ON THE TRAIL

STEIN SUPPORT TEAM!
Since taking office, North Carolina AG Josh Stein has been a champion for the people and sought to protect North Carolinians in their communities. AG Stein is taking on opioid manufacturers, defending coastal waters, seeking justice for survivors, and protecting health care for millions of North Carolinians. He’s up for re-election this November, and DAGA is proud to support his campaign for a second term as AG. DAGA’s Executive Director Sean Rankin said, “North Carolina families deserve a watchdog like Josh Stein looking out for them as their state Attorney General – someone who will stand up for them and their communities in the courtroom. Attorney General Josh Stein is the leader that has, and will always, put North Carolina families and communities first, and we expect to re-elect him this November.” Read the full press release here!

BELTWAY BONUS
DAGA’s Political Director Farah Melendez was named to The American Association of Political Consultants “40 under 40” list for 2020. Melendez tweeted that she is “excited and honored” to be named to the 2020 class. For more info, click here.

UPCOMING
DAGA submitted a panel idea for this year’s Netroots Nation conference in Denver, Colorado. VOTE HERE to make sure DAGA’s panel is included in this year’s largest gathering of progressive political activists.

MULTI-STATE MOMENTS!

BAD NEWS FOR THE BORDER WALL…
This week, a coalition of 19 Democratic AGs announced a new lawsuit to stop the Trump administration from diverting $3.8 billion from defense programs toward a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. In the lawsuit, the AGs argue that the diversion of funds, which impacts state National Guard accounts, “will cause damage to [states’] economies, harming their proprietary interests.” The AGs are also concerned about the environmental impact of the proposed wall. “President Trump is risking the safety of every American by diverting taxpayer dollars from our military to fund the same xenophobic campaign promises he’s made for the last four years,” said New York AG Tish James, who is part of the coalition. Last year, a coalition of Democratic AGs secured a district court ruling that found Trump’s actions to divert funds to build a wall was “unlawful”. Read more about the new border wall lawsuit here in POLITICO.

ANOTHER WIN FOR WORKERS
13 Democratic AGs reached a settlement deal with three major fast food companies, ending the companies’ no-poach agreements. “No-poach agreements are unfair, have led to persistent low wages, and are anti-competitive in nature,” Massachusetts AG Maura Healey said in a statement announcing the deal. The fight to implement fair labor practices and break the cycle of poverty is far from over– and Democratic AGs are poised to continue their efforts. “I will continue to push restaurants to end their use of no-poach agreements, which allow businesses to take advantage of low-wage workers,” said Illinois AG Kwame Raoul.

AG SPOTLIGHT!

VIRGINIA: Democratic AGs know how important it is to uphold the rule of law and hold government leaders accountable to the people. Virginia AG Mark Herring is doing just that. AG Herring led a coalition of 16 Democratic AGs in filing an amicus brief with the Supreme Court, making it clear that Trump cannot block a subpoena for his tax returns. “Donald Trump is not above the law, and he does not get to block criminal investigations and shield evidence of potential illegal activity just because he is President,” said AG Herring. “This lawsuit has the potential to set the extremely dangerous precedent that the President is above the law. That is just plain wrong.”

WASHINGTON STATE: As Coronavirus continues to spread  across the country, Democratic AGs are fighting to protect consumers from unscrupulous actors. Washington State AG Bob Ferguson announced an investigation into price gouging for critical cleaning and medical supplies. “It’s our view, when there’s a public health crisis it’s an unfair business practice to jack up your prices 20-30% on a common item, which makes it essentially unaffordable for so many who need to it literally save their lives,” said AG Ferguson. California AG Xavier Becerra issued a price gouging alert after the state declared a public health emergency, saying “Californians shouldn’t have to worry about being cheated while dealing with the effects of coronavirus.” Watch AG Ferguson on CNBC here and AG Becerra on NBC Nightly News here!

TWEET OF THE WEEK

On Wednesday, DAGA joined advocates and reproductive rights leaders to rally at the U.S. Supreme Court to stand with the majority of Americans who support reproductive rights, including access to abortion.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

District of Columbia AG Karl Racine, Illinois AG Kwame Raoul, Minnesota AG Keith Ellison, New York AG Tish James, & Nevada AG Aaron Ford attended a transnational justice conference in Ghana to discuss solutions to transnational issues of law and justice.