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CEDAR KEY, Fla. — As cleanup begins in the aftermath of Hurricane Idalia, the storm has served as a stark reminder that Florida's insurance industry remains in flux. But many of those homeowners face uncertainty amid the upheaval that has emerged in Florida's insurance industry in recent years. A thinning insurance market that is beset by more regular hurricanes has caused insurance policy costs to skyrocket. The state's insurance industry is preparing to lose four insurers since last year — Farmers Insurance, Bankers Insurance, Centauri Insurance and Lexington Insurance. Aggravating the problem, 82% of Floridians do not have flood insurance, which is typically operated by the National Flood Insurance Program, a federal program run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Persons: Idalia, Chris Draghi, That's, Gregory Buck, Buck, Aimee Firestine, Firestine, Amy Bach, United, Bach, Mark Friedlander, Friedlander, Gabe Gutierrez, Phil McCausland, Melissa Chan Organizations: Insurance Information Institute, U.S, — Farmers Insurance, Bankers Insurance, Centauri Insurance, Lexington Insurance . Farmers Insurance, National, Experts Insurance, Homeowners, Insurance, Property Insurance Corp, National Flood Insurance, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Congress, First Street Foundation, FEMA, Cedar Key Locations: Fla, Florida's Big Bend, Florida, Georgia, Florida , Georgia, South Carolina, Cedar, America, Taylor County, Bend, New York City

The new lawsuit, first obtained by NBC News, alleges that Hawaiian Electric helped set the stage for the monstrous wildfires last week. The plaintiffs allege years of inaction and negligence by the utility company, and argue that the firm should have had plans in place to shut down power systems before fierce winds blew across Hawaii. "Hawaiian Electric is not just responsible and they weren't just negligent," said Mikal Watts, a lead attorney on the case. Hawaiian Electric Company declined to comment on the pending lawsuits, saying that would violate an internal policy. Darren Pai, a spokesperson for the company, said Hawaiian Electric was aware of the allegations but remained focused on restoring power to Maui.

Persons: Mikal Watts, Darren Pai, Watts, Pai Organizations: NBC News, Electric, Hawaiian Electric Company, Hawaii Public Utilities Commission Locations: Lahaina , Hawaii, Hawaii, Maui, California, Lahaina

☆ Coast Guard searches for 5-person crew aboard submersible that went missing on dive to Titanic wreck
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Phil Mccausland | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a missing Canadian research submersible that disappeared on Sunday after it went to explore the wreck of the Titanic. The 21-foot submersible and its five-person crew, from the Canadian research vessel Polar Prince, started a dive on Sunday morning, according to the Coast Guard. The missing submersible was part of an OceanGate Expeditions tour exploring the Titanic wreckage, located 900 nautical miles east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. He said the Coast Guard immediately launched a surface and aerial search to find or recover the submersible and any survivors. Mauger added at the press conference that the Coast Guard is working to expand its capabilities to include an underwater search as well.

Persons: John Mauger, Mauger, Hamish Harding, Harding, OceanGate, OceanGate's, James Cameron Organizations: U.S . Coast Guard, Coast Guard, Expeditions, NBC, Action Aviation, Sunday, New York National Guard, Canadian Coast Guard, Poseidon, New York Times Locations: Canadian, Cape Cod , Massachusetts, OceanGate, Newfoundland, Canada

Trump has said he would stay in the race if he is indicted. Trump, meanwhile, is making a forward-looking pitch to voters, NBC News’ Allan Smith and Jonathan Allen report. And the Washington Post reports Friday that prosecutors investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot have obtained a report commissioned by Trump’s campaign that undercut his falsehoods about the election. Santos mulls re-election: New York GOP Rep. George Santos told the Associated Press he is a “maybe” on running for re-election. Sparks fly in the Windy city: Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., endorsed Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson in Chicago’s mayoral race on Thursday.

☆ Both sides portend 'gruesome' details of the killings of Alex Murdaugh’s wife and son in trial's opening statements
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | Phil Mccausland | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Paul Murdaugh was shot with buckshot from a 12-gauge shotgun in the chest, shoulder and finally the head, which did "devastating damage," Waters said. Margaret Murdaugh was shot with the rifle in the abdomen and leg before being shot in the head. It did grow gruesome as Murdaugh's lawyer, Dick Harpootlian, in his opening arguments detailed the grisly state of Paul and Margaret's bodies after they were shot. Members of Murdaugh’s family, including his older son, Buster, 26, and his brothers John Marvin and Randy Murdaugh were all present for the opening statements on Wednesday. His troubles grew worse when his son Paul was involved in a deadly boat crash in 2019, which led to the death of 19-year-old Mallory Beach.

U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo speaks during a press conference with Iraq's Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein at the State Department in Washington on Aug. 19, 2020. A demonstrator holds a poster with a picture of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi outside the Saudi Arabia consulate in Istanbul, Turkey October 25, 2018. "And as even the New York Times reported, Khashoggi was cozy with the terrorist-supporting Muslim Brotherhood," Pompeo wrote. I confirm it to you," Khashoggi's widow, Hanan Elatr Khashoggi, told NBC News on Monday. Hanan Elatr Khashoggi Widow of journalist Jamal Khashoggi

☆ Solomon Peña, New Mexico GOP candidate, visited homes of Democratic politicians to dispute election prior to shootings, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Deon J. Hampton | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

A failed New Mexico state House candidate visited the homes of local Democratic leaders to vehemently dispute his election loss weeks before he allegedly orchestrated a series of shootings at the residences, elected officials said. “Peña came to my house right after the (November) election. Police spokesperson Gilbert Gallegos said at a news conference early Monday evening that Peña alleged his defeat was the result of election fraud. Peña lost his state House challenge to incumbent Democrat Miguel P. Garcia by 5,679 to 2,033, or 74% to 26%. He took his case to three county commissioners and a state senator — some whose homes were targeted in the shootings — to no avail, Gallegos said.

The Justice Department wrote in its brief that a failed background check would not have kept Kelley, from conducting the shooting, and the government could not have known he intended to pursue the attack. But under Texas law, the United States is not legally responsible for the damages caused by that shooting." Critics said a successful appeal will ultimately undercut the background check system, damage the Biden administration’s gun safety law efforts and bolster the gun lobby. “The 26 dead and 22 injured at the Sutherland Springs mass shooting disagree.”Twenty-six crosses stand in a field to honor the victims killed during the mass shooting at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs in 2017. Now the survivors and victims must relive the traumatic shooting through an appeal that Alsaffar said could take as long as two years.

The disharmony between the Justice Department’s case and the Biden administration’s gun safety efforts as well as the fears and pressure that a lost appeal could damage gun safety laws are at the crux of the survivors' acrimony. Why are you doing all this (gun reform) and yet you’re fighting it over here?’” said Juan “Gunny” Macias, a survivor who was shot numerous times in the attack and viewed the president’s gun safety priorities as dissonant with the potential Justice Department appeal. The Justice Department has received two extensions to file its appeal brief, now due next week, and is unlikely to receive another one. “I assume the Justice Department is taking this position because the lawyers are looking for the best legal avenues that will give them the outcome they want,” he said. That’s what creates problems like the ones we’re facing.”For fear of what an appeal could mean for U.S. gun laws, a coalition of 37 gun safety organizations sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland in October about the Justice Department’s intention to appeal.

Share this -Link copied'It's too much for me': Zelenskyy begins speech by thanking U.S. Zelenskyy began his remarks before a joint meeting of Congress at 7:40 p.m. "I think we share the exact same vision, that of a free, independent and prosperous Ukraine," Biden said. The Ukrainian president added that the soldier told him that "many (of) his brothers, this system saved." President Joe Biden holds a medal presented to him by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office. Share this -Link copiedPhoto: Zelenskyy shakes hands with Biden as he arrives President Joe Biden welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the White House.

President Zelenskyy is an inspiring leader. He's expected to visit the White House before addressing a joint session of Congress at the Capitol. A group of soldiers who helped defend Bakhmut gave him a Ukrainian flag and asked him to get it to Congress — and the Ukrainian president promised to give it to Biden himself. We will pass it on from the boys to the Congress, to the president of the United States. We are grateful for their support, but it is not enough.” Share this -Link copied

News of the FTX's fall first prompted questions to lawmakers about Bankman-Fried's political donations. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and John Boozman of Arkansas said they would donate Bankman-Fried’s campaign contributions, though they did not specify the charities they intended to donate the money to. Bankman-Fried also poured millions into super PACs that support candidates outside of their campaigns, including the Senate Majority PAC, or SMP, a super PAC supporting Democratic Senate candidates. The disclosed sums likely don't capture the full breadth of Bankman-Fried's political spending. "The candidates who received money from dark money organizations don't really have to answer for it," Sherman said.

Bankman-Fried and unnamed co-conspirators made "tens of millions of dollars in illegal campaign contributions" to both Democratic and Republican candidates and campaign committees, Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney for Southern New York, said at a news conference unveiling the eight-count criminal indictment, which included a campaign finance violation charge. "And all of this dirty money," Williams said, was used to "buy bipartisan influence and impact the direction of public policy in Washington." FTX boss Sam Bankman-Fried is escorted by police officers as he leaves court in Nassau, Bahamas on Dec. 13, 2022. The indictment alleges he also made illegal contributions through a corporation, which it does not name. Once believed to be a financial wunderkind, Bankman-Fried also faces a host of other charges.

The recent attack on two North Carolina substations that cut power to thousands of people has raised concerns about security standards for the country’s electric grid and its numerous power stations, which have faced greater threats in recent years. Nearly 600 electric emergency incidents and disturbances were caused by suspected and confirmed physical attacks and vandalism on the electric grid in those nine years, the reports show. The incidents, which are self-reported by power companies to the federal government, provide little to no detail about what occurred. Paths forward for a new standardThose who want a new security standard said there remain significant bureaucratic headwinds against such a proposal. The North American Electric Reliability Corporation, a nonprofit originally created by the electricity industry, said it created security requirements based on risk, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.

Russia has "unilaterally postponed" nuclear arms control negotiations with the U.S. that were to be held in Cairo this week, a State Department spokesperson said Monday. In response to Washington's support of Ukraine after Russia invaded in February, Moscow suspended the inspections in August. A State Department spokesperson said that Russia had postponed the latest series of meetings and "stated that it would propose new dates." Presidents Barack Obama of the U.S. and Dmitry Medvedev of Russia sign the New START treaty in Prague on April 8, 2010. The New START Treaty "has to do with the disposition of our respective nuclear assets," Price said at a news briefing on Nov. 8, Election Day.

A man shot seven times dragged himself over a fence after escaping from Club Q. R.J. Lewis, who was at Club Q during the mass shooting, attends a service at All Souls Unitarian Church in Colorado Springs on Sunday. Parker Seibold / The Gazette via APBarrett HudsonBarrett Hudson, 31, took seven bullets in the back before escaping from Club Q through the rear exit. Tyrice Kelley, center right, a performer at Club Q, is comforted during a service at All Souls Unitarian Church in Colorado Springs, on Sunday. Club Q, many of the victims said, was a safe haven — one of the few that Colorado Springs had to offer to members of the LGBTQ community.

Many faces were awash with tears at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church where locals organized the vigil. Outside the vigil, Shayana Dabney, 23, a Black bisexual woman said the "heartbreaking and egregious" shooting had left an indescribable sadness in the pit of her stomach. People gather for a vigil at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Sunday. “The city is hurt.”But, according to some, the city's pain appears to also come from an intolerance for the LGBTQ community that has developed in recent years. Jared Polis, an openly gay man, speaking virtually at the vigil because he tested positive for Covid, called the attack devastating.

Now Kent, a former Green Beret who criticized Beutler for her impeachment vote and who has shared conspiracy theories about voting, will lose to businesswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, a Democrat. "If Beutler had been the Republican nominee, she'd have won with 60% of the vote by now," said Chris Vance, the former chairman of the Washington State Republican Party, in an interview before NBC News projected the race. GOP primaries, Vance said, are no longer electing the best candidates because the base is more interested in ties to Trump. "If you're a Republican elected official, you've got to keep your head down," said Vance, who left the party after Trump's election. Gluesenkamp Perez avoided talking about party politics while emphasizing her rural background and her family's long ties to Washington state.

In Arizona Senate, Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly is ahead of Republican Blake Masters by 115,000 votes with 80% in. On Dobbs, the national exit poll showed 27% of voters picking abortion as their No. And remember that our final NBC News poll found Trump as one of the most unpopular political figures we measured, especially compared with President Biden. In each state, those Democratic secretaries of state nominees were running against Republicans who cast doubt on the 2020 election result. Two of those five feature Democrat vs. Democrat contests, thanks to the state’s Top 2 primary, so those will stay in the Democratic column.

National Democrats were fairly happy on Election Day as they dodged a predicted trouncing at the polls, but state Democrats might have even more to celebrate. And Democrats appear on track to flip the state House in Michigan, as well as in Pennsylvania and Minnesota, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), the nonpartisan organization that represents legislative chambers. Democratic wins this cycle signals a shift in state legislative priorities that could have major ramifications on contentious issues. The Republican-controlled state legislatures in Pennsylvania and Michigan had entertained election denial conspiracies after the 2020 election, for example. "Success does beget success," she said, noting that many state legislative candidates outperformed those competing at the federal level.

The ballot measure amended the state constitution to enshrine expansion for Medicaid health care coverage to all adults who earn up to 138% of the federal poverty level. Eliot Fishman, the senior director of health policy for the health care advocacy group Families USA, said that in South Dakota parents with practically any work income were ineligible for Medicaid. It took over two years, because advocates first pursued the process in South Dakota in October 2020. Supporters cheer for South Dakota Gov. Medicaid expansion, however, would not remain its focus.

In the wake of Greene’s statement and other Republicans aligned with former President Donald Trump questioning the amount of U.S. aid delivered to Ukraine in recent weeks, Sens. A key supporter of Kyiv, Portman is the co-chair and co-founder of the Senate Ukraine Caucus and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. His departure from Congress is seen as a potential blow for Ukrainian support. Some Ukrainian officials have expressed nervousness in recent weeks, as news stories indicated potential GOP opposition to continued support for Kyiv. Barry Reeger / AP fileYuriy Saks, adviser to Ukraine Minister of Defense Oleksii Reznikov, told NBC News on Monday that he hoped the results of the U.S. election would not affect the country’s continued support of Ukraine.

Zeldin hopes to end a two-decade drought for Republicans seeking statewide office in New York. “New Yorkers are ready,” Zeldin said. Her support in a primary for an upstate congressional district of right-wing political activist Carl Paladino who lost to the state Republican chair drew the ire of some in the state party. While there are about 3 million unaffiliated voters in New York, a successful Republican candidate has to make inroads with registered Democrats. “When I got elected they were saying the same things about me that they’re saying about Zeldin,” Pataki said.

The body of an American who died fighting in Ukraine is being held for a potential war crimes investigation, his family said Tuesday. This is another in a series of delays as Joshua Jones’ family waits to lay his body to rest. Andrea Morales for NBC NewsUkraine has worked to document potential Russian war crimes since the invasion began, investigating alleged murder, torture and rape of civilians and soldiers. Moscow has denied the many war crimes allegations it has faced. The State Department, which confirmed to the family that Jones' remains were secured, did not respond to a request for comment.

☆ U.S. military inspectors in Ukraine to keep further track of weapons and equipment
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Courtney-Kube-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Courtney Kube | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

American military personnel are now in Ukraine to help keep track of the billions of dollars’ worth of weapons and equipment the United States has sent since the start of the Russian invasion, a senior U.S. defense official and senior U.S. military official said. “There have been several of these inspections,” according to the senior defense official, who declined to give details on the locations of the on-site inspections. The inspections come after Russia and some Republicans in Congress have alleged that weapons and military equipment sent to Ukraine may have ended up on the black market. Pallets of ammunition, weapons and other equipment bound for Ukraine are processed at Dover Air Force Base, Del., on Jan. 21. “The Ukrainian government has committed to appropriately safeguarding and accounting for transferred defense equipment,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement last week.

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