Over the past three years‚ rent costs have risen dramatically for Americans as inflation and housing constraints push expenses up‚ according to data from Harvard’s “America’s Rental Housing 2024″ report. Renting unaffordability has reached an all-time high‚ with 22.4 million households spending more than 30% of their income on rent and utilities‚ up by 2 million in just three years‚ canceling out increases in affordability seen in 2014 and 2019‚ according to the report from Harvard. The resulting increases in costs have raised the number of cost-burdened renters to 50%‚ up 3.2 percentage points since 2019. The number of low-rent units‚ those below $600 a month‚ adjusted for inflation‚ has fallen by 2.1 million since 2012‚ totaling just 7.2 million units in 2022‚ according to the report. The constriction in supply was especially pronounced from 2019 to 2022‚ with the number of low-rent units dropping by more than half a million. The trend of median rents rising faster than income has continued over the past few years‚ with rents being 21% higher in 2022 as compared with 2001 in inflation-adjusted terms‚ while incomes have only increased 2%‚ according to the report. Following the increases in the costs of rent‚ the number of homeless people has increased by 48% from 2015 to 2023‚ rising by 83‚000 people‚ according to the report. States such as California‚ Washington and Oregon had quick growth in homeless populations due to constraints in housing supply and high costs. Shelter has been hit disproportionately hard by price increases from inflation‚ rising 18.7% since January 2021‚ when Biden first took office‚ according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. In contrast‚ general inflation has risen 17.7% in that same time frame. Unaffordability for homes has also increased dramatically‚ with home prices reaching an all-time high in October‚ rising 4.8% year-over-year. The supply of new homes has been constricted in part by a lack of construction workers‚ with the Home Builders Institute estimating that the U.S. will need 723‚000 new construction workers every year to keep up with current demand. An estimated 1.5 million new homes will need to be built before 2030 to meet growth expectations. Mortgage rates have also pushed housing costs up‚ with the average for a 30-year mortgage nearly exceeding 8% in October. Originally published by the Daily Caller News Foundation Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post Americans Getting Nailed by Through-the-Roof Rents appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Tucker Carlson released his much-anticipated interview with Vladimir Putin‚ a two-hour conversation recorded Tuesday in Moscow. It was the first interview between the Russian leader and an American journalist since the conflict in Ukraine escalated in 2022. Asked by Carlson if he had achieved his goals in Ukraine‚ Putin said bluntly‚ “No. We haven’t achieved our aims yet.” Ep. 73 The Vladimir Putin Interview pic.twitter.com/67YuZRkfLL— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) February 8‚ 2024 Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post Tucker Carlson Presses Putin on Ukraine. Here’s How the Russian Leader Responds. appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Sexual Tension: Erin Burnett‚ Volodymyr Zelensky Star in the Pas De Deux From 'Swoon Lake'

Hawaii's Supreme Court Attempts to Sidestep the 2nd Amendment

The spotlight was on President Biden’s failing mental faculties Thursday night following Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report on the classified documents in his garage. The report declined to indict the President partially because investigators thought Biden’s failing memory would give a jury pause. And in a press conference to address the report‚ Biden lashed out at the special counsel and journalists like Fox News’s Peter Doocy and made multiple mental fumbles that only added evidence to the argument. Instead of calling on pre-selected members of the White House press pool picked out by his staff‚ as usual‚ Biden opened the floor to questions after his remarks. The first journalist to jump in‚ without challenge‚ was Doocy. Doocy wasted no time in grilling Biden on what the special counsel said about his poor memory and got an angry response for the effort: DOOCY: President Biden‚ something special counsel said in his report is that one of the reasons you were not charged is because‚ in his description‚ “you are a well-meaning‚ elderly man with a poor memory.” BIDEN: I'm well-meaning and I'm an elderly man and I know what the hell I'm doing. I've been president and I put this country back on its feet. I don't need his recommendation. It’s totally-- DOUCY: How bad is your memory? And can you continue as president? BIDEN: My memory is so bad I let you speak! Surprisingly‚ ABC’s MaryAlice Park followed up with this fastball: “Do you feel your memory has gotten worse‚ Mr. President?” “My memory has not gotten – My memory is fine. My memory – Take a look at what I've done since I’ve become president. None of you thought could I pass any of the things I got passed. How did that happen? You know‚ I guess I just forgot what was going on‚” Biden rambled.     The Washington Post’s Tyler Pager kept the questions about Biden’s memory flowing‚ much to Biden’s chagrin: PAGER: Mr. President‚ the voters have concerns about your age. How are you going to assuage them and do you fear this report only going to fuel further concern about you? BIDEN: Only by some of you. CNN’s MJ Lee was the one to receive Biden’s full anger about the subject. After daring to mention that his mental acuity was a major concern for Americans‚ the president shouted at her: LEE: Mr. President‚ for months when you were asked about your age‚ would you respond with the words‚ “Watch me.” Many American people have been watching and they have expressed concerns about your age. BIDEN [interrupting]: That is your judgment! That is your judgment! That is not the judgment of the press! “They express concerns about your mental acuity. They say you are too old‚” she pushed back. “Mr. President‚ in December you told me that you believed there are many other Democrats who could defeat Donald Trump. So why does it have to be you now? What is your answer to that question?” Biden snapped: “Because I'm the most qualified person in this country to be president of the United States and finish the job I started.”   During his address‚ where Biden claimed his mental faculties were fine‚ he appeared to claim Mexico shared a border with Israel. He says he spoke with the president of Mexico to open the gates to let humanitarian aid in. pic.twitter.com/YGY3DlX29E — Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) February 9‚ 2024   The president didn’t do himself any favors during the presser. At one point he claimed President El-Sisi was the leader of Mexico. He’s the president of Egypt: I'm of the view‚ as you know‚ that the conduct of the response [long pause] in Gaza‚ in the Gaza Strip has been‚ um‚ over the top. I think that [long pause]‚ as you know‚ initially‚ the president of Mexico‚ El-Sisi did not want to open up the gate to allow humanitarian material to get in. I talked to him. I convinced him to open the gate. I talked to Bibi to open the gate on the Israeli side. I've been pushing really hard. Really hard to get humanitarian assistance into Gaza. Biden also lashed out at Hur for including how he forgot when his son Beau passed away: In addition‚ I know there's some attention paid to some language in the report about my recollection of events. There's even reference that I don't remember when my son died. How in the hell dare he raise that? Frankly‚ when I was asked the question‚ I thought to myself‚ “It wasn't any of their damn business.” But at no point did the President put the suggestion to rest by simply stating the date of Beau’s passing. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 February 8‚ 2024 8:01:26 p.m. Eastern (…) PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: In addition‚ I know there's some attention paid to some language in the report about my recollection of events. There's even reference that I don't remember when my son died. How in the hell dare he raise that? Frankly‚ when I was asked the question‚ I thought to myself‚ “It wasn't any of their damn business.” Let me tell you something. Some of you have commented‚ I'm aware since the day he died‚ I wear every day the rosary he got from our lady of – [trails off]. Every Memorial Day we hold a service remembering him attended by friends and family and the people who loved him. I don't need anyone‚ I don't need anyone to remind me when he passed away. When he passed away. (…) 8:02:53 p.m. Eastern BIDEN: Thank you‚ and I’ll take some questions. PETER DOOCY: President Biden‚ something special counsel said in his report is that one of the reasons you were not charged is because‚ in his description‚ “you are a well-meaning‚ elderly man with a poor memory.” BIDEN: I'm well-meaning and I'm an elderly man and I know what the hell I'm doing. I've been president and I put this country back on its feet. I don't need his recommendation. It’s totally-- DOUCY: How bad is your memory? And can you continue as president? BIDEN: My memory is so bad I let you speak! That's -- MARYALICE PARKS: Do you feel your memory has gotten worse‚ Mr. President? BIDEN: My memory has not gotten – My memory is fine. My memory – Take a look at what I've done since I’ve become president. None of you thought could I pass any of the things I got passed. How did that happen? You know‚ I guess I just forgot what was going on. TYLER PAGER: Mr. President‚ the voters have concerns about your age. How are you going to assuage them and do you fear this this report only going to fuel further concern about your? BIDEN: Only by some of you. (…) 8:04:34 p.m. Eastern MJ LEE: Mr. President‚ for months when you were asked about your age‚ would you respond with the words‚ “watch me.” Many American people have been watching and they have expressed concerns about your age. BIDEN [interrupting]: That is your judgment! That is your judgment! That is not the judgment of the press! LEE: They express concerns about your mental acuity. They say you are too old. Mr. President‚ in December you told me that you believed there are many other Democrats who could defeat Donald Trump. So why does it have to be you now? What is your answer to that question? BIDEN: Because I'm the most qualified person in this country to be president of the United States and finish the job I started. (…) 8:08:05 p.m. Eastern BIDEN: I'm of the view‚ as you know‚ that the conduct of the response [long pause] in Gaza‚ in the Gaza strip has been‚ um‚ over the top. I think that [long pause]‚ as you know‚ initially‚ the president of Mexico El-Sisi did not want to open up the gate to allow humanitarian material to get in. I talked to him. I convinced him to open the gate. I talked to Bibi to open the gate on the Israeli side. I've been pushing really hard. Really hard to get humanitarian assistance into Gaza. (…)

GOP Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana told Treasury Sec. Janet Yellen that she is a "good sport" to attempt to "defend Bidenomics‚" an endeavor that he compared to seeking to put up a defense of "fungal infection."During the hearing‚ Kennedy described Bidenomics as "paying more to live worse."Yellen‚ unsurprisingly‚ disagreed with the senator's description of Bidenomics‚ claiming instead that Bidenomics sought to tackle the "pain" resulting from the pandemic and that it seeks to help middle-class families.But as Yellen was delivering her spiel about Bidenomics‚ Kennedy interrupted her. "Good try‚" he said. He asked Yellen whether high prices resulting from Bidenomics will stick around. Yellen rejected the notion that Bidenomics caused high prices‚ but when pressed again by Kennedy on whether the high prices will remain in place‚ she said‚ "I don't expect the level of prices to go down." She said that "some prices will be higher than they were before the pandemic‚ and will stay higher‚ but wages have risen considerably."Kennedy pointed out that those who don't receive increased pay are "screwed." — (@) When Federal Reserve board of governors chair Jerome Powell was asked during a "60 Minutes" interview whether prices will fall‚ he said that "prices of some things will decline‚ others will go up. But we don't expect to see a decline in the overall price level."Powell noted that the prices of staples such as bread‚ milk‚ and eggs "are substantially higher than they were before the pandemic" and noted that this is thought to be a significant reason that people feel "relatively dissatisfied with what is otherwise a pretty good economy." Fed Chair Jerome Powell: The 2024 60 Minutes Interview www.youtube.com Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

President Joe Biden held a national address on Thursday in order to lash out angrily at a special counsel report that revealed many memory lapses‚ and then he made an embarrassing mistake. Special counsel Robert Hur said in his report that the president exhibited evidence of degenerating memory to the point that it would be difficult to persuade a jury that he was guilty of willfully committing crimes related to document security. Biden specifically zeroed in on the account in the report that he had forgotten the date of the death of his son‚ Beau Biden. Then‚ he forgot the name of the saint he prayed to and simply moved on. "I know there's some attention paid to some language in the report about my recollection of events. There's even reference that I don't remember when my son died‚" said the president in the address. "How in the hell dare he raise that?" he asked rhetorically. "Frankly‚ when I was asked the question‚ I thought to myself‚ 'What is any of their damn business?' Let me tell you something‚ some of you have commented‚ I swear since the day he died‚ every single day‚ the rosary that he got from our lady of...‚" he said‚ forgetting the saint's name and moving on. "Every Memorial Day‚ we hold a service remembering him attending by friends and family‚ people who loved him‚" said Biden. "I don't need anyone to remind me of when he passed away." Biden went on to toss his staff under the bus and blame them for the documents found in his possession. He also fired back at the special counsel's referring to him as a "sympathetic‚ well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory‚" when asked by a reporter. "I’m well-meaning and I’m an elderly man and I know what the hell I’m doing. I put this country back on its feet. I don’t need his recommendation‚" Biden replied. Biden then went on to confuse the leaders of Mexico and Egypt while talking about the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border. "Initially‚ the president of Mexico‚ Sisi‚ did not want to open up the gate to allow humanitarian material to get in to allow humanitarian material to get in‚" said the president. "I talked to him‚ I convinced him to open the gate."Critics of the president pounced on the mistake to lambast him even more about his memory lapses. “My memory has not gotten worse‚” the 81-year-old claimed. "My memory is fine!" Here's the address in its entirety: Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A Missouri teacher said she was quitting her profession after she was brutally beaten by a student and a video of the attack was posted to social media. “I’m afraid to go back in there. I can’t trust the children. I can’t trust the system‚” said 65-year-old Sheryl Rogers in an interview with KMOV-TV. Rogers had previously come out of retirement to return to teaching in St. Louis‚ but she says she no longer feels safe. In January‚ Rogers was beaten by a student who was upset that her belongs had been taken away at Normandy Collaborative High School. She was beaten and pulled by the hair in the hallway while kids looked on. “I could see the legs and feet of children around me but nobody helped me‚” she said. Rogers said that the district offered no help to her and wanted her return to work the next day despite her injuries. “I still have bruises on both of my legs‚ I still have throbbing in the back of my head and sometimes I just cry uncontrollably‚” she added. Rogers has a GoFundMe set up on her behalf to help her pay for her medical expenses: For over 20 years‚ Ms. Sheryl has been more than just a teacher; she has been a mentor a guide‚ and a beacon of hope in our community. In 2020 she was a recipient of The St. Louis American Foundation's Salute to Excellence In Education Award. Her dedication to her students and her unwavering commitment to education have touched countless lives.The account said that the former teacher was left with physical as well as emotional scars. “I just stopped crying every day a couple of days ago‚” she said. “That student was hurting and it wasn’t even about me‚ it was something else and I just happened to be a target.” She says that there are many teachers who are quitting because of student violence. “Teachers are leaving the profession by the thousands so that should tell you something‚” Rogers concluded. KMOV reported that any punishment of the student was unknown because of student privacy. Here's the report of the school attack: Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Indiana University – Purdue University reportedly scrubbed a "workshop" about bondage after parents complained about the controversial course. Indiana University – Purdue University had reportedly planned to offer an "Introduction to Bondage" free workshop for all students on Feb. 13. However‚ the university quietly walked back the controversial class after pushback from parents‚ according to reports. The New York Post reported‚ "The Hoosier handcuff symposium was slated to be led by a 'national rope presenter' named Fynch‚ whose bio boasts of PhD level mastery of 'basic negotiation‚ the anatomy of the arm‚ as well as the anatomy of the hip‚ groin‚ and upper leg.'"Citing Ryan Anderson‚ assistant director of the office of health and wellness promotion‚ the Collegiate Commons reported‚ "It will be an hour-long workshop with the first portion being our instructor Fynch talking about basic bondage techniques‚ skills‚ and safety‚ consent‚ and communication with bondage‚ and in general‚ and demonstrating a few ties on her partner. The second part of the workshop will be an opportunity for participants‚ based on comfortability‚ to practice basic ties demonstrated first by our instructor."The college course added‚ "Nylon rope will be provided and I along [with] our instructor and others will be walking around to assist."The so-called lesson categorized "bondage" as "a form of consensual and recreational sex play that involves tying‚ restraining‚ or binding a person with rope‚ handcuffs‚ or other items that can restrict movement."Collegiate Commons noted that Fynch is active on "FetLife‚" a fetish-oriented social media platform‚ where the individual reportedly wrote about rape‚ coercion‚ and "suggested child pornography." The college instructor is allegedly a master in the "basic negotiation‚ the anatomy of the arm‚ as well as the anatomy of the hip‚ groin‚ and upper leg."The "lesson" was allegedly part of the university's "Relationship Week." However‚ the course was nixed by the public university on Wednesday after backlash from parents. Jacob Stewart‚ an IUPUI student‚ said‚ "My university has faced controversy during my time here for not doing enough to protect students from sexual assault This [event] is not making campus safer‚ nor is it making the sex lives of students any safer - all it’s doing is showing how far IUPUI has gotten from its actual educational mission."Like Blaze News? Circumvent the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The state Supreme Court of Hawaii cited "the spirit of Aloha" in a 57-page ruling that residents did not have a Second Amendment right to bear arms‚ and it was mocked and ridiculed mercilessly on social media. "The spirit of Aloha clashes with a federally-mandated lifestyle that lets citizens walk around with deadly weapons during day-to-day activities‚" read the ruling written by Justice Todd Eddins. "The history of the Hawaiian Islands does not include a society where armed people move about the community to possibly combat the deadly aims of others‚" Eddins added. "We hold that in Hawaii there is no state constitutional right to carry a firearm in public." Critics of the unanimous 5-0 ruling excoriated the bizarre justification for denying a constitutional right. "Reading this Hawaii Supreme Court ruling and I think it broke my brain. Since when is the 'spirit of Aloha' any sort of legal argument??" replied Hannah Hill of the National Association for Gun Rights. "Ah yes the 'spirit of Aloha' clause of the Constitution that allows the Hawaii supreme court to ignore or overrule SCOTUS‚" responded Ilya Shapiro of the Manhattan Institute. "The Hawaiian Supreme Court completely lost their minds (and any credibility) by ruling the Second Amendment doesn't apply to them‚" read a statement from the Gun Owners of America. "Apparently their 'spirit of Aloha' doesn't vibe with the right to keep and bear arms. Maybe the State of Texas can apply the "spirit of the Alamo" to federal mandates...""The 'Spirit of Aloha' does not give any court the ability to override our constitutional #2A rights. This is absolutely disgraceful‚" said Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa. "Everyone is deservedly mocking 'Spirit of Aloha‚' but it’s instructive as well as funny‚ in that the opinion from which it comes highlights neatly why living constitutionalism is so ridiculous‚" responded Charles C.W. Cooke of National Review. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!