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☆ Philippines: Inferno tears through Manila's historic Central Post Office
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Hong Kong CNN —A massive fire broke out at the historic Manila Central Post Office in the Philippine capital late Sunday, with teams of fire fighters battling for more than seven hours through the night before it was finally brought under control. The building sits within the historic old Manila town near other tourist landmarks along the Pasig River that flows through the capital. The post office was first built in 1926 and designed by Filipino architects Juan M. Arellano and Tomás Mapúa. Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP)/FacebookIt was declared an “important cultural property” in 2018, meaning the country’s oldest post office was of “exceptional cultural, artistic, and historical significance to the Philippines,” according to CNN affiliate CNN Philippines. Mark Laurente, chief of staff of the postmaster general, said that national identification cards were spared from the fire as those were stored in another city, CNN Philippines reported Monday morning.

☆ How a 150-Year-Old Law Against Lewdness Became a Key to the Abortion Fight
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Emily Bazelon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The plaintiffs’ primary argument is that the courts should force the Food and Drug Administration to revoke its approval of mifepristone, the first pill in the two-drug regimen for medication abortion. At the same time, another potentially consequential part of the suit challenges an F.D.A. decision in 2021 allowing patients to receive the prescribed pills by mail. The plaintiffs in the Texas suit argue that the Comstock Act “explicitly forbids” mailing the drugs to any state, whether abortion is legal there or not. In defense of the agency’s actions, which were based on studies showing that the medication could be safely dispensed without an in-person medical visit, the Biden administration argues that Congress made the agency responsible for assessing a drug’s safety and effectiveness, not whether other laws might affect its use.

☆ Chief Standing Bear is honored on a USPS Forever stamp
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Harmeet Kaur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The stamp, which features a portrait of Chief Standing Bear by illustrator Thomas Blackshear II, was unveiled last week at a ceremony in Lincoln, Nebraska. “I hope this stamp will serve as a reminder of the lessons we’ve learned from Chief Standing Bear, and the brave Ponca people, especially here in the Cornhusker State.”Chief Standing Bear was a leader of the Ponca people in the late 1800s. An archival photo of Chief Standing Bear, a leader of the Ponca people in the late 1800s. In 1879, a newspaper editor interviewed Chief Standing Bear while in detention, and the story of his plight gained national attention, according to the Oklahoma Historical Society. In a speech before the court, Chief Standing Bear said through an interpreter, “That hand is not the color of yours, but if I pierce it, I shall feel pain.

☆ Financial fraudsters are targeting postal workers to steal their mailbox keys, so USPS is trying something new
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Bethany Biron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

USPS and the Postal Inspection Service announced it is cracking down on robberies and mail theft. Incident rates of attacks against mail workers and theft from blue collection boxes are on the rise. But less talked about is another issue: Thieves targeting postal workers themselves. Robbers specializing in financial fraud schemes are increasingly stealing mail straight from the hands of mail workers, or stealing their keys to mailboxes. So the United States Postal Service is implementing new policies and security efforts to curb the worsening problem.

☆ Get ready to pay up to $10 for making a return, as more companies charge fees for shipping an item back
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

More retailers are charging customers for shipping and related fees for mailing back returns. Roughly 41% of companies charged such fees in 2022, an increase from 33% in 2021, according to a survey. It's becoming more common for customers returning products to shoulder shipping fees. Several major retailers have referenced shipping fees for returns, including H&M, which states that "Shipping and handling costs are not refundable." J.Crew notes on its website that customers shipping gift returns will see a $7.50 charge in their refund, while JCPenney states that shipping returns cost $8.

☆ The Real Reason Rent Costs Are Sky High: People Left Their Roommates
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( James Rodriguez | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Though rent growth has slowed in recent months, renters in large cities are still feeling the effects of the 2021-22 rent boom. Residents of these places are now asking the question: If so many people left, why is my rent still so expensive? The first was outbound migration, which led to weaker housing demand in city centers. "High house prices, high rents, and rising interest rates are probably pushing back against household formation," Ozimek told me. If more employees keep adopting remote work — which, I'll admit, is a big "if" — that indicates housing demand is bound to increase.

☆ US debt limit default could hit in early June to early August -think tank
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( David Lawder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, May 9 (Reuters) - The U.S. government will begin defaulting on its payment obligations between early June and early August without an increase in the federal debt limit, the Bipartisan Policy Center said on Tuesday, flagging pressure from a drop in tax revenue. The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC), which closely monitors debt limit disputes in Congress, had estimated in February the X-date could come between summer and early fall, but now sees a default hitting much earlier if Congress fails to raise the $31.4 trillion U.S. borrowing cap. "The coming weeks are critical for assessing the strength of government cash flows," Shai Akabas, BPC director of economic policy. The think tank's latest estimate roughly agrees with the Congressional Budget Office's revised assessment that there is now a "significantly greater risk" of an early June default. Later on Tuesday, President Joe Biden is scheduled to meet with U.S. House of Representatives speaker Kevin McCarthy and other congressional leaders to discuss options to resolve the debt limit standoff between Democrats and Republicans.

☆ Senators say new US Postal Service pay plan will cut rural worker compensation
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, May 5 (Reuters) - A group of six U.S. senators on Friday urged the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to delay implementation of a new compensation system that it says will reduce pay for tens of thousands of rural postal delivery workers. The senators -- Democrats Ron Wyden Elizabeth Warren, Sherrod Brown, Ed Markey and John Fetterman and independent Bernie Sanders -- in a letter to U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said the automated Rural Route Evaluated Compensation System should not be used "until the system’s serious flaws are rectified." They also asked how USPS "will reimburse rural carriers for lost earnings when the system makes an inaccurate determination about their routes." Reporting by David ShepardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. Postal Service next-generation delivery vehicles delayed to mid-2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Postal Service (USPS) said on Monday it expected to receive next-generation delivery vehicles in June 2024, nine months behind a prior schedule. In March 2022, the USPS placed an initial $2.98 billion order for 50,000 next-generation delivery vehicles from Oshkosh Corp (OSK.N) and previously said it expected to begin receiving deliveries in October 2023. In April 2022, 16 states and environmental groups filed a lawsuit seeking to block USPS's plan to buy mostly gas-powered next-generation delivery vehicles, arguing that the agency failed to comply with environmental regulations. The modern vehicles will replace many older USPS vehicles that lack air bags and other safety equipment as well as air conditioning. In December, USPS said it would more than double planned electric delivery vehicles purchases after initially saying it would buy nearly all gasoline-powered delivery vehicles.

House Republicans passed a bill to raise the debt limit last week that includes steep spending cuts which the Democratic-controlled Senate and Biden say they will not approve. Biden has steadfastly said he will not negotiate over the debt ceiling increase, but will discuss budget cuts after a new limit is passed. In 2011, a similar debt ceiling fight took the country to the brink of default and prompted a downgrade of the country's top-notch credit rating. The Republican bill would implement $4.5 trillion in spending cuts - or about 22% - in exchange for a $1.5 trillion increase in the U.S. debt limit. It has no chance of passing the Democrat-controlled Senate and the White House has said Biden would veto the legislation.

☆ 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.

☆ Supreme Court Considers Christian Mail Carrier’s Right to Refuse Sunday Shifts
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Jess Bravin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Gerald Groff sued the Postal Service, alleging religious discrimination. Photo: Carolyn Kaster/Associated PressWASHINGTON—Supreme Court justices appeared to edge toward a compromise in a workplace religious-rights case Tuesday, with conservatives Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh suggesting that a 1977 precedent could be clarified but not overturned to balance the interests of employees and employers. A group of conservative advocacy groups filed the case on behalf of a part-time mail carrier who said his evangelical Christian faith prevented him from working on Sundays. The group aims to overturn the current application of federal law requiring employers to make reasonable accommodations for employees’ religious exercise, so long as undue hardship wasn’t imposed on the business.

Postal Service for alleged religious discrimination is set for U.S. Supreme Court review on April 18, poses in an undated handout image taken at an unknown location. Postal Service over his refusal to work on Sundays gives the Supreme Court another chance to widen religious rights but also has led to a debate over whether religious people are more legally deserving than others to weekend days off from work. The court, with its 6-3 conservative majority, has a track record of expanding religious rights in recent years, often siding with Christian plaintiffs. The Postal Service in 2013, in a bid to remain profitable, contracted with Amazon.com to deliver packages, including on Sundays. His absences caused tension among other carriers who had to cover his shifts, the Postal Service said.

Unions - and protesters - will pressure Macron not to promulgate the law, and try to find another way out. The Council's decision is expected late afternoon or early evening, likely after 1600 GMT. It could strike down the bill, but this is something it has rarely done and constitutional experts and government sources see this as unlikely. Political observers say the widespread discontent over the government's reform could have longer-term repercussions, including a possible boost for the far right. "I'm not that optimistic about the Constitutional Council's decision," far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who opposes the pension legislation, said earlier this week.

The most surprising appointment was that of the new Enel chief Flavio Cattaneo, a seasoned corporate manager who leaves his role as vice president of high-speed train operator Italo to lead the country's biggest utility. He leap-frogged Stefano Donnarumma, the current chief executive of power grid Terna (TRN.MI), widely seen as Meloni's first choice. Enel shares were down 4% on Thursday, with investors fretting over Cattaneo's lack of expertise in the renewable energy sector. Leading politicians in Meloni's right-wing coalition said this issue was a major stumbling block for Donnarumma, along with pressure from League chief Salvini, a strong supporter of Cattaneo. Besides concessions on Enel, Meloni kept a tight grip on the rest of the main appointments.

☆ UPS and FedEx are clawing back ground from smaller package-delivery firms. Here's how the little guys plan to defend their share.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Emma Cosgrove | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Amazon, FedEx, UPS, and the postal service hold 97% of the US package delivery market. Smaller delivery companies were major beneficiaries of the pandemic boom times for e-commerce. "There was a long runway for these delivery companies when FedEx and UPS didn't want your business," said Derek Lossing, an Amazon Logistics alum who now advises investors. Smaller carriers are competing less with UPS and FedEx, and more with each other. UPS and FedEx will still be in the picture, but the smaller players can outperform them in some areas.

☆ 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.

☆ U.S. Postal Service seeks to hike stamp prices by 5.4%
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, April 10 (Reuters) - The United States Postal Service (USPS) on Monday said it was seeking approval to hike the price of first-class mail stamps to 66 cents from 63 cents. USPS won approval to hike stamp prices to 63 cents from 60 cents in January. The new hike would take effect July 9 if approved by the Postal Regulatory Commission to offset the rise in inflation. Postal Service. USPS is seeking approval to raise overall first-class mail prices by 5.4%.

☆ Hedge Fund Hestia Seeks Leadership Overhaul at Pitney Bowes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Liz Young | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Pitney Bowes has sought in recent years to expand its revenue beyond its core postal-related business. Here, a U.S. Postal Service facility. Hestia Capital Management LLC is calling for shipping-services company Pitney Bowes Inc. to replace its longtime chief executive and reset the company’s finances before reviewing strategic alternatives for its e-commerce business. The hedge fund on Tuesday said it is nominating Lance Rosenzweig , who Hestia said has experience in turning around underperforming companies, to replace Marc Lautenbach , president and CEO of Pitney Bowes since December 2012.

☆ 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.

☆ Hacker Stole My Phone, Credit Card, Identity. I Set Out to Find Them.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( Avery Hartmans | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +22 min

They left the Verizon store and went to a nearby Apple store, where they used my Chase credit card to spend $6,370. And two, because a physical credit card had been used to make the purchases, even though I was still in possession of my card. Typically, when your credit card is about to expire, as mine was, the bank sends you a new card a few weeks ahead of time. All told, the gang allegedly stole hundreds of identities and defrauded retailers and credit card companies of $1.3 million. Whoever hacked my identity, it makes sense that they started with my credit card.

☆ New data shows who's winning and losing as companies like UPS, FedEx, and Amazon battle for fewer e-commerce packages
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Emma Cosgrove | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

New data from Pitney Bowes shows Amazon was the only major carrier that didn't see a drop in 2022. In 2022, delivery companies shipped 21.2 billion packages — 2.2% less than in 2021 but more than 37% higher than 2019. When retailers have less package volume to spread around, the big guys get persuasive with their discounts, Ramachandran said. But in terms of package volume, it was the only major carrier to hold its 2021 package volume in 2022. Like UPS and FedEx, Amazon may also strategically choose not to grow package volume, but not by turning down customers.

As the likelihood of a hard landing this year rises, Barclays says investors should seek quality stocks that are not overly expensive. Large-cap tech stocks have been outperforming the market in 2023, with the S & P 500's tech sector up more than 16%. "Rather than chasing yet another crowded trade that is vulnerable to the next unwind, we recommend seeking safe haven among quality stocks at less demanding valuations," Krishna wrote in a report on Monday. With the growing market uncertainty in mind, Barclays recommended a basket of quality stocks trading at lower valuations as a way to position for the growing risk of an economic downturn this year. Several tech stocks made the list, including Microsoft and Accenture .

☆ Amazon, other retailers revamp 'free' shipping as costs soar
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Lisa Baertlein | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

REUTERS/Alyssa PointerLOS ANGELES, March 24 (Reuters) - There is no such thing as free shipping. "The days of free delivery are numbered," Ken Morris, managing partner at Cambridge Retail Advisors, said of the fast-changing retail marketing tool. It is an open secret that most retailers raise product prices to subsidize free shipping. Postal Service hitting record levels, the industry where nearly three-quarters of e-commerce companies offer some sort of free shipping is rethinking the financial cost of habituating shoppers to free shipping. While retailers like Amazon and fashion purveyor Asos Plc (ASOS.L) have raised thresholds for fast shipping, others are dropping free shipping altogether or taking product prices up again.

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