Alabama AG Warns Colleagues About Abusing Subpoena Power in Climate Change Debate
In a letter to colleagues, Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange is warning against abusing subpoena power in the debate over climate change.
Strange is the lead author on the letter that includes 12 other Attorneys General.
The letter says several AGs are uniting to fight climate change by launching an investigation into whether fossil fuel companies misled investors and the public on the impact of climate change on their businesses.
Strange says investigatory subpoenas were issued to at least one company and one non-profit believed to have made statements minimizing the risks of climate change. In the letter, Strange calls this a mistake and an abuse of power.
“We are concerned that our colleagues’ investigation undermines the trust the people have invested in Attorneys General to investigate fraud,” Strange says. “At a press conference, one of our colleagues noted that ‘[w]e are pursuing this as we would any other fraud matter.’ But this investigation is far from routine. We are unaware of any fraud case combining the following three characteristics: 1) the investigation targets a particular type of market participant; 2) the Attorneys General identify themselves with the competitors of their investigative targets; and 3) the investigation implicates an ongoing policy debate.”
The letter also questioned how one company’s minimizing climate change risk is fraud and yet another company’s exaggeration of climate change impact is not.
Strange was joined in the letter by Attorneys General from Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and Wisconsin in the Dear Colleague letter.
Jim Irsay, longtime Colts owner and music memorabilia collector, dies at 65
Irsay started with the Colts as a teenage ball boy and took ownership after his father's death in 1997. The team won a Super Bowl and two AFC championships under his nearly three-decade tenure.
No more pennies: In big change, Treasury will stop minting them
In a cost-cutting move, the Treasury Department will soon stop minting new pennies. The one-cent coins will still be legal tender. There are more than 100 billion pennies in circulation but many are gathering dust in change jars and forgotten pockets.
Judge blocks Trump administration from closing the Education Department
The federal judge also told the administration to reinstate department employees who lost their jobs during the reduction-in-force announced in March.
DOGE cuts, policy changes jeopardize care, housing for vulnerable HIV patients in Alabama
Federal funding has helped states like Alabama and Mississippi make strides in fighting the HIV epidemic. Doctors and advocates are worried about the future.
Senate overrules parliamentarian and votes to undo California EV rule
The Senate parliamentarian advised lawmakers that they couldn't use the Congressional Review Act to revoke California's right to set vehicle standards. But they did it anyway. Expect a legal fight.
A top global health expert’s message to graduates: Kick the tires
NPR interviews Maria Van Kherkove, the infectious disease epidemiologist who is a leader in the World Health Organization.