Featured Stories
State Department IG: Management Assistance Report: Statutorily Required Audits of the National Endowment for Democracy
WASHINGTON, July 30 (TNSLrpt) -- The State Department Inspector General issued the following audit report (No. WISP-26-03) entitled "Management Assistance Report: Statutorily Required Audits of the National Endowment for Democracy."
Here are excerpts:
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Pursuant to a congressional request, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted research into the U.S. Department of State's (Department) oversight of funds awarded to the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). NED is a private, nonprofit corporation--not an agency or establishment of the U.S. government--that supports democratic institutions,
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WASHINGTON, July 30 (TNSLrpt) -- The State Department Inspector General issued the following audit report (No. WISP-26-03) entitled "Management Assistance Report: Statutorily Required Audits of the National Endowment for Democracy."
Here are excerpts:
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Pursuant to a congressional request, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted research into the U.S. Department of State's (Department) oversight of funds awarded to the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). NED is a private, nonprofit corporation--not an agency or establishment of the U.S. government--that supports democratic institutions,individual rights, electoral processes, and civil society around the world. From FY 2017 to FY 2025, Congress appropriated more than $2 billion in funding to NED.
Congress created and authorized appropriations for NED in 1983 through the National Endowment for Democracy Act (NED Act). The NED Act requires that NED comply with various requirements in order to receive its annual grant, including engaging an independent third party to perform an annual audit of NED's accounts and submitting to a Department audit of NED's financial transactions for each fiscal year.
During OIG's research, OIG found that the Department was not conducting audits of NED financial transactions as required by law and as recommended in a 2015 OIG report. Therefore, OIG is again highlighting the need for the Department to conduct statutorily required oversight of NED funding.
OIG made one recommendation to the Bureau of Global Acquisitions (GA) to address the noncompliance identified in this report. GA agreed with the recommendation, and the Bureau's formal response to a draft of this report is reprinted in its entirety in the appendix. OIG considers the recommendation resolved, pending further action
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View full audit report at: https://www.stateoig.gov/uploads/report/report_pdf_file/wisp-26-03.pdf
State Department IG: Inspection of Embassy Bratislava, Slovakia
WASHINGTON, July 30 (TNSLrpt) -- The State Department Inspector General issued the following audit report (No. ISP-I-26-13) entitled "Inspection of Embassy Bratislava, Slovakia."
Here are excerpts:
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What OIG Inspected
OIG inspected Embassy Bratislava's achievement of foreign policy goals and objectives, policy and program implementation, consular operations, resource management, and information management.
What OIG Found
* Embassy Bratislava generally advanced U.S. foreign policy goals and managed its operations in accordance with U.S. Department of State standards.
The Embassy did
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WASHINGTON, July 30 (TNSLrpt) -- The State Department Inspector General issued the following audit report (No. ISP-I-26-13) entitled "Inspection of Embassy Bratislava, Slovakia."
Here are excerpts:
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What OIG Inspected
OIG inspected Embassy Bratislava's achievement of foreign policy goals and objectives, policy and program implementation, consular operations, resource management, and information management.
What OIG Found
* Embassy Bratislava generally advanced U.S. foreign policy goals and managed its operations in accordance with U.S. Department of State standards.
The Embassy didnot have a mechanism to coordinate foreign assistance with Washington bureaus and offices.
* The Embassy generally complied with Department standards relating to life safety, property management, financial management, and personnel.
* The Embassy had several deficiencies in its information management operations related to information systems security duties, local configuration management protocols, physical and environmental protection of IT resources, and mail and pouch standards.
* Spotlight on Success: Embassy Bratislava's innovations in consular operations resulted in greater efficiencies for passport and visa applicants.
What OIG Recommends
OIG made 7 recommendations to Embassy Bratislava. In its comments on the draft report, Embassy Bratislava concurred with 4 recommendations, partially concurred with 2 recommendations, and did not concur with 1 recommendation. OIG considers all 7 recommendations resolved. The Embassy's response can be found in the Findings section of this report. The Embassy's formal response is reprinted in its entirety in Appendix B.
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View full audit report at: https://www.stateoig.gov/uploads/report/report_pdf_file/inspection-embassy-bratislava-slovakia-isp-i-26-13.pdf
NASA Awards 2026 Innovative Technology Concepts
PASADENA, California, July 30 (TNSres) -- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory issued the following news:
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NASA Awards 2026 Innovative Technology Concepts
JPL is leading three of the 18 visionary concepts awarded funding by an innovation incubator program at NASA.
The NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program has created 18 new awards to support visionary ideas to improve aerospace technologies in areas ranging from the exploration of the solar system to understanding the universe.
The 18 NIAC Phase I awards total $3.2 million. Each award provides up to $175,000 for a nine-month initial
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PASADENA, California, July 30 (TNSres) -- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory issued the following news:
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NASA Awards 2026 Innovative Technology Concepts
JPL is leading three of the 18 visionary concepts awarded funding by an innovation incubator program at NASA.
The NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program has created 18 new awards to support visionary ideas to improve aerospace technologies in areas ranging from the exploration of the solar system to understanding the universe.
The 18 NIAC Phase I awards total $3.2 million. Each award provides up to $175,000 for a nine-month initialinvestigation. The NIAC projects are about early-stage concept development and are not considered official NASA missions.
"NASA has outlined an ambitious vision for the future of space exploration, we're returning the Moon to stay, advancing to Mars, and pushing to deepen our understanding of space," said Greg Stover, director of the Advanced Research and Technology division within the Research and Technology Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "Achieving that will require more than incremental technological advancement. It means we need great leaps. These awards are the kinds of innovation the world needs NASA to help foster."
As an innovation incubator, NIAC funds early development of potential breakthrough technologies. Concepts for award consideration must have both transformative potential and possible feasibility for eventual implementation.
"Every innovation, every leap in technology, starts with a seed of an idea," said Phillip Williams, NIAC's acting program executive. "The NIAC program allows NASA to germinate those seeds and determine if there's something that could be grown to benefit future space missions and our nation's aerospace economy."
As NASA and its partners push for sustained lunar presence, some of the 2026 awardees focused on ways to help explore the Moon and build infrastructure there. These include a system to support hovering robots to explore lava tubes under the Moon's surface, a method to manage temperatures for small mobile exploration robots, and a way to incorporate radioisotopic heat sources into suits to help keep astronauts warm when operating in the Moon's nearly two-week-long lunar nights.
Other concepts focus on exploring some of the solar system's most remarkable features. Venus, with its hot atmosphere, presents an imposing challenge for research vehicles, so one NIAC awardee explores methods for hardening instruments for longer missions.
Two other concepts could help study planetary rings. One would use a swarm of 10,000 tiny satellites to map and analyze the rings of Saturn, while another would create a system for collecting samples from rings such as those circling Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
Some NIAC awardees will look far beyond the solar system, exploring ways to power interstellar spacecraft, map out continents on exoplanets, observe the photon rings around black holes, and detect subtle gravitational waves to explain how galaxies formed. Others will work to answer questions directly related to life on Earth, like the potential use of spaceborne dust to reduce solar radiation, and awareness about the debris orbiting Earth.
Researchers, known as NIAC Fellows, will investigate their concepts and identify potential challenges and opportunities for further development.
The 18 selections for 2026 NIAC Phase 1 grants are:
* Saptarshi Bandyopadhyay, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California: Dimming the Sun Using Controllable Dust Cloud to Reduce Solar Insolation (DimSun)
* David Bugby, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory: Combinatory Architecture offering Neomobility, on-Venus Adaptability, and Survivability (CANVAS)
* A.C. Charania, Zeno Power Systems, Inc., Washington: Extended Astronaut Radioisotope-EVA in Nighttime and Deep-space Icy Landscapes (EARENDIL)
* Anish Damodaran, University of Central Florida, Orlando: PS21: Transforming Submillimeter Space Interferometry with Photonic Technologies
* Artur Davoyan, University of California, Los Angeles: Coilable Stacked Solar Sails for Very High delta-V Missions
* Daniel Drew, University of Hawaii, Honolulu: Solid-state Propulsion for Autonomous Reconnaissance of Karst (SPARK)
* Gilly Elor, Stone Aerospace, Inc., Del Valle, Texas: Power-over-Fiber to Enable a Lunar Underground eXplorer (LUX)
* Zhaoyan Liu, NASA Ames Research Center, California's Silicon Valley: Quantum Wind Lidar Applications for Planetary and Earth Science Missions
* Jeff Nosanov, Orbital Velocity, LLC, Decatur, Georgia: OBLIVIAN: Observing Black hole LIght Via Intensity cOrrelatioN (OBLIVIAN)
* Keunhan Park, University of Utah, Salt Lake City: Plasmon-Enhanced Radioisotope Thermophotovoltaic (PRTPV) Power Generation for Interstellar Missions
* Austin Phoenix, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia: Efficient variable Conductivity Lunar Insulator for Passive Surveyor Environmental Control (ECLIPSE)
* Marco Quadrelli, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory: PRAXIS: Planetary Rings Autonomous EXploration with In-situ Sampling (PRAXIS)
* Michael Rubenstein, Northwestern University, Chicago: Actively Steerable Femtosat Constellations for In-situ Exploration of Saturn's Rings, Atmosphere, and Magnetosphere
* Benjamin Schafer, Rarefied Technologies Inc., Albuquerque, New Mexico: Photophoretic Tracers for Near-Space Remote Sensing at 30-100 km Altitudes
* David Smith, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina: Robotically Assembled Electromagnetic Metamaterials for Long-Range Space Situational Awareness
* Pablo Sobron, Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute, Mountain View, California: Interworld Slingshot Resource Surveys
* Paul Stankus, Brookhaven Science Associates, Upton, New York: Mapping Alien Continents: Achieving Optical VLBI for Exoplanet Imaging
* Paul Stankus, Brookhaven Science Associates, Upton, New York: Precision Astrometry Using Optically Independent Spacecraft for Gravitational Wave Detection
To learn more about NASA's NIAC program, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/about-niac/
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Original text here: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-awards-2026-innovative-technology-concepts/
Justice IG: Audit of the United States Attorneys' Offices' Compliance With Savanna's Act of 2020 and Their Efforts in Response to Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons
WASHINGTON, July 30 (TNSLrpt) -- The Justice Inspector General issued the following audit report (No. 26-072) entitled "Audit of the United States Attorneys' Offices' Compliance with Savanna's Act of 2020 and Their Efforts in Response to Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons":
Here are excerpts:
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Introduction and Background
As of December 2025, there were 574 federally recognized tribes in the United States as shown in Map 1 below. The National Institute of Justice stated that, within these communities, 83 percent of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) adults have experienced some
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WASHINGTON, July 30 (TNSLrpt) -- The Justice Inspector General issued the following audit report (No. 26-072) entitled "Audit of the United States Attorneys' Offices' Compliance with Savanna's Act of 2020 and Their Efforts in Response to Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons":
Here are excerpts:
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Introduction and Background
As of December 2025, there were 574 federally recognized tribes in the United States as shown in Map 1 below. The National Institute of Justice stated that, within these communities, 83 percent of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) adults have experienced someform of violence in their lifetime. According to 2023 statistics evaluated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, homicide is the fourth leading cause of death among AI/AN males under the age of 44 and the sixth leading cause of death among AI/AN females under the age of 44.
Further, as of June 2023, AI/AN individuals accounted for over 3.5 percent of reported missing persons cases in the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) despite making up only 1.1 percent of the U.S. population according to 2020 census data. The terminology used to encompass these issues is missing or murdered Indigenous persons (MMIP).1 The MMIP issue intersects with many other forms of violence such as child abuse and neglect, sexual violence, domestic abuse, and human trafficking, which can lead individuals to leave home or be identified as missing.
These concerns related to missing or murdered Indigenous persons prompted government action, as outlined in the timeline below, including legislation such as Savanna's Act and various executive orders, emphasizing the need for a coordinated government response.
Savanna's Act implementation requires efforts from numerous U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) components such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Office of Tribal Justice, Office on Violence Against Women, and the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys (EOUSA). This audit focused on Section 5 of Savanna's Act, which required the development of regionally appropriate guidelines outlining responsibilities, guidance, and best practices for all law enforcement agencies working together on MMIP cases. U.S. Attorneys played a significant role in the development of these guidelines, which are integral to fulfilling the goals of Savanna's Act.
DOJ plays a central role in the federal response to MMIP cases and, through its components, has articulated its continuing commitment to addressing MMIP issues. For example, in a November 2025 press release, FBI stated that Operation Not Forgotten--an FBI-led initiative active from 2023 to 2026 that deploys resources to resolve violent crimes, including MMIP cases--was supported by the Department's MMIP Regional Outreach Program (ROP). Established in 2023, the MMIP ROP is a key initiative designed to help prevent and respond to cases of missing or murdered Indigenous persons by placing attorneys and coordinators in U.S. Attorney's Offices across the U.S. This audit also assessed the effectiveness of the MMIP ROP.
United States Attorneys' Offices (USAOs) ensure laws are enforced across the 94 federal districts. Each district is led by a U.S. Attorney, who is the chief federal law enforcement officer within the district, and operates under statutes like the General Crimes Act and the Major Crimes Act, which govern federal criminal jurisdiction in Indian country. EOUSA provides executive and administrative support to the USAOs including legal education, administrative oversight, technical support, and uniform policies.
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View full report at: https://oig.justice.gov/reports/audit-united-states-attorneys-offices-compliance-savannas-act-2020-and-their-efforts
From Tour to Fellow: How INL and the Army Cyber Institute are Advancing Critical Infrastructure Research Together
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho, July 30 -- The U.S. Department of Energy Idaho National Laboratory issued the following news release:
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From tour to fellow: How INL and the Army Cyber Institute are advancing critical infrastructure research together
U.S. Army Lt. Col. Joshua Dawson had some idea of what the Idaho National Laboratory might have to offer when he visited the lab in December 2025.
As executive officer for the Army Cyber Institute at West Point, Dawson had read about the lab's All Hazards Analysis (AHA) tool in a cyber institute/INL collaborative report from 2020. Since his research focuses
... Show Full Article
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho, July 30 -- The U.S. Department of Energy Idaho National Laboratory issued the following news release:
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From tour to fellow: How INL and the Army Cyber Institute are advancing critical infrastructure research together
U.S. Army Lt. Col. Joshua Dawson had some idea of what the Idaho National Laboratory might have to offer when he visited the lab in December 2025.
As executive officer for the Army Cyber Institute at West Point, Dawson had read about the lab's All Hazards Analysis (AHA) tool in a cyber institute/INL collaborative report from 2020. Since his research focuseson critical infrastructure security and resilience, he requested a tour of INL to see if there were any intersections between defense critical infrastructure (DCI) research being done at the INL and the cyber institute.
"All I was initially looking for was a tour," he says. Six months later, Dawson is still at INL, planning to stay until the end of the year, and working on establishing a permanent Army fellow position at the lab.
Dawson has discovered an institution where energy systems research, operational technology, industrial control systems, cybersecurity and applied engineering converge under one roof. "You can find some of these elements at the other labs," Dawson said, "but not all in one place. And they are all important topics for DCI in the Army."
That integration is increasingly important as military planners confront the reality that future conflicts are treating domestic infrastructure as traditional battlefields. Electrical grids, transportation systems and industrial networks now represent strategic terrain the military relies on.
"Defense of critical infrastructure has become an important focus for the Army," he said. "And I know INL has a lot to offer in this space."
In the Army
A career in the Army was never on Dawson's radar growing up in Sandy, Utah. After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, his senior year of high school, he felt called to serve and joined the Utah National Guard while attending Utah State University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in computer science in 2006. He later became an active-duty officer and fulfilled his dream of flying the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter, the Army's most sophisticated combat aircraft.
As a platoon leader with the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade in Germany, Dawson led teams supporting operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. He later deployed to Poland and South Korea to integrate aviation operations with multinational and interagency partners. In addition to flying skills, those assignments demanded systems thinking and the ability to coordinate aircraft, ground forces, intelligence and logistics in fast-moving environments.
Unexpected invitation
Even as his operational responsibilities grew, Dawson never lost interest in research. One day, he received an unexpected email asking whether he had considered a position at West Point. The opportunity represented a turning point, and through the Army's Advanced Civil Schooling program Dawson pursued doctoral studies at the University of Utah while deepening his expertise in cyber operations and emerging technologies.
Dawson first read about the INL-developed AHA tool in the 2020 report in the Army Cyber Institute's Jack Voltaic 3.0 Research Report. The AHA tool helps organizations understand how disruptions to one part of critical infrastructure -- such as power, water or transportation -- can create cascading effects across other systems. Dawson saw immediate potential for applying that capability to Army critical infrastructure challenges.
"As an organization, we forgot this tool existed," Dawson said. But once he was aware there was a sprawling database and modeling capability that could map millions of critical infrastructure dependencies across the United States, he wanted to know more. "This helps solve a lot of the problems we've been trying to figure out," he said.
Escape room experience
Dawson's eyes were opened more while participating in the Industrial Control Systems (ICS) Cybersecurity 301 course, which the lab runs in collaboration with the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. ICS Cybersecurity 301 is an instructor-led, four-day program that provides hands-on training for understanding, protecting and securing industrial control systems from cyberattacks. The course includes a competitive offense versus defense exercise called "red vs. blue" and a rotation of different cyber-themed escape rooms.
After taking the course and considering his background in user experience design, Dawson offered to help design a new transportation-themed escape room. In March, the room he helped build was taken to the Women in Cybersecurity Conference in Maryland. It was a big hit.
"Dawson's presence at INL and access to key personnel across the cyber institute and Army organizations has opened a host of possibilities, not only for the lab's National and Homeland Security mission but for national defense," said Chris Bibeau, INL program manager for U.S. Army Cyber Command.
"It's remarkable when mission focus, priorities and research align as seamlessly as they did in this fellowship," said Cybercore Integration Center Director Sean McAraw. "Josh undoubtedly gained valuable experience at INL, but it's equally important to recognize how much INL benefited from his contributions. We look forward to continuing this partnership with the Army."
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About Idaho National Laboratory
Battelle Energy Alliance manages INL for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Nuclear Energy. INL is the nation's center for nuclear energy research and development, and also performs research in each of DOE's strategic goal areas: energy, national security, science and the environment. For more information, visit www.inl.gov.
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Original text here: https://inl.gov/feature-story/from-tour-to-fellow-how-inl-and-the-army-cyber-institute-are-advancing-critical-infrastructure-research-together/
FDA Human Foods Program Issues Warning Letter to VasoCorp
WASHINGTON, July 30 -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Food and Drug Administration issued the following warning letter to VasoCorp Inc. from its Human Foods Program:
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Recipient: Mr. William H. Cross III, President and CEO, VasoCorp, Inc., 808 Metromont Rd Ste 100, Hiram, GA 30141-3056, United States
Issuing Office: Human Foods Program, United States
WARNING LETTER
CMS #732724
(b)(4)
Dear Mr. Cross:
This is to advise you that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reviewed your website at www.vasocorp.com in March 2026 and has determined that you take orders there
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, July 30 -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Food and Drug Administration issued the following warning letter to VasoCorp Inc. from its Human Foods Program:
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Recipient: Mr. William H. Cross III, President and CEO, VasoCorp, Inc., 808 Metromont Rd Ste 100, Hiram, GA 30141-3056, United States
Issuing Office: Human Foods Program, United States
WARNING LETTER
CMS #732724
(b)(4)
Dear Mr. Cross:
This is to advise you that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reviewed your website at www.vasocorp.com in March 2026 and has determined that you take orders therefor the products NeuropAWAY - Nerve Support Formula and NeuropAWAY pm - Nighttime Nerve Support Formula. The claims on your website establish that the products are drugs under section 201(g)(1)(B) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the Act) [21 U.S.C. 321(g)(1)(B)] because they are intended for use in the cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease. As explained further below, introducing or delivering these products for introduction into interstate commerce for such uses violates the Act. You can find the Act and FDA regulations through links on FDA's home page at www.fda.gov.
Examples of some of the claims that provide evidence that your products are intended for use as drugs include:
* NeuropAWAY - Nerve Support Formula
"NeuropAWAY Nerve Support Formula is a patented formula that is clinically proven to reduce the overall symptoms of occasional burning, tingling, and numbness by ~76%. NeuropAWAY's synergistic formula combines Taurine with other key ingredients to improve blood supply to damaged and needy nerves." "NeuropAWAY Nerve Support 60 Daily Capsules Delivers Key Nutrients to Damaged & Inflamed Nerves." (www.vasocorp.com)
"Consumption of NeuropAWAY resulted in a signification reduction [Pain] in PI-NRS after 7 days of consumption." Note: PI-NRS is Pain Intensity Numerical Rating Scale. (https://www.vasocorp.com/products/neuropaway-capsules)
"VasoCorp was founded by William Cross, a Type 1 diabetic driven by his personal quest for relief from nerve discomfort. After years of dedicated research, William developed the unique formula for our flagship product, NeuropAWAY Nerve Support Formula. . . . You can find NeuropAWAY products in the diabetes section of major pharmacies across the country . . .." (https://www.vasocorp.com/pages/about-us)
* NeuropAWAY pm - Nighttime Nerve Support Formula
"NeuropAWAY targets the cause of neuropathic pains in: head & neck, feet, static nerve, hands, arms, legs..." "NeuropAWAY burning, tingling, & numbness support." "Supports damaged and needy nerves." (https://www.vasocorp.com/products/neuropaway-pm)
* NeuropAWAY - Nerve Support Formula and NeuropAWAY pm - Nighttime Nerve Support Formula
"R-Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA) Protect nerves from damage..." R-Alpha Lipoic Acid is an ingredient in both the NeuropAWAY - Nerve Support Formula and NeuropAWAY pm - Nighttime Nerve Support Formula products. (www.vasocorp.com)
Your products are not generally recognized as safe and effective for the above referenced uses and, therefore, the products are "new drugs" under section 201(p) of the Act [21 U.S.C. 321(p)]. With certain exceptions not applicable here, new drugs may not be legally introduced or delivered for introduction into interstate commerce without prior approval from FDA, as described in sections 301(d) and 505(a) of the Act [21 U.S.C. 331(d), 355(a)]. FDA approves a new drug on the basis of scientific data and information demonstrating that the drug is safe and effective.
A drug is misbranded under section 502(f)(1) of the Act [21 U.S.C. 352(f)(1)] if the drug fails to bear adequate directions for its intended use. "Adequate directions for use" means directions under which a layperson can use a drug safely and for the purposes for which it is intended (21 CFR 201.5). Prescription drugs, as defined in section 503(b)(1)(A) of the Act [21 U.S.C. 353(b)(1)(A)], can only be used safely at the direction, and under the supervision, of a licensed practitioner.
Your product NeuropAWAY - Nerve Support Formula is intended for treatment or prevention of one or more diseases that are not amenable to self-diagnosis, treatment, or prevention without the supervision of a licensed practitioner. Therefore, it is impossible to write adequate directions for a layperson to use your product safely for its intended purposes. Accordingly, NeuropAWAY - Nerve Support Formula fails to bear adequate directions for its intended use and, therefore, the product is misbranded under section 502(f)(1) of the Act [21 U.S.C. 352(f)(1)]. The introduction or delivery for introduction into interstate commerce of this misbranded drug violates section 301(a) of the Act [21 U.S.C. 331(a)].
This letter is not intended to be an all-inclusive statement of violations that may exist in connection with your products. You are responsible for investigating and determining the causes of any violations and for preventing their recurrence or the occurrence of other violations. It is your responsibility to ensure that your firm complies with all requirements of federal law, including FDA regulations.
This letter notifies you of our concerns and provides you an opportunity to address them. Failure to adequately address this matter may result in legal action including, without limitation, seizure and injunction.
Please notify FDA in writing, within 15 working days of receipt of this letter, of the specific steps you have taken to address any violations. Include an explanation of each step being taken to prevent the recurrence of violations, as well as copies of related documentation. If you cannot complete corrective actions within 15 working days, state the reason for the delay and the time within which you will do so. If you believe that your products are not in violation of the Act, include your reasoning and any supporting information for our consideration.
Your written reply should be directed to Rebecca Allen, United States Food and Drug Administration, Human Foods Program, Office of Enforcement, 5001 Campus Drive, College Park, Maryland 20740-3835 or via email at HFP-OCE-DietarySupplements@fda.hhs.gov. Please reference CMS #732724 and (b)(4) on any submissions and within the subject line of any emails to us. If you have any questions, you may email at HFP-OCE-DietarySupplements@fda.hhs.gov.
Sincerely,
/S/ Maria S. Knirk, JD, MBA, Director, Office of Enforcement, Office of Compliance and Enforcement, Human Foods Program
Cc: (b)(4)
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Original text here: https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/vasocorp-inc-732724-07092026
BLS Midwest Region Issues Report on Occupational Employment and Wages in Waterloo-Cedar Falls May 2025
CHICAGO, Illinois, July 30 (TNSLrpt) -- Occupational Employment and Wages in Waterloo-Cedar Falls May 2025 - A report from U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics Midwest Region - July 28, 2026
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Workers in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA Metropolitan Statistical Area had an average (mean) hourly wage of $27.18 in May 2025, compared to the nationwide average of $33.54, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Michael Hirniak noted that higher paying major occupational groups included management ($52.19), legal ($48.99), and
... Show Full Article
CHICAGO, Illinois, July 30 (TNSLrpt) -- Occupational Employment and Wages in Waterloo-Cedar Falls May 2025 - A report from U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics Midwest Region - July 28, 2026
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Workers in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA Metropolitan Statistical Area had an average (mean) hourly wage of $27.18 in May 2025, compared to the nationwide average of $33.54, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Assistant Commissioner for Regional Operations Michael Hirniak noted that higher paying major occupational groups included management ($52.19), legal ($48.99), andhealthcare practitioners and technical ($47.26). Lower paying occupations included food preparation and serving related ($14.56), personal care and service ($16.28), and building and grounds cleaning and maintenance ($17.97). (See table A.)
Occupational groups with the highest employment shares in the Waterloo area included production (11.6 percent), transportation and material moving (10.4 percent), and office and administrative support (10.1 percent). Major occupational groups on the lower end of local employment included legal (0.4 percent); life, physical, and social science (0.5 percent); and architecture and engineering (1.0 percent).
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Table A. Occupational employment and wages by major occupational group, United States and the Waterloo metropolitan area, May 2025
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One occupational group--production--was chosen to illustrate the diversity of data available for any of the 22 major occupational categories. Waterloo had 9,740 jobs in production, accounting for 11.6 percent of local area employment, compared to the 5.5-percent share nationally. The average hourly wage for this occupational group locally was $24.49, compared to the national wage of $24.81.
Some of the larger detailed occupations within the production group included miscellaneous assemblers and fabricators (1,610); computer numerically controlled tool operators (720); and inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers (660). Among the higher paying jobs in this group were power plant operators ($39.95) and first-line supervisors of production and operating workers ($35.44). At the lower end of the wage scale were bakers ($15.76) and laundry and dry-cleaning workers ($15.79). (Detailed data for the production occupations are presented in table 1; for a complete listing of detailed occupations available go to https://data.bls.gov/oes/#/area/0047940/2025.)
Location quotients allow us to explore the occupational make-up of a metropolitan area by comparing the composition of jobs in an area relative to the national average. (See table 1.) For example, a location quotient of 2.00 indicates that an occupation accounts for twice the share of employment in the area than it does nationally. In the Waterloo area, above-average concentrations of employment were found in many of the occupations within the production group. For instance, cleaning, washing, and metal pickling equipment operators and tenders, were employed at 12.23 times the national rate in Waterloo, and foundry mold and coremakers, at 10.98 times the U.S. average. Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders had a location quotient of 1.03 in Waterloo, indicating that this particular occupation's local and national employment shares were similar.
The statistics in this release are from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, a cooperative effort between BLS and the State Workforce Agencies (SWAs). BLS funds the survey and provides the procedures and technical support. State Workforce Agencies collect most of the data: in this case, the Iowa Workforce Development.
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Federal Government Shutdown
Because of the lapse in federal appropriations from October 1 through November 12, 2025, additional collection and processing time were required for the May 2025 OEWS survey panel once appropriations resumed. The response rate for the May 2025 survey panel was within the normal range and no additional modifications to the OEWS methodology and procedures were necessary as a result of the shutdown.
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Technical Note
The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey is a semiannual survey measuring occupational employment and wage rates for wage and salary workers in nonfarm establishments in the United States. The OEWS data available from BLS include cross-industry occupational employment and wage estimates for the nation; over 530 areas, including states and the District of Columbia, metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), nonmetropolitan areas, and territories; national industry-specific estimates at the NAICS sector, 3-digit, most 4-digit, and selected 5- and 6-digit industry levels; and national estimates by ownership across all industries and for schools and hospitals. Full OEWS data tables (https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm) are available online.
Additional information about the OEWS estimates and methodology is available in the national Technical Notes (https://www.bls.gov/oes/2025/may/oes_tec.htm). The overall national response rate for the six panels, based on the 50 states and the District of Columbia, is 66.2 percent based on establishments and 67.2 percent based on weighted sampled employment. Sample sizes and response rates by metropolitan and nonmetropolitan area are available on the Additional OEWS data sets (https://www.bls.gov/oes/additional.htm) page.
Metropolitan area definitions
The substate area data published in this release reflect the standards and definitions established by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.
The Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA Metropolitan Statistical Area includes Black Hawk County, Bremer County, and Grundy County.
For more information
Answers to frequently asked questions (https://www.bls.gov/oes/oes_ques.htm) about the OEWS data, as well as general program documentation (https://www.bls.gov/oes/oes_doc.htm), are available on the OEWS website (https://www.bls.gov/oes/).
If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.
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Table 1. Employment and wage data for production occupations, Waterloo metropolitan area, May 2025
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View original text plus charts and tables here: https://www.bls.gov/regions/midwest/news-release/2026/occupationalemploymentandwages_waterloo_20260728.htm
