for its part, amazon relies heavily on the postal service for the last mile to home. two-thirds of its packages are sorted by the company in its warehouses and handed off to the quasi governmental agency for fi delivery. it's less expensive option for amazon, as well as, at times, ups and fedex. >> there's clearly a need for a participant beyon fedex and ups which arguably operate a duopoly. i think what we're talking about here is getting amazon to pay a fair rate for the service from the postal service and then generally speaking, getting the volume of sales in the postal service to be enough for them to offset their cost. >> reporter: critics say those e-commerce deliveries by the usps, which isn't funded by taxpayer money, are being subsidized by the universal service obligation, which makes the usps maintain requirements under congressional edict to ensure all users receive a reasonable level of service a reasonable price. unless congress passes new legislation, little will likely change. especially since package delivery is how the postal service is reinventing

the u.s. postal service fighting back against the porch pirates, the folk wos steal the holiday presents from the front porch? richard reeve is live to explain what the postal service is doing. rich? >> a take on the bait and switch. you know where the packages are going but the bad guys won't and hopefully they will arrive safely. >> with 15 billion pieces of holiday mail out there, the porch pirates are scoping your neighborhood. >> steal boxes and the gifts from people. yeah. this guy hitting 13 street northeast. look at this woman. dressed in a u.s. postal service shirt. >> it's kind of sad. >> awful. >> irma ellis stewart who lives on nearby 13 place has the surveillance cameras that point everywhere. including the front porch. she bought them house was robbed. no porch pirate worries now. >> some of them have dependencies so they take what belong to others. >> the police branch, the postal service tracking the mail thieves and taking advantage of the holidays. >> they keep us busy. we are inves

amazon would probably have to pay more if the postal service did not exist, but at the postal chargedes closer to fedex and ups, amazon might very well find a cheaper method, doing it itself or some other -- knows? i don't know if it is fair to call it a subsidy. julie: and if they raised rates on amazon they would have to raise rates on everyone, and there would be other consequences of that. this tweet does not mean the postal service is going to raise rates, we will know the animosity the president appears bezos andwards jeff amazon as a result. are there other realistic ways the government can make life difficult for the company? alex: in an earlier segment, the idea that might ease some sort of antitrust investigation of amazon came up. i have not heard any actual talk of that. i don't think the ftc or doj is looking at that. i don't think there's an actual complaint about that right now. but this administration has shown with the at&t deal that they are kind of aggressive toward antitrust issues, and i would not rule that out. that has to be in the back of amazon executives' min

president trump took aim at amazon, tweeting the u.s. postalarge the on-time retailer more. "why is the u.s. post office, which is losing audience of dollars a year while charging amazon and other so little to deliver packages making amazon richer and the post office dumber and poorer?" he frequently criticizes amazon and jeff bezos, who have installed the washington post. trump's message affected amazon stock. it was trading up in the premarket trading. as the tweet came up and opened down and remains there now. get a talk about the ramifications and what can be done down the pike to the tech sector is cory johnson from san francisco and alex wayne in washington. this is not the first time the president has tweeted about amazon and a not favorable way. cory: i think you put the nail in. the fact jeff bezos owns the washington post and they have been terrific in the last year in its coverage of president trump and the problems he has, i think it may have a lot to do with it. the fact is as much as the post office charges amazon.com and ups and

well, we will do the postal service, postal service is predicting its bus years week of the year.agency is betting it will deliver or predicting it will deliver nearly 3 billion pieces of mail this week, ranking from greeting cards, to packages, and almost 200 million packages are expected to be dropped off between today and christmas eve, and again, that's just by the postal service, jim, rahel >> one of ourrs, diane , pat gallen, actually at the post offers this cherry hill, so he's supposed to be giving us a behind the scenes look what it is like today. >> crate. >> i'm real excited to so. i'm sure it is madness. >> madness, exactly. you'll see just, you know, greeting cards, you know, packages, just everything you can think of going through the system this week. >> ho-ho-ho. well, we will check in with you in the next hour, thanks, diane, appreciate it. >> thank you. >> after several days every chilly temperatures, we're getting a break. >> yes, matt, talking about again mild this week, very mild for december. >> very mild is right. i said it before, dairy say, could it feel s

. >>> there is a holiday rush at the postal service. has been the busiest day of the season. >>> the weather forecast includes a chance of rain. we will talk about that coming later. >>> we will soon have a new tool that will prevent freeway shootings. >>> new at 10:00, there is a new insulation of security. >> there are a number of freeway shootings in that area. >> they approved this plan. amber? >> reporter: 1.5 years ago, the mayor went to the state to ask for help after a serious -- series of freeway shootings. >> congratulations. [ clapping ] >> they unanimously approved the freeway security network. >> our citizens have been driving along the highway. the safety of our motorists have actually been one of our highest priorities. >> by late spring or early summer, 2018, city and county officials say the freeway security network will be up and running on interstate 80 and highway 4 across the county where there have been dozens of shootings in the past few years. eight people have been killed. the system will be made up of cameras,

criminals, the warning from the postal service as a spike in stolen mail. . at 6:00 starts right now. good evening thanks for being with us this pnds. raj mathai. >> and jessica abackfire. it's the warning no one wants to hear. holiday grifrmgs out in force. thieves breaking into mail trucks in san jose, stealing letters and packages. nbc bay area marianne favro joins us and marianne we know it started earlier but gotten worse over the holidays. >> absolutely right. we just learned there was another postal truck break in last thursday here on impala drive off winchester boulevard. postal inspectors say the number of break ins as tripled compared to last year. as reed cappen checks the mailbox at his san jose home he is more concerned about what didn't arrive than what did. >> that makes me worried. >> he is worried bus reed lives a few blocks away from where someone broke into a postal service truck and stole mail november 21st. >> i have some checks coming in. you know credit card, holiday season. >> the u.s. postal service recently sent out 150 letters like

but the u.s. postalction service sent about 150 letters to people in the downtown area whose mail may be affected warning them to check for financial fraud. >> what we're asking people to do is if you are expecting anything or if you see any activity either on a credit card or bank statement, contact us at our 24 number which is 877-877-2455. >> reporter: he says there's been roughly 15 break-ins to postal delivery trucks in san jose dating back to the spring compared to 5 postal truck break-ins last year. pete is considering installing a lock box to protect his mail after delivery. >> it's very unfortunate to hear people are breaking into private property. that's all, this is downtown san jose and we want to keep a safe and friendly environment. >> reporter: now, just a reminder, mail theft is a federal offense and u.s. postal inspectors are the law enforcement arm of the post office which is why they are asking the public to contact them. there is a $10,000 reward for anyone with information that leads

. >>> the postal service expects to process and deliver nearly three billion pieces of first-class mail this week alone. officials also predict that today will be the busiest day of the week for online shoppers. we talked to a spokesperson for the postal service who has good advice for last-minute mailers. >> when you're packaging an item, put a duplicate of the to and from address inside the box. if something happens while we're handling it, our employees will know where it's going so it won't get delayed. use a good, strong box. don't guess at a zip code. a wrong zip code is worse than no zip code. >> if you ship by priority mail express by friday's deadline, the postal service says it will have workers on duty to deliver it on or before christmas day. the emphasis on "on. ". >>> twitter is enforcing stricter policies on social media symbols. the accounts of well-known white nationalists were suspended yesterday. groups are praising the policies. twitter says users may not use hateful imagery and header images. in a user posts hateful images, they must be marked "sensitive media." >>>

the u.s. postal inspection service is reporting an increase in theft from its trucks. the most recent happened last week when one mail carrier was on his route delivering mail to homes and businesses. hears more about the warning issued to people in the area. >> reporter: inside the china island grill in downtown san jose, business is good for the owner but outside, he's noticed his mail has gone missing sporadically throughout the year. >> if it wasn't for our vendors contacting us asking about the mail, i wouldn't have known actually. so, we've been notified by various vendors saying, hey, you are not responding to this mail. >> reporter: mail is a hot target for thieves in the south bay. last tuesday, someone broke into the back of the u.s. postal delivery truck on julian street in the middle of the day when the letter carrier was away from the truck. it happened less than a mile away from the st. james post office. according to u.s. postal inspector, jeff pitch. >> we are aware of the addresses t

the united states postal service has set up something really cool. year, alex, a lot of people really feel motivated to do something good, to do something extra for their community, for people that may not have as good a christmas or as good a holiday as other folks. tell me about operation çsanta >> well, erika, our operation santa program is 105 years this year in operation. so it allows members of the community to help local children have and maybe their family doesn't have the means or resources -- >> right. so if you have never heard of this before, it is comparable to angel çtree. >> yes. >> this is an opportunity to maybe give back to kids in the community. do the gifts stay here? >> yes, we do them locally. we onlyç accept gifts for loca children in washington, d.c. and we make sure they're delivered in time for christmas. >> i'm watching this at home this morning, where can i find information about operation santa and a child that's in need this holiday season? >> they can come see us at 900 brentwood road, washington, d.c., 20018. they ca

the year. jay: u.s. postal service workers with the help of state-of-the-art technology. >> it processes 31,000 letters omitted. jay: working around the clock at the distribution center in gaithersburg. >> jay: to make sure that your holiday card gets to its destination on time. this is a rare look inside of the process center. >> this is our busiest week of the year, by far. jay: this week the postal service will process some 3,000,001st-class letters. on this night alone, workers will handle 1.2 million letters in this facility. -- the postal service will process some 3 million first-class letters. >> it means a lot to help people celebrate the holidays. jay: to get your letter to its destination by christmas day, it has to go priority mail by wednesday. jay korff, abc 7 news. busyhan: while it is a week for shipping companies, it is also a busy week for shipping scams. fedex is warning against people using their brand to steal your delivery problems, notification, and uses the fedex logo. when you click on t

that's a big deal. >> i find the u.s. postalort of a miracle that they can reach every single address any day of the year that could be one that you don't mess it. thank you. >>> to the bull market, rick santelli is tracking the action. rick >> it looks like i'm not going to win the bet we won't close unchanged on tens we are currently at 2.41 we are down two on the day, and you can see the intraday of tens we lost some ground. remember, futures markets are closed cash market has 14 minutes to go if you look at the three-day, we lost too much ground to make up with regard to the unchanged 2.44, close where had we finished off the 30th of december one year ago. if you look at the year to date of tens minus twos, that's one of the biggest years for a yield curve. we basically started out at the highs of 125 we are finishing close to the lows down 72 basis points this year if you think of what the fed has been doing, it's somewhat fixed. >>> if you look at what is going in regards to boonunds, don't u percentages on yields. >>> fin

it did not pass through the postal system. it you find a suspicious device, you're advised to call 911. live in oakland, leslie brink i wi abc 7 news. >>> tomorrow preliminary hearings will be held for those involved in the ghost ship. they have pleaded not guilty to 36 counts of manslaughter. the hearing is expected to last five days and it will be the first time a judge will hear evidence against the men. >>> a memorial to kate steinle has been removed from pier 14 in san francisco at the request of her family. a group helped set it up after the man accused of killing her was acquitted. that group has strong ties to the white nationalist rally held this past august in charlottesville, virginia. they asked that the memorial be taken down to keep it from being politicized. all that's left are flowers. >>> president trump is firing back on the investigation into alleged russian interference. today mr. trump tweeted i never asked comey to stop investigating flynn. that tweet reflects comey's testimony. now dianne feinstein says s

the postal service handles 850 million packages nationally. tomorrow is the deadline to send packages by first class mail to make sure it arrives by christmas eve. >>> the warriors came tonight more than just a basketball game, a retirement party as well. we'll show you how in a moment. my wish was a clubhouse, but we call it "the wish house." people visit national parks from all over the world. food tastes better when you don't have to cook it. he was just supposed to be my dog. i don't know why. (vo) we're proud that, on behalf of our owners, the subaru share the love event will have donated over one hundred fifteen million dollars in just ten years. get 0% financing for 63 months on select models. plus we'll donate $250 to charity. the warriors were in l-a to take on the lakers on kobe bryant )s jersey retirment nigh. >>> an emotional night in tinsel town. the warriors were in los angeles on kobe bryant's jersey retirement night, he wore number 8 and 24, and the coach allowed the team to watch the ceremony during halftime. the game went into

these three wheelers will soon be delivering letters in norway so why the special interest from the postal service is the current important for me we can help them cut costs before the vehicles accelerate much faster and they also start much faster than conventional vehicles. but each postal worker can save eight seconds per stop off. if that doesn't sound like much but if you think they make six hundred to a thousand stops a day then it soon adds up to a considerable amount all for people and then there's that the rod the all electric roadster that keyboard has developed to have fun with but it comes at a price. i'm trying to function calls that it costs thirty six thousand swiss francs but you can also buy it as a kid and assemble it yourself in your living room. then it costs just twenty seven thousand dollars. and with you know the wall out of my living room to get the car out. all the individual components will be easy to take in but afterwards you will need to build again yes. i've been building electric cars for twenty five years and most have been practical oneself but i just long

a warning from the postal inspector in the south bay.arning the post office is sendingmo >>> ton at 6:00, a warning from the postal inspector in the south by. the warning the post office is he had sending more than 150 people living in a specific san jose neighborhood. in story at 6:00. >>> safety and privacy that's what the homeless say they want in tempary housing. the city unvafld prans for tiny houses. each at least 80 square feet basic electricity about no plumbing. dining and showering facilities nearby. some residents fought to keep the homes out of neighborhoods. the city holds the first public hearing on the proposal next week. >> interesting before we go jeff ranieri with a last week. looking at the supermoon last night was beautiful. >> gorgeous. >> but cold. >> really beautiful. you could see tomorrow morning the amp is down to 38 through the interior valleys but definitely see spots near the freezing mark especially in the north bay. no rain next seven days. >> thank you, jeff. thanks for joining us here at 5:00. as a remind

i do think in the case of the u.s. postal service amazon is definitely getting a sweetheart deal, yes. >> donald, what about you? >> well, absolutely. you know, the bottom line is the post office is subsidized its parcel delivery through its first-class mail for years, decades really that's why it's running at a 20%, 30% discount to the rates you're going to see via u.p.s. or fedex the beneficiary of that, of course, is amazon or anybody else who uses them for that last mile and to what the point that morgan made just a few years -- a few minutes ago, and you as well, bill, it's one thing to say that that should be allowed because they're going, anyway, to deliver first class mail. when they're going specifically on sunday, well, then the bleeding turns into massive hemorrhaging and they're doing so for one for the benefit of one customer, which from the outside looking in, just doesn't make sense. >> okay. you know what, i mean, we seem to be blaming their losses on amazon but the post office has been losing money well befor

. >>> and the postal service's demand is so high this season, some mail carriers will begin delivering before dawn. >>> and the bay area locked in this pattern. we'll let you know if we have any raindrops expected in our five-day forecast. >>> in egypt today, two times were discovered two decades ago the city of luxor, and until now, the times had not been explored. they released today what they have found. >>> in iraq, military officials there announced today that its war against isis is over -- iraqi forces have been fighting the terror group for more than three years. officials say they have griffin the extremists from all of the territories they once occupied. the u.s. led coalition issued a statement today congratulating the iraqi people on a quote significant victory. >>> sexual harassment scandals haves for congress bemen john conyers and trent franks, plus senator al frankton start this week. franks was a surprise to most of washington, who reportedly offered a female staffer $5 million if she would conceive a child with him, as he and his wife were struggling with infertility.

. >>> it is the pre-christmas rush for the postal service. this week is expected to be the busiest of the holiday season for the package delivery companies, the postal service expects to exceed its initial forecast of nearly $8 lly 850 m packages. >>> and the increase in package deliveries is directly tied to the rise in online shopping. so it might seem odd that an old-school, more traditional way of browsing for items is making a comeback. the snail mail catalog. courtney reagan has our story. >>> catalogs may seem outdated, but you again you may see the surge this time of year. retailers are getting better. catalogs are good at piquing interest. that combination could lead to more sales, which is why the push to send them spikes during the holidays than other big spending events like moving or having children. liken it it to deliver inspiration tosh. >> delivering the whole story to someone's doorstep -- >> but if done right, sfwlz an average return 6 $3, and $9 for every dollar s for marketing sp effectiveness. ev those companies that star

president trump claims the postal service is losing money because it charges amazon too little. a tweet this morning, the president said the postal more for its services. the postal service is hurting financially in august it says they charge them a competitive rate for deliveries. the federal regulators review the agreement with amazon annually. president trump hit the links for a fourth day in a row. he was joined by personnel from a coast guard station. the event took place at one of the florida courses. the same spot where he gave 30-minute interview to the "new york times." 16 times he denied colluding with russians in the campaign and he also said he believes special counsel robert mueller will treat him fairly. jonathan: still ahead for us at 4:00, what margaret thatcher refused to let on her plane when she came to d.c. >> but first -- >> he needs to be put awa want some inspirational stories for a change? you gotta check out the american dream. saturdays, 1pm, newschannel8 >>> hands up. do not move. jonathan: tense moments as the police catch one a man accused of kidnapp

make sure you check with the postal service and make sure what you're shipping doesn't have any specialequirements. to get your packages delivered by christmas day, here are four have first class packages to the post office by december 16th. december 19th for first class mail, including greeting cards. december 20th is the cutoff for priority mail and december 22nd for priority mail express. don't forget the post office is offering extra options, including christmas day and sunday delivery. in northwest, i'm justin finch, news 4. >>> just to remind us, if you're sending packages to alaska, hawaii, you may need to ship them earlier. double-check the dates with the post office. >>> holocaust survivor turned 101 years old. the museum threw her a party to celebrate. she's been volunteering at the museum for more than 20 years. part of the first person program. it allows people to speak with survivors. us -- >> i hope and i think i have -- >> she has such an amazing emotional story to tell. she's not letting anyone slow her down. when someone said she was too old to volunteer, that made her

it did not pass through the postal system. it you find a suspicious device, you're advised to call 911. live in oakland, leslie brink i wi abc 7 news. >>> tomorrow preliminary hearings will be held for those involved in the ghost ship. they have pleaded not guilty to 36 counts of manslaughter. the hearing is expected to last five days and it will be the first time a judge will hear evidence against the men. >>> a memorial to kate steinle has been removed from pier 14 in san francisco at the request of her family. a group helped set it up after the man accused of killing her was acquitted. that group has strong ties to the white nationalist rally held this past august in charlottesville, virginia. they asked that the memorial be taken down to keep it from being politicized. all that's left are flowers. >>> president trump is firing back on the investigation into alleged russian interference. today mr. trump tweeted i never asked comey to stop investigating flynn. that tweet reflects comey's testimony. now dianne feinstein says s

for more on deadlines for the postal service, fedex, and amazon, go to nbc10.com. >>> a development is coming to the king of prussia mall. the simon property group is planning to build residences and office space on property at the mall. the 17-acre mixed use development will fill the void left by the old jcpenney store in its parking lot. we expect to learn more about the plan early next year. >>> 4:26 now on this wednesday. we continue to follow breaking news in the battle over tax reform. overnight, the senate passed a bill. now the house is set for a final vote today. what it means for your bottom line, and the growing divide about it across the country. >>> we have breaking news this morning on 95. we're blocked in both directions because of overhead sign repair and a crane that's in the way. i'll tell you where that traffic is being diverted around to when i come back. >>> the nbc10 morning show on the road. this morning we are in bethlehem. wally, good morning. have you had your coffee yet? we want you to come out and say hi. we're at the bethlehem at the wawa on east broad. the

what the postal service is doing to fight back. live report coming up. alison: coming up at "abc7 news at 5:00", the joke inside a pizza box that got a young woman fired. we talk to the whom who asked for the joke but said she got more than she bargained for. join us for when you're clocking out. i'm the one clocking in... sensing your every move and automatically adjusting to help you stay effortlessly comfortable. i can even help with a silent night. does your bed do that? i don't actually talk, but i can tell you how you slept. i'm the new sleep number 360 smart bed. let's meet at a sleep number store. the freestanding, cord-free vacuum that can live anywhere because it has two rechargeable batteries. that means you can always be charging, even while you're cleaning. welcome to hassle-free runtime with shark. announcer: you're watching "abc7 news at 4:00". on your side. josh: just after 4:30. i'm meteorologist josh knight. taking you out on the road. we are heading north on route 3. this is a slow go but the roads still can see the pavement no problem

or >>> new at 5:00 the postal service is dealing with an extra heavy load of holiday deliveries, john ramos on the busiest week of the year for mail carriers. to friends in >> reporter: the line at concord's main post office was predictably long on this busiest mailing day of the year. all those gifts bought over the weekend hit the road today. mark pachupo of sending chocolate from the philippines to friends in utah. hidden behind that stack of boxes is kathy omarosa. once this is over you get to start enjoying the holidays? >> yes. i get to relax a little the minute i get back in the car. >> reporter: the pressure is on to get the perfect gift to loved ones on time and that's only possible because of what they do here in oakland's processing and distribution center. >> today we're expecting132,000 packages going out this evening. >> reporter: and that's just this evening. packages from all over the bay area are processed, sent down these conveyor belts to yellow bins that are loaded into airplanes and sent to every corner of the country. add to that an expected 1 million letters, ha

you're looking at evidence photos in the criminal complaint filed by the postal inspector against ross gordon laverty. he was arrested in connection to a package bomb in palo alto. it connects him to a similar bombing to a similar bombs in alameda. according to the postal inspector both packages and contentsy nearly identical. investigators connected the east palo alto package to palo alto by lofrt by a fingerprint on the bomb. he is now in jail facing federal charges. >>> are you ready the travel push is on. lots of people headed out for the holidays. you're looking at sfo from nbc bay area sky raerj this afternoon. chief moils has the travel forecast and it's crowded but also dry? >> for most of california we are looking at dry weather coming our way. i want to start with the look nationally. we are looking at snow showers in northern texas. some rain in arkansas. also tennessee. and in terms of delays across the u.s. we're not seeing any due to weather. but you will want to watch out tomorrow morning nashville, philadelphia d.c., philadelphia within boston could have tlas. if you'

the postal workers are filing a complaint with their union. so far there has been no response from the u.s. postal service. jonathan: it is supposed be the happiest place on earth, but not everybody was smiling at disneyland. a massive power outage strata guests on broken rides. and a d.c. couple recounts the eight hour trip from lax, four hours up, back to lax. nancy: and new year's eve with the netflix. the video services helping parents. "what if" more of the came from renewable resources? "what if" the electric grid could detect, fix and even prevent power outages? "what if" our grid were less vulnerable and more secure? "what if" all these "what if"s became a reality? well, they are. at dominion energy, we're completely transforming our power grid and the way we think of energy... ...to move from "what if" to "what's next." dominion energy. nancy: the police tonight looking for the armed robber caught on camera in the district. this was at a 7-eleven on eighth street north east over the weekend. and aered the clerk customer to the ground a

. >>> this morning, the postal service will recognize four letter carriers from bristol bucks county who have driven more than a million miles accident free. the postal service says the men and women accomplished their records by driving defensively and obeying all laws. >>> a snow-covered philadelphia shined in the national spotlight at the army/navy football game this weekend. >> yes. army outlasted navy on the field. what a great game. next, by the numbers, find out who the real winner is. also -- >>> no, you're not about to mix this stuff all together. >> brutal honesty. next, how this temple student's online openness now has the eye of tv's "ellen." >>> new at 5:00 a.m., his viral video has touched the world. now the sixth grader who says he is pushing back against his bullies is reacting to an outpouring of support. (alex trebek) seasons change. it's part of nature's cycle of life. but when those seasons are filled with moments of uncertainty, untimely change, are your loved ones protected? call about the colonial penn program to help protect your loved ones from the burden of

metro area between now and christmas day and today is the deadline to mail your holiday gifts using the postalces priority mail. good luck to you. back to you guys in the studio. >> thanks, erika. >> thanks. >>> doug, if we're planning to hit the road on saturday. >> yes. >> what do we need to know? >> i've got a lot of questions from people from pittsburgh and down towards raleigh. we have some issues travelwise. this is not really great weather as far as travel weather goes and right now we're dealing with rain to our south. let's take a look and show you what we're dealing with. if you're traveling out of dca, no most of the country is looking okay. 45 in gaithersburg and 49 in manassas. i think we'll cool quickly around the midnight hour. notice the radar, nothing around our region until you get down to the south. this is part of a much bigger system. you may run into problems but there's a much bigger system coming in friday into saturday. amelia and i have been tracking the travel weather. amelia has more on that. >> take a look at the wider picture on radar. if you're heading down to th

. >>> the u.s. postal service says today is the besidest week of the holiday shipping season. close to 3 billion pieces of first class mail will be processed and delivered. more than 15 billion pieces of mail. and 850 million packages are september between thanksgiving and new year's day. that's 10% more than last year. today will be the postal service's busiest day online with 7 million customers logging on to the usps website. >> you'll be happy to know i finished shopping. trying to impress you. >> you did -- early. >>> twitter has new rules it's enforcing on hate speech. straight ahead, the campaign by twitter two combat harassment and abuse. >>> and a tribute to a fallen firefighter. the show of respect and affection for an engineer. >>> traffic is off to a good start on 101 in san francisco. >>> and it's been a very dry -- not the driest -- december, maybe some this week. we'll take a look coming up. >>> welcome back to mornings on 2. it's 4:14. president trump has promised america a great christmas present and says he's just days away from giving it. referring to a majo

women, companies like amazon ship so much, they're entitled to bulk rates from the postal service. tly because of an irma passed by the gop congress forcing it to pre pay billions in pension obligations. >>> and speaking of amazon, today is what they're calling digital day, the time where they bring customers some post holiday deals. so this of course is a little promo, retailer offering thousands of deals on download recall content like games, tv shows, some discount as as 75%. >>> viewers can take advantage of that. >> first look at american girl's doll of the year. and for this one, mattel teamed one nasa to inspire little girls who shoot for the stars. meet lucyanna, like all american girl dolls comes with a back story 11 year old aspiring astronaut wants to be the first person to put boots on mars. nasa hopes that lucyanna will inspire young girls to learn about science, technology, engineering and math. that's great. >> is bryce getting a american girl doll? >> she is too small yet. >> okay. >> down the road? >> those things are expensive. wait until she really appreciates. sh

we talked with a spokesperson for the postal service who had advice for last-minute mailers. >> when rything, put in duplicate, to/from address inside the box. if something happens while we're handling it, our employees will know where it's going so it won't get delayed. use a good, strong box. don't guess at a zip code. a wrong zip code is worse than no zip code. >> good advice. if you ship using priority mail express, by friday the postal service says it will have workers on duty to deliver it on or before christmas day. >>> with days to go before christmas, former phillies' ace cole hamels and his wife heidi are donating their missouri mansion and 100 acres of land to charity. heidi grew up nearby. his lawyer said they never lived in a spacious home because cole's trade moved the couple to texas. the mansion and land will go to a nonprofit that runs camp for children with special needs and chronic illnesses. >>> early season snow showers turning out to be just what the doctor ordered for local ski resorts. >> that's right. check out the slopes. you see on the screen, bear creek mou

because that's the information that will help us identify the individuals. >> a number of postal truck break ins san jose jumped from 5 last year to 16 so far this year. many of the crimes happened within a one-mile radius of this station near st. james park downtown. the thieves are breaking into the back of locked trucks while the carrier is out delivering mail. >> it's surprising. i mean maybe it needs security to follow them around. there needs to be better locks on the mail trucks. maybe an alarm or something. >> reporter: the postal service says both packages and letters were stolen. and so far they have had no reports of identity theft. but again we just had another break in last thursday. and now the postal service is looking at doing some type of security upgrade to make it more difficult for crooks to get into vehicles. reporting live in san jose, marianne favro, nbc bay area. >> >>> president trump is getting his wish. today the u.s. supreme court gave the green light to his revised travel ban. the specifics still unclear. but there is plenty of reaction from travelers and c

because the doors lock was stuck. multiple postalkers say the faulty equipment isn't the only issue with the u.s. post office on the euclid avenue in manassas. >> the way we clock in and out is on paper. >> workers claim many are overworked with little to no breaks. >> 95 hours. >> in a week? >> yes. in a week. claim of long hours without pay also popped up at post office in richmond that is now the focus of a federal the postal service e-mailed and said to meet the demand we are flexing with the early morning, everything and the sunday mail deliveries. i asked for on camera interview. this is as close as i got. >> what we'd like to know about a fire truck that burnt to the ground. delivery truck. the gentleman locked into it. >> i have no comment now. i need you off the property. >> isn't this public property? the public is invited -- that is the law. it says, "customers." is this a post office? is this a post office or not? they are saying they will file complaint with the union representatives. larry: a crazy loop for a flight fro

service, but unlike the private carriers, the postal service is in financial trouble, even excludingbillions in unrefunded retiree benefits, they have plunged. package delivery has become the answer they have been expanding that. keep in mind, even in fiscal 2017, it wasn't enough to stop the overall declines which brings us back to rates. regulators dictate what the usps charges and those charges are capped even megan brennan wants to see those caps removed partial rates are low. artificially low, according to fedex and ups which has testified and lobbied about this on the hill. but unless congress passes legislation, that's not going to change the post office would like to be smarter rather than say dumber about package pricing and shipping, but the question is will congress let them do it that's why i would argue this was more likely a tweet geared to lawmakers more than the postal service or amazon >> is there any legislation out there that you're aware of that would fix this in the near term? >> it's been discussed i know the usps is in the midst of its 10-year review right now,

welcome to the world's only floating postal code than the way we go. when cargo ships from around the globe travel the great lakes this boat brings mail and a lifeline will become alongside or just be about us for if that's all right that'll be fine and they don't even have to stop somewhere between detroit and windsor canada a makeshift mailbox plunges down the freighters side when he returns with the daily post. in an instant it's over. there on your porch. april through december if you're on an international freighter going down the detroit river this is the only way to get your mail and while every other postal code in the u.s. is fixed zip code for eight two two two goes wherever this boat goes this is captain. in eight hundred seventy four jim hogans great grandfather started using a rowboat to ferry messages supplies and later mail to passing ships that a century later the fourth generation owner got the call they had found an opening in the middle of that summer and said hey i need to the south after noon and one thing led to another and here i

the postal service expects to handle 400 million packages in the two weeks before christmas and today is the busiest of the weeks. we have more now from san jose. >> my mother, in arizona, son in new hampshire. >> christmas presents to my sister and husband in boise idaho. >> my older sister? louisville. >> holiday packages heading to all corners of the country for christmas, hopefully. >> we will see. so it's kind of like, be grateful, it's christmas, i will try to get it there by the 25th. >> the united states postal service is operating in overdrive, it will handle 400 million packages in the two weeks before christmas. 10% more than last year. >> just this facility alone will be processing 700 million total pieces of mail. of that, $169,000 will be packages like this behind me. >> there was a line and customers were in good spirits. >> the line was out of the door. and we had an appointment and other errands to run, we came back more sdplimpt an emergency last week, i had to go out of town. so kind of put a crink in my plans here i am. >> reporter: thes custome custot in under the

the postal service expects to process and deliver nearly three billion pieces of first-class mail this week alone. officials also predict that today will be the busiest day of the week for online shoppers. we spoke with a spokesperson for the postal service who has last-minute advice. >> when your packaging, put a duplicate or to and from address inside the box. if something happens to it while we're handling it, our employees will know where it's going so it won't get delayed. use a good, strong box. don't guess at a zip code. a wrong zip code is worse than no zip code. >> if you ship using priority mail express, by friday's deadline the postal service says it will have workers on duty to deliver it before or even on christmas day. >>> good morning, everyone. jessica boyington with you now with a check on the roads. i'm hearing of a vehicle fire on 295 in burlington township. now it was supposed to be reported somewhere near route 541. that's where the cameras are facing. i wanted to check for delays, if it's out of the view of the cameras on the southbound side. you might see the rig

inspector with the us postal service. happy holidays. >> thank you. it. >> we are huge up tick with packages during the holidays. >> is there an up tick of grinches out there trying to rip people off? >> there's a lot more package volume year after year with that comes the need for more people to work on deterrents and make sure they won't be a victim to package thefts. >> we want to talk ways we can protect ourselves before the packages even arrive on our doorstep. so what are the safest ways that we can make sure that the packages we order get delivered to our house? >> so one of the first things that new innovation the postal service started to come up with in the past year has been this informed delivery product. two-part product. the first which allows to you get e-mail every morning of all the letters that are coming to your house. you'll get actually get images of all those letters coming in. and get notifications on packages. once the postal service receives a package from anywhere in the country coming to your house you'll get an e-mail notify

the u.s. postal service helping you fight back against porch pirates this holiday season. they have introduced a service called a package intercept, allowing them to reroute your package to a new location while in transit. officials say lesson is no matter where they are delivered, don't let packages sit there all day. >> pick up your mail as soon as possible. you do not want your package is sitting out because it makes them more vulnerable. nancy: usps says if you fall victim, call the postal inspectors directly instead of the police. there is a link to do so on your shipping receipt. jonathan: an important reminder about the metro red line. there will be no trains between silver spring and fort totten this weekend as crews fix signal problems linked with a 40-year-old communications cable. if all goes as planned, normal service will resume sometime monday morning, hopefully before the commute. this is aptly a can happen, a man and a tractor-trailer collided, called on the police camera. police officer aims for the snowbank instead of the truck. fortunately in all of this

that's putting a strain on the postal service.. and delivery companies, including u-p-s. crucial deadlines coming up. december 19th-- that's the deadline many retailers say you must order by to guarantee standard delivery by christmas. u-p-s is going a step farther. they say customers need to get those packages in the mail by tomorrow! coming up-- major developments in california where crews are battling huge wildfires. the latest on the progress.. and the damage. plus, what the heck is that smell? a woman seeks professional help to cure a stinky car. and you won't believe what they found. thats coming up. i can't believe it comes in... how great this tastes! vegaaaan. and organiiiic. enjoy i can't believe it's not butter! in it's vegan! and it's organic! - feels like single digits this morning - whipping winds & a biting cold today - isolated snow showers tonight; mainly western md/mason dixon line - geminid meteor shower peaks tonight & tomorrow - temperatures moderate this weekend today: unseasonably cold and blustery. highs: 33-38 winds: w 1

the street. >> a crew came with food and items to help people stay warm. >> president trump t apes u.s. postal service. the president attacks the world's lanchest online, the precushions they are taking set for sunday night. . morning lows in the sipg l dimgts and lower teens, why these temperatures will seem ip vieting. i have that cold and frigid top day forecast coming up. >>> a gunman opened fire. it happened in the suburb of cairo, egypt. islamic militants have targeted the group several times. christians make up about 10% of the population aptd have complained of discrimination. the gunman was killed in a shootout. >> president trump criticizing the u.s. postal service and asking why it doesn't charge amazon and others more to deliverpackages. they said the postal service is losing tens of millions. the growth in online increased the package delivery business they have not offset declines in first class mail. >>> we are not the only part of the country that is in a deep freeze. hundreds of millions of americans are experiencing bitterly cold temperatures. if you thought it has been cold