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Personal finance expert Dave Ramsey is delivering a blunt message to aspiring homeowners: getting into the housing market is still possible, but not without first tackling overwhelming personal debt.

In a recent interview on Fox Business, Ramsey argued that many younger Americans have been put at a disadvantage by rising debt levels across the board.

“I’m afraid I have to tell you the truth, and that is that corporate America has screwed you,” Ramsey said.

He pointed to record-breaking debt burdens weighing on younger generations. “Car debt is at an all-time high… Student loan debt is at an all-time high… And of course credit card debt, thank you to the big banks, is at an all-time high,” he continued. “When you’re drowning in personal debt, you can’t afford to buy a house!”

Recent data from Experian underscores his point. As of November 2025, the average Gen Z borrower carried $34,328 in debt, while millennials owed an average of $132,280.

Ramsey placed much of the blame on large institutions and policymakers, arguing that multiple forces have contributed to the financial strain facing these age groups. “That’s what’s happened. We’ve had these big companies, the car companies, the banks, and Congress with the student loan debt screwing these two generations [millennials and Gen Z] at a record like never before.”

Despite the bleak outlook, Ramsey said younger buyers are not shut out of the market entirely, but only if they make significant financial changes.

“What we’re finding is lots of Gen Zers, lots of millennials able to buy a home when they fight through and sell the stupid car and get rid of these debts. Our message to Gen Z and to millennials…is clear this debt, get rid of the stupidity, chop up the cards, and work your way through it,” Ramsey said. “Once you do that, you can get there.”

Still, he acknowledged that personal debt is only part of the problem. Broader market forces are also making it difficult for first-time buyers to break in.

“We’re still recovering from this huge spike in house prices following Covid,” he said. “We had the most unrealistic real estate market in 100 years following Covid.”

Ramsey noted that once pandemic restrictions eased, buyers rushed into the market, taking advantage of initially lower prices. That surge in demand ultimately drove prices sharply higher.

“Now we’ve got a shortage of inventory,” Ramsey continued. “Supply-demand has not allowed those prices to come back down. We’re seeing these spikes in prices, and that’s pushed this age [group] out.”

A senior Iranian naval commander who ordered the shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz was killed Thursday in an Israeli airstrike, Israeli officials confirmed, marking the latest in a series of high-level eliminations.

Alireza Tangsiri, who led the naval division of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was killed in a strike targeting the port city of Bandar Abbas along the strategic waterway, according to Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz.

Tangsiri, 64, joins a growing list of top Iranian figures recently killed, including IRGC spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini, senior regime figure Ali Larijani, and Gholamreza Soleimani, known for his role in suppressing protests.

Beyond authorizing the closure of the Strait of Hormuz — a critical corridor through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes — Tangsiri had pledged to enforce the blockade following directives from Iran’s current leadership under Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.

“In response to the order of the commander-in-chief, we will deliver the harshest blows to the aggressor enemy while maintaining the strategy of closing the Strait of Hormuz,” he had said.

The disruption to oil shipments has sent energy markets into turmoil in recent weeks, with political leaders and industry officials urging that the waterway be reopened. Earlier this week, Brent crude was reported at $100 per barrel.

Iran has also issued broader warnings, signaling it could escalate further by targeting another key maritime chokepoint — the Bab al-Mandeb Strait — if U.S. forces move against Kharg Island, a small but vital hub responsible for the majority of Iran’s oil exports.

The Bab al-Mandeb Strait, which links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, is one of the busiest shipping routes in the world, carrying approximately 12% of global oil supplies.

“If the enemy wants to take action on land in the Iranian islands or anywhere else in our lands or to inflict costs on Iran with naval movements in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman,” Iran’s Tasnim News Agency reported, citing IRGC sources.

“We will open other fronts for them as a surprise so that their action will not only be of no benefit to them but will also double their costs.

“The Bab al-Mandab Strait is considered one of the world’s strategic straits, and Iran has both the will and the ability to create a completely credible threat against it.”

The warning came after President Donald Trump announced that U.S. Central Command had carried out a major strike on Kharg Island, describing it as having “executed one of the most powerful bombing raids in the History of the Middle East, and totally obliterated every MILITARY target in Iran’s crown jewel, Kharg Island.”

According to reports, Iran has bolstered its defensive posture around Kharg Island, deploying additional air defense systems and laying naval mines amid concerns over a possible invasion.

U.S. allies are said to be uneasy about the prospect of American ground action, with fears that Iran would retaliate forcefully.

An Israeli source cautioned that any such move could result in American casualties, noting that Iran is likely to respond with drone attacks, according to a report in the Jerusalem Post.

“The hope is that they won’t take that risk and will instead fire at the oil fields, but there is no way to know,” they said.

{Matzav.com}

Russia has begun transferring drones to Iran in recent weeks and is expected to complete a staggered delivery of the equipment by the end of the month, according to a report citing Western intelligence assessments.

The Financial Times reported that, in addition to the drone shipments, Moscow is also supplying Iran with food and medical aid.

While Russia has already been assisting Tehran with intelligence sharing and satellite imagery, the delivery of drones marks the first instance of direct weapons transfers from the Kremlin to Iran since the conflict began on February 28.

Responding to the report, a Kremlin spokesperson dismissed the claims, saying, ““There are a lot of fakes going around right now. One thing is true — we are continuing our dialogue with the Iranian leadership,” according to FT.

The report also noted that Russia has been producing drones based on Iranian designs for use in its war in Ukraine since 2023. The current shipments are believed to be aimed at strengthening Iran’s military position and helping stabilize its government.

Recent Israeli strikes targeting sites near the Caspian Sea were reportedly intended to interfere with logistical links and transfers between Russia and Iran.

{Matzav.com}

Israel Defense Forces Staff Sgt. Ori Greenberg, 21, was killed in action fighting Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorists in Southern Lebanon, the military announced on Thursday morning.

Greenberg, from the central Israeli city of Petach Tikvah, served as a combat soldier in the in Golani Infantry Brigade’s Reconnaissance Battalion, the IDF said, adding that his family was informed.

The death toll among Israeli troops since Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, cross-border terrorist massacre now stands at 928, according to IDF figures.

“My wife and I, together with all the citizens of Israel, share in the deep sorrow of the family of Golani Reconnaissance Unit fighter Sgt. Ori Greenberg, of blessed memory, who fell in battle in Southern Lebanon,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.

“We extend our heartfelt condolences to Ori’s family. He fought with bravery and courage to defend our northern border,” added the premier, “May his memory be for a blessing.”

On Wednesday, two troops were seriously injured in separate attacks on forces operating in Lebanon, the military said.

One soldier was wounded by mortar fire. In an earlier incident, a reserve soldier was seriously hurt by an enemy rocket.

Both soldiers were evacuated to hospitals, the military said, adding that the family of one of the men had been notified.

IDF chief visits wounded soldiers

Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir on Wednesday visited soldiers wounded in fighting in Southern Lebanon as part of “Operation Roaring Lion,” the army said.

During a tour of the Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa, Zamir met with wounded troops and their families, praising their determination and resilience. He also thanked the medical staff and military support teams for their work treating the injured.

Zamir said the IDF remains committed to supporting soldiers wounded in combat, calling it a “moral and ethical responsibility.”

Hezbollah began firing rockets and suicide drones at Israel on March 2, in retaliation for the Jewish state’s targeted killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the opening strikes of “Operation Roaring Lion/Epic Fury” against the regime on Feb. 28.

In response to the terrorist organization’s violation of the U.S.-brokered Nov. 27, 2024, truce agreement with Lebanon, Jerusalem launched an aerial campaign against Hezbollah and ordered IDF troops to advance and take control of additional areas in Southern Lebanon to halt cross-border attacks. JNS

Delta Air Lines announced that it will continue to suspend its flights from New York and Atlanta to Tel Aviv through September 5, citing security concerns tied to the ongoing conflict in the region.

The airline said the decision was made as conditions remain unstable. “Delta is extending its pause of service to Tel Aviv (TLV) as we continue to closely monitor conditions in the region and prioritize the safety of our customers and employees,” the company stated.

The routes had already been halted earlier this year after Israel closed its airspace on February 28, when fighting broke out between the United States and Iran. At that time, Delta initially suspended service to Tel Aviv through May 31, while flights connecting Tel Aviv and Atlanta were later postponed until August 4.

Passengers booked on the affected non-stop flights from New York’s JFK Airport and Atlanta will be formally notified of cancellations on March 28, when the airline processes the changes in its system.

In addition, Delta has put plans for a new Boston-to-Tel Aviv route on hold. The service had been scheduled to begin in late October, but the airline said the launch is now delayed indefinitely.

{Matzav.com}