News
UAB researcher creates at-home immunity monitoring technology for COVID-19
While many antibody tests today fail to identify neutralizing antibodies, Dr. Benjamin Larimer, a researcher at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), has developed a diagnostic capable of accurately and quickly identifying these antibodies and showing people’s potential immunity to... Read More »
South Carolina starts tracking number of times naloxone administered
A South Carolina law that went into effect Jan. 1 requires emergency rooms and other healthcare facilities to report to the state health department each time an opioid antidote like naloxone is administered to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. The law aims to help the state get a bigger... Read More »
Bill designed to reduce military training accidents signed into law
Legislation designed to reduce military training accidents was signed into law last week. The bill’s sponsor, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL), attached the measure to this year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). It requires the Department of Defense to examine emergency response... Read More »
Reps. Fitzpatrick, Gottheimer introduce bill to restrict online terrorism
U.S. Reps Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) introduced a bill requiring the regular disclosure of the presence of designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations on social media websites. Further, the bill, the Online Terrorism Prevention Act (H.R.9043), would impose financial and... Read More »
DHS report details alien border encounters
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials have released the Fiscal Year 2020 Enforcement Lifecycle Report, an analysis of enforcement outcomes for aliens encountered at the Southwest Border. The report covers Fiscal Years 2014 through 2019. The Office of Immigration Statistics (OIS)... Read More »
Huntington Ingalls Industries acquires SIS autonomy business
Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) has acquired the autonomy business of Spatial Integrated Systems Inc. (SIS), indicating the acquisition expands HII’s unmanned systems capabilities with unmanned surface vessel (USV) solutions. “We are excited to welcome the SIS autonomy business employees... Read More »
Congress votes to override President Trump’s veto of National Defense Authorization Act
In a rare New Year’s Day session, the Senate voted to override President Donald Trump’s veto of the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), setting aside his concerns in favor of pay and benefits for the armed forces. “The NDAA provides vital support for our men and women in... Read More »
Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine first to gain WHO emergency use validation
The World Health Organization (WHO) issued emergency use validation for the Pfizer/BioNTech Comirnaty mRNA vaccine last week, ending 2020 by issuing the first such validation for a COVID-19 vaccine. The global organization’s declaration will allow countries to expedite their regulatory... Read More »
Anti-Defamation League partners with CSI to improve security for Jewish communities in NYC
The American Defamation League’s (ADL) Center on Extremism is partnering with the Community Security Initiative (CSI) to focus on the security needs of the Jewish communities of greater New York City. The initiative responds to a series of violent attacks in the Jewish communities of Jersey... Read More »
Marine’s to equip rifles with suppressors to enhance lethality, protect soldiers
The Marine Corps Systems Command (MCSC) is equipping infantry, reconnaissance, and special operation units with suppressors for use on the M27, M4, and M4A1 rifles. Small arms suppressors are designed to reduce a weapon’s noise, flash, and recoil – and they only take seconds to attach and... Read More »
ICE No Safe Haven Plus initiative yields nationwide arrests
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials said the nationwide Operation No Safe Haven Plus resulted in 18 foreign nationals sought for human rights violations or human smuggling and trafficking activity being arrested. “These arrests are a critical piece of our ongoing mission to... Read More »
Laredo CBP officers seize $2.5M worth of narcotics at Juarez-Lincoln Bridge
Laredo Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations (OFO) officers noted the seizure of methamphetamine totaling over $2.5 million in street value at the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge. “While drug trafficking organizations employ a variety of methods to smuggle their illicit... Read More »
Rep. Jim Clyburn to continue leading Select Committee on the Coronavirus Crisis in 117th Congress
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced this week that the Select Committee on the Coronavirus Crisis will continue into the new year and the 117th Congress, still under the leadership of Chairman and Whip Jim Clyburn (D-SC). The subcommittee has been running since April 23, 2020. In the months... Read More »
Phase 3 clinical trial data confirms efficacy of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine
A peer-reviewed report chronicling the phase three trial data of mRNA-1273, Moderna, Inc.’s COVID-19 vaccine, was released in the New England Journal of Medicine last week and confirmed its 94.1 percent efficacy in preventing COVID-19. Distribution of the vaccine has already begun in the... Read More »
US signs Asylum Cooperation Agreement (ACA) with Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras
The nations of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras have all signed the Asylum Cooperation Agreement (ACA) with the United States, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced. In 2019, more than 71 percent of migrants apprehended at the U.S. Southwest border came from El Salvador,... Read More »
CEPI invests in 11th COVID-19 vaccine candidate, Bio E from India
CEPI, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, is collaborating with an India-based pharmaceutical company to develop a COVID-19 subunit vaccine candidate. The partnership is with Biological E Limited, or Bio E, a Hyderabad-based vaccine and pharmaceutical company. CEPI will... Read More »
Colorado State Lab confirms first case of UK COVID-19 variant in United States
The first U.S. case of a new strain of COVID-19 that originated in the U.K. has been confirmed in Colorado’s Elbert County, according to the Colorado State Laboratory. The variant has cropped up in numerous locations throughout the world since its recent discovery -- and rapid spread -- in the... Read More »
DoD funds Emergent, Mount Sinai joint effort to evaluate COVID-19 Human Hyperimmune Globulin
Emergent BioSolutions and Mount Sinai Health System began a program to evaluate Emergent’s COVID-19 Human Hyperimmune Globulin (COVID-HIG) candidate for phase one trials of its preventative capabilities among individuals at high risk of exposure. “Emergent is pleased to partner with Mount... Read More »
Congress passes REAL ID Modernization Act
The U.S. Congress has passed the REAL ID Modernization Act, which updates identification requirements set 15 years ago by the 9/11 Commission. “This new law marks another important step toward meeting the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations to close dangerous vulnerabilities to terrorist... Read More »
Bill to help local governments thwart cyberthreats signed into law
A provision to encourage local governments to adopt the .gov domain for websites and email accounts was signed into law as a part of the year-end omnibus funding bill. The provision was originally introduced as the DOTGOV Online Trust in Government Act. It directs the Department of Homeland of... Read More »
Lockheed Martin touts F-35 aircraft delivery initiatives
Lockheed Martin personnel are touting the company's ability to produce and deliver F-35 aircraft amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The firm recently delivered the 123rd F-35 aircraft of the year. In 2020, 74 F-35s were delivered to the U.S. military, 31 to international partner nations, and 18 to... Read More »
Yuma Sector Border Patrol names new chief patrol agent
Chris T. Clem has been named Yuma Sector’s Chief Patrol Agent, bringing 25 years of Border Patrol experience to the post. Authorities noted Clem’s career includes a variety of leadership roles involving serving as senior patrol agent, supervisory border patrol agent, field operations... Read More »
National Nuclear Security Administration submits 2021 stockpile stewardship, management plan to Congress
The U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) delivered its 2021 Stockpile Stewardship and Management Plan (SSMP) to Congress this week, laying out a specific path to producing 80 plutonium pits annually and delivering first-time production units for various programs. The... Read More »Novavax begins enrolling up to 30,000 volunteers for Phase Three trial of COVID-19 vaccine
In an effort funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), Novavax, Inc. has begun enrolling volunteers for a phase three trial of NVX-CoV2373, a COVID-19 vaccine candidate. Volunteers can be... Read More »International law enforcement officials take down VPN used by cybercriminals
Law enforcement officials in the United States and worldwide have taken down a virtual private network (VPN) called “Operation Nova” that had been allegedly assisting cybercriminals. United States Attorney Matthew Schneider said the investigation revealed three domains— INSORG.ORG;... Read More »
Rep. Maloney, Sen. Markey applaud inclusion of funding for gun violence research
U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Sen. Edward Markey (D-MA) applauded the inclusion of $25 million in the 2021 budget federal gun violence prevention research. It builds on $25 million in funding inlude3d in the budget last year for research on firearms safety and gun violence prevention.... Read More »
ICE notes operational successes in 2020 annual report
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials noted operational successes within its fiscal year 2020 annual report, focusing on immigration laws enforcement and customs and immigration violation investigations. “The men and women who represent ICE have risen to the challenges presented... Read More »
Northrop Grumman secures Navy vehicles contract
Navy officials said the service branch has awarded a $57 million award potentially worth up to $250 million to Northrop Grumman to produce Coyote supersonic sea-skimming target (SSST) vehicles. The initial 19 vehicles could result in an additional 84 target vehicles, bringing the GQM-163A... Read More »
Soligenix wins $1.5M NIAID award to support COVID-19, Ebola vaccine development
The U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) awarded a $1.5 million grant to Soligenix, Inc. last week to aid manufacture, formulation, and characterization of COVID-19 and ebola virus disease vaccine candidates. All will be pursued in conjunction with the CoVaccine HT... Read More »
University of Colorado researchers developing new compound to fight antibiotic resistant bacteria
Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have discovered a chemical compound capable of working with natural bodily processes to break through antibiotic resistant bacteria and have published the results in the journal PLOS Pathogens. Although attentions for many scientists have... Read More »
US Justice Department sues Walmart over opioids
The U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday that it had filed suit against Walmart for its part in the opioid epidemic. According to the complaint filed in federal court, the DOJ alleges that Walmart Inc. unlawfully dispensed opioids from its pharmacies across the country, resulting in... Read More »
Sens. Rubio, Warner applaud inclusion of Intelligence Authorization Act in COVID-19 relief bill
U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Mark Warner (D-VA) commended the inclusion of the Intelligence Authorization Act for 2021 as part of the COVID-19 relief package. The bill, approved by the Senate on July 23, would authorize funding, provide legal authorities, and enhance Congressional... Read More »
DHS issues warning on risks of businesses using data services from China-association firms
The Department of Homeland Security issued a business advisory warning to American businesses about the risks of using data services and equipment from firms associated with China. This advisory cites the increasing risk of government-sponsored data theft due to newly enacted laws in China that... Read More »
IAFC touts public safety communications sustainment
The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) is extending gratitude to lawmakers for efforts to sustain the T-Band spectrum via the Don’t Break Up the T-Band Act. Officials maintain the band is critical to public safety interoperable radio communications in major metropolitan areas and... Read More »