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☆ Comstock Act: The 150-year-old chastity law that may be the next big fight over abortion
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Tierney Sneed | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

“Comstock is really the backdoor way to remove access to abortion across the whole country,” said Greer Donley, a University of Pittsburgh Law School professor who specializes in abortion law. Severino argued that, at least when it comes to the Comstock Act’s prohibitions on mailing abortion pills, Congress is well within its powers to regulate those shipments. Several towns, some in New Mexico and elsewhere, have passed local ordinances that cite the Comstock Act and prohibit business within those jurisdictions from shipping or receiving items used for abortions in the mail, as covered by the Comstock Act. The lawsuits in New Mexico state court that those ordinances have prompted may provide for another opportunity for courts to elaborate on what the Comstock Act means. The Supreme Court, in the emergency order it issued last week, did not say anything about the Comstock Act.

☆ Everyone was wrong about how the pandemic would change shopping — here's how experts are betting on e-commerce now
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Emma Cosgrove | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The idea that e-commerce will keep growing forever, and betting on it will lead to an almost inevitable rising tide, didn't survive the pandemic. Public flame-outs of entire categories of startups, like ultra-fast deliveries and Amazon seller aggregators, have further demonstrated the boom-and-bust nature of pandemic e-commerce investing. Apple's recent moves to give consumers more online privacy has had ripples through the e-commerce ecosystem, leading investors to take a beat. E-commerce logistics — fulfillment and last-mile delivery — said Sloane is fairly well-saturated at this point, he said. For many retailers, the pandemic offered a harsh lesson in how integrated their stores and their websites weren't, she said.

☆ Inflation hits the mailbox: Postage stamp prices are rising, again
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

The US Postal Service said Monday that it filed a notice with its regulators to increase prices on first-class mail stamps to 66 cents from 63 cents. The Postal Service said the hike was necessary to offset a rise in operating expenses. Surging prices have dented business across the global economy over the past two years, pushing up workers’ wages and increasing the costs of doing business. “These price adjustments are needed to provide the Postal Service with much needed revenue,” the agency said in a statement. Domestic postcards will also increase from 48 cents to 51 cents, and international postcards from $1.45 to $1.50.

☆ Inside Nike: Sources share claims of sexism, cheating, abuse at the world's wokest brand
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Joshua Hunt | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +51 min

The conservative blowback came as no surprise to Parker, who told Nike's board of directors to expect some short-term backlash. In late 2014, the BBC sent a film crew to Portland to interview several former Oregon Project employees. "He would be at the side of the track calling out runners' splits but wouldn't call Kara's out," Adam Goucher told me. When people asked why she left the Oregon Project, she said it was a "personal decision." "I don't think it has anything to do with who the CEO is," Goucher told me.

☆ Say goodbye to the iconic mail truck — the postal service is electrifying its fleet, beginning with more than 9,000 new vehicles
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Aidan Pollard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The USPS will put more than 9,000 electric mail trucks on the road, electrifying America's oldest vehicle fleet. The postal service plans to spend nearly $10 billion on its electrification plan. The postal service will also install 14,000 charging stations at USPS facilities. "Electrification of our vehicle fleet is now an important component of these initiatives." The postal service has not yet announced where the first electric vehicles will be deployed, noting in a press release that it is still weighing the best routes for the new vehicles.

☆ US Postal Service plans to buy 9,250 EV Ford delivery vehicles
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Postal Service (USPS) said Tuesday it plans to buy 9,250 Ford (F.N) E-Transit battery electric vehicles starting later this year and will also purchase an equal number of gasoline-powered models from Chrysler-parent Stellantis (STLAM.MI). Congress in August gave USPS $3 billion as part of a $430 billion climate bill to buy electric vehicles and charging infrastructure. USPS said it will also buy 9,250 2023 and 2024 model year Ram ProMaster vans from Chrysler-parent Stellantis "to fill the urgent need for vehicles." They are part of the 21,000 vehicles included in USPS December vehicle plan. Democratic Senator Gary Peters praised USPS for using funding to "quickly adopt more cost effective and energy efficient electric vehicles."

☆ Dogs are attacking mail carriers at alarming rates, forcing the post office to avoid entire neighborhoods until things get better
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Emma Cosgrove | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A Florida mail carrier died after she was attacked by five dogs when her truck broke down in August. Mail delivery stops and residents have to pick up their mail at the post office. Residents in subsections of Des Moines, Iowa, Cleveland, Ohio, Greenfield, Indiana, Roanoke, Virginia, all temporarily lost mail service in the last year because the neighborhood was deemed unsafe by mail carriers. Mail carriers also receive training on how to assess and approach dogs and they are required to carry dog repellant. California Texas Ohio Pennsylvania Michigan New York Illinois Florida Washington KentuckyAre you a mail carrier or delivery driver with a story?

☆ Ohio woman gets prison time after 'romance scam' led her to swindle over $500,000 from family members, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

An Ohio woman sent scammers thousands through the mail before inspectors discovered the money, officials say. After acknowledging she'd been scammed first, officials say the woman convinced family to send nearly $600,000. In April 2020, US Postal Inspectors found a total of $100,000 inside packages sent from Matson to the accused con artists from a P.O. "Matson also sent links to news articles and Facebook stories about a missing Ohio teenager to deceive the inspector into acting quickly," the release states. The pair reportedly used the same claim about military officers needing money to swindle women into mailing $844,070 to P.O.

☆ This package shipped from Mississippi to Michigan — via Puerto Rico. Here's why some shipments go on circuitous journeys.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Emma Cosgrove | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A small bubble wrap envelope of cosmetics shipped by the US Postal Service from Mississippi headed for Michigan — 750 miles away. When USPS analyzed the tracking for this package a spokesperson told Insider it was simply a mistake. One package's circuitous route from Mississippi to Michigan via Puerto Rico Emma Cosgrove/USPS"Each employee makes a concerted effort to process and deliver each piece of mail and unfortunately, on very rare occasions, instances of mail delivery issues may occur. Across the US package delivery industry, there are more than 59 million packages shipped every day, according to the latest figures from Pitney Bowes, an e-commerce shipping firm. The USPS spokesperson declined to give a misload rate for the postal service.

☆ More beauty brands are ditching plastic packaging — and consumers are buying in
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Korie Wilkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Some beauty companies are ditching plastics in favor of aluminum, glass, or plant-based materials. "Beauty products come in bottles and pots with pumps and lids, and we're noticing the first question a consumer asks is, 'Is this all recyclable?'" Purpose-driven beauty companies are ditching plastics in favor of aluminum, glass, or plant-based materials. If they use plastic, they're trying to ensure that it's designed to be recyclable (mindful of inks and coatings). As a result, shoppers, namely millennials and Gen Z, are skipping the store and ordering their beauty products online.

☆ How to decode a package shipping label, from the jumbled letters to the sea of barcodes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Emma Cosgrove | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Here's how to break down what's on most e-commerce package labels. What can a package label tell you? A package label can tell you a lot about where the package has been, how far it traveled, and even what's inside. The recipient and the destination address is in the middle, return address at the top left. Next to the return address is usually the weight of the package — a good thing to check on big items before lifting.

☆ Check out the exclusive pitch deck food waste startup Mill used to raise $100 million from Google Ventures and others
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Stephanie Palazzolo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The startup has already raised about $100 million from investors like Google Ventures, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Energy Impact Partners, Lowercarbon, and Prelude. "There's a lot of parallels to the story of Nest," Rogers said. However, because Mill handles the entire process from homes to farms, it faces many challenges not found in other food waste startups, Rogers said. And although the company's coffers are well-stocked in a tough market environment, Rogers told Insider that he's always open to conversations with investors. Here's an exclusive look at the 7-slide pitch deck Mill used to raise $100 million from Google Ventures, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Energy Impact Partners, Lowercarbon, and Prelude:

☆ A former mail carrier and devout Christian who refused to deliver Amazon packages on Sundays is taking the US Postal Service to the Supreme Court for bias
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The Supreme Court is to hear an appeal by a former mail carrier who is accusing the USPS of religious bias. Gerald Groff, an evangelical Christian, has said he was reprimanded for refusing to deliver parcels on Sundays. Groff's legal team appealed this ruling and has now succeeded in having it heard at the Supreme Court. When Groff joined the postal service in 2012, he did so with the understanding that it did not operate on Sundays. His attitude caused resentment among his co-workers, with one carrier leaving their station and another quitting the Postal Service.

☆ Package theft is now a felony in 8 states and counting as lawmakers crack down on 'porch piracy'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-14 | by ( Emma Cosgrove | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Package theft is a staple of the e-commerce age, and is more common in some states than others. And even if they had logged the theft with police, the crime of package theft is filed and charged differently depending on the location. Oklahoma — Package theft can be charged as a felony if the perpetrator is convicted of three instances within 60 days. There isn't much of a correlation between the states cracking down on package theft and the places that experience it. Only one of the top 10 metro areas experiencing the most package theft is in a state where porch piracy is a felony.

☆ One U-Haul manager believes lots of people will still move to Florida in 2023—but not to the popular cities of Miami and Tampa Bay
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Kelsey Neubauer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Florida was the second-most-popular destination for U-Haul movers in 2022. Florida was the second-most-popular destination for U-Haul movers last year, second only to Texas, per a new report by the national truck-rental company. In a twist, these movers were less likely to embrace the popular cities of the pandemic era, like Miami and Tampa. People in the past year were choosing smaller, less expensive Florida areas — such as Clermont, Ocala, and The Villages, both moveBuddha and U-Haul found. It's a trend mirrored nationally, as movers sought exurban areas — suburbs with a rural feel in close proximity to cities.

☆ Trump is headed to court Tuesday to argue that presidents can't be sued for defamation. Here's what's at stake.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Ashley Collman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

An appeals court is set to weigh in on E. Jean Carroll's defamation suit against Donald Trump. Trump and the DOJ argue that he can't be personally sued for statements he made in office. Carroll sued Trump for defamation in November 2019, saying her career suffered "as a direct result of Trump's defamatory statements." Seth Wenig/APThe Westfall Act protects government employees from being sued for actions in the line of their work. Because he made those comments after leaving the White House, he won't be able to claim Westfall Act protection.

New York CNN —Flight delays continued Saturday, interrupting travel during the busy holiday season as parts of the country were battered by a deadly winter storm. As of Saturday morning, there were upwards of 2,000 cancellations of flights into, leaving and within the United States, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. On Friday, there were nearly 6,000 canceled flights in the US, and close to 12,000 delays, according to FlightAware. Greyhound bus service warned Thursday evening that trips in the Midwest or upper Northeast could be canceled or disrupted. On Saturday, over 1.6 million homes and businesses nationwide were without power due to an Arctic blast and winter storm that tore down power lines.

☆ USPS mail trucks are going all-electric, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Alexa St. John | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Washington Post reported the agency has a plan to go almost entirely zero-emissions by 2026. The USPS will spend nearly $10 billion to buy 66,000 electric vehicles and the infrastructure needed to keep them running, The Washington Post reported Tuesday morning. The USPS' fleet replacement plan has been contentious as President Biden has placed pressure on government agencies to go entirely zero-emissions by 2035. Meanwhile, as The Post reported, this may also increase pressure on the USPS' competitors to expedite their own EV transitions. FedEx is planning an entirely electric fleet and a carbon-neutral business by 2040.

☆ Delivery drivers reveal their biggest complaints about customers and why most of them love working during the holidays
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Delivery drivers work double duty during the holidays, but enjoy the extra work due to higher tips. 1 headache reported by the delivery drivers is customers who intercept package deliveries. Food delivery drivers' biggest pet peeve while on the road is people who drive slow in the fast lane. Delivery drivers said Indiana was the worst state to drive in during the holiday season. More than 60% of delivery drivers said they dislike customers who request hidden drop-off locations and who request rush deliveries.

☆ John Lewis stamp: Civil rights hero to be honored next year
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Shawna Mizelle | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Washington CNN —The late civil rights trailblazer and congressman John Lewis will be honored on a new postage stamp in 2023, the US Postal Service announced Tuesday. The Georgia Democrat, who dedicated his life to activism and spent more than three decades in Congress fighting for civil rights, will be featured on a stamp using a photograph taken for a 2013 issue of Time magazine, USPS said in a statement. Lewis was widely seen as a moral conscience of Congress because of his nonviolent fight for civil rights. Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia, a Democrat who introduced and passed a resolution honoring the life of Lewis, has voiced support for commemorating him with a stamp. “Congressman Lewis was an American hero, civil rights icon, and revered citizen of Georgia, fully deserving of this honor,” Ossoff said in a statement last year.

☆ Over 60% of people who shop online are 'bracketing' their online purchases — and it's creating a logistical nightmare for retailers
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Avery Hartmans | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

"Bracketing" is the practice of buying the same item online in multiple sizes or colors. It's increased with the rise of e-commerce: 63% of shoppers reported bracketing in a 2022 survey. With the holiday shopping season in full swing, retailers are bracing for what at this point is practically an e-commerce tradition: bracketing. Bracketing is especially prevalent when retailers offer free shipping and free returns because customers deem the practice low risk. Bracketing probably isn't a totally fixable problem, but there are some ways retailers can prevent customers from making so many returns.

☆ Live Results: Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a moderate Democrat from the battleground state of Virginia, faces off against first-time House hopeful Yesli Vega
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Warren Rojas | April Joyner | Nov | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Rep. Abigail Spanberger is running against Republican Yesli Vega in Virginia's 7th Congressional District. VA-02VA-07 HouseTwo-term Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger faces off against Republican Yesli Vega in Virginia's 7th Congressional District. Vega is one of the conservative candidates backed by E-PAC, the women-centric recruiting effort run by Trump-aligned House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik. Voting history for Virginia's 7th Congressional DistrictThe Old Dominion's 7th Congressional District includes a big chunk of central Virginia, stretching from the exurbs of the nation's capital to the outskirts of the state capital, Richmond. The National Republican Congressional Committee has so far spent more than any other group.

☆ An Amazon delivery driver found dead outside of a yard is suspected to have been mauled by two dogs
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

An Amazon delivery driver found dead in a yard in Missouri is suspected to have been mauled by two dogs. Neighbors called the sheriff's office after they noticed an Amazon van sitting outside a home for hours. When deputies arrived at the home, they encountered two dogs that were then shot and killed by a deputy. When deputies and medical arrived at the house, they found the body of the Amazon delivery driver and two dogs that looked like they were going to attack, Childers said. Are you an Amazon delivery driver with a story to share?

☆ Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a moderate Democrat from the battleground state of Virginia, faces off against first-time House hopeful Yesli Vega
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Rep. Abigail Spanberger is running against Republican Yesli Vega in Virginia's 7th Congressional District. Virginia's 7th Congressional District candidatesSpanberger, who previously worked for the Central Intelligence Agency and the US Postal Inspection Service, currently serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and House Agriculture Committee. Vega is one of the conservative candidates backed by E-PAC, the women-centric recruiting effort run by Trump-aligned House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik. Voting history for Virginia's 7th Congressional DistrictThe Old Dominion's 7th Congressional District includes a big chunk of central Virginia, stretching from the exurbs of the nation's capital to the outskirts of the state capital, Richmond. The National Republican Congressional Committee has so far spent more than any other group.

☆ How getting dog food delivered to your door explains the inefficient, sometimes absurd, extremely convenient way online orders are shipped
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Emma Cosgrove | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Industry analysts predict that the amount of dog food ordered online will surpass what's bought in stores by 2025, a shift accelerated drastically by the coronavirus pandemic. Of course, it's not just dog food increasingly being bought online. Even with all those extra vehicles, it's tough to compare the emissions generated by online orders with those of in-store shopping. The mess of overlapping networks that bring our dog food to our doorsteps is always evolving in search of greater efficiency. The mess of overlapping networks that bring our dog food to our doorsteps is always evolving in search of greater efficiency.

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