While you were sleeping, we compiled the biggest stories of the day in one place. Each story has a quick and easy summary, so you're prepared for whatever the day brings. Just click on the links if you want to know more!
1. Citizens insurance rates will soon climb for thousands of Floridians
Citizens Insurance, one of Florida's largest home insurers, is raising their rates for a majority of their customers on Sept. 1.
This comes after the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation on June 30 approved an average rate increase of 6.4% for homeowners with "multi-peril" policies, which is by far the most common type of policy, according to FloridaRealtors.org.
The state-backed insurer is nearing the one million client mark as other insurance companies have been downgraded and unable to provide insurance in Florida. It was half of that two years ago.
2. Kansas voters protect abortion rights, block path to ban
Kansas voters on Tuesday protected the right to get an abortion in their state, rejecting a measure that would have allowed their Republican-controlled Legislature to tighten abortion restrictions or ban it outright.
Voters rejected a proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution that would have added language stating that it does not grant the right to abortion.
A 2019 state Supreme Court decision declared that access to abortion is a "fundamental" right under the state's Bill of Rights, preventing a ban and potentially thwarting legislative efforts to enact new restrictions.
3. Senate passes burn pit legislation
The U.S. Senate has passed a bill to provide health care to veterans exposed to toxic burn pits during their military service.
News of the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2022 passing in the Senate comes a week after Republicans blocked the legislation.
Every Democratic Senator and many Republicans voted to pass the bill, with only 11 Senators voting against it.
4. Tampering and tanking: Dolphins see fallout from former head coach's allegations
The Miami Dolphins forfeited two draft picks and owner Stephen Ross was suspended and fined $1.5 million after the NFL said Tuesday that they found "tampering violations of unprecedented scope and severity."
The Dolphins were stripped of their first-round selection in next year's NFL draft and a third-round selection in the 2024 draft. Miami will retain their first-round pick in 2023 that they received in a trade with San Francisco.
The NFL concluded the Dolphins did violate the anti-tampering policy and while they say Ross didn't instruct former head coach Brian Flores to intentionally lose games, Ross did ask that the upcoming draft should take priority over the team's win-loss record.
If those seem like conflicting statements, you're not alone in your confusion.
5. Trend of high-tide flooding expected to occur for years to come, NOAA says
High-tide flooding will continue to be a threat to coastal communities for years to come, NOAA announced during a media briefing held Tuesday.
The phenomenon occurs when tides reach anywhere from 1.75 to 2 feet above the daily average high tide and start spilling onto streets or bubbling up from storm drains.
NOAA's projections show that these flooding events are expected to dramatically increase in the next 50 years with up to 60 occurrences each year in Miami and 75 in Port Canaveral.
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On This Day In History
On August 3, 1958, the U.S. nuclear submarine Nautilus accomplishes the first undersea voyage to the geographic North Pole. The world’s first nuclear submarine, the Nautilus dived at Point Barrow, Alaska, and traveled nearly 1,000 miles under the Arctic ice cap to reach the top of the world. It then steamed on to Iceland, pioneering a new and shorter route from the Pacific to the Atlantic and Europe.
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