Henry Kissinger: The Declassified Obituary

[National Security Archives]

"The Primary Sources on Kissinger’s Controversial Legacy Archive Obtained and Published Previously Secret Records on Kissinger’s Role in Secret Bombing Campaigns in Cambodia, Illegal Domestic Spying, Support for Dictators, and Dirty Wars Abroad.

Washington, D.C., November 29, 2023 - Henry Kissinger’s death today brings new global attention to the long paper trail of secret documents recording his policy deliberations, conversations, and directives on many initiatives for which he became famous—détente with the USSR, the opening to China, and Middle East shuttle diplomacy, among them.

This historical record also documents the darker side of Kissinger’s controversial tenure in power: his role in the overthrow of democracy and the rise of dictatorship in Chile; disdain for human rights and support for dirty, and even genocidal, wars abroad; secret bombing campaigns in Southeast Asia; and involvement in the Nixon administration’s criminal abuses, among them the secret wiretaps of his own top aides.

To contribute to a balanced and more comprehensive evaluation of Kissinger’s legacy, the National Security Archive has compiled a small, select dossier of declassified records—memos, memcons, and “telcons” that Kissinger wrote, said and/or read—documenting TOP SECRET deliberations, operations and policies during Kissinger’s time in the White House and Department of State.

The revealing “telcons”—over 30,000 pages of daily transcripts of Kissinger’s phone conversations which he secretly recorded and had his secretaries transcribe—were taken by Kissinger as “personal papers” when he left office in 1977 and used, selectively, to write his best-selling memoirs. 

The National Security Archive forced the U.S. government to recover these official records by preparing a lawsuit that argued that both the State Department and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) had inappropriately allowed classified U.S. government documentation to be removed from their control. Archive senior analyst William Burr filed a FOIA request for their declassification. The draft lawsuit—which was never filed—is included in this dossier, since Kissinger’s effort to remove, retain and control these highly informative and revealing historical records should be considered a critical part of his official legacy, and the full texts have been published in the Digital National Security Archive series from ProQuest.

This special posting also centralizes links to dozens of previously published collections of documents related to Kissinger’s tenure in government that the Archive, led by the intrepid efforts of William Burr, has identified, pursued, obtained and catalogued over several decades. Together, these collections constitute an accessible, major repository of records on one of the most consequential U.S. foreign policy makers of the 20th century.

“Henry Kissinger’s insistence on recording practically every word he said, either to the presidents he served (without their knowledge that they were being taped) or the diplomats he cajoled, remains the gift that keeps on giving to diplomatic historians,” remarked Tom Blanton, director of the National Security Archive. “Kissinger’s aides later commented that he needed to keep track of which lie he told to whom. Kissinger tried to keep those documents under his own control. His deed of gift to the Library of Congress would have kept them closed until five years from now, but the Archive brought legal action and forced the opening of secret documents that show a decidedly mixed picture of Kissinger’s legacy, and enormous catastrophic costs to the peoples of Southeast Asia and Latin America.”.."
Henry Kissinger 

Survey and Diary of Consumer Payment Choice

"Together, the Survey and Diary of Consumer Payment Choice create a comprehensive picture of US consumers' payment preferences and behavior. The Survey and Diary fills a gap in knowledge about the role of consumers in the transformation of payments from paper to electronic. Payments data is collected in the context of cash holdings, checking account balances, credit card debt, and income receipt, among other variables. The Survey and Diary are representative surveys of US consumers; demographic data is included.

• Consumers report adoption of nine payment instruments, including cash.
• Daily in October, consumers report their use of the nine instruments, including dollar value of the payment, payee, location, and device use.
• Consumers rate instrument characteristics like security, cost, and convenience and state their preferences for particular situations (for example, bill pay).

For information on how the Atlanta Fed handles participant data from this survey, please refer to our online privacy policy.

• Latest Update
• Archived Surveys & Diaries.."Consumer Payment Data 

2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map

"The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is the standard by which gardeners and growers can determine which perennial plants are most likely to thrive at a location. The map is based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature, displayed as 10-degree F zones and 5-degree F half zones. A broadband internet connection is recommended for the interactive GIS-based map above.

To find the Plant Hardiness Zone at your location quickly, enter your zip code in the Quick Zip Code Search box in the map above, or click anywhere on the map to view the corresponding interactive map.

• For further instructions on using this map, visit How to Use The Maps.
   
• To view/print national, regional, or state Plant Hardiness Zone Maps, visit Map Downloads.
   
• To learn about updates to this map from its previous (2012) edition, visit Map Creation..."
  Plant Hardiness Map 

How to Cook Turkey Stuffing Safely

"Here’s an important Thanksgiving food safety tip that will surprise many: USDA doesn’t recommend stuffing a whole turkey. The practice increases the risk of cross-contamination and takes the turkey longer to cook. Cook stuffing separately instead.

But if you decide to stuff your turkey, we recommend the following:

• Don’t stuff a turkey the night before cooking it. Bacteria can multiply in the stuffing and cause foodborne illness when a stuffed bird is refrigerated.
  • The wet and dry ingredients for the stuffing should be prepared separately and refrigerated until ready to use. Mixing dry and wet ingredients produces an environment that bacteria may thrive in hours before cooking.
  • Fully cook raw meat, poultry, or seafood ingredients before adding to stuffing.
  • Combine the ingredients and place them in your bird immediately before cooking. Don’t stuff whole poultry with cooked stuffing.
  • In addition to the turkey, the stuffing’s center needs to reach 165 F.

Here are timetables for turkey roasting based on a 325 F oven temperature:

Unstuffed

8 to 12 pounds — 2¾ to 3 hours

12 to 14 pounds — 3 to 3¾ hours

14 to 18 pounds — 3¾ to 4¼ hours

18 to 20 pounds — 4¼ to 4½ hours

20 to 24 pounds — 4½ to 5 hours

Stuffed

8 to 12 pounds — 3 to 3½ hours

12 to 14 pounds — 3½ to 4 hours

14 to 18 pounds — 4 to 4¼ hours

18 to 20 pounds — 4¼ to 4¾ hours

20 to 24 pounds — 4¾ to 5¼ hours

For more Thanksgiving tips, check out our fact sheet. Read our latest USDA study on safe food handling.

For more information, contact the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) to talk to a food safety specialist or chat live at ask.usda.gov from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday. On Thanksgiving Day, the Hotline will be open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern Time.."
Turkey 

Reported Tuberculosis in the United States, 2022

"TB incidence appears to be gradually returning to prepandemic levels, but ongoing effects of the pandemic persist.

In 2022, reported TB cases and incidence rates (number of TB cases per 100,000 persons) in the United States increased for the second year in a row, but remained lower than levels reported prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Anyone can get TB, but some people are at greater risk of TB than others.

TB disproportionately affects some groups depending on various demographic, health, and social factors.

Birth outside of the United States remains a key risk factor for TB, with a TB incidence rate 17.1 times higher among non-U.S.–born persons compared with U.S.-born persons.

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Successful completion of treatment for TB disease is important to cure TB disease, prevent development of drug resistance, and minimize the risk of spread to others.

The national goal is for 95% of patients for whom 12 months or fewer of treatment is indicated complete treatment within 12 months. Although treatment completion rose from 63.4% in 1993 to 89.0% in 2020, the nation is still short of its 95% goal.

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Reported Tuberculosis in the United States, 2022 is available exclusively online.

Access detailed information by selecting the categories below, or through the List of Tables. For more information and a summary of the data, visit the Executive Commentary..."
Tuberculosis 

Global Measles Outbreaks

"Global Measles Outbreaks

← Data and Statistics

An outbreak means more disease than expected.

Measles is extremely contagious. Around 9 out of 10 people who are not protected will become infected following exposure to the measles virus. Measles outbreaks are declared when the number of cases reported in an area is higher than the expected number of cases.

Travelers and clinicians can check CDC’s Travel Health Notices to search for measles or other issues that may affect travelers’ health.

COVID-19 has increased the risk of measles outbreaks.

Over 61 million doses of measles-containing vaccine were postponed or missed from 2020 to 2022 due to COVID-19 related delays in supplementary immunization activities. This increases the risk of bigger outbreaks around the world, including the United States.

Measles can come to the United States from anywhere in the world.

Outbreaks can happen in areas where people may be unvaccinated or under-vaccinated, including the United States. Right now, measles outbreaks are occurring in every region of the world. Measles can enter the United States through infected travelers entering or travelling through to the U.S. as well as through infected U.S. travelers returning from other countries.

Although measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000, almost 1,300 cases of measles were reported in 31 states in the U.S. in 2019— the greatest number since 1992. The 2019 U.S. measles outbreaks were all linked to travel-related cases that reached at-risk populations (un- or under vaccinated against measles) in the United States..."
Measles 

Supreme Court of the United States -- Statement of the Court- The Code of Conduct

"The undersigned Justices are promulgating this Code of Conduct to set out succinctly and gather in one place the ethics rules and principles that guide the conduct of the Members of the Court. For the most part these rules and principles are not new: The Court has long had the equivalent of common law ethics rules, that is, a body of rules derived from a variety of sources, including statutory provisions, the code that applies to other members of the federal judiciary, ethics advisory opinions issued by the Judicial Conference Committee on Codes of Conduct, and historic practice. The absence of a Code, however, has led in recent years to the misunderstanding that the Justices of this Court, unlike all other jurists in this country, regard themselves as unrestricted by any ethics rules. To dispel this misunderstanding, we are issuing this Code, which largely represents a codification of principles that we have long regarded as governing our conduct.
November 13, 2023.."
Supreme Court - Code of Conduct 

Fifth National Climate Assessment

"The Fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA5) analyzes the impacts of climate and global change in the United States.

The development of NCA5 was overseen by a Federal Steering Committee appointed by the Subcommittee on Global Change Research (SGCR) and comprising representatives from USGCRP agencies. NOAA, as the administrative agency for NCA5, is responsible for establishing procedures for the report, releasing Federal Register Notices, and certifying the report meets Information Quality Act and Evidence Act standards. 

The process is designed to be transparent and inclusive, offering multiple opportunities for public participation. As in previous assessments, NCA5 underwent an extensive, multi-phase process of internal and external review from federal agency experts, the general public, and external peer review by a panel of experts established by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. This approach is designed to result in a report that is authoritative, timely, relevant, and policy neutral; valued by authors and users; accessible to the widest possible audience; and fully compliant with the GCRA and other applicable laws and policies..."
National Climate Assessment 

"Environmental Justice Index at the State and Local Level

Print

Find out how the Environmental Justice Index (EJI) can provide a valuable national perspective to local or regional environmental justice challenges. Explore the EJI today at eji.cdc.gov.

Environmental justice is achieved when everyone enjoys the same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards and has equal access to the decision-making process to function in a healthy environment. The EJI helps public health officials identify and prioritize communities most at risk for the health impacts of environmental burden. The EJI is the first national, place-based tool designed to measure the cumulative impacts of environmental burdens through the lens of human health and health equity.

This document outlines examples of how public health officials and others have used the EJI, offers a supplemental approach to identifying and mapping areas most at risk for environmental health impacts, and provides definitions for three environmental justice tools. This information is intended to help you to use the EJI to promote environmental justice and health equity at the state and local level.

EJI Uses

The EJI can be used to

• identify and prioritize areas that may require special attention or additional action in order to improve health and health equity,
• educate and inform the public about the environmental burdens in their community to inspire and empower community-driven action,
• analyze the unique, local factors driving cumulative impacts on health to inform policy and decision-making, and
• establish meaningful goals and measure progress towards environmental justice and health equity.

The EJI may also serve as a framework to develop new tools in states where environmental justice mapping and screening tools have yet to be developed..."
Environmental Justice Index 

Antibiotic Awareness

"About U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week (USAAW)

U.S. Antibiotic Awareness Week (USAAW) is observed November 18-24, annually. The purpose is to raise awareness of the importance of appropriate antibiotic and antifungal use and the threat of antimicrobial resistance across the One Health spectrum. One Heath is an approach that recognizes that the health of people is closely connected to the health of animals and plants and their shared environment.

Any time antibiotics or antifungals are used, they can cause side effects and contribute to the development of antimicrobial resistance, one of the most urgent threats to the public’s health. Antimicrobial resistance happens when germs, like bacteria and fungi, develop the ability to defeat the drugs designed to kill them. More than 2.8 million antimicrobial-resistant infections occur in the United States each year, and more than 35,000 people die as a result. Many more die from complications from antimicrobial-resistant infections. Preventing infections from happening in the first place is one of the best ways to improve antibiotic and antifungal use and protect populations who are disproportionately affected by antimicrobial resistance.

During USAAW 2023, CDC is focusing on the connection between appropriate antibiotic prescribing and use and health equity. CDC defines health equity as the state in which everyone has a fair and just opportunity to attain their highest level of health. Health inequities resulting from less- than-optimal antibiotic or antifungal prescribing practices may impact health outcomes, resulting in an increase in drug-related adverse events or an increase antimicrobial resistance.¹ Disparities related to antimicrobial resistance [PDF – 2 Pages] can be impacted by socioeconomic factors such as household income, type of health insurance, access to health care, and education level.,,"
Antibiotic Awareness 

Frozen or Fresh: Which Turkey Should You Buy?

"It’s finally November. To beat the crowds, you rush to your grocery store to buy a turkey. If this is your first time, you’re faced with a dilemma: frozen or fresh?

Don’t worry. Here are some guidelines:

• Have more than a week before your meal? Choose frozen: A “frozen” turkey is a turkey that has been cooled to 0 F or lower. When purchasing a frozen turkey, leave enough time for defrosting.
• Have less than a week to prepare? Select fresh: The “fresh” label means the turkey has never been chilled below 26 F. Fresh turkeys should not be purchased until one or two days before you cook it, unless the manufacturer’s tag has a “Best by” or “Use by” date that indicates the turkey will be okay on the date you plan to cook it. If there is no tag, then purchase a fresh turkey one or two days before you plan to cook it.

While buying the rest of your Thanksgiving items, remember food product date tags are not safety dates.

• “Best if Used By/Before” indicates when a product will be of the best flavor or quality.
• “Freeze-By” indicates when a product should be frozen to maintain peak quality.
• “Sell-By” tells the store how long to display the product.

For more information on turkey products, check out our fact sheet. Learn about the latest USDA study on safe food handling and thorough handwashing..."
Turkeys: fresh or frozen 

 

State Laws Restricting or Prohibiting Abortion

"The Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overruled Roe v. Wade, providing states with greater discretion to restrict abortion access, including by limiting abortion prior to fetal viability.1 This report provides an overview of existing or recently passed state laws prohibiting or limiting abortion prior to 24 weeks’ gestational age, which for many years was considered the point of viability, though medical advancements may have moved that point earlier. 2 The report identifies “trigger laws” that generally prohibit abortion that went into effect, either automatically or following action by a state official, when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. It also includes new laws passed since June 24, 2022, when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. This report does not address any exceptions to these restrictions, such as in the case of a medical emergency, rape or incest, or restrictions to specific methods of abortion, such as medication abortion. Links to the full text of statutes listed in this report are available through the Law Librarians’ Society of Washington, DC, Legislative Sourcebook.3

Some states appear multiple times in the tables. In some instances, laws may have been enjoined or been ruled unconstitutional, but have not been repealed and removed from state codes. For example, some historical laws that were ruled unconstitutional under Roe were never repealed.4 In some cases, multiple, overlapping laws may have been intentionally or unintentionally passed by state legislatures.5 Additionally, some recently repealed statutes have been included for informational purposes.

As mentioned above, some of the laws below may not currently be in effect due to court injunctions. Some prosecutors have also indicated they intend to use their discretion whether to enforce the laws at the local level.."
State abortion laws 

Carbon Monoxide Detectors

"Daylight Saving Time ends Sunday, November 5. As you prepare to set your clocks back one hour, remember to check the batteries in your carbon monoxide (CO) detector. If you don’t have a battery-powered or battery back-up CO alarm, now is a great time to buy one. Each year, more than 400 Americans die from unintentional CO poisoning not linked to fires, more than 100,000 visit the emergency room, and more than 14,000 are hospitalized.

CO is found in fumes produced by furnaces, vehicles, generators, stoves, lanterns, gas ranges, or burning charcoal or wood. CO from these sources can build up in enclosed or partially enclosed spaces. People and animals in these spaces can be poisoned and can die from breathing CO.

When power outages occur during emergencies, such as ice storms or other severe weather, the use of alternative sources of power for heating or cooking can cause CO to build up in a home, garage, or camper and to poison the people and animals inside.

Install a battery-operated or battery back-up CO detector in your home today. If you already have a detector, check its batteries as you set your clocks back one hour.

You Can Prevent Carbon Monoxide Exposure

Do

• Have your heating system, water heater and any other gas, oil, or coal burning appliances serviced by a qualified technician every year.
• Install a battery-operated or battery back-up CO detector in your home and check or replace the battery when you change the time on your clocks each spring and fall.
• Leave your home immediately and call 911 if your CO detector ever sounds. Seek prompt medical attention if you suspect CO poisoning and are feeling dizzy, light-headed, or nauseated..."
  Carbon Monoxide Detectors