News
U.S. Senators Grassley, Leahy offer bipartisan bill to tackle EB-5 program fraud, abuse
Bipartisan legislation introduced on Thursday by U.S. Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) would provide a five-year reauthorization of the EB-5 Regional Center Program, which is set to expire in June, and lays out potential integrity measures designed to prevent program fraud and... Read More »
Moderna announces first doses of COVID-19 vaccine being tested on children
Moderna announced Tuesday that it has started its study of the COVID-19 vaccine in children. Called the KidCOVE study, Moderna began Phase 2/3 of its study by administering the vaccine in children from 6 months to less than 12 years of age. The study is being done in collaboration with the... Read More »
DHS, other agencies assess federal election integrity
Department of Homeland Security personnel recently joined the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency in assessing findings regarding federal election integrity. The findings from a joint report to the President issued... Read More »
Bill seeks to create federal penalties for criminals targeting law enforcement
Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) joined 16 colleagues to introduce this week legislation designed to create federal penalties for individuals deliberately targeting local, state, or federal law enforcement officers with violence. The Protect and Serve Act would make it a federal crime to knowingly cause,... Read More »
Roche releases test for SARS-CoV-2 variants
Roche recently announced the launch of a new cobas SARS-CoV-2 Variant Set 1 Test to detect and differentiate between viral variants, recognizing the growing prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 variants, such as those first seen in the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Brazil. “Viruses naturally evolve... Read More »
AstraZeneca reaches agreement with U.S. government to supply up to 500,000 additional COVID-19 antibody treatment doses
AstraZeneca announced plans this week to supply up to 500,000 additional doses of AZD7442, an under-development, long-acting antibody combination meant for use against COVID-19, modifying an existing agreement with the U.S. government. Specifically, the agreement was reached with the Departments... Read More »
Chicago EB-5 fraud cases put pressure on Senate Judiciary Chairman Durbin
U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, potentially has an EB-5 program fraud problem in his Chicago backyard. The EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program, named for the employment-based fifth preference visa that participants receive, is an... Read More »
GAO: CISA needs organizational changes for more effective cybersecurity
A new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) finds that until the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA) fully implements its organization plan, it may put the country at risk for identifying and responding to cyberattacks. The GAO said legislation in 2018 elevated... Read More »
Tompkins appointed new DARPA director
Stefanie Tompkins is the new Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) director. Tompkins, who possesses nearly eleven years of DARPA service, is the 23rd person to hold the post, noting the former Army military intelligence officer has an exceptional understanding of the agency’s... Read More »
Sens. Collins, Menendez introduce legislation to establish COVID-19 Commission
Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) are advocating legislation that would create a COVID-19 Commission modeled after a similar panel that examined the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. The National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021 would establish an independent, non-partisan... Read More »
Sanofi, Translate Bio begin Phase 1/2 trial of mRNA COVID-19 vaccine paralleling preclinical efforts
Sanofi Pasteur and Translate Bio launched a Phase 1/2 clinical trial last week for an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine candidate known as MRT5500, hoping for interim results in the third quarter of 2021. The united efforts of the vaccine and mRNA therapeutics companies include parallel preclinical studies... Read More »
Moderna begins Phase 1 study dosing for new, refrigerator stable COVID-19 mRNA vaccine
The first candidates were dosed this week as part of a phase one study of mRNA-1283, a new mRNA COVID-19 vaccine from Moderna, Inc. Unlike its predecessor, which has proved highly effective against the original strain of the virus, this new vaccine candidate is meant to solve a major hiccup to... Read More »
AstraZeneca defends safety of COVID-19 vaccine after countries suspend use
Drugmaker AstraZeneca defended the safety of its COVID-19 vaccine after three more European countries said they would suspend the use of the vaccine. Over the weekend, Germany, Ireland, and The Netherlands announced they would stop using the vaccine temporarily over concerns about the vaccine's... Read More »
WHO praises progression of ACT-Accelerator initiative
World Health Organization (WHO) officials recently touted the progression of the ACT- Accelerator, noting the initiative has driven progress to accelerate the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. The initiative was initiated in April 2020 by the WHO, the European Commission, France, and The Bill &... Read More »
Harvard to aid DHS Blue Campaign
Harvard University has secured $775,000 in Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate S&T funds to aid the agency's Blue Campaign. The funds have been earmarked for the university's T.H. Chan School of Public Health to conduct research and evaluate the impact of the... Read More »
Novavax COVID-19 vaccine demonstrates 96 percent efficacy against original strain, 55 percent against South African strain
Results are in from the latest trials of NVX-CoV2373, Novavax, Inc.’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate, and while it only provided 55.4 percent efficacy in a region beset by the South African variant, it displayed 96.4 percent efficacy against the original strain and 86.3 percent against the United... Read More »
Sen. Feinstein, Rep. Cicilline introduce assault weapons ban
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI) introduced last week the Assault Weapons Ban, which would ban the sale, transfer, manufacture, and importation of military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines. “It’s been 17 years since the original... Read More »
First Air Force to serve as future air component to U.S. Space Command
Air Force officials have named First Air Force to serve as the future air component to U.S. Space Command. “The U.S. Air Force is a critical contributor to the U.S. Space Command mission as evidenced by their support to Human Space Flight,” U.S. Army Gen. James Dickinson, USSPACECOM... Read More »
Lawmakers initiate southern border inquiry
A group of lawmakers forwarded correspondence last week to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel regarding southern border circumstances. Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC) spearheaded the effort to address the agency's, citing reports of illegal... Read More »
American 9-1-1 centers signal unease over “wasteful” provisions of LIFT America funding bill
While thankful for the support for system upgrades the newly introduced House LIFT America Act demonstrates, American 9-1-1 groups are concerned that elements of it could prove wasteful and delay and complicate deployment of a Next Generation 9-1-1 nationwide. “The infrastructure bill is a... Read More »House Energy and Commerce Committee’s LIFT America Act includes $37B to build up healthcare infrastructure
Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce (E&C) Committee unveiled a sweeping, $312 billion bill known as the LIFT America Act last week that, among other things, would invest in America’s health infrastructure. “As our nation combats COVID-19 and a severe economic downturn, the LIFT... Read More »
Mayo Clinic determines mRNA COVID-19 vaccines greatly reduce risks of asymptomatic infection, spread
In a study funded by the Mayo Clinic and published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases last week, researchers determined that after two doses of mRNA vaccines for COVID-19, asymptomatic patients are less likely to be infected and unknowingly spread the virus. After two doses of mRNA... Read More »
Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine gains crucial EU, WHO approvals
The single-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine will be available in more places worldwide now, thanks to a conditional marketing authorization granted by the European Commission and emergency use authorization from the World Health Organization (WHO). The decisions followed similar approval... Read More »
Rep. Raskin asks FBI to brief Congress on White Supremacists in law enforcement
U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), Chair of the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, wants the FBI to brief Congress on the infiltration of white supremacists in law enforcement. In a letter to the FBI sent Wednesday, Raskin questioned why the FBI repeatedly told his subcommittee last... Read More »
Sens. Van Hollen, Murray introduce bill to improve public health infrastructure
Legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate this week by Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Patty Murray (D-WA) seeks to strengthen the public health infrastructure and enhance the nation’s ability to respond to COVID-19 and other public health challenges. The Public Health Infrastructure Saves... Read More »
NIH touts mosquito protein study benefits
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is espousing the benefits of an AEG 12 mosquito protein study authorities said could help develop treatments to combat life-threatening viruses. Researchers at the NIH's National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) used X-ray crystallography... Read More »
Resolution condemns Iranian nuclear weapon pursuits
A bipartisan group of lawmakers recently introduced a resolution condemning Iran's nuclear weapon pursuits. Reps. Elaine Luria (D-VA), Kathy Manning (D-NC), Peter Meijer (R-MI), Kathleen Rice (D-NY), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), and Brad Schneider (D-IL) joined the resolution in the wake of Iran’s... Read More »
Measure seeks to bolster firearms purchasing laws
Sens. Tom Carper (D-DE), Chris Coons (D-DE), and John Cornyn (R-TX) reintroduced a bill designed to aid states in enforcing existing laws against individuals attempting to purchase firearms by lying on background checks. The NICS Denial Notification Act would require federal authorities to... Read More »
Moderna doses first of 60 participants in COVID-19 booster vaccine study
A study focused on determining whether patients would benefit from a booster for the Moderna, Inc. COVID-19 vaccine has enrolled and dosed its first participants this week. Moderna’s mRNA COVID-19 vaccine is currently in use across the U.S. and has shown high efficacy against the original... Read More »
CEPI proposes joint, global $3.5B plan to invest in pandemic preparedness
Building on its efforts during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) has proposed a $3.5 billion plan to reduce or eliminate future pandemic and epidemic risk through preparedness investment over the next five years. The organization has sought... Read More »
Johns Hopkins scholar testifies before Maryland legislature on gene synthesis
A professor from Johns Hopkins Center for Health and Security testified before the Maryland General Assembly on the certification of gene synthesis providers and manufacturers of gene synthesis equipment. Dr. Gigi Gronvall -- senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and... Read More »
Battelle’s assays play role in assessing COVID-19 vaccines
Research and development company Battelle announced Tuesday that it had developed a microneutralization assay that uses live SARS-CoV-2 virus to analyze the neutralizing response against the virus in human serum samples. The assay allows the company to test samples from vaccine clinical trials.... Read More »
Lawmakers advocate preventing Iran’s nuclear capabilities
Rep. Dave Joyce (R-OH) is among lawmakers encouraging the Biden administration to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapon capabilities. Joyce joined other legislators in forwarding correspondence to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, focusing on three areas of concern: Iran’s nuclear... Read More »
Lawmakers seek USDA Intelligence Office
A group of lawmakers introduced legislation designed to establish an Office of Intelligence within the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Agricultural Intelligence Measures (AIM) Act was introduced by Reps. Rick Crawford (R-AR), Rick Allen (R-GA), Don Bacon (R-NE), Jim Baird (R-IN), Troy... Read More »