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U.S. Sens. Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and Bill Nelson (D-FL) introduced legislation on Friday that would fully fund the Obama administration’s $1.9 billion request aimed at counteracting the Zika virus.
“In Hawaii, the threat of the Zika virus remains a major public health concern, especially... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents stationed near the border patrol checkpoint on Interstate 15 in Temecula, California, seized approximately $1.2 million worth of cocaine on Wednesday.
The incident occurred when agents encountered a 2005 Honda Accord driven by a 50-year-old male.... Read More »
The University of Central Florida defeated a host of other cyber defense teams from across the country on Sunday to officially win the 2016 National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (NCCDC) for the third consecutive year.
The competition, sponsored by Raytheon, included 80 colleges and... Read More »
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) released a feature-length documentary on Friday entitled “Ebola in America: Epidemic of Fear,” based on the timeline of the Ebola crisis and how the United States responded to the virus.
The documentary contains interviews from those... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Calexico downtown port of entry seized a total of approximately nine pounds of heroin during two separate incidents last week.
The first incident occurred last Wednesday when officers encountered a 20-year-old male U.S. citizen at the... Read More »
The U.S. is woefully underprepared for potential bioterrorist attacks or naturally occurring pandemics like the Zika virus, and the federal government must do more to partner with the private sector in order to combat those threats, U.S. Rep. Susan Brooks (R-IN) warned this week.
“The answers... Read More »
The House Judiciary Committee on Friday announced the release of a roadmap intended to identify solutions to the ongoing debate surrounding encryption.
Members of the working group include U.S. Reps. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI), Darrell Issa (R-CA), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Suzan DelBene (D-WA), Bill... Read More »
U.S. Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-FL) introduced legislation on Thursday aimed at curbing the spread of Zika virus, which has already reached approximately 300 reported cases in the U.S.
As part of Curbelo’s proposed Zika Eradication and Good Government Act, H.R. 5031, the federal government would... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) announced an agreement on Thursday for a new test to identify whether donated blood is infected with the Zika virus.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)... Read More »
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced on Wednesday that it is sponsoring a new broad spectrum antibiotic that could become the first of its kind to treat specific Gram-negative and Gram-positive infections.
The broad spectrum antibiotic is being looked at as a... Read More »
The House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing on Wednesday regarding strengthening oversight of high-containment laboratories.
“Sweeping improvements and policy changes only work if the policies are effective,” Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA) said.... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Randy Hultgren (R-IL) Andy Barr (R-KY) and Mia Love (R-UT) introduced legislation on Wednesday aimed at preventing the potential posting online of private financial data of thousands of citizens as part of the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA).
The original intention of the HMDA... Read More »
The House Small Business Committee held a hearing on Wednesday entitled “Small Business and the Federal Government: How Cyber-Attacks Threaten Both,” with representatives hearing testimony from small business owners on the dangers of cyber attacks.
“The owners, employees and customers of... Read More »
The Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing on Monday entitled, “Deciphering the Debate Over Encryption: Industry and Law Enforcement Perspectives.”
Members weighed the benefits and vulnerabilities of strong encryption and the needs of law enforcement, with officials... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers recently seized an estimated $7.8 million in narcotics in four separate incidents at the Laredo Port of Entry.
Two seizures occurred last Tuesday when agents seized 74 pounds of methamphetamine hidden inside a 2006 Nissan Altima driven by a... Read More »
The House Armed Services Committee (HASC) Subcommittee for Emerging Threats and Capabilities (ETC) held a markup of its proposals for the Fiscal Year 2017 National Defense Authorization (NDAA) on Thursday.
“[O]ur oversight often involves reviewing sensitive Department of Defense (DoD)... Read More »
House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) on Monday pressed Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson about possible retaliation against the head of the border patrol union regarding recent testimony he gave.
Brandon Judd, president of the American Federation of Government... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) announced on Monday that a fifth cybersecurity technology has been licensed for commercialization as part of the cybersecurity division’s transition to practice (TTP) program.
The Physical and Cyber Risk... Read More »
A survey released on Wednesday by the Alliance for Biosecurity, the Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense and the Trust for America’s Health found that the American public is concerned about biosecurity threats and believes that the government should invest more in preparedness.
“The... Read More »
An El Centro Sector Border Patrol agent working at the Calexico Border Patrol Station on Friday discovered an underground cross-border tunnel during routine patrol in the area.
During routine patrol, the agent noticed a slight depression in the soil along the banks of the All-American Canal. As... Read More »
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) signed S. 2512 on Friday as companion legislation to H.R. 4400, a proposal introduced earlier this year by U.S. Reps. G.K. Butterfield (D-NC) and Susan Brooks (R-IN) to add the Zika virus to the Tropical Disease Priority Review Voucher Program.
“Our... Read More »
The United States House of Representatives passed U.S. Rep. Candice Miller’s (R-MI) Border and Maritime Coordination Improvement Act, H.R. 3568, on Thursday.
The bills seeks to streamline the logistics and coordination of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) diverse operational... Read More »
Emergent BioSolutions, Inc., submitted a supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday for the approval of the manufacture of BioThrax (Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed) in the company’s large scale Building 55 manufacturing... Read More »
The Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management, chaired by U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta (R-PA), held a hearing entitled “Blackout! Are We Prepared to Manage the Aftermath of a Cyber-Attack or Other Failure of the Electrical Grid?” on Thursday to examine the... Read More »
The House of Representatives passed the Southern Arizona Border Threat Assessment Act on Wednesday to require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to conduct a full assessment of possible threats that could emerge from the border.
U.S. Rep. Martha McSally (R-AZ), the chairwoman of the... Read More »
The House of Representatives passed a bill on Wednesday to authorize the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the State Department to develop open-source software designed to screen travelers by cross referencing law enforcement databases and terrorist watch lists.
The Enhancing Overseas... Read More »
U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Laredo Field Office underwent a change in leadership Tuesday, with a change of command ceremony taking place to formally instate Gregory Alvarez as port director for the Laredo Port of Entry.
Alvarez previously served as the area port director at... Read More »
INTERPOL announced on Wednesday that it apprehended seven internationally wanted terror suspects with the cooperation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as part of Operation Sunbird II.
Operation Sunbird II spanned all 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) nations... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) chaired a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing on Thursday to address the federal perspective on the state of U.S. biodefense preparedness.
“Today, we look forward to learning the perspective of federal agencies on the state of our... Read More »
The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation on Tuesday to add the Zika virus to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Priority Review Voucher Program.
The legislation, the Adding Zika Virus to the FDA Priority Review Voucher Program Act, S. 2512, would add Zika virus to the... Read More »
The United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) El Paso Sector arrested a wanted burglary suspect, two known sex offenders and recovered a stolen vehicle last week.
CBP agents working at the U.S. Border Patrol Checkpoint near Alamogordo, New Mexico, flagged a suspicious looking... Read More »
The United States Army announced a collaboration on Monday between two agencies to combine their efforts to develop new vector surveillance methodologies to detect emerging infections in local mosquito populations and to develop a near real-time recording system to combat such threats.
The two... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced on Thursday that they will host a Homeland Security Day in Silicon Valley on April 29.
The goal of the technology day is to bring together CBP and DHS... Read More »
U.S. Reps. Michael Burgess (R-TX) and John Ratcliffe (R-TX) held a joint hearing in Sherman, Texas, on Wednesday entitled “Cyber Preparedness and Response at the Local Level.”
Burgess is the chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade.... Read More »
Sam Greif, fire chief of the Plano (Texas) Fire Department, told a Congressional panel on Wednesday that it is vital that fire and EMA departments stay aware of emerging cybersecurity threats and develop close working relationships with local law enforcement and emergency managers.
Greif... Read More »
