INSIDER
Congress passes plan to overhaul US Postal Service
Read full article: Congress passes plan to overhaul US Postal ServiceCongress on Tuesday passed legislation that would shore up the U.S. Postal Service and ensure six-day-a-week mail delivery, sending the bill to President Joe Biden to sign into law.
Elves go digital this year for USPS’s ‘Operation Santa’
Read full article: Elves go digital this year for USPS’s ‘Operation Santa’Elves are going digital this year for the U.S. Postal Service’s annual “Operation Santa.”The 108-year-old program fulfills wish lists for families and children in need, but due to COVID-19, it has been forced to go virtual this Christmas. USPS officials said the new system will allow them to reach more children across the country. Children can address their letters and lists to Santa at 123 Elf Road, North Pole, 88888Helpful “elves” fulfilling the wish list can pick up a letter from any city in the nation. Click here to visit the Operation Santa page.
Report finds Detroit has nation’s slowest mail delivery, raising concerns about absentee ballots
Read full article: Report finds Detroit has nation’s slowest mail delivery, raising concerns about absentee ballotsDETROIT – With hundreds of thousands of votes already cast, a recent report on the United States Postal Service found that Detroit has the slowest mail in the country. The issue is raising concern about whether ballots already in the mail will be counted by Election Day. New numbers from the United States Postal Service are raising alarm about absentee votes already in the mail. The data released by order of a federal judge showed Metro Detroit has the slowest average delivery nationwide stretching into October. Gretchen Whitmer spoke to Local 4 News on Sunday ahead of Election Day on Nov. 3.
Michigan SOS: Influx of voters, mail-in ballots to stretch Election Day into election week this Nov.
Read full article: Michigan SOS: Influx of voters, mail-in ballots to stretch Election Day into election week this Nov.While absent voter ballots provide a safe alternative to voting in person at the polls on Election Day, the process of counting absent voter ballots can determine how quickly, or not, final election results are announced. Processing absent voter ballots in MichiganThe process for counting absent voter ballots is different in each state. In Michigan, election workers are not allowed to begin processing absent voter ballots until 7 a.m. on Election Day. The previous record for absent voter ballots cast in a Michigan election was 1.3 million in the 2016 Presidential Election. Polling precincts will still be open for Michigan voters from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Election Day.
LIVE STREAM: Michigan reps. call out Trump, sabotage of Nov. election amid USPS controversy
Read full article: LIVE STREAM: Michigan reps. call out Trump, sabotage of Nov. election amid USPS controversySOUTHFIELD, Mich. A number of Michigan representatives are holding a news conference at 11 a.m. Wednesday to address issues with the United States Postal Service (USPS) related to mail-in voting amid national controversy. Representative Brenda Lawrence, of the states 14th congressional district, will lead a discussion to bring awareness to the Trump administrations efforts to attack the United States Postal Service, sabotage the upcoming election, and undermine our democracy, an announcement reads. That means they cant have universal mail-in voting; they just cant have it.Mail-in voting, or voting absentee, has become a popular voting method throughout the U.S. amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Earlier Sunday, Democratic lawmakers demanded that leaders of the Postal Service testify at an emergency oversight hearing Aug. 24 on mail delays. More: Q&A: Whats happening at the US Postal Service, and why?
Postmaster General: USPS mail-delaying initiatives paused until after Nov. election
Read full article: Postmaster General: USPS mail-delaying initiatives paused until after Nov. electionPostal Service (USPS) initiatives that could impact the timely delivery of absent voter ballots for the November election are being paused until the election is complete. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy said in a statement Tuesday that in an effort to avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail, the USPS will continue its services as normal through the end of the election cycle. Record numbers of absent voter ballots have been requested and issued in Michigan and across the country for this years elections. The Postal Service is ready today to handle whatever volume of election mail it receives this fall, DeJoy said Tuesday. More: Q&A: Whats happening at the US Postal Service, and why?
USPS cannot guarantee Michigans mail-in votes will arrive in time to be counted
Read full article: USPS cannot guarantee Michigans mail-in votes will arrive in time to be countedRELATED: Michigan US Sen. Peters launches investigation into Postal Service delaysThe letter was dated at the end of July, but didnt come to light until this week. Its only compounded fears that with more people than ever before voting by mail this year that votes simply wont be counted. This is not the time for the Postal Service to give up on its responsibility to serve, Benson said. Q&A: Whats happening at the US Postal Service, and why? Related: Wealthy donors pour millions into fight over mail-in votingBensons office is asking anyone who sees the post office removing mailboxes to report those sightings to her office.
Michigan US Sen. Peters launches investigation into Postal Service delays
Read full article: Michigan US Sen. Peters launches investigation into Postal Service delaysSenator Gary Peters is launching an investigation into reported delays at the U.S. Postal Service as mail-in voting use spikes during the coronavirus pandemic. Mail-in voting is expected to surge in November as voters take precautions against the COVID-19 pandemic. In Michigan, mail-in voting shattered all previous records in the 2020 August Primary Election. Related: Wealthy donors pour millions into fight over mail-in voting
Michigan lawmaker begins investigation into US Postal Service due to mail delays
Read full article: Michigan lawmaker begins investigation into US Postal Service due to mail delaysDETROIT Has your mail been delayed or is it not even arriving at your home? With many residents frustrated, an investigation has been launched into the delays and problems in the U.S. ORIGINAL STORY: Michigan US Sen. Peters launches investigation into Postal Service delaysThe delays have Sen. Gary Peters so concerned, he launched a full investigation. Back in the 2016, the Michigan numbers came in late and the number of absentee voters at the time werent overwhelming. Related: Mail could be delayed as new postal boss pushes cost-cuttingPeters is asking for individuals, business and organizations who have been affected by mail delays to report the problems to the committee here.
Law enforcement seize enough fentanyl to kill 14M people
Read full article: Law enforcement seize enough fentanyl to kill 14M peopleThe alleged drug trafficking ring is an example of fentanyl coming to the US from China, said US Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger of the Eastern District of Virginia. At least one suspect ordered fentanyl from a vendor in Shanghai that was successfully mailed through US Postal Service to Newport News, Virginia, according to the indictment. The alleged suspects range in age from 19 to 63 years old. More than 120 law enforcement officers from 30 law enforcement agencies in Virginia, North Carolina and Texas executed the three-day targeted arrest operation dubbed Operation Cookout. The suspects attempted to thwart law enforcement surveillance using Facebook, and encrypted communications apps like FaceTime and WhatsApp, according to the indictment.
Latest US postage stamps honor military dogs
Read full article: Latest US postage stamps honor military dogsUSPS(CNN) - A highly anticipated postage stamp collection honoring US military dogs was released Thursday. The US Postal Service announced in February that one of this year's "forever" stamp collections will honor the "nation's brave and loyal military working dogs." Dogs have served in the US military since World War I, and an estimated 2,300 military working dogs serve on US bases worldwide. "These military dogs and search-and-rescue dogs are putting themselves on the line. US war dogs are also honored in Holmdel, New Jersey with a memorial originally built to remember dogs who served in Vietnam.