Friday, July 18, 2014

CLAYS STUDIED FOR SUPERBUG KILLING PROPERTIES

 FROM:  NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION 
New answer to MRSA, other 'superbug' infections: clay minerals?
Researchers discover natural clay deposits with antibacterial properties

Superbugs, they're called: Pathogens, or disease-causing microorganisms, resistant to multiple antibiotics.

Such antibiotic resistance is now a major public health concern.

"This serious threat is no longer a prediction for the future," states a 2014 World Health Organization report, "it's happening right now in every region of the world and has the potential to affect anyone, of any age, in any country."

Could the answer to this threat be hidden in clays formed in minerals deep in the Earth?

Biomedicine meets geochemistry

"As antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains emerge and pose increasing health risks," says Lynda Williams, a biogeochemist at Arizona State University (ASU), "new antibacterial agents are urgently needed."

To find answers, Williams and colleague Keith Morrison of ASU set out to identify naturally-occurring antibacterial clays effective at killing antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

The scientists headed to the field--the rock field. In a volcanic deposit near Crater Lake, Oregon, they hit pay dirt.

Back in the lab, the researchers incubated the pathogens Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus epidermidis, which breeds skin infections, with clays from different zones of the Oregon deposit.

They found that the clays' rapid uptake of iron impaired bacterial metabolism. Cells were flooded with excess iron, which overwhelmed iron storage proteins and killed the bacteria.

"The ability of antibacterial clays to buffer pH also appears key to their healing potential and viability as alternatives to conventional antibiotics," state the scientists in a paper recently published in the journal Environmental Geochemistry and Health.

"Minerals have long had a role in non-traditional medicine," says Enriqueta Barrera, a program director in the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Division of Earth Sciences, which funded the research.

"Yet there is often no understanding of the reaction between the minerals and the human body or agents that cause illness. This research explains the mechanism by which clay minerals interfere with the functioning of pathogenic bacteria. The results have the potential to lead to the wide use of clays in the pharmaceutical industry."

Ancient remedies new again

Clay minerals, says Williams, have been sought for medicinal purposes for millennia.

Studies of French clays--green clays historically used in France in mineral baths--show that the clays have antibacterial properties. French green clays have been used to treat Mycobacterium ulcerans, the pathogen that causes Buruli ulcers.

Common in Africa, Buruli ulcers start as painful skin swellings. Then infection leads to the destruction of skin and large, open ulcers on arms or legs.

Delayed treatment--or treatment that doesn't work--may cause irreversible deformities, restriction of joint movement, widespread skin lesions, and sometimes life-threatening secondary infections.

Treatment with daily applications of green clay poultices healed the infections. "These clays," says Williams, "demonstrated a unique ability to kill bacteria while promoting skin cell growth."

Unfortunately, the original French green clays were depleted. Later testing of newer samples didn't show the same results.

Research on French green clays, however, spurred testing of other clays with likely antibacterial properties.

"To date," says Williams, "the most effective antibacterial clays are those from the Oregon deposit."

Samples from an area mined by Oregon Mineral Technologies (OMT) proved active against a broad spectrum of bacteria, including methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-resistant E. coli (ESBL).

What's in those rocks?

Understanding the geologic environment that produces antibacterial minerals is important for identifying other promising locations, says Williams, "and for evaluating specific deposits with bactericidal activity."

The OMT deposit was formed near volcanoes active over tens to hundreds of thousands of years. The Crater Lake region is blanketed with ash deposits from such volcanoes.

OMT clays may be 20 to 30 million years old. They were "born" eons before deposits from volcanoes such as Mt. Mazama, which erupted 7,700 years ago to form the Crater Lake caldera.

Volcanic eruptions over the past 70,000 or so years produced silica-rich magmas and hydrothermal waters that may have contributed to the Oregon deposit's antibacterial properties.

To find out, Williams and Morrison took samples from the main OMT open pit. Four types of rocks were collected: two blue clays, and one white and one red "alteration zone" rock from the upper part of the deposit.

Blue clay to the rescue

The OMT blue samples were strongly bactericidal against E. coli and S. epidermidis. The OMT white sample reduced the population of E. coli and S. epidermidis by 56 percent and 29 percent, respectively, but the red sample didn't show an antibacterial effect.

"We can use this information to propose the medicinal application of certain natural clays, especially in wound healing," says Williams.

Chronic, non-healing wounds, adds Morrison, are usually more alkaline (vs. acidic) than healthy skin. The pH of normal skin is slightly acidic, which keeps numbers of bacteria low.

"Antibacterial clays can buffer wounds to a low [more acidic] pH," says Williams, like other accepted chronic wound treatments, such as acidified nitrate. "The clays may shift the wound environment to a pH range that favors healing, while killing invading bacteria."

The Oregon clays could lead to the discovery of new antibacterial mechanisms, she says, "which would benefit the health care industry and people in developing nations. A low-cost topical antibacterial agent is quickly needed."

Answers to Buruli ulcers, MRSA and other antibiotic-resistant infections may lie not in a high-tech lab, but in ancient rocks forged in a hot zone: Oregon's once--and perhaps future--volcanoes.

-- Cheryl Dybas, NSF
Investigators
Lynda Williams
Related Institutions/Organizations
Arizona State University

Thursday, July 17, 2014

SECRETARY KERRY'S REMARKS ON CRASH OF MALAYSIA AIRLINES MH17

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 

Crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 in Eastern Ukraine

Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
July 17, 2014


We are horrified by the crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17. There are no words adequate to express our condolences to the families of the nearly 300 victims. We offer our sympathies and support to the Governments of Malaysia and the Netherlands at this difficult time, as well as to all those whose citizens may have been on board. We are reviewing whether any American citizens were aboard the flight. The United States Government remains prepared to assist with a credible, international investigation any way we can, and we will continue to be in touch with all relevant partners as we seek the facts of what happened today.

COUNTERFEIT DRUG SMUGGLER SENTENCED TO 41 MONTHS IN PRISON

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Illinois Man Sentenced for Smuggling Counterfeit Goods and Drugs into the U.S.

An Illinois man, who previously pleaded guilty to trafficking in counterfeit goods and introducing counterfeit drugs into interstate commerce in violation of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, was sentenced today to serve 41 months in prison.

Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson for the Southern District of Texas and Special Agent in Charge Brian Moskowitz of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) made the announcement.

Fayez Al-Jabri, 45, of Chicago, Illinois, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nancy F. Atlas in the Southern District of Texas.  In addition to his prison term, Al-Jabri will serve three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $15,066 in restitution and forfeit $47,750.

According to court documents, Al-Jabri conspired to smuggle more than 26,000 counterfeit Viagra tablets from China into the United States for further distribution.   As part of that conspiracy, between July 2011 and October 2012, Al-Jabri and his co-conspirator shipped thousands of counterfeit Viagra tablets from Chicago to an undercover agent in Houston, Texas.  HSI submitted all of the tablets seized during the investigation to both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Pfizer, Viagra’s manufacturer, for analysis.  Both the FDA and Pfizer identified the tablets as counterfeit and misbranded Viagra.

Al-Jabri and Jamal Khattab, 49, of Katy, Texas, were indicted on Aug. 22, 2012.  On March 21, 2014, Al-Jabri pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods, to introduce misbranded prescription drugs into interstate commerce and to import such goods contrary to U.S. law; one count of trafficking in counterfeit goods; and one count of introducing counterfeit drugs into interstate commerce in violation of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.   Khattab pleaded guilty on Dec. 3, 2013, to the same charges, and his sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 14, 2014.

This matter was investigated by HSI, the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations, the Department of State - Diplomatic Security Service and police departments in Houston and Chicago.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Deputy Chief for Litigation John H. Zacharia of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kebharu Smith and Jennifer Lowery of the Southern District of Texas.


U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT CONTRACTS FOR JULY 17, 2014

FROM:  U.D. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 

CONTRACTS

NAVY

Insight Pacific LLC,* Anaheim, California (N62478-14-D-4000); Bethel-Webcor JV-1,* Anchorage, Alaska (N62478-14-D-4001); Dawson-Hawaiian Builders I,* Honolulu, Hawaii (N62478-14-D-4002); JSR-ECC LLC,* Schertz, Texas (N62478-14-D-4003); CT JV,* Bargerville, Indiana (N62478-14-D-4004); and Environet Inc.,* Kamuela, Hawaii (N62478-14-D-4005) are being awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity multiple award design-build/design-bid-build construction contract for construction projects located primarily within the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Hawaii area of responsibility. The maximum dollar value including the base period and four option years for all six contracts combined is $240,000,000. The work to be performed provides for but is not limited to labor, supervision, tools, materials and equipment necessary to perform new construction, repair, alteration, and related demolition of existing infrastructure based on design-build or design-bid-build (full plans and specifications) for infrastructure within the state of Hawaii. No task orders are being issued at this time. Work will be performed at various Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and miscellaneous federal and other facilities in the NAVFAC Hawaii area of responsibility. The term of the contract is not to exceed 60 months, with expected completion date of July 2015 (base period). Navy working capital funds in the amount of $60,000 are being obligated on this award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via the Navy Electronic Commerce Online website, with 22 proposals received. These six contractors may compete for task orders under the terms and conditions of the awarded contracts. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, is the contracting activity.

Geographic Information Services Inc., Birmingham, Alabama, was awarded a $29,884,815 firm-fixed-priced, indefinite-quantity/indefinite-delivery contract to provide software maintenance, database development, engineering support, integration services, and training for foreign military sales purchasers to use the Weapon Danger Zone Tool. Work will be performed in Birmingham, Alabama, and is expected to be completed by July 1, 2017. This contract will be funded with foreign military sales funds. No contract funds will expire by the end of the current fiscal year. No funds were obligated at the time of award. Funds will become available on individual task orders. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website with two offers received. The Marine Corps Systems Command, Quantico, Virginia, is the contracting activity (M67854-14-D-9501). (This contract was awarded on July 2, 2014.)

EDO Professional Services Inc., Alexandria, Virginia, is being awarded $24,864,130 for one-year modification (P00012) to a previously awarded indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (N66001-09-D-0032) for continued technical services in support of Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific unmanned maritime systems. An accelerated timeline and increased operational requirements for unmanned maritime systems performing fleet mine countermeasures and force protection necessitated this modification to increase the cost ceiling. EDO Professional Services Inc., will provide engineering, logistics, configuration management, research, depot maintenance, system administration, and tactical and strategic management. Work will be performed in Manama, Bahrain (65 percent) and San Diego, California (35 percent), and is expected to be completed by July 21, 2015. No funds will be obligated at the time of award. Fiscal 2014 and 2015 operations and maintenance, (Navy) and research, development, test and evaluation funds will be incrementally obligated at the task order level. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance, (Navy) funds in the amount of $16,000,000 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This is a modification to a contract competitively procured via Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific solicitation N66001-09-R-0032 and published on the Federal Business Opportunities website, with one offer received. Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity.

Huntington Ingalls Inc., Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi, is being awarded a $23,499,948 modification to previously awarded contract (N00024-13-C-2402) for early industry involvement associated with the LHA(R) Program Flight 1 (LHA 8) ship design to initiate an affordability design phase. The early industry involvement contracts were awarded to U.S. shipyards that have the facilities and resources to build a large deck amphibious assault ship without major re-capitalization. Work will be performed in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and is expected to be completed by May 2015. Fiscal 2014 research, development, test & evaluation contract funds in the amount of $19,740,760 will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, District of Columbia, is the contracting activity.
BAE Systems San Diego Ship Repair, San Diego, California, is being awarded a $15,178,728 modification to previously awarded cost-plus-award-fee contract (N00024-10-C-4407) for USS New Orleans (LPD 18) fiscal 2014 selected restricted availability (SRA). An SRA includes the planning and execution of depot-level maintenance, alterations, and modifications that will update and improve the ship's military and technical capabilities. Work will be performed in San Diego, California, and is expected to be completed by December 2014. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance (Navy) and fiscal 2014 other procurement (Navy) funding in the amount of $15,178,728 will be obligated at the time of award. Contract funds in the amount of $14,689,549 will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Southwest Regional Maintenance Center, San Diego, California, is the contracting activity.

ARMY

General Dynamics Land Systems, Sterling Heights, Michigan, was awarded a $65,256,769 modification (P00010) to foreign military sales contract W56HZV-13-D-0015 for specialized training, contractor logistics support, and base life support for the Iraq M1A1 Abrams program. Funding and work location will be determined with each order. Estimated completion date is Feb. 28, 2015. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity.
Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, Kongsberg, Norway, was awarded a $43,000,000 modification (P00115) to contract W15QKN-12-C-0103 for depot support for the Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $43,000,000 were obligated at the time of the award. Estimated completion date is July 15, 2016. Work will be performed in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Army Contracting Command, Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey, is the contracting activity.
Watts Constructors LLC, Honolulu, Hawaii, was awarded a $36,441,000 firm-fixed-price contract with options for designing and building the Special Operations Forces Battalion Operations Facility Complex. Work will be performed at Fort Carson, Colorado, with an estimated completion date of June 15, 2016. Bids were solicited via the Internet with fifteen received. Fiscal 2013 military construction funds in the amount of $36,441,000 are being obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha, Nebraska, is the contracting activity (W9128F-14-C-0024).

Walsh Federal JV St., Chicago, Illinois, was awarded a $34,748,000 firm-fixed-price multi-year contract with options for new construction for the Marshall Elementary School at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Work will be performed at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, with an estimated completion date of April 1, 2016. Bids were solicited via the Internet with five received. Fiscal 2014 military construction funds in the amount of $34,748,000 are being obligated at the time of the award. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville, Kentucky, is the contracting activity (W912QR-14-C-0025).

AAR Allen Services, Garden City, New York, was awarded a $23,507,990 firm-fixed-price contract for 60-520 gas turbine power units for the Blackhawk weapon system. Funding and work location will be determined with each order with an estimated completion date of July 30, 2019. Bids were solicited via the Internet with four received. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W58RGZ-14-D-0089).

Aerojet Rocketdyne, Camden, Arizona, was awarded an $18,507,839 firm fixed-price contract with options for Stinger flight motors, 1,000 each. Base Option: Stinger flight motors, 1-1,500 each. Option 1: Stinger flight motors, 1-505 each. Option 2: Stinger flight motors, 1-545 each. The Stinger flight motor contract is required to support the Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) of 850 Stinger Block I Missiles at McAlester Army Ammunition Plant, McAlester, Oklahoma. The SLEP will replace all Stinger missile components susceptible to degradation due to aging (to include the flight motor) providing a missile with a 10 year shelf life. Work will be performed in Camden, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2016. One bid was solicited with one received. Fiscal 2014 other procurement funds in the amount of $18,507,839 are being obligated at the time of the award. Army Contracting Command, Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W31P4Q-14-C-0090).

Northrop Grumman Technical Services Inc., Herndon, Virginia, was awarded a $9,859,646 modification (P00002) to contract W9124E-14-C-0003 to continue key and essential logistics requirements at the Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Polk, Louisiana. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $9,859,646 were obligated at the time of the award. Estimated completion date is Dec. 29, 2014. Work will be performed at Fort Polk, Louisiana. Army Contracting Command, Fort Polk, Louisiana, is the contracting activity.

Intelligent Decisions Inc., Ashburn, Virginia, was awarded an $8,569,058 firm-fixed-price contract with options for information technology operations and maintenance support for U.S. Southern Command Joint Task Force-Guantanamo Bay. Work will be performed in Cuba with an estimated completion date of July 22, 1019. Bids were solicited via the Internet with 13 received. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance (Army) funds in the amount of $7,969,059 are being obligated at the time of the award. Army Contracting Command, Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas, is the contracting activity (W912CL-14-C-0018).

AIR FORCE

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Information Systems Sector, Defense Systems Division, C2S, Herndon, Virginia, has been awarded a $9,922,486 modification (P00020) to cost-pl
us-fixed-fee FA8750-13-C-0120 for software enhancements, testing, integration and maintenance. The contract modification is to provide support to the National Air and Space Intelligence Center to operate, maintain, and enhance the databases, tools, dynamic web-based products, and related systems and capabilities. Work will be performed at Beavercreek, Ohio, and is expected to be completed by June 12, 2015. Fiscal 2014 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $6,439,147 are being obligated at the time of the award. Air Force Research Laboratory/RIKE, Rome, New York, is the contracting activity.

Vision Systems International LLC, Fort Worth, Texas, has been awarded a $7,768,862 firm-fixed-price task order (0024) to FA8522-09-D-0012 for F-15 and F-16 sustainment in support of the Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System. Work will be performed at Wilsonville, Oregon, and is expected to be completed by July 15, 2015. This award is the result of a sole source acquisition. Funds in the amount of $7,768,862 from Fiscal 2014 Consolidated Sustainment Activity Group Working Capital Funds under the Fiscal 2014 Contract Depot Maintenance Direct Cite Funds Program Authority are being obligated at time of award. This contract is not multiyear. Air Force Sustainment Center, Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, is the contracting activity.

DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY

CORRECTION: The contract announced on July 14, 2014, for AvKare Inc.,** Pulaski, Tennessee (SPE2D2-14-D-0004), for $9,728,923 was announced with an incorrect award date. The correct award date is July 17, 2014.

*Small Business

**In HubZone Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business

PRESIDENT OBAMA ORDERS NEW SANCTIONS AGAINST RUSSIAN INTERESTS


OBAMA-PUTIN CALL MENTIONS DOWNED PASSENGER JET NEAR RUSSIA-UKRAINE BORDER

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE 

Readout of the President’s Call with President Putin of Russia

President Obama spoke with Russian President Putin today about the situation in Ukraine and the additional sanctions on Russian individuals and entities that the United States announced on July 16.  President Obama emphasized that he remains committed to a diplomatic solution and that sanctions were not his preferred course of action.  President Obama noted, however, that in the face of extensive evidence that Russia is significantly increasing the provision of heavy weapons to separatists in Ukraine and Russia’s failure to take other steps set out by the United States and Europe to de-escalate the crisis, it was necessary to impose additional sanctions, consistent with the clear statements from the United States and our allies following the G-7 meeting in Brussels.  President Obama also reiterated his concerns regarding the buildup of Russian forces near the Ukrainian border.  President Obama called on President Putin to take concrete steps to de-escalate the situation, including to press separatists to agree to a cease-fire, support a roadmap for negotiations, halt the flow of fighters and weapons into Ukraine, obtain the release of all hostages still held by the separatists, and work to establish an effective OSCE border-monitoring mechanism.  He noted that Russia would face continued costs and isolation unless it takes these concrete steps.  The President emphasized that Russia and the United States have a shared interest in supporting a stable and prosperous Ukraine.  President Obama and President Putin agreed on the need for a peaceful resolution to the Ukraine crisis achieved through diplomatic means.  During the call, President Putin noted the early reports of a downed passenger jet near the Russia-Ukraine border.

The President Meets with His Climate Task Force

DEPUTY AG COLE TESTIFIES REGARDING ALLEGATIONS IRS TARGETED CONSERVATIVE GROUPS

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 
Testimony by Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole Before the Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Job Creation and Regulatory Affairs Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
~ Thursday, July 17, 2014

Good morning, Chairman Jordan, Ranking Member Cartwright, and Members of the Committee.  I am here today to testify in response to the Committee’s oversight interest in allegations that the Internal Revenue Service targeted conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status.  

When the allegations of IRS targeting surfaced in May of 2013, the Attorney General immediately ordered a thorough investigation of them.  That criminal investigation is being conducted by career attorneys and agents of the Department’s Criminal and Civil Rights Divisions, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA).  I have the utmost confidence in the career professionals in the Department and the TIGTA, and I know that they will follow the facts wherever they lead and apply the law to those facts.  While I understand that you are interested in learning about the results of the investigation, in order to protect the integrity and independence of this investigation, we cannot disclose non-public information about the investigation while it remains pending.  This is consistent with the longstanding Department policy, across both Democratic and Republican Administrations, which is intended to protect the effectiveness and independence of the criminal justice process, as well as privacy interests of third parties.  I can, however, tell you that the investigation includes investigating the circumstances of the lost emails from Ms. Lerner’s computer.

In response to your requests, we have undertaken substantial efforts to cooperate with the Committee in a manner that is also consistent with our law enforcement obligations.  We have produced documents relating to limited communications regarding 501(c) organizations by Criminal Division attorneys with Lois Lerner, who was the head of the Exempt Organizations Division at the IRS.  We have also taken the extraordinary step of making available as fact witnesses two career prosecutors from the Department’s Public Integrity Section, who explained these contacts with Ms. Lerner.

In 2010, for the purpose of understanding what potential criminal violations, related to campaign finance activity, might evolve following the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. FEC, a Public Integrity Section attorney reached out to the IRS for a meeting, and was directed to Ms. Lerner.  In the course of that meeting, it became clear that it would be difficult to bring criminal prosecutions in this area and, in fact, no criminal investigations were referred to the Department of Justice by IRS, and no investigations were opened by the Public Integrity Section as a result of the meeting.

A separate contact between the Public Integrity Section and Ms. Lerner occurred in May 2013, when the Department had been asked both in a Senate hearing and in a subsequent letter from Senator Sheldon Whitehouse whether the Department and the Treasury Department had an effective mechanism for communicating about potential false statements submitted to the IRS by organizations seeking tax-exempt status.  An attorney in the Public Integrity Section reached out to Ms. Lerner to discuss the issue.  Ms. Lerner indicated that someone else from the IRS would follow up with the Section, but that follow-up did not occur.

In sum, these two instances show that attorneys in the Public Integrity Section were merely fulfilling their responsibilities as law enforcement officials:  they were educating themselves on the ramifications of changes in the area of campaign finance laws and ensuring that the Department remained vigilant in its enforcement of those laws.    

As we have explained to the Committee previously, in 2010, in conjunction with the meeting I previously described, the IRS provided the FBI with disks that we understood at the time to contain only the public portions of filed returns of tax-exempt organizations.  As we have indicated in letters to the Committee, the FBI has advised us that upon their receipt of those disks, an FBI analyst reviewed only the index of the disks and did nothing further with them and, to the best of our knowledge, they were never used for any investigative purpose.  Pursuant to the Committee’s subpoena, we provided you with copies of the disks on June 2, 2014, when it remained our understanding that the disks contained only publicly available information.  Shortly thereafter, the IRS notified the Department that the disks appeared to inadvertently include a small amount of information protected by Internal Revenue Code Section 6103, and we promptly notified the Committee of this fact by letter of June 4, 2014.  We promptly provided our copies of the disks to the IRS, and suggested that the Committee do the same.  In order to provide you with our best information regarding the disks—including the fact that they were not used by the FBI for any investigative purpose—we have now written the Committee several letters regarding the disks, and the Director of the FBI answered questions about them from Chairman Jordan in a House Judiciary Committee hearing on June 11, 2014.
           
We recognize the Committee’s interest in this matter.  We share that interest and are conducting a thorough and complete investigation and analysis of the allegations of targeting by the IRS.  While I know you are frustrated by the fact that I cannot at this time disclose any specifics about the investigation, I do pledge to you that when our investigation is completed, we will provide Congress with detailed information about the facts we uncovered and the conclusions we reached in this matter.

I will now be happy to respond to your questions.

RECENT U.S. MARINE CORPS PHOTOS FROM AFGHANISTAN

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 


U.S. Marines troubleshoot an AH-1W Cobra helicopter before a mission on Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, July 3, 2014. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Frances Johnson.


U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Kenneth Morris scans the area for any suspicious activity on the ground during a mission over Helmand province, Afghanistan, July 3, 2014. Morris, a crew chief, is assigned to Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 467. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Frances Johnson.

THE BIG, BAD & BEAUTIFUL UNIVERSE WITH CHANDRA

GSA DEPUTY COMMISSIONERTESTIFIES ON HOW GOVERNMENT PRIORITIZES INVESTMENTS

FROM:  U.S. GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION 
Port of Entry Infrastructure: How Does the Federal Government Prioritize Investments?
Statement of the Honorable Michael Gelber
Deputy Commissioner, Public Building Service, General Services Administration
Before the Committee on Homeland Security, Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security
July 16, 2014
Introduction

Good morning Chairwoman Miller, Ranking Member Jackson-Lee, and members of the Committee. My name is Michael Gelber, and I am the Deputy Commissioner of GSA’s Public Buildings Service.

GSA’s mission is to deliver the best value in real estate, acquisition, and technology services to government and the American people. As part of this mission, GSA maintains a close partnership with the Department of Homeland Security U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP) to meet that agency’s space needs along our nation’s borders. CBP is our primary partner of the Federal inspection agencies stationed along our land borders.

I look forward to outlining the importance of Land Ports of Entry, our partnership with CBP, how the Federal government jointly prioritizes and executes port projects, and the challenges facing these investments.

The Criticality of Land Ports

GSA works closely with CBP to design, construct, maintain, and operate land ports of entry along more than 1,900 miles of border between the southern United States and Mexico and more than 5,500 miles of border between the northern United States and Canada. These ports are integral to the nation’s trade and security.

On a daily basis, about $2 billion in goods, 350,000 vehicles, 135,000 pedestrians, and 30,000 trucks cross the border at one of these 167 ports. Since 1990, the combined value of freight shipments between the U.S. and Canada and the U.S. and Mexico has increased 170 percent, growing an average of 8 percent annually. Additionally, approximately 23 million U.S. citizens cross the land borders into Mexico and Canada a total of nearly 130 million times each year. These statistics highlight the vital role of safe, secure, and modern land ports along our borders.

GSA owns 102 land ports of entry along the northern and southern borders, leases or partially owns 2. GSA’s land port of entry inventory amounts to more than 5.5 million square feet of space. Additionally, CBP owns and operates 40 primarily smaller locations, mostly in remote, rural areas. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Forest Service mutually own 1 land port of entry, and the National Park Service owns 2 ports.

GSA’s Ongoing Partnership with CBP in Support of Land Port Modernization

Given the crucial importance of these ports, GSA, in collaboration with CBP, has prioritized investment to modernize and upgrade these ports.

To ensure these investments address CBP’s highest priority needs, GSA relies on the priorities established in CBP’s 5-year plan for portfolio upgrades. CBP employs a multi-step process to develop its 5-year plan. This list of priorities can include expansion and modernization of existing land ports along with new port construction.

As CBP has outlined, its process includes gathering data through Strategic Resource Assessment, scoring identified needs at each port, conducting a sensitivity analysis on the initial ranking of needs, assessing project feasibility and risk, and establishing an executable capital investment plan.

In the current 5-Year LPOE Construction Plan, CBP has identified six construction projects at land ports of entry totaling more than $830 million in facility construction along the northern and southern borders.

During the past 15 years, GSA has invested more than $1.5 billion to deliver more than 20 new land ports along our northern and southern borders. In the past four fiscal years, the Administration has requested more than $740 million in support of modernization of land ports to address CBP’s most pressing needs. Unfortunately, Congress has provided approximately $295 million of these requests, all of which came in Fiscal Year 2014. This has stalled critical modernizations and delayed land port upgrades that would secure our borders and improve the efficient flow of commerce with our partners in Canada and Mexico.

When a critical modernization project receives needed funding and, if required, the State Department issues a Presidential Permit, GSA and CBP work in close partnership with key Federal, state, and local stakeholders to construct and operate GSA-owned land port inspection facilities.

GSA and CBP consult with stakeholder agencies at the onset of project planning and continue this relationship throughout project development and execution. If a project involves a new border crossing and or a substantial modification of an existing crossing, GSA works closely with the State Department, which must determine whether the project is in the national interest justifying issuance of a Presidential Permit.  GSA also works closely with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)  and the transportation departments from the 15 Border States when planning border infrastructure projects. GSA and CBP are partners in the Border Master Planning process on the U.S. - Mexico border.  In addition to coordination with State and local agencies, the border master planning process also includes Mexican (federal, state and local) governments as well as other federal agencies including State Department, DOT (FHWA, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, etc.) and sometimes private partners as well (railroads for example).  The connectivity of highways with the land ports of entry is critical to the safe and efficient flow of traffic and trade across our borders. In addition to working closely with domestic stakeholders, GSA also works closely with the Department of State to coordinate with federal and local governments in Mexico and Canada.

Alternative Resources in Support of Land Port Projects

Especially given the consistent cuts to the port program that I have previously mentioned, we have seen intense interest in finding alternatives to Federal appropriations to deliver high-priority port projects. Importantly, when assessing any options, GSA and CBP must look comprehensively at the full life-cycle cost of a port. This includes the land where construction takes place, the infrastructure that supports the mission, the funds to staff the facility, and the sophisticated technology and equipment CBP uses to ensure the nation’s security. If an alternative resource exists for one or more of these items, GSA and CBP likely still must find funding to address the full range of costs.

GSA has had some success in using alternative delivery methods to support land port projects in the past. For instance, GSA has long-standing authority to accept unconditional gifts of real and personal property from other public or private entities. GSA has used this authority multiple times when state or local governments, and in a few cases private sector entities, have elected to donate land or other real property to GSA in order to realize the economic benefit that comes with a new or expanded land port of entry.

For instance, at the San Luis II port in Arizona, GSA received a donation of land and utilities in support of the site to help make progress on the modernization. In Donna, Texas, the City donated money for design, land for the site of the port, and 180,000 cubic yards of fill dirt for construction. In Columbus, New Mexico, a private landowner donated approximately 10.2 acres of land to GSA near the port site for construction and a bypass road for commercial trucks.

Additionally, Congress has sought to support these efforts by providing for additional donation and reimbursable service authorities. In Fiscal Year 2013, CBP received limited authority to enter into reimbursable service agreements with private sector entities for the provision of certain inspectional services.[1] Congress expanded CBP’s ability to execute these reimbursable service agreements in addition to broadening GSA’s and CBP’s donation acceptance authority in Fiscal Year 2014.[2]

These authorities present valuable opportunities to support port development. However, these resources have generally been utilized to make modest improvements to existing ports or defray the cost of a major modernization, not to deliver a full-scale upgrade of the type the Administration has requested consistently in the President’s budget.

We look forward to working with Congress to further explore these and other flexible authorities and to continue to highlight the importance of these investments.

Conclusion

Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today about our ongoing partnership with CBP and other federal agencies to address the nation’s security and economic needs along our borders. I welcome the opportunity to discuss GSA’s commitment to strategic investment in the nation’s land ports. I am happy to answer any questions you may have

RETIRED ADMIRAL PAPP APPOINTED U.S. SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE ARCTIC

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 

Retired Admiral Robert Papp to Serve as U.S. Special Representative for the Arctic

Press Statement
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
July 16, 2014




Earlier this year we decided to appoint a Special Representative for the Arctic for a simple reason: President Obama and I are committed to elevating these issues in America's foreign policy and national security strategy because the United States is an Arctic nation, and Arctic policy has never been more important, particularly as we prepare to Chair the Arctic Council in 2015.

We set out to find the right American official for this assignment, a distinguished and senior, high-level public servant with broad foreign policy experience and a passion for the Arctic.

I could not be more pleased to announce that Admiral Robert J. Papp, Jr. will lead our efforts to advance U.S. interests in the Arctic Region as the State Department’s Special Representative.

Admiral Papp served with great distinction as Commandant of the Coast Guard, retiring this May after a stellar thirty-nine-year career. As Commandant, Papp navigated a difficult budget environment to recapitalize the Coast Guard’s fleet, working with Congress to secure funding to complete five of eight National Security Cutters and to refurbish and restore the Polar Star heavy icebreaker to service. I could not be happier that he agreed to postpone his well-deserved retirement and join our effort in a cause about which he is both passionate and wise.

I am also extraordinarily grateful that in our efforts, I will be able to rely on senior advice from a remarkable Alaskan, former Lieutenant Governor Fran Ulmer who, as President Obama's Chair of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission, will provide invaluable counsel as a Special Advisor on Arctic Science and Policy.

We have a great deal of work to do, and that work starts right away. Admiral Papp will soon travel to Alaska to consult with policy-makers on the front lines of America's Arctic state. As we have throughout this process, we will rely on the close consultation of Senators Begich and Murkowski.

The Arctic region is the last global frontier and a region with enormous and growing geostrategic, economic, climate, environment, and national security implications for the United States and the world. With the team we're building at the State Department, we will make sure that the United States is in the strongest possible position to meet these challenges and seize these opportunities.

WHITE HOUSE FACT SHEET ON PROGRESS OF HIV/AIDS STRAGEGY

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE 

FACT SHEET: Progress in Four Years of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy

On July 15, 2010, President Obama released the first comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy, which envisions that “the United States will become a place where new HIV infections are rare and when they do occur, every person, regardless of age, gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, or socio-economic circumstance, will have unfettered access to high quality, life-extending care, free from stigma and discrimination.”
The goals of the Strategy are to reduce new HIV infections; increase access to care and improve health outcomes for people living with HIV; and reduce HIV-related disparities and health inequities.  Achieving these goals requires partnerships and coordination among Federal agencies, state and local governments, community-based organizations, and health care settings.
To further the implementation of the Strategy, last year, President Obama signed an Executive Order establishing the HIV Care Continuum Initiative, which outlines the pathway to accelerate and optimize health outcomes for those living with HIV.  This update outlines just some of the major accomplishments and progress made over the last four years towards achieving the Strategy’s goals and highlights new action steps taken today. 
New actions to support the National HIV/AIDS Strategy: 
  • Today, to support the goals of the Strategy, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the availability of $11 million in funding to enhance Community Health Centers’ HIV efforts in communities highly impacted by HIV, especially among racial and ethnic minorities.  This initiative, funded through the Affordable Care Act and the Secretary’s Minority AIDS Initiative Fund, aims to build sustainable partnerships between public health and health centers to help achieve the goals of the Strategy.
  • Additionally today, the Department of Justice (DOJ) released a Best Practices Guide to Reform HIV-specific Criminal Laws to Align with Scientifically Supported Factors. As noted in the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, many states have criminal laws that have not keep pace with our current understanding of best public health practices for preventing and treating HIV and that, instead, may make people less willing to get tested, disclose their status, and undermine the public health goals of promoting HIV screening and treatment. This guide is intended to share best practices for aligning criminal law with the public health goal of reducing HIV-related stigma.
Implementing the National HIV/AIDS Strategy:
Reducing new HIV infections over the last four years: Ensuring that individuals know their HIV status is a critical step to reducing HIV infections.  People who don't know they are infected miss an opportunity to access the life-sustaining care and treatment that can now lead to normal life-expectancy. Undiagnosed individuals can also unknowingly pass the virus on to others. 
  • HIV testing: Screening all persons between 15 and 65 years of age is now a grade “A” recommendation of the independent United States Preventive Services Task Force. This means that, as of April 2014, new health plans under the Affordable Care Act must offer HIV screening without cost sharing.
  • The number of people who know their HIV status increased:  The overall number of people with HIV who know their HIV status increased to 84.2% in 2010, approaching the Strategy goal of 90% by 2015.  Serostatus awareness was 90% or higher among persons 45 year or older and among injection drug users. 
  • Reduction in new HIV infections in some sub-populations:  Black women saw a 21% reduction in new HIV infections from 2008 to 2010.  In 2010, there was a 22% reduction in new HIV infections among injection drug users. However, there has been a 12% increase in new HIV infections among men who have sex with men (MSM) and 22% increase among young MSM aged 13 to 24. The Administration is committed to enhancing outreach to young, black, gay males.
  • Reduced transmission of HIV: One of the most successful scientific advances in HIV prevention, treatment as prevention, shows that people living with HIV who have a suppressed viral load due to effective HIV treatment, reduce their HIV transmission risk by up to 96%.
  • Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP): In May 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released clinical practice guidelines on HIV risk and eligibility for PrEP use.
  • Research for an effective vaccine and cure: An effective vaccine remains a critical component of any long-term strategy.  In 2014, the President announced that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is redirecting $100 million for development of new therapies toward a cure and will continue to strive to be on the forefront of new discoveries.  
Increasing access to care and improving health outcomes over the last four years: To end the epidemic, in addition to providing prevention strategies, access to health insurance coverage and other key supports are essential. 
  • Making coverage affordable: The Affordable Care Act has expanded access to affordable health insurance coverage for millions of Americans, including thousands living with HIV.  Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, people can no longer be denied coverage based on pre-existing conditions, including HIV.  The Administration will continue to focus on the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program and Affordable Care Act coordination.
  • Housing for people living with HIV: Since 2010, over 56,000 people with HIV receive housing assistance from the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program annually. In keeping with the goals of the Strategy, the President’s Fiscal Year 2015 Budget proposes modernizing HOPWA’s funding formula to better reflect the current state of the epidemic.
  • Increasing access to life-saving HIV treatment: Thanks to targeted investments by the Administration, waiting list for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) have been nearly eliminated from a high of over 9,000 in 2011.
  • Commitment to ensuring access to care for people living with HIV: Together, the Affordable Care Act and the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program are improving and expanding access to care for people living with HIV/AIDS.  Federal leaders have taken steps to ensure this collaboration, including providing guidance to Ryan White grantees to help them effectively interact with new coverage provided under the Affordable Care Act, and strengthening Ryan White data and information to improve program management.  
Reducing health disparities over the last four years: Gay and bisexual men, transgender women, and Black and Latinos continue to bear significant disproportionate burden of new HIV infections and poorer health outcomes. Black gay youth aged 13 to 24 have been identified in the National HIV/AIDS Strategy as a principal group facing HIV/AIDS-related health disparities. 
  • Improving care continuum outcomes among people of color: In 2012, HHS funded a $44 million Care and Prevention in the United States (CAPUS) demonstration project to reduce HIV and AIDS-related morbidity and mortality among racial and ethnic minorities in eight cities.  This project focuses efforts on improving outcomes along the HIV care continuum.
  • Addressing the concerns of the communities most affected:  In June 2014, Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP) held listening sessions in areas most impacted by the epidemic in the southern United States (Jackson, Columbia, and Atlanta).  Additionally, ONAP convened a meeting at the White House focusing on HIV and the southern United States, and will host another meeting to address HIV and gay men, particularly young black MSM, in fall 2014. 
  • Reducing stigma and discrimination: In May 2014, CDC launched the latest communication campaign under its Act Against AIDS initiative: “Start Talking. Stop HIV.” aiming to eliminate stigma and discrimination and promote open communication between gay and bisexual men about a range of HIV prevention strategies. Additionally, DOJ launched ADA.gov/AIDS, a portal for individuals to directly report cases of HIV-related discrimination.
  • Integrating behavioral health for people at high risk: The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) piloted a number of the Minority AIDS Initiative Continuum of Care programs focused on integrating HIV medical care into behavioral health programs designed for racial and ethnic minority populations also at high risk for behavioral health disorders and HIV. 
Achieving a more coordinated national response over the last four years: The National HIV/AIDS Strategy recognizes that a core principle of reaching its identified quantitative targets requires Federal agencies to coordinate efforts, along with coordinating across State and local government and the private sector.
  • Intersection of violence against women and girls, HIV/AIDS, and gender-related health disparities: In 2012, President Obama signed a memorandum forming a Federal working group and directing agencies to coordinate efforts on these key issues.  Federal agencies and community partners are investing time and resources to provide co-screening for HIV and intimate partner violence as well as learn more about the benefits of trauma informed care. 
  • Implementing common core indicators: In 2012, HHS approved a set of seven common core indicators to monitor HHS-funded prevention, treatment, and care services in an effort to standardize data collection and grantee reporting requirements, thereby reducing burdens and increasing efficiency.
  • Public-private partnerships to facilitate access to HIV treatment: In 2012, a convening of funders by HHS and the MAC AIDS Fund led to the development ofHarborPath, an online portal for health care providers to help connect uninsured individuals with HIV to access medications and/or medication assistance programs through a streamlined common application.
  • Investing in future research:  NIH expanded their investment in research to address gaps and opportunities in the HIV Care Continuum, including investigations of the effectiveness of methods to identify HIV-infected people earlier and to link them to care; community-level interventions to expand HIV testing and treatment; interventions to improve HIV outcomes among substance users; and evaluation of innovative network approaches for HIV testing and referral for persons in the correctional system. 
Toward the Goals of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy:
The Administration, led by Office of National AIDS Policy and HHS Office of HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Policy, in partnership with other Federal agencies, state and local governments, communities and people living with HIV, have made tremendous progress in addressing HIV/AIDS in the United States over the last four years. Together, we are committed to accelerating our efforts to reach the Strategy’s goals and, eventually, attain an AIDS-free generation. Smart investments and collaborations will provide opportunities to scale up effective efforts so that every community affected by HIV can contribute to achieving the goals of the Strategy.

AMPHIBIANS AND DEADLY FUNGUS

FROM:  NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION 
Amphibians can acquire resistance to deadly fungus
Discovery will help conservation efforts

Emerging fungal pathogens pose a greater threat to biodiversity than any other parasitic group, scientists say, causing population declines of amphibians, bats, corals, bees and snakes.

Now research results published this week in the journal Nature reveal that amphibians can acquire behavioral or immunological resistance to a deadly chytrid fungus implicated in global amphibian population declines.

"Acquired resistance is important because it is the basis of vaccination campaigns based on 'herd immunity,' where immunization of a subset of individuals protects all from a pathogen," said Jason Rohr, a biologist at the University of South Florida (USF) who led the research team along with Taegan McMahon of the University of Tampa.

Experiments in the study revealed that after just one exposure to the chytrid fungus, frogs learned to avoid the deadly pathogen.

"The discovery of immunological resistance to this pathogenic fungus is an exciting fundamental breakthrough that offers hope and a critical tool for dealing with the global epidemic affecting wild amphibian populations," said Liz Blood, a program officer in the National Science Foundation's Directorate for Biological Sciences, which funded the research through its MacroSystems Biology Program.

In further experiments in which frogs could not avoid the fungus, frog immune responses improved with each fungal exposure and infection clearance, significantly reducing fungal growth and increasing the likelihood that the frogs would survive subsequent chytrid infections.

"The amphibian chytrid fungus suppresses the immune responses of amphibian hosts, so many researchers doubted that amphibians could acquire effective immunity against this pathogen," Rohr said.

"However, our results suggest that amphibians can acquire immunological resistance that overcomes chytrid-induced immunosuppression and increases survival."

Rohr also noted that "variation in the degree of acquired resistance might partly explain why fungal pathogens cause extinctions of some animal populations but not others."

Conservationists have collected hundreds of amphibian species threatened by the fungus and are maintaining them in captivity with the hope of re-establishing them in the wild.

But reintroduction efforts so far have failed because of the persistence of the fungus at collection sites.

"An exciting result from our research is that amphibian exposure to dead chytrid induced a similar magnitude of acquired resistance as exposure to the live fungus," McMahon said.

"This suggests that exposure of waterbodies or captive-bred amphibians to dead chytrid or chytrid antigens might offer a practical way to protect chytrid-naive amphibian populations and to facilitate the reintroduction of captive-bred amphibians to locations in the wild where the fungus persists."

Immune responses to fungi are similar across vertebrates, and many animals are capable of learning to avoid natural enemies, Rohr said.

"Our findings offer hope that amphibians and other wild animals threatened by fungal pathogens--such as bats, bees and snakes--might be capable of acquiring resistance to fungi and so might be rescued by management approaches based on herd immunity."

Rohr cautioned, however, that "although this approach is promising, more research is needed to determine the success of this strategy."

The study team also included: USF researchers Brittany Sears, Scott Bessler, Jenise Brown, Kaitlin Deutsch, Neal Halstead, Garrett Lentz, Nadia Tenouri, Suzanne Young, David Civitello and Nicole Ortega; Matthew Vensky of Allegheny College; J. Scott Fites, Laura Reinert and Louise Rollins-Smith of Vanderbilt University; and Thomas Raffel of Oakland University.

-NSF-
Media Contacts
Cheryl Dybas, NSF

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

FTC SAYS IT IS AGGRESSIVELY COMBATING TELEPHONE SCAMS TARGETING SENIORS

FROM:  U.S. FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION 
FTC Testifies on Efforts to Stop Phone Scams Before Senate Special Committee on Aging

In testimony before Congress today, the Federal Trade Commission described its work to fight telephone scams that harm millions of Americans, especially “grandparent” and other imposter scams where callers trick seniors into sending them money by pretending to be a friend or relative in distress or a representative of a government agency or a well-known company. The testimony outlined aggressive FTC law enforcement, as well as the agency’s efforts to educate consumers about these scams and to find technological solutions that will make it more difficult for scammers to operate and hide from law enforcement.

Testifying on behalf of the Commission before the Senate Special Committee on Aging, Lois Greisman, Associate Director of the FTC’s Division of Marketing Practices, said the FTC has brought more than 130 cases involving telemarketing fraud against more than 800 defendants during the past decade. The Commission has obtained judgments of more than $2 billion from the cases that have been resolved. Despite aggressive enforcement, the prevalence of phone scams remains unacceptably high – the testimony noted that the FTC receives tens of thousands of complaints about illegal phone calls every week, including imposter scams like the “grandparent scam.”

The testimony described the FTC’s interagency work, noting that since 2003, hundreds of fraudulent telemarketers have faced criminal charges and prison time as a result of FTC referrals to criminal law enforcement agencies. A U.S.-Canada operation, Project COLT, has led to 10 recent indictments of grandparent scammers, and information provided by the FTC has helped extradite and prosecute phone fraudsters. With the FTC’s assistance, Project COLT has recovered more than $26 million for victims of telemarketing fraud. In addition, the FTC has supported multiple prosecutions through a U.S.-Jamaica law enforcement task force, Project JOLT, including phone scams that targeted seniors and impersonated government agencies to promote fake lottery schemes.

The testimony outlined FTC education and outreach programs that reach tens of millions of people every year. Among them is the recently created “Pass It On” program that provides seniors with information, in English and Spanish, on a variety of scams targeting the elderly. The testimony also noted the agency’s work with the Elder Justice Coordinating Council to help protect seniors, and with the AARP Foundation, whose peer counselors provided fraud-avoidance advice last year to more than a thousand seniors who had filed complaints with the FTC about certain frauds, including lottery, prize promotion, and grandparent scams.

The testimony also described the FTC’s ongoing work to bring about technological changes that will make it more difficult for fraudsters to use the phone to scam consumers and to hide from law enforcement. Among these initiatives are an effort to make it harder for scammers to fake or “spoof” their caller ID information and the more widespread availability of technology that will block calls from fraudsters, essentially operating as a spam filter for the phone.

The Commission vote approving the testimony and its inclusion in the formal record was 5-0.

U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT CONTRACTS FOR JULY 16, 2014

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 

CONTRACTS

ARMY

AMEC-CAPE, Blue Bell, Pennsylvania (W9128F-14-D-0023) and Weston Solutions Inc., West Chester, Pennsylvania (W9128F-14-D-0024), were awarded a $345,000,000 Type 1 contract for Rapid Disaster Infrastructure Response for time sensitive, emergency construction and debris removal. Funding and work location will be determined with each order. The estimated completion date of the contract is July 15, 2019. Bids were solicited via the Internet with 12 received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha, Nebraska, is the contracting activity.
General Dynamics Land Systems, Sterling Heights, Michigan, was awarded a $65,256,769 modification (P00010) to foreign military sales contract W56HZV-13-D-0015 for specialized training, contractor logistics support, and base life support for the Iraq M1A1 Abrams Program. Funding and work location will be determined with each order. Estimated completion date is Feb. 28, 2015. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity.
URS Group Inc., Mobile, Alabama, was awarded an $8,000,000 firm-fixed-price indefinite- delivery contract for architectural and engineering services for the Mobile District and South Atlantic Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Funding and work location will be determined with each order with an estimated completion date of July 15, 2019. Bids were solicited via the Internet with 28 received. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile, Alabama, is the contracting activity (W91278-14-D-0065).

GTA Containers Inc,* South Bend, Indiana, was awarded a $7,539,057 firm-fixed-price contract with options for 6,333 tarps and bows for the five-ton long wheel base vehicle. Work will be performed in South Bend, Indiana, with an estimated completion date of June 17, 2017. Bids were solicited via the Internet with 10 received. Fiscal 2011 other procurement funds in the amount of $3,967,737, and fiscal 2012 other procurement funds in the amount of $3,571, 320 are being obligated at the time of the award. Army Contracting Command, Warren, Michigan, is the contracting activity (W56HZV-14-C-0223).

NAVY

ERAPSCO, Columbia City, Indiana, is being awarded a $165,997,792 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the procurement of 141,263 AN/SSQ Series sonobuoys, and 5,000 MK-84 Signal Underwater Sound devices. Work will be performed in DeLeon Springs, Florida (51.7 percent), and Columbia City, Indiana (48.3 percent), and is expected to be completed in October 2019. Fiscal 2014 other procurement (Navy) funds in the amount of $165,997,792 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via an electronic request for proposals and one offer was received. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity (N00421-14-D-0025).

Vigor Industrial, LLC, of Portland, Oregon, is being awarded a $16,984,940 firm-fixed-price contract for a 120-calendar day regular overhaul and dry docking of USS Emory S. Land (AS 39). Work will include No. 1 and No. 2 boiler inspection, propulsion shaft removal and inspection, underwater hull preservation, ship’s service turbo generator five-year American Bureau of Shipping inspection, structural plenums refurbishment, domestic reefer upgrade, five-year ABS tank inspection, and installation of permanent ballast and stability test. USS Emory S. Land’s primary mission is to provide repair services to submarines. This contract includes options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $23,234,057. Work will be performed in Portland, Oregon, and is expected to be completed by February 2015. No contract funds will be obligated at time of award. This contract was competitively procured with proposals solicited via the Federal Business Opportunities website and two proposals were received. The U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command is the contracting activity (N32205-14-C-5005).

Nomad Global Communication Solutions Inc.*, Columbia Falls, Montana, is being awarded a $14,112,833 firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the procurement of two First Article Test units and up to 73 production unit Custom Made Shelters in support of the National Guard Bureau Consequence Management Communications Unified Command Suite program. This effort includes the fabrication, qualification, testing and verification, and integration and mounting of the shelters onto government furnished chassis. Work will be performed in Columbia Falls, Montana, and is expected to be completed in July 2017. Fiscal 2014 other procurement (Army) funds in the amount of $479,280 will be obligated at time of award, none of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was competitively procured via a small business set-aside electronic request for proposals and eight offers were received. The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Lakehurst, New Jersey, is the contracting activity (N68335-14-D-0025).

AIR FORCE

Northrop Grumman Corp., Aerospace Systems, El Segundo, California, has been awarded a $17,059,000 modification (P00270) to a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract (F19628-00-C-0100) for radar software deficiency corrections. The contract modification is for Multi-Platform Radar Technology Insertion Program radar system development and demonstration alignment with the Global Hawk Block 40 program schedule. The total cumulative face value of the contract is $1,529,683,365. Work will be performed at El Segundo, California, and is expected to be completed on Sept. 30, 2015. Fiscal 2013, 2014 and 2015 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $319,615 are being obligated at time of award. This effort is incrementally funded. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts, is the contracting activity.
Plexus Scientific Corp., Alexandria, Virginia, has been awarded an $8,466,187 firm-fixed-price contract for a full range of construction and engineering activities necessary for investigation, design, remedial action, remedial construction, and environmental remediation activities. The contractor will achieve minimum performance objectives and stretch goals and support progress to site closeout at 29 Installation Restoration Program sites under this performance based remediation contract. Work will be performed at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, and is expected to be completed by July 16, 2024. This award is a result of a competitive acquisition advertised and six proposals were received. Fiscal 2014 environmental restoration account funds in the amount of $8,466,187 are being obligated at time of award. The 772nd Enterprise Sourcing Squadron, Joint Base San Antonio, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, is the contracting activity (FA8903-14 -C-0009).

*Small business

SECRETARY KERRY, LUXEMBOURG FOREIGN MINISTER ASSELBORN MAKE REMARKS BEFORE MEETING

FROM:  U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT 

Remarks With Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn Before Their Meeting

Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
Treaty Room
Washington, DC
July 16, 2014




SECRETARY KERRY: Good morning, everybody. I’m very pleased to be here with Jean Asselborn, the foreign minister of Luxembourg, a good friend. We have worked together now for a year and a half on a lot of different issues. We’re very grateful to Luxembourg for its leadership, its work on the Children in Armed Conflict Working Group, also its important role played as a member of the UN Security Council. And over the course of time, we have really been locked together in efforts to be supportive of human rights, of individual rights. Also Luxembourg has been very, very focused on and helpful in terms of the situation in Ukraine, where we are continuing to struggle to try to calm things down and reduce the level of violence.
Luxembourg is also a strong supporter of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, and we believe together that this is one of the most important economic lifts that we could provide to Europe and to ourselves. It’s important for all of us. It represents 40 percent of the global GDP. It’s a way to put our people to work. It’s a way to guarantee economic growth. And we will talk about that and other issues, including the Middle East peace process, and we look forward to your presidency. I think of the last five months --

FOREIGN MINISTER ASSELBORN: Six.

SECRETARY KERRY: Six months, six months presidency of the EU. So that will be a very important moment also of leadership.

So we have a lot to talk about, and I look forward to it. And we actually are both very
enthusiastic cyclists. (Laughter.) I’m looking for that moment when we can go out and enjoy --

FOREIGN MINISTER ASSELBORN: In Luxembourg. (Laughter.)

SECRETARY KERRY: In Luxembourg, riding together, yeah.

FOREIGN MINISTER ASSELBORN: Thank you very much, Secretary of State John Kerry. I effectively want to place this visit in the context of the partnership, the transatlantic partnership, and mention maybe three points very briefly.

The first point – you started also with this – is Security Council. We have been member since 1st of January 2013 till the end of this year, and I really want to stress this very fruitful and effective cooperation, small Luxembourg, humble Luxembourg and the United States. On two points I can give an example. From Syria, maybe that you know that the 17th – the 14th of July now a resolution was accepted to allow and to guarantee better humanitarian assistance through or across the borders of Jordan, of Turkey, of Iraq for 1.5 million people who need humanitarian assistance, and it is no more the Syrian Government who gives the authorization, but it is the UN Security Council. And Luxembourg, Australia, and Jordan with U.S., we pushed it and it’s very (inaudible).

Also on the armed conflicts, children in armed conflicts, I want to thank you, John, because during your presidency in September the Security Council will be having discussion and you allowed us a slot on the children in armed conflict, and this is very important.

The second point, Iran and Arab world. We know in Europe and we know it in Luxembourg how important it is the Iran issue for the American – for America and also for Europe. We really want to prevent Iran from nuclear weapons and bring back Iran to a more constructive and positive way for cooperation in international community. I was in Tehran months ago. I will a little bit explain the situation there as I saw it, but you can see in the streets everywhere – in Isfahan or – in Isfahan or in Tehran – that Iran wants to play another role. And it’s a crucial moment now. I hope that the international community can do it.

The second point is if we find a solution and bring back Iran to more cooperative and more constructive dialogue, I think they could play also an important role in Iraq, and that could be very important.

On the Middle East peace process, I want to underline that your effort, John, was not useless. It was really a big effort that you have done since I think July 2013 till April 2014. But we can see that if there is a lift of talks, immediately violence is coming up, and I think that if we get this ceasefire – and if I say “we,” that’s international community and also Egypt. I think we have to support Egypt. We have to try to restart immediately these talks again and a serious effort has to be done. Also I can say it here for the Israeli Government really to bring this two-state solution to a – this two-state solution to bring it to conclusions.

The last point that you mentioned, John, this TTIP, this partnership, free trade agreement between you and Europe, it’s not easy. We have to know that it’s difficult, difficult negotiations. I think that there are redlines on both sides. We have to overcome these redlines, and we have to play with more transparency to the public opinion, be it here or be it in Europe. The NGOs in Europe are asking very important questions and we have to give responses. And we have really I think to try to explain – to better explain the interests and the challenges.

SECRETARY KERRY: True.

FOREIGN MINISTER ASSELBORN: If it is possible to come to conclusions, it would be, I think, in the end of 2015. And at this moment, as you mentioned it, Luxembourg will have the presidency in the European Union, so it will be interesting for us.

A last point. Seventy years ago in December of 2014 started the Battle of the Bulge. It was the most important battle in Europe; 20,000 people died. In Luxembourg, in the cemetery of Hamm, 5,000 of its soldiers are buried with General Patton also. And in December there will be – we will organize festivities, and it would be for us, really, a big – a great honor, a great honor if you, John, could be present there. I think it would be for all – for our history and for our friendship between Luxembourg and United States a very significant presence there and maybe (inaudible).

SECRETARY KERRY: What’s the date?

FOREIGN MINISTER ASSELBORN: It’s up to you to find it. (Laughter.)

QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, what is the concern about Gaza that you can speak about?
SECRETARY KERRY: I beg your pardon?

QUESTION: You specifically talked about the Middle East. What is your concern today especially about Gaza and that area?

SECRETARY KERRY: Well, our concern is to have a legitimate ceasefire and see if we can find a way to stop the conflict and killing so we can get to the real issues that are underlying it. And we’re doing everything in our power; I’ve been in touch with Prime Minister Netanyahu, with the Egyptians, the foreign minister, with others in the region, and we’ll continue to dialogue on it. I’ll be seeing the President today, and we’ll talk about it later.
Thank you.

NASA Sees Typhoon Rammasun in 3-D

DOJ RELEASES GUIDE TO REFORM HIV-SPECIFIC CRIMINAL LAWS TO ALIGN WITH SCIENCE

FROM:  U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Justice Department Releases Best Practices Guide to Reform HIV-Specific Criminal Laws to Align with Scientifically-Supported Factors

The Justice Department announced today that it has released a Best Practices Guide to Reform HIV-Specific Criminal Laws to Align with Scientifically-Supported Factors .  This guide provides technical assistance regarding state laws that criminalize engaging in certain behaviors without disclosing known HIV-positive status.   The guide will assist states to ensure that their policies reflect contemporary understanding of HIV transmission routes and associated benefits of treatment and do not place unnecessary burdens on individuals living with HIV/AIDS.

This guide is in follow-up to the department’s March 15, 2014, article published with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Prevalence and Public Health Implications of State Laws that Criminalize Potential HIV Exposure in the United States, which examined HIV-specific criminal laws.  Generally, these laws do not account for scientifically-supported level of risk by type of activities engaged in or risk reduction measures undertaken.  As a result, many of these state laws criminalize behaviors that the CDC regards as posing either no risk or negligible risk for HIV transmission even in the absence of risk reduction measures.

“While initially well intentioned, these laws often run counter to current scientific evidence about routes of HIV transmission, and may run counter to our best public health practices for prevention and treatment of HIV,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Jocelyn Samuels for the Civil Rights Division.  “The department is committed to using all of the tools available to address the stigma that acts as a barrier to effectively addressing this epidemic.”

The department’s efforts to provide guidance on HIV-specific criminal laws are part of its ongoing commitment to implementation of the National HIV/AID Strategy, released in 2010.  Today’s guide furthers the expectation from the Office of National AIDS Policy that we tackle misconceptions, stigma and discrimination to break down barriers to care for those people living with HIV in response to the President’s Executive Order last year on the HIV Care Continuum Initiative.

U.S. MILITARY AND IT'S NEW BOT


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