Dec 24, 2017

Holiday tag team: UPS calls on accountants to help get deliveries done

A UPS driver delivers packages on Cyber Monday in New York. Photo: John Taggart / Bloomberg via Getty Images

UPS has called on several hundred accountants and marketers to help make deliveries this holiday season, per the WSJ. UPS normally has "ready teams" to backstop deliveries, but this year had to call on these other workers with little notice to fill gaps on the delivery end.

What it means: The volume in shipments this year was beyond planned levels, a symptom of an industry-wide shift to online shopping. UPS spokesman Steve Gaut acknowledged to the WSJ that the number of seasonal helpers this year was higher this year than previous years. It may also be a sign that the market for seasonal workers is tighter given the U.S. is at its lowest unemployment rate since 2000 (4.1%), leaving fewer workers looking for seasonal jobs.

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Fadel Allassan

Judge rules against Trump policy limiting public comment on energy leasing

Photo: Joe Amon/The Denver Post via Getty Images

A federal judge on Thursday overturned a 2018 Trump administration directive that sought to speed up energy leases on public land by limiting the amount of time the public could comment.

Why it matters: U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge Ronald Bush's decision voids almost a million acres of leases in the West, according to The Washington Post. It's a victory for environmentalists, who tried to block the change as part of an effort to protect the habitat of the at-risk greater sage grouse.

The ruling invalidated five oil and gas leases in Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming, and affected 104,688 square miles of greater sage-grouse habitat, per The Associated Press.
Leases in greater sage-grouse habitat will return to allowing 30 days of public comment and administrative protest.

The big picture: From Axios' Amy Harder, this is the latest in a long and convoluted list of regulatory rollbacks the Trump administration is pursuing on environmental rules that courts are, more often than not, rebutting. With Congress gridlocked on these matters, expect the courts to be the default way Trump's agenda faces checks (unless, of course, a Democrat wins the White House this November).

Keep Reading9 mins ago - Energy & Environment

Marisa Fernandez

Your best defense against coronavirus

Photo: Adrian Greeman/Construction Photography/Avalon/Getty Images

Washing your hands is the best way to protect against the novel coronavirus, according to doctors and health officials, as the virus continues to spread around the globe.

Why it matters: Clean hands can stop germs from spreading in a community, a known characteristic in COVID-19 and influenza.

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Kendall Baker

Major League Soccer embarks on its 25th season

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

As Major League Soccer begins its 25th season, the league is financially stable and surging in popularity, and its 26 teams have gorgeous facilities and rapidly increasing valuations.

It also continues to expand, with David Beckham's Inter Miami and Nashville SC set to debut this season as the 25th and 26th teams. Plans are in place to reach 30 franchises by 2022 — triple the number from 2004.

Go deeper2 hours ago - Sports