President Biden said there was “no immediate sanction” as he was questioned about his handling of the war in Ukraine.

– You have two options. Start World War III, go to war with Russia physically. Or two, make sure that a country that acts so contrary to international law ultimately pays the price for doing so, “Biden said in an interview with influential progressive social media influencer Brian Tyler Cohen.

“There is no sanction that is immediate,” he said. “It’s not like sanctioning someone and saying, ‘You won’t be able to be president of Russia anymore.’

“But I think I know that these sanctions are the broadest sanctions in history, both economic and political,” he said.

President Joe Biden defended the use of sanctions during a White House interview

Biden explains in an interview with progressive social media influencer Brian Tyler Cohen

The questions came after some criticized the United States for using the threat of sanctions as the main way to “deter” Russia from invading its neighbor. Something that has not worked so far.

In the last week, Biden has announced a wave of sanctions against Russia.

Some have turned to major Russian banks and imposed export restrictions.

Biden even downplayed the effectiveness of sanctions, saying “no one expects sanctions to prevent something from happening,” although he had previously stressed that sanctions are designed to deter and prevent.

On Saturday, the Western Allies decided to block “selected” Russian banks from the SWIFT payment system.

Biden even downplayed the effectiveness of sanctions, saying “no one expects sanctions to prevent something from happening,” although he had previously stressed that sanctions are designed to deter and prevent.

This move will deal a crippling economic blow, but will also cause a great deal of pain to their own companies and banks.

The Society for Global Interbank Financial Telecommunications (SWIFT) is a secure messaging system to ensure fast cross-border payments, which has become the main mechanism for financing international trade.

Russian banks that have been denied access to SWIFT will find it more difficult to communicate with international partners, even in friendly countries such as China, which slows down trade and makes transactions more expensive.

In this latest interview, Biden said people should not expect an immediate effect from sanctions.

Western allies decide on Saturday to block “selected” Russian banks from the SWIFT payment system

View of a demolished building after it was allegedly targeted by Ukraine in the city of Ilovaisk in the Donetsk region under the control of pro-Russian separatists, Ukraine on Saturday

An explosion of a gas pipe is observed in the city of Kharkov

“My goal from the beginning was to make sure I kept all NATO and Europe on the same page. “The only thing Putin thought he could do was split up NATO, creating a big hole for him to get through, but that didn’t happen,” Biden said.

“If you notice that there was complete unanimity, Russia will pay a heavy price for this short-term and long-term plan.”

Biden noted that neutral comments from Finland and Sweden on possible NATO accession show how deeply Putin has erred in invading Ukraine.

“Not only is NATO more united, look at what is happening in Finland, look at what is happening in Sweden, look at what is happening in other countries. I want to say that he is producing exactly the opposite effect that he intended, “Biden said.

“All I know is that we need to continue the course with our other allies,” Biden said.

In an interview with Cohen Biden, he commented on his predecessor Donald Trump’s remark that Russian President Vladimir Putin was a “genius” in the crisis with Ukraine – pointing to a time when the former president was called a “stable genius.”

Biden also commented on his predecessor Donald Trump’s remark that Russian President Vladimir Putin was a “genius” in the crisis with Ukraine – pointing to a time when the former president called himself a “stable genius.”

Biden scoffed at Trump, who called Putin’s plan to send so-called peacekeepers to the breakaway Donbass region of eastern Ukraine a “genius” move.

The deployment of Putin’s troops late Wednesday marked the beginning of a full-scale invasion of Russia.

“I put so much into it that Trump says Putin is a genius as I am when he calls himself a stable genius,” Biden said.

Trump has called himself a “stable genius” several times, the first in 2018 in response to a conversation that he was not mentally fit to serve as president.

“In fact, my two biggest strengths throughout my life have been mental stability and being really smart,” Trump wrote on Twitter at the time.

The 45th president added that winning a job on his first attempt should “qualify as not a genius, but a genius … and a very stable genius at that!”

On Tuesday, Trump could be heard praising Putin’s aggressive actions toward Ukraine as both “genius” and “very reasonable.”

Ukrainian soldier passes by wreckage of burning military truck on street in Kiev, Ukraine, Saturday

Russian troops stormed the Ukrainian capital on Saturday and sparked street fighting as city officials called on residents to take shelter.

“I came in yesterday and there was a TV screen and I said, ‘This is ingenious.’ Putin declares much of Ukraine. Putin declares him independent. “Oh, that’s wonderful,” Trump said.

“So Putin is now saying, ‘This is independent,’ much of Ukraine. I said, “How smart is that?” And he would come in and be a peacemaker.

“This is the strongest peacekeeping force I have ever seen. There were more army tanks than I saw. They will keep the peace, fine. No, but think about it. Here is a man who is very sensible.

Trump said similar thoughts the next day during a fundraiser at his Florida resort of Mar-a-Lago on Wednesday.

“I mean, he’s taking over the country for $ 2 in sanctions,” Trump said. “I’d say it’s pretty smart.”

A 30-year-old California cop was shot and killed while stopping traffic, the first death of a service in his small town in 80 years

• A California police officer who was shot and killed during a traffic stop on Friday has become the first death of his service in 80 years
• Officer Jorge David Alvarado started the stop near the East Market and Griffin Street around 10:40 pm on Friday
• The 30-year-old officer was a five-year veteran of police in Salinas, a town about 60 miles south of San Jose in Monterey County.
• The suspected shooter, whose name has not been released since Saturday, has been detained by police

from Matt McNulty for Dailymail.Com

Posted: 05:02 GMT, February 27, 2022 | Updated: 6:16 AM GMT on February 27, 2022

A California A police officer who was shot and killed during a traffic stop on Friday was the first death of his service in 80 years.

Jorge police officer David Alvarado initiated the stop near the East Market and Griffin Street at around 10:40 pm on Friday, according to Salinas Police Chief Roberto Filice.

The 30-year-old officer was a five-year veteran of police in Salinas, a town about 60 miles south of San Jose in Monterey County.

Authorities did not immediately reveal how the stoppage turned into a shooting, but Chief Filice praised the actions of the police officer during the deadly stoppage of traffic, which ultimately cost him his life.

“The officer stayed in the battle until the end. In the end, he paid the price for it, gave his life for it, “said the boss.

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Pictured: Salinas Jorge police officer David Alvarado killed

Authorities at the scene of the deadly shooting on Friday that killed a police officer in Salinas

Salinas Police Department congratulates their dead Jorge officer David Alvarado, who was a five-year veteran of the force

“But thanks to his actions, we were able to catch the suspect and are currently in custody.”

Salinas Mayor Kimberly Craig confirmed that Alvarado was the first officer in the city’s police department to die in the line of duty for nearly 80 years in press conference on Saturday.

“Our community and our police department are devastated,” Craig told Alvarado.

“The death of a police officer from Salinas in the line of duty has not occurred for nearly 80 years.”

“Our officers are mourning. They lost a brother. We lost a civil servant, “she added.

“My request to the community, please support and embrace our police force right now. They are hurt.

Salinas Police Chief Philis praises Alvarado’s actions during the deadly traffic stop, which ultimately cost him his life

Flowers were left in front of Salinas police as members of the community, employees mourn Jorge David Alvarado, and a Salinas firefighter wipes tears from her eyes during a news conference

Pictured: the place in Salinas where Alvarado was shot and killed while stopping on Friday

According to Filice, the suspected shooter, whose name has not been released since Saturday, has been detained by police.

According to a police shooting report, the investigation into the fatal shooting was then handed over to Monterey County Attorney Janine M. Pazioni, Phyllis said.

“The death of an officer in the line of duty has enormous consequences for the police department,” Pazioni added.

It was not clear which police officer died in the line of duty before Alvarado’s death.

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Former president Donald Trump shared his fears that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could eventually lead to a “world war”.

Trump said that while there may be no intention of starting a global conflict, the unpredictability of the situation makes it even more uncertain.

“Thousands of people, I mean, could lead to a much larger area than this one. “It could lead to many other countries and it could lead to a world war,” Trump said.

“You never know how a world war started. You never think a war will come out of this. Suddenly you find yourself in a world war. This is a very dangerous period for our nation, for the country.

Former President Donald Trump says he is concerned that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could lead to “world war”

Trump also referred to President Biden’s current tactic of imposing criminal sanctions on Russia, saying they were not enough – even though the White House was supplying Ukraine with weapons.

I suspect they will have to do more than sanctions, “Trump said.

“Putin understands how to avoid sanctions and goes through other countries. He goes to China as an example.

“It’s a terrible thing. That should never have happened under any circumstances, and that’s what it is, “Trump said Fox News on Saturday. “But they are showing great courage and I think they are doing a hell of a lot more than anyone would think possible.

“I just think it’s unfortunate that this is happening. This is something that should not happen, “said the 75-year-old Trump. “It’s very sad, but a lot of courage is being shown at the moment, which is pretty amazing,” he added.

The former president gave an interview in Orlando, Florida, where he spoke at the annual Conference on Conservative Political Action.

Trump made remarks before taking the CPAC stage in Orlando, Florida, where he said current US leaders are so dumb

The former president – who has vowed not to start any new wars during his rule and has kept his promise – would not be drawn to how he could cope with the invasion if it took place during his presidency.

“I would do things, but the last thing I want to do is say it right now, because if someone asks me, it’s in a position where they can use whatever I give them, but I certainly wouldn’t want to whether we talk about it on TV or in the media too much, but there are things you can do that would be very powerful.

At one point, Trump was asked if he had spoken to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, but he would not be involved.

“I don’t want to say, I just don’t want to say,” he said.

Trump called the besieged Zelensky a “brave man”, falsely claiming that the Ukrainian leader had acquitted him of the scandal that led to his first impeachment.

Trump said President Joe Biden would have to “do much more if he wanted to control Russian President Vladimir Putin.” Biden is pictured on Friday

During his presidency, Trump withheld vital military aid from a US ally as he unsuccessfully tried to pressure Zelensky to dig up political filth on the Biden family ahead of the 2020 election.

His remarks came as Russian missiles began hitting the outskirts of Kiev in an escalating crisis that ultimately emerged as a major topic of discussion at the CPAC.

While on the stage of the conference, Trump blamed Russia’s invasion of Biden’s “weakness” and praised President Vladimir Putin’s intellect.

“As everyone understands, this terrible disaster would never have happened if our elections had not been rigged and if I had been president,” he said, to applause.

“Russia’s attack on Ukraine is appalling. We pray for the proud people of Ukraine. “God bless them all,” Trump said.

While on the stage of the conference, Trump blamed Russia’s invasion of Biden’s “weakness” and praised President Vladimir Putin’s intellect. Putin was pictured earlier this week

NATO, he said, “seems the opposite of being smart” in imposing sanctions on Russia instead of deciding to “break Russia to pieces – at least psychologically.”

“The problem is not that Putin is smart, which of course is smart,” he continued. “But the real problem is that our leaders are so stupid.”

Trump quoted Russia’s invasion of Georgia under George W. Bush and Crimea under Barack Obama before saying, “I am the only 21st century president in whose watch Russia has not invaded another country.”

Trump also praised his previous praise of Putin, saying he was right that Putin was smart because he outwitted world leaders and NATO.

Trump was asked if he had talked to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the photo on Friday, but it would not be withdrawn.

The CPAC, the largest conservative gathering in the country, usually offers a valuable insight into the direction Republicans plan to take in the coming months.

According to organizers, Trump was expected to present a forward-looking “vision for America” ​​as Republicans seek to regain control of Congress in the midterm elections in November.

Instead, he elaborated on his loss in the 2020 election and his false claims that he had been robbed by widespread voter fraud, calling on the mob to “fight like hell” or face the destruction of their country.

This was similar to the rhetoric that inspired a crowd of his supporters to storm the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, for which he was punished with his second impeachment.

Officers fear retribution if they intervene to stop other officers’ misconduct. After the death of George Floyd, departments are trying to change that.

A senator from South Carolina Lindsay Graham said in an interview on saturday that he trusts the russian president Vladimir Putin will go “scorched earth” to Ukraine, if its forces continue the successful resistance.

Graham, 66, said Fox News’ Brian Kilmid that every gain Ukrainians and President Vladimir Green they did, they will only make Putin double.

“I admire the Ukrainian people,” Graham said. “I have never seen a leader rise to the occasion more than President Zelenski. I admire all the men and women in Ukraine who are literally ready to die for their freedom.

“But the more successful Ukraine is against Russia, the more likely Putin is to go to the scorched earth,” he added.

His decision is that Americans must stop buying Russian oil and gas so that the United States can produce more than its own.

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham speaks with Brian Kilmead Saturday night

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky

Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) awards businessman Arkady Rotenberg with Hero of Labor Medal

Zahar Leshchyshyn, a Ukrainian serviceman, listens to artillery fire standing in a trench at the dividing line between the Ukrainian-controlled and rebel-held territory near Zolotye.

“Never in the history of the world has a bad man been exposed as much as Putin is now,” said the fifth-term senator. “Their entire economy in Russia depends on the oil and gas sector. How about this idea? Turn it off.

He said he wanted to help the Biden administration overcome the crisis, but asked them to help themselves first.

“We must have as much will to produce oil and gas to help our economy and our allies as the Ukrainians to oppose a Russian tank,” Graham said. “The only best thing we can do is stop Russia’s oil and gas boom and increase America’s oil and gas production to help our own.”

He added that when it comes to Putin, you pay now or pay later, and suggested that the country get every C-17 available to fly with food, fuel and ammunition to Poland to enter Ukraine and help them fight the Russians.

On Saturday, perhaps proving Graham’s thesis, Putin deployed a volley missile system that “sucks the air out of its victims.” Ukraine as his occupation war intensified.

TOS-1 Buratino launches “thermobaric” fuel-air missiles, which, when exploded, consume all the oxygen in the area of ​​the explosion, killing everyone in the area.

It may seem that the victims have no visible external injuries, but they will suffer great internal damage.

The weapon is based on the Soviet-era main T-72 battle tank, with the main tower removed and replaced by a missile launch system containing 30.8.5-inch missiles.

The TOS-1 Buratino multiple rocket launcher, pictured here in June 2020 during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, is believed to have been stationed in Ukraine.

The weapon system can fire 30-8.5-inch missiles in 15 seconds. Thermobaric missiles have a range of approximately two miles, with each warhead causing an explosion area 1,000 feet in diameter

The TOS-1A Buratino multiple rocket launcher can fire 30 thermobaric projectiles in 15 seconds, devastating a 1,000-foot-wide blast zone

The system was developed in the mid-1980s and unguided missiles have a range of two miles.

Witnesses say they saw the weapons system crossing into Ukraine from Belarus, possibly heading to Kiev.

Indiscriminate weapons are very effective against people and lightly armored vehicles, causing devastation in an area 1,000 feet in diameter.

The Russians describe TOS-1 Buratino as a “flamethrower”, but military experts say it fired a “wall of napalm at its victims”.

Green today he promised to “destroy the occupiers” as he said his country’s army had successfully repulsed Russian forces advancing on Kiev.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said today that the country’s army had successfully repulsed Russian forces advancing on Kiev and controlled the capital after a night of brutal fighting in which terrified residents sought refuge underground.

Kiev: A police vehicle is seen patrolling the streets, as curfew is introduced from Saturday 17:00 to Monday 8 am local time

Ukrainian soldiers take up positions in front of a military facility while burning two cars on a street in Kiev, Ukraine today

In a video message to the besieged nation, Zelensky accused the Kremlin of trying to seize the capital, overthrow the government and establish a “puppet” regime “like in Donetsk”, one of the two separatist regions that is fueling the war. Vladimir Putin officially recognized before the total invasion began.

Saying that “we broke their idea”, he added: “The fights are taking place in many cities and regions of our country. But we know that we are defending the country, the land, the future of our children. Kiev and key cities around the capital are controlled by our army.

“Every Ukrainian must have one thing in mind: if you can stop and destroy the occupiers – do it. Anyone who can return to Ukraine – to return to defend Ukraine.

Meanwhile, curfew in Kiev has been introduced until 8 am on Monday to ensure the most effective protection of the city and the safety of the people. The previous daily curfew was from 10 to 7 in the morning.

Mayor Vitali Klitschko said: “All civilians on the street during curfew will be considered members of the enemy’s sabotage and intelligence groups.”

This comes after a high-rise apartment building in Kiev was hit by a devastating rocket this morning, while the number of civilians killed in Ukraine reached 198.

The British Ministry of Defense said that most of the Russian forces involved in the attack on Kiev are now 30 km (19 miles) from the city center.

“Russia has not yet gained control of Ukraine’s airspace, which significantly reduces the effectiveness of the Russian air force,” the defense ministry said in an intelligence update posted on Twitter.

But Secretary of Defense James Happy said today that there was no reason to think “a happy ending is just around the corner” as he warned that the conflict could last for months.

He told BBC Breakfast: “No one should think that this is somewhere close. What Ukraine faces, its armed forces and, very tragically, its people are days, weeks, months more than what we have seen in the last 48 hours.

As Ukrainian forces said they had fought the Russian attack on their capital today, Zelensky promised to stay and fight in a passionate video for his people.

‘I’m here. We will not lay down our arms. We will defend our country because our weapons are our truth, “he told his office, denouncing as disinformation allegations that he had surrendered or fled.

Dressed in military attire, the president added: “There is a lot of false information on the Internet saying that I called on our army to lay down its arms and that the evacuation is underway.

“Our truth is that this is our land, our country, our children and we will protect all this. That’s what I wanted to tell you. Glory to Ukraine! ‘

Shocking footage today shows a rocket tearing apart a tower near Zhulyani Airport, and video surveillance inside also shows the extent of the damage after hitting the site.

The images show the building with a hole covering at least five floors, blown up on the sides and rubble scattered on the street below. Two people were reported killed in the crash.

Anton Herashchenko also said that Russia was lying that it had not fired on civilian infrastructure, claiming that at least 40 such sites had been affected. Ukraine said later on Saturday that 19 people had been killed in shelling in the eastern part of the country.

These civilian deaths were reported on 198 reported earlier today, resulting in a total of 219 – including three children – who have been killed so far by Russian forces attacking the country.

The Minister of Health of Ukraine said today that about 1,200, including 33 children, were injured.

MIDDLAND, Texas. The list of political vulnerabilities faced by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton could seriously jeopardize his candidacy for a third term.

There’s a charge of securities fraud in state court. Allegations of bribery and corruption. Senior assistants became informants. Ongoing federal investigation.

All in all, it was enough to attract major challenges from three strong opponents in Texas Republican politics: George P. Bush, Texas Land Commissioner and grandson of former President George W. Bush; Rep. Louis Gomert, an outspoken congressman from East Texas; and Eva Gusman, former Justice of the Texas Supreme Court.

But whether Mr. Paxton can survive the Republican primary could be the biggest test of the power that an even more famous name still wields among voters: Donald J. Trump.

Mr. Paxton has positioned himself as the closest to Mr. Trump among opponents seeking to claim affinity with the former president. Attorney General of Texas unsuccessfully sued to overturn 2020 election results in several states as well as spoke at Mr. Trump’s “Stop theft” rally in Washington on January 6, 2021..

For his efforts, Mr. Paxton received Mr. Trump’s support last year, and he delivered a speech at Mr. Trump’s mass Republican rally last month north of Houston.

“Attorney General who really led the way, someone who was brave and strong: Ken Paxton,” Mr. Trump said during a rally at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds. “Ken, brave and strong. And popular.”

Well, not so popular.

Although Mr. Paxton garners more votes than any of his opponents, he faces the increasingly likely prospect of a runoff after Tuesday’s primary. He has been below the 50 percent threshold in recent opinion polls, and his campaign is already gearing up for a new contest.

This left the three contenders fighting for second place. They traveled around the state, appearing at Republican forums and debates organized by local party groups. A common theme was that Mr. Paxton is so afraid he could actually lose to a Democrat in November — a shudder-inducing prospect for Texas Republicans, who haven’t lost a statewide race since 1994.

“If you look, for example, at people like AOC who come to Texas and say that Texas is about to turn blue—well, she’s right if we’re putting the wrong people forward as a party,” Mr. Mr. Bush in an interview, referring to Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.

The race for Attorney General has turned into a referendum on the future of the Republican Party in Texas, with various centers of power – the remnants of Texas’s Bush political dynasty, the tort reform business elite, Trump’s rising wing without Trump. up different corners.

In the last days of the campaign, the attacks went unhindered. Mr. Paxton exchanged barbs with Mr. Homert. Mr. Bush and Ms. Guzman followed each other. But many voters, even those dedicated enough to appear on candidate forums, have only a glimpse of the contenders. And the accusations against Mr. Paxton are not new; he endured them for years.

Mr. Paxton, who declined an interview request, faced government allegations of securities fraud since 2015related to his being a member of the Texas House, during which, the prosecutor’s office said that he directed investments in the firm without disclosing, he will be compensated for it. Mr. Paxton denied the accusations and said the accusation was politically motivated and successfully delayed the trial. amid procedural disputes over where it should take place.

He was re-elected in 2018 by less than 4 percentage points, a narrow margin in the Texas general election.

Then, in 2020, several of Mr. Paxton’s top aides — senior lawyers in the Attorney General’s office with conservative credentials — accused him of bribery and abuse of power in connection with his actions on behalf of the developer and sponsor of the campaign. Some of the officials who have since been fired or resigned said the developer, Nate Paul, also hired a woman recommended to him by Mr. Paxton.

Last week, four former officials who filed a whistleblowing lawsuit against Mr. Paxton in connection with their dismissal said the attorney general lied about their allegations How is he campaigning for re-election?

An FBI spokesman declined to comment. Both Mr. Paul and Mr. Paxton denied any wrongdoing.

Even with the barrage of accusations, Mr. Paxton was not as weak a candidate as some political circles in Texas made him out to be.

“People thought Paxton would be vulnerable,” said Nathan McDaniel, a Republican political strategist from Austin. “But I see voters need a fighter, someone who’s going to sue Google or the Biden administration,” as Mr. Paxton did repeatedly in the case of President Biden. In recent days, Mr. Paxton has also targeted parents of transgender teenagers by issuing official opinion that certain medical procedures should be investigated as child abuse..

“I don’t think personal issues are as important to voters as you might think,” Mr. McDaniel said. “Now if he’s in jail, it’s a completely different matter. But will it happen? I do not think so”.

In an interview, Mr. Gomert predicted that Mr. Paxton would face corruption charges in federal court shortly after the primary, leaving Republicans unable to replace him until the November general election if he wins the primary.

In response, Mr. Paxton’s campaign sent a statement to the Attorney General attacking Mr. Gomert for “clearly relying on lies, intimidation and intimidation tactics to win.”

Political strategists say Mr. Gomert poses the greatest threat to Mr. Paxton’s conservative base. Mr Gomert entered the race later than the other candidates, in November, but has already attracted negative campaigning. mailers, Facebook ads as well as TV spot from Mr Paxton.

Mr. Gomert also had a friendly relationship with Mr. Trump and was the only person running for attorney general whom Mr. Trump spoke fondly of during a rally last month.

“Louis Gomert, what a great guy,” Mr. Trump told the crowd, recognizing Mr. Gomert among the elected officials. “This is a man who has been my friend since day one.”

Mr. Bush, who has struggled to win Mr. Trump’s approval, did not attend the event due to a scheduling conflict, his campaign team said.

“I definitely wanted that endorsement along with the support of his supporters. That is why I continue to reach out not only to his followers, but to those who advise him here in Texas,” Mr. Bush said in an interview, adding of Mr. Trump, “I think he made a mistake in this race.”

Ms. Guzman, for her part, has waged a targeted campaign to alienate voters in the most unexpected places.

“I saw an ad for Eva Guzman during Jeopardy! in the last week or two,” said Marie Woodleaf, a political consultant in Dallas. “Danger! and “Wheel of Fortune” are two of the best kept secrets in politics, because almost all of their audiences are people over 60 years old, and they are voters.

At this month’s election forum, the three fought in front of a staunch conservative crowd in a theater on the oil-rich West Texas plains between Midland and Odessa. Each of them vowed to take a tougher stance than Mr. Paxton did at the frontier on crime and allegations of voter fraud in Texas.

The hour-long debate began with Mr. Gomert attacking Mr. Paxton for not doing more to investigate allegations of fraud in 2020 and ending with Mr. Bush vowing to fight Liberal Democrats who are “littering the our local governments.” Along the way, Ms. Guzmán captivated the crowd with a story about her father’s murder by an “illegal immigrant” when she was 26 years old.

In an interview before the meeting, Ms. Guzmán said seeing her father “covered in a yellow tarp” underscored to her that “these lawless frontiers are not without victims.” She said her experience on the bench made her better prepared for the job than any of her opponents.

Ms. Guzman, who has the financial backing of Texans for Lawsuit Reform, a perennial influential player in Republican politics, downplayed Mr. Trump’s support for Mr. Paxton. “Texans want to choose for themselves,” she said.

After a debate in the theater lobby, Roger Bernhart, 74, from Odessa, and his son said they had not yet decided who they would vote for.

“My favorite is Homert,” Mr. Barnhart said, adding that Ms. Guzman also impressed him.

“A long time ago it was good to have the last name Bush here, not now,” added his son, Dax Barnhart, 47, who works with his father in the hardware business.

Although he had yet to make a decision, Mr. Barnhart Sr. left with one firm impression of the candidates: “Any one of them would be better than Paxton.”

RACELAND, Louisiana. Nearly six months after Hurricane Ida tore the roof off Brett Gabriel’s house, filling it with rainwater, recovery seems as impossible as it was on the day of the storm.

It would take more than $150,000 to make the house livable for Mr. Gabriel and his wife, according to the installer he hired, to make the house livable for Mr. Gabriel and his wife. But after his insurance company sent their assessor to inspect the damage, the company offered only $21,000 — enough to replace the roof — with another $6,000 left.

The insurance policy “should have been insurance,” said Mr. Gabriel, who slept in the house for months after the storm, even as he developed coughs and headaches, which he blamed on the black mold climbing the walls. Although the state gave them a travel trailer in January, they said it was barely big enough for them to sleep comfortably and they still spend their days in their damaged home.

At a small church within walking distance, where Mr. Gabriel is the pastor, nearly all congregants with homeowner’s insurance experienced the same thing, he said.

“We could finish each other’s story,” he said.

He tries to encourage patience, but his own is drying up.

“How do you rest? How do you get some kind of peace? Mr. Gabriel said, adding, “It’s like we’re stuck in purgatory.”

As hurricanes, floods and fires hit homes across the country with heightened intensity, homeowners are increasingly facing disaster after a natural disaster: fighting insurance companies lasting months or even years for recovery funds.

There is little hard data on whether the rise in extreme weather and natural disasters is prompting insurers to find more ways to say no.

But residents, lawmakers and lawyers say delays and underpayments are becoming more common as insurance companies often send inexperienced appraisers and company-appointed engineering firms whose damage estimates are well below the costs needed for repairs, especially when labor and supply costs are factored in. . grew up.

Mike Fesi, the Republican state senator representing the Louisiana district most affected by Ida, believes that about half of his insured voters experienced delays or underpayments.

“I don’t know if they are doing it on purpose,” said Mr Fesi, who himself has experienced delays in his insurance claim. “I wouldn’t like to think it is.”

But as insurance companies face near-record losses due to alternating hurricane seasons as well as natural disasters like wildfires in the West, some are seeing more than occasional problems.

“What we see there, I see across the country,” said Doug Quinn, executive director of the American Insurers Association, a watchdog organization that he says regularly receives complaints from both policyholders and industry workers.

The organization recently filed a criminal lawsuit against two Florida homeowners whose homes were damaged by Hurricane Irma in 2017, alleging denial and underpayment by United Property & Casualty Insurance Company. The insured association said the complaint may represent the experience of thousands of hurricane victims. The company, which said it had not yet received a complaint, declined to comment.

Insurance industry officials said companies have paid out huge amounts following natural disasters in recent years, with insurers expected to sue Louisiana residents hit by hurricanes in 2020 and 2021 for more than $20 billion in property loss claims. to be expected, said Mark Friedlander, public affairs officer for the Insurance Information Institute.

“When there is a catastrophic loss of this magnitude, you will have homeowners who are definitely unhappy with how their claims are being handled,” he said.

The vast majority of claims are dealt with promptly, Mr. Friedländer said, citing industry data showing that 83 percent of Hurricane Ida claims were “closed” by the end of the year.

But the data paints an incomplete picture, according to Jim Donelon, Louisiana’s insurance commissioner, whose office collected and released the data.

“It’s the company’s opinion, it’s not necessarily the policyholder’s opinion,” he said of the term “closed.”

In south Louisiana, delays have not only delayed the recovery process—many hurricane victims are still living in hotels or in trailers in backyards—but also forced some people to leave for good.

“That’s what they’re hoping for: you just put your hands up,” said Lynn Lewis, who has finally begun rebuilding her home in Laplace, a suburb of New Orleans, after receiving disappointing damage estimates from a number of different insurance agents. . “Many people have just left these houses. It will be a ghost town,” she said.

Kerry Andersen of Lake Charles said she was offered a fraction of what she needed to recover from Hurricane Laura in 2020 after nearly a dozen repairers and engineers hired by her insurance company checked the damage. In January, she finally decided to sell her house at a big loss.

“It’s a loss on another level because you’re also losing your community,” said Ms. Andersen, who has been tossing between rented apartments in Baton Rouge and New Orleans since the storm.

Mr Friedländer said most of the problems stemmed from smaller regional insurers, who he said “do not have the same capacity as a major national or super-regional insurer to deal effectively with a disaster like Ida.” Three smaller regional carriers have become insolvent in recent months, having entered state administration.

But lawyers say they hear about the same problems from policyholders large and small. Hurricane Ida victims have filed more than 450 complaints with the Louisiana Department of Insurance against State Farm, the state’s largest insurance company.

Roselle Gadson, a spokesman for State Farm, said most claims about recent storms in Louisiana have been resolved. “We are committed to treating every claim with care and concern, and to comply with the insurance coverage specified in the insurance policy,” he wrote in an email. For hurricanes in 2020 and 2021, “State Farm has paid out more than $2.5 billion in over 140,000 claims received from our Louisiana customers,” he added.

According to Mr. Donelon, complaints against insurers are likely only a small fraction of the number of people who have problems.

“Most people enter a situation believing that they will get an objective assessment and that they will get what they are entitled to – and this is the biggest misconception,” he said. Ted Patestos, an appraiser for Texas-based Smart Claims Public Adjusting, who was hired by Mr. Gabriel to assess damage to his home. “I haven’t seen a single insured yet who didn’t get more money.”

Most others who don’t know about government adjusters or don’t have the time or resources to fight their insurer simply accept their carrier’s offer.

“It’s kind of a war of attrition,” said Mr. Patestos, who said he left his job as an administrator at an adjustment firm hired by insurance companies after Hurricane Laura in August 2020 because he didn’t agree as he and his colleagues were asked. to process cases.

Supporters and experts say underpayments and payment delays, while not new, have become more common since Hurricanes Katrina, Ike and Rita wreaked havoc along the Gulf Coast in 2005 and 2008.

“They have become much more sophisticated, organized and standardized,” said Jeff Reisner, an attorney who has spent 30 years litigating insurance claims in Texas and Louisiana. “They have responded very creatively to the increased risk to the environment in order to minimize their own risk.”

Paul Newsom, managing director and senior analyst at investment bank Piper Sandler, said companies are struggling to cope with the cascading damage.

“I don’t think most insurance companies are really trying to cheat customers,” Mr. Newsom said. “But they don’t try to be generous.”

“The core business is so unprofitable,” he added, “that they simply cannot afford to be more generous than they have to.”

And, he says, some policyholders only realize after a disaster occurs that the policy they have bought is not enough. “Who reads the contract correctly? Nobody does that until their loss happens.”

At the same time, many clients find it difficult to afford adequate coverage as insurers, facing shrinking profits, have raised premiums and deductibles.

Homeowners’ experiences in the aftermath of Hurricanes Laura, Delta, and Zeta that hit southwest Louisiana in 2020 prompted lawmakers to propose a series of bills in 2021 to control the behavior of insurers.

But the insurance industry, heavily represented in the Legislative Assembly, opposed many of the proposals, and few of these bills were passed without change. The proposed $10,000 penalty for non-payment within 30 days of receipt of the field appraiser’s report was reduced to $2,500.

But now that the same fight is playing out in Louisiana’s more populous and politically powerful southeast, proponents of the law are hoping they can do better in the upcoming legislative session. At an insurance committee hearing in December, lawmakers from both parties expressed growing frustration and called for reform.

While Mr. Donelon, the state’s insurance commissioner, said Louisiana could be more aggressive in regulating the industry, he also said the state should be careful to avoid completely squeezing insurers out of the market.

“We are mandated — every state is mandated — to make insurance accessible and affordable,” said Mr. Donelon, a Republican. “And we can kill the goose that lays the golden eggs in a process of over-regulation.”

But others say fears of insurers being squeezed out are misplaced.

“What they’ve put people through is they shouldn’t have their own policies if they can’t get them treated in a timely manner,” said Dustin Granger, who ran unsuccessfully for the southwest Louisiana State Senate last year with insurance reform as one of the main issues of his election campaign. “If you can’t do business the right way, it’s not really insurance.”

U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Green has denied knowing a prominent white nationalist, despite speaking at his rally and posing for a photo with him on Friday.

Green, a republican from Georgiaappeared as a surprise guest at the American Conference on Political Action in Orlando, an event hosted by Nick Fuentes, a white nationalist who was finally removed from YouTube for an anti-Semitic hate speech in 2020.

After speaking at the event, Green posed for a photo with Fuentes and right-wing expert Michelle Malkin, but when asked about her appearance at AFPAC and her relationship with Fuentes, Green denied knowing him.

“I don’t know Nick Fuentes,” Green told CBS on Saturday. “I have never heard him speak, I have never seen a video [of him].

“I don’t know what his views are, so I don’t agree with anything that is contradictory.”

She went on to explain that she appeared at Fuentes’ AFPAC event to talk about “god and freedom” and to connect with his young followers because “this is a generation I am extremely concerned about.”

US MP Marjorie Taylor Green (center) has denied knowing white nationalist Nick Fuentes (right), although she posed with him and right-wing expert Michelle Malkin during his conference on America’s first political action in Orlando on Friday.

Green came out as a special guest at Fuentes’ AFPAC event to talk about “god and freedom.” The two were filmed together at Friday’s event

Green defended his appearance at AFPAC and denied any involvement with Fuentes. She is pictured speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Saturday

Nick Fuentes (above) founded AFPAC in 2020 to compete with CPAC. Fuentes has been described as a supporter of the white race by the Anti-Defamation League and has been banned permanently by YouTube for making anti-Semitic remarks.

When a CBS reporter informed Green that Fuentes was a white nationalist, she said she did not support the opinion and reiterated that she knew nothing about Fuentes.

Fuentes, who has been described as a supporter of the anti-slander League, founded AFPAC in 2020 to compete with the popular Conservative Political Action Conference, which also held its annual conference on Saturday.

He gained disgrace by making many anti-Semitic comments, denying the Holocaust and opposing women’s right to vote.

When a CBS reporter informed Green that Fuentes was a white nationalist, she said she did not support the opinion and reiterated that she knew nothing about Fuentes.

She also told reporters that Russian President Vladimir Putin was assassinated because of his invasion of Ukraine, a move that Fuentes had previously praised.

On Twitter, Green said he was not responsible for Fuentes’ views, only his own.

“I will not play the game of guilt through association, in which you demand that every conservative justify everything ever said by someone with whom he has ever shared a room,” she said.

“I will also not deny the opportunity to speak to 1,200 young patriots from America First because of a few frivolous remarks from another speaker, even if I find these remarks unpleasant.”

Green defended her appearance at AFPAC and said she was not guilty of association for speaking at the Fuentes event.

Far-right radio host and AFPAC colleague Stu Peters told the Daily Beast that Green was lying.

“It’s not surprising to see Marger Taylor Green, a liar and deceiver, stab Nick Nick Fuentes in the abdomen so quickly just hours after pretending to be mocked in his fast-paced movement of Christ, America’s first patriots.”

The Republican Jewish Coalition condemned Green “most severely” for attending the event with “Nazi sympathizer Nick Fuentes.”

“It is appalling and outrageous that a member of Congress will share a platform with a man who actively spreads anti-Semitic bile, mocks the Holocaust and promotes dangerous anti-Israel conspiracy theories.”

The coalition also condemned the participation of US Congressman Paul Grosser in last year’s AFPAC event.

“This has absolutely no place in the Republican Party, and the RJC will actively oppose anyone who comes in contact with Nick Fuentes, AFPAC and the like.”

Republican National Committee Chairman Rona McDaniel said in a statement on Green’s appearance at AFPAC that “white supremacy, neo-Nazism, hate speech and bigotry are disgusting and have no home in the Republican Party.”