My father started building homes nearly 40 years ago, and I’ve spent my life watching families achieve the American dream through homeownership. As a 36-year-old, I belong to the generation less likely to buy a home than our parents were at the same age. For the security of America’s future, that must change. The National Association of Realtors’ 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers reports that the median age of first-time homebuyers has reached a historic high of 40 years old, up significantly from around 30 in earlier decades (and as low as 28 in 1992 in some historical comparisons). This delay isn’t just an interesting statistic. It’s a devastating barrier to wealth-building. It is a financial long-term blow to the American economy. Homeownership has long been the primary way Americans accumulate equity and financial security. When families wait an extra decade to buy, they miss out on substantial gains. Consider the lost equity from delaying purchase by 10 years. Historical home price appreciation averages about 3%-5% annually nationwide. For a typical starter home purchased at $250,000 (a rough benchmark for past decades), 10 years of 4% average appreciation could increase its value to around $370,000 or more. That means roughly $120,000 to $150,000 in potential equity growth vanishes for those locked out of the market longer. Older homeowners build wealth while younger families rent indefinitely, often paying more without ownership benefits. I don’t have enough fingers to count the friends who assumed they’d be homeowners by now. Anecdotal as it may seem, the data backs it up—85% of Americans believe it’s harder for young people to buy homes today than for previous generations. As the nation debates housing affordability and scarcity, it is clear that scarcity didn’t happen by accident. It stems from bad policy, and it can be fixed with better policy.  Commonsense reforms must be rewarded. And obvious failures must be called out. Overregulation is an obvious failure. Nearly a quarter of a new home’s cost comes from government fees, regulations, and mandates, not superior materials or craftsmanship. On average, that is around $94,000. This figure is unacceptable. We should all be outraged that bureaucratic hurdles inflate prices, pricing out young families. Nearly $100,000 is budget dust to a keyboard-wielding bureaucrat, but it is a legacy of financial security for most American families. President Donald Trump, a builder himself, intuitively grasps this. Increasing housing stock is essential without eroding value for current homeowners who’ve invested years in their properties. It must be a win-win for everyone. Older owners must be able to sell and downsize fairly, while making starter homes accessible again.  I’m proud to partner with the America First Policy Institute’s Dr. Ben Carson and influencer Benny Johnson on these issues. We firmly believe the government should make it easier for families to build wealth, start households, and have babies—not more difficult through overregulation and scarcity. The American dream isn’t dead, but it’s delayed for too many. By cutting red tape, incentivizing construction, and prioritizing affordability, we can restore homeownership as a realistic milestone for the next generation. It’s time to make housing great again, and we do that through deregulation and policies that make it more affordable. We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal. The post Making Housing Great for America’s Younger Generations by Eliminating Nonsense Bureaucratic Hurdles appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Minnesota’s Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison will answer questions from a congressional panel investigating welfare fraud in the state.  The two will testify on March 4 to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.  “Americans deserve answers about the rampant misuse of taxpayer dollars in Minnesota’s social services programs that occurred on Gov. Walz’s and Attorney General Ellison’s watch,” House Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said Friday in a post on X.  ? BREAKING: Tim Walz and AG Ellison to testify in front of Congress on March 4.@RepJamesComer: "Americans deserve answers about the rampant misuse of taxpayer dollars in Minnesota's social services programs that occurred on Gov. Walz's & Attorney General Ellison's watch." pic.twitter.com/eae5umUGJm— Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) January 30, 2026 Federal prosecutors have estimated that welfare fraud in the state could have topped $9 billion. Amid the nearly 100 fraud arrests, the Trump administration has withheld funds for certain social programs. Walz, the 2024 Democrat nominee for vice president, announced that he would not seek reelection to a third term as governor earlier this month amid intense criticism over the scandal. Earlier this month, members of the Minnesota House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy Committee testified to the same congressional panel that Walz likely knew about the fraud as it occurred. State Republican lawmakers also testified about state intimidation of whistleblowers. The Daily Signal contacted both the governor’s office and the attorney general’s office for comment Friday morning. Neither immediately responded. The post Walz, Ellison to Testify at House Hearing on Fraud Scandal appeared first on The Daily Signal.

FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—Cities Church, the St. Paul church invaded by agitators opposing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, responded Friday after federal agents arrested former CNN host Don Lemon Thursday night in Los Angeles. “We are grateful that the Department of Justice acted swiftly to protect Cities Church so that we can continue to faithfully live out the church’s mission to worship Jesus and make him known,” Jonathan Parnell, the church’s lead pastor, said in a statement first provided to The Daily Signal. Renee Carlson and Doug Wardlow, the attorneys for True North Legal who represent Cities Church, also celebrated the arrests. “The freedom to worship God without fear of violence and intimidation is a fundamental right that defines who we are as Americans,” the attorneys said. “True North Legal and Cities Church are grateful that the Department of Justice is committed to upholding that freedom and is holding the agitators who invaded the church accountable.” ?EXCLUSIVE@citieschurch Head Pastor @jonathanparnell responds to Don Lemon's arrest:“We are grateful that the Department of Justice acted swiftly to protect Cities Church so that we can continue to faithfully live out the church’s mission to worship Jesus and make him… pic.twitter.com/B2Zi8O8dag— Tyler O'Neil (@Tyler2ONeil) January 30, 2026 Don Lemon’s Arrest “Don Lemon was taken into custody by federal agents last night in Los Angeles, where he was covering the Grammy awards,” Lemon’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, wrote in a statement posted to Lemon’s show on YouTube. “Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done,” Lowell added. “The First Amendment exists to protect journalists whose role it is to shine light on the truth and hold those in power accountable.” Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed the arrest, and also mentioned that federal agents arrested Trahern Jeen Crews, Georgia Fort, and Jamael Lydell Lundy. At my direction, early this morning federal agents arrested Don Lemon, Trahern Jeen Crews, Georgia Fort, and Jamael Lydell Lundy, in connection with the coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota.More details soon.— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) January 30, 2026 The Justice Department initially sought charges for Lemon, among others, for violating the Ku Klux Klan Act and the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act earlier this month when he entered Cities Church in St. Paul amid an invasion of the service. The Klan Act criminalizes the deprivation of rights, and the Justice Department has claimed the church invaders deprived worshippers of their First Amendment right to religious exercise. The FACE Act protects access to houses of worship. A federal magistrate judge, however, refused to sign a warrant for Lemon’s arrest. The Justice Department appealed that decision, but the court noted that prosecutors could improve the filing before presenting it to the same judge, or present the case to a grand jury to seek an indictment. The Justice Department withdrew the appeal earlier this week, and it seems prosecutors found another way to bring the case. ?BREAKINGDon Lemon's attorney Abbe Lowell has confirmed that federal agents arrested the former CNN anchor last night.Lemon claims he was there as a journalist and should be protected by the First Amendment.@citieschurch attorney Renee Carlson noted, however, “There is no… pic.twitter.com/tP7KwmTpmN— Tyler O'Neil (@Tyler2ONeil) January 30, 2026 First Amendment Defense? Lemon has claimed that he went to Cities Church merely to cover the agitation as a journalist, and did not intend to violate anyone’s rights. Lowell faulted the Justice Department for pursuing Lemon, rather than the federal agents who shot Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both 37, amid the surge of federal law enforcement in Minneapolis. “Instead of investigating the federal agents who killed two peaceful Minnesota protesters, the Trump Justice Department is devoting its time, attention and resources to this arrest, and that is the real indictment of wrongdoing in this case,” Lowell wrote. “This unprecedented attack on the First Amendment and transparent attempt to distract attention from the many crises facing this administration will not stand. Don will fight these charges vigorously and thoroughly in court.” Renee Carlson, who represents Cities Church as general counsel for True North Counsel, had highlighted a previous statement suggesting that, even if Lemon avoids all criminal liability, he may face civil liability. “The First Amendment does not allow premeditated plots or coordinated actions to violate the sanctity of a sanctuary, disrupt worship, and intimidate small children,” Carlson said in a previous statement she highlighted for The Daily Signal. “There is no ‘press pass’ to invade a sanctuary or to conspire to interrupt religious services.” ?HORRIFYING NEW DETAILSThe invasion of Cities Church was even worse than we thought. Agitators blocked stairs so "parents were unable to get to their children" at Sunday School.?One told a kid, "Do you know your parents are Nazis, they're going to burn in hell?"?1/7 pic.twitter.com/DUNPRdECGa— Tyler O'Neil (@Tyler2ONeil) January 25, 2026 Georgia Fort, another journalist who claims she was there to document the invasion, released a video shortly before surrendering to federal agents. Independent journalist Georgia Fort was also arrested by federal agents earlier for reporting on the church protest in Minneapolis. She was live streaming when agents arrived to take her into custody. pic.twitter.com/tAibU7sBsi— MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) January 30, 2026 The Church Invasion Between 30 and 40 anti-ICE agitators interrupted a Sunday service at Cities Church, a non-denominational Christian church, and shouted, “Justice for Renee Good!” as they surrounded members of the congregation.  Videos of the incident show the pastor and others repeatedly asking the agitators to leave, and the agitators chanting, “Who shut this down? We shut this down!” According to the charging document, a member of the congregation said worshippers were “terrorized, our children were weeping.” One woman broke her arm. Agitators blocked about 50 members of the congregation from exiting, making it “nearly impossible for parishioners to get out and leave.” The document also mentions that agitators prevented congregants from getting to their children, and one of the agitators reportedly told young children, “Do you know your parents are Nazis, they’re going to burn in hell?” Last week, law enforcement arrested Nekima Levy Armstrong, Chauntyll Louisa Allen, and William Kelly, the man who posted videos of the incident online on the handle “DaWoke Farmer.” The magistrate judge who declined to sign Lemon’s arrest warrant also rejected FACE Act charges against Armstrong, Allen, and Kelly, but approved their arrests for violation of the KKK Act. Nekima Armstrong, leader of the Racial Justice Network and a former president of the Minneapolis chapter of the NAACP, told Democracy Now that she does not regret helping to lead the protest. “We are unapologetic about going into the church,” Armstrong said. She called it a “conflict of interest” for a pastor to oversee “the brutal conduct of ICE agents.” After the church invasion, Lemon attacked the “type of Christianity” practiced by Cities Church, claiming that the church has an “entitlement” that “comes from white supremacy.” The post EXCLUSIVE: Cities Church Responds to Don Lemon Arrest appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Arizona educators have been set free to create their own schools and education services. And families can now select between them to find the best fit for their child. Arizona lawmakers in the 1990s created the nation’s most robust charter school law, the first scholarship tax credit program, and statewide district open enrollment. Education flourished in the process as Arizona led the nation in the creation of new public schools and statewide academic achievement improved. Arizona then took the boldest step of all—allowing parents to receive their K-12 funding into an account to manage within the confines of statute. Today, this latest form of education has proven wildly popular with families, which can be seen both in the growth of the program and the desperately incoherent complaints of opponents. Arizona lawmakers created the nation’s first account-based K-12 choice program, Empowerment Scholarship Accounts, in 2011. Participating families sign a contract with the state to educate their child, and the state deposits an amount equal to 90% of the state funding of their district into an account controlled by parents with state oversight. Accounts have multiple but limited uses set down in statute—families can use their funds for tuition at private schools, colleges, and universities, and to purchase individual public school courses. They can also use those funds for tutoring, special education therapies, academic curriculum and materials, and more. Arizona’s program debuted with 144 students in 2011 and grew to about 12,000 students in 2022 when Republican Gov. Doug Ducey made all Arizona students eligible. In early 2026, Arizona’s ESA enrollment surpassed 100,000 students. An EdChoice study of account use found that the number of participating private schools increased from 510 to 661 between the 2022 and 2023 school years, including large increases in private religious schools, non-religious private schools, special education-focused schools, co-ops, and post-secondary schools. Participating colleges, tutors, and therapists likewise increased. Some Arizona families have teamed up to hire their own teachers, cutting out the middleman. Despite her own personal use of choice as a student and parent, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, continues seeking to deprive Arizona families of the same. This year, she proposed to cut off participation in the program to higher-income families and to ban the rollover of unused funds from one school year to the next at the behest of her allies in the teacher unions. Neither of these proposals makes the least bit of sense. Arizona taxpayers can, for instance, fund nearly two students to participate in the ESA program for the total average cost for one student to attend an Arizona district school. Why Hobbs happily spends $20,000 for the children of well-to-do families attending a district while begrudging them a $7,500 ESA instead seems entirely bizarre. Likewise, moving ESA accounts to “use it or lose it” will result in a misuse of funds. Bureaucrats have long squandered funds on end-of-the-fiscal-year spending sprees, and it is not something to adopt in choice programs. Private school tuition is higher for the high school years than in K-8, meaning that families sometimes roll over funds for future expenses. The “savings” part of an education savings account requires families to consider opportunity costs when making purchases for their students. Nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come—not even teacher unions. The post Arizona ESA Growth Skyrockets While Criticisms Crash appeared first on The Daily Signal.

The U.S. Justice Department on Friday published a new and final cache of millions of documents related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, under a law passed in November that required the release of all Epstein-related records. Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general, said at a press conference that Friday’s batch of files marked the end of the Trump administration’s planned releases under the law. The new cache includes more than 3 million pages, 2,000 videos, and 180,000 images, he said. The files include “extensive” redactions, he said, given the law’s exceptions permitting certain documents to be blacked out, including identifying information of victims or materials related to active investigations. Previous releases have been heavily redacted, drawing criticism from some lawmakers. Blanche defended the slow pace of releases, saying that the voluminous files required hundreds of attorneys to work day and night for weeks to review and prepare them for public release. The law had set a deadline of Dec. 19, 2025, but officials said they needed more time to review the files. President Donald Trump, who was friends with Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s before they had a falling out years before Epstein’s first conviction, spent months resisting any release until both Democrats and Republicans in Congress advanced the law over his objections. Trump has not been formally accused of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein, and he has denied any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes. In a press release announcing Friday’s document production, the Justice Department wrote, “Some of the documents contain untrue and sensationalist claims against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election. To be clear, the claims are unfounded and false, and if they have a shred of credibility, they certainly would have been weaponized against President Trump already.” Epstein, a New York financier, was found hanged in his jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide. Blanche expressed frustration with accusations that the Justice Department had declined to pursue associates of Epstein who may have participated in illegal activity. “There’s this built-in assumption that somehow there’s this hidden tranche of information of men that we know about, that we’re covering up, or that we’re not, we’re choosing not to prosecute. That is not the case,” he said. Former President Bill Clinton appeared in the batch of Epstein files released by the Justice Department in December. Clinton was featured in a photograph with Epstein’s associate Ghislaine Maxwell at the Epstein estate. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee last summer issued subpoenas to 10 individuals, including Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, to testify about the crimes of Epstein. Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., noted that Epstein claimed to have helped set up the Clinton Foundation, and that records show he helped raise money for the foundation.  The committee, in a bipartisan vote, recently moved to advance contempt citations against the Clintons for their failure to testify in the investigation. The Clintons published a letter explaining their refusal to testify, saying, “We have tried to give you the little information we have.” They also said the investigation was politicized. Reuters contributed to this report. . The post Justice Department Releases Final Cache of Jeffrey Epstein Files appeared first on The Daily Signal.