JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — When Missouri’s attorney general says he’ll seize Chinese-owned assets to force China to pay a $24.5 billion award won by the state in a lawsuit over COVID-19, the threat might be more important than actually collecting any money.

Similarly, when Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey sued Starbucks last month, alleging that the coffee shop chain with a white male CEO discriminated against white men in hiring, the point might have been less about winning in court than the fight itself. He’s attacking the diversity, equity and inclusion programs that liberals have championed and his Democratic counterparts have supported.

Over the past decade, state attorneys general have become increasingly visible for suing presidential administrations of the opposite political party and pursuing policy goals through warnings and public demand letters. They are not only their states’ top law enforcement officials but now also chief advocates for a variety of causes — and few seem as busy at it as Bailey.

“If you’re suing everybody, why not China?” said Benjamin Wittes, the editor-in-chief of the nonprofit Brookings Institution’s Lawfare publication.

Lower-profile offices become focused on national politics

For decades, attorneys general promised to fight crime by advocating tougher criminal sentences and defending convictions in serious cases while enforcing consumer protection laws and ousting the occasional errant local official.

They still do, but lawsuits and threats of lawsuits over national issues now get far more attention. Attorneys general argue that they’ve been pushed into it by presidents and federal agency heads.

North Dakota’s Drew Wrigley, a Republican, said environmental rules pursued under President Joe Biden compelled agricultural and energy-producing states like his to ask courts to force the Democratic administration to “respect appropriate constitutional and legal boundaries.”

“The Biden administration routinely abused executive authority, and regularly exercised power that Congress did not give them,” Wrigley said. “Our court victories have been victories for the rule of law in this nation.”

The shift started in the 1990s, when 46 attorneys general banded together to sue tobacco companies. A settlement led to annual payments to states exceeding $165 billion as of 2024.

“That was really what gave AGs the experience to realize that they could make a major difference on the national level, even if the executive branch and even if Congress didn’t act,” said Paul Nolette, a Marquette University political scientist.

Later, with Democrat Barack Obama in the White House, Republican attorneys general filed legal challenges against his administration. Democratic AGs did the same during Republican President Donald Trump’s first term.

“As the United States has become much more polarized, that’s been matched by the politicization of the attorney general’s office,” said Drury University political scientist Daniel Ponder.

Lawsuits may be derided but they reap political benefits

Critics deride such tactics as grandstanding, but attorneys general have incentives to pursue them.

In 2022, Democratic Attorney General Josh Shapiro won the Pennsylvania governor’s race after touting more than 20 legal challenges to Trump administration actions, and he was a leading contender for his party’s 2024 vice presidential nomination.

Kansas Republican Kris Kobach lost races for governor in 2018 and the U.S. Senate in 2020 but resurrected his political career in 2022 by winning the attorney general’s race after promising to spend each breakfast thinking about potential lawsuits against the Biden administration.

Bailey’s two predecessors in Missouri, both Republicans, won U.S. Senate seats: Eric Schmitt in 2022 and Josh Hawley in 2018. Bailey’s own headline-grabbing work helped him get an audience before Trump as a potential U.S. attorney general appointee, although ultimately he didn’t get the job.

He defended Missouri’s lawsuit against China — filed by Schmitt, his predecessor, and inherited by Bailey — by pointing to the result, though Wittes and other experts believe it will be difficult to seize assets and collect money from China. Missouri claimed that China hoarded personal protective equipment during the pandemic, harming the state.

“This historic victory is a significant first step in holding wrongdoers accountable,” Bailey said.

Missouri has had plenty of targets besides China

Of course, China is far from Missouri’s only target.

Bailey has threatened private gyms over bathroom policies, demanded that public schools ban drag shows and sued New York state, claiming that Trump’s 2024 hush money criminal trial was “overt meddling” in the election that limited Missouri voters’ information.

Bailey was in office less than three weeks in January 2023 when he joined a multistate lawsuit against the Biden administration over immigration policy, and the next day, he was challenging a policy allowing 401(k) managers to use environmental, social and governance principles in their investing. Missouri kept joining lawsuits against Biden’s administration: four over immigration policy, three over efforts to forgive college student loan debt, two over environmental rules, two over gun safety initiatives and two over transgender rights measures.

Even after Biden left the White House, Bailey wasn’t done with him.

In a Facebook post last week, Bailey called for the Trump administration to investigate Biden’s mental fitness late in his term and whether it undercut the “legality of executive orders, pardons, and all other actions issued in his name.”

Suing Starbucks: Diversity goals as alleged discrimination

Bailey’s lawsuit against Starbucks came weeks after Trump ordered an end to the federal government’s DEI programs.

The lawsuit alleges the company’s DEI programs are pretexts for quotas limiting the number of white, male employees, resulting in a “more female and less white” workforce since 2020, when CEO Brian Niccol, who is white, took over. Bailey argues that Starbucks practices, including actions against managers who don’t meet DEI goals, violate state and federal laws against making employment decisions based on race or sex.

“I have a responsibility to protect Missourians from a company that actively engages in systemic race and sex discrimination,” Bailey said.

Starbucks did not respond to a request for comment and has until April 7 to file its response to the lawsuit.

“Even if these suits are ultimately unsuccessful, they can have other effects in terms of changing behavior on the part of the defendants, in some cases delaying policy for a long time,” Marquette’s Nolette said.

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Hanna reported from Topeka, Kansas. Associated Press writer Jack Dura also contributed reporting from Bismarck, North Dakota.

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. — Just like Fort Leonard Wood’s warriors train every day to be mission ready, preparing for severe weather is essential to readying the community for Missouri’s tornado season.

“Missouri’s tornado season occurs from April to June and tends to peak in May,” said Don Busbice Jr., U.S. Army Garrison Fort Leonard Wood safety director.

Although tornadoes often happen in the springtime, they are a year-round threat in Missouri, according to Busbice, who described an EF-3 tornado, approximately a quarter of a mile wide, that touched down on New Year’s Eve at Fort Leonard Wood about 14 years ago.

“It was on the ground for seven minutes and resulted in destroyed homes and the loss of half of the water treatment plant,” Busbice said.

According to ready.gov, tornadoes are violently rotating columns of air that extend from a thunderstorm to the ground. Tornadoes can destroy buildings, flip cars and create deadly flying debris, with intense winds at more than 200 miles per hour.

Busbice said a tornado can feel like “complete chaos” if you aren’t prepared and paying attention to weather watches and warnings.

Busbice also pointed out the National Weather Service in Missouri and Fort Leonard Wood have tornado sirens in place to alert citizens to observe conditions.

“Fort Leonard Wood tests the mass notification system monthly,” Busbice said.

According to the weather service, there are three key alerts to watch out for — a tornado watch, a tornado warning and a tornado emergency.

Tornado Watch: Be prepared. Tornadoes are possible in and near the watch area. Review and discuss your emergency plans, take inventory of your supplies and check your safe room. Be ready to act quickly if a warning is issued or you suspect a tornado is approaching. The watch area is typically large, covering numerous counties or even states.

Tornado Warning: Take action. A tornado has been sighted or indicated by weather radar. There is imminent danger to life and property. Warnings are issued by your local forecast office. Warnings typically encompass a much smaller area that may be impacted by a tornado identified by a forecaster on radar or by a trained spotter.

Tornado Emergency: Seek shelter immediately. A tornado emergency is the NWS’s highest alert level. It is issued when a violent tornado has touched down in the watch area. There is a severe threat to human life and property, with catastrophic damage confirmed. Immediately seek refuge in the safest location possible. Call friends and family who are within the watch area to ensure they are aware of the situation. Once safe, be sure to monitor your local forecast for the latest updates.

In the event of a tornado warning, Busbice said, people should “enable your tornado response plan.”

According to the weather service, acting quickly is key to staying safe and minimizing impacts.

At your house: If you are in a tornado warning, go to your basement, safe room or an interior room away from windows. Don’t forget pets if time allows.

At your workplace or school: Follow your tornado drill and proceed to your tornado shelter location quickly and calmly. Stay away from windows and do not go to large open rooms such as cafeterias, gymnasiums or auditoriums.

Outside: Seek shelter inside a sturdy building immediately if a tornado is approaching. Sheds and storage facilities are not safe. Neither is a mobile home or tent. If you have time, get to a safe building.

In a vehicle: Being in a vehicle during a tornado is not safe. The best course of action is to drive to the closest shelter. If you are unable to make it to a safe shelter, either get down in your car and cover your head or abandon your car and seek shelter in a low-lying area such as a ditch or ravine.

According to Terry Moore, supervisory range planner with the Directorate of Plans, Training, Mobilization and Security, the installation has more than 700 tornado safety shelters for service members to seek shelter in while training on Fort Leonard Wood’s ranges.

“Each shelter can house up to 14 people,” Moore said. “It is good to know they are there when we need them.”

Matthew Mertz, Fort Leonard Wood’s installation emergency manager, said accountability after the weather event is just as important as the preparation.

“Accountability allows supervisors to ensure their employees are safe from immediate danger,” Mertz said.

This goes for family members as well — according to the National Weather Service’s tornado safety website, people should contact loved ones to let them know, “you’re okay, so they can help spread the word.”