Source: Brian Fitzpatrick, (R PA, 8th)
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Read more at The Ponder News Home Page at http://thepondernews.com
=====
Washington, D.C. - November 1, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- Four Members of Congress—two Republicans and two Democrats—today have introduced the Closing the Bump Stock Loophole Act, new bipartisan legislation to close the “bump stock” loophole after a shooter in Las Vegas, using bump stock devices, killed 58 people and injured 489, making it the deadliest mass shooting in modern history.
The measure, introduced by Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-08), Congressman Dan Kildee (MI-05), Congresswoman Dina Titus (NV-01) and Congressman Dave Trott (MI-11), would allow the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to immediately regulate bump stocks and functionally equivalent devices that substantially increase the rate of fire of a firearm in the same way it regulates machine guns and suppressors. The registration process for anyone in possession of or purchasing bump stock devices would include a rigorous background check, fingerprinting and a $200 registration fee.
Under the National Firearms Act, it is illegal for Americans to own fully automatic firearms and machine guns manufactured after May 19, 1986. Due to a loophole in the law, however, bump stocks—devices attached to semi-automatic rifles that increase their rate of fire to that similar to machine guns—are currently legal and unregulated. ATF has said it does not currently have the legal authority to address bump stocks or similar devices and has urged Congress to act to remedy this problem.
“Four weeks ago, our country experienced the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history. As former law enforcement professionals, it is difficult to swallow the fact that the horror of this event was exacerbated by the bump stock, a device engineered to avoid regulation under federal law -- but unfortunately, it is not surprising. We are grateful to Representatives Fitzpatrick, Kildee, Titus and Trott for introducing this proposal that will regulate these dangerous weapons under the National Firearms Act, and for recognizing the need for Congress to act to keep American communities safe. We urge Congress to support this bipartisan legislation and pass this bill,” said Michael Bouchard, President of the ATF Association.
“This bipartisan legislation will block the availability of these and other dangerous devices, and demonstrates a serious bipartisan commitment to keeping our communities safe,” said Congressman Fitzpatrick, a former federal gun crimes prosecutor and FBI agent. “We must do everything in our power to prevent the kind of evil we see in horrifying incidents like the Las Vegas shootings, and resolve as a nation to confront this evil through meaningful, bipartisan legislative action and an ongoing commitment to keep our communities safe from gun violence.”
“After the deadliest mass shooting in modern history, Congress must act to prevent gun violence. This bill will not prevent all senseless gun deaths—rather, it seeks to address one dangerous loophole in existing law that allows anyone to acquire a bump stock, no questions asked. This bipartisan legislation will give law enforcement the ability to regulate bump stocks and keep them out of the hands of criminals and violent people. Such deadly devices that can turn firearms into fully-automatic machine guns have no place on America’s streets,” said Congressman Kildee.
“Following the October tragedy in my district, I vowed to study and draft solutions with members on both sides of the aisle to prevent future acts of gun violence in our nation’s communities,” said Congresswoman Titus. “Since then, Reps. Fitzpatrick, Kildee, Trott and I have developed a bipartisan bill to regulate bump stocks or similar devices the same as machine guns and the deadliest of weapons. I believe the majority of Americans would agree: Anyone who wants a device that modifies a firearm to shoot hundreds of rounds per minute should undergo thorough background checks and oversight. Congress must take meaningful action to address this national epidemic. We cannot stand in silence any longer.”
“In the wake of the tragedy in Las Vegas, I promised my constituents that I would work on a legislative solution to close the loophole that allows legal semi-automatic firearms to be modified to perform like illegal fully-automatic weapons, and, today, my colleagues and I deliver. Most importantly, this bill ends the cycle of knee-jerk legislation, hastily thrown together in the wake of these all too common tragedies. Rather this is a proactive approach, that gives the ATF the regulatory flexibility it needs to hold these devices to the highest level of scrutiny while protecting Americans’ 2nd amendment right,” said Congressman Trott.
The Unpopular Truth
Wednesday, November 1, 2017
Federal Judge Usurps Role of Commander-In-Chief in Blocking Transgender Military Policy says Family Research Council
Source: Family Research Council
Washington, D.C. - November 1, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- Family Research Council criticized the injunction by U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly that blocks enforcement of parts of President Trump’s transgender military policy.
Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, a Marine veteran, released the following statement:
“This is where judicial activism is leading us. The courts have moved beyond legislating on the invented rights of abortion and same-sex marriage to clearly usurping the constitutional authority of the executive branch. The president has the primary task of protecting Americans but we see the courts weakening his immigration policies designed to protect America from threats and now telling the commander-in-chief how to run the military,” concluded Perkins.
Read more at The Ponder News Home Page
Washington, D.C. - November 1, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- Family Research Council criticized the injunction by U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly that blocks enforcement of parts of President Trump’s transgender military policy.
Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, a Marine veteran, released the following statement:
“This is where judicial activism is leading us. The courts have moved beyond legislating on the invented rights of abortion and same-sex marriage to clearly usurping the constitutional authority of the executive branch. The president has the primary task of protecting Americans but we see the courts weakening his immigration policies designed to protect America from threats and now telling the commander-in-chief how to run the military,” concluded Perkins.
Read more at The Ponder News Home Page
McConnell Requests GAO Report Targeting Opioid Abuse
Source: Senator Mitch McConnell- (R - KY)
Washington, D.C. - November 1, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) made the following remarks on the Senate floor regarding our nation’s opioid crisis and a report he requested from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) about federal response to opioid use disorders:
“The opioid crisis is hurting communities across our country. Its challenges are complex. Its causes are many. As I said last week, no single bill or program is going to solve the crisis on its own. Only a sustained, committed effort can do that.
“That’s been my view over the many years that I’ve been involved in this issue, from the first time I invited the White House drug czar down to Eastern Kentucky to see the challenges posed by prescription drug abuse firsthand to my work on other initiatives like passing a law to help address the tragedy of babies born addicted to drugs.
“It’s also what I believed as the Republican-led Senate worked hard to pass important legislation like Jessie’s Law, the 21st Century Cures Act, and the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act. I believe President Trump took the same view as he announced another important step last week by declaring a public health emergency for opioids. I would like to once again thank the president for his commitment to confronting this crisis.
“We all know there is much further to go, and as we’re moving forward — Republicans and Democrats, the House and the Senate, states and the White House — we should remain committed to working together on policies and programs that deliver results. About an hour ago, the Government Accountability Office released a report I requested about the federal government’s response to opioid use disorders.
“The government’s chief watchdog recommends that as the Department of Health and Human Services expands access to medication-assisted treatment, it should also develop clear measures to gauge performance. This GAO study will help to ensure that dollars are spent wisely to fight the crisis of opioid abuse taking lives in communities across the country. The announcement of GAO’s conclusions will help us as we continue to build a comprehensive approach to combating heroin and prescription drug abuse.
“This is another step in the right direction. As government officials review this morning’s report and as agencies develop new plans to fulfill its objectives, I will continue working with partners in Washington and Kentucky to address this important crisis — so we can one day finally put the pain of opioid abuse behind us, once and for all.”
Read more at The Ponder News Home Page
Washington, D.C. - November 1, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) made the following remarks on the Senate floor regarding our nation’s opioid crisis and a report he requested from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) about federal response to opioid use disorders:
“The opioid crisis is hurting communities across our country. Its challenges are complex. Its causes are many. As I said last week, no single bill or program is going to solve the crisis on its own. Only a sustained, committed effort can do that.
“That’s been my view over the many years that I’ve been involved in this issue, from the first time I invited the White House drug czar down to Eastern Kentucky to see the challenges posed by prescription drug abuse firsthand to my work on other initiatives like passing a law to help address the tragedy of babies born addicted to drugs.
“It’s also what I believed as the Republican-led Senate worked hard to pass important legislation like Jessie’s Law, the 21st Century Cures Act, and the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act. I believe President Trump took the same view as he announced another important step last week by declaring a public health emergency for opioids. I would like to once again thank the president for his commitment to confronting this crisis.
“We all know there is much further to go, and as we’re moving forward — Republicans and Democrats, the House and the Senate, states and the White House — we should remain committed to working together on policies and programs that deliver results. About an hour ago, the Government Accountability Office released a report I requested about the federal government’s response to opioid use disorders.
“The government’s chief watchdog recommends that as the Department of Health and Human Services expands access to medication-assisted treatment, it should also develop clear measures to gauge performance. This GAO study will help to ensure that dollars are spent wisely to fight the crisis of opioid abuse taking lives in communities across the country. The announcement of GAO’s conclusions will help us as we continue to build a comprehensive approach to combating heroin and prescription drug abuse.
“This is another step in the right direction. As government officials review this morning’s report and as agencies develop new plans to fulfill its objectives, I will continue working with partners in Washington and Kentucky to address this important crisis — so we can one day finally put the pain of opioid abuse behind us, once and for all.”
Read more at The Ponder News Home Page
Update on the Release of the FBI’s JFK Assassination Files
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation
Washington, D.C. - November 1, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- The FBI has authorized for release all previously withheld materials in its JFK assassination files. Currently, the limited redactions relate to individuals who provided information during the course of the investigation, and whose lives may be at risk if they are publicly identified. Every effort is being made to lift the remaining redactions going forward as those personal safety concerns are balanced with the goal of maximum transparency.
The National Archives will release all remaining records on a rolling basis in the coming weeks.
Washington, D.C. - November 1, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- The FBI has authorized for release all previously withheld materials in its JFK assassination files. Currently, the limited redactions relate to individuals who provided information during the course of the investigation, and whose lives may be at risk if they are publicly identified. Every effort is being made to lift the remaining redactions going forward as those personal safety concerns are balanced with the goal of maximum transparency.
The National Archives will release all remaining records on a rolling basis in the coming weeks.
Catch the latest Headlines at The Ponder News Home Page
Rep. Maloney on Suspected Terror Attack in Lower Manhattan
Source: Carolyn Maloney (D-NY, 12th)
Washington, D.C. - November 1, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- Following an apparent terrorist attack in which a truck was used to kill eight and injure 15 more people in lower Manhattan today, Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-12), released the following statement:
“Today's terrorist attack was a preplanned barbaric act of violence against innocent civilians that deserves the condemnation of every citizen of every nation. Yet even in the face of such savagery, I know that our city is too strong, too resilient, to let terrorists dictate how we live. We intend to carry on with the same vigor and determination that lights up our city every day, even in the darkest of times.
“I am incredibly grateful for the swift response of New York’s finest and our first responders, and for the abundance of caution the NYPD is exhibiting with their stepped-up presence to keep our city feeling safe. I am confident that the NYPD and FBI will conduct a thorough investigation and bring the perpetrator to justice.
“Our hearts break today for the families of the eight people killed by this madman and I send my hopes for swift recoveries to all those injured. We will stay New York strong, and get through this together.”
Washington, D.C. - November 1, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- Following an apparent terrorist attack in which a truck was used to kill eight and injure 15 more people in lower Manhattan today, Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-12), released the following statement:
“Today's terrorist attack was a preplanned barbaric act of violence against innocent civilians that deserves the condemnation of every citizen of every nation. Yet even in the face of such savagery, I know that our city is too strong, too resilient, to let terrorists dictate how we live. We intend to carry on with the same vigor and determination that lights up our city every day, even in the darkest of times.
“I am incredibly grateful for the swift response of New York’s finest and our first responders, and for the abundance of caution the NYPD is exhibiting with their stepped-up presence to keep our city feeling safe. I am confident that the NYPD and FBI will conduct a thorough investigation and bring the perpetrator to justice.
“Our hearts break today for the families of the eight people killed by this madman and I send my hopes for swift recoveries to all those injured. We will stay New York strong, and get through this together.”
Read more at The Ponder News Home Page
Press Conference After Deadly Driver Kills 8 in Manhatten
Source: New York Mayor's Office
Police Commissioner James P. O'Neill: Good afternoon everybody. Steve, are we good? Alright. Just keep in mind that this incident occurred a little more than two hours ago so all the information that we are giving you right now is preliminary and subject to change.
After I speak you are going to hear from Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio, Bill Sweeney from the Assistant Director in charge of the New York FBI offices standing up here with me too, we have members [inaudible] of my executive staff. We have Cy Vance and members of the state police.
First, I just want to say that today there was a loss of innocent life in Lower Manhattan. The dead and injured were just going about their days, heading home from work or from school, or enjoying the afternoon sun on bicycles. This is a tragedy of the greatest magnitude for many people, for many families here in New York City and beyond today.
I want to commend the response of our NYPD officer that was on post near the location who stopped the carnage moments after it began. And also work, the work of the first responders, including the Fire Department and the EMS personal surely helped save additional lives.
As I said I will give more of a chronology in a couple of minutes, but right now I would like to introduce Mayor de Blasio.
Mayor Bill de Blasio: Thank you Commissioner. It's a very a painful day in our city – horrible tragedy on the West side. Let me be that clear based on the information we have at this moment, this was act of terror. And a particularly cowardly act of terror aimed at innocent civilians, aimed at people going about their lives who had no idea what was about to hit them.
We at this moment, based on the information we have, we know of eight innocent people who have lost their lives and over a dozen more injured. We know that this action was intended to break our spirit but we also know New Yorkers are strong, New Yorkers are resilient. And our spirit will never be moved by an act of violence, an act meant to immediate us.
We have been tested before as a city very near the site of today's tragedy. And New Yorkers did not give in in the face of these kinds of actions. We will respond as we always do. We will be undeterred. And I want to thank everyone at the NYPD, all our first responders for their extraordinary efforts in the midst of this tragedy, starting with the officer who stopped this tragedy from continuing – all the first responders who came to the aid of those who were injured.
An investigation is under way to get all the facts and what we will tell you today will of course be preliminary. But we know we will get down to the bottom of what happened. I want to ask all New Yorkers, all Americans to keep the families of those lost in your thoughts and prayers. They will need our support.
And I want to ask all New Yorkers to be vigilant. We know it's Halloween night. And we know in the days ahead people will be uneasy. We ask all New Yorkers to live by the idea – if you see something, say something – tell an officer immediately if you see anything unusual, anything that worries you. Be vigilant and know that there will be extensive additional employments of NYPD officers this evening and throughout the days ahead.
We will also keep you posted as this investigation continues and as the NYPD gains more information. Governor Cuomo.
Governor Andrew Cuomo: Thank you. First, our thoughts and prayers with those New Yorkers who we lost today – it reminds us all how precious life is. They left the house this morning – they were enjoying the beautiful Westside of Manhattan on a beautiful fall day and they are not going to be returning home. And that shock and that pain is going to be very real. And our thoughts [inaudible] our prayers are with all of them.
Our first responders did an extraordinary job. The NYPD, the FDNY, the FBI, the New York State Police, EMS – they, we have the finest security on the globe and to see them in action today proved that once again.
The new terrorist tactic which they have called for publicly, are these lone wolves who commit an act of terror. This is all very preliminary – it's only been a couple of hours. But at this point, there's no evidence to suggest a wider plot or a wider scheme, but the actions of one individual who meant to cause pain and harm and probably death, and the resulting terror, and that was the purpose.
We will be vigilant – more police everywhere, you'll see them in the airports, you'll see them in the tunnels. It's not because there's any evidence of any ongoing threat or any additional threat, it is just out of vigilance and out of caution. And the truth is, New York is an international symbol of freedom and democracy – that's what we are – and we are proud of it. That also makes us a target for those people who oppose those concepts, and we've lived with this before, we've felt the pain before, we feel the pain today, but we go forward together and we go forward stronger than ever.
We're not going to let them win, and if we change our lives, we contort ourselves to them, then they win and we lose. We'll go about our business – again, there's no ongoing threat, there's not evidence of that at this time. So, there's no reason to have any undue anxiety. You will see more security forces, but that's only because it's an abundance of caution and not a signal of anything else. And there will be continued investigation and justice will be done. But again, to those we lost – they're in our thoughts and our prayers.
To the first responders, thank you, thank you, thank you for the job you do. You put your life one the line every day. You do it better than anyone else. And to New Yorkers – be New Yorkers and live your life and don't let them change us or deter us in any manner, shape, or form.
Thank you.
Commissioner O'Neill: Thanks, Governor Cuomo. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. As I said, I'm going to go through the chronology here. And I know when I'm done, you're going to have a lot of questions, but we're not going to go too deep into it, it's only two hours. And after I get done with the chronology, Dan Nigro is going to talk about the injuries.
It's about 3:05 pm, a male driving a rented Home Depot pickup truck entered the West Side Highway bicycle path at Houston Street, began driving southbound, striking a number of pedestrians and bicyclists along the route. At Chambers Street, the truck collided with a school bus, injuring two adults and two children. After the collision, the driver of the truck – a 29-year-old male – exited the vehicle, brandishing two handguns. The uniformed police officer assigned to the 1st Precinct, confronted the subject and shot him in the abdomen. The subject was wounded and transported to a local hospital. A paintball gun and a pellet gun were recovered at the scene. The subject's identity is not being released at this time pending further investigation. At this point, there are eight fatalities reported in connection with this incident. In addition, several people have been injured and Commissioner Nigro from our Fire Department will discuss that.
Dan?
Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro: Thank you, Jim. As the Police Commissioner said, six people died – they were pronounced at the scene between Houston Street and Chambers Street. They were all males. Two others were transported in traumatic arrest and were pronounced at the hospital. We also transported 11 people, all with serious but, at this moment, not life-threatening injuries. The injuries are what you may expect as a truck went at high speed down that bicycle path and struck bicyclists and pedestrians. There may be more injuries as people self-evacuated and we will determine that later as we do our survey. But that's the patient count and the deaths as we know it now.
Commissioner O'Neill: Alright, at this point, we're going to take some questions.
Myles, hold on – Myles –
Question: [Inaudible]
Commissioner O'Neill: John, you want to talk about the program a little bit?
Deputy Commissioner John Miller, Intelligence and Counter-terrorism, NYPD: So, as you know, through the SHIELD program, we do a very wide outreach. We have just under 20,000 members in the private sector. After ISIS, [inaudible] magazine came out with the issue just about two years ago around this time of year suggesting car attacks. You'll recall, one of the targets they suggest was the Thanksgiving Day Parade. We went and did extensive outreach to the truck rental business. We visited over 148 truck rental locations in this area. The obvious ones – U-Haul, Ryder, Home Depot, etcetera, and talked about suspicious indicators, ways to come forward. After attacks on the German Christmas market, after Nice, we repeated those visits two more times either by making telephonic contact, email, or going back to the same places. So, the industry has had a high level of awareness on this matter from the NYPD.
Question: [Inaudible]
Commissioner O'Neill: It's way too early to discuss that. I mean, this just happened two hours ago and it's of course part of our investigation.
Question: [Inaudible]
Commissioner O'Neill: Initially, we thought it might have been but it turned out not to be. Yeah?
Question: [Inaudible]
Commissioner O'Neill: It's all part of the investigation.
Question: [Inaudible]
Commissioner O'Neill: No, this incident is over. It did end right by Stuyvesant High School, so we had to make sure all the kids were taken care of, and we held them in place for a while, and it was important we do that, but this incident is over.
David?
Question: [Inaudible]
Commissioner O'Neill: He's a 29-year-old male and I'm not going to talk about the truck right now.
Right there?
Question: [Inaudible] the suspect said [inaudible] anything to that effect. Is that the only indication that this may be an act of terrorism, or do you have – what else [inaudible]
Commissioner O'Neill: Yeah, he did make a statement when he exited the vehicle. And if you just look at the M-O of the attack – that's consistent with what's been going on. So, that, along with the statement that's enabled us to label this a terrorist event.
Question: [Inaudible]
Commissioner O'Neill: No, not right now.
Question: [Inaudible] nationality and was there any intelligence leading up to this [inaudible]
Commissioner O'Neill: Again, two hours old, and we'll update you as we go along.
Lenny?
Question: [Inaudible]
Commissioner O'Neill: It's being conducted jointly with the NYPD and the FBI.
Question: [Inaudible]
Commissioner O'Neill: From Florida? I'm not going to go into that.
John?
Question: [Inaudible]
Commissioner O'Neill: Not – John – not right now, no.
Yes?
Question: [Inaudible]
Commissioner O'Neill: After the Times Square incident I talked about this. Any incident that happens in New York or happens in the country or happens around the world, we have to learn from that, so of course we're going to take a look at that.
Yes?
Question: [Inaudible]
Commissioner O'Neill: Yes, he's in the hospital. I'm not going to tell you what hospital.
And I'm going to let Chief Gomez talk about what we're doing for the Halloween parade tonight.
Carlos?
Chief of Department Carlos Gomez, NYPD: In less than 90 minutes that parade will kick off. We will proceed with the parade and certainly we've added more resources, more police officers, heavy weapons teams, blocker vehicles on the street leading to the route as well as more sand truck. There's also heavy weapons teams being deployed throughout the city at key, iconic locations.
Question: [Inaudible]
Commissioner O'Neill: Well, this is why we do investigation. Initially, I'm sure, whoever put that out isn't sure what the event was, and now two hours into it this is the determination that we've made.
Yes, in the first row?
Question: [Inaudible]
Commissioner O'Neill: Too early in the investigation to know that.
Rocco?
Question: [Inaudible]
Commissioner O'Neill: I haven't looked at the video let. We're retrieving as much video as possible. What we do know is he entered the bike path at Houston Street and exited the bike path at Chambers Street when he collided with the school bus. And there are no intersection on the west side of the bike path between Houston and Chambers.
In the – hold on, one second – in the back there?
Question: [Inaudible]
Commissioner O'Neill: Dan, do you have that?
There are among the injured that are serious but not life threatening.
Yes?
Question: [Inaudible]
Commissioner O'Neill: We're not going to talk about where the Home Depot was rented from just yet, and Bob, do we know how many people were on the bus?
There were two adults and two children on the school us.
In the back, Lisa?
Question: [Inaudible]
Commissioner O'Neill: Don't know. That's part of the investigation.
Yes?
Commissioner O'Neill: No, we don't have that yet.
Unknown: [Inaudible]
Mayor: I'll just close this off here by saying look, the NYPD is investigating this with our federal partners, with our State partners. There's going to be a very, very thorough investigation, but the most important thing – as Governor Cuomo said, as Chief O'Neill said – people should go about their business knowing the NYPD is out in force with our partner agencies tonight and throughout the week. Very important additional measures are going to be taken for people's safety, but the bottom line is we are going to go about our business in the city, and we are not going to be deterred. And we'll get you updates later on in the evening.
Thanks, everyone.
Police Commissioner James P. O'Neill: Good afternoon everybody. Steve, are we good? Alright. Just keep in mind that this incident occurred a little more than two hours ago so all the information that we are giving you right now is preliminary and subject to change.
After I speak you are going to hear from Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio, Bill Sweeney from the Assistant Director in charge of the New York FBI offices standing up here with me too, we have members [inaudible] of my executive staff. We have Cy Vance and members of the state police.
First, I just want to say that today there was a loss of innocent life in Lower Manhattan. The dead and injured were just going about their days, heading home from work or from school, or enjoying the afternoon sun on bicycles. This is a tragedy of the greatest magnitude for many people, for many families here in New York City and beyond today.
I want to commend the response of our NYPD officer that was on post near the location who stopped the carnage moments after it began. And also work, the work of the first responders, including the Fire Department and the EMS personal surely helped save additional lives.
As I said I will give more of a chronology in a couple of minutes, but right now I would like to introduce Mayor de Blasio.
Mayor Bill de Blasio: Thank you Commissioner. It's a very a painful day in our city – horrible tragedy on the West side. Let me be that clear based on the information we have at this moment, this was act of terror. And a particularly cowardly act of terror aimed at innocent civilians, aimed at people going about their lives who had no idea what was about to hit them.
We at this moment, based on the information we have, we know of eight innocent people who have lost their lives and over a dozen more injured. We know that this action was intended to break our spirit but we also know New Yorkers are strong, New Yorkers are resilient. And our spirit will never be moved by an act of violence, an act meant to immediate us.
We have been tested before as a city very near the site of today's tragedy. And New Yorkers did not give in in the face of these kinds of actions. We will respond as we always do. We will be undeterred. And I want to thank everyone at the NYPD, all our first responders for their extraordinary efforts in the midst of this tragedy, starting with the officer who stopped this tragedy from continuing – all the first responders who came to the aid of those who were injured.
An investigation is under way to get all the facts and what we will tell you today will of course be preliminary. But we know we will get down to the bottom of what happened. I want to ask all New Yorkers, all Americans to keep the families of those lost in your thoughts and prayers. They will need our support.
And I want to ask all New Yorkers to be vigilant. We know it's Halloween night. And we know in the days ahead people will be uneasy. We ask all New Yorkers to live by the idea – if you see something, say something – tell an officer immediately if you see anything unusual, anything that worries you. Be vigilant and know that there will be extensive additional employments of NYPD officers this evening and throughout the days ahead.
We will also keep you posted as this investigation continues and as the NYPD gains more information. Governor Cuomo.
Governor Andrew Cuomo: Thank you. First, our thoughts and prayers with those New Yorkers who we lost today – it reminds us all how precious life is. They left the house this morning – they were enjoying the beautiful Westside of Manhattan on a beautiful fall day and they are not going to be returning home. And that shock and that pain is going to be very real. And our thoughts [inaudible] our prayers are with all of them.
Our first responders did an extraordinary job. The NYPD, the FDNY, the FBI, the New York State Police, EMS – they, we have the finest security on the globe and to see them in action today proved that once again.
The new terrorist tactic which they have called for publicly, are these lone wolves who commit an act of terror. This is all very preliminary – it's only been a couple of hours. But at this point, there's no evidence to suggest a wider plot or a wider scheme, but the actions of one individual who meant to cause pain and harm and probably death, and the resulting terror, and that was the purpose.
We will be vigilant – more police everywhere, you'll see them in the airports, you'll see them in the tunnels. It's not because there's any evidence of any ongoing threat or any additional threat, it is just out of vigilance and out of caution. And the truth is, New York is an international symbol of freedom and democracy – that's what we are – and we are proud of it. That also makes us a target for those people who oppose those concepts, and we've lived with this before, we've felt the pain before, we feel the pain today, but we go forward together and we go forward stronger than ever.
We're not going to let them win, and if we change our lives, we contort ourselves to them, then they win and we lose. We'll go about our business – again, there's no ongoing threat, there's not evidence of that at this time. So, there's no reason to have any undue anxiety. You will see more security forces, but that's only because it's an abundance of caution and not a signal of anything else. And there will be continued investigation and justice will be done. But again, to those we lost – they're in our thoughts and our prayers.
To the first responders, thank you, thank you, thank you for the job you do. You put your life one the line every day. You do it better than anyone else. And to New Yorkers – be New Yorkers and live your life and don't let them change us or deter us in any manner, shape, or form.
Thank you.
Commissioner O'Neill: Thanks, Governor Cuomo. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. As I said, I'm going to go through the chronology here. And I know when I'm done, you're going to have a lot of questions, but we're not going to go too deep into it, it's only two hours. And after I get done with the chronology, Dan Nigro is going to talk about the injuries.
It's about 3:05 pm, a male driving a rented Home Depot pickup truck entered the West Side Highway bicycle path at Houston Street, began driving southbound, striking a number of pedestrians and bicyclists along the route. At Chambers Street, the truck collided with a school bus, injuring two adults and two children. After the collision, the driver of the truck – a 29-year-old male – exited the vehicle, brandishing two handguns. The uniformed police officer assigned to the 1st Precinct, confronted the subject and shot him in the abdomen. The subject was wounded and transported to a local hospital. A paintball gun and a pellet gun were recovered at the scene. The subject's identity is not being released at this time pending further investigation. At this point, there are eight fatalities reported in connection with this incident. In addition, several people have been injured and Commissioner Nigro from our Fire Department will discuss that.
Dan?
Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro: Thank you, Jim. As the Police Commissioner said, six people died – they were pronounced at the scene between Houston Street and Chambers Street. They were all males. Two others were transported in traumatic arrest and were pronounced at the hospital. We also transported 11 people, all with serious but, at this moment, not life-threatening injuries. The injuries are what you may expect as a truck went at high speed down that bicycle path and struck bicyclists and pedestrians. There may be more injuries as people self-evacuated and we will determine that later as we do our survey. But that's the patient count and the deaths as we know it now.
Commissioner O'Neill: Alright, at this point, we're going to take some questions.
Myles, hold on – Myles –
Question: [Inaudible]
Commissioner O'Neill: John, you want to talk about the program a little bit?
Deputy Commissioner John Miller, Intelligence and Counter-terrorism, NYPD: So, as you know, through the SHIELD program, we do a very wide outreach. We have just under 20,000 members in the private sector. After ISIS, [inaudible] magazine came out with the issue just about two years ago around this time of year suggesting car attacks. You'll recall, one of the targets they suggest was the Thanksgiving Day Parade. We went and did extensive outreach to the truck rental business. We visited over 148 truck rental locations in this area. The obvious ones – U-Haul, Ryder, Home Depot, etcetera, and talked about suspicious indicators, ways to come forward. After attacks on the German Christmas market, after Nice, we repeated those visits two more times either by making telephonic contact, email, or going back to the same places. So, the industry has had a high level of awareness on this matter from the NYPD.
Question: [Inaudible]
Commissioner O'Neill: It's way too early to discuss that. I mean, this just happened two hours ago and it's of course part of our investigation.
Question: [Inaudible]
Commissioner O'Neill: Initially, we thought it might have been but it turned out not to be. Yeah?
Question: [Inaudible]
Commissioner O'Neill: It's all part of the investigation.
Question: [Inaudible]
Commissioner O'Neill: No, this incident is over. It did end right by Stuyvesant High School, so we had to make sure all the kids were taken care of, and we held them in place for a while, and it was important we do that, but this incident is over.
David?
Question: [Inaudible]
Commissioner O'Neill: He's a 29-year-old male and I'm not going to talk about the truck right now.
Right there?
Question: [Inaudible] the suspect said [inaudible] anything to that effect. Is that the only indication that this may be an act of terrorism, or do you have – what else [inaudible]
Commissioner O'Neill: Yeah, he did make a statement when he exited the vehicle. And if you just look at the M-O of the attack – that's consistent with what's been going on. So, that, along with the statement that's enabled us to label this a terrorist event.
Question: [Inaudible]
Commissioner O'Neill: No, not right now.
Question: [Inaudible] nationality and was there any intelligence leading up to this [inaudible]
Commissioner O'Neill: Again, two hours old, and we'll update you as we go along.
Lenny?
Question: [Inaudible]
Commissioner O'Neill: It's being conducted jointly with the NYPD and the FBI.
Question: [Inaudible]
Commissioner O'Neill: From Florida? I'm not going to go into that.
John?
Question: [Inaudible]
Commissioner O'Neill: Not – John – not right now, no.
Yes?
Question: [Inaudible]
Commissioner O'Neill: After the Times Square incident I talked about this. Any incident that happens in New York or happens in the country or happens around the world, we have to learn from that, so of course we're going to take a look at that.
Yes?
Question: [Inaudible]
Commissioner O'Neill: Yes, he's in the hospital. I'm not going to tell you what hospital.
And I'm going to let Chief Gomez talk about what we're doing for the Halloween parade tonight.
Carlos?
Chief of Department Carlos Gomez, NYPD: In less than 90 minutes that parade will kick off. We will proceed with the parade and certainly we've added more resources, more police officers, heavy weapons teams, blocker vehicles on the street leading to the route as well as more sand truck. There's also heavy weapons teams being deployed throughout the city at key, iconic locations.
Question: [Inaudible]
Commissioner O'Neill: Well, this is why we do investigation. Initially, I'm sure, whoever put that out isn't sure what the event was, and now two hours into it this is the determination that we've made.
Yes, in the first row?
Question: [Inaudible]
Commissioner O'Neill: Too early in the investigation to know that.
Rocco?
Question: [Inaudible]
Commissioner O'Neill: I haven't looked at the video let. We're retrieving as much video as possible. What we do know is he entered the bike path at Houston Street and exited the bike path at Chambers Street when he collided with the school bus. And there are no intersection on the west side of the bike path between Houston and Chambers.
In the – hold on, one second – in the back there?
Question: [Inaudible]
Commissioner O'Neill: Dan, do you have that?
There are among the injured that are serious but not life threatening.
Yes?
Question: [Inaudible]
Commissioner O'Neill: We're not going to talk about where the Home Depot was rented from just yet, and Bob, do we know how many people were on the bus?
There were two adults and two children on the school us.
In the back, Lisa?
Question: [Inaudible]
Commissioner O'Neill: Don't know. That's part of the investigation.
Yes?
Commissioner O'Neill: No, we don't have that yet.
Unknown: [Inaudible]
Mayor: I'll just close this off here by saying look, the NYPD is investigating this with our federal partners, with our State partners. There's going to be a very, very thorough investigation, but the most important thing – as Governor Cuomo said, as Chief O'Neill said – people should go about their business knowing the NYPD is out in force with our partner agencies tonight and throughout the week. Very important additional measures are going to be taken for people's safety, but the bottom line is we are going to go about our business in the city, and we are not going to be deterred. And we'll get you updates later on in the evening.
Thanks, everyone.
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
Civil Rights Leaders Join Forces with Nation's Mayors
Source: National Urban League
Washington, D.C. - October 31, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- The United States Conference of Mayors, led by President and New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, and Marc Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League, convened prominent civil rights leaders and a delegation of the nation’s mayors to discuss a national agenda to protect civil rights and ensure economic inclusion. The group convened at the historic Gracie Mansion with host NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio around a common purpose and shared vision for creating a better future for Americans hardest hit by inequality.
The group committed to developing both a slate of local policy initiatives they can work to implement themselves and recommendations for action at the federal level, emerging with a series of short- and long-term imperatives including fights to domestic budget cuts that will stagnate earnings, household incomes and economic growth across all communities. The nation’s mayors and civil rights leaders also stressed the importance of ensuring the 2020 Census count is fair and accurate and combatting bigotry and hate while addressing racially motivated violence.
“Whatever your political leanings, there’s no denying that there is a paralysis in Washington, D.C. We can disagree about the cause, and we can disagree about the remedy, but one thing we are not going to disagree about is the fact that we can’t wait for it to resolve itself,” said Marc Morial, President of the National Urban League. “We are moving forward, and this is where we begin.”
“Mayors are closest to communities and prioritize people, not politics,” said US Conference of Mayors President Mitch Landrieu, Mayor of New Orleans. “In the 1960s, when the Civil Rights movement was underway, people moved out of cities and into the suburbs, but now, the opposite is happening. As a result, mayors must be focused on policies and programs that lift up and benefit all of our communities and we don’t have time to wait on Washington. Here’s the reality, while we’d like to have the Federal government as a real partner, the greatness of America will stand in spite of what’s happening in Washington. If we build new partnerships and work together, we can change the way our country works through big issues like fairness, immigration reform, and economic security. We are confident that through the conversations we started today, we can find common ground, identify best practices and build a long and fruitful relationship that will significantly impact our country."
In attendance at the meeting were Mayor Christopher Cabaldon (West Sacramento, Calif.), Mayor Greg Fischer (Louisville, Ky.), Mayor Michael Hancock (Denver, Co.), Mayor Toni Harp (New Haven, Conn.), Mayor Catherine Pugh (Baltimore), Mayor Allison Silberberg (Alexandria, Va.), Mayor Paul Solberg (Madison, Wis.), and Mayor Richard Thomas (Mount Vernon, NY).
Leadership from the US Black Chambers, Inc., National Coalition for Black Civic Participation, National Newspapers Publishers Association, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, National Immigration Law Center, Anti-Defamation League, Enterprise Community Partners, US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, National Action Network and Asian Americans Advancing Justice.
“We are here because we are fighting for the soul of this country and the future of this country, said Mayor Steve Benjamin of Columbia, SC and Vice President of the US Conference of Mayors. “Cities are where things are happening; 85% of Americans live in cities and 91% of the country’s GDP comes from cities. If we can come together, we can determine policies. It’s our job to tell the world we are greater than the sum of our parts.”
"Rarely have we seen a time where it was so important for mayors and civil rights leaders to come together," said Mayor Bill de Blasio. "Inequality is the crisis of our time. One underpinned by institutional and structural racism, and one that together we can work to solve. I am proud to be joined by a coalition of strong mayors and civil rights leaders who all know that cities are places of change. In a time of hostility towards cities from Washington, together we'll lead the way.”
Check out all the news and MORE at The Ponder News Web Site
Washington, D.C. - October 31, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- The United States Conference of Mayors, led by President and New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, and Marc Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League, convened prominent civil rights leaders and a delegation of the nation’s mayors to discuss a national agenda to protect civil rights and ensure economic inclusion. The group convened at the historic Gracie Mansion with host NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio around a common purpose and shared vision for creating a better future for Americans hardest hit by inequality.
The group committed to developing both a slate of local policy initiatives they can work to implement themselves and recommendations for action at the federal level, emerging with a series of short- and long-term imperatives including fights to domestic budget cuts that will stagnate earnings, household incomes and economic growth across all communities. The nation’s mayors and civil rights leaders also stressed the importance of ensuring the 2020 Census count is fair and accurate and combatting bigotry and hate while addressing racially motivated violence.
“Whatever your political leanings, there’s no denying that there is a paralysis in Washington, D.C. We can disagree about the cause, and we can disagree about the remedy, but one thing we are not going to disagree about is the fact that we can’t wait for it to resolve itself,” said Marc Morial, President of the National Urban League. “We are moving forward, and this is where we begin.”
“Mayors are closest to communities and prioritize people, not politics,” said US Conference of Mayors President Mitch Landrieu, Mayor of New Orleans. “In the 1960s, when the Civil Rights movement was underway, people moved out of cities and into the suburbs, but now, the opposite is happening. As a result, mayors must be focused on policies and programs that lift up and benefit all of our communities and we don’t have time to wait on Washington. Here’s the reality, while we’d like to have the Federal government as a real partner, the greatness of America will stand in spite of what’s happening in Washington. If we build new partnerships and work together, we can change the way our country works through big issues like fairness, immigration reform, and economic security. We are confident that through the conversations we started today, we can find common ground, identify best practices and build a long and fruitful relationship that will significantly impact our country."
In attendance at the meeting were Mayor Christopher Cabaldon (West Sacramento, Calif.), Mayor Greg Fischer (Louisville, Ky.), Mayor Michael Hancock (Denver, Co.), Mayor Toni Harp (New Haven, Conn.), Mayor Catherine Pugh (Baltimore), Mayor Allison Silberberg (Alexandria, Va.), Mayor Paul Solberg (Madison, Wis.), and Mayor Richard Thomas (Mount Vernon, NY).
Leadership from the US Black Chambers, Inc., National Coalition for Black Civic Participation, National Newspapers Publishers Association, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, National Immigration Law Center, Anti-Defamation League, Enterprise Community Partners, US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, National Action Network and Asian Americans Advancing Justice.
“We are here because we are fighting for the soul of this country and the future of this country, said Mayor Steve Benjamin of Columbia, SC and Vice President of the US Conference of Mayors. “Cities are where things are happening; 85% of Americans live in cities and 91% of the country’s GDP comes from cities. If we can come together, we can determine policies. It’s our job to tell the world we are greater than the sum of our parts.”
"Rarely have we seen a time where it was so important for mayors and civil rights leaders to come together," said Mayor Bill de Blasio. "Inequality is the crisis of our time. One underpinned by institutional and structural racism, and one that together we can work to solve. I am proud to be joined by a coalition of strong mayors and civil rights leaders who all know that cities are places of change. In a time of hostility towards cities from Washington, together we'll lead the way.”
Check out all the news and MORE at The Ponder News Web Site
Court Blocks Trans Military Ban in Yet Another Setback for the Discrimination Administration
Source: National Center for Transgender Equality
=====
Don't forget to visit The Ponder News HOME web site for more great news! Just click HERE!
=====
Washington, D.C. - October 31, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- In yet another blow to the Trump administration’s campaign of discrimination against transgender Americans, a federal court today temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s dangerous and disrespectful Twitter-based ban on transgender military service members.
The ruling in Doe v. Trump concluded that the ban appeared to be based on little more than prejudice, saying that “there is absolutely no support for the claim that the ongoing service of transgender people would have any negative effective on the military at all,” and that “there is considerable evidence that it is the discharge and banning of such individuals that would have such effects.” The ruling also followed other recent court decisions in recognizing that government discrimination against transgender people is subject to heightened scrutiny by courts.
NCTE recently led a coalition of transgender organizations from around the country in filing an amicus brief in the case, arguing that the military ban is part of a wider pattern of discrimination against transgender people by the Trump administration.
NCTE Executive Director Mara Keisling issued the following statement:
Again and again, our courts have been forced to step in and halt this administration’s unconstitutional and dangerous bigotry. As today’s ruling makes clear, this ban was never about military readiness—just like President Trump’s Muslim bans have never been about national security. This ban is about discrimination, plain and simple. We are grateful that the plaintiffs and thousands of other troops will be able to continue serving without the threat of discharge while this case proceeds. Unfortunately, this ruling is not the end of the story, and these troops and their units will still face uncertainty unless Congress acts to end this ban for good.
Lawmakers in both major parties have denounced the ban, and bipartisan bills have been introduced in the House and Senate to end it. Though backed by both the Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senate leaders blocked a vote to add a measure that would have ended the ban to the pending national defense authorization bill.
In related News:
In defeat for Trump, judge blocks transgender military ban
=====
Don't forget to visit The Ponder News HOME web site for more great news! Just click HERE!
=====
Washington, D.C. - October 31, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- In yet another blow to the Trump administration’s campaign of discrimination against transgender Americans, a federal court today temporarily blocked President Donald Trump’s dangerous and disrespectful Twitter-based ban on transgender military service members.
The ruling in Doe v. Trump concluded that the ban appeared to be based on little more than prejudice, saying that “there is absolutely no support for the claim that the ongoing service of transgender people would have any negative effective on the military at all,” and that “there is considerable evidence that it is the discharge and banning of such individuals that would have such effects.” The ruling also followed other recent court decisions in recognizing that government discrimination against transgender people is subject to heightened scrutiny by courts.
NCTE recently led a coalition of transgender organizations from around the country in filing an amicus brief in the case, arguing that the military ban is part of a wider pattern of discrimination against transgender people by the Trump administration.
NCTE Executive Director Mara Keisling issued the following statement:
Again and again, our courts have been forced to step in and halt this administration’s unconstitutional and dangerous bigotry. As today’s ruling makes clear, this ban was never about military readiness—just like President Trump’s Muslim bans have never been about national security. This ban is about discrimination, plain and simple. We are grateful that the plaintiffs and thousands of other troops will be able to continue serving without the threat of discharge while this case proceeds. Unfortunately, this ruling is not the end of the story, and these troops and their units will still face uncertainty unless Congress acts to end this ban for good.
Lawmakers in both major parties have denounced the ban, and bipartisan bills have been introduced in the House and Senate to end it. Though backed by both the Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senate leaders blocked a vote to add a measure that would have ended the ban to the pending national defense authorization bill.
In related News:
In defeat for Trump, judge blocks transgender military ban
First-time Buyers Stifled by Low Supply, Affordability: 2017 Buyer and Seller Survey
Source: National Association of Realtors
Washington, D.C. - October 31, 2017 (The Ponder News) --Despite solid interest in buying a home – sparked by steady job gains, record low mortgage rates and higher rents – the severe drought in housing supply in much of the country over the past year accelerated price growth and kept many first-time buyers out of the market.
This is according to the National Association of Realtors®' 2017 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers1, which also identified numerous current consumer and housing trends, including: mounting student debt balances and smaller down payments; increases in single female and trade-up buyers; the growing occurrence of buyers paying the list price or higher; and the fact that nearly all respondents use a real estate agent to buy or sell a home, which kept for-sale-by-owner transactions at an all-time low of 8 percent for the third straight year.
In this year's survey, the share of sales to first-time home buyers2 inched backward to 34 percent (35 percent in 2016), which is the fourth lowest share since 1981. In the 36-year history of NAR's survey, the long-term average of first-time buyer transactions is 39 percent.
“The dreams of many aspiring first-time buyers were unfortunately dimmed over the past year by persistent inventory shortages, which undercut their ability to become homeowners,” said Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist. “With the lower end of the market seeing the worst of the supply crunch, house hunters faced mounting odds in finding their first home. Multiple offers were a common occurrence, investors paying in cash had the upper hand, and prices kept climbing, which yanked homeownership out of reach for countless would-be buyers.”
Added Yun, “Solid economic conditions and millennials in their prime buying years should be translating to a lot more sales to first-timers, but the unfortunate reality is that the nation's homeownership rate will remain suppressed until entry-level supply conditions increase enough to improve overall affordability.”
Other key findings and notable trends of buyers and sellers in this year's 144-page survey include:
Student debt balances continue to grow
Highlighting the additional challenges imposed on consumers trying to reach the market, 41 percent of first-time buyers indicated they have student debt (40 percent in 2016). The typical debt balance also increased ($29,000 from $26,000 in 2016), and over half owe at least $25,000. Additionally, of the 25 percent who said saving for a down payment was the most difficult task in the buying process, 55 percent said student debt delayed saving for their home purchase.
“NAR survey findings on student debt released earlier this fall revealed that an overwhelming majority of millennials with student debt believe it's delaying their ability to buy a home, and typically for seven years,” added Yun. “Even in markets with a plethora of job opportunities and higher pay, steep rents and home prices make it extremely difficult to put savings aside for a down payment.”
Single females make up larger share of sales
Solid job prospects, higher incomes and improving credit conditions translated to continued momentum in the growing share of single female buyers. At 18 percent (matches highest since 2011), single women were the second most common household buyer type behind married couples (65 percent). Furthermore, single women purchased slightly more expensive homes than single men despite earning less. The overall share of single male buyers (7 percent) remained below unmarried couples (8 percent) for the second straight year.
Down payment amounts decrease for first-timers, rise for repeat buyers
The ongoing climb in home prices pulled the typical down payment for first-timers to 5 percent this year (6 percent in 2016), which matches the lowest since 2013. Meanwhile, higher home values likely gave more sellers the wherewithal to use the cash from their recent sale to make a bigger down payment on their new home purchase (14 percent; 11 percent in 2016). Repeat buyers' sales proceeds from their previous purchase (55 percent) surpassed their own personal savings (50 percent) this year as a larger source of their down payment.
Personal savings ranked first for first-time buyers as the primary source of their down payment, followed by a gift from a friend or relative (25 percent; 24 percent in 2016). Over a half of first-timers said it took a year or more to save for a down payment, and 25 percent said saving was the most difficult task in the entire buying process.
Age of first-timers stays flat; climbs to new survey high for repeat buyers
For the second straight year, the median age of first-time buyers was 32 years old. First-time buyers had a higher household income ($75,000) than a year ago ($72,000) and purchased a slightly smaller home (1,640-square-feet; 1,650-square-feet in 2016) that was more expensive ($190,000; $182,500 in 2016). Fewer first-time buyers purchased a home in an urban area (17 percent; 20 percent in 2016).
The age of repeat buyers increased to an all-time survey high this year (54 years old; 52 years old in 2016) as older households, perhaps with plans to stay in the workforce longer but with an eye towards retirement, felt more comfortable about buying. Overall, repeat buyers had roughly the same household income than last year ($97,500; $98,000 in 2016) and purchased a 2,000-square-foot home (unchanged from last year) costing $266,500 ($250,000 in 2016).
Supply scarcity leads to increase in buyers paying list price or higher
Underscoring the supply and demand imbalances prevalent in many parts of the country, 42 percent of buyers paid the list price or higher for their home, which is up from a year ago (40 percent) and a new survey high since tracking began in 2007. Buyers in the West were the most likely (51 percent) to pay at or above list price.
“Many of those in the market to buy a home this year had little room to negotiate,” said Yun. “Listings in the affordable price range drew immediate interest, and the winning offer often times had to waive some contingencies or come in at or above asking price to close the deal.”
Buyers report less difficulty obtaining a mortgage
The improving financial health of borrowers and a slight ease in credit standards are leading to a smoother process in obtaining a mortgage. Fewer buyers (34 percent) compared to a year ago (37 percent) indicated that the mortgage application and approval process was somewhat or much more difficult than they expected.
Fifty-eight percent of buyers financed their purchase with a conventional mortgage, and 34 percent of first-time buyers took out a low-down payment Federal Housing Administration-backed mortgage, which is up from 33 percent last year but down from 46 percent five years ago.
Nearly all buyers choose a single-family home in a suburban location
A majority of buyers continue to choose a home in a suburb, small town or rural area (85 percent) as opposed to an urban one (13 percent; 14 percent in 2016). Eighty-three percent of buyers purchased a detached single-family home, which for the third straight year remains the highest share since 2004 (87 percent). Purchases of multi-family homes, including townhouses and condos, were at 11 percent.
Most buyers search for homes online…and use a real estate agent
This year's survey data continues to show that the internet (95 percent) and real estate agents (89 percent) remain the top two information sources used during buyers' home search. Overall, 87 percent of buyers ended up purchasing their home through a real estate agent (88 percent in 2016), and finding the right property to buy and help negotiating the terms of the sale were the top two things buyers wanted most from their agent. Even for those who found the home they purchased online, nearly all still closed on it with the help of an agent (88 percent).
“It's no surprise a majority of first-time buyers indicated that the top benefits received from their agent were help understanding the buying process (83 percent), pointing out unnoticed property features or faults (60 percent), and negotiating better sales terms (51 percent),” said President William E. Brown, a Realtor® from Alamo, California. “Realtors® over the past year have helped buyers – and especially first-timers – navigate extremely competitive market conditions where the need to be prepared and act quickly has been paramount to the success of purchasing a home.”
Homeowner tenure at all-time high; equity and share of repeat buyers climbs
The typical seller over the past year was 55 years old, had a higher household income ($103,300) than last year ($100,700) and was in the home for 10 years before selling – matching the all-time high set both in 2014 and a year ago. Prior to 2009, sellers consistently lived in their home for a median of six years before selling.
With home values steadily rising over the past several years, sellers realized a median equity gain of $47,500 ($43,100 in 2016) – a 26 percent increase (24 percent last year) over the original purchase price. Homes sold after 21 years of ownership had the largest equity gain (104 percent), while those who purchased six or seven years ago saw a larger return (27 percent) than those who purchased between eight and 15 years ago (14 percent to 18 percent).
The percent share of buyers trading up increased for the third straight year, rising to 52 percent from 46 percent in 2016. In 2014, 40 percent of buyers purchased a bigger home.
“The decline in first-time buyers and uptick in repeat buyers trading up to a larger home reflects the more favorable conditions for home shoppers at the upper end of the market, where listings are more plentiful and sales have been consistently higher over the past year,” said Yun.
Seller use of an agent remains at all-time high; FSBOs at record low
Sellers' use of a real estate agent this year remained at an all-time high of 89 percent. This in turn – for the third straight year – held for-sale-by-owner sales to their lowest share (8 percent) in the survey's history.
An overwhelming majority of sellers were satisfied with the selling process (88 percent), with most also indicating that they would definitely or probably use their agent again or recommend him or her to others (85 percent).
“Homeowners understand the value, and seek the expertise and guidance Realtors® bring to the table when it's time to sell their home,” said Brown. “Despite incredibly favorable market conditions for sellers – where finding interested buyers was not a problem – nearly all turned to a Realtor® to help assist them through the intricacies of listing their home on the market, accepting offers, negotiating the sales price and closing the deal.”
NAR mailed a 131-question survey in July 2017 using a random sample weighted to be representative of sales on a geographic basis to 145,800 recent home buyers. Respondents had the option to fill out the survey via hard copy or online; the online survey was available in English and Spanish. A total of 7,866 responses were received from primary residence buyers. After accounting for undeliverable questionnaires, the survey had an adjusted response rate of 5.6 percent. The sample at the 95 percent confidence level has a confidence interval of plus-or-minus 1.10 percent.
The recent home buyers had to have purchased a home between July 2016 and June 2017. All information is characteristic of the 12-month period ending in June 2017 with the exception of income data, which are for 2016.
The National Association of Realtors®, “The Voice for Real Estate,” is America's largest trade association, representing more than 1.3 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.
See more Great News at ThePonderNews.com
Washington, D.C. - October 31, 2017 (The Ponder News) --Despite solid interest in buying a home – sparked by steady job gains, record low mortgage rates and higher rents – the severe drought in housing supply in much of the country over the past year accelerated price growth and kept many first-time buyers out of the market.
This is according to the National Association of Realtors®' 2017 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers1, which also identified numerous current consumer and housing trends, including: mounting student debt balances and smaller down payments; increases in single female and trade-up buyers; the growing occurrence of buyers paying the list price or higher; and the fact that nearly all respondents use a real estate agent to buy or sell a home, which kept for-sale-by-owner transactions at an all-time low of 8 percent for the third straight year.
In this year's survey, the share of sales to first-time home buyers2 inched backward to 34 percent (35 percent in 2016), which is the fourth lowest share since 1981. In the 36-year history of NAR's survey, the long-term average of first-time buyer transactions is 39 percent.
“The dreams of many aspiring first-time buyers were unfortunately dimmed over the past year by persistent inventory shortages, which undercut their ability to become homeowners,” said Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist. “With the lower end of the market seeing the worst of the supply crunch, house hunters faced mounting odds in finding their first home. Multiple offers were a common occurrence, investors paying in cash had the upper hand, and prices kept climbing, which yanked homeownership out of reach for countless would-be buyers.”
Added Yun, “Solid economic conditions and millennials in their prime buying years should be translating to a lot more sales to first-timers, but the unfortunate reality is that the nation's homeownership rate will remain suppressed until entry-level supply conditions increase enough to improve overall affordability.”
Other key findings and notable trends of buyers and sellers in this year's 144-page survey include:
Student debt balances continue to grow
Highlighting the additional challenges imposed on consumers trying to reach the market, 41 percent of first-time buyers indicated they have student debt (40 percent in 2016). The typical debt balance also increased ($29,000 from $26,000 in 2016), and over half owe at least $25,000. Additionally, of the 25 percent who said saving for a down payment was the most difficult task in the buying process, 55 percent said student debt delayed saving for their home purchase.
“NAR survey findings on student debt released earlier this fall revealed that an overwhelming majority of millennials with student debt believe it's delaying their ability to buy a home, and typically for seven years,” added Yun. “Even in markets with a plethora of job opportunities and higher pay, steep rents and home prices make it extremely difficult to put savings aside for a down payment.”
Single females make up larger share of sales
Solid job prospects, higher incomes and improving credit conditions translated to continued momentum in the growing share of single female buyers. At 18 percent (matches highest since 2011), single women were the second most common household buyer type behind married couples (65 percent). Furthermore, single women purchased slightly more expensive homes than single men despite earning less. The overall share of single male buyers (7 percent) remained below unmarried couples (8 percent) for the second straight year.
Down payment amounts decrease for first-timers, rise for repeat buyers
The ongoing climb in home prices pulled the typical down payment for first-timers to 5 percent this year (6 percent in 2016), which matches the lowest since 2013. Meanwhile, higher home values likely gave more sellers the wherewithal to use the cash from their recent sale to make a bigger down payment on their new home purchase (14 percent; 11 percent in 2016). Repeat buyers' sales proceeds from their previous purchase (55 percent) surpassed their own personal savings (50 percent) this year as a larger source of their down payment.
Personal savings ranked first for first-time buyers as the primary source of their down payment, followed by a gift from a friend or relative (25 percent; 24 percent in 2016). Over a half of first-timers said it took a year or more to save for a down payment, and 25 percent said saving was the most difficult task in the entire buying process.
Age of first-timers stays flat; climbs to new survey high for repeat buyers
For the second straight year, the median age of first-time buyers was 32 years old. First-time buyers had a higher household income ($75,000) than a year ago ($72,000) and purchased a slightly smaller home (1,640-square-feet; 1,650-square-feet in 2016) that was more expensive ($190,000; $182,500 in 2016). Fewer first-time buyers purchased a home in an urban area (17 percent; 20 percent in 2016).
The age of repeat buyers increased to an all-time survey high this year (54 years old; 52 years old in 2016) as older households, perhaps with plans to stay in the workforce longer but with an eye towards retirement, felt more comfortable about buying. Overall, repeat buyers had roughly the same household income than last year ($97,500; $98,000 in 2016) and purchased a 2,000-square-foot home (unchanged from last year) costing $266,500 ($250,000 in 2016).
Supply scarcity leads to increase in buyers paying list price or higher
Underscoring the supply and demand imbalances prevalent in many parts of the country, 42 percent of buyers paid the list price or higher for their home, which is up from a year ago (40 percent) and a new survey high since tracking began in 2007. Buyers in the West were the most likely (51 percent) to pay at or above list price.
“Many of those in the market to buy a home this year had little room to negotiate,” said Yun. “Listings in the affordable price range drew immediate interest, and the winning offer often times had to waive some contingencies or come in at or above asking price to close the deal.”
Buyers report less difficulty obtaining a mortgage
The improving financial health of borrowers and a slight ease in credit standards are leading to a smoother process in obtaining a mortgage. Fewer buyers (34 percent) compared to a year ago (37 percent) indicated that the mortgage application and approval process was somewhat or much more difficult than they expected.
Fifty-eight percent of buyers financed their purchase with a conventional mortgage, and 34 percent of first-time buyers took out a low-down payment Federal Housing Administration-backed mortgage, which is up from 33 percent last year but down from 46 percent five years ago.
Nearly all buyers choose a single-family home in a suburban location
A majority of buyers continue to choose a home in a suburb, small town or rural area (85 percent) as opposed to an urban one (13 percent; 14 percent in 2016). Eighty-three percent of buyers purchased a detached single-family home, which for the third straight year remains the highest share since 2004 (87 percent). Purchases of multi-family homes, including townhouses and condos, were at 11 percent.
Most buyers search for homes online…and use a real estate agent
This year's survey data continues to show that the internet (95 percent) and real estate agents (89 percent) remain the top two information sources used during buyers' home search. Overall, 87 percent of buyers ended up purchasing their home through a real estate agent (88 percent in 2016), and finding the right property to buy and help negotiating the terms of the sale were the top two things buyers wanted most from their agent. Even for those who found the home they purchased online, nearly all still closed on it with the help of an agent (88 percent).
“It's no surprise a majority of first-time buyers indicated that the top benefits received from their agent were help understanding the buying process (83 percent), pointing out unnoticed property features or faults (60 percent), and negotiating better sales terms (51 percent),” said President William E. Brown, a Realtor® from Alamo, California. “Realtors® over the past year have helped buyers – and especially first-timers – navigate extremely competitive market conditions where the need to be prepared and act quickly has been paramount to the success of purchasing a home.”
Homeowner tenure at all-time high; equity and share of repeat buyers climbs
The typical seller over the past year was 55 years old, had a higher household income ($103,300) than last year ($100,700) and was in the home for 10 years before selling – matching the all-time high set both in 2014 and a year ago. Prior to 2009, sellers consistently lived in their home for a median of six years before selling.
With home values steadily rising over the past several years, sellers realized a median equity gain of $47,500 ($43,100 in 2016) – a 26 percent increase (24 percent last year) over the original purchase price. Homes sold after 21 years of ownership had the largest equity gain (104 percent), while those who purchased six or seven years ago saw a larger return (27 percent) than those who purchased between eight and 15 years ago (14 percent to 18 percent).
The percent share of buyers trading up increased for the third straight year, rising to 52 percent from 46 percent in 2016. In 2014, 40 percent of buyers purchased a bigger home.
“The decline in first-time buyers and uptick in repeat buyers trading up to a larger home reflects the more favorable conditions for home shoppers at the upper end of the market, where listings are more plentiful and sales have been consistently higher over the past year,” said Yun.
Seller use of an agent remains at all-time high; FSBOs at record low
Sellers' use of a real estate agent this year remained at an all-time high of 89 percent. This in turn – for the third straight year – held for-sale-by-owner sales to their lowest share (8 percent) in the survey's history.
An overwhelming majority of sellers were satisfied with the selling process (88 percent), with most also indicating that they would definitely or probably use their agent again or recommend him or her to others (85 percent).
“Homeowners understand the value, and seek the expertise and guidance Realtors® bring to the table when it's time to sell their home,” said Brown. “Despite incredibly favorable market conditions for sellers – where finding interested buyers was not a problem – nearly all turned to a Realtor® to help assist them through the intricacies of listing their home on the market, accepting offers, negotiating the sales price and closing the deal.”
NAR mailed a 131-question survey in July 2017 using a random sample weighted to be representative of sales on a geographic basis to 145,800 recent home buyers. Respondents had the option to fill out the survey via hard copy or online; the online survey was available in English and Spanish. A total of 7,866 responses were received from primary residence buyers. After accounting for undeliverable questionnaires, the survey had an adjusted response rate of 5.6 percent. The sample at the 95 percent confidence level has a confidence interval of plus-or-minus 1.10 percent.
The recent home buyers had to have purchased a home between July 2016 and June 2017. All information is characteristic of the 12-month period ending in June 2017 with the exception of income data, which are for 2016.
The National Association of Realtors®, “The Voice for Real Estate,” is America's largest trade association, representing more than 1.3 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.
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Trump Will Aid Persecuted Christians in Middle East
Source: Liberty Counsel
Washington, D.C. - October 30, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- Vice President Mike Pence announced a new policy at the In Defense of Christians annual summit in Washington, promising direct aid to persecuted Christians in the Middle East.
The Obama administration previously gave over a billion dollars in aid to the Middle East through the United Nations. However, little of that money made it to Christians and other vulnerable religious minority groups in that region. The Trump administration has now promised to bypass the United Nations and give the funds directly through the United States Agency for International Development to organizations on the ground to help victims of persecution and genocide.
Vice President Pence also noted the United Nations continues to deny funding requests in many instances to partner with faith-based groups with proven track records and deep roots in the Middle East. “My friends,” the Vice President said, “those days are over. This is the moment. Now is the time. And America will support these people in their hour of need. President Trump and I see these crimes for what they are: vile acts of persecution animated by hatred for Christians and the gospel of Christ. And so too does this president know who and what has perpetrated these crimes and he calls them by name: radical Islamic terrorism,” said Pence.
Through Liberty Counsel’s Liberty Relief International project, we strategically partner with ministries to provide humanitarian relief and spiritual support to persecuted Christians in the Middle East.
“Every day, Christians are persecuted and murdered for their faith in the ancient land where Christianity was first born,” said Mat Staver, Chairman of Liberty Counsel and Founder and President of Liberty Relief International. “We commend the Trump administration for recognizing this serious threat and helping these victims of persecution and genocide directly. The United Nations is a useless organization that refuses to help Christians. This announcement by the Trump administration is a welcome relief,” said Staver.
Liberty Counsel is an international litigation, education and policy organization. Liberty Counsel has a number of affiliated ministries, including Christians in Defense of Israel and Covenant Journey, a program that provides a life-changing experience in Israel for Christian college-age students who have leadership potential.
Read more great news at thepondernews.com
Washington, D.C. - October 30, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- Vice President Mike Pence announced a new policy at the In Defense of Christians annual summit in Washington, promising direct aid to persecuted Christians in the Middle East.
The Obama administration previously gave over a billion dollars in aid to the Middle East through the United Nations. However, little of that money made it to Christians and other vulnerable religious minority groups in that region. The Trump administration has now promised to bypass the United Nations and give the funds directly through the United States Agency for International Development to organizations on the ground to help victims of persecution and genocide.
Vice President Pence also noted the United Nations continues to deny funding requests in many instances to partner with faith-based groups with proven track records and deep roots in the Middle East. “My friends,” the Vice President said, “those days are over. This is the moment. Now is the time. And America will support these people in their hour of need. President Trump and I see these crimes for what they are: vile acts of persecution animated by hatred for Christians and the gospel of Christ. And so too does this president know who and what has perpetrated these crimes and he calls them by name: radical Islamic terrorism,” said Pence.
Through Liberty Counsel’s Liberty Relief International project, we strategically partner with ministries to provide humanitarian relief and spiritual support to persecuted Christians in the Middle East.
“Every day, Christians are persecuted and murdered for their faith in the ancient land where Christianity was first born,” said Mat Staver, Chairman of Liberty Counsel and Founder and President of Liberty Relief International. “We commend the Trump administration for recognizing this serious threat and helping these victims of persecution and genocide directly. The United Nations is a useless organization that refuses to help Christians. This announcement by the Trump administration is a welcome relief,” said Staver.
Liberty Counsel is an international litigation, education and policy organization. Liberty Counsel has a number of affiliated ministries, including Christians in Defense of Israel and Covenant Journey, a program that provides a life-changing experience in Israel for Christian college-age students who have leadership potential.
Read more great news at thepondernews.com
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