Michigan’s leftist Attorney General Dana Nessel filed a lawsuit on behalf of Michigan residents on Friday, arguing that multiple oil companies violated antitrust laws and conspired to harm the renewable energy and electric vehicle markets. The lawsuit alleges that BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Shell, and the oil industry association, the American Petroleum Institute, acted “as a cartel” to go after renewable energy sources and “restrain the emergence of electric vehicles.” The alleged conspiracy has caused Michigan residents to “suffer artificially high home and transportation energy costs,” according to Nessel. “Specifically, by suppressing innovation and investment in renewable energy, EVs, and EV infrastructure, Defendants have artificially reduced the output of electricity as a substitute for gasoline and other energy sources,” the lawsuit states. “This restraint not only eliminated competitive pressure that would have lowered prices, but also deprived Michigan consumers of meaningful choice, forcing them to buy primary and transportation energy products at supracompetitive prices and with additional costs in the form of negative externalities.” Critics of the EV push have argued the opposite of what Michigan claims in the lawsuit, saying that in recent years, the federal government and some state governments have artificially propped up the EV market in an attempt to encourage Americans to give up gas-powered vehicles. American automakers, such as Michigan-based Ford and General Motors, have recently dialed back their investments in EV production due to low demand and high manufacturing costs. Last year, the EV market took a hit when President Donald Trump ended the Biden-era EV tax credit, which encouraged Americans to buy alternatives to gas- and diesel-fueled vehicles. Nessel’s lawsuit accuses the oil companies of violating the Sherman Antitrust Act, the Clayton Antitrust Act, and the Michigan Antitrust Reform Act, which prohibit monopolies and anti-competitive practices. The state of Michigan is demanding a jury trial. “Michigan is facing an energy affordability crisis as our home energy costs skyrocket and consumers are left without affordable options for transportation. Whether you own a home, a small business, or run a large corporation, rising energy and transportation costs harm everyone,” Nessel said. The Daily Wire reached out to each of the oil companies accused by Michigan in the lawsuit. Chevron counsel Theodore J. Boutrous Jr. said that courts have dismissed similar lawsuits in multiple states, adding that Michigan’s lawsuit “ignores the fact that Michigan is highly dependent on oil and gas to support the state’s automakers and workers,” The Detroit Free Press reported. Ryan Meyers, general counsel for the American Petroleum Institute, added, “These baseless lawsuits are a coordinated campaign against an industry that powers everyday life, drives America’s economy, and is actively reducing emissions. We continue to believe that energy policy belongs in Congress, not a patchwork of courtrooms.”

Outdoor apparel brand Patagonia is suing a drag queen who sells merchandise under a name very similar to their company name, saying it causes customer confusion. The lawsuit was filed in a California federal court against an individual named Wyn Wiley, who uses the stage name Pattie Gonia. The company argued that matters were further complicated by the fact that Wiley is also an environmental activist who promotes activities very similar to what the brand does, such as “motivational speaking services in support of environmental sustainability” and “organizing, arranging, and conducting trail and hiking events,” per Reuters. “We want Pattie to have a long and successful career and make progress on issues that matter – but in a way that respects Patagonia’s intellectual property and ability to use our brand to sell products and advocate for the environment,” Patagonia said in a statement, the outlet noted. The company stated in the lawsuit that Wiley agreed in 2022 not to use the name on any branded merchandise that may confuse consumers, but claims that promise has since been violated as the drag queen and LGBT activist has sold apparel with phrases like “Pattie Gonia Hiking Club.” Attorneys representing the brand sent an email to Wiley last February, the lawsuit noted. “Patagonia remains supportive of your work but must insist that the Pattie Gonia persona not be commercialized and continue to adhere to the commitments made in 2022,” the email says. “Unfortunately, these latest product sales force Patagonia’s hand and so I’m asking that you discontinue sales of t-shirts and stickers (or any product) using Pattie Gonia branding or designs substantially similar to Patagonia’s logos,” it said. Wiley and his business partner said in reply that they “have never and will never reference the brand Patagonia’s logo or brand,” and claimed there was room for Patagonia and Pattie Gonia to “play in this box.” Patagonia noted that the lawsuit was filed in response to Wiley trying to trademark “Pattie Gonia.” They are seeking $1 in damages and court orders to prevent Wiley from continuing to use the name. “While Patagonia seeks only nominal monetary damages, the harm Pattie Gonia has caused and will cause to the Patagonia brand is irreparable and cannot be remedied by money damages or other remedies short of an injunction,” the lawsuit says. While Patagonia has not had any professional relationship with Wiley, he has worked with other major brands in the past. In 2022, the non-profit organization Audubon Society promoted a video of Pattie Gonia dressed as an elaborate bird while performing an interpretive dance to promote climate change awareness, as The Daily Wire previously reported. Then in 2023, the outdoor sports gear brand The North Face debuted an over-the-top “Summer of Pride” promotion on social media, which included Wiley performing as Pattie Gonia.

'Forced us in Europe to step up'

'Conspiracy to deprive rights'

'Americans are not buying it'

'This money should have gone to those in need'

'We are not going to solve homelessness'

Roe v. Wade would have turned 53 years old on Jan. 22 had the Supreme Court not overturned the decision in Dobbs v. Jackson. The Supreme Court justices, and the presidents who nominated them, deserve many thanks. But perhaps another unlikely figure deserves some thanks, too: the late Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid for his decision to nuke the filibuster on certain presidential nominees. Long before the the Dobbs v. Jackson decision was handed down in 2022, Reid laid the groundwork through the changes he made to Senate rules. Reid opened Pandora’s box, and the pro-life movement took advantage of it. Reid, who, like many other Democrats, became increasingly pro-choice over the course of his Senate career, supported nuking the filibuster on some presidential nominees in 2013. Frustrated with impediments to confirming then President Barack Obama’s nominees, Reid convinced enough of his fellow Democrats to invoke the nuclear option so that breaking a filibuster to confirm Cabinet officials and certain judicial nominees could be done by a simple majority, rather than the 60 votes typically required to end debate before the final confirmation vote. It was a narrow vote of 48-52 in the Senate on Nov. 21, 2013 that sealed the fate of Roe almost a decade later. No Republicans voted to nuke the filibuster that November day. They were joined by three Democrats—Sens. Carl Levin of Michigan, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, and Mark Pryor of Arkansas. Following the vote, then Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., issued his memorable reply: “I say to my friends on the other side of the aisle, you will regret this, and you may regret it a lot sooner than you think.” McConnell’s prophetic words came to fruition. Less than four years later, President Donald Trump was in office for his first term and looking to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court left by the late Justice Antonin Scalia. The Republican-controlled Senate blocked former President Barack Obama from filling Scalia’s seat. Obama had nominated Merrick Garland—who would later become former President Joe Biden’s infamous attorney general—for the high court. Neil Gorsuch was announced as the nominee on Jan. 31, 2017. On April 6, McConnell expanded Reid’s scrapping of the Senate filibuster to allow the nuclear option for Supreme Court nominees. Gorsuch was confirmed by a vote of 54-46, with no Democratic support. Still, more needed to happen before Dobbs. Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett would be nominated and confirmed to the court after the retirement of former Justice Anthony Kennedy in 2018 and the death of late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in 2020. The justices nominated by Trump, and reviled and vilified by Democrats, would almost certainly have not gotten confirmed without the nuclear option. On May 17, 2021, after numerous delays, the justices finally decided that they would hear the Dobbs case, centered around Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban. On July 22, Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch asked the justices to overturn Roe v. Wade, once thought unthinkable. Oral arguments were on December 1. While the decision wasn’t officially handed down until June 24, 2022, the draft opinion by Justice Samuel Alito to overturn Roe was leaked on May 2, 2022. After the leak, conservative justices were targeted by radicals. Nicholas Roske even plotted to assassinate Kavanaugh and potentially other justices. He was convicted and sentenced last October. But the justices did not budge. Would Trump have been able to get other justices confirmed? Would other nominees have voted to overturn Roe? These are hypotheticals that the pro-life movement, fortunately, does not have to face. The movement has enough to keep busy with changing hearts and minds, as well as saving babies and their mothers from abortion. The path to overturning Roe was nothing short of miraculous. Some would even say providential. And while the justices, Trump, and the Republicans in Congress deserve credit for these pro-life victories, don’t forget Harry Reid. The post It Might Surprise You, But Here’s How Harry Reid Helped End Roe appeared first on The Daily Signal.