Democratic state leaders prepare for a tougher time countering Trump in his second term

Democratic governors and state attorneys general are dusting off the playbooks from their offices' pushback against President-elect Donald Trump's policies, but they know it could be a harder battle in his second time in office.

Trump's campaign promises included mass deportations of people in the country illegally, and his history includes rolling back environmental regulations and setting the stage for state abortion bans by nominating three new Supreme Court justices who helped overturn Roe v. Wade.

All of that is putting liberals on edge — and believing that an organized resistance is necessary.

Democratic state officials are positioning themselves to carry it out.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom called last week for a special legislative session to get a jump on the work of making laws “Trump-proof” in the nation's most populous state.

The Democratic governors of Colorado and Illinois announced a nationwide effort Wednesday that they're calling Governors Safeguarding Democracy.

Here's a look at how states worked against Trump policies last time and how it might go in his second term.

Over the past two decades, challenging policies of the opposing party's president has become a major part of the job of state attorneys general.

It peaked the first time Trump was in office, with 160 multistate filings against the administration in four years, according to a tally kept by Marquette University political scientist Paul Nolette.

That was twice as many filings as President Barack Obama's administration faced in twice the time, almost all from GOP attorneys general. Republicans have filed 142 against President Joe Biden's administration.

Multistate legal actions against Trump's policies were successful 94 times.

Some of the victories were fleeting. For instance, Democrats initially persuaded courts to block the president's ban on travelers from several mostly Muslim countries, but the U.S. Supreme Court eventually upheld it.

Other wins were on relatively mundane topics. In one case, a filing to push regulators to stop delaying rules for ceiling fan efficiency prompted the U.S. Department of Energy to do so.

There are also roles for governors and legislators. During the first Trump presidency, for instance, California and some other states adopted laws limiting how much local authorities could help federal immigration officials.

On the flip side, Trump could need help from GOP officials to carry out his policies. For instance, he might ask governors to activate National Guards to carry out deportations he has said would begin the day he is sworn in.

Bob Ferguson, Washington's Democratic governor-elect and current attorney general, said at a news conference last week that offices of Democratic attorneys general have been in touch for months to talk about how to push back against Trump's policies.

He said it was relatively easy to defeat Trump's administration in court early in the Republican's first term.

“They were often sloppy in the way they rolled out their executive actions. And that provided openings for us to prevail in court,” Ferguson said. “This time around, I anticipate that we will see less of that.”

James Tierney, a former Maine attorney general who teaches a Harvard Law School class on the office, said, “What's different is a much higher level of sophistication on all sides."

Ferguson will be one of a handful of people who served as attorney general at the start of Trump's first term to be governor in his second. None of the Democratic attorneys general or governors from 2017 will be in the same job by the time Trump takes office on Jan. 20.

The courts have also become more conservative since Trump took office — largely because of his efforts. Trump appointed 245 judges to federal courts, including three to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Marquette's Nolette said Democratic attorneys general will be involved in the “entire life cycle” of policies.

They'll have staffers submit comments opposing proposed regulations that government agencies develop to enforce and interpret laws — and then sue if and when those regulations take effect.

The offices are likely to be aggressive in challenging new federal laws as unconstitutional. Nolette said the most fruitful action might be when they go to court over executive actions — something he said could especially come into play with immigration actions.

“By their nature, they tend to be legally vulnerable,” he said.

Nolette said there are other ways for attorneys general to exert power over federal policy besides challenging federal actions.

One of those is through suing and reaching settlements with companies. States have used that approach to force the drug industry to change practices around opioids, for instance, without any kind of federal law or executive action.

And while states cannot enter into treaties, they can do things like sign on to international climate agreements.

If the federal government rolls back enforcement in areas such as environmental laws, states could also ramp up enforcement of their similar laws.

The Democratic officials leading the charge against Trump could get time in the spotlight that might help them land future political jobs.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta is likely to be at the center of action this time.

Several other Democratic officials, including Attorneys General Letitia James, of New York, and Josh Kaul, of Wisconsin — whose voters favored Trump in 2016 and 2024 — have held news conferences or put out news releases on their commitment to fighting Trump policies.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis announced a new effort Wednesday called Governors Safeguarding Democracy, funded by donations at aimed at helping states protect the rule of law — something some Democrats have said will be at risk with Trump as president.

“We founded GSD because we know that simple hope alone won’t save our democracy,” Polis said in a conference call with reporters.

Associated Press writers Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin, and John O'Connor in Springfield, Illinois, contributed to this report.

FILE - California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks to reporters in the spin room before a presidential debate between Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

FILE - Colorado Gov. Jared Polis holds up a copy of Project 2025 as he speaks during the Democratic National Convention Aug. 21, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

FILE - California Attorney General Rob Bonta speaks at a news conference in front of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Terry Chea, File)

FILE - New York Attorney General Letitia James speaks Feb. 16, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)

FILE - Democratic Washington gubernatorial candidate Attorney General Bob Ferguson speaks to supporters at the Washington State Democrats election night party on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)

BANGKOK (AP) — Shares were mixed in Asia on Thursday after a lackluster finish on Wall Street following a report showing an uptick last month in inflation in the U.S.

The dollar was trading at 156 Japanese yen, up from 155.49 yen, reflecting expectations that the dollar will gain against other currencies under the policies anticipated with the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump.

Japan's Nikkei 225 index edged less than 0.1% higher, to 38,754.50 and the Kospi in South Korea advanced 0.5% to 2,429.23. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.4% to 8,223.20.

Chinese markets declined, with the Hang Seng in Hong Kong falling 0.9% to 19,649.91. The Shanghai Composite index lost 0.3% to 3,428.37.

Bangkok's SET lost 0.2% and Taiwan's Taiex fell 0.5%, while the Sensex in India edged 0.1% higher.

A stronger dollar tends to put strain on other economies, noted Stephen Innes of Capital Economics. The Thai baht has also weakened against the dollar since the U.S. election, as has the Chinese yuan, or renminbi, which now stands at 7.2245 per dollar and was trading at about 7 yuan per dollar in early October.

“For Asia, particularly those economies closely linked to China, the dollar's dominance is poised to become an economic wrecking ball,” he said in a commentary. “Countries with hefty USD-denominated debt are bracing for impact,” he added.

On Wednesday, U.S. stocks drifted to a mixed finish after the latest inflation update boosted hopes that a cut to interest rates next month will bring more help for the economy.

The S&P 500 was nearly unchanged, gaining 1.39 points to 5,985.38, up less than 0.1%. It was its first loss since a big rally erupted after the Nov. 5 Election Day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.1% to 43,958.19, and the Nasdaq composite slipped 0.3% to 19,230.74.

U.S. consumer inflation accelerated in October to 2.6% from 2.4%, but an underlying measure called “core inflation” did not rise. Such core inflation can be a better predictor of future trends, economists say, so the figures added to expectations for more help from the Federal Reserve.

The Fed began cutting interest rates from their two-decade high in September to keep the job market hummin g after bringing inflation nearly all the way down to its target of 2%. It cut again earlier this month, and traders now see an improved probability of roughly 80% for a third cut at its meeting next month, according to data from CME Group.

Those expectations sent the yield for the two-year Treasury down to 4.27% from 4.34% late Tuesday. The yield on the 10-year Treasury, which also takes future economic growth more into account, rose to 4.45%, up from 4.43% late Tuesday.

But T rump’s victory in the presidential election has raised uncertainty over the Fed's future course. Economists say his preferences for lower tax rates, higher tariffs and less regulation could ultimately lead to higher U.S. government debt and inflation, but also bring faster economic growth.

While lower interest rates can give a boost to the economy and to prices for investments, they can also fuel inflation.

Rivian Automotive jumped 13.7% after the electric-vehicle company gave more details about a joint venture it’s entering with Volkswagen Group that they had previously announced. The deal’s total size could be worth up to $5.8 billion, which is more than the $5 billion the companies had previously said.

Spirit Airlines’ stock lost 59.3% after it said in a regulatory filing that it’s trying to work out a deal to renegotiate the repayment of its debt that might wipe out the company’s stockholders, but could protect employees and customers.

In the crypto market, bitcoin was tracing at $90,300 after crossing above $93,000 as cryptocurrencies generally soared. Trump has embraced cryptocurrencies, pledging to make the U.S. the crypto capital of the world.

Dogecoin, a cryptocurrency that’s been a favorite of Tesla’s Elon Musk, also gave up some of its gain from earlier in the day. Trump named Musk as one of the heads of a “Department of Government Efficiency,” or DOGE for short.

In other dealings early Thursday, U.S. benchmark crude oil shed 37 cents to $68.06 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude, the international standard, gave up 29 cents to $71.99 per barrel.

The euro fell to $1.0548 from $1.0587.

AP Business Writer Stan Choe contributed.

FILE - A sign marking the intersection of Broadway and Wall Street is shown in New York's Financial District on Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)

Currency traders work at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A currency trader passes by a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), left, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Currency traders work at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)