CNN’s co-hosts were stunned to discover the cost of last-minute Christmas package shipping.
During Monday’s CNN News Central broadcast, Business and Politics Correspondent Vanessa Yurkevich revealed the shocking prices procrastinating gift givers can expect to pay.
“If you’re feeling the crunch this season, it’s for a reason,” she said. “The shopping season between Thanksgiving and Christmas is one week shorter. And so people who may have waited until the last minute, you’re waiting right now until the real, real last minute.”
Yurkevich dropped a bombshell that left her colleagues, John Berman, Sara Sidner and Kate Bolduan, in shock.
She revealed that the cost would be as much as $200 for overnight shipping from New York to Los Angeles for a lightweight five-pound package.
“If you look at Fedex, it has the most flexible of all three shippers. That can be done on the same day, December 24,” she said.
CNN co-anchors were stunned after discovering the eye-watering costs of last-minute Christmas package shipping
The most flexible option: FedEx is offering same-day shipping available on December 24, but the cost would be as much as $200 for a lightweight 5-pound package
‘I couldn’t find a same-day shipping option, but I looked for a £5 gift from New York to Los Angeles on the 23rd. I don’t know if you can guess how much that costs for overnight shipping.’
John Berman initially gambled at $75, while Sara Sidner gambled at $100. When the real prize was revealed, their jaws dropped.
Kate Bolduan joked that if the package was a gold bar, the price might seem more reasonable.
Yurkevich advised viewers that “the moral of the story is: If you know what you want to achieve, just do it today.” Get it now.”
For those still struggling to send gifts, there is still hope. For USPS, the last chances are Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.
For UPS, people can still ship packages on Thursdays and Fridays, with the next day option on December 23rd.
And finally, with the most flexible option, FedEx is offering same-day shipping available on December 24th.
The network is no stranger to controversy this week, with CNN’s chief international correspondent Clarissa Ward becoming embroiled in a separate media controversy after a dramatic prisoner rescue in Syria went wrong.
For those still struggling to send gifts, there is still hope. For USPS, the last chances are Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. For UPS, people can still send packages on Thursdays and Fridays, with the option for the next day on December 23rd
John Berman initially gambled at $75, while Sara Sidner gambled at $100. When the real prize was revealed, their jaws dropped
Ward and her team discovered a man in an abandoned detention center who they initially thought was a civilian father, only to later confirm through facial recognition that the person was actually a first lieutenant in the Syrian Air Force Intelligence – a branch that is notorious is because of his role in the fight against Assad. regime of torture and civilian oppression.
The man, identified as Salama Mohammad Salama, was found under a blanket and initially presented himself as ‘Adel Gharbal’ in a video that has since attracted widespread reactions.
Now CNN has launched an investigation into Ward’s viral rescue.
The journalist eventually provided food and water for the man, who later claimed he was left without any sustenance for four days as his captors fled to the rebels during the fall of Damascus.
But Syrian fact-checking site Verify-Sy questioned the report, noting that the alleged prisoner did not flinch or blink as he looked skyward for what is believed to be the first time in months.
Verify-Sy, a Syrian fact-checking site, had questions about the report
‘Despite the alleged harsh treatment of prisoners in secret prisons, Gharbal appeared clean, well-groomed and physically healthy, with no visible injuries or signs of torture – an incongruous image for someone reportedly held in solitary confinement in the dark for 90 days ‘ reported Verify-Sy, part of Poynter’s International Fact-Checking Network.
After further investigation, Verify-Sy said it could not confirm Gharbal’s identity, but after speaking to locals in Homs, it was able to identify the man as Salama Mohammad Salama or Abu Hamza.
They said he was a first lieutenant in the Syrian Air Force intelligence service who served under former President Bashar al-Assad.