What to know about buying flood insurance

Major flooding in Eastern Kentucky in recent days has led to at least 35 deaths as of Monday, as well as widespread damage to homes and businesses. Severe weather is continuing to hit the region, but the tragedy is already raising questions about how residents nationwide can prepare for future flooding, and namely, if they should buy flood insurance. Most homeowners insurance policies do not cover flooding.  Congress in 1968 established the

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Veterans, advocates refuse to leave Capitol until toxic burn pits bill passes

Veterans and advocates spent the weekend staked out outside the Capitol demanding that GOP senators drop their opposition to much-anticipated legislation to help veterans who are suffering illnesses due to toxic exposures.  Republicans last Wednesday blocked passage of the Sgt. 1st Class Heath Robinson Honoring our PACT Act, which would benefit an estimated 3.5 million veterans.  While the Senate is expected to hold another vote on the bill this week, those protesting outside said they were tired of waiting.   “These veterans don't hav

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The real reason Xi is upset over Pelosi’s Taiwan visit

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) planned visit to Taiwan has ignited major controversy even in her own party. Some say the Taiwan Straits are a powder keg and we can’t risk lighting a stick of dynamite, while others argue we can’t give into China’s bullying. But what is really, eating at Chinese President Xi Jinping and why is China’s government so easily enraged when it comes to Taiwan? The easy answer is to reunite a breakaway province from 73 years ago for th

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DHS watchdog halted efforts to obtain missing text messages from Secret Service, Trump officials

The watchdog at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) abandoned efforts to recover missing text messages from across its various agencies deleted in the wake of Jan. 6 and minimized its criticism of those that failed to produce them, according to emails released by lawmakers. The evidence, released Monday by the House committees on oversight and homeland security, was accompanied by a renewed call for Inspector General Joseph Cuffari to step aside from his investigations into how DHS agencies responded to the Jan. 6 attack.  “These documents raise troubling new

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Feds agree to reverse Trump-era decision opening central California lands to drilling

California officials on Monday announced a settlement reversing a Trump-era decision opening central California to new oil and gas drilling on public lands.  The settlement resolves a lawsuit filed by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) and a trio of state agencies against the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in 2020. Newsom and Bonta joined the state Air Resources Board Department of Fish and Wildlife and Department of Water Resources in a challenge

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