By SOPHIE AUSTIN

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A U.S. appeals court on Tuesday paused a California law set to take effect in January requiring large companies to report every two years on how climate change could hurt them financially.

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Another new law requiring major companies to annually disclose their carbon emissions can stay in place for now, the court ruled.

The policies would be the most sweeping of their kind in the nation, and proponents say they would increase transparency and encourage companies to assess how they can cut their emissions.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce asked the 9th Circuit to pause the laws, which were set to take effect next year, arguing they violate the companies’ First Amendment rights. The group also asked the Supreme Court last week to weigh in.

“We look forward to continuing our appeal and securing an injunction of both climate disclosure laws, which result in massive compliance costs for companies and their supply chains,” Chamber of Commerce lawyer Daryl Joseffer said of Tuesday’s ruling. “One state should not have the ability to impose this kind of burden on the entire country.”

Lindsay Buckley, a spokesperson for the California Air Resources Board, which is drafting rules to implement the laws, said the agency was reviewing the ruling and could not comment further. The state has argued that the laws don’t violate the First Amendment because commercial speech isn’t protected the same way under the Constitution.

The financial risk disclosure law, which Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed in 2023, applies to companies making more than $500 million a year that do business in California. The Air Resources Board estimates more than 4,100 businesses will have to comply with the legislation.

The emissions reporting law, which the state passed the same year, applies to businesses that make more than $1 billion a year and do business in the state — which covers roughly 2,600 companies, according to state air regulators. They will have to report planet-warming pollution from burning fossil fuels directly, as well as releases from activities such as delivering products from warehouses to stores and employee business travel.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission approved a rule last year requiring some public companies to report their greenhouse gas emissions and climate risks, but the agency paused the regulation amid litigation.

ST. CLOUD, Minn. — A motorist was killed when he crashed his car after fleeing police in St. Cloud on Monday night.

According to police, an officer on patrol near St. Cloud State University spotted a speeding car at about 10:41 p.m. Monday. The officer’s radar indicated the vehicle was going 62 mph in the posted 30-mph zone.

The officer attempted to initiate a traffic stop but the driver accelerated. As the car reached the west end of the University Avenue bridge, the driver entered the eastbound lane and the officer terminated pursuit. But the car, driven by a 41-year-old St. Cloud man, continued at a high rate of speed and went through the roundabout at Fifth Avenue before colliding with a parked truck and a light pole in the parking lot of an apartment building.

The motorist, who was alone in the car, was pronounced dead at the scene. A 53-year-old St. Cloud man was in the parked truck but wasn’t seriously injured.

Police said the deceased motorist, who wasn’t immediately identified, was driving after a license revocation for reckless operation of a motor vehicle.

The intersection was temporarily closed to allow Xxcel Energy to repair damage to the light pole and power lines.

The pursuit was recorded by both squad and body cameras and the case remains under investigation by St. Cloud police and the Minnesota State Patrol.

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Motley Crue joins the growing lineup at the new Mystic Lake Amphitheater in Shakopee with an Aug. 21 show booked with fellow ’80s rockers Tesla and Extreme.

Tickets go on sale at 9 a.m. Friday through Ticketmaster.

Known for such hits as “Home Sweet Home,” “Kickstart My Heart,” “Shout at the Devil” and “Smokin’ in the Boys’ Room,” Motley Crue splintered in 1992 when lead singer Vince Neil left the group (or was fired, depending on who you believe). Neil returned five years later, but soon after, drummer Tommy Lee retired from the group. The full lineup reunited in 2004.

Motley Crue unveiled plans for their farewell tour in January 2014 and went on to play 158 concerts around the world, including two at the former Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul and another at Minneapolis’ Target Center.

In 2019, Motley Crue announced they were reuniting, citing renewed interest in the band following the release of “The Dirt,” a Netflix biopic based on Motley Crue’s best-selling 2001 autobiography. Their massive comeback tour, which included Def Leppard and Poison, hit U.S. Bank Stadium in 2022 after several pandemic-related delays. The show confirmed that Neil’s voice remains a weak point in the group.

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Founding guitarist Mick Mars, who has long struggled with the chronic form of arthritis ankylosing spondylitis, departed the group in October 2022 under mysterious circumstances. The rest of the band immediately announced former Marilyn Manson guitarist John 5 was taking his place. The new lineup drew 8,769 fans to the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand last year.

Not to be confused with Mystic Lake Casino’s own amphitheater, the 19,000 capacity Mystic Lake Amphitheater will open next year. Live Nation will operate the venue, which is expected to host more than 30 concerts each summer. The lineup so far includes Jack Johnson (July 12), 5 Seconds of Summer (July 22), Train (Aug. 9), Lynyrd Skynyrd and Foreigner (Aug. 16) and Iron Maiden (Sept. 19).

By JAIMIE DING

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The man accused of sparking the deadly wildfire that ripped through a Los Angeles neighborhood in January must remain jailed while he awaits trial, a judge ruled Tuesday.

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Federal officials have said Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, started a small fire on New Year’s Day that smoldered underground before reigniting nearly a week later and roaring through coastal Pacific Palisades and Malibu, home to many of Los Angeles’ rich and famous. The fire, which left 12 dead in the hillside neighborhoods, was one of two blazes that broke out on Jan. 7, killing more than 30 people in all and destroying over 17,000 homes and buildings while burning for days in Los Angeles County.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Rozella A. Oliver denied his bond, saying he must be kept in custody due to his mental health and distress he caused his sister and her family. Rinderknecht’s father testified in support of his release, denying that his son had mental health issues.

Rinderknecht was arrested Oct. 7 in Florida, where he staying at his sister’s house in Orlando. A judge ordered that he remain jailed after a prosecutor said he had traits of an arsonist and his family had worried about his declining mental state. Prosecutors also argued Rinderknecht was a flight risk because he had family in France and spoke French.

He was brought to Los Angeles about two weeks later and pleaded not guilty in court.

FILE – This undated photo provided by the US Attorney’s Office shows Jonathan Rinderknecht. (US Attorney’s Office via AP, file)

Rinderknecht was indicted on one charge of malicious destruction by means of a fire, one count of arson affecting property used in interstate commerce, and one count of timber set afire. If convicted, he would face up to 20 years in federal prison.

His trial is scheduled for April 21, 2026.

Federal officials called the Palisades blaze a “holdover fire” from the Jan. 1 fire that Rinderknecht is accused of starting, which was not fully extinguished by firefighters. LA’s interim fire chief said such fires linger in root systems and can reach depths of 15 to 20 feet (4.6 to 6.1 meters), making them undetectable by thermal imaging cameras.

Rinderknecht’s attorney Steve Haney said that even if Rinderknecht was the cause of the initial smaller fire on New Year’s Day, there were several “intervening factors” in the week between that day and when the Palisades Fire ignited, mainly the Los Angeles Fire Department’s response to the fire.