U.S.A.'s interesting latest news

The President and First Lady visit Puerto Rico  President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump traveled to Puerto Rico yesterday to meet with officials from both Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. President Trump delivered remarks at Luis Muñis Air National Guard Base, thanking all the first responders and volunteers participating in rescue and rebuilding efforts. The President then went on a walking tour of the Guaynabo vicinity, where he met with families of the community before making his way to Calvary Chapel Puerto Rico to help distribute supplies to those affected by the devastating storm.  See More Hurricane Update We continue to make progress through the unified efforts of the federal government, working hand-in-hand with Puerto Rico, its municipalities, businesses, and voluntary agencies on the island. FEMA, working in coordination with federal partners, has provided millions of meals and millions of liters of water to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Additional meals and water continue to arrive to the islands regularly via air and sea. Yesterday, the Department of Defense hospital ship, USNS Comfort, arrived in Puerto Rico to provide additional surge capacity if needed. The ship offers the full range of medical care with surgical, obstetric, and pediatric capability and is equivalent to a level-two trauma center in the United States. The ship is staffed by more than 500 medical personnel and support staff and holds 250 hospital beds. Also yesterday, President Trump amended the disaster declarations for both the U.S. Virgin Islands and Florida to make additional disaster assistance available. PHOTO OF THE DAY President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump visit the USS Kearsage| October 3, 2017 (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead) POTUS TODAY Today, the President and First Lady are in Las Vegas, Nevada, to meet with city officials and pay their respects to the families of the victims of Sunday’s tragic shooting. COMING UP On Thursday, Vice President Pence will host the first meeting of the National Space Council at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. The meeting, which will feature testimonials from expert witnesses representing various sectors of the space industry, provides an opportunity for the Administration to lay out its vision for space exploration. In the evening, President Trump will host a dinner for senior military leaders and their spouses at the White House.

The History of Rocket Science Teach students how Robert Goddard’s genius lead to the first American rockets. Goddard, who is considered the father of rocket science, was the first scientist who not only realized the potential of missiles and space flight, but also contributed directly in making them a reality.

Hamilton: Founding Father, Politician, Poet Alexander Hamilton was known as a brave patriot and brilliant writer, but did you know he was also a saucy poet? It turns out his earliest published works may well have been poetry, and writing the occasional poem appears to have been a hobby Hamilton pursued through his college years. Explore his poetry at Library of Congress.

Learn More About the Medicare Special Enrollment Period For Medicare beneficiaries seeking to change their options for 2018, the clock is ticking. Now is the time to make changes to Part C and/or Part D that better fits your health needs. But the opportunity to make any revisions will end on December 7, 2017, with one exception. If you are a survivor of the recent hurricanes (Harvey, Irma and Maria), there is a special enrollment period just for you through the end of the year.    If you have other questions about Medicare, visit USA.gov.    MedWatch - The FDA Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program Intraocular Injections of a Compounded Triamcinolone, Moxifloxacin, and Vancomycin (TMV) Formulation: FDA Statement - Case of Hemorrhagic Occlusive Retinal Vasculitis AUDIENCE: Opthalmology, Pharmacy ISSUE: FDA received an adverse event report on August 14, 2017, from a physician concerning a patient who was diagnosed postoperatively with bilateral hemorrhagic occlusive retinal vasculitis (HORV) after being administered injections of a compounded triamcinolone, moxifloxacin, and vancomycin (TMV) formulation in each eye at the conclusion of cataract surgery procedures that were done two weeks apart. The TMV formulation was compounded by Imprimis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., located in Ledgewood, New Jersey. HORV is a rare, potentially blinding postoperative complication that has been observed in dozens of patients who have received intraocular injections of vancomycin (anti-infective) formulations toward the end of otherwise uncomplicated cataract surgeries. BACKGROUND: Many ophthalmologists use intraocular vancomycin during cataract surgery with the intent of preventing postoperative endophthalmitis. FDA is unaware of any adequately controlled studies demonstrating the safety and efficacy of intraocular vancomycin in preventing endophthalmitis. There is no FDA-approved vancomycin formulation for intraocular injection. The formulation is usually prepared at the surgical site or obtained in advance of surgery from a compounding pharmacy. The use of intraocular vancomycin has recently been associated with the newly described condition HORV. Characteristics of HORV include a delayed onset (up to three weeks) of sudden painless decreased vision, intraocular inflammation, intraretinal hemorrhage (bleeding within the retina), retinal vasculitis (inflammation within retinal vessels), vascular occlusion (blockage of retinal vessels), and retinal ischemia (lack of sufficient blood supply to the retina). If vancomycin is administered to both eyes, legal blindness is a likely consequence of HORV. No cases of HORV were reported in a retrospective analysis of medical records of 922 patients (1541 eyes) who underwent cataract surgeries with intravitreal injections of compounded TMV formulations from November 2013 to December 2015. However, this chart review of non-controlled data is limited in its ability to identify rare events and may not necessarily be generalizable to a larger population who may undergo cataract surgery. The adverse event being reported here serves as a reminder that intraocular administration of vancomycin, including when the vancomycin is one of multiple active ingredients in a compounded drug, can result in HORV. RECOMMENDATION: The prophylactic use of intraocular vancomycin, alone or in a compounded drug combining multiple active ingredients, during cataract surgery is generally not recommended because of the risk of HORV. Sid Wainer & Son® Initiates Class 1 Recall for Jansal Valley® Dried Chili De Arbol Peppers Sid Wainer & Son® of New Bedford, MA is voluntarily recalling Jansal Valley® brand Dried Chili De Arbol Peppers because it does not have the proper allergens identified, being peanuts. People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to peanuts run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume this product.  The product is packaged in a clear plastic clamshell container labeled as Jansal Valley® Dried Chili De Arbol Peppers, packaged in 1 ounce sizes. The cases contain 12 1 oz units each.  Product best by dates include 9/11/2018, 9/22/2018 and 9/26/2018. Dried Chili De Arbol Peppers were distributed Nationwide in retail stores and grocery chains. Tai Foong Usa Issues Allergy Alert on Undeclared Egg in Product TAI FOONG USA of Seattle, WA is recalling Royal Asia Shrimp Wonton Noodle Soup, because it may contain undeclared egg.  People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to egg or egg products run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products. Individuals who are not allergic to eggs may safely consume this product. Product was distributed in Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, Utah and Alaska and were purchased exclusively at Costco beginning January 2017. Royal Asia Shrimp Wonton Noodle Soup; Net weight 3.94lb (1.79kg) 63oz; 6 bowl pack.  One allergic reaction complaint has been CONFIRMED to date. The recall was initiated after the product was tested for presence of egg, and was confirmed. Because the packaging does not reveal the presence of Egg the product was immediately pulled from the shelves at Costco and destroyed, all other product was identified and isolated in the cold storage facilities and placed on hold to be properly labeled.  Οκτ 4 τις 9:41 μ.μ. FTC, Department of Education Announce Workshop to Explore Privacy Issues Related to Education Technology As schools continue to find new ways to help enhance learning through technology, they must also ensure these efforts comply with federal laws designed to help protect the privacy of children and students. The Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Education will co-host an Ed Tech Workshop on December 1, 2017 to examine how the Federal Trade Commission’s Rule implementing the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) applies to schools and intersects with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), administered by the Department of Education. More than half of K-12 students have access to a school-issued personal computing device, and many school districts have implemented an online curriculum. The workshop, to be held in Washington, D.C., will help provide additional guidance to schools, Ed Tech providers, parents, and other stakeholders. The COPPA Rule, first issued in 2000, requires operators of websites and online services to obtain parental consent before collecting, using, or disclosing personal information from children under 13. FTC staff has provided guidance about the application of the Rule to schools including a determination that schools could act as intermediaries between Ed Tech providers and parents in the notice and consent process, or act as the parents’ agent for purposes of providing consent to providers. Passed in 1974, FERPA is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. FERPA generally prohibits educational agencies and institutions from disclosing student education records without prior, written consent from a parent. The Department of Education issued guidance in 2014 explaining generally that this prohibition on disclosure does not preclude the use of educational technology in the classroom, provided the school follows the requirements of the “School Official Exception” to FERPA’s written consent requirement. While both agencies have continued to provide additional guidance, questions remain about the intersection of COPPA and FERPA. To help promote discussion on these questions, the FTC and the Department of Education are inviting comments on a variety of questions including: Are the joint requirements of FERPA and COPPA sufficiently understood when Ed Tech providers collect personal information from students? Under what circumstances is it appropriate for a school to provide consent under COPPA and what is the process for properly obtaining the consent? How should requirements concerning notice, deletion, and retention of records be handled and by whom and when? COPPA and FERPA both limit the use of personal information collected from students by Ed Tech vendors. What are the appropriate limits on the use of this data? How do schools maintain “direct control” over Ed Tech providers when they rely on the School Official Exception to FERPA’s general consent requirement? You can find a full list of questions and information about how to submit comments in the detailed public notice about the workshop. The workshop, which is free and open to the public, will be held at the Constitution Center, 400 7th St., SW, Washington, DC. It will be webcast live on the FTC’s website.An agenda, directions to the Constitution Center building, and a list of speakers will be available in the near future on the event webpage. The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition, and protect and educate consumers. You can learn more about consumer topics and file a consumer complaint online or by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP (382-4357). Like the FTC on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, read our blogs and subscribe to press releases for the latest FTC news and resources. FTC Testifies Before U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging on the Continuing Fight to Combat Illegal Robocalls The Federal Trade Commission today told a U.S. Senate Special Committee that the agency is continuing its efforts on behalf of American consumers to combat illegal telemarketing robocalls through aggressive law enforcement, initiatives to spur technological solutions, and robust consumer education and business outreach. Testifying on behalf of the FTC before the Special Committee on Aging, Lois Greisman, Associate Director for the agency’s Division of Marketing Practices, said that consumers are justifiably frustrated by the illegal robocalls they are getting, and that last year alone, the FTC received more than 3.4 million robocall complaints. This year, between January and August alone, she said, the FTC has received more than 3.5 million robocall complaints. Illegal robocalls are more than just a frustrating invasion of consumers’ privacy, according to the testimony, as callers frequently use fraud and deception to pitch their goods and services, leading to significant economic harm. Such robocalls also are often used by criminal imposters posing as trusted officials or companies. To help protect consumers from such calls, the testimony notes that since the Commission began enforcing the DNC provisions of the Telemarketing Sales Rule, the FTC has brought 131 enforcement actions seeking civil penalties, restitution for victims of telemarketing scams, and disgorgement of ill-gotten gains against 429 corporations and 345 individuals. As a result of the 124 cases that have been resolved thus far, the Commission has collected over $120 million in monetary relief for defrauded consumers and civil penalties. The FTC’s most recent victory in the fight against illegal robocalls came this past June, when a federal district court in Illinois issued an order imposing the largest civil penalty ever in a DNC case -- $280 million against satellite television provider Dish Network. The case charged Dish and its telemarketers with making tens of millions of calls – often robocalls – to consumers on the DNC Registry, as well as continuing to call consumers who had previously asked not to be called again. The testimony details FTC enforcement actions that have strategically targeted robocall violators, noting that nearly all telemarketing robocalls – to both landlines and cell phones – have been illegal since September 1, 2009. Over the past two years alone, the FTC, often working with its law enforcement partners, has brought nine new actions targeting defendants responsible for making billion of illegal robocalls pitching everything from home security systems to supposedly free vacations. The testimony explains the FTC’s ongoing efforts to understand what is driving the volume of illegal robocalls and what can be done to develop effective technological solutions. New technologies have made making robocalls increasingly inexpensive and have made it easier for robocallers to hide by manipulating Caller ID information and “spoofing” the numbers from which they are calling. To stimulate technological solutions to these problems, the FTC has, among other things, held several robocall challenges, calling on innovators to develop consumer-facing robocall blocking solutions. The FTC actively coordinates with state, federal and international law enforcement partners, technical experts, industry, and other stakeholders – for example, providing input to the industry-led Robocall Strike Force – to help deliver comprehensive solutions to prevent, detect, and filter unwanted calls. The Commission also recently began posting on its website robocall numbers generated from consumer complaints for use by industry in developing new call-blocking solutions. Finally, the testimony details the Commission’s substantial consumer education efforts to help people avoid and prevent unwanted robocalls. The best advice: “If you pick up the phone and hear an unwanted telemarketing robocall, hang up. Period.” Other key messages for consumers include how to put a number on the DNC Registry, how and where to report illega