How to Grill Safely

"What You Need to Know

• When handling raw meat, chicken, and seafood
  • Separate it from other food
  • Refrigerate it before grilling
  • Wash your hands before and after handling it
  • Make sure its juices do not touch other food, utensils, and surfaces
  • Use a food thermometer to ensure it is cooked to a safe temperature
• Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours of cooking

Food poisoning peaks in the summer months when warmer temperatures cause foodborne germs to flourish. Follow these steps for a safe and enjoyable grilling season.

Separate

When shopping, pick up meat, poultry, and seafood last, right before checkout. Separate them from other food in your shopping cart and grocery bags. To guard against cross-contamination, put packages of raw meat and poultry into individual plastic bags.

Chill

Keep meat, poultry, and seafood refrigerated until ready to grill. When transporting, keep 40°F or below in an insulated cooler.

Clean

Wash your hands with soap before and after handling raw meat, poultry, and seafood. Wash work surfacesexternal icon, utensils, and the grill before and after cooking.

Check Your Grill and Tools

Use a moist cloth or paper towel to clean the grill surface before cooking. If you use a wire bristle brush, thoroughly inspect the grill’s surface before cooking. Wire bristles from grill cleaning brushes may dislodge and stick into food on the grill.

Don’t Cross-contaminate

Throw out marinades and sauces that have touched raw meat juices, which can spread germs to cooked foods. Use clean utensils and a clean plate to remove cooked meat from the grill.

Cook

Use a food thermometer to ensure meat is cooked hot enough to kill harmful germs. When smoking, keep temperatures inside the smoker at 225°F to 300°F to keep meat a safe temperature while it cooks.

When Grilling

• 145°F—whole cuts of beef, pork, lamb, and veal (stand-time of 3 minutes at this temperature)
• 145°F—fish
• 160°F—hamburgers and other ground beef
• 165°F—all poultry and pre-cooked meats, like hot dogs

After Grilling 

• 140°F or warmer—until it’s served

Refrigerate

Divide leftovers into small portions and place in covered, shallow containers. Put in freezer or fridgeexternal icon within 2 hours of cooking (1 hour if above 90°F outside)..."
Grilling 

In-vehicle Monitoring Systems

"In-vehicle Monitoring Systems

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of work-related death across all industries combined in the United States (BLS data). Well over a thousand workers (1,270) died in 2019 in a work-related roadway incident. Although some people may think of work-related crashes as mainly a heavy truck issue, many of these fatalities involved drivers or passengers of light fleet vehicles, such as pick-up trucks, passenger vehicles, SUVs, and vans. Many companies now apply fleet safety management practices to prevent crashes and related injuries among their workforce.

One safety tool that companies are using to prevent crashes is in-vehicle monitoring systems (IVMS). IVMS are devices designed to improve drivers’ performance by identifying risky driving behaviors for self-correction and for supervisors to use to coach drivers and identify fleet-wide problems.

Despite a recent increased use of IVMS by companies, there is limited scientific evidence available about which IVMS components and implementation practices are helping to reduce crashes. Employers and drivers need evidence of IVMS effectiveness to make informed decisions about the selection and use of IVMS to reduce their workers’ motor vehicle crash risks.

How IVMS Works
An IVMS unit installed in the vehicle monitors, records, and transfers data to a computer via wireless technology. The IVMS unit is triggered to record an event (speeding, swerving, hard braking, rapid acceleration) when the driver or vehicle exceeds a pre-set threshold. Some IVMS give visual or audible in-vehicle feedback in real time to warn the driver of risky driving behaviors; others include video cameras that are set to capture images of the road and/or the driver for a period of time before and after the actual risky driving behavior.

In addition to helping improve driver performance, IVMS are also used for trip management purposes and fuel efficiency. The IVMS-collected data are typically available to companies in almost real time and allow for timely driver coaching by supervisors and tracking of fleet performance.

Effectiveness
A NIOSH study found that an IVMS with in-vehicle driver feedback and supplemental supervisory coaching using driver- and outward-facing video led to:

• a significant decline in overall risky driving behaviors and
• a decline in driving unbelted in comparison to a control group of drivers.

The significant decline in overall risky driving behaviors continued through an approximate three-month follow-up period after the driver in-vehicle feedback and supervisory coaching was discontinued.

However, there was no decline in overall risky driving behaviors when only in-vehicle feedback was given to the drivers (i.e. no supervisory coaching occurred)..."
In-vehicle monitoring 

Making It Easier for People to Find Federal Agencies

"Finding contact information for a federal department or agency is a top task at USA.gov and USAGov en Español. Our A-Z Index of U.S. Government Departments and Agencies directory is a popular feature and the result of many years of user testing and website user metrics. 

Over time, we’ve noticed a pain point when people search to find a government agency on our site. If someone searches for a federal agency using the USA.gov main search box located in the header, our agencies directory content doesn’t always appear high in the search results. Search.gov powers that search box and many others across the federal government. We consulted with them to find out how to change the situation. There were no short-term changes we could make to improve the search results, so we began looking for other options.

We decided to try adding a second search box to our agencies directory pages. It would search our agency content only. But two search boxes on a page can sometimes be confusing instead of helpful to users. Before this additional feature went live, we did user testing with a working prototype in one of our development environments.

Our goals for the user test were to:

• Learn if people noticed the agency-only search box
• Find out if people were inclined to use the agency-only search box
• Discover if people thought the federal agency search was useful and effective
• Find out if having two search boxes on one page would be confusing

Based on testing, we found that users noticed the new agency-only search box and found it easy to use. Some research participants weren’t clear about the difference between our two search boxes on the page. This was particularly true when a user was on a government agency's directory page, for example, the Social Security Administration page, and they were asked during testing to search for something that was not a federal agency. To address this issue:

1. We took a close look at website usage data to see if it was common for users on the agencies directory pages to seek information other than agency contact information. It turns out that it’s not common. Most people come to the agencies directory to get contact information, and then leave.
2. We made some design changes to our prototype to give our users visual clues that the search boxes were different, and integrated the agency-only search box more closely with the directory navigation elements.."
   Federal Agencies 

Even Prior to Pandemic, Working Women Couldn’t Take Time Off When They Needed

"The COVID pandemic has thrown into sharp relief the struggles of working women in the U.S., amplifying the challenges they face as they try to succeed in the labor market while juggling family and personal responsibilities.

Even before COVID, though, many were in the position of needing time off but not being able to take it. Indeed, among all working women in the U.S., 1 in 10 had that exact experience in the prior month, according to the 2017-2018 American Time Use Survey Leave Module, a nationally-representative survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics sponsored by the Women’s Bureau.

^{Notes: Based on the main job of employed civilian, non-institutionalized women ages 16 and older. Results not shown for women in Natural resources, construction & maintenance due to insufficient sample size. Hispanics may be of any race. Data: Bureau of Labor Statistics, American Time Use Survey Leave Module 2017-2018. Graphic: U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau. (plain text chart)}

Women working in service occupations – who were also the least likely to have access to paid leave – were among the most likely to report having needed but not taken leave (13.5%). The shares foregoing leave were also high among African American women (15.4%) and those lacking a high school diploma (14.1%).

On the flip side, women working in production, transportation and material moving, and Asian women were among the least likely to report having needed but not taken leave (7.6% and 7.9% did so, respectively)

^{Notes: Based on the main job of employed civilian, non-institutionalized women ages 16 and older. Respondents could provide more than one reason. Data: Bureau of Labor Statistics, American Time Use Survey Leave Module 2017-2018. Graphic: U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau. (plain text chart)}

By far the largest share of all women who needed but didn’t take leave (42%) reported needing to take off for their own illness or medical care. Sizeable shares also reported needing time off for errands or personal needs (26%), or to care for a family member who was ill or had medical needs (20%). Some 8% needed but did not take time off for child care (respondents could report more than one reason for needing time off)..."
Working women 

Get Transcript

"WHAT'S NEW?

There is a new transcript format that better protects your data. This new format partially masks your personally identifiable information. Financial data will remain fully visible to allow for tax preparation, tax representation or income verification. Learn more at About the New Tax Transcript and the Customer File Number.

Caution: The Get Transcript Service is for individual taxpayers to retrieve their own transcripts for their own purposes. Use by any other entities is prohibited.

You can get various Form 1040-series transcript types online or by mail. If you need your prior year Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) to e-file, choose the tax return transcript type when making your request. To find out how much you owe or to verify your payment history, you can view your tax account.

The method you used to file your tax return, e-file or paper, and whether you had a balance due, affects your current year transcript availability. Note: If you need a photocopy of your return, you must use Form 4506.

 

Request Online

What You Need

To register and use this service, you need:

• your SSN, date of birth, filing status and mailing address from latest tax return,
• access to your email account,
• your personal account number from a credit card, mortgage, home equity loan, home equity line of credit or car loan, and
• a mobile phone linked to your name (for faster registration) or ability to receive an activation code by mail.

What You Get

• All transcript types are available online
• View, print or download your transcript
• Username and password to return later

 

Get Transcript Online

 

Request by Mail

What You Need

To use this service, you need your:

• SSN or Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN),
• date of birth, and 
• mailing address from your latest tax return

What You Get

• Return or Account transcript types delivered by mail
• Transcripts arrive in 5 to 10 calendar days at the address we have on file for you.."
  IRS transcript 

Final Report: Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry

"Aerospace will be at the core of America’s leadership and strength in the 21st century. The role of aerospace in establishing America’s global leadership was incontrovertibly proved in the last century. This industry opened up new frontiers to the world, such as freedom of flight and access to space. It provided products that defended our nation, sustained our economic prosperity and safeguarded the very freedoms we commonly enjoy as Americans. It has helped forge new inroads in medicine and science, and fathered the development of commercial products that have improved our quality of life.

Given a continued commitment to pushing the edge of man’s engineering, scientific and manufacturing expertise, there is the promise of still more innovations and new frontiers yet to be discovered. It is imperative that the U.S. aerospace industry remains healthy to preserve the balance of our leadership today and to ensure our continued leadership tomorrow.

Our Urgent Purpose

The contributions of aerospace to our global leadership have been so successful that it is assumed U.S. preeminence in aerospace remains assured. Yet the evidence would indicate this to be far from the case. The U.S. aerospace industry has consolidated to a handful of players—from what was once over 70 suppliers in 1980 down to 5 prime contractors today. Only one U.S. commercial prime aircraft manufacturer remains. Not all of these surviving companies are in strong business health. The U.S. airlines that rely upon aerospace products find their very existence is threatened. They absorbed historical losses of over $7 billion in 2001 and potentially more this year.."
Aerospace industry 

New Documents Show Trump Repeatedly Pressed DOJ to Overturn Election Results Before Inciting Capitol Attack

"Today, Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, the Chairwoman of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, released new documents showing President Trump’s efforts to pressure the Department of Justice (DOJ) to overturn the lawful results of the 2020 presidential election.  At 2:00 p.m., the Committee will hold its second hearing on the events of January 6, 2021, in which insurrectionists stormed the U.S. Capitol to disrupt a joint session of Congress convened to count Electoral College votes.

 

“These documents show that President Trump tried to corrupt our nation’s chief law enforcement agency in a brazen attempt to overturn an election that he lost,” Chairwoman Maloney said.  “Those who aided or witnessed President Trump’s unlawful actions must answer the Committee’s questions about this attempted subversion of democracy.  My Committee is committed to ensuring that the events leading to the violent January 6 insurrection are fully investigated.”

 

On May 21, 2021, the Committee sent a letter to DOJ requesting documents relating to President Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election prior to the January 6 attack. 

 

Documents obtained by the Committee in response to this letter show that in December 2020 and early January 2021, President Trump, his Chief of Staff, and outside allies repeatedly put pressure on senior DOJ officials to challenge the results of the presidential election and advance unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud, with the apparent goal of keeping President Trump in power despite losing the 2020 election.

 

President Trump Sent Bogus Election Fraud Claims to Top DOJ Officials Minutes Before Announcing Their Promotions to the Top Two Spots in the Department

 

• On December 14, 2020—the day electors in each state certified the Electoral College votes—President Trump’s White House Assistant sent an email with the subject “From POTUS” to then-Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen.  The email attached materials about alleged voter fraud in Antrim County, Michigan, including “talking points” that asserted, “a Cover-up is Happening regarding the voting machines in Michigan,” and, “Michigan cannot certify for Biden.”

 

• Just two minutes after President Trump’s assistant sent these documents to Mr. Rosen, then-Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General Richard Donoghue, through his assistant, sent the same documents to the U.S. Attorneys for the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan. 

 

• Approximately 40 minutes after sending this phony voter fraud information, President Trump tweeted that Attorney General Barr—who had said publicly that he had not seen widespread election fraud—would be stepping down, that Mr. Rosen would serve as Acting Attorney General, and that Mr. Donoghue would serve as Acting Deputy Attorney General..."
  Trump and Election results 

Juneteenth National Holiday

"S.475 — 117th Congress (2021-2022)All Information (Except Text)

Listen to this page

There are 2 versions:                      Engrossed in Senate (06/15/2021)Introduced in Senate (02/25/2021)                    

 

Text available as:

• XML/HTML (3KB)
• XML/HTML (new window) (3KB)
• TXT (1KB)
• PDF (120KB) (PDF provides a complete and accurate display of this text.) Tip?

Shown Here:
Engrossed in Senate (06/15/2021)

117th CONGRESS 1st Session

S. 475

---

AN ACT

To amend title 5, United States Code, to designate Juneteenth National Independence Day as a legal public holiday.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the “Juneteenth National Independence Day Act”.

SEC. 2. JUNETEENTH NATIONAL INDEPENDENCE DAY AS A LEGAL PUBLIC HOLIDAY.

Section 6103(a) of title 5, United States Code, is amended by inserting after the item relating to Memorial Day the following:

“ Juneteenth National Independence Day, June 19.”.

Passed the Senate June 15, 2021..."
Juneteenth 

Avoid bug bites

"Bugs, including mosquitoes, ticks, fleas, and flies, can spread diseases such as malaria, yellow fever, Zika, dengue, chikungunya, and Lyme. While some cases are mild, these diseases can be severe and have lasting consequences. Some diseases caused by bug bites can be prevented with vaccines or medication, like yellow fever and malaria; however, many cannot, such as Zika and Lyme. On your trip. avoid bug bites to prevent getting sick. 

Check Your Destination

Your destination and activities may determine what steps you need to take to protect yourself from bug bites. Check CDC Destinations pages to see what vaccines or medicines you may need and what diseases or health risks are a concern at your destination.

Your Activities Can Increase Your Risk for Bug Bites

Some activities put you more at risk for bug bites than others. Activities that can increase your chances of getting bug bites include hiking, camping, working with animals, and visiting farms and forested areas.

Common Bugs and Diseases They Spread

• Mosquitoes
  • Chikungunya
  • Dengue
  • Japanese Encephalitis
  • Malaria
  • Murray Valley Encephalitis virus
  • Rift Valley Fever
  • Ross River virus disease
  • West Nile virus
  • Yellow Fever
  • Zika
• Ticks
  • African Tick-Bite Fever
  • Tick-borne Encephalitis
• Fleas
  • Plague
• Tsetse Fly
  • African Trypanosomiasis (African Sleeping Sickness)
• Triatomine (kissing) bugs
  • Chagas Disease (American Trypanosomiasis)

Take Steps to Prevent Bug Bites During Your Trip

Use insect repellent

• Use Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellents with one of the active ingredients below. When used as directed, EPA-registered insect repellents are proven safe and effective, even for pregnant and breastfeeding women.
  • DEET
  • Picaridin (known as KBR 3023 and icaridin outside the US)
  • IR3535
  • Oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE)
  • Para-menthane-diol (PMD)
  • 2-undecanone

Find the right insect repellent for you by using EPA's search tool.

• If you are also using sunscreen, apply sunscreen first, and insect repellent second.
• Do not spray repellent on the skin under clothing.
• Insect repellent tips for babies and children
  • Dress your child in clothing that covers arms and legs.
  • Cover strollers and baby carriers with mosquito netting.
  • When using insect repellent on your child:
    • Always follow label instructions.
    • Do not use products containing oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE) or para-menthane-diol (PMD) on children under 3 years old.
    • Do not apply insect repellent to a child’s hands, eyes, mouth, cuts, or irritated skin.
      • Adults: Spray insect repellent onto your hands and then apply to a child’s face.

Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants

Treat clothing and gear with permethrin

• Use 0.5% permethrin to treat clothing and gear (such as boots, pants, socks, and tents) or buy permethrin-treated clothing and gear.
  • Permethrin is an insecticide that kills or repels mosquitoes.
  • Permethrin-treated clothing provides protection after multiple washings..
  • Read product information to find out how long the protection will last.
• If treating items yourself, follow the product instructions.
• Do not use permethrin products directly on skin.
• Watch the video What You Need to Know About Permethrin.

Keep mosquitoes out of your hotel room or lodging

• Choose a hotel or lodging with air conditioning or window and door screens.
• Use a mosquito net if you are unable to stay in a place with air conditioning or window and door screens or if you are sleeping outside.

Sleep under a mosquito net

• Sleep under a mosquito net if you are outside or when screened rooms are not available. Mosquitoes can live indoors and bite during the day and night.
• Buy a mosquito net at your local outdoor store or online before traveling overseas.
• Choose a mosquito net that is compact, white, rectangular, with 156 holes per square inch, and long enough to tuck under the mattress.
• Permethrin-treated mosquito nets provide more protection than untreated nets.
  • Permethrin is an insecticide that kills mosquitoes and other insects.
  • To determine if you can wash a treated mosquito net, follow the label instructions.

If you are bitten by mosquitoes, avoid scratching the bites and apply over-the-counter anti-itch or antihistamine cream to relieve itching. See Mosquito Bite Symptoms and Treatment.

Additional steps you can take to prevent or quickly find tick bites

Prevent Tick Bites

• Know where to expect ticks. Ticks live in grassy, brushy, or wooded areas, or even on animals. Spending time outside walking your dog, camping, gardening, or hunting could bring you in close contact with ticks. Many people get ticks in their own yard or neighborhood.
• Treat clothing and gear with products containing 0.5% permethrin. Permethrin can be used to treat boots, clothing and camping gear and remain protective through several washings. Alternatively, you can buy permethrin-treated clothing and gear.
• Use Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellents containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus (OLE), para-menthane-diol (PMD), or 2-undecanone. EPA’s helpful search tool can help you find the product that best suits your needs. Always follow product instructions. Do not use products containing OLE or PMD on children under 3 years old.
• Avoid Contact with Ticks
  • Avoid wooded and brushy areas with high grass and leaf litter.
  • Walk in the center of trails.

Find and Remove Ticks

• Check your clothing for ticks. Ticks may be carried into the house on clothing. Any ticks that are found should be removed. Tumble dry clothes in a dryer on high heat for 10 minutes to kill ticks on dry clothing after you come indoors. If the clothes are damp, additional time may be needed. If the clothes require washing first, hot water is recommended. Cold and medium temperature water will not kill ticks.
• Examine gear and pets. Ticks can ride into the home on clothing and pets, then attach to a person later, so carefully examine pets, coats, and daypacks.
• Shower soon after being outdoors. Showering within two hours of coming indoors has been shown to reduce your risk of getting tickborne diseases. Showering may help wash off unattached ticks and it is a good opportunity to do a tick check.

If you traveled and feel sick, particularly if you have a fever, talk to a healthcare provider and tell them about your travel. Avoid contact with other people while you are sick.

If you need medical care abroad, see Getting Health Care Abroad..."
Bug bites