Welcome to this week’s Pandora Report! This issue highlights Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s promotion of Russian biolab disinformation, new revelations about Syria’s hidden chemical weapons stockpiles and accountability for state-sponsored poisoning, the growing Ebola outbreak in the DRC, the spread of New World screwworm and ongoing H5N1 mysteries, and emerging debates over AI-enabled biology, dual-use research, and biosecurity governance.
DNI Tulsi Gabbard Echoes Russian Disinformation About US-Funded Labs
On June 12, 2026, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) issued a press release claiming to have uncovered evidence of a secret network of 120 U.S.-funded laboratories around the world, including 40 in Ukraine, that were conducting research on dangerous pathogens and engaging in so-called “dangerous gain-of-function” research. According to ODNI, “The information surrounding the existence, history, locations, and funding of these U.S.-funded biolabs has been intentionally covered up by powerful people falsely claiming that they do not exist and accusing anyone who says otherwise to be foreign assets and traitors to America.” The declassified evidence, which Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard claimed took months to uncover, consisted of four slides, including a draft memo with unresolved (but redacted) comments in the margins, a grossly inaccurate map, and two slides with charts and figures based on U.S. government budget data and work product from an American company. Despite the ODNI logo on the slides, which makes them look official, none of the material presented is from a finished intelligence product, and none of the information substantiates any of Gabbard’s allegations. Indeed, as Laura Loomer pointed out on X, the last two slides are taken directly from a Russian disinformation briefing. Former Department of Defense biodefense official Al Mauroni called the ODNI release a “nothing burger.” The Ukrainian ministries of foreign affairs and health issued denials and insisted that Ukraine is in compliance with the Biological Weapons Convention and takes biosafety and biosecurity seriously, as Professor Gregory Koblentz, Director of the Biodefense Graduate Program, and Biodefense PhD student Ryan Houser documented in a 2023 article.
Russian state media and the rest of the Russian disinformation ecosystem, however, were very excited and have devoted considerable effort to magnifying Gabbard’s allegations, which echo those issued by the Kremlin as one of the key justifications for Russia’s unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine. Indeed, Gabbard embraced this Russian narrative about the allegedly nefarious and dangerous activities of U.S.-supported public health labs in Ukraine, including those built during Trump’s first term, in March 2022, shortly after the Russian invasion. Gabbard’s recycling of Kremlin-generated propaganda is not new and was a major component of her views on the Syrian civil war, including her position that President Bashar al-Assad did not use chemical weapons during that conflict. Specifically, Gabbard has denied that the Syrian air force dropped a sarin-filled bomb on the town of Khan Sheikhoun in April 2017, killing 100 people. Neither Gabbard nor ODNI commented on the announcement in late May by the Syrian government that they had uncovered a cache of chemical weapons hidden by the Assad regime from international inspectors, including precursors for sarin, the sarin stabilizer hexamine, more than 50 bombs of the same type that had been used in the Khan Sheikhoun attack, and more than 20 rockets of the same type used in the 2013 sarin attack on Ghouta which killed more than 1,000 people. Despite Gabbard’s self-professed concern about biological threats to U.S. national security, she dismantled the National Counterproliferation and Biosecurity Center and has remained silent about Russia’s modernization of its chemical and biological weapons programs, including the construction of a new BSL-4 lab at a Russian military virology facility that has a history of working with Ebola, Marburg, and smallpox. For more on Professor Kobentz’s views on Gabbard’s biolab snipe hunt and the long-lasting negative consequences of her tenure as DNI, you can watch his interview with Sasha Ingber, host of HUMINT and the International Spy Museum’s SpyCast podcast.
EU Sanctions Russians for the Poisoning Death of Alexei Navalny
On June 15, 2026, the European Union imposed a new round of sanctions on individuals and entities supporting Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, hybrid warfare, and its violations of human rights. Among those sanctioned were one entity and 15 individuals, including Russian Supreme Court Justice Oleg Nefedov, Prosecutor General Alexander Gutsan, law enforcement officials, FSB officers, and medical personnel for their role in the persecution, poisoning, and death of Alexei Navalny. These individuals were primarily involved in the August 2020 poisoning of Navalny with the nerve agent Novichok. Navalny died on February 16, 2024, while serving a 19-year prison term in an Arctic penal colony. On February 14, 2025, the UK, Sweden, France, Germany, and the Netherlands issued a joint statement that Navalny’s death was caused by poisoning with epibatidine, a toxin derived from poison dart frogs found in South America, and that the Kremlin was responsible for Navalny’s murder. The use of epibatidine to poison Navalny was discussed by Professor Gregory Koblentz, Director of the Biodefense Graduate Program, when he testified before the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense at the Atlantic Council about the threat posed by state-run toxin weapon programs. Last month, the commission published a report, Promote the Antidote: Reducing the Risk from Toxins, on how to strengthen national and international preparedness for toxin threats.
Screwworms Spread, Bird Flu Continues to Baffle
By Margeaux Malone, Pandora Report Associate Editor
Two animal-health threats, New World screwworm (NWS) and highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), are renewing attention on the systems that protect the nation’s food supply, and on how much scientists still don’t know.
The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has now confirmed 12 cases of NWS in the United States. Eleven of the cases are in Texas, where the first was confirmed in a 3-week-old calf on June 3, and one is in New Mexico. The most recent new case was detected on June 11 in a sheep in Sullivan County, Texas. The CDC activated a Level 3 emergency response last week, the lowest of its three levels, to support the USDA and Texas health officials.
Meanwhile, the HPAI outbreak in dairy cattle continues to puzzle researchers. A new Ohio State University study published in Nature Communications found that just 10 viral particles of H5N1 can infect a cow and establish robust infection and shedding of high-titer virus in milk. Despite evidence of the low infectious dose, a clear answer on how H5N1 spreads on dairy farms remains elusive, as the study’s transmission experiments were largely inconclusive. Contaminated milking equipment, calf feeding and shared air with poultry all failed to clearly spread the disease under controlled conditions. Senior author Andrew Bowman, a professor of veterinary preventive medicine, still suspects milking equipment is the likeliest route between cows, but he notes the question of how the virus jumps from wild birds into cattle is also still unclear. “In waterfowl, it’s a pathogen replicating in their gut. How in the world does it go from a duck’s intestine into a cow’s mammary gland? That’s a head scratcher.” Despite ongoing research, it seems the mystery of HPAI transmission, and the risk of future spillovers, endures.
Further Reading:
- “New World screwworm, HPAI underscore importance of food animal health, animal disease surveillance efforts,” Mary Hightower, University of Arkansas
- “Avian flu detected in Idaho dairy cows as study explores role of virus RNA detection in bovine semen,” Stephanie Soucheray, CIDRAP
- “Texas’ Fight Against the Screwworm Will Be Nasty and Brutish,” Christopher Collins, The Texas Observer
- “How the screwworm broke through US defences and returned to Texas cattle,” Susannah Savage, Financial Times
IN OTHER NEWS
U.S. Public Health Capacity, Funding, and Workforce Cuts
- “New Plan Scales Back C.D.C.’s Work on Diseases Abroad,” Apoorva Mandavilli, NY Times
- “Global HIV prevention declined drastically after Trump aid cuts, U.N. finds,” Rael Ombuor, Washington Post
- “95% of CDC workers say Americans will die because of federal cuts to the agency,” Mary Van Beusekom, CIDRAP
- “How RFK Jr. Managed to Block Millions in Global Vaccine Funds,” Rachel Oswald, FP
- “Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance,” The Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Federal Register
Ebola Outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
- “Scientists Race to Test Treatments as Ebola Outbreak Widens,” Carl Zimmer and Stephanie Nolen, NY Times
- “DRC reports record number of Ebola cases in a single day as outbreak hits 1-month mark,” Dada Jovanovic, Zoe Magee, and Mary Kekatos, ABC News
- “True scale of Congo Ebola outbreak still unknown one month in, responders say,” Clement Bonnerot and Emma Farge, Reuters
- “CDC chief: ‘No evidence’ USAID cuts hampered Ebola response,” Max Rego, The Hill
Biotechnology, AI and Biological Data Governance
- “Young, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Make Biological Data a Strategic National Resource,” Todd Young, US Senator for Indiana
- “The Matryoshka War: The Global Architecture of Biological Disinformation,” Countering WMD Disinformation
- “The next AI safety fight may actually be about DNA,” Shayna Korol, Vox
- “Biological Intelligence in the AI Era,” German Marshall Fund
- “Governance of dual-use research: a publishers’ and editors’ perspective: meeting report, 30 September 2025,” Institutional Repository for Information Sharing, WHO
Animal Health, Agricultural Biosecurity and Emerging Biological Threats
- “Screwworm spread tests US readiness after Trump staffing cuts,” Mathaniel Weixel, The Hill
- “USDA Steps Up Screwworm Monitoring as Cases Expand in Texas,” Ilena Peng and Elizabeth Elkin, Bloomberg
- “How to protect outdoor pets from New World screwworm,” Liz Szabo, CIDRAP
Chemical Weapons Accountability & Nonproliferation
- “Appeal hearing in case against Melchemie et al. regarding mustard gas attacks in Iraq,” Prakken d’Oliveira
- “Dismantling Syria’s chemical-weapons stocks and legacy,” IISS
- “What the discovery of Assad-era chemical weapons means for Syria,” Anan Tello, Arab News
Podcasts
“Biosecurity in the Era of Science Fiction: AIxBio and Project Paraphrase with Bruce Wittmann,” Sci on the Fly
NEW: Preparing for a Future of AI-Enabled Biology
From the National Academy of Medicine (NAM): “Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the life sciences, including how researchers study biology, develop vaccines and treatments, and detect disease outbreaks. While these advances could improve public health and preparedness, they also raise important questions about safety, security, and the possibility of misuse.
To better understand these issues, the National Academy of Medicine, in collaboration with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and with support from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), will convene a two-day workshop on preparing for the future of AI-enabled biology.
The workshop will bring together experts from public health, medicine, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, biosecurity, government, and industry to explore how AI-enabled biological risks may evolve over the next decade.”
This hybrid event will take place on August 11-12, 2026. Learn more and register here.
BioSafe Advocacy Network High-Level Virtual Workshop 2026: Dual-Use Research of Concern (DURC) and the Responsible Use of Life Sciences
From the BioSafe Advocacy Network: “Looking to strengthen your understanding of the responsible use of life sciences? Join us for an engaging workshop featuring practical case studies, interactive sessions, and expert-led discussions on responsible conduct in the life sciences.
Participants will gain valuable insights into:
• Responsible research and innovation practices
• Risk-informed approaches to biosafety and biosecurity
• Real-world case studies and scenario-based learning
• Frameworks aligned with World Health Organization (WHO) guidance.
As a mandatory prerequisite, all applicants must complete the WHO Academy course, “Dual-Use Research and the Responsible Use of the Life Sciences.”
This virtual workshop will take place from July 22-23, 2026. The application deadline is June 30. Learn more and apply here.
Ninth Session of the Working Group on the Strengthening of the Biological Weapons Convention
From the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA): “We will convene the Ninth Session of the Working Group on the Strengthening of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC). Chaired by Ambassador Frederico S. Duque Estrada Meyer of Brazil, the meeting will bring together State Parties, international organizations, academic institutions, and civil society representatives to continue discussions on strengthening the Convention and advancing efforts to address biological threats. Public sessions will be webcast through UN Web TV, and side events are expected throughout the week.
This event will take place from August 17-21 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. Learn more and register by July 31 here.
Biosecurity Simulation Exercise (BSX 2026): Laboratory Incidents & Deliberate Biothreats
From the Asia Centre for Health Security: “This table-top simulation exercise aims to enhance inter-sectoral and inter-disciplinary preparedness for laboratory biosafety and biosecurity (LBB) and deliberate biothreat events (DBE). Through lectures, discussions, and structured, scenario-driven exercises, participants will explore decision-making to detect, risk-assess, and manage high-consequence biological incidents under conditions of incomplete information and unfolding events. Participants will collaborate in teams, building on expert perspectives to address issues in surveillance, diagnostics, public health response, security assessment, and risk communication.”
This in-person event will be held from August 27-28. Learn more and register here.
Training Course on ‘Biotechnology Innovation and Biosecurity’
From the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) and the Biological Weapons Convention Implementation Support Unit: “This training focuses on strengthening capacities in biosecurity, biosafety, and biological risk management in the context of rapid advances in biotechnology with an integrated, interdisciplinary approach to manage biothreats at the intersection of humans, animals, plants and the environment. It addresses the governance, technical, and operational dimensions of preventing, detecting, and responding to biological threats, while promoting responsible and peaceful scientific research and innovation in accordance with article X of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC).”
This in-person event will be held from October 12 – 16 in New Delhi, India. Learn more and apply here.
The Pandora Report 