I think it answers my 2nd question above; however, I dont seem to understand where it helps me with the calculations of my earnings.
But for the 2nd question I' m under the impression that transactions fees are being paid by AntPool under the PPS part.
If you are mining under AntPool's PPS system, they are taking a 4% commission as well as a 2% "tx fee".
I'd advise you to switch pools. ckpool is offering 0% fee splns and kano.is has 0.9% fee pplns. Both pools include transaction fees in the miner reward.