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The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday filed lawsuits against Hawaii and Michigan over their planned legal action against fossil fuel companies for harms caused by climate change, claiming the states’ actions conflict with federal government authority and President Donald Trump’s energy dominance agenda. The suits, which legal experts say are unprecedented, mark the latest of the Trump administration’s attacks on environmental work and raise concern over states’ abilities to retain the power to take climate action without federal opposition. In court filings, the DOJ said the Clean Air Acta federal law authorizing the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate air emissionscreates a comprehensive program for regulating air pollution in the United States and ‘displaces’ the ability of states to regulate greenhouse gas emissions beyond their borders. The DOJ argues that Hawaii and Michigan are violating the intent of the act that enables the EPA authority to set nationwide standards for greenhouse gases, citing the states pending litigation against oil and gas companies for alleged climate damage. Democratic Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel last year tapped private law firms to go after the fossil fuel industry for negatively affecting the state’s climate and environment. Meanwhile, Democratic Hawaii Gov. Josh Green plans to target fossil fuel companies that he said should take responsibility for their role in the state’s climate impacts, including 2023’s deadly Lahaina wildfire. When burned, fossil fuels release emissions such as carbon dioxide that warm the planet. Both states’ law claims impermissibly regulate out-of-state greenhouse gas emissions and obstruct the Clean Air Acts comprehensive federal-state framework and EPAs regulatory discretion, DOJ’s court filings said. The DOJ also repeated the Republican presidents claims of Americas energy emergency and crisis. At a time when states should be contributing to a national effort to secure reliable sources of domestic energy, Hawaii and Michigan are choosing to stand in the way, the filings said. A spokesperson for Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmers office deferred to Nessel when asked for comment. This lawsuit is at best frivolous and arguably sanctionable,” Nessel said in a statement, which noted that Michigan hasnt filed a lawsuit. “If the White House or Big Oil wish to challenge our claims, they can do so when our lawsuit is filed; they will not succeed in any attempt to preemptively bar our access to make our claims in the courts. I remain undeterred in my intention to file this lawsuit the president and his Big Oil donors so fear. Green’s office and the Hawaii Attorney General’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. But legal experts raised concern over the government’s arguments. Michael Gerrard, founder and faculty director of the Columbia University Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, said it’s usual procedure the DOJ is asking a court to intervene in pending environmental litigationas is the case in some instances across the country. While this week’s suits are consistent with Trumps plans to oppose state actions that interfere with energy dominance, its highly unusual, Gerrard told The Associated Press. What we expected is they would intervene in the pending lawsuits, not try to preempt or prevent a lawsuit from being filed. Its an aggressive move in support of the fossil fuel industry. It raises all kinds of eyebrows,” he added. Its an intimidation tactic, and its telling the fossil fuel companies how much Trump loves them. Ann Carlson, an environmental law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, who has previously consulted on climate litigation, said this weeks lawsuits look like DOJ grasping at straws, noting that EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said his agency is seeking to overturn a finding under the Clean Air Act that greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare. So on the one hand, the U.S. is saying Michigan, and other states, cant regulate greenhouse gases because the Clean Air Act does so and therefore preempts states from regulating, Carlson said. On the other hand, the U.S. is trying to say that the Clean Air Act should not be used to regulate. The hypocrisy is pretty stunning. Trump’s administration has aggressively targeted climate policy in the name of fossil fuel investment. Federal agencies have announced plans to bolster coal power, roll back landmark water and air regulations, block renewable energy sources, and double down on oil and gas expansion. The Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. Alexa St. John, Associated Press Associated Press writer Isabella Volmert contributed to this report.
Category:
E-Commerce
Shares of Kohls Corporation (NYSE: KSS) were up nearly 10% on Thursday after the company fired CEO Ashley Buchanan after just four months on the job. It appointed board chair Michael Bender as interim chief executive officer effective immediately. Buchanan’s termination comes after an investigation by the Kohl’s board found he violated the companys code of conduct twice, and was involved in undisclosed conflicts of interest stemming from a personal relationship with a vendor, according to The Wall Street Journal. “Buchanan’s termination is unrelated to the company’s performance, financial reporting, results of operations, and did not involve any other company personnel,” Kohl’s explained in a statement. The former CEO had a total compensation package worth more than $20 million, according to USA Today. Bender and other company executives held an all-hands meeting on Thursday to address the changes and reassure staff, the WSJ reported. Bender’s appointment as interim CEO makes him the fourth CEO in three years to head the struggling retailer, which continues to face declining sales. In connection with the leadership announcement on Thursday, Kohls provided preliminary expectations for its first-quarter financial results, forecasting sales would likely be down around 4%. It will report those earnings at the end of the month, on May 29, at 9 a.m. Like many retailers, Kohl’s has been struggling with declining sales and decreasing foot traffic, as consumers spend less money due to the skyrocketing cost of living, and spend less time shopping in stores versus online.
Category:
E-Commerce
McDonalds released its earnings report for the first quarter of 2025 early this morning. According to the report, U.S. comparable sales decreased by 3.6% from the previous year, primarily driven by reduced guest counts. This is the fast food giant’s largest U.S. sales drop since the second quarter of 2020, when U.S. sales plunged 8.7% during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. ‘Grappling with uncertainty’ The fast food retailer reported that U.S. store revenue dipped to $5.96 billion, below a Bloomberg consensus estimate of $6.12 billion cited by Yahoo Finance. In the earnings report, McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski noted that “Consumers today are grappling with uncertainty.” Chicago-based McDonald’s said adjusted earnings per share were $2.67. The earnings report also indicated that global sales fell 1.0%, with the most notable decline in sales in the U.K. McDonald’s shares (NYSE: MCD) were down 1.53% in early-afternoon trading on Thursday following the report. The stock is up 7.71% year to date. Fast food embracing value meals amid consumer caution Consumers appear to be tightening their spending due to economic uncertainty, likely not helped by President Trump’s broad tariffs and erratic trade policies, which have made people anxiousness about increased costs and a possible recession. In this morning’s earnings call, Kempczinski warned, were not immune to the volatility in the industry or the pressures that our consumers are facing. McDonald’s menu prices have notably risen along with inflation in recent years, leading to customer backlash. More recently, however, the fast food retailer has attempted to increase customer traffic by releasing new menu items and promoting value-focused deals. Recent discount deals include the McValue menu, which features buy one, add one for $1 items, and $5 Meal Deals. Other fast-food chains have made similar moves to boost sales. Meanwhile, the burger giant plans to continue to offer meal deals like this, according to McDonald’s CFO Ian Borden. “While we may adjust our current McValue offerings over time,” Borden said on the earnings call, “for the remainder of 2025, we’ll continue to include everyday value meal deals starting at $5 given how the current $5 meal deal in particular has resonated with customers.”
Category:
E-Commerce
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