Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) is preaching the conservative answer to New York City democratic socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s policies on one of Americans’ biggest concerns, the soaring cost of housing. “I agree with Zohran Mamdani on one thing,” Scott told The Daily Wire. “Homeownership has become nearly impossible and too many young families are struggling.”  But unlike the New York mayor, Scott told The Daily Wire that socialism isn’t the answer.  Scott said that while Mamdani has the diagnosis correct, the mayor’s cure is wrong, arguing that socialism will only expand the government policies that caused the housing crisis in the first place.  “The cost of housing today isn’t the free market failing, but the government failing the people and the free market,” Scott said. “His [Mamdani’s] socialist agenda will only create more of the failed big government spending and regulation that made it that way.” For roughly a century, the federal government has encouraged Americans to view homeownership as the foundation of financial security and a primary means of building wealth. Federal policymakers began promoting homeownership as early as the 1920s, when the Commerce Department published guidance on zoning and building codes. Zoning was presented as a way to preserve property values by preventing industrial development near residential neighborhoods, according to a history published by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Washington’s involvement in housing expanded during the Great Depression with the creation of the Federal Housing Administration, federal mortgage refinancing programs, and eventually, Fannie Mae. Those programs helped replace short, expensive mortgages with the long-term, fixed-rate loans now familiar to American buyers. The G.I. Bill later opened homeownership to millions of returning veterans, helping expand the middle class after World War II. The strategy rewarded Americans who bought early. The national homeownership rate jumped from 43.6% in 1940 to 61.9% in 1960 as government-backed financing and postwar construction transformed homeownership into a cornerstone of middle-class life. Washington continued subsidizing mortgage debt, exempting much of the profit from home sales from taxation, backing most of the mortgage market, and intervening during downturns to prevent foreclosures and stabilize the housing system. But making homeownership central to household wealth also gave policymakers a powerful incentive to protect property values. Policies that preserve the wealth of existing homeowners can simultaneously raise the price younger Americans must pay to enter the market. That conflict has become increasingly visible. Census Bureau data shows that rising home equity was the primary driver of the $40,000 increase in median household net worth between 2019 and 2022. Among homeowners, median home equity climbed by $47,900 during the same period. Washington, therefore, faces a problem partly of its own making as millions of older Americans depend on high home values for their financial security, while millions of younger Americans need homes to become more affordable before they can begin accumulating that same wealth. Scott says, “President Trump has been using every tool he has on this problem, but it’s time for Congress to get government the heck out of people’s lives so hard-working Americans’ money can go a lot further. That’s the best way to make sure young families can own an affordable home and have a shot at the American Dream.”

House Democrats are lashing out after one of their colleagues reached across the aisle to endorse a vulnerable New York Republican lawmaker.  Democrats privately voiced their frustration at Maine Democrat Rep. Jared Golden after he published an op-ed on Monday endorsing Rep. Mike Lawler’s (R-NY) re-election bid. Messages from House Democrats to the Washington Sun revealed reactions to Golden’s endorsement. “Doesn’t sound like a Democrat to me. And his voting record doesn’t show he’s a Democrat either,” one unidentified House Democrat said.  Golden, who represents a district President Donald Trump won in 2024, has diverted from his party on major votes. Earlier this month, he was one of eight House Democrats to join Republicans in voting for a resolution condemning socialism. “It’s a winnable seat that he’s helping to make more difficult,” another House Democrat told the Washington Sun. “Also what is he doing to help us elsewhere?” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) released a statement attacking Lawler following Golden’s endorsement.  “Mike Lawler is a partisan hack and Trump sycophant who Cait Conley will defeat in November,” he said. “In desperation, he is peddling an 11th hour endorsement from a retiring Congressmember who represents an out of town district more than 400 miles away. This smoke and mirrors ploy will do nothing to change the outcome of the race.” Golden, who is stepping down from Congress after his term expires in January, published an op-ed in a local newspaper on Monday praising Lawler for working with Democrats in the past.  “I strongly back him, and I hope voters send him back to work,” Golden wrote of Lawler. “Wherever you live, find the members who pass laws with the other party, and keep them.” Lawler joined House Democrats earlier this year to pass a bill aimed at shielding 350,000 Haitians from deportation. The proposal, which did not pass the Senate, was opposed by the White House.  One House Democrat told the Washington Sun that they didn’t think that Lawler was “beatable.”  “For the millions we will spend on Conley, we could dump into many less expensive markets and have a bigger bank for buck,” the representative said.  Democrats have been targeting Lawler’s seat as a potential pickup as the party attempts to wrestle control of the House away from Republicans. Republicans are also targeting additional seats in New York, with efforts to flip a more GOP-friendly district on Long Island.

Actress Hayden Panettiere’s death was ruled to be an accidental overdose on Tuesday. The Greenville County, South Carolina, Coroner’s office ruled her death as toxic effects of fentanyl, 4-ANPP, Alprazolam, Methocarbamol and Quetiapine, per People. The actress’s death was ruled to be an accident. Panettiere, best known for starring roles in “Nashville” and “Heroes,” was discovered dead in her apartment on August 16 at the age of 36. “On August 16, 2026, at approximately 1:51 PM, a 911 call was received regarding a reported cardiac arrest at 701 Easley Bridge Road in Greenville. First responders and Emergency Medical Services arrived on scene and located a female in cardiac arrest. EMS personnel initiated advanced cardiac life support measures; however, resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful, and the individual was pronounced deceased at 2:32 PM,” the coroner’s office statement said. “The Greenville County Coroner’s Office responded to the scene and initiated a parallel investigation with the Greenville City Police Department. The decedent has been identified as Hayden Leslie Panettiere, 36, of California. Panettiere was found unresponsive inside the residence, where she had been temporarily staying. An autopsy was completed by a board-certified forensic pathologist. At autopsy, no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed to the death.” The publicist for Panettiere’s family responded to the coroner’s report, telling the Associated Press that “the investigation is still ongoing and the case is complex.” The coroner’s report comes after multiple law enforcement sources told TMZ that Panettiere had a longtime drug dealer in Los Angeles who allegedly supplied her with black-market prescription drugs, including oxycodone. Investigators believe Panettiere took several drugs obtained from the dealer during her flight from Los Angeles to South Carolina the day before her death. They suggested at the time that one pill she took the following morning was an oxycodone pill laced with fentanyl, as The Daily Wire previously reported. Panettiere was discovered unconscious by her boyfriend Brian Hickerson and his brother Zach Hickerson. Zach said he was returning from a church service to meet up with Panettiere and Brian for lunch. When he knocked on the door, his brother woke up, and they found Panettiere unconscious. Brian immediately administered Narcan, a medication used to reverse opioid overdoses, while Zach called 911, he said. The brothers then performed CPR together while remaining on the phone with 911 dispatchers, but Panettiere could not be revived. Brian, the actress’ on-again-off-again boyfriend, reportedly met with DEA investigators as part of the ongoing probe. Police documents previously indicated that Panettiere had a “bag of medication” containing nine different substances, though the specific medications were redacted. The DEA has been involved in the case since the early days of the investigation in the hopes of bringing down her dealer in the same way that the dealers who provided deadly doses to “Friends” actor Matthew Perry and rapper Mac Miller were brought to justice.

Democratic Senate candidates James Talarico of Texas and Sherrod Brown of Ohio will hold a star-studded fundraiser in New York City next Monday with filmmaker Alexis Bittar, who described the United States as a “sh*thole” one day before the country’s 250th anniversary. Actor and producer Robert De Niro is hosting Talarico and Brown, who are vying to flip traditionally red seats blue this November, at the New York event. The invitation lists a host committee with Alexis Bittar at the top and charges attendees between $500 and $27,000. Just a few months ago, Bittar, the jewelry designer turned activist filmmaker behind “Reclaim the Flag,” expressed deep disdain for America one day before the country’s 250th birthday milestone. “I mean, I have three kids, and they’re little, and they’re growing up in this sh*thole,” Bittar told Interview Magazine on July 3. “So if we don’t do something now, we’re f*cked.” Bittar was discussing why he made the 33-minute documentary with Oscar-winning filmmaker Bruce Cohen, which casts the stars and stripes as “synonymous with fear” and a source of victimization for the LGBT community. “It’s become such a symbol of aggression, the American flag, like ‘we’re coming for you’ during Trump’s era,” Bittar told Forbes. “How tragic is this, like this is where we’re at that the ultimate symbol of the United States is now used as a weapon to bifurcate?” The Daily Wire reached out to Bittar for comment.  Less than five minutes into Bittar’s film, musician King Princess described her relationship with the American flag, saying, “When you walk past a house that has an American flag stoked in a yard, your immediate thought as a queer person is ‘I am not welcome here,’ that it’s a sign of bigotry and it’s a sign of fear.” Other interviewees highlighted by Bittar described the stars and stripes as a “violent symbol of hatred.” Another said people who fly the American flag would intentionally try to hit gay people with their cars. The inflammatory comments put a spotlight on the political fundraising circles surrounding Talarico, the Democrat running for U.S. Senate in Texas, and Brown, the former Ohio senator mounting a strong comeback challenge. Talarico appears to have deep ties to Bittar’s fundraising network, which helped raise money to elect New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Then, the socialist mayor tapped Bittar to his Arts and Culture Transition Committee.  Now, the Brooklyn-based jeweler and political activist is hoping to extend his reach into the American heartland. In August, Bittar posted a selfie with Talarico, calling the Texas Democrat a “massive force” who could help flip the Senate blue. “I love how this man can quote the bible to shut down so called ‘Christian Republicans’ ashamed of their actions they are taking against U.S. citizens,” Bittar said in an Instagram post. “I will be helping him out in the coming months to become the next Senator of Texas.” “Americans want change now,” he added.  The Daily Wire reached out to the Talarico and Brown campaigns for comment.     View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Alexis Bittar (@alexis.bittar)

WASHINGTON — When I RSVP’d to the inaugural Pro-Human Assembly, I expected to see something interesting. Any time you have Senator Bernie Sanders and Steve Bannon being cheered by the same crowd, it’s going to be a spectacle. But by the time I actually descended to the basement of the Marriott Marquis Hotel, the Pro-Human Assembly had taken on a sense of urgency. Days prior, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei declared in a barnburner essay that it was time to slow the tide of artificial intelligence — warning that advanced AI could lead to “losing control of AI systems,” cyberattacks and bioterrorism, and “serious economic disruption.” His main competitors — OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Elon Musk — quickly co-signed his warning. Immediately upon entering the event space, I was greeted by a live counter, ticking upward, a record of how many people had signed a “pro-human declaration.” To the left of the ticker was a confessional where attendees could speak directly into a camera about what makes them feel most human. Several people came out looking like they’d just undergone intensive therapy, but when I asked the man running the booth, he said people had mostly rattled off ordinary moments — forgetting their keys, missing an anniversary, realizing they had something in their teeth. After a breakfast of yogurt and chia seeds, attendees gathered for the welcome session. Future of Life Institute Director of Futures Emily Javorsky, CEO Anthony Aguirre, and the organization’s chairman kicked off the conference with a rah-rah, “go humanity!” speech. It wouldn’t be the last time that day I wondered whether being pro-human and pro-AI were really mutually exclusive. The conference’s speakers did not seem particularly interested in answering that question. By the end of the day’s second panel, “Accountability Through Advocacy,” the message was clear: sweeping AI regulation was the answer to saving humanity. Left unmentioned was China, the tortoise in the AI race, which has no intention of slowing down should the United States make a regulatory pit stop. The conference had an anti-AI angle for everyone. There were panels on human agency and liberty. On keeping humans in charge. Perspectives on faith and the economy. Grassroots organizing. Many of the conference attendees were particularly concerned about the potential environmental impact of AI. It reminded me of the anti-AI protester I had spoken with earlier outside of the Trump administration’s G20 AI event. The protester had told me AI was “killing off the fireflies.” And then, somewhere in the middle of it all, Sanders and Bannon took the stage together to warn about their shared foe. Sanders argued that the best path forward was stripping power from private companies, a not unsurprising take from Vermont’s socialist senator. Rather than allowing shareholders with equity stakes to help select board members, he suggested giving the government a role in appointing them. The room applauded the idea of letting technology-averse bureaucrats help choose who oversees the world’s most advanced technology companies. Bannon, the former Breitbart honcho and Trump adviser, claimed not to be a doomer, but warned that the “AI Oligarchs” could not be trusted. This puts him on the other side of the issue from his former boss, President Trump, an unlikely AI supporter. Trump, who doesn’t use email and only began texting in 2022, is one of the frontier technology’s biggest champions. But the president isn’t embracing AI to clean up his inbox; he’s using it to build his legacy. He’s called AI the “Golden Goose” that will allow the United States to outgrow its fiscal debt crisis. He says the country that wins the AI race will be the leader of the world. The conference’s most harrowing moment came from parents whose children committed suicide following interactions with AI. Cynthia Montoya spoke about how her daughter took her own life after she was sexually exploited by an AI chatbot on a platform called Character.AI. The website allows people to chat with fictional characters, historical figures, and celebrities. Montoya said the character her daughter spoke with engaged her in sexual conversation. Sewell Setzer said his son used the platform to speak with an AI-generated “Game of Thrones” character Daenerys Targaryen, who helped his son derive a plan to kill himself. “We will not stop seeking legislation until our children are provided safely tested products,” Setzer said. “We are trying to turn our tragedy into advocacy.” Shortly after, the room heard from a trio of Democratic lawmakers: Senator Richard Blumenthal (CT), and Reps. Don Beyer (VA) and Bill Foster (IL). AI opposition is not confined to the Left — Blumenthal recently sponsored AI regulation alongside Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri. Beyer was the first to speak but kept his remarks incredibly brief, clocking in at maybe five minutes — an impressive display of restraint for someone who had just declared artificial intelligence the most important issue facing America after affordability. Blumenthal began by joking that his remarks would be anticlimactic for a room that had just heard from Sanders and Bannon. He was right. After mispronouncing Dario Amodei’s name, Blumenthal tripped over his words while attempting to make some kind of point. The anti-AI movement is like a “critical mass approaching a frenzy,” Blumenthal said. “And the problem with this kind of frenzy is there’s a lot of froth. And that froth has to be channeled into action.” To his credit, it’s clear that the senator didn’t use AI to polish his remarks. Foster, a former physicist, wrapped things up by calling for Congress to write the rules that would govern AI. It’s not clear what, exactly, those rules would look like, but by the time he wrapped up, I was ready to leave the Marriott basement. It was a long day, often confusing, sometimes interesting. What’s more human than that?