In GOP Speaker Mike Johnson’s district, the political mood is mixed for the party in power

• September 28, 2026

By LISA MASCARO, AP Congressional Correspondent

SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) — The GOP’s “Big Beautiful Bill” is rolling out in different ways across U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson’s home district — from steakhouse servers getting a tax break on tips to a community center where people line up for a free hot lunch as SNAP benefits are being cut.

In this rough-and-tumble corner of northwest Louisiana, where booms and busts have defined the oil rich region’s history, the legislation can be a bit of a mystery to voters going about their days ahead of the November election.

This is President Donald Trump country, and Johnson, who rode into office on the 2016 wave that elected the president the first time, is in no apparent danger as he seeks a sixth term in Congress.

But the tenor of conversations — at a candidate forum, at a data center open house, outside a grocery store — provides a snapshot of the grim outlook for the party in power. High gas and grocery prices, the war in Iran and the lingering sense of an uneasy new economic normal are all on voters’ minds.

“I remember when Trump said, ‘This Christmas, you’ll have one doll’ — I didn’t get it,” said Katherine Ferguson, an attorney in Shreveport and mother of a teenager, after a recent community meeting downtown. “Now I get it.”

Voters are struggling to add it all up

Republicans are campaigning on the big bill, what Johnson calls the largest tax cuts in American history. He hauled the package over the finish line last summer, a remarkable political achievement given the slim House majority.

“This is real money for real people,” Johnson said in Washington, as lawmakers headed home to campaign.

Louisianans on average saw an estimated $2,900 tax deduction this year, according to the nonpartisan Tax Foundation, largely because the bill preserved existing rates and brackets that would have otherwise expired. The boost in actual tax refunds was much less, about $350 on average nationwide.

The numbers, in many ways, speak for themselves. The bill tallied some $4 trillion in tax breaks, including new deductions for tips and overtime pay, and enhanced benefits for many seniors and families with children. It also cut more than $1 trillion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, and Medicaid healthcare by imposing administrative changes and additional work requirements that are expected to lead to fewer people on the programs.

Overall, the bill is projected to boost economic growth, but it also adds more than $3 trillion to the federal deficit over a decade.

Johnson said the GOP is “cutting wasteful government spending” and “enacting the policies to bring about economic growth.”

Voters appear to be struggling to add it all up, especially as gas hits $4 a gallon and diesel has almost doubled from last year in Louisiana, topping $6.

“I don’t understand the high prices,” said Dodie Horton, a state representative in Johnson’s district, who is supportive of Trump and the speaker but has trouble making sense of the price spikes.

“I know it’s not the president,” she said. “My people want to know why. I don’t have an answer.”

Tax cuts vs. food aid

Madison McDonald, in between working the bar area at the Silver Star Smokehouse & Tavern, said she’s saved about $3,000 on state and federal taxes combined this year, thanks to the tipped income deduction.

The restaurant is popular with the oil and gas industry workers, and she said she once landed a $1,100 tip from a busy table — an appreciated supplement to her $2.13 hourly wage, the federal minimum.

“It definitely helps,” she said. “People are generous.”

Up the road in Bossier Parish, where Johnson lives, Sheriff Julian C. Whittington had his staff run the numbers and found that more than 180 deputies had their taxable income reduced by an average of $1,100 thanks to the overtime deduction.

“That’s good for them, and it’s good for the department,” he said. “Our folks are getting more money, and it doesn’t cost us any more.”

Yet across the river that divides the city, with its riverfront casinos on one side and aging civic infrastructure on the other, the food aid cuts are also taking shape.

Al Moore keeps the door locked as the line begins to form hours before the daily hot lunch is served at the nonprofit Christian Service, where he is executive director.

Once the noon hour strikes, he begins to let people file in, about 10 or so at a time, as they take their seats.

Calvin Ray Marshall, 59, said he was receiving about $294 per month in SNAP benefits until May, when he said he was unable to meet the new 80-hours-a-month work requirements, which now apply to those through age 64 who are able-bodied and do not have young children.

“That’s why I’m here,” he said, finishing up a plate of chicken, rice and gravy, with mixed vegetables.

He said he used to stock shelves at a mini-market and recently sought work at a new gas station. Sometimes he picks up odd jobs, cutting a yard, and he lives out of a tire repair shop where he used to help out, but that closed as business dried up during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns.

“For some reason, the government has always been trying to cut people off food stamps because they think people are abusing it,” said Marshall. “It seems like they think jobs are just falling out of the sky.”

Johnson’s district now encompasses this area, part of a majority-Black congressional district that was eliminated after the Supreme Court ruled in a landmark voting rights case this summer.

After lunch, Kenny “KeKe” Heads pulls out a resume listing past work experience — sandwich artist, janitor, housekeeper at a local hotel — on a tidy one-sheet document. For now, Heads receives about $100 a month in SNAP benefits but is worried that the three-month window available to jobseekers will lapse before he finds work.

“It’s rough,” Heads said, hopeful one day of opening a beauty salon and boutique. “Getting a chance is like one in a million.”

According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Louisiana is behind only Arizona and on par with Nevada in the decline in SNAP recipients during the year since the bill passed, a 21% reduction. The Medicaid work requirements are set to begin in most states in January.

Other voices looking for alternatives

One of Johnson’s Democratic opponents, Conrad Cable, an English major turned vegetable farmer, said he decided to run for Congress because “enough is enough.”

“If you talk to people at the gas pumps — people are pissed,” he said.

He said he hears from voters about the war, affordability, the SNAP cuts — “there was never any conversation about cutting people’s food benefits,” he said.

Outside a Shreveport grocery store, Norman Summers, 70, a Marine and retired construction worker, supported Trump but is warily watching the war in Iran and the president’s rising wealth.

“Trump’s the one who’s bothering me,” he said.

As the afternoon sun glared, attorney Scott Bowie stopped his cart of bottled waters to assess the political mood.

A believer in small government, he wishes the big Republican bill had done more to reduce the federal deficit.

When he looks to Democrats, “They don’t seem to want what I want,” he said. “But I’m not saying I’m happy with the Republicans either.”

​ Orange County Register 

Democrats keep coming to South Carolina to stump for midterm candidates. It’s all about 2028

• September 28, 2026

By MEG KINNARD

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — On paper, South Carolina might be an odd place for Democrats to converge to campaign for midterm candidates. Republicans dominate state politics, and there’s slim chance of that changing this year.

But South Carolina is also the first state in Democrats’ next presidential nominating process, so White House hopefuls are looking for any excuse they can find to pop over.

In the next few weeks, five Democrats who are believed to be mulling 2028 campaigns — California Rep. Ro Khanna, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and longtime Democratic politico Rahm Emanuel — will be stumping here.

That’s on top of recent visits from former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore.

The travel itineraries show that even though there are five weeks until the midterms, the next presidential cycle is already underway.

Khanna returns to South Carolina for several days starting Thursday. Around the same time, Beshear will stump with candidates in Orangeburg and Charleston, and he’ll discuss his new book with Rep. Jim Clyburn, a longtime Democratic kingmaker.

There’s overlap with Kelly, who starts a two-day swing on Friday and plans to campaign for candidates such as Senate nominee Annie Andrews. A week later, Pritzker is set to headline a fundraising dinner for the local NAACP.

And just days before early voting kicks off on Oct. 13, Emanuel — the former congressman, White House chief of staff to President Barack Obama, Chicago mayor and U.S. ambassador to Japan — has a packed South Carolina schedule. He’s talking to students on several college campuses and appearing with candidates including gubernatorial nominee Jermaine Johnson.

Emanuel’s advisers said he will also meet with dozens of pastors, as well as participate in a community conversation with some parishioners affected by the deadly 2015 shooting at Mother Emanuel AME in Charleston.

South Carolina has always been early in the primary calendar for both parties, but Democrats recently solidified its place at the front of the line.

Bre Maxwell, a Democratic National Committee member from the state, said visiting allows candidates to see how their pitch lands with key voters.

“They’re doing it under the guise of, ‘Hey, I’m gonna come to South Carolina, help support this candidate,’ while also having one-off meetings with people to build for what they possibly may do in ‘28,” Maxwell said. “’How much support do I have, how many people like me, how many people don’t like me?’”

One person who isn’t due to visit soon is former Vice President Kamala Harris. She hasn’t been to South Carolina since April, when she participated in a party fundraiser alongside a tour for her book recounting the whirlwind 2024 presidential campaign.

But Harris’ deep relations in the state mean she doesn’t need to come as early or as often as others, who are still gaining name recognition.

Republicans’ nominating process will still start with the Iowa caucuses, but South Carolina will hold the party’s first southern primary.

With President Donald Trump constitutionally prohibited from running for a third term, other Republicans are starting to test the waters. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz came to stump with Attorney General Alan Wilson before he won the party’s nomination for governor.

Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP

​ Orange County Register 

State leaders say they fixed Florida’s insurance crisis. A new survey shows homeowners don’t buy it

• September 28, 2026

State leaders insist they’ve resolved Florida’s property insurance crisis. Florida homeowners aren’t buying it.

They’re reporting surging premiums, a staggering rate of being dropped by their insurers, and deep dissatisfaction with the coverage they’re getting.

Overall, 55% see no signs the insurance market is improving, and 26% contend it is getting worse. Most homeowners – Democrats and Republicans alike – say the state’s vaunted 2022-23 property insurance overhaul has primarily benefited the insurance industry, not the consumers who were promised relief.

Those are the key findings of a landmark survey of 1,511 Florida property insurance policyholders by the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Orlando Sentinel and the University of North Florida’s Public Opinion Research Lab. It is the first statewide opinion poll of its type as the news organizations launch “Uncovered” — a months-long investigation into Florida’s enduring property insurance crisis.

The survey, and followup interviews with respondents, reveal a wide gulf between the experiences of beleaguered policyholders and the promises of Gov. Ron DeSantis, Republican legislators and insurance industry leaders that Florida’s new limits on lawsuits against insurers would encourage competition and reduce rates.

“All I can see is it’s helped the insurance companies,” said St. Augustine homeowner Patrick Shea, who got dropped by his private insurer and wound up on state-owned Citizens. “It really hasn’t helped the availability of insurance for homeowners. Or prices.”

“God knows we need help, that’s for sure,” echoed Dan Caudill, the owner of a Royal Palm Beach home whose annual premium increased by $1,300 this year to $5,700. “I don’t know if it’s going to be the Legislature or if it’s going to be the insurance companies but somebody’s going to have to give us a break somewhere.”

Shea and Caudill join a large group of skeptics. Nearly half of survey respondents reported premium hikes totaling 50% or more over the past five years. Nearly three-quarters say increases continued into the last year, even though state leaders have promised premiums would start to go down.

And of policyholders who have changed insurers over the last five years, 47% said they were forced to do so because they were dropped, either by a private insurer or state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp.

By comparison, just 9% of homeowners nationwide who changed insurers over the last five years said they were dropped by their insurer, according to a 2025 Consumer Reports survey.

Sean Freeder, associate professor of political science at the University of North Florida, who oversaw the survey, called that gap “absolutely insane.”

A constant worry of being dropped results in “a lot less stability for homeowners,” Freeder said.

The Sentinel and Sun Sentinel began examining Florida’s property insurance market late last year as state leaders proclaimed their property insurance remedies were taking hold – and, for the most part, those leaders have blocked additional efforts at reform.

Related: News organizations publish Florida’s secret examination of insurer profits

The state’s narrative isn’t entirely baseless. Five years after complaining they were on the brink of collapse in Florida’s uniquely punishing, hurricane-driven environment, nearly 90 percent of property insurance companies operating here were profitable last year, the news organizations’ examination shows.

The state’s litigation reforms have slashed Florida’s nation-leading proportion of claims-based lawsuits by over 30%, and 20 new insurers have joined the market, increasing competition.

But skepticism about those developments runs deep in the survey. Even as the GOP agenda has moved on to property tax reform with a tax-slashing measure on the November ballot, survey respondents by a 63-36 margin say property insurance remains the bigger problem.

Many issues remain. A previously suppressed state study conducted in 2021 and 2022 — uncovered by the news organizations’ reporting, detailed in a story last week and published today — indicates that dozens of Florida property insurers earned profits they didn’t publicly disclose as lawmakers considered their need for relief. Yet little has been done to improve transparency.

Upcoming stories in the news organizations’ examination will show:

• How insurers have quietly cut back what your policy covers, leaving homeowners paying more for significantly less protection.
• How a wave of new “customer-owned” Florida insurance companies — making up more than half of recent entries to the market — funnel hefty management fees and high interest payments to private investors while shifting risks to their policyholders.
• How premiums have increased faster than inflation since the reforms, even as actual payouts to policyholders lagged behind those rising costs.
• How Floridians who seek compensation for damages from their insurers are seeing their claims rejected more often, in the wake of the sharp new limits on their ability to sue.

More Florida customers dissatisfied

Count Brandon Reich among Florida’s unhappy property insurance customers.

His home on the Caloosahatchee River in Fort Myers Shores was inundated by 3.5 feet of water during Hurricane Ian, in addition to suffering extensive wind damage. But when his insurer’s adjuster arrived to assess the damage, Reich was told that most of the damage wasn’t covered.

“Insurance companies, by and large, their first line of thinking is, ‘Reject your claim,’ and hope you go away,” Reich said recently. “And the (policyholders) who, you know, have too much going on or aren’t informed, they just give up.”

Like Reich, many respondents to the UNF poll said the insurance premiums they pay to own a home in Florida often do not buy satisfaction.

About 22% of Florida homeowners said they were strongly satisfied with their insurer, and just over half said they were somewhat satisfied. That might sound like a degree of contentment, but it compares poorly with the nationwide results in the 2025 Consumer Reports survey of 23,917 U.S policyholders, which show 54% of policyholders across the nation said they were strongly satisfied.

At the other end of the scale, 22% of Florida policyholders said they were “somewhat” or “strongly” dissatisfied with their insurers, compared to 13% of national respondents who answered similarly.

The same contrast extends to claims-handing, with just 32% of Florida respondents strongly satisfied with how their insurer handled their most recent claim, half the 64% reporting a high level of satisfaction in the Consumer Reports nationwide survey.

About one-fifth of Florida policyholders said they had filed a claim in the past five years.

Asked to comment on the survey’s findings, Mark Friedlander, senior director of media relations for the industry-funded Insurance Information Institute, said its results “appear to be intentionally skewed toward an anti-insurance industry false narrative.” He added that the survey does not “reflect the reality of a vastly improved Florida marketplace, which most consumers are benefitting from.”

The claims process was what frustrated Reich. Like most survey respondents, he was not specifically insured for flood, saying he found the coverage too expensive. And that turned out to be a major gap in his policy.

When his property insurer’s adjuster showed up, “the guy basically walked around the house and goes, ‘Oh, this is flood. No, this is flood. Sorry, this is flood.’”

Their insurer paid only $30,000 to repair roof damage, “which wasn’t enough,” Reich said. This year, Reich and his husband finally saved enough money to replace their roof.

The coverage shortfall forced the couple to complete a majority of repairs on their own. They hauled soaked furniture to the curb, tore out and replaced damaged drywall, wheeled dehumidifiers into the house to prevent mold growth, raised their home’s windows, storm-proofed their garage, built a cement wall around their swimming pool and installed flood gates from the wall to their house.

They also had to replace their cars, which were totaled.

The ordeal carved a major hole in the couples’ finances, Reich said.

“Before Ian, we were basically debt free,” he said. “We didn’t owe anything on our house, we didn’t owe anything on our cars, we didn’t have credit card debt. And now we have, you know, about $130,000 in credit card debt.”

‘Not very confident’ insurer could pay claim

The survey revealed sharp contrasts in satisfaction, confidence and attitudes between homeowners covered by well-known national companies and the many policyholders who are customers of Florida-focused firms. Those results reflect a complicated and difficult reality in Florida’s insurance marketplace.

Beginning after Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and continuing to this day, smaller companies sprang up and took on big roles here, as national insurers pulled back rather than risk the financial catastrophe of another huge, damaging tropical system. The state then created the publicly-owned Citizens Property Insurance Corp. as its “insurer of last resort” to cover coastal properties shunned by private market insurers, and it too became a major player.

Today, about two-thirds of Florida homeowners trust companies many had never heard of before to safeguard their homes and possessions – while paying thousands of dollars each year for the privilege. Those companies rely on the resources of international finance firms called “reinsurers” and the state’s multi-billion dollar catastrophe fund to back their policies, rather than spreading risk across a national market using their own substantial reserves, as more traditional insurers do.

The survey quantifies the sense of unease and frustration many customers of these new-wave insurers feel.

Florida customers of national carriers, including State Farm, USAA, AAA, Liberty Mutual, The Hartford, Progressive and Geico, were about twice as likely to say they were “strongly satisfied” with their insurer. Thirty-four percent voiced that sentiment compared to just 16 percent with Florida-focused companies.

Even more striking were the disparities when respondents were asked how confident they were that their insurer would be able to cover necessary repairs if their homes were severely damaged. About 36% of homeowners with national insurers said they were “very confident,” compared to 17% of customers with Florida-focused insurers.

“I get offers from names I’ve never heard before,” said retired engineer Robert Harris, who has been with State Farm since he moved from Alabama to the Titusville area 20 years ago.

“You know, like Flamingo Insurance. I’m making these up, OK? Sunshine State Insurance. Blah blah blah. And you think, ‘Well, if we have a hurricane, is there going to be any money coming from them?’ At least I feel with State Farm, there might be a fight but you’ll get something.”

Premiums up 50% or more

Floridians have long endured some of the nation’s highest home insurance costs — the price for many of living in hurricane country. And, survey respondents said, they just keep going up.

Only a handful of policyholders said they have escaped insurance cost increases over the past five years. Just 8% said their premiums have decreased (4%) or stayed the same (4%) during that time.

Nearly half of the Florida respondents – 47% – said their premiums increased by 50% or more in that time period.

Across the nation, increases of 50% or more over the last five years were reported by just 2% of policyholders, according to the 2025 Consumer Reports survey.

Patti Kanegae, a former resident of Largo, said her bill to insure her older home there doubled over four years, from $2,000 to $4,000, despite improvements to protect it against damaging hurricane winds.

“We had done everything we could,” she said, adding, “We fixed the roof. We had new air conditioning. We put new windows in.” None of it was enough.

The UNF survey indicates premium increases have continued into the last year, with more than one-third citing hikes of 25% or more even as state officials claim premiums overall have begun to drop. The state’s data reflects industry-wide averages, not individual experiences as the survey does.

The survey also suggests that substantial premium increases await those who file claims.

Among homeowners who pursued at least one claim, 53% said their premiums increased by half or more over the past five years.

Arthur Gallagher, a Clewiston homeowner, filed a water damage claim after his dog damaged an outdoor spigot by pulling on the attached hose. Water flowed inside the building, damaging floors and molding.

After giving him $2,000 to make repairs, his insurer raised his premium to more than $6,000, he said. He was able to get it reduced to around $4,000 by agreeing to eliminate water damage coverage from his policy, he said.

“If I’d known then, I would have never made the claim against them,” he said.

Premiums $3,000 a year or more

Florida homeowners’ insurance burden largely depends on where in Florida those homeowners live, the survey indicated.

Simply put, residents of storm-plagued South Florida, where the population is particularly concentrated on the coast, pay the most and see the biggest increases, while North and Central Florida residents suffer relatively less.

Lake County resident Brian Hodson has lived that story.

In 2021, insurance cost increases drove Hodson and his wife out of a manufactured home they owned in the southern part of the state – a Fort Myers Beach community called Bayside Estates – and into a newly built home in Central Florida’s Mount Dora.

In 2016, they had paid $1,700 for their annual property insurance, but five years later they had been dropped by their insurer and were confronting costs of as much as $4,000 with a new company. Meanwhile the separate flood insurance policy required under their mortgage had surged from $1,300 to an anticipated $5,800 by 2026.

“It was easy to realize that in five or six years we would be paying (a total of) $10,000 to $12,000 for insurance,” Hodson said. “So on the first of September 2021, we drove up here to Mount Dora, looked at three communities, wrote a contract the next day, went back and sold the place down there for our asking price.”

The couple’s current property insurance bill is less than $2,000 annually, flood insurance included.

If Hodson’s goal was to escape Florida’s highest insurance premiums, he was smart to relocate north.

Fifty-one percent of policyholders living in the southern portion of the state said in the survey that their premiums increased by half or more over the last five years. Among homeowners in the northern and central parts of the state, that percentage was 46%.

Six of every 10 homeowners – 60% – in the south paid $3,000 or more for their current policy. Forty-four percent paid $4,000 or more.

That compares to roughly one-third of homeowners in the north and central regions who paid $3,000 or more, and roughly one-fifth who paid in excess of $4,000.

Insurance experts have long attributed higher prices in southern Florida to a number of factors, including higher values of insured properties, its concentration of older homes that are more prone to equipment failures, and a perception that the region is more vulnerable to hurricanes.

Is the perception justified? Brian Hodson lived that story too.

Six months after he and his wife left Fort Myers Beach, Hurricane Ian struck their former community, destroying almost half of the park’s 585 homes. The Hodsons’ former residence survived, but took on five feet of water.

Dropped by insurer

Floridians have learned not to get too comfortable with their home insurers. A majority of survey respondents – 54% – reported changing their insurers at least once over the past five years.

Nearly half of them had no choice: They were dropped.

Evelyn Gonzalez, a North Miami Beach homeowner, said she received a letter of non-renewal this year and had to find a new company. Although her insurer told her it was no longer writing policies in her neighborhood, she believes the real reason was that she had recently filed a $15,000 mold claim.

Also, she had enlisted help from a public adjuster, a move insurance companies tend not to like.

Rather than use an agent, Gonzalez said she and her husband looked for a replacement on their own. After spending four or five hours on the phone – “talking to insurance companies and then, you know, they ask you questions and you have to answer them” – they ended up with Loggerhead Insurance Exchange.

Loggerhead offered the lowest price of available options, she said. “It was not lower than what we had,” she said, “but the lowest possible that we could find. We’ve never had our insurance get lowered.”

While getting dumped is a common experience for Floridians, it’s rare elsewhere. Nationally, just 9% of insurance customers who reported switching companies recently said they were dropped by their previous company, the Consumer Reports survey found. Most had simply shopped for a better rate.

In Florida, the percentage of switchers who said they were dropped is five times as high. Of those, 22% were ditched by a private insurer, typically by being told they won’t be renewed at the end of a policy term, while 25% were dropped by the state-run Citizens.

The Citizens removals mostly stem from a years-long effort by state leaders to reduce the public company’s size. This “depopulation” program, which has shed more than a million policies from Citizens since 2023, urges private companies to “take out” policies they believe would be profitable. Citizens’ customers are told they may not renew if any private offer comes within 20% of Citizens’ estimated renewal premium.

Alan Jackson, an Ocala homeowner, said Citizens sent him a letter of non-renewal along with a notice that his home, built in 1990, had been selected for takeout by American Integrity with a $200 premium increase. Jackson said he looked for a less-expensive company but couldn’t find one.

But Jackson said he’s just relieved the company that took over his policy didn’t require a detailed inspection.

When he received his letter notifying him he was being depopulated, “I wasn’t as much angry as I was scared,” he said. “So when they said I’d only have to pay a $200 increase and go onto American Integrity, I was like, ‘Well, yeah, that sucks, but at least I didn’t have somebody come out and re-survey the house and tell me I need a roof and this, that and the other for them to insure me.’ They just picked me up.”

Is the insurance market improving?

In a polarized political climate, at least one thing unites Floridians across the political spectrum: pessimism about the state’s property insurance market.

Fifty-five percent of Republicans and 54% of Democrats said they see no signs of improvement. Additionally, 34% of Democrats and 18% of Republicans believe the market is getting worse, according to the survey.

The narrow partisan divide is surprising, considering that the state’s property insurance overhaul was the handiwork of its Republican leaders, survey coordinator Freeder said.

DeSantis continues to tout the changes. “Premiums are lowering because we’ve enacted real reforms and withstood the pressure to reverse course,” he declared in January.

But Freeder noted that only one in 10 Democrats and independents and 1 in 4 Republicans see signs of improvement. “That is an unusual degree of bipartisanship on an issue that’s really important to Floridians,” he said.

The nonpartisan skepticism extends to the question of who benefited most from the overhaul, with 79% of Democrats, 74% of independents and 57% of Republicans tabbing insurers rather than consumers as the victors.

Tampa homeowner Ashley Lee has her own reasons for pessimism, tied to the $20,000 to $30,000 she spent to repair her home after Hurricane Milton struck the region in 2024.

The storm drove water into Lee’s house through the front and side doors. Milton’s winds damaged her roof. Water flowed in from above, causing a ceiling to collapse inside the home.

An adjuster estimated the storm caused more than $50,000 in damage and indicated her policy would cover the cost after the deductible, Lee said.

Instead, she said, her insurer concluded that nearly all of the damage was caused by floodwater, for which she wasn’t covered. She received $2,000, she said. Her leaking roof still isn’t fixed.

She has little faith in property insurance because “all anybody does is find loopholes around helping the way they’re supposed to.”

She added, “If they’re not actually trying to help you, then I don’t understand why they’re taking your money in the first place.”

Data reporters Haiyi Bi and Patrick McCaslin contributed to this article.

​ Orange County Register 

Inside Malaysia’s gambit to make its pungent durian the most wanted

• September 28, 2026

By KANIS LEUNG

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysia is pushing to take durian, whose powerful smell delights its lovers and repels its haters, beyond its roadside stalls and family orchards to convince fans of the spiky fruit that its varieties are worth seeking out.

Devotees savor durians like wine. For Malaysian ones, the taste of their rich and creamy flesh varies widely across types. Some are prized for their sweet custard and fruity notes, others for a hint of bitterness, an alcohol tinge or even a peanut butter flavor.

Malaysians’ efforts to elevate the industry can be found in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, at a center devoted exclusively to the fruit and the growing variety of products made from it.

At the Kuala Lumpur Durian Experience Centre, near the landmark Petronas Twin Towers, visitors venture into a replica durian orchard to discover the fruit’s culture and history. In another room, a theater show draws laughter. Downstairs, visitors enjoy platters and egg tarts crafted from it.

Launched this summer after an investment of nearly $2 million, the two-story center spans about 1,900 square meters (20,450 square feet) and is open daily. Its durian shop welcomes guests from morning to midnight.

Its founder, Edison Ang, said the center targets both local customers and tourists, especially those from China, the world’s biggest durian importer. He said Chinese palates have long been influenced by Thai durian culture.

“What we actually hope for now is not to get people who don’t eat durian to start eating durian,” he said. “Instead, we hope consumers who are already eating durian from other countries will switch to Malaysian durian.”

Rising demand presents challenges

In 2025, China imported 1.87 million tonnes of fresh durian worth $7.5 billion, with volume jumping over six times in the past decade, according to its customs data.

Thailand’s earlier entry helped it secure over half that market by value in 2025. Malaysia, which began exporting fresh durian to China in 2024, was dwarfed. But for the first half of 2026, the value of China’s fresh durian imports from Malaysia quadrupled compared with the same period last year, pointing to rapid growth.

Unlike their rivals, Malaysian growers typically do not harvest early, instead collecting only naturally ripened fruit caught in nets or ropes as they fall.

That’s the industry’s biggest advantage and also its biggest weakness, Ang said, as sellers have to race against time because the fruit’s shelf life is at most two to three days. Any delays would affect its quality. When his stock was held up for several days during customs checks, his refund rate climbed, he said.

Durian sales are also sensitive to economic conditions, said Leron Yee, founder of DKing, whose business covers both export and domestic markets. When the Chinese economy performs well, his business improves, but if the buying powerF of Chinese consumers falls, he needs to find alternative markets, he said.

“It is a luxury, not a necessity,” he said.

Going beyond the fruit itself

Businesses are finding opportunities in what the fruit can become. Yee’s business sells durian paste, durian-flavored chocolate and mochi — and even mooncakes ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival.

DurianBB founder Adrian Choy’s company offers durian ice cream, desserts and dried durian at a cafe, alongside coffee flavored with the Musang King variety and other items. His brand also offers guided farm tours.

In July, Choy’s brand went a step further and launched a durian flower perfume that smells sweet and floral.

Choy said branching into other products is important because it will add value to the food itself and differentiate his business, even when others compete on price.

“Food is food,” he said. “You cannot sell it like 50% more because your branding is different.”

Tasting it in Malaysia

Across China, durian specialty shops have mushroomed, with some specializing in Malaysian varieties. In Beijing, the Jiang Sir durian shop sells platters priced roughly between 300 and 1,000 yuan (about $44 to $150), depending on the weight of the pulp and the varieties chosen.

Its employee, Hou Yuxin, welcomed the growing number of similar shops and brushed off pressure from competition, saying it would help boost the market for Malaysian durians. She noted many people now want to enjoy durians during their trips to Malaysia.

Back at Ang’s center in Kuala Lumpur, Henry Zhang was one of them. Zhang, a visitor from Shanghai who started eating durian during his university days, saw a durian no bigger than his palm for the first time.

He said Malaysian ones were creamier than those from Thailand and had different flavors. He was impressed by the center offering more than just the fruit.

“I may still eat durians from other countries. But after eating them, I may miss Malaysian ones even more,” Zhang said.

Associated Press photographer Vincent Thian and video journalists Olivia Zhang and Wu Jia in Beijing contributed to this report.

​ Orange County Register 

High airfares could stick around even if jet fuel prices fall

• September 28, 2026

By RIO YAMAT, AP Airlines and Travel Writer

Travelers could be stuck paying high airfares even if oil and jet fuel prices fall, major U.S. airlines and industry analysts say.

The price of jet fuel shot up after the Iran war began and retreated sharply in the spring before surging again as the summer went on. Such fluctuations make it harder for airlines to plan ahead and give them a reason to be cautious about lowering ticket prices, according to Brett House, an economist who teaches at Columbia Business School.

Jet fuel has risen even faster than oil during the war, reflecting both higher crude prices and tight supplies of the refined fuel that is one of airlines’ largest operating expenses. Carriers cut some less profitable flights and raised fares and baggage fees, although major U.S. airlines said higher passenger revenue initially covered only part of their soaring fuel costs.

Airfares haven’t moved in lockstep with fuel prices, however. The Argus U.S. Jet Fuel Index plunged from an early April peak of $4.88 a gallon to a wartime low of $2.70 in June, but average fares remained elevated.

The average fare, not including optional fees for services such as checked bags and seat selection, rose from $405 in the last three months of 2025 to $428 in the first quarter of this year and to $436 in the April-June period, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

Part of the disconnect between fuel prices and airfares comes down to timing, House said. Airlines typically decide several months in advance how many flights to operate and seats to offer, factoring in expected fuel costs and other expenses. They begin selling tickets even earlier. While prices for seats on the same flight can change repeatedly, airlines can’t charge more for seats already sold if fuel prices suddenly spike, he explained.

“It’s not just the level of fuel costs that is a problem or a challenge for airlines,” House said. “It’s also the volatility.”

There are few signs of relief so far for travelers as airlines adjust their schedules and prices for the remainder of the year. In August, U.S. airfares were 23% higher than a year earlier, according to the Labor Department. Jet fuel prices kept climbing this month, reaching $4.53 a gallon on Sept. 17, according to the Argus index.

At $4.30 a gallon on Friday, the average price across the four U.S. markets the index tracks remained nearly twice the 2025 average. Travelers shopping for holiday flights already are encountering the highest airfares in a decade, travel-booking company Hopper said in a report published the same day.

The company, which tracks fares available in flight searches, estimated that during the previous week, a round-trip domestic fare averaged $402 for Thanksgiving travel and $452 for Christmas, 31% and 23% more than last year.

And the pressure on airlines and travelers isn’t limited to the United States. Globally, jet fuel averaged about $99 a barrel on Feb. 27, the day before the war began, according to the International Air Transport Association’s Jet Fuel Price Monitor. Prices more than doubled to $209 by early April, fell for nearly three months and reached $195 a barrel in mid-September following their renewed ascent, IATA said, citing data from S&P Global Energy Platts.

Fuel prices can swing overnight while airfares decline more slowly

The renewed pressure on jet fuel prices stems from many of the same disruptions that have sent diesel prices soaring. Fighting has curtailed refinery production and fuel exports from the Middle East, while Ukrainian strikes have damaged Russian refineries. Because diesel and jet fuel are closely related products that compete for refinery output, shortages of one can put additional pressure on the price and availability of the other.

IATA expects fuel to account for nearly one-third of airline operating expenses this year, up from about a quarter in 2025.

By the time fuel prices jumped again, about 35% of United’s tickets for the final three months of the year were already booked and the airline could not increase those fares retroactively, Chief Financial Officer Mike Leskinen said. The airline expects to recover its higher fuel costs through revenue but not immediately, he said.

Speaking about the rising price of jet fuel at a Sept. 16 investor conference, Leskinen said, “I don’t actually care if it stays high. I just need it to stabilize.”

The time it takes airlines to recoup their costs means travelers may keep paying for a fuel spike even as prices come down. Jet fuel prices need to fall and stay down for airfares to decline on a sustained basis, said Stephen Treanor, a finance professor at California State University, Chico, who has studied airlines’ exposure to fuel price risk.

Carriers are responding to the latest swing in fuel prices

The speed with which jet fuel prices rose recently has complicated the forecasts of U.S. airlines. As recently as Sept. 10, JetBlue raised its expected average fuel price for the July-September period to $3.96 a gallon. Prices continued climbing afterward, with the Argus U.S. Jet Fuel Index reaching $4.53 a gallon a week later and remaining above $4.25 with just days left in the quarter.

Every penny per gallon adds about $10 million to American Airlines’ quarterly fuel bill, Chief Financial Officer Devon May said. Speaking at the same investor conference this month, May said the latest increases would boost the airline’s fourth-quarter fuel costs by about $1 billion.

American, United and Southwest Airlines have said they are pruning their flight schedules further, particularly on less-profitable routes, due to higher fuel costs. United, for example, pulled some December flights and warned of further cuts in 2027 if fuel remains expensive. American said it expected to grow more slowly next year than it anticipated a few months ago.

Travelers who buy tickets at the last minute are paying a price. The average same-day fare for a one-way domestic Allegiant Air flight jumped 21% in a week, to $280 on Sept. 18, according to a Deutsche Bank analysis of flight pricing. The comparable price for a same-day American Airlines fare was $463, up 6%.

For travelers holding out for cheaper fares, the wait could outlast the war itself.

“The likelihood that fuel surcharges are going to be rolled back and airfares are going to be brought down is very low over the next few months,” House said.

Associated Press writer Lisa Leff in London contributed to this report.

​ Orange County Register 

3 people are killed and 4 are injured in shooting at Detroit after-hours strip club, police say

• September 28, 2026

DETROIT (AP) — Three people were killed and four more were injured when an argument led to gunfire at an after-hours strip club Sunday morning in Detroit, officials said.

Police responding to the 7:21 a.m. shooting on a largely residential street found three men who had been fatally shot, Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison told reporters at a news conference.

Four more people — two men and two women — were taken in private cars to area hospitals. None are thought to have life-threatening injuries.

All the victims are thought to be in their 20s and 30s, Bettison said.

“A fight occurred, an altercation occurred, and as a result individuals decided to settle it with gun violence,” he said.

“This address is not new to the Detroit Police Department,” he said, noting police had seven calls to the location this year. He said the department had leads but wouldn’t discuss them any further.

“This was an after-hours location,” he said of the shooting scene. “Imagine a strip club. … I’ll leave it at that.”

Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield urged anyone with information to contact authorities.

“We know that we need more people to speak up to bring justice to the situation,” she said at the news conference. “It’s heartbreaking and our community should not suffer from this type of violence.”

Earlier Sunday, a shooting broke out at a birthday party at a park in Macon, Georgia, leaving 12 teens with gunshot wounds, Bibb County Sheriff David Davis said during a news conference. Two of the injured were in critical condition, while the others were stable. There were no immediate arrests, but Davis said investigators had several persons of interest.

​ Orange County Register 

High school football: Orange County stat leaders for Week 5

• September 28, 2026

Support our high school sports coverage by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribe now

The top performances from the Orange County high school football games in Week 5.

The leaders are based on the stats schools publish on MaxPreps.com.

WEEK 4 LEADERS

Passing yards

H. Shaddow, El Dorado                            232

P. Beck, San Clemente                            202

N. Eich, Savanna                                     197

I. Yamamoto, Loara                                 185

J. Titchenal, Villa Park                             184

J. Hurst, Laguna Beach                           157

M. Nguyễn, Bolsa Grande                       154

M. Mays, Troy                                          141

J. Campos, Anaheim                               134

J. Verplancke, Trabuco Hills                    133

J. Vanderbeek, Laguna Hills                    132

K. Letcher, St. Margaret’s                        126

G. Wang, Servite                                     118

E. Sorenson, El Modena                           96

E. Del Carmen, Savanna                          89

Rushing yards

A. Bell, Bolsa Grande                              162

J. Wells, Servite                                       139

N. Lopez, Santa Ana                               136

L. Nolasco, Anaheim                               133

D. Vargas, Santa Ana Valley                   130

C. Bunker, San Clemente                       126

R. Billington, Troy                                    122

S. Orellano, St. Margaret’s                      114

F. Dircio, Santa Ana Valley                      113

C. Christian, Laguna Beach                    112

D. Meyers, Laguna Hills                          110

C. Collins, Villa Park                                109

M. Hoang, Santiago                                 104

N. De La Vega, El Modena                      104

D. Selway, El Dorado                                95

B. Orozco, Santiago                                  82

D. Ranuga, San Clemente                        75

E. Sorenson, El Modena                           71

J. Vanderbeek, Laguna Hills                     71

C. Carter, Loara                                        65

S. Edmisten, Edison                                 65

N. Burciaga, Estancia                              62

Receiving yards

R. Matheson, San Clemente                      135

J. Karg, El Dorado                                      125

A. Romero, Anaheim                                  124

I. Alonzo, Savanna                                     113

B. Torres, Loara                                         108

J. Kleinhanzl, St. Margaret’s                       88

E. Hedrick, Villa Park                                  87

K. Young, Savanna                                      86

R. Bright, Laguna Beach                             80

M. Niumata, Servite                                    73

A. Medina, Loara                                        72

T. Le, Bolsa Grande                                   68

Total tackles

L. Zack, Trabuco Hills                                18

G. Holcomb, St. Margaret’s                       14

B. Vinson, El Dorado                                 14

R. Overman, Trabuco Hills                        12

E. Felix, Savanna                                       11

L. Druckrey, Laguna Hills                           11

S. Collins, St. Margaret’s                           11

C. Young, Laguna Hills                              10

C. Estrella, Godinez                                  10

W. Bogdan, Laguna Beach                       10

A. Vargas, Bolsa Grande                             9

J. Calalan-Stokes, Bolsa Grande                9

W. Incitti, Bolsa Grande                               9

O. Heim, St. Margaret’s                               9

J. Hanggi, Troy                                            9

M. Cavalluzzi, El Dorado                            9

​ Orange County Register 

Status Update: Discount retailer Burlington opens in Lake Forest

• September 28, 2026

The bargain retailer Burlington Stores is open at Hunter Court Shopping Center in Lake Forest.

The store, which celebrated its ribbon cutting on Saturday, Sept. 25, took the place of a shuttered CVS drugstore.

Shoppers can expect to find housewares, apparel and more.

Address: 24372 Rockfield Blvd.

At least 2 OC Starbucks are among 250 closures

Social media posts this week alerted us to two Starbucks closures in south Orange County.

The popular cafe in Plaza del las Flores at Oso and Antonio Parkways in Rancho Santa Margarita is among the 250 Starbucks closures announced Thursday by the Seattle coffee giant.

Commenters in a Facebook post that same day lamented the closure at 30465 Avenida de las Flores, noting the Starbucks had operated there for more than 25 years. Others noted that another (newer) Starbucks with a drive-through also operates in the same shopping center.

On Friday, customers wrote on Facebook that employees at the Starbucks at Aliso Viejo Plaza (where La Paz Road meets Pacific Park Drive) also were given two-days notice of that cafe’s closure. (Address: 27072 La Paz Road)

Starbucks said it was closing underperforming stores or those that didn’t match the cozy aesthetic the company is trying to recapture after pivoting to smaller, mobile-ordering stores during the pandemic.

A year ago, Starbucks closed at least 69 cafes in Southern California.

Those closures were the beginning of a $1 billion restructuring plan under the company’s new Chief Executive Officer Brian Niccol, the former CEO of Chipotle and an Orange County resident.

If you know of a recent or imminent Starbucks closure in your Orange County city, email the address, closing date and any photos of the cafe to sgowen@scng.com.  

A beloved churro is back — for now

A Costco food court favorite is back for a limited time, and members are likely thrilled.

In January 2024, the big-box retailer removed the twisted churro from its menu, replacing it with a large, 750-calorie chocolate chip cookie. Many members were not happy with the change.

Also see: Costco Next is gone without warning, a surprise to members

So, last week Costco teased on its social media accounts that a fan favorite was coming back.

Commenters were quick to guess it was the churro, which at $1.49 was among the cheaper items available at the food court. A hot dog and drink is $1.50 (and has been since 1985), and the chocolate chip cookie is $2.49.

Why so much protest to see the crispy dough disappear? It was cheap, easily transported by customers and helped to quell hungry tummies, especially Costco’s youngest shoppers often seen stuffed into tiny seats atop overstuffed shopping carts. Savvy shoppers also were known to buy the churro in bulk, cutting the cinnamon-sugar-dusted dessert into smaller portions for parties.

Costco’s Instagram account on Monday featured a video montage of an employee putting the churro sign back on the food court menu — with a limited time sticker. The video also showed myriad comments from fans begging for the treat’s return.

“i miss churros so much”

“TeamChurro”

“Home is where the churro is”

“When are the churros coming back I cant keep living like this”

At least one Costco member told us she had a churro Tuesday evening at the Murrieta location.

Shoppers with longer memories also took the opportunity to ask Costco to bring back the combo pizza (a combination pie with meat and veggies). In 2020, the retailer removed the pizza option, it said, to lower costs and simplify the amount of work being done in its kitchen.

“If it worked for the churro, it can work for the combo pizza,” one commenter wrote. Costco’s pizza options today are cheese or pepperoni.

Also new to the Costco food court is a five-piece breaded chicken strip entree with a dipping sauce for $6.99. (Calories on this item run from 1,130 to 1,640, making it the highest-calorie option on the menu — not counting an entire Costco pizza.)

Grocery prices remain high as food supply chains react to higher fuel costs brought on by the war with Iran. With diesel prices at record highs, transportation costs are being pushed to consumers, driving up prices across the retail landscape.

Kohl’s hiring for the holidays

Kohl’s is hiring 1,400 temporary positions across the region, recruiting seasonal roles at local stores, plus jobs at its distribution and e-fulfillment centers, most of which are in the Inland Empire.

A peek at seasonal job listings included truck unloader, stockroom associates, retail associates, beauty advisers and overnight stockroom workers.

Hourly pay for in-store jobs ranges from $17 to $24, according to the listings. Warehouse roles pay $18 to nearly $27 hourly with a $1.25 hourly premium applied to overnight positions.

To see job listings, go to Careers.Kohls.com/seasonal or text ‘APPLY’ to 24508.

Irvine seeking 2 volunteers for sports committee

The city of Irvine is accepting applications to fill two volunteer vacancies on the Irvine Sports Advisory Committee.

The committee is made up people representing Irvine youth sports organizations. They provide City Council and the Community & Library Services Commission with input on policies, programs, facilities and the needs of the youth sports community.

Applicants should live in the city and be willing to commit to a two-year term. Committee meetings are held quarterly at 7 p.m. on Wednesdays at Quail Hill Community Center.

Applications are online at cityofirvine.gov/sportscommittee. They must be submitted by 5 p.m. Monday, Oct. 12.

For more information, contact Collum McLaughlin at 949-724-6662 or email cmclaughlin@cityofirvine.org.

On the move

Tracy Mendoza is joining Chapman University’s senior staff as vice president of development and constituent engagement, effective Oct. 26. She’s moving from her post at USC Annenberg’s School for Communication and Journalism where she helped the school exceed its goal in the university’s overarching $6 billion fundraising campaign. At Chapman, Mendoza will oversee fundraising to help close the university’s $500 million Inspire campaign. She previously worked in similar roles at Portland State University and Cal State Long Beach.

On board

Jennifer Schulman, executive director and banker at J.P. Morgan Private Bank, was appointed to the board of directors at Miracles for Kids, a Southern California nonprofit that supports families with critically-ill children. She is the fourth woman serving on the board and brings 30 years of experience in financial services.

Good works

The 15th annual CureDuchenne Golf Shootout — hosted by Anaheim Ducks star Troy Terry and his wife, Dani — raised more than $700,000 for Duchenne muscular dystrophy research. The two-day event included a dinner at Cannery Seafood of the Pacific followed by a day of golf and fundraising at Monarch Beach Golf Links. The event has raised more than $7.5 million over its 15-year history, the nonprofit said. The money goes toward helping CureDuchenne fund research and new treatments for Duchenne.

Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County on Sept. 22 broke ground on a new temperature-controlled processing room at its Irvine Distribution Center. The project was made possible thanks to a $1.1 million gift from the J.W. and Sandra Mitchell Foundation. The nonprofit said the new room will allow it to safely receive and process more perishable food that requires specialized handling. With the added capacity, Second Harvest expects to distribute an additional 500,000 pounds of fresh produce annually.

Status Update is compiled and written by Business Editor Samantha Gowen. Submit items and high-resolution photos to sgowen@scng.com. Allow at least one week for publication. Items are edited for length and clarity.

​ Orange County Register