Welcome to Wednesday, August 19th, hearts and souls...

Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has announced that he is suspending the controversial changes he instituted at the U.S. Postal Service until after the 2020 vote.

"To avoid even the appearance of any impact on election mail, I am suspending these initiatives until after the election is concluded," DeJoy said in a statement.

DeJoy's sweeping cost-cutting measures at the USPS had raised alarms about widespread mail delays that could impact the November election. But DeJoy - an ally of President Donald Trump and major GOP donor - said in a statement Tuesday that he is temporarily halting “some longstanding operational initiatives” that “predate my arrival at the Postal Service.”

The postmaster general also announced that he would "engage standby resources" as of Oct. 1 "to satisfy any unforeseen demand."

Financial data and other numbers from the USPS — an independent government agency funded only through its revenue — show that fewer people are sending mail for the past several years, revenue has decreased, and costs have increased.

Check out more USPS data here, then join the conversation:

Do you support postponing changes to the USPS until after the election?

For a politics-free guide to how to protect you and your loved ones from corona, click on over to our Coronavirus Info Center.

On the Radar

Trump Posthumously Pardons Susan B. Anthony

President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he will posthumously pardon Susan B. Anthony ― a leader of the women’s suffrage movement who was convicted of voting illegally as a woman in 1872 ― to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which extended the right to vote to women. 

Trump explained at a press conference that:

“Later today, I will be signing a full and complete pardon for Susan B. Anthony. She was never pardoned. Did you know that? She was never pardoned. What took so long? She was guilty for voting, and we’re going to be signing a full and complete pardon.”

Do you support Susan B. Anthony's posthumous pardon on the 19th Amendment's centennial?

Under the Radar

Trump Admin Finalizes Oil & Gas Development Plan for Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

The Trump administration has announced the final approval of a program that will allow oil and gas development in a portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). 

ANWR is a 19.3 million acre area on Alaska’s north slope on the Beaufort Sea that was opened to oil and gas exploration by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projected the development would generate $1.1 billion in tax revenue from leasing royalties over a 10 year period. 

The new leasing program, which will be administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), will allow energy development inside a 1.56 million acre non-wilderness portion of the ANWR Coastal Plain. Under the decision, the first least sale must occur before December 22, 2021, while the second lease sale would occur before December 22, 2024.

In an Interior Dept. press release announcing the decision, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy (R) noted that the area has “between 4.3 and 11.8 billion barrels of technically recoverable oil reserves."

Do you support energy development in ANWR’s Coastal Plain?

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And, in the End...

It's National Potato Day

What's your favorite U.S. spud?

I hate sweet potato fries. Hate 'em. It feels very freeing to admit it publicly,

—Josh Herman

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