Newsom backs 100% tax on DOJ settlement payouts to Californians

California Gov. Gavin Newsom pledged to tax 100% of any payouts to state residents from the $1.776 billion DOJ 'anti-weaponization' settlement fund, a move echoed by New York and New Jersey Democrats aiming to block the money from crossing state borders. The fund has drawn bipartisan criticism as a 'slush fund,' while Trump defends it as restitution. Newsom also signed a measure to curb federal election interference in California, signaling broader(state-level) countermeasures against the president’s policy.