Addressing the Challenges in the Paper Supply Chain (piworld.com)

Jeff Bezos is taking the challenge of social selling into his own hands. Amazon has debuted an Instagram-like social discovery and selling feature called Amazon Spark, which it's been testing in beta for months, according to TechCrunch. “Amazon Spark is a place to discover things from people who share your interests,” the marketplace behemoth writes on its website. “Whether you're looking for inspiration for home décor or seeking advice for the best long-distance running shoes, Spark makes it easy to discover — and shop — stories and ideas from a community that likes what you like.”

I'm excited to report the Senate passed the Postal Service Reform Act tonight, with a strong bipartisan vote of 79-19. The legislation marks the most significant overhaul to the USPS' operations since the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA), signed in 2006. The Postal Service Reform Act now heads to the desk of President Biden, who has previously indicated he will sign it. On behalf of ACMA, I would like to thank our members and others for your continuous advocacy and engagement efforts both in the House and Senate. At this critical juncture in Washington, the legislation would not have passed but for engagement from the industry and stakeholders. We worked diligently with other industry groups to engage you and others in the mailing community and you stepped up. Here are some highlights of the bill: • ends the requirement (from PAEA) that the Postal Service prefund retiree health care expenses and requires postal retirees to enroll in Medicare; • retains six-day delivery for mail and packages; and • requires the Postal Service to develop a service performance dashboard

*Operating cash flow increased 42% to $51.2 billion for the trailing twelve months, compared with $36.0 billion for the trailing twelve months ended June 30, 2019. *Free cash flow increased to $31.9 billion for the trailing twelve months, compared with $25.0 billion for the trailing twelve months ended June 30, 2019. *Net sales increased 40% to $88.9 billion in the second quarter, compared with $63.4 billion in second quarter 2019. Excluding the $582 million unfavorable impact from year-over-year changes in foreign exchange rates throughout the quarter, net sales increased 41% compared with second quarter 2019. *Operating income increased to $5.8 billion in the second quarter, compared with operating income of $3.1 billion in second quarter 2019. *Net income increased to $5.2 billion in the second quarter, or $10.30 per diluted share, compared with net income of $2.6 billion, or $5.22 per diluted share, in second quarter 2019.