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With  Hurricane Ian  ripping through Florida, some may wonder how well their homeowners' insurance will fare in a natural disaster. For starters, it typically depends on the disaster. A standard policy covers damage from many calamities, but a handful does not and require separate coverage for protection. Even if your insurance covers the destruction, it may not be enough. Many homeowners simply do not have adequate protection to cover all their losses. And, because of a tax reform law, uninsured losses can only be deducted in specific cases. "While it’s too early to tell what the damage projections will be, many of the insurance modelers are putting it at between $20 and $40 billion, depending on   the category storm , and where it hits,"  Loretta Worters , a vice president at the Insurance Information Institute about Hurricane Ian told USA TODAY on Wednesday. "Obviously, the more populated areas would result in higher losses....

  1:10 1:29 Hurricane Ian slammed into Florida's southwestern coast Wednesday with its 150 mph winds measuring near the highest ranking of storms. The Biden administration is flexing soft power to curb China's growing influence with international visits and welcoming regional leaders to the White House this week. Keep reading for our review of "Hocus Pocus 2." 🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm  Nicole Fallert ,  Daily Briefing author. Before you start reading, was there anything that happened this week you would have liked to see in this column? Let me know  here .  Now, here we go with Thursday's news. 🌅 Up first: ☕ Caffeine.  It's National Coffee Day 2022.  Here are 20 businesses offering free coffee and other daily deals .  Nearly 2 million without power in Florida The center of Hurricane Ian is expected to reach Florida's east coast Thursday after making landfall as a Category 4 storm. It slowed as it lashed the state and was downgrad...

  Hurricane Ian barreled into the southwest Florida coast   Wednesday as a Category 4 monster just miles from where the National Hurricane Center initially projected it could hit.  In the  days leading up to landfall , the forecast shifted the center of the track as far north as Florida’s Big Bend on Sunday and also hovered over Tampa Bay on Sunday and Monday. The potential track forecast  ignited fears the densely populated Tampa  and St. Petersburg area could get its first direct hit since a 1921 hurricane.  Ultimately, Ian made landfall more than 100 miles to the south, very near the first position estimate for a potential Florida landfall.  https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2022/09/28/track-shifts-uncertainties-all-part-hurricane-ian-forecast/10452213002/

WASHINGTON – The  House committee investigating  the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol postponed  its upcoming hearing  scheduled for Wednesday because of Hurricane Ian.  “In light of Hurricane Ian bearing down on parts of Florida, we have decided to postpone tomorrow’s proceedings," the committee's chairman, Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and vice chair, Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., said in a statement. "We’re praying for the safety of all those in the storm’s path. The Select Committee’s investigation goes forward and we will soon announce a date for the postponed proceedings.” The committee  was supposed to return  to public hearings Wednesday at 1 p.m. after a two-month break. A new date was not announced.  The committee last met in a public hearing in July, capping off a summer of eight hearings that revealed more about the deadly attack and   former President Donald Trump's efforts   to hold on to power. http...

  DES MOINES, Iowa – Attorneys for   Pieper Lewis   asked a judge to overturn a portion of the sentence that ordered her to   pay $150,000 to the estate of her rapist .  Lewis, who turns 18 years old Wednesday, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and willful injury after killing Zachary Brooks, a 37-year-old father of three, who she said sexually assaulted her multiple times in the weeks leading up to his killing. Early on June 1, 2020, when Lewis was 15 years old, she stabbed Brooks to death using a knife she found on a bedside table in Brooks' apartment after she said he assaulted her. Polk County Judge David M. Porter  gave Lewis a deferred judgment Sept. 13 , a type of legal remedy where a person can have their record expunged when probation is completed. He ordered her to spend five years on probation at the Fresh Start Women's Center in Des Moines. More about this case: What's next for Pieper Lewis, the Des Moines teen convicted of kill...

When a for-profit university told its 2,000 students last week it will close in a matter of days, it blamed the Education Department for its decision.  Virginia-based Stratford University offered courses in business administration, culinary arts and nursing and was one of roughly two dozen schools approved to receive federal money by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools.   The Education Department, however,  stripped ACICS of its power  to accredit universities in August because it didn't meet government standards. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2022/09/27/stratford-university-education-department-acics/8120685001/?gnt-cfr=1

  0:48 0:56 Fish is generally a healthy food  high in omega-3 fatty acids , which our bodies do not naturally produce, according to Healthline. In addition to protein content, the American Heart Association says  eating fish twice per week can also lead to better cardiovascular health . But not all fish are equal. Some are much healthier than others, and there are also considerable environmental concerns related to contaminants like mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls. Here are the best fish to include in your diet, as well as some to avoid. What is sugar alcohol?: The reduced-calorie sweetener you might not recognize. How to keep your cholesterol down: Foods, normal readings and more. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2022/09/28/what-healthiest-fish-to-eat-types-to-avoid/8039194001/

  ARLINGTON, Va. – More than 1,000 students walked out of Virginia middle and high schools Tuesday, organizers said, leaving class in protest of the state's reversal of transgender protections that put decisions on students' identities and preferred names at school exclusively in the hands of their parents.  What's in the policy:  The  guidelines , released Sept. 16 by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin's administration, require students to use restrooms, pronouns and names based on their official school records. It limits sports teams to gender assigned at birth, and it tightens parental notification requirements.  What students are saying:  "Revoking (transgender protections) now would be like dialing back the clock. It'd be like telling students, 'we don't really care, you're not really who you believe yourself to be,'" Andrea-Grace Mukuna, 16, told USA TODAY on Tuesday at John R. Lewis High School in Springfield, where more than 100 of her ...

  ARLINGTON, Va. – More than 1,000 students walked out of Virginia middle and high schools Tuesday, organizers said, leaving class in protest of the state's reversal of transgender protections that put decisions on students' identities and preferred names at school exclusively in the hands of their parents.  What's in the policy:  The  guidelines , released Sept. 16 by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin's administration, require students to use restrooms, pronouns and names based on their official school records. It limits sports teams to gender assigned at birth, and it tightens parental notification requirements.  What students are saying:  "Revoking (transgender protections) now would be like dialing back the clock. It'd be like telling students, 'we don't really care, you're not really who you believe yourself to be,'" Andrea-Grace Mukuna, 16, told USA TODAY on Tuesday at John R. Lewis High School in Springfield, where more than 100 of her ...

  WASHINGTON – Nearly 4 in 10 Americans feel Donald Trump was "directly responsible" for the   Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021 , but 3 in 10 believe President Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory was fraudulent despite the lack of evidence,   according to a poll released Tuesday . The results of the Monmouth University Poll revealed a persistent and polarized division across the country in reaction to the attack and  the House investigation into its causes and results . A majority of Americans surveyed last week wanted the committee investigating the attack to resume hearings. The Jan. 6 committee was supposed to return to public hearings Wednesday at 1 p.m. after a two-month break. The hearing was postponed because of Hurricane Ian. A new date was not announced.  But confidence in the government ebbed to a low point during the  heart of hearings in June  and has since rebounded slightly. About half the country (50%) believes the government ...

  0:29 0:51 OAKLAND, Calif. – The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office  has stripped 47 deputies –   10% of the force – of their guns and arrest powers  because they failed psychological exams in the wake of a fatal double shooting  allegedly committed by a former deputy . It was “horrible’’ to have to relieve the deputies of their duties, sheriff’s spokesman Lt. Ray Kelly told KTVU-TV. The station obtained a copy of a letter notifying the deputies of their change of status last Friday. The deputies will still receive their pay and benefits. The move came after the Sheriff’s Office conducted an internal audit of deputies’ psychological examinations from January 2016 to the present. The letter from Sheriff Gregory Ahern notified a deputy –   whose name was blacked out in the copy –   that the deputy had been graded “D. Not Suited” in a psychological evaluation and under state law couldn’t serve as a peace officer https://www.usa...

Rep. Nancy Mace said Sunday that some Republicans are thinking about impeaching President Joe Biden if they take over the House chamber following the midterm elections. "I believe there’s a lot of pressure on Republicans to have that vote and put that legislation forward," Mace, R-S.C., told host Chuck Todd on NBC's "Meet the Press." Mace added that if the impeachment vote happened, it would be "divisive," and that the House needs to work together. She also said she would back whomever the GOP nominates, including former President Donald Trump.   https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2022/09/25/nancy-mace-republicans-vote-impeach-biden/8114859001/

  MOSCOW (AP) — A gunman on Monday morning killed nine people and wounded 20 others in a school in central Russia, authorities said. Russia's Investigative Committee said in an online statement that two guards, two teachers and five students were killed in the shooting in a school in Izhevsk, a city about 960 kilometres (596 miles) east of Moscow in the Udmurtia region. Governor of Udmurtia Alexander Brechalov said in a video statement that the still unidentified gunman shot himself. The school educated children between grades 1 and 11. It has been evacuated and area around it has been fenced off, the governor said. No details about the gunman or his motives have been released. Izhevsk, a city of 640,000, is located west of the Ural mountains in central Russia. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2022/09/26/russia-school-shooting/8117845001/

  ROME — Italian voters rewarded Giorgia Meloni’s euro-skeptic party with neo-fascist roots, propelling the country toward what likely would be its first far-right-led government since World War II, based on partial results Monday from the election for Parliament. In a victory speech, far-right Italian leader Giorgia Meloni struck a moderate tone after projections based on votes counted from some two-thirds of polling stations showed her Brothers of Italy party ahead of other contenders in Sunday’s balloting. “If we are called to govern this nation, we will do it for everyone, we will do it for all Italians and we will do it with the aim of uniting the people (of this country),” Meloni said at her party’s Rome headquarters. “Italy chose us,” she said. “We will not betray (the country) as we never have. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2022/09/25/italys-far-right-poised-take-power-nation-votes/8113711001/

The U.S. has warned the Kremlin of the devastating consequences Russia would face should nuclear weapons be used in Ukraine, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Sunday. "If Russia crosses this line, there will be catastrophic consequences for Russia," Sullivan said on  NBC's "Meet the Press."  "The United States will respond decisively. In private channels, we have spelled out in greater detail exactly what that would mean." Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he does not believe Putin was bluffing when he said last week that he would be justified in using any force necessary — implying tactical nuclear weapons are not off the table. "He wants to scare the whole world," Zelenskyy said. "I think the world is deterring it and containing this threat. We need to keep putting pressure on him. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2022/09/25/ukraine-updates-zelenskyy-says-putin-knows-he-losing-war/8113858001/

  Among the counties that trace the coastline of the contiguous United States, two very different pictures emerged from the latest census. One shows how residents fled  after devastating hurricanes , fueled by  warmer-than-normal water in the Gulf of Mexico,  slammed into their communities. The other shows how coastal counties attracted millions of people to shiny new subdivisions, drawn by idyllic dreams of life near the beach. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2022/09/26/climate-change-threats-coastal-counites-growing/7882520001/?gnt-cfr=1

  The death of a 22-year-old woman in the custody of Iran's "morality police" for allegedly not properly covering her hair has sparked a remarkable moment of defiance by Iranian women and men, experts say. Thousands of protesters across the country have taken to the streets to demand justice for  Mahsa Amini . Women have burned their scarves and cut their hair, protesters have been injured and arrested, and as many as 17 people have been killed.  Despite the violent crackdown from Iranian security forces , demonstrations have continued in at least 13 cities for days. Iran has dealt with multiple waves of protests, but the recent demonstrations over Amini's death are unique, said Tara Sepehri Far, a senior researcher in the Middle East and North Africa division at Human Rights Watch https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2022/09/24/mahsa-amini-death-iran-womens-rights-debate/8074393001/

  Fiona, now a post-tropical cyclone after a destructive run as a hurricane, has already washed away homes, toppled trees and left thousands without power in Atlantic Canada after the storm made landfall early Saturday. The Canadian Hurricane Centre  called Fiona a  "historic storm for eastern Canada"  and a  "potential landmark weather event"  in a region where hurricanes are rare. Many storms weaken when they reach colder waters. Fiona is expected to continue to gradually weaken over the next few days. Hundreds of thousands of people in Atlantic Canada remained without power Sunday and Canadian officials continue to assess the scope of the devastation. Fiona brought widespread power outages.  More than 400,000 Nova Scotia Power customers had been affected by outages Saturday, the company reported. As of Sunday evening, more than 211,000 Nova Scotia Power customers and over 81,000 Maritime Electric customer...

  ROME — Italian voters rewarded Giorgia Meloni’s euro-skeptic party with neo-fascist roots, propelling the country toward what likely would be its first far-right-led government since World War II, based on partial results Monday from the election for Parliament. In a victory speech, far-right Italian leader Giorgia Meloni struck a moderate tone after projections based on votes counted from some two-thirds of polling stations showed her Brothers of Italy party ahead of other contenders in Sunday’s balloting. “If we are called to govern this nation, we will do it for everyone, we will do it for all Italians and we will do it with the aim of uniting the people (of this country),” Meloni said at her party’s Rome headquarters. “Italy chose us,” she said. “We will not betray (the country) as we never have.” https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2022/09/25/italys-far-right-poised-take-power-nation-votes/8113711001/

Tropical Storm Ian strengthened into a hurricane Monday while racing across the Caribbean toward Cuba and threatening a big hit to Florida's west coast later in the week. At 5 a.m. EDT on Monday, Ian was moving northwest at 13 mph, about 90 miles southwest of Grand Cayman, according to the National Hurricane Center. It had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph. Ian was forecast to intensify rapidly and become a major hurricane as soon as late Monday. As Ian approaches Florida, Accuweather said the storm could reach Category 4 status, which means sustained winds between 130 mph and 156 mph. "In just a few days, Ian is likely to be a dangerous, major hurricane,"  AccuWeather  Senior Meteorologist Adam Douty said. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis urged residents to load up on food, water, medicine, batteries and fuel. He said it was too soon to determine when or even if Ian will make landfall, but that evacuations may be ordered in coming days https://www.usato...