USA Update

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UNITED States Postal Service (USPS) has confirmed an update to the cost of letters, postcards and packages set to come into force next year.

For more than two decades the US Postal Service has increased the price of postal items at least once a year.

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United States Postal Service (USPS) has confirmed an update to the cost of letters[/caption]

Next year, however, is set to look a little different as the organisation confirmed there will be no price hike.

The decision comes after Postmaster General David Steiner pushed to keep costs affordable for customers.

He said in a statement: “We continually strive to balance our pricing approach both to meet the revenue needs of the Postal Service and to deliver affordable offerings that reflect market conditions.

“We have therefore decided at this time to forgo a price change for First-Class Mail postage and other Market Dominant services until mid-year 2026.”

The price freeze will only affect “Market Dominant products”, which include First-Class Mail and other core mailing services.

Customers using other express mail services, however, will see price changes.

These services include Priority Mail Express (PME), Priority Mail (PM), USPS Ground Advantage, and Parcel Select.

The changes will go into effect on October 5 and remain in place until midnight Central on January 18, 2026.

USPS has insisted, however, that this is a temporary price adjustment that is going into force to help cover extra handling costs ahead of Christmas.

The USPS revealed it took an average of 2.5 days to deliver packages and mail during the 2022 holiday season. 

If shipping with USPS Ground Advantage service or First-Class Mail to the lower 48 states, your package must be shipped by December 17 to arrive by Christmas. 

Priority Mail has a cut-off date of December 18 and Priority Mail Express should be mailed out no later than December 20. 

For Hawaii, Alaska, Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories, USPS ground service has a deadline of December 16. 

Similarly, First-Class mail to those areas should be mailed by December 17 and Priority Mail Express by December 20. 

USPS added that December 18 is the deadline for Priority Mail to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories. 

Consumers looking to save on shipping costs should consider using Ground Advantage with prices starting at $6.80. The longer you wait, the more necessary it may be to use Priority Mail Express which has prices from $31.40.

The Postal Service also revealed the deadlines for sending mail internationally.

Shipping to Canada, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, New Zealand and the Caribbean have cut off dates of December 9. 

The absolute latest a package can be shipped to these locations is December 16 with the Priority Mail Express International Service.  

Mailing to Central and South America with First-Class Package International Service and Priority Mail International Service faces an earlier deadline of December 2. 

Central and South America also have a December 16 cut-off for Priority Mail Express International Service.  

The 2025 shipping dates for military mail were also shared. If using USPS Ground Advantage, packages should be shipped out no later than November 4. First-Class and Priority Mail deadlines are December 9 and Priority Mail Express has a cut-off of December 16. 

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FANS are demanding that the Texas Longhorns bench Arch Manning after he suffers another disastrous performance.

The Longhorns suffered a 29-21 defeat on Saturday to the Florida Gators, their second of the year so far.

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Fans are demanding that Arch Manning be dropped after the Longhorns suffer their second loss of the season[/caption]

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The Florida Gators defeated Texas 29-21 as Manning made a major error in the final seconds[/caption]

Manning is catching the majority of the blame from fans for Texas’s struggles so far.

During their weekend loss, he was criticised heavily, especially after the final play of the game.

The QB was sacked in the final seconds of the match and then, with the clock ticking down, attempted to spike the football.

But there was no time left on the clock, and the Longhorns fell to 3-2.

Fans took to social media to demand Manning be benched after the mistake.

One person said, “This was what I said nearly a month ago and it stands now, Texas has zero chance to win meaningful football games with Arch Manning right now.

“He should be benched. Looked lost and confused on that final drive.”

Another commented, “An investigation needs to be created on how the national media tricked us into thinking Arch Manning was gonna be the next great quarterback.”

A third wrote, “Arch Manning is the football version of Bronny James.”

Not all fans have lost their patience with Manning, however.

One person remarked, “Arch will be fine. He might even still be able to make a Heisman finalist.

“We had one bad game. He has the best deep ball in the game. They need more of that.”

Another stated, “Wow, a lot of Arch hate from fans for two seasons. Sheesh. Haters gonna hate.”

Manning threw for 263 yards and two touchdowns in the game, including an impressive 38-yard pass to Ryan Wingo.

But he also threw two interceptions, alongside his major mistake at the end of the game.

This isn’t the first time Manning has faced a lot of criticism.

In the Longhorns’ opening game against Ohio State, Manning received a harsh review as his side lost 14-7.

Texas then went on to win three games in a row following that, but were the favourites in each of those matches.

The 21-year-old is now in his third year at college, but will have to develop quickly.

The Longhorns face 5th 5th-ranked Oklahoma next weekend in what could define Manning’s career.

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