Threats
FDA extends review of REGEN-COV for use on non-hospitalized and prophylaxis COVID-19 patients by three months
Due to discussions between the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. over pre-exposure prophylactic use, the FDA will extend the review of a Biologics License Application (BLA) for REGEN-COV as a COVID-19 treatment for three months. Regeneron seeks to use... Read More »
Bipartisan senators seek appointment of Ukraine Security Assistance Coordinator
In the wake of continued fighting in Ukraine, U.S. Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Roger Wicker (R-MS), and Dick Durbin (D-IL) are urging President Joe Biden to appoint a Ukraine Security Assistance Coordinator to aid support efforts. “Even after their initial defeat,... Read More »
Sens. Hoeven, Moran, colleagues seek DHS southern border policy revisions insight
U.S. Sens. John Hoeven (R-ND) and Jerry Moran (R-KS) joined 11 colleagues in forwarding correspondence last week to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), seeking insight regarding recent southern border policy revisions. The letter was sent to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas,... Read More »
FDA grants emergency use authorization to first breath-based COVID-19 diagnostic test
A new avenue of testing for COVID-19 opened last week, with emergency use authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the InspectIR COVID-19 Breathalyzer, a diagnostic capable of detecting SARS-CoV-2 infection from breath samples. In less than three minutes, the... Read More »
Republican coalition of senators question DHS over how it enforces border security
Citing concerns over record attempts to cross the United States-Mexico border illegally, 13 Republican senators wrote to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas about the department’s changes to border security policies, processing, and enforcement. Last year, U.S. Customs and Border... Read More »
CBP details seizure of 1.3 tons of cocaine in Eastern Pacific
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) detailed a recent counterdrug collaboration between Air and Marine Operations (AMO), federal and international law enforcement partners yielding a $30 million Pacific cocaine seizure. Authorities indicated an AMO National Air Security Operations MQ-9... Read More »
Project Titanic in development to ensure no other North Atlantic ships need fear icebergs
Hitting back at what once destroyed its historic forebear, Project Titanic – an initiative from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) – is under development to improve maritime safety and navigation in the North Atlantic Ocean through modern... Read More »
Defense Department outlines progression of Project Pele initiative
The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO) announce plans to build a safe-by-design nuclear microreactor through the Project Pele initiative. “Thanks to the tireless work of the contract teams, the valuable input from local stakeholders, and the talented and... Read More »
Senate Intelligence Committee members push for supporting Ukraine through increase intelligence sharing
Republicans on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, led by Vice Chairman Marco Rubio (R-FL), wrote to Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines this week urging U.S. intelligence agencies to actively share helpful intelligence with their Ukrainian counterparts. Meant to more... Read More »
Justice Department seizes major hacker forum, marketplace
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced this week that it had successfully seized the online marketplace known as RaidForums and brought criminal charges against its founder and chief administrator, Diogo Santos Coelho of Portugal. Coelho was arrested in the U.K. back in January at U.S.... Read More »
Lawmakers advocate Israeli military capabilities for Iran defense
A group of lawmakers recently forwarded correspondence to President Joe Biden, advocating for the administration to provide Israel with the military capabilities needed to defend itself from Iran. U.S. Sens. Ron Johnson (R-WI) and Tom Cotton (R-AR) have joined nine Republican colleagues in... Read More »
U.S. Sens. Cassidy, Duckworth and Brown introduce bill authorizing research into COVID-affiliated mental illnesses
U.S. Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) introduced a bill this week to fund research on the COVID-19 impacts on mental health and brain function. “The pandemic showed us the need to prioritize mental health and support those suffering,” Cassidy... Read More »
OPCW launches training initiative to educate new generation of experts on Chemical Weapons Convention
Backed by the European Union, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) created and launched a new training initiative this week to raise awareness among universities, academics, and researchers about the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and global disarmament. “We live... Read More »
DOJ issues new guidance on modernization of firearm definition
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has issued new guidance to the Federal Register Frame or Receiver Final Rule modernizing the definition of a firearm. “One year ago, the Department committed to address the proliferation of ghost guns used in violent crimes,” Attorney General Merrick B.... Read More »
DOJ hosts Regional Smuggling Forum and Roundtable event
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) recently joined two additional agencies in hosting a Regional Smuggling Forum and Roundtable event in Mexico City. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL)... Read More »
Lawmakers encourage DoD provide Ukraine air defense aid
U.S. Reps. Ted W. Lieu (D-CA), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), and Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) recently forwarded correspondence to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, encouraging the Department of Defense (DoD) to provide aircraft, air defense systems, and drones to Ukraine. The letter stemmed from requests... Read More »
CEPI to help NEC Corporation develop broad protection betacoronavirus vaccine with $4.8M
Japan’s NEC Corporation gained seed funding of up to $4.8 million from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovation (CEPI) this week to help its Norway-based subsidiary with the initial development of broadly protective betacoronavirus vaccine candidates. NEC OncoImmunity AS (NOI)... Read More »
Bipartisan group of senators introduce Preventing Future Pandemics Act to counter zoonotic disease spread
By supporting conservation in other nations, a bipartisan group of senators has proposed – through the Preventing Future Pandemics Act of 2022 (S.4074) – that the risk of zoonotic disease transmission could be reduced for humans. As introduced, the bill would authorize the U.S. government to... Read More »
Countering Human Trafficking Act advances through Senate
The Senate advanced the Countering Human Trafficking Act last week, raising the possibility of a permanent Center for Countering Human Trafficking (CCHT) to oversee federal counter-human trafficking efforts and a crackdown on goods made with forced labor. Currently, the CCHT – a part of the... Read More »
Smiths Detection launches iCMORE Currency software
Threat detection and security screening technologies firm Smiths Detection said it has launched iCMORE Currency, a new automated detection algorithm currency recognition software. “We are very pleased to announce iCMORE Currency, the latest round of enhancements for our HI-SCAN series," Smiths... Read More »
Sens. Cassidy, Burr ask Biden administration to support their bill to make fentanyl a permanent Schedule I substance
In a push back against the spread of fentanyl overdoses throughout the United States, U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) and Richard Burr (R-NC) wrote to National Drug Control Policy director Rahul Gupta last week, asking for support on legislation to permanently classify the substance. The... Read More »
Bill targets southern border immigration contingency plan
Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) has joined nine colleagues in introducing a bill they said prohibits President Joe Biden from lifting Title 42 immigration restrictions without a migrant surge contingency plan. The Public Health and Border Security Act of H.R. 7458) seeks to have a plan in place from... Read More »
NIAID awards four grants for new Tuberculosis Research Advancement Centers
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) this week awarded four grants totaling approximately $4.3 million of investment over the first year alone to launch new Tuberculosis Research Advancement Centers (TRACs) across the country. These grants will last five years,... Read More »
Rep. Schneider praises Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act committee navigation
U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL) is commending the Judiciary Committee for advancing the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act (DTPA) after markup, noting the measure secures resources needed to tackle radicalism. “Domestic extremism has been on the rise across the United States for years, yet the... Read More »
CEPI to invest up to $9.25 million into Phase 3 clinical trial of Vaxxinity’s heterologous COVID-19 booster
A Phase 3 clinical trial of Vaxxinity, Inc.’s UB-612 heterologous COVID-19 vaccine booster dose candidate gained up to $9.25 million in support from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovation (CEPI) this week to help evaluate the candidate’s abilities. “As we strive to stay one... Read More »
Bill targets cybersecurity information sharing efforts
U.S. Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Roy Blunt (R-MO), and Gary Peters (D-MI) recently introduced the Intragovernmental Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act, which seeks to ensure cybersecurity information is shared between the Executive Branch, the Senate and House of... Read More »
House advances School and Daycare Protection Act focused on securing schools against terrorism
The House of Representatives advanced this week the School and Daycare Protection Act (H.R. 6387), introduced by U.S. Rep. Donald Payne, Jr. (D-NJ), to prompt action from the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management. Under H.R. 6387, DHS would create a School Security... Read More »
Bipartisan legislators urge White House for more weapons, support for Ukraine
Uniting colleagues from across the political aisle, a letter written to President Joe Biden this week from 17 members of the House called for more missiles and radar capabilities to help Ukraine weather the ongoing Russian invasion. Despite overwhelming numerical and technical odds, the... Read More »
House advances Homeland Security Republican measures
The House of Representatives advanced two Republican bills to secure the southern border against drug cartels and bolster domestic supply chain resilience. The DHS Illicit Cross-Border Tunnel Defense Act (H.R. 4209) directs Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to develop a strategic plan to... Read More »
Bill seeks to update National Weather Service’s Chat platform
U.S. Reps. Ashley Hinson (R-IA), Randy Feenstra (R-IA), Cindy Axne (D-IA), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), and Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) recently introduced legislation to update the National Weather Service’s (NWS) NWS Chat platform, which circulates time-sensitive information during severe weather... Read More »
FDA pushes forward priority review for Roche’s Actemra/RoActemra as COVID-19 treatment for hospitalized patients
A supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for Roche’s Actemra/RoActemra intravenous treatment for COVID-19 cases among hospitalized patients was accepted by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week and will benefit from priority review. If approved, the drug... Read More »
National Nuclear Security Administration begins work on security, assessment program
Updates are on the way for the existing perimeter intrusion detection and assessment system (PIDAS) and other security features at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Tennessee, care of a $100 million endeavor from the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). Groundbreaking for the... Read More »
Bill introduced in Senate would enhance reporting of attacks on law enforcement
A bipartisan push in the Senate yielded the introduction of the Improving Law Enforcement Office Safety and Wellness Through Data Act to the Judiciary Committee last week to improve information gathering on attacks that target law enforcement. The legislation was introduced by U.S. Sens. Charles... Read More »
Sen. Rubio expresses concerns regarding potential Apple NAND chips purchase
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) forwarded correspondence to Apple CEO Tim Cook, expressing his concern regarding reports that the company is considering purchasing NAND chips from a Chinese manufacturer. Rubio maintains Yangtze Memory Technologies Co. (YMTC) serves as a company with links to the... Read More »