New York is sued over $75 billion climate superfund
NEW YORK, Feb 6 (Reuters) - New York state was sued on Thursday over a new law requiring fossil fuel companies to contribute $75 billion over 25 years into a state fund that will pay for damage caused by climate change, West Virginia Attorney General John McCuskey said.
The law signed by Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul on December 26 creates a "superfund" to shift the cost to mitigate climate change to oil, gas and coal companies from taxpayers.
At a press conference, McCuskey, a Republican, called the law unconstitutional. A copy of the complaint was not immediately available.
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North Wales Chronicle
an hour ago
- North Wales Chronicle
US state politician and husband killed in ‘targeted' attacks on two Democrats
A second state politician and his wife were wounded in the attacks in the Brooklyn Park and Champlin areas of Minnesota on Saturday. Minnesota governor Tim Walz described the attack as 'targeted political violence'. Police were searching for the gunman responsible for the attacks on the Democratic legislators. Writings found inside a fake police car recovered at one of the shooting scenes mentioned the names of multiple legislators and other officials, Brooklyn Park Police chief Mark Bruley said. Two people familiar with the matter identified the suspect being sought as 57-year-old Vance Boelter. They could not publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Melissa Hortman, a former Minnesota House Speaker, and her spouse were shot and killed early on Saturday in their Brooklyn Park home. A second state politician, senator John Hoffman and his wife, were shot multiple times in Champlin. Officials say both Ms Hortman and Mr Hoffman were mentioned in the suspect's writings. 'When we did a search of the vehicle, there was a manifesto that identified many lawmakers and other officials,' said Mr Bruley. 'We immediately made alerts to the state. We took action on alerting them and providing security where necessary.' State patrol colonel Christina Bogojevic asked people 'out of an abundance of caution' not to attend any of the 'No Kings' protests that were scheduled across the state on Saturday. Ms Bogojevic said authorities did not have any direct evidence that the protests would be targeted, but said the suspect had some 'No Kings' flyers in their car. Organisers announced that all of the protests across the state were cancelled. Hours after the shootings, hundreds of police and sheriff deputies from departments in the region, some in tactical gear with assault style weapons were scattered through the town. They were also occasional police roadblocks where cars are stopped and checked. Mr Walz said Ms Hortman and Mr Hoffman were deliberately targeted. 'We must all, in Minnesota and across the country, stand against all forms of political violence,' Mr Walz said at a press conference Saturday. 'Those responsible for this will be held accountable.' At the time of her death, Ms Hortman was the top Democratic leader in the state legislature. She was also a former House speaker and was first elected in 2004. She and her husband had two children. Mr Hoffman, a Democrat, was first elected in 2012. He previously served as vice-chairman of the Anoka Hennepin School Board, which manages the largest school district in Minnesota. Mr Hoffman and his wife have one daughter and he represents a district north of Minneapolis. Drew Evans, superintendent of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said that authorities were actively searching for a suspect. Post-mortem examinations will be carried out to determine extent of injuries, but Ms Hortman and her spouse died from gunshot wounds, Mr Evans said. A 'shelter in place' order was in effect early on Saturday. Public safety commissioner Bob Jacobson said the suspect was posing as a law enforcement officer. Mr Bruley said the suspect fled out of the back of Ms Hortman's house after an exchange of gunfire with police. The suspect was dressed like a uniformed officer and operating a vehicle that 'looked exactly like an SUV squad car. It was equipped with lights, emergency lights and looked exactly like a police vehicle,' Mr Bruley said. US President Donald Trump said in a White House statement that the FBI would join in the investigation. 'Our Attorney General, Pam Bondi, and the FBI, are investigating the situation, and they will be prosecuting anyone involved to the fullest extent of the law. 'Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America. God Bless the great people of Minnesota, a truly great place!' Minnesota House speaker Lisa Demuth, a Republican from Cold Spring, called the attack 'evil' and said she was 'heartbroken beyond words' by the killings of Ms Hortman and her husband, Mark. 'With the law enforcement response ongoing and details still emerging, I will simply ask all Minnesotans to please lift up in prayer the victims of this horrific attack, as well as the law enforcement personnel still working to apprehend the perpetrator,' Ms Demuth said in a statement. The shootings happened at a time when political leaders nationwide have been attacked, harassed and intimidated during a time of deep political divisions.
Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Suspect in fatal shooting of politician pictured as cops find 'manifesto'
The suspect in the fatal shooting of an American politician has been pictured for the first time. Former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her spouse were shot and killed early Saturday in their Brooklyn Park home. A second state politician, Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, were shot multiple times in Champlin. Both shootings were described as "targeted political violence" by Minnesota governor Tim Walz. As investigations continue and police search for the gunman responsible for the attacks on the Democratic legislators, two people familiar with the matter identified the suspect being sought as 57-year-old Vance Boelter. The people could not publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley said writings found inside a fake police car recovered at one of the shooting scenes mentioned the names of multiple politicians - including both Hortman and Hoffman - and other officials. "When we did a search of the vehicle, there was a manifesto that identified many lawmakers and other officials. We immediately made alerts to the state. We took action on alerting them and providing security where necessary," said Mr Bruley.
Leader Live
2 hours ago
- Leader Live
US state politician and husband killed in ‘targeted' attacks on two Democrats
A second state politician, senator John Hoffman, and his wife were shot and wounded in the 'targeted' attack in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota on Saturday, said governor Tim Walz. I've activated the State Emergency Operations Center. Local law enforcement in Champlin and Brooklyn Park have the full resources of the State of Minnesota behind them. We are monitoring the situation closely and will share more information soon. — Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) June 14, 2025 'We must all, in Minnesota and across the country, stand against all forms of political violence,' Mr Walz said at a press conference on Saturday. 'Those responsible for this will be held accountable.' Ms Hortman was the top House Democratic leader in the state legislature and a former house speaker. She was first elected in 2004, was a lawyer and married with two children. Mr Hoffman, a Democrat, was first elected in 2012 and runs Hoffman Strategic Advisors, a consulting firm. He previously served as vice-chairman of the Anoka Hennepin School Board, which manages the largest school district in Minnesota. Mr Hoffman is married and has one daughter. Both Ms Hortman and Mr Hoffman represented districts located north of Minneapolis. Authorities were actively searching for a suspect in the hours following the shootings. Public safety commissioner Bob Johnson said the suspect was posing as a law enforcement officer. Hundreds of police and sheriff deputies from departments in the region, some in tactical gear with assault style weapons were scattered through the town. Occasional police roadblocks had been set up where cars were stopped and checked. Police later recovered writings that mentioned the names of multiple legislators and other officials in a fake police car they believe the suspect used in the shooting. Officials say both Ms Hortman and Mr Hoffman were mentioned in the suspect's writings. Brooklyn Park Police chief Mark Bruley said: 'When we did a search of the vehicle, there was a manifesto that identified many lawmakers and other officials. 'We immediately made alerts to the state. We took action on alerting them and providing security where necessary.' Drew Evans, superintendent of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said post-mortem examinations will be carried out to determine extent of injuries, but added that Ms Hortman and her spouse died from gunshot wounds. Mr Bruley said the suspect fled out of the back of Ms Hortman's house after an exchange of gunfire with police. The suspect was dressed like a uniformed officer and operating a vehicle that 'looked exactly like an SUV squad car,' he said. 'It was equipped with lights, emergency lights and looked exactly like a police vehicle.' Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said in a White House statement that the FBI would join in the investigation. 'Our Attorney General, Pam Bondi, and the FBI, are investigating the situation, and they will be prosecuting anyone involved to the fullest extent of the law. 'Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America. God Bless the great people of Minnesota, a truly great place!' Minnesota House speaker Lisa Demuth, a Republican from Cold Spring, called the attack 'evil' and said she was 'heartbroken beyond words' by the killings of Ms Hortman and her husband, Mark. 'With the law enforcement response ongoing and details still emerging, I will simply ask all Minnesotans to please lift up in prayer the victims of this horrific attack, as well as the law enforcement personnel still working to apprehend the perpetrator,' Ms Demuth said in a statement. The shootings happened at a time when political leaders nationwide have been attacked, harassed and intimidated during a time of deep political divisions. Giffords, the national gun violence prevention organisation led by former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, released the following statement. 'I am horrified and heartbroken by last night's attack on two patriotic public servants,' Ms Giffords said. 'My family and I know the horror of a targeted shooting all too well. An attack against lawmakers is an attack on American democracy itself. 'Leaders must speak out and condemn the fomenting violent extremism that threatens everything this country stands for.' Ms Giffords was shot in the head in 2011 by a gunman who killed six people and injured 12 others. She stepped down from congress in January 2012 to focus on her recovery.
