A coalition of 11 Republican-led states filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against BlackRock, Vanguard Group, and State Street Corporation, accusing the three asset managers of violating antitrust laws.According to the complaint, the companies' promotion of environmental, social, and governance standards resulted in less coal production and higher energy prices.Companies 'formed a cartel to rig the coal market.'The lawsuit stated that the financial institutions "artificially constrained the supply of coal, significantly diminished competition in the markets for coal, increased energy prices for American consumers, and produced cartel-level profits" for themselves by leveraging their power.Reuters reported that the three financial institutions have more than $26 trillion in assets under their management.The companies have pressured coal companies to reduce their carbon emission by more than 50% by 2030, the complaint noted."Competitive markets — not the dictates of far-flung asset managers — should determine the price Americans pay for electricity," it read.The coalition of states — including Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, West Virginia, and Wyoming — was led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R).Paxton accused the asset managers of "illegally conspiring to manipulate energy markets.""These firms also deceived thousands of investors who elected to invest in non-ESG funds to maximize their profits. Yet these funds pursued ESG strategies notwithstanding the defendants' representations to the contrary," he claimed.The lawsuit accused BlackRock of "actively deceiving investors about the nature of its funds" by using all of its holdings, even those in non-ESG funds, to advance its climate goals. Paxton told Turning Point USA founder and CEO Charlie Kirk that the reduced coal production forces the U.S. to purchase more energy overseas. "It's affecting consumers in all kinds of ways," he said.Paxton wrote in a post on X, "Texas will not tolerate the illegal weaponization of the financial industry in service of a destructive, politicized 'environmental' agenda. BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street formed a cartel to rig the coal market, artificially reduce the energy supply, and raise prices. Their conspiracy has harmed American energy production and hurt consumers. This is a stunning violation of State and federal law."BlackRock said in a statement to Bloomberg that the lawsuit "undermines Texas' pro-business reputation.""The suggestion that BlackRock invested money in companies with the goal of harming those companies is baseless and defies common sense," the company said.Vanguard Group and State Street Corporation did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters or Bloomberg.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman has been telling people close to him that he is considering leaving the United States because of Donald Trump's historic win in this year's presidential election.The New York Times reported that Hoffman, a big donor to Democrats, is concerned about retaliation from the new Trump administration because he helped financed private litigation against Trump, such as providing the funding for E. Jean Carroll's lawsuit against the now-president-elect for alleged sexual abuse and defamation.'I really think that we should honor my father’s wisdom today by not letting ourselves be defeated.'CNN reported earlier this year that Hoffman gave over $7 million to the Harris super PAC Future Forward.The Times noted that several other major Democratic donors and advisers are considering leaving the country since it is clear American voters rejected not just Harris but also her wealthy allies. Celebrities such as Ellen DeGeneres and her wife, Portia de Rossi, have already moved out of the U.S. because of Republicans' victory.At a recent gathering of donors and Democratic operatives, Alex Soros, the son of George Soros who now controls his father's vast network, said he is concerned that other donors may not spend the money needed to help rebuild after the stinging electoral defeat. For himself, Soros remains committed to giving money to progressive causes. He chastised Democrats for not listening more to his father, who has helped install pro-crime district attorneys in several key cities across the country."I think if he was taken more seriously, some of the problems that America still deals with today would not be here and we’d be on more stable footing," he said about his father. "I really think that we should honor my father’s wisdom today by not letting ourselves be defeated."Altogether, Harris was able to raise over $1 billion after she was put at the top of ticket following President Joe Biden's disastrous debate with Trump. Despite the eye-popping financial support, her campaign ended with an election loss and $20 million in debt.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

While the news cycle has shifted its focus to the president-elect and other timely issues, the people of North Carolina are still suffering in silence after Hurricane Helene ravaged the place they call home — with government assistance almost nowhere to be found. Blaze News investigative journalist Steve Baker was on the ground in North Carolina following the deadly storm — and what he saw is something he can’t soon forget. “You see the devastation, and you see houses up in trees, 30 feet above the current water level, that are still there, and it all of a sudden dawned on me, multi-hour, winding, 150-mile journey to Tennessee through the back roads, is I didn’t see a single military transport at all, of any kind,” Baker tells Sara Gonzales of “Sara Gonzales Unfiltered.” “Not one troop on the ground of any kind, either active duty or National Guard,” he adds, noting that as soon as he got back to Dallas, Texas, he began asking some serious questions. “The first thing that I discovered was that in fact, the National Guard had been withdrawn on the 19th of this month,” Baker explains, adding, “So, as I’m starting to dig through this, I go to the X account of the North Carolina National Guard.” According to Baker, the pinned post on the Guard's X account said, “This is a no fail mission. We are there for you until it’s over.” “No, they’re not,” Baker comments. “So we’re working on this story for the last several days, and then just yesterday, all of the sudden, whoever their social media person is is populating the X page with all these new posts showing photos of all the work that they’re currently doing, except that some of those photos have green leaves on the trees still in the background.” “This is gaslighting, this is propaganda, and so we’re asking the questions,” he adds. Want more from Sara Gonzales?To enjoy more of Sara's no-holds-barred take to news and culture, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

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