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CARL AZUZ: Ford's point of business on today's show
that sums a lot of things up is a timeless quote.
Fridays are awesome.
Me, I'm Carl Azuz.
It's great to have you watching as we kick
off this Friday's coverage.
We are less than eight months away from the US midterm
elections of 2022.
In the House of Representatives, where all the voting members
are elected every two years, there
are currently 222 Democrats, 211 Republicans,
and two vacant seats.
US senators serve six-year terms.
About a third of these seats are elected every two years.
And in that chamber, there are currently 50
Republicans and 50 Democrats.
Technically, two of the Democrat seats are held by independents,
but they vote with the Democrats,
so 50 Democratic votes when things go down party lines.
The midterm elections could significantly
change the makeups of these two chambers,
so you can expect to see a lot of coverage
in the months ahead in national media.
But a lot of the action on November 8
goes well beyond the US Congress.
The capitals of Arkansas, Florida, New
Jersey, West Virginia, they're among those holding
mayoral races.
Plus, there are dozens of gubernatorial races,
local races.
We'll let "CNN 10" contributor Rachel
Janfaza take it from here.
RACHEL JANFAZA: Every two years in the United States,
voters go to the polls.
And while Americans aren't picking a president
this November, there are a number of high profile
seats on the ballot.
The elections in the middle of a president's term
are called the midterm elections.
Many referred to these as a referendum
on the president and their administration.
These elections give voters a chance
to weigh in on what's happening, both in their home communities
and on Capitol Hill.
In 2022, all 435 House seats and 34 of the hundreds
Senate seats are up for grabs, and 36 out of 50 states
will elect governors.
There are also statewide races for Secretary of State
and Attorney General, as well as citywide races for mayor
in cities such as Los Angeles, California, Austin,
Texas, and Washington DC.
And there are down ballot races for state legislature
seats, city councils, and school boards across the country, too.
Historically, elections halfway through a president's term
don't bode well for the president's party.
In the century since voters began electing US senators,
the president's party has only gained seats
in either the Senate or the House a handful of time
and only in both chambers twice.
At stake is the battle for control
of the House and Senate.
The Democrats' majority in Congress is razor thin.
The Senate is a 50-50 split, with Vice
President Kamala Harris' tie breaking vote,
giving them the advantage.
And Speaker Nancy Pelosi's control of the House
rests on a single digit margin.
Typically, the midterm elections have lower
turnout than presidential election years.
But in 2018, the last midterm elections on the books,
there was historic voter turnout, especially
among younger voters.
CARL AZUZ: Got word yesterday afternoon
that a deal has been reached in Major
League Baseball between team owners
and the Players Association.
The two sides have been hung up over a new collective
bargaining agreement.
The terms they have to agree on before games can take place--
players' salaries, contract rules, post-season rules.
They're all part of this.
And when the owners and players couldn't reach a deal
last year, the League announced a lockout that kept players
from training at team facilities and put new trades
and contracts on hold.
Opening day was postponed.
Some games were canceled.
But now, that an agreement has reportedly been reached,
we expect to hear the words play ball pretty soon.
10-second trivia.
Which of these US government organizations is the oldest--
Department of Agriculture, Postal Service,
Customs Service, or Presidential Cabinet?
Dating back to 1775, years before the Constitution was
signed, the Postal Service is the oldest
institution on this list.
The US Congress has taken a step to try
to solve one of the ongoing problems
with the Postal Service.
This is the only organization that's
allowed to deliver mail in the United States,
and it has plenty of work to do.
The COVID shutdowns that started two years ago led to increased
package deliveries.
There's been a steady stream of first class mail, which
includes everything from business and legal documents
to credit and debit cards, notices
from the IRS, license plates.
But the USPS faces a series of unique challenges,
and part of the reason is the unique way in which
the organization operates.
- The US Postal Service can trace its history back to 1775,
when the Second Continental Congress appointed Benjamin
Franklin as postmaster general to help ensure
that free ideas and information could be
shared throughout the colonies.
It was not intended to be a profitable business.
- It's about service, correct?
Not about profit?
- Today, there is no other government
agency or business that operates like the Postal Service.
First of all, the US Postal Service
receives zero tax dollars for operating expenses.
The Postal Service has to use its own revenue
from things like stamps and package deliveries to operate.
Although, it does receive indirect government subsidies,
such as having a protected monopoly
on delivering first class mail.
Secondly, the Postal Service doesn't set its own prices
like FedEx and UPS do.
Congress sets them.
But by law, USPS has to deliver to every home in the country,
no matter how remote or unprofitable that delivery
may be.
Case in point, to this day, the Postal Service
delivers mail to a small group of people living
in the Grand Canyon by mule.
This leads to the third problem.
The US Postal Service has been losing money for over a decade.
- Without change, our lawsuits will only increase in the years
to come.
- In 2019, the Postal Service reported $71 billion
in revenue, but its expenses totaled almost $80 billion.
If you dig into those numbers, though, the picture
becomes a bit complicated.
In 2006, Congress passed the Postal Accountability
and Enhancement Act.
It requires the US Postal Service
to prefund 75 years worth of retirees' health care benefits
in the span of about 10 years.
Before this law went into effect,
the Postal Service was reporting profits.
So the US Postal Service is subject
to the Congressional oversight of other federal agencies
without any of the taxpayer funding.
It has the profit-driven business model
of a private company without the freedom to make
financial decisions for itself.
CARL AZUZ: The funding requirement
for retirees' health care benefits
isn't the only reason the USPS has been losing money.
Its profits had been shrinking before that law.
The advent of email reduced the letters Americans were sending.
A series of bad business decisions
also lost money for the service.
But the health funding law became a major factor
in USPS losses, and a new bill that's passed in Congress
will get rid of that requirement.
The Postal Service Reform Act has support
from Democrats and Republicans.
It passed last month in the House of Representatives
by a vote of 342 to 92.
It passed the other day in the Senate by a vote of 79 to 19.
What it will do is require postal workers, who've retired,
to enroll in Medicare, a government
health insurance program for Americans ages 65 and older.
It's mostly funded by taxpayers, so the Postal Service won't
have to pay those costs itself.
Critics of the bill say it won't do much else,
though, like it won't have any impact
on mail delivery service.
The bill is headed to President Joe Biden's desk for signature.
For 10 out of 10, a real life rodeo
on the streets of Los Angeles.
A cow recently got loose there and brought traffic to a really
slow pace for a while.
But then, hilarity ensued as it ran in and out
of neighborhoods, in and out of parking lots, up the stairs,
evading authorities again and again.
At one point, it even strolled alongside a truck
with a fake horse in it.
Finally, near a ranch, resolute wranglers
roped the reckless ruminant.
If only it could have escaped to Beverly Hills
and hoofed it down Rodeo Drive.
It might have been the last place you'd expect to see it.
Cow prints may not be on the menu or the moo-ve,
but leather is always in.
So if you're bullish about rounding up some steer style,
that's the place to stake out.
I'm Carl Azuz, and there's the beef.
Klein Collins High School, great to see you
watching from Spring, Texas.
And we hope everyone has a wonderful weekend
from all of us here at CNN.
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