.C. Field Office and Defense Criminal Investigative Service’s (DCIS) Mid-Atlantic Field Office has led to the seizure of Iranian arms from vessels in the Arabian Sea.... Read More »
Global experts endorse legislation creating COVID-19 commission
More than 100 COVID-19 experts called on Congressional leaders Thursday to pass bipartisan legislation to create a COVID-19 Commission. The legislation, introduced by U.S. Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Joni Ernst (R-IA), and Richard Blumenthal... Read More »
Document highlights TSA air cargo security goals
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently published a document identifying and addressing emerging threats and ensuring the efficient flow of commerce. The document, the Air Cargo Security Roadmap, is the result of collaboration within the air cargo industry with stakeholders. It... Read More »