Threats
Bill seeks to criminalize dangerous drone activity
U.S. Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and Mark Kelly (D-AZ) introduced this week the Drone Act of 2022, which seeks to criminalize dangerous drone activity, including actions of drug and human traffickers embracing drone technology to facilitate operations. The legislators noted... Read More »
DHS highlights increase in human trafficking arrests, seizures
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently released its annual Center for Countering Human Trafficking (CCHT) report, reflecting an increase in arrests and seizures. “The courageous public servants of the Department of Homeland Security dedicate every day to supporting the... Read More »
Sens. Baldwin, Cassidy push genetic surveillance and genomic sequencing bill as path to viral threat tracking
With the introduction of the Tracking Pathogens Act (S. 3534) this week, U.S. Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) proposed the institution of national genomic sequence-based surveillance as a means of charting circulating pathogens, transmission patterns, and... Read More »
Justice Department unveils human trafficking combating initiative
The U.S. Department of Justice unveiled its new National Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking this week in accordance with the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act. “Human trafficking is an insidious crime,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Traffickers exploit and endanger some of... Read More »
Moderna awarded full FDA approval for COVID-19 vaccine, Spikevax
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) awarded full approval to Moderna, Inc’s Spikevax vaccine for COVID-19 last week, greenlighting the mRNA vaccine for use without restriction on adults and making it the second COVID-19 vaccine to earn the measure. Approval was based on endorsement of... Read More »
Defense Department awards nearly $4M to University of Maryland to fund terrorism data collection efforts
The University of Maryland (UMD) has secured a Department of Defense (DOD) award totaling nearly $4 million to support data collection efforts on terrorism-related projects and other asymmetric threats. The DOD would fund data collection on several projects that include the Study of Terrorism... Read More »
Preclinical studies demonstrate Merck’s oral antiviral molnupiravir effective against COVID-19 Omicron variant
Citing data from six preclinical studies, Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics last week announced that their oral antiviral COVID-19 medicine, molnupiravir, maintained efficacy against the widespread Omicron variant. These in vitro lab studies were independently organized and conducted by... Read More »
Sen. Ernst, colleagues urge Biden administration to enforce Iranian oil tanker sanctions
U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) recently joined nine colleagues seeking enforcement action regarding a growing fleet of Iranian oil tankers evading domestic sanctions. Ernst and her colleagues forwarded correspondence to President Joe Biden to also address the issue of entities purchasing Iranian... Read More »
Bipartisan Congressional lawmakers announce support for National AI Research Resource
In a letter written to the U.S. Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), a bipartisan collection of senators and representatives last week urged continued pursuit of artificial intelligence development, albeit with special care to ethics and... Read More »
Combining remdesivir, concentrated antibodies no more effective than remdesivir alone against COVID-19
Results of a multinational, Phase 3 National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)-funded trial last week showed that combining remdesivir with anti-coronavirus hyperimmune intravenous immunoglobulin (HIVIG) fails to do more for COVID-19 hospitalized adults than remdesivir... Read More »
Sen. Tester tours Hawaii military facilities, receives readiness briefs
U.S. Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT), chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, recently joined U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) in touring the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility in Honolulu. The effort also included operational briefings regarding the force posture of the U.S.... Read More »
Reps. Thompson, Costa, Neguse advocate for increase in wildfire mitigation efforts
A group of lawmakers recently forwarded correspondence to President Joe Biden advocating increased wildfire mitigation efforts. U.S. Reps. Mike Thompson (D-CA), Jim Costa (D-CA), and Joe Neguse (D-CO) spearheaded the correspondence that included signatures from 11 House of Representatives... Read More »
Bill seeks to bolster federal disaster response
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) is espousing the benefits of a bill that would bolster federal disaster response efforts. Peters, chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, recently detailed how the Repeal of Obsolete DHS Contracting Requirements Act would address a... Read More »
Moderna begins dosing for Phase 2 testing of omicron-specific COVID-19 vaccine booster
Moderna, Inc. dosed the first participant this week for its Phase 2 study of a COVID-19 booster vaccine tailored to the omicron variant, mRNA-1273.529, kicking off a two cohort trial that will span the United States. In all, approximately 300 participants will be enrolled in each cohort. One... Read More »
Bill seeks to bolster federal cybersecurity
U.S. Reps. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) and James Comer (R-KY) introduced Tuesday legislation to bolster the federal government’s cyber defenses in the wake of a series of high-profile cyberattacks. Maloney, chairwoman of the Oversight and Reform Committee, and Comer, ranking member of the... Read More »
BioNet earns up to $16.9M from CEPI for studies, production and analysis of variant-proof SARS-CoV-2 vaccine
Drawing from a $200 million program meant to stimulate the development of vaccines with broad betacoronavirus protection, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) announced a $16.9 million award this week for development efforts by BioNet. BioNet, a French-Thai vaccine... Read More »
Sens. Murray, Burr release discussion draft of PREVENT Pandemics Act in effort to improve public health systems
Trying to bolster U.S. public health and medical preparedness and response systems after COVID-19 exposed their flaws, U.S. Sens. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Richard Burr (R-NC) have released a discussion draft of a new bill calling for overhaul across the board. Known as the Prepare for and Respond... Read More »
HHS to distribute more than $2B additional funds for healthcare providers hurt by COVID-19 pandemic
Building on the nearly $9 billion in funding already granted to the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) and healthcare providers since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced plans to make more than $2 billion of additional relief... Read More »
Port of Los Angeles launches Cyber Resilience Center
The Port of Los Angeles announced Monday it had launched its Cyber Resilience Center (CRC), a port community cyber defense solution that would improve the cybersecurity of the Port. The CRC would enhance threat-sharing and recovery capabilities among supply chain stakeholders, the Port said.... Read More »
CBP provides monthly operational update
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued Monday its December 2021 operational statistics update, which offers a comprehensive view of agency initiatives. “The dedicated men and women at CBP are committed to ensuring dangerous drugs and counterfeit products are off the streets, our... Read More »
FDA limits monoclonal antibodies for COVID-19 treatment due to ineffectiveness against omicron
In a move that prompted backlash from Florida in particular, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week announced revised and restricted authorizations of bamlanivimab/etesevimab and REGEN-COV for COVID-19 treatment. While the two had been available before this, Dr. Patrizia... Read More »
Department of Homeland Security hosts Human Trafficking Awareness Training in Florida
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) recently hosted a Human Trafficking Awareness Training (HTAT) in Gainesville, Fla. “FLETC’s work with local law enforcement across the country is essential to ensuring that law enforcement can... Read More »
Bill provides Ukraine aid to avert Russian invasion
A group of lawmakers recently introduced legislation that seeks to protect vulnerable civilian populations from a Russian military invasion. U.S. Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said the... Read More »
FDA expands use of COVID-19 drug veklury for mild to moderate cases
Formerly only used for patients hospitalized with COVID-19, the Gilead Sciences Inc. drug veklury – also known as remdesivir – was expanded by order of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week to include treatment for mild to moderate cases as well. Both non-hospitalized adults... Read More »
Legislation targets fentanyl smugglers
U.S. Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Tim Burchett (R-TN), Tom Tiffany (R-WI), and Michael Guest (R-MS) recently introduced a measure they said would ensure fentanyl smuggler accountability for their role in the nation's opioid epidemic. The Fentanyl Trafficker Elimination Act seeks to increase... Read More »
Sen. Peters calls for increased funding to help protect houses of worship from threats
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), chair of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, led a group of lawmakers in calling for funding to meet the needs of houses of worship to secure their facilities against potential terrorist attacks. In a letter to the leaders of the Senate... Read More »
BARDA calls for proposals to develop new late-stage antibiotics capable of negating antibiotic resistance
In support of the federal Project BioShield incentivization effort, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) recently launched a Request for Proposals for late-stage development, approval, and procurement of an antibiotic capable of overcoming... Read More »
Federal lawmakers seek ghost gun ban from Conference of Mayors
A collection of more than 40 senators and representatives published a letter last week calling for members of the United States Conference of Mayors to crack down on and ban untraceable firearms, better known as “ghost guns.” “We write today to request your consideration in addressing the... Read More »
Bill seeks to bolster wildfire communications, information sharing
U.S. Reps. Young Kim (R-CA) and Melanie Stansbury (D-NM) recently introduced legislation to bolster wildfire communications and information sharing among first responders. The National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) Wildland Fire Communications and Information Dissemination Act... Read More »
Congressmembers call on Biden to overhaul U.S. counterterrorism policy
U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-ME), and Chris Murphy (D-CT), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counterterrorism, joined U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and other members of Congress, in calling on President Joe Biden to overhaul the U.S.... Read More »
Gates Foundation, Wellcome offer $300M to CEPI’s pandemic, vaccine development efforts
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations’ (CEPI) 100 Days Mission to reduce the vaccine development timeline received a $300 million investment from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Wellcome. While a fraction of the organization’s overall fundraising goal of $3.5 billion,... Read More »
TSA report examines increase in firearm discoveries at Georgia airports
A Transportation Security Administration (TSA) report determined firearm discoveries at Georgia airports increased in 2021. Per the analysis, officers at Georgia airports discovered 542 firearms in travelers’ carry-on luggage last year, with Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport... Read More »
Sens. Peters, Cornyn push cybersecurity bill to protect commercial satellites, industrial control systems
Introduced by U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and John Cornyn (R-TX) this week, the Satellite Cybersecurity Act proposes new requirements for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA) to help commercial satellite owners and operators protect their networks. “Hackers have already... Read More »
Rep. Katko asks Biden to utilize NY medical expertise in public health response to Omicron surge
Citing the surge in Omicron cases nationwide, U.S. Rep. John Katko (R-NY) urged President Joe Biden to use research and technology from academic medical centers in Central New York, like SUNY Upstate Medical University, to guide the nation’s public health response and to improve testing. In a... Read More »