Postal...

President Donald Trump plans to withdraw the U.S. from a 192-nation treaty that gives Chinese companies discounted shipping rates for small packages sent to American consumers.   The State Department will deliver a notice to the Universal Postal Union in Switzerland,  

“President Trump deserves tremendous credit for the administration’s focus on eliminating the anti-US manufacturer subsidy China receives from the U.S. Postal Service,” Jay Timmons, the president of the National Association of Manufacturers, said in a statement. “This outdated arrangement contributes significantly to the flood of counterfeit goods and dangerous drugs that enter the country from China.”

The group said the discounts amount to a subsidy for Chinese shippers that cost the U.S. Postal Service $170 million in 2017. The treaty sets fees that national postal services charge to deliver mail and small packages from other countries. Poor and developing countries are assessed lower rates than wealthier countries, an arrangement that has benefited China. It is about time.

Warning...

Amid an ongoing investigation into a spate of mysterious explosions that shook northeastern Pennsylvania earlier this year, authorities warned residents there could still be explosives in the area.

The warning comes after investigators learned some explosive devices allegedly deployed by a couple across a rural part of Bucks County several months ago may have failed to detonate and could still be live.

Surman, who owns a Quakertown-based chemical company, was arrested June 28 and charged with making or possessing bombs, as well as several related offenses, after authorities discovered four bombs at his residence, along with suspected methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

Ten firearms and an array of chemicals used in the assembly of bombs were also seized from Surman's home, according to charging documents.

The largest of the bombs "was over 18 inches in length, had four fuses all twirled together and was ready to be detonated.

Suspicious...

Natalie Mayflower Sours Edwards, 40, was charged in New York with leaking Suspicious Activity Reports, which banks file confidentially to alert investigators to potentially illegal transactions. She gave them to a journalist who wrote a series of investigative articles touching on Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election, according to the FBI.

Edwards appeared in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, near her home. U.S.  The judge barred her from contacting the reporter referred to in the criminal complaint or any co-workers outside the presence of her lawyer.  

Edwards is a senior adviser to Treasury’s Financial Crimes Information Network, or FinCEN, which targets illicit use of the U.S. financial system.

This is quite inappropriate. Just a thought.

Existance...

The realities you face when you stop working might be a far cry from your retirement dream. Of course, retiring broke or not being able to retire at all are among the worst-case scenarios.

But there are plenty of other snags you might encounter. If you haven’t properly prepared for leaving the working world and living without a paycheck, you’ll have to face the ugly truths about retirement. 

Now, at first glance, that might seem less like a problem and more like a blessing — everyone hopes to live as long as possible to spend more time with their loved ones. But existence isn’t cheap and if you outlive your expectations, you could be left footing a hefty bill.

Prices...

Drug makers spend billions selling prescription drugs on TV to the public, sometimes turning a new drug into a blockbuster. Nexium is the “little purple pill.” Pro golfer Phil Mickelson treats his psoriatic arthritis with Enbrel and that Cialis, for erectile dysfunction, “helps you be ready.”

Using pleasant music, happy faces, sexy scenes and visuals of people leading better, more fulfilling lives all because they’re taking a prescription drug. There’s also some rushed language about side effects, in some cases cancer or death. In 2016, drugmakers spent more than $6 billion on this effort.

The 10 most commonly advertised drugs sport monthly prices ranging from $503 for Eliquis, which is used to prevent blood clots, to more than $11,000 for  Cosentyx, to treat plaque psoriasis.  .

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar proposed a huge change in drug advertising, requiring that drug makers disclose the list price of drugs in their TV spots. 

Boom...

Canada became only the second country in the world to legalize marijuana nationally.

Although Uruguay started selling cannabis products last year under a 2013 law, Canada's foray is considered more significant because of its economic status and much larger population.  

Canadian officials have said they want to take a "public health approach" to limit youth access to pot, displace the illegal market, and ensure safety requirements for cannabis. 

Brandon Lee, consul general of Canada in Seattle, told the Seattle Times that people should be especially cautious when traveling by ferry or by road because they may forget they're carrying cannabis.   

Business will be booming across the border with Canada as parties would travel for a quick fix. Boom on the other side.  

What would be next? Legal prostitution. Just a thought.

Unwanted...

The U.S. has among the highest rates of unplanned births in the world. A report by UNFPA, the U.N. Population Fund, has found that 45 percent of the 6.1 million births annually in the U.S. are unwanted or accidental.

The data puts North America far ahead of the rest of the world for unplanned births. Southern Europe has the next highest rate, where slightly under 20 percent of births are unintended. The average rate of accidental birth across developed countries is around 25 percent. 

The question is Unplanned by who?

Con...

President Donald Trump lashed out at porn star Stormy Daniels, calling her "Horseface" and lambasting her "3rd rate lawyer" after a federal judge dismissed their defamation case against him a day earlier.

Daniels sued Trump in April, after Trump sent a tweet accusing the adult film actress and director of a "total con job" following her appearance on daytime talk show "The View."

During the broadcast, Daniels, held up an sketch artist's image of a man she said had threatened her to "leave Trump alone" in Las Vegas in 2011. The alleged threat against Daniels and her daughter was made a time when she was in talks with a magazine about going public with her story of the tryst with Trump.

How much money can we get?

Drama...

Police who searched the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul found evidence that Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi was killed there, a high-level Turkish official said.

Security forces began setting up barricades in front of the consul's residence just hours after Consul flew out of the country,  state media reported.  

Saudi officials have called Turkish allegations "baseless."

Police planned a second search at the Saudi consul's home nearby. Leaked surveillance footage show diplomatic cars traveled to the consul's home shortly after Khashoggi's disappearance at the consulate on Oct. 2.

Power...