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Cat caught on camera starting dangerous kitchen fire after jumping on stove and turning on burner
A cat started a fire that caused severe damage to a kitchen in Dallas County, Texas, this week after it was able to turn on the stove, officials said.
The Garland Fire Department responded to the fire on Wednesday and immediately extinguished the blaze, the department said in a release.
Then investigators found home surveillance video that showed a cat jumping up onto the stove, which had items on it, and turned on the stove, igniting the blaze.
In the video, the cat can be seen quickly jumping off the stove after turning on a burner, which then caught the items sitting on top on fire.
A picture of the kitchen after the fire showed it had spread to other appliances, the kitchen door and the ceiling before firefighters were able to put it out.
AI PHOTO MATCH REUNITES TEXAS WOMAN WITH LOST CAT AFTER 103 DAYS
There was no damage to the rest of the home.
The department reminded residents to keep combustible items like paper towels or plastic containers off of stovetops, to always turn off burners and ovens, to never leave cooking unattended and to keep the area clutter-free.
It also suggested using safety stove knob covers.
"Even when a stove or cooktop is not actively in use, residual heat or accidental activation can quickly ignite nearby combustible items. A few seconds of prevention can stop a fire from starting," the department said in a release.
Gov Newsom agrees with Shapiro that trans issue is 'barrier' for people to support Democratic Party
California Gov. Gavin Newsom agreed with Daily Wire founder Ben Shapiro on Thursday that whether or not boys can become girls is one of the great deal-breaker issues for the Democratic Party.
"I think one of the major failings of the Democratic Party in the last election cycle is the unwillingness to say whether it was true or untrue that a boy could become a girl," Shapiro said on the "This is Gavin Newsom" podcast.
Newsom and Shapiro went back and forth about the policy of teachers being allowed to withhold from parents that their children are being socially transitioned at school without their parents’ knowledge, but the governor argued this is a statistically minute issue.
"We’re talking about so few people that are struggling with gender identity issues," Newsom said. "I'm with the governor, Gov. Spencer Cox, who said about many of these issues, never has so much attention been placed on so few people."
NEWSOM RETREATS AFTER SHAPIRO PUTS HIM ON THE SPOT OVER CHILLING ICE TERRORISM CLAIM
"The problem is I do think, that on an electoral level – to go to the politics – it is a barrier to entry for a lot of people when you say a boy can become a girl," Shapiro replied.
"I respect if that's your barrier to then listening to people on a myriad of other issues," Newsom said. "So be it. It is what it is."
"I find it strange that even if you wish to have a public policy that pursues something different, we cannot just admit that boys and girls are two different things and that a boy cannot become a girl," Shapiro said. "Why is this so difficult?"
"Yeah, I understand your point of view," Newsom replied, later saying that Shapiro is a "facts over empathy guy."
GAVIN NEWSOM WALKS BACK CLAIM MINNESOTA ICE OPERATIONS WERE 'STATE-SPONSORED TERRORISM'
Newsom has shown nuance on this issue in recent months.
Last March, Newsom noted in his interview with Charlie Kirk that biological men in women’s sports is an issue of fairness, calling it "deeply unfair."
He also spoke about the issue with The New York Times’ Ezra Klein.
"That’s an issue no one wants to hear about because 80 percent of the people listening disagree with my position on this. But it comes from my heart, not just my head. It wasn’t a political evolution," he said. "I want to see trans kids. I have a trans godson. There’s no governor who has signed more pro-trans legislation than I have. No one has been a stronger advocate for the LGBTQ community."
Mamdani announces $2.1M settlement with major landlord as tenants describe 'nightmare' conditions
New York City has reached a $2.1 million settlement with A&E Real Estate covering 14 buildings across three boroughs, with Mayor Zohran Mamdani saying the agreement will force repairs and stop what he described as tenant harassment.
"Today, I am proud to stand here … to announce that New York City has come to a settlement with A&E Realty regarding 14 buildings across three boroughs," Mamdani said Friday at a news conference in Jackson Heights, Queens.
Asked during the news conference how aggressive the new administration plans to be with landlords, Mamdani said, "We want to make it clear to everyone in this city that no one is above the law, and that if you are a landlord violating the law, then this administration will hold you to account."
Mamdani said the settlement requires A&E to pay "$2.1 million in restitution," and includes "injunctions preventing them from harassing their tenants" while compelling the company "to correct more than 4,000 building code violations across these 14 buildings."
"For years, A&E has operated with callous disregard for those residing in its properties, racking up over 140,000 total violations, including 35,000 in the last year alone," Mamdani said. "City Hall will not sit idly by and accept this illegality, nor will we allow bad actors to continue to harass tenants with impunity."
A tenant, Diana De La Paz, described conditions she said residents have dealt with at her building, including prolonged elevator outages, heat issues and infestations. De La Paz said the elevator in her building has been out of service for long stretches, which she said "effectively imprison[ed] elderly and disabled tenants in their own homes."
Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) Commissioner Dina Levy said the agreement will affect "750 tenants across 14 buildings" and said the city’s litigation "has produced a settlement that will lead to the correction of more than 4,000 Housing Code violations."
"It will enforce long overdue court-ordered repairs and impose $2.1 million in civil penalties and will include binding injunctions that will prohibit further tenant harassment and require sustained compliance moving forward from this landlord," Levy said.
Levy said the deal represents the unit’s biggest settlement to date.
"Actually, the settlement announced today … represents HPD’s largest settlement in the history of the unit," Levy said, adding that the city has additional tools it can use, including intervention in distressed buildings and, in extreme situations, removing buildings from owners’ control and installing "responsive management."
He added that the city’s immediate focus is getting violations fixed through the settlement, but warned additional action is possible if landlords do not comply.
"The intended outcome is safety and well-being for tenants," Mamdani said. "We today are announcing a multi-million dollar settlement with this landlord to actually rectify these violations. That is what we want to see. If a landlord cannot get to that settlement, continues to operate outside of the law, then we will hold them to account in additional ways."
City Council member Shekar Krishnan, who represents Jackson Heights, called A&E a "reprehensible landlord" and said enforcement is what tenants need.
"As a former tenant lawyer myself … I’ve always said that tenants’ rights are not worth more than the paper they’re written on, if they’re not enforced in reality," Krishnan said. "Here we are today … showing what enforcement looks like."
Mamdani also announced what he called "rental ripoff" hearings across the city.
"We will be holding a rental ripoff hearing in each of the five boroughs within the first 100 days of our administration," he said, describing them as hearings where multiple agencies will "listen to New Yorkers’ needs" and use that feedback to shape enforcement and policy.
"We’ve made it our mission to collaborate with the City to improve this building and others that were in deep disrepair when we took ownership," a spokesperson for A&E Real Estate said to Fox News Digital. "In every building we’ve purchased, we’ve invested in replacing boilers, rehabbing elevators and fixing tens of thousands of longstanding violations.
"We are pleased to have settled all legal issues with the City and have agreed upon a repair plan with the housing department that we are already delivering on. We look forward to partnering with the City to improve the lives of our residents and find collaborative ways to protect and to continue to invest in New York City’s housing stock."
Noem declares America's border 'most secure' in nation's history under Trump administration
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem declared Friday that America’s border is the "most secure" in history, pointing to an eighth straight month of zero parole releases.
In a post on X, Noem touted newly released Customs and Border Protection (CBP) numbers for December 2025, praising President Trump and frontline law enforcement for delivering historic results.
"Thanks to President Trump’s leadership and the dedication of DHS law enforcement, America’s borders are safer than any time in our nation’s history," Noem wrote. "What President Trump and our CBP agents and officers have been able to do in a single year is nothing short of extraordinary."
CBP reported zero parole releases in December, compared to 7,041 released along the southwest border in December 2024 under the Biden administration.
TRUMP HAS MADE THE BORDER SECURE AGAIN — BUT NOW THE HARD PART BEGINS
"Once again, we have a record low number of encounters at the border and the 8th straight month of zero releases," Noem said. "Month after month, we are delivering results that were once thought impossible: the most secure border in history and unmatched enforcement successes."
According to CBP, total nationwide encounters from October through December fell to 91,603, the lowest ever recorded at the start of a fiscal year and 25% below the previous record low set in 2012.
December alone saw just 30,698 encounters nationwide, a 92% drop from the Biden-era peak of 370,883 and the lowest December total on record, according to the federal agency.
THE NEW HIGH-TECH TOOL TRUMP IS USING TO SECURE OUR BORDER
Along the southwest border, Border Patrol recorded just 21,815 apprehensions in the first quarter of fiscal year 2026, marking a 95% drop compared to the Biden administration’s first-quarter average, CBP noted.
Border Patrol agents made 6,478 apprehensions in December along the southwest border, marking a 96% decrease from the Biden administration’s monthly average and fewer than what agents encountered in just four days in December 2024.
Border patrol agents averaged 209 apprehensions per day during the month, compared to Biden-era levels that exceeded that number every 1.5 hours, CBP wrote.
"Our agents and officers have set a new standard for border security, achieving historic results that speak for themselves," CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott said in a statement.
NEW DATA REVEALS BORDER CROSSINGS REACH RECORD LOWS AMID TRUMP ADMIN'S CRACKDOWN
CBP also seized 39,030 pounds of illicit drugs nationwide in December.
"The men and women of CBP are demonstrating what’s possible through unwavering commitment and effective enforcement and will continue to ensure the safety and security of our nation’s borders every single day," Scott added.
Former TV anchor accused of killing her mother ruled incompetent, murder case put on hold
The murder case against a former television news anchor accused of killing her mother is now on hold after a judge ruled she is not mentally competent to stand trial.
On Thursday, Angelynn "Angie" Mock, 48, appeared in Sedgwick County District Court in Kansas, where Judge Jeffrey Goering ruled she is not mentally fit to proceed.
According to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office, Mock has since been ordered to a state psychiatric hospital for further evaluation and treatment, and the criminal proceedings have been stayed while she undergoes treatment.
Mock is charged with first-degree murder in the stabbing death of her mother, 80-year-old Anita Avers, on Halloween.
Police say officers were called to the Wichita home Mock and Avers shared around 7:50 a.m. on Oct. 31. When officers arrived, they found Mock outside with cuts on her hands, according to the Wichita Police Department.
Avers was found inside the home with multiple stab wounds and was taken to a hospital, where she later died.
A probable cause affidavit states that Mock made statements while talking to herself indicating she believed her mother was the devil. Dispatch records also show Mock allegedly told authorities she stabbed her mother "to save herself."
EX-KENTUCKY SHERIFF ADMITS TO SHOOTING JUDGE BUT CLAIMS HE 'HAD NO CONTROL' OVER ACTIONS: REPORT
According to court documents obtained by KAKE, Mock’s stepfather told investigators she had previously been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and suffered from delusions and depression.
A neighbor also told the outlet that Mock approached her vehicle with blood on her hands and body, asking for help calling 911.
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Mock previously worked as a morning news anchor at KTVI in St. Louis from 2011 to 2015 and later at KOKH in Oklahoma City. She was arrested the same day, treated at a hospital for her injuries, and then booked into the Sedgwick County Jail.
At the time of her arrest, she was working in sales at a data management software company, according to her LinkedIn profile.
The District Attorney’s Office said a finding of incompetency does not dismiss the case or result in a defendant’s release, and that proceedings will resume if Mock is later deemed competent.
Fox News Digital’s Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.
The border in your backyard: Mexican cartels fuel record fentanyl, meth busts in Rocky Mountain states
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) made record seizures in four Mountain States last year, most of which were funneled through the southern border by two cartels.
In 2025, the DEA seized 8,729,000 fentanyl pills and nearly 3,100 pounds of methamphetamine across the four-state Mountain region that includes Colorado, Utah, Montana and Wyoming, the agency said in a news release.
"These numbers are absolutely staggering. Colorado saw a 76% increase in pill seizures year over year. Utah pill seizures doubled. This should not only be a wake-up call, but a jolt to every citizen in our four-state region," said DEA Rocky Mountain Field Division Special Agent in Charge David Olesky.
CARTEL LEADER ADMITS THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP’S CARTEL CRACKDOWN HAS MADE THEIR LIVES DIFFICULT
Nationwide, the DEA seized around 47 million pills.
In Colorado, the state saw its largest methamphetamine bust in April with 733 pounds of the drug and the largest one-time fentanyl pill seizure in November of 1.7 million pills.
Cesar Avila, DEA assistant special agent in charge who oversees Wyoming and Montana, told Cowboy State Daily that the bulk of the drugs were being distributed to cartel networks — the Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation (CJNG) — in cities like Denver and Salt Lake City, which then distribute them in Wyoming.
"When you’re dealing with the user population, they are more in it for effects and not for the profit margins," Avila told the newspaper. "They’re not necessarily doing it for the business side of things; they’re doing it more because they need that particular addiction."
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Avila speculated that both cartels have a presence in most, if not all Wyoming communities.
South of the border, cartels primarily use tractor trailers to haul the drugs to the larger hubs, he said. The drugs are either transported by individual drivers or through the mail into Wyoming, he added.
"DEA remains committed to targeting the drug cartels who operate within our four states, and we will continue to dismantle the networks responsible for poisoning and killing people in our communities," Olesky said.
So far in 2026, the DEA has seized more than 239,000 fentanyl pills and more than 10,000 methamphetamine pills, according to DEA figures.
The Trump administration has declared war on fentanyl, first by targeting suspected drug smuggling boats at sea with military airstrikes and pressuring Mexico and China, the primary source of chemicals used to produce the illicit drug, through tariffs.
Georgian demonstrators watch Iran closely as their own protests grind on
While thousands of Iranians take to the streets daily demanding the downfall of the Islamic Republic, people in the small European country of Georgia, along Russia’s southern border, have been protesting at various levels of intensity for over a year following disputed parliamentary elections in 2024.
Everyday Georgians who are still braving freezing temperatures and allegations of violence by the authorities are looking at their peers fighting for democracy in Iran and seeing their own struggle playing out against a corrupt and unpopular regime.
"When you walk through the demonstrations every day in Tbilisi, all people talk about is Iran. The heated debate over it shows how much it matters and how optimism is out on the streets due to developments despite controversies," Tinatin Khidasheli, former defense minister of Georgia, told Fox News Digital.
IRAN'S ETHNIC MINORITIES COULD HOLD KEY TO REGIME'S FATE AS PROTESTS CONTINUE
"Developments in Iran resonate in a very human way: if people can challenge a far more despotic and violent regime, it reinforces the belief that resistance in Georgia is not futile," Khidasheli added.
Mass protests began shortly after the pro-Russia Georgian Dream party claimed victory in elections in October 2024 and halted Georgia’s efforts to join the European Union.
Georgians have long desired to move closer to the West and join the European Union, with opinion polls showing overwhelming support for joining the bloc. Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze halted Tbilisi’s accession path to join the EU shortly after taking power, sparking anger from many.
Tbilisi's main Rustaveli Avenue has been crowded with protesters chanting and blocking traffic, outraged at the ruling party pulling Georgia away from Europe and closer to a Russian-oriented foreign policy.
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Erekle Koplatadze, a 33-year-old from Tbilisi, has been participating in protests almost daily since November 2024. Koplatadze, who was detained for six days for allegedly blocking a road while protesting in November 2025, told Fox News Digital that there has been a feeling of solidarity with the protests in Iran since people rose up in December against economic mismanagement and regime corruption.
"You will see many Lion and Sun flags (Iran's national flag until the 1979 Islamic Revolution) in front of Georgia’s Parliament. And there have been protests in front of the Iranian Embassy in Tbilisi," Koplatadze said.
Koplatadze said the news coming out of Iran and the regime’s brutal violence employed against innocent people has shaken many Georgians in the crowd and a shared sense of empathy has emerged.
"I don’t remember such a big protest in Tbilisi in support of a foreign nation except for Ukraine," he said.
Ana Riaboshenko, co-founder of the "Initiative Culture For Democracy" who attends protests on a regular basis, told Fox News Digital that developments in Iran directly affect Georgia, as well as all the countries in the region.
"Its transformation from a terrorist state to a democratic government will significantly change the situation and indeed contribute substantially to the global power balance and economy. A particularly positive outcome is expected with the collapse of the Russian-Iranian partnership."
G7 THREATENS IRAN WITH NEW SANCTIONS OVER NATIONWIDE PROTEST CRACKDOWN KILLING THOUSANDS
Riaboshenko pointed out that Russian-backed Georgian Dream representatives positioned themselves as partners with Tehran and bilateral relations and cooperation have increased since the rigged elections of 2024.
Civic IDEA, a Georgian NGO, issued a report in July 2025 detailing how Iranian businessmen and companies use Georgia as a strategic transit point to evade international sanctions and channel funds back to Iran.
Nearly 13,000 Iranian companies are registered in Georgia, according to the Civic IDEA report.
Marika Mikiashvili, Foreign Secretary of party Droa, part of the largest democratic alliance in Georgia, spoke to Fox News Digital and said while Georgians are in awe and very inspired by the bravery of Iranians, their struggle is a warning sign as much as it is profoundly inspiring.
"Many protesters see Iran as a cautionary tale of what happens when a consolidating dictatorship isn’t defeated soon enough," Mikiashvili warned.
There have also been no statements of support for the pro-democracy protests from the Georgian Dream government or condemnation of security force human rights violations against innocent people.
As the Georgian Dream government entrenched itself in power, it implemented harsh anti-demonstration laws to crack down on dissent and used disproportionate force and other brutal tactics to squash the unrest.
Human Rights Watch documented numerous laws that interfered with Georgians' rights to peacefully assemble, including steep fines for protest-related violations and abusive police tactics as thousands of people have been arbitrarily detained.
Since Georgian Dream’s election, 600 people have been arbitrarily detained, 300 protesters were tortured or subjected to inhumane treatment, 1,000 citizens received fines for political opinions, and 400 journalists have been arrested, beaten, and harassed, according to Transparency International Georgia, a non-governmental organization with the goal of combating corruption in Georgia.
Trump declares 'we got men out of women's sports' as Supreme Court deliberates landmark cases
Days after the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two landmark cases involving state laws protecting girls’ and women’s sports, President Donald Trump declared, "We got men out of women’s sports."
Speaking at a dedication ceremony at Mar-a-Lago on Friday afternoon, the president discussed his administration’s efforts to ensure the safeguarding of women’s sports amid an ongoing national debate surrounding transgender athletes’ participation.
"… Transgender insanity is out of our schools and out of our lives," Trump said. "And we got men out of women’s sports – officially, out of women’s sports."
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
"And everyone said, well, that's an 80/20 issue. No, that's a 98/2 issue. I don't even think it's 98/2."
Trump began his second term with a focus on protecting girls’ and women’s sports. In February, he signed the "Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports" executive order, which prompted the NCAA to update its policy the following day to limit women’s competition to biological females.
Soon, other sports governing bodies would follow suit, but a handful of Democrat-controlled states, most notably Maine, California, and Minnesota, refused to comply. Legal battles ensued, including the two that were heard before the Supreme Court on Tuesday – Little v. Hecox and West Virginia v. B.P.J.
The Supreme Court will examine whether the laws in those states, Idaho and West Virginia, violate the Constitution's equal protection clause and the landmark federal law Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination in education.
'SAVE WOMEN'S SPORTS' 2025 CULTURE WAR TIMELINE — THE YEAR THE TIDES TURNED
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt highlighted the administration’s efforts at a briefing on Thursday and criticized some of the Supreme Court justices for seemingly challenging biological differences between males and females during Tuesday’s hearing.
"The administration … [has] taken action on a number of fronts against these states who are failing to uphold the president's executive orders and this administration's policy of simply protecting women and women's sports and women's private spaces. We've gone to the mat with large universities in this country, as well, to try to fight for what's right and what's just for women in this country.
"I think the president speaks on common sense on this issue, that women's sports and private spaces should be protected and that there are two genders, there are two sexes — that is not something we should be afraid to say in this country."
The Supreme Court's ruling is expected to come later this summer.
Fox News Digital’s Ryan Morik, Alexandria Hoff, Bill Mears and David Spunt contributed to this report.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Federal prosecutors open investigation into Walz, Frey over alleged impeding of law enforcement
Fox News has learned federal prosecutors are investigating both Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey for allegedly impeding law enforcement efforts in the blue state.
Two sources familiar confirmed the probe, though no additional details about the investigation have been publicly released.
Sources said the investigation is in early stages, and it is unclear if it will result in any criminal charges.
The Justice Department declined to comment.
The Democratic leaders have encouraged anti-immigration enforcement protests following the death of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, who was fatally shot Jan. 7 by a federal agent while allegedly blocking an ICE operation in Minneapolis.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Pro-Trump group unleashes blueprint for crucial housing initiative featuring top MAGA influencer
FIRST ON FOX: A new initiative to "Make Housing Great Again" led by conservative influencer Benny Johnson and the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) has a plan to make housing more affordable for Americans.
In November, Johnson and AFPI announced a new ‘Make Housing Great Again’ initiative, which has also tapped former Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson and developer Michael Burkentine to help advise.
Johnson brings a massive following to the initiative and also has a stake in the matter himself, considering he is a young father, AFPI noted when asked to explain the decision to select Johnson as the initiative's co-chair and national spokesperson. This week, the initiative unveiled a list of policy goals it will pursue, which it believes will make the American dream of owning a home more attainable for all.
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"Housing affordability has reached a crisis point in America, with a 167% increase in home prices in the past half-century. The result of more expensive homes is the delay of a significant life milestone: homeownership," the MAGA housing initiative's policy white paper points out.
"The America First vision of housing affordability is to restore the American Dream to what it once was. By taking a pragmatic and targeted approach to the affordability crisis these proposals will increase the housing supply, provide direct relief to home buyers, bring prices down, and, ultimately, allow all Americans to obtain the cornerstone of the American Dream: a place to call their own."
Incentivizing deregulation at the local level via market-driven solutions, efforts to reduce construction costs, the implementation of tax benefits for first-time home buyers, expanding economic "opportunity zones," and reducing foreign housing demand are among several of the policy goals the new MAGA housing initiative said it will be prioritizing.
As home prices have risen, wages are not keeping pace, the blueprint pointed out, highlighting that the median household income in the United States increased 99.7% between 2000 and 2024, while the median sale price for a single-family home increased by 150.1% during the same period. Additionally, the median age of first-time home buyers today is 40, compared to just four years ago when it was 33.
The "Make Housing Great Again" policy report cited low supply due to "excessive" regulations, immigration-induced demand spikes, high mortgage rates and record debt burdens among young Americans as factors causing the American dream of owning a home to be less attainable.
To combat these roadblocks, the new MAGA housing initiative says it will focus on supply-side deregulation and financial incentives aimed at the local level. The initiative points out that regulations imposed by local governments often preclude the federal government from setting national-level mandates to deregulate. But, through HUD, it can incentivize localities to expand their housing supply by tying federal housing benefits to deregulation efforts.
WHITE HOUSE ‘LASER FOCUSED’ ON AFFORDABILITY AS TRUMP SOFTENS TARIFF STRATEGY
To encourage localities to undertake deregulatory actions, the initiative will push the Trump administration to offer "concrete benefits" to home builders and buyers, such as a Working Families Housing Fund, which the initiative is calling the "Targeted Regional U.S. Middle-Class Prosperity Fund," or "TRUMP Fund" for short.
The TRUMP fund would invest in professionally managed housing funds designed to help provide financial assistance for middle-income, working-class families in the 80% to 120% median income for their area. However, in order for people to be eligible, communities must show they have taken steps to reduce barriers to building, the initiative suggests.
The "Make Housing Great Again" initiative also sees boosting the number of workers in skilled trades as an avenue to reduce overall construction costs. Experts estimate that the skilled labor jobs in the construction industry have recently been shorthanded by around 350,000 workers month-over-month. The National Association of Home Builders estimates the industry will need to hire nearly 723,000 workers per year just to keep pace with demand and close a nationwide housing gap of 1.5 million homes.
"There are numerous opportunities at the state and federal levels to increase interest in and access to careers in the skilled trades," the report argues. "By increasing interest in skilled trades and reducing barriers to entry, it is possible to increase the pipeline of workers entering skilled trades and, by extension, reduce the costs of building new homes."
A new and revamped version of Opportunity Zones, which are essentially federal tax incentives intended to spur local investment in low-income areas, is also among the policy plans AFPI and Johnson's new MAGA housing initiative have in mind. The plan is to create Opportunity Zones Plus that would create an even higher-tier benefit for housing that is constructed in designated communities that meet certain affordability criteria.
Providing direct benefits to homebuyers, such as through tax-advantaged savings plans, a family formation mortgage credit for young couples trying to have kids and a new fixed 30-year mortgage rate for first-time home buyers supplemented by HUD, were among the policy prescriptions as well.
Another plan for improving housing affordability by the initiative includes reducing the housing demand among foreign nationals. According to the "Make Housing Great Again" white paper, foreign investors bought $56 billion in homes during a 12-month period between 2024 and 2025, with 47% of those foreign buyers purchasing property for use as a vacation home or rental. Foreign buyers also reportedly pay in cash at a much higher rate than American homebuyers.
In an effort to help protect young homebuyers, the initiative also plans to focus on "cracking down on predatory lending" practices and setting guardrails for the industry. Congress can effectuate this change by capping the annual percentage rate (APR) lenders are allowed to set at 36% for most consumer borrowing, payday loans and credit card interest. According to the report, similar policies have been implemented for the military community.
"The average first-time home buyer in America is now 40 years old. 40. Years. Old. That is far beyond the optimal age to get married and start a family," Johnson told Fox News Digital after the initiative was launched in November. "
The fight for homeownership is a fight for the survival of our culture and civilization. Young Americans cannot build families without homes, and a nation without families cannot survive. The American dream is dying before our eyes. This is a generational betrayal, and we must reverse it for our children and for their future. This was the final policy priority of Charlie Kirk. We will deliver and save the American dream."