Good morning, and welcome to The Epoch Times News Brief for Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. I’m Bill Thomas, we’ve got some really crucial stories to share with you right now, and here’s what’s going on.
Election Day is coming up and millions of voters have already cast their ballots, a DNC campaign office in a swing state has been targeted by gunfire, and you’re getting a raise if you receive a monthly Social Security check.
Also, mortgage rates are up, and Florida officials are warning electric car owners of the fire dangers related to flooding from the hurricanes.
3 Million Early Votes Cast So Far
The University of Florida’s Election Lab tracking site shows that those early ballots were submitted either in person or by mail with less than four weeks to go until Election Day.It found that nearly half a million people voted in person, and nearly 2.4 million voted by mail. So far, around 47.5 million mail-in ballots have been requested in comparison to the 2020 election, when more than 92 million mail-in ballots were requested.
So you know, when broken down by party in the states which track that data, about 56 percent of people who voted early were Democrats, 27 percent were Republicans, and close to 16 percent were independent or members of a third party.
By the way, slightly more than 54 percent of people who returned early ballots were female, and roughly 47 percent were male, and the majority of these early voters were over the age of 65.
Meanwhile, early in-person voting started Wednesday in Arizona, making it the earliest of this year’s battleground states for in-person voting at a traditional polling place ahead of Election Day.
Interesting to note, in the 13 counties of North Carolina affected by Hurricane Helene, the state’s election board approved an emergency measure this week that changes voting rules. One change includes enhancing in-person early voting by allowing county boards to modify early voting sites, dates, and hours. Voters in affected counties can also request an absentee ballot in person up until Nov. 4, the day before the general election.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has also signed an executive order allowing election supervisors in 13 counties impacted by Helene to make voting-related changes.
Shots Fired at DNC Office in Arizona
Police in Tempe, Arizona, are calling on the general public to help them find the suspect or suspects responsible for shooting at the building.You should know it’s the third time the DNC building has been shot at since Sept. 16.
No one was inside the building during any of the shooting incidents and no injuries have been reported. There was some damage to a window of the building during this latest shooting incident.
Tempe police have not named a motive for the shootings, but they do have video that shows a 2008–2013 silver Toyota Highlander with a sunroof, roof rack, and five-spoke rims. Police say they believe it belongs to the suspect responsible for the shootings and they’re asking the public to come forward with any information that can help them arrest the suspect or suspects.
So you know, the Tempe location is one of 18 field offices for Vice President Kamala Harris in Arizona.
Interesting to note, these shootings come as political violence has made big news in recent months. Who can forget the two assassination attempts on former President Donald Trump—the first one in Butler, Pennsylvania, and the second one near his Florida home?
Meanwhile, several “suspicious” packages have been delivered to election officials in more than a dozen states in recent months, prompting multiple evacuations. Fortunately so far, there have been no reports of injuries relating to those packages, and none of them contained hazardous material.
Social Security Announces Benefit Adjustments
Yesterday, the Social Security Administration (SSA) announced that Social Security benefits and supplemental security income (SSI) payments will increase by 2.5 percent in 2025.The cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will affect more than 72.5 million Americans, with an average increase of about $50 per month beginning in January. It represents the smallest annual rise since 2021, when recipients experienced a 1.3 percent increase in their benefits. In contrast, recent years have seen bigger COLAs in response to high inflation, but it’s an average of 2.6 percent over the last 10 years.
The SSA says the 2.5 percent COLA reflects the rise in the consumer price index (CPI) for urban wage earners and clerical workers from the third quarter of 2023 through the third quarter of 2024.
You should also know that the maximum taxable earnings will rise from $168,600 to $176,100 in 2025, based on average wage increases.
By the way, beneficiaries will begin receiving notices about their new benefit amounts by mail starting in early December. However, individuals with a personal “my Social Security” account will be able to access their COLA notice online, which the agency says is a faster and more secure option than waiting for a letter.
One final note. The annual COLA is mandated by the Social Security Act, which ties the adjustment to the CPI as determined by the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.
US 30-Year Mortgage Rate Registers Biggest Weekly Gain Since April
Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey says the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose to 6.32 percent for the week ending Oct. 10, which is up from 6.12 percent a week ago.You should know that this represents the sharpest one-week increase since April, but the good news is that rates are down from 7.57 percent a year ago. Fifteen-year mortgage rates also rose—to 5.41 percent—which is up from 5.25 percent last week. Likewise, they’re down by nearly 1.5 percent from the same time a year ago.
Similar upward trends were observed in the Mortgage Banker Association’s 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, which increased to 6.36 percent in the week ending Oct. 4, up just slightly from the previous week.
So you know, after the Fed slashed interest rates in September and signaled that more rate cuts were coming, many anticipated that mortgage rates would start falling.
Interesting to note, the 30-year mortgage rate is back to where it was before the Fed cut the policy rate.
This could weigh on demand in the coming weeks as higher rates contribute to huge price pressures already affecting prospective homebuyers. This is supported by the Mortgage Bankers Association data, which showed that mortgage applications decreased for the second consecutive week by just over 5 percent.
Florida Officials Issue Warnings to EV Owners
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor has reminded residents that city garages have been left open and urged electric vehicle owners in particular to take advantage of the upper floors in garages to avoid flood and fire risk. She says it’s essential to elevate both the electric batteries and electric items because once those batteries catch on fire, they cannot be extinguished.She’s not the only one who has sounded the alarm on EV fire dangers.
Prior to Hurricane Milton making landfall on Wednesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis also warned residents of the risk of fire from electric vehicles and flood waters, since contact with saltwater can short-circuit the batteries. That can cause a chain reaction known as thermal runaway, which causes heat energy to be released from the battery and that can cause a fire.
You should know that the City of Tampa’s mobility department removed all parking fees so that more EV users could take advantage of above-ground parking.
Interesting to note, Tampa’s warning is an example of broader concerns of EV-related flood and fire risk. Earlier this week, Florida CFO and State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis called on EV manufacturers to take steps to protect lives during Hurricane Milton. He confirmed that 48 lithium-ion battery fires were related to storm surge from Hurricane Helene, and 11 of those fires were associated with EVs.
Patronis went on to say that if you do have an EV that has been flooded by saltwater and it’s still in your garage or near your home, remove it immediately to a safe location so that “you can worry about fixing your home, instead of rebuilding it due to a fire.”
Tesla, one of the most popular EV manufacturers, issued guidance on its website for owners, recommending that they move their EVs to higher ground ahead of potential “submersion events.” The company is also urging owners to step away and contact first responders if you can see “fire, smoke, audible popping/hissing or heating coming from the vehicle.”
By the way, EV fires following hurricanes were first reported after Superstorm Sandy in New Jersey in 2012.
And now, it looks like our time is just about up for today, so we’re going to call it a wrap for the Friday edition of The Epoch Times News Brief.
*(Don’t forget the News Brief Motto): We’re portable, affordable, and always on-demand.
And finally, as we do each and every day on this program, we wrap everything up with a very notable quote, and this one comes to us from William Blake, who said: “Great things are done when men and mountains meet.”
For all of us here at The Epoch Times News Brief, I’m Bill Thomas.
The Epoch Times News Brief program was written today by Sharon Reardon.
Thank you for making us your one-stop source for a concise, accurate, and unbiased daily synopsis of many of the news stories you need to know about.
Enjoy the remainder of your Friday, and we’ll see you right back here next time for another edition of The Epoch Times News Brief. For now, let’s all continue to watch out for one another, and have an absolutely superb day today. Bye for now.
