ACROSS THE NATION

Trump says anti-weaponization fund in IRS settlement is 'dead' even as he defends it

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump said Friday that his $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund is "dead" while also continuing to defend it, further complicating his administration's negotiations with two Republican senators who are blocking his attorney general nominee in protest.

Trump told reporters at Camp David on Friday morning that administration officials had "agreed not to have a fund" that compensates his political allies, yet made clear that he disagrees with that decision.

The comments came hours after an early morning social media post in which Trump said people who had been prosecuted by the Justice Department -- many of them for their involvement in the violent Jan. 6, 2001, attack on the Capitol -- "are suffering still, many ruined, and I felt that they should be given compensation for what has been done to them."

Trump's reluctant declaration that the fund won't be created came as Republican Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, both members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, say they won't support Todd Blanche's nomination for attorney general until they see that promise in writing. They have been working for weeks with the White House and Blanche, who is now the acting attorney general, to produce a document to that effect, but both senators have said they aren't satisfied so far.

"The President made it clear today that the so-called Anti Weaponization Fund is still alive, which is exactly why we are attempting to formally end it," Tillis said after Trump's initial social media post.

Trump said in his post that Blanche should be immediately confirmed and is a "pawn in this whole thing."

Blanche said at a hearing two months ago that the anti-weaponization fund would not move forward after Republican senators revolted and held up an immigration funding bill.

But Tillis, who is retiring when his term ends in January, and Cornyn, who lost reelection this year after Trump endorsed his primary opponent, said they want to ensure that the White House doesn't reverse course, especially as Trump continues to argue that a fund is needed.

The Justice Department has provided the senators with language that says Blanche's May 18 order establishing the "Anti-Weaponization Fund" is "rescinded and shall have no force or effect," according to a document reviewed by The Associated Press.

Cornyn and Tillis have said they also want some clarifications on a separate piece of the settlement that would grant Trump and members of his family immunity from tax audits. Cornyn said this week that it was his understanding that the audits could extend to more than 100 different Trump organization subsidiaries into the future.

"Todd Blanche said it was limited to the parties to the litigation -- and it was retrospective, not prospective," Cornyn said. "And all we're doing is asking them to put that in writing."

Thousands of migrant children in the US could face new deportation risks as legal aid deal expires

HARLINGEN, Texas (AP) -- Advocates warn that tens of thousands of migrant children who came to the United States alone could lose legal representation in immigration court and increase their risk of deportation as the Trump administration allows a contract with legal services providers to expire.

Friday marks the last day of a contract under which the federal government pays for legal services for children who enter the U.S. without a parent or guardian. The government contracts out those services to a network of nearly 100 legal groups across the country that provide services to roughly 20,000 children.

The Trump administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment on why it was allowing the contract to expire. But it comes as the administration has redoubled its efforts to achieve its policy of mass deportations, and after migrant children became a target for removal from the country during the first year of President Donald Trump's second term in office.

As part of the expiring contract, the legal groups can enter government-funded shelters and give presentations to children about their legal rights, and directly represent the children as they go through immigration court proceedings.

But as that contract ends, the providers say it's unclear what will happen come Monday or whether they'll be able to visit their clients in the shelters where they live.

"We have no understanding of what's going to happen to those children come next week. We don't know if they're going to have legal representation. The government as of yet has not identified who will take over this representation," said Melissa Lopez, the executive director of Estrella El Paso, during a news conference earlier this week. The organization currently represents 243 unaccompanied children in western Texas and New Mexico.

The providers say their ability to enter the shelters, check on their clients and give presentations to new arrivals serves as an important oversight measure for a vulnerable population. The providers warn that without a lawyer to assist them in court and help them navigate the complexities of immigration law, children will be much more likely to be deported back to countries they initially fled.

"The government is trying to eliminate our work in this program because they know that without attorneys children will be deported," said Lopez.

Health and Human Services, which is responsible for caring for unaccompanied migrant children while they are in government care and which administers the contract, did not respond to a request for comment Friday.

Marine Corps says F-35B stealth fighter crashed in California, pilot ejected

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- The U.S. Marine Corps says the pilot of an F-35B stealth fighter is expected to live after ejecting from the jet before it crashed in California.

The jet went down Friday near the Miramar air base in San Diego. "The pilot ejected, was transported to a local medical facility in stable condition for evaluation and treatment of non-life-threatening injuries," the Marine Corps said in an updated statement.

Aerial video from a news helicopter showed a plume of black smoke rising from the wreckage in a dirt field, with multiple military and firefighting vehicles and people standing nearby. What appeared to be white flame retardant covered the ground, and at least one person was spraying the wreckage with a fire hose.

Wade Lott saw the crash as he drove to work at a concrete company just south of the flight line.

"It just blew up, it was crazy," said Lott, 36, who watched from his truck as two jets descended toward the runway together. The first landed without incident, but the second suddenly began slowing down, almost as if it were trying to hover, Lott said. When the jet was about 100 feet (30 m) above the ground, the pilot ejected and their parachute deployed as they rose about 200 feet (61 m) into the air just in time.

"The jet hit the ground right next to another plane," said Lott. "It plowed into the runway and just blew up."

Candace Hadley, a spokesperson for San Diego Fire, said firefighters were on scene to respond to a vegetation fire that sparked near the crash site. She referred additional questions to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.

The base used to host the Navy fighter pilot training school depicted in the original "Top Gun" movie, and was known as "Fightertown USA" in its heyday. The school was relocated to Naval Air Station Fallon in Nevada in 1996 after the base was transferred to the Marine Corps.

The U.S. Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force together have more than 630 F-35s, according to a 2024 analysis by the Government Accounting Office, which estimated the overall price tag to be $2 trillion at that point. The F-35B is one of several versions, and has an engine designed for short takeoffs and vertical landings. A single F-35B costs about $109 million.

A Marines statement called Friday's crash a "Class A mishap." That's the most severe mishap category, used when the damage totals more than $2 million, an aircraft is destroyed or a service member killed. In the Air Force alone, there have been at least 17 other "Class A mishaps" involving F-35 aircraft since 2000, according to Air Force Safety Center statistics.

Trump hails a 'unique' Cabinet meeting at Camp David as he seizes on Spain's migration crisis

CAMP DAVID, Md. (AP) -- President Donald Trump took Friday's Cabinet meeting on the road to Camp David, using the historic rustic backdrop of the presidential retreat to boast of his administration's achievements while seizing on a migrant crisis in Spain to make his case for why voters should keep the Republican Party in power.

The Cabinet meeting, the 13th such gathering of Trump's second term, came just three months before the November midterm elections that could serve as a check on his power if Democrats take control of one or both chambers of Congress. His warnings about Spain echoed language he used ahead of the 2018 midterms, when he warned of caravans of migrants headed to the southern U.S. border.

"You know, I saw Spain yesterday, and I watched the catastrophe that took place. It looks like an invasion of a country by hundreds of thousands of people," Trump said. "And that same thing is going to happen to us if the Republicans don't get elected. Except worse, much bigger."

Some 60,000 migrants crossed from Morocco into Spain's tiny Ceuta territory over the past 24 hours. Roughly half of them have already made their way back voluntarily, according to the Spanish government, but at least 57 have died on the journey.

Separately, he deflected blame for a series of cyberattacks that targeted 30 water systems in Minnesota on the state's "grossly incompetent" Democratic leadership. Officials have not publicly identified who was behind the attacks, though the FBI, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and other agencies warned in an advisory last week that Iranian hackers have been targeting water and wastewater systems and the operational controls of other critical infrastructure sectors.

"They blame it on Iran," Trump said, without offering evidence. "I don't think so. I think I blame it on Minnesota because they're grossly incompetent."

The president regularly convenes his Cabinet throughout his terms as a setting to promote his administration's policies while fielding questions on the news of the day, but what made Friday's unusual was that it was at Camp David, the government-owned retreat nestled in Maryland's Catoctin Mountains where Trump held one Cabinet meeting during his first term.

Trump began the meeting by noting it was "something very unique." The White House called it the first-ever televised Cabinet meeting from the presidential retreat.

"It's Camp David, and this room is a very, very special room," Trump said.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth were among the Cabinet officials who spoke before Trump took questions from journalists. The public portion of the meeting ended after about an hour.

In the lengthy question-and-answer session, Trump commented on the latest developments regarding the war in Iran and a deal he announced Thursday that would lead to the disarmament of the Palestinian group Hamas. He also lamented that a $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund to compensate his allies was "dead" and appeared to back off a pledge he made earlier this month to grant Ukraine a license to manufacture Patriot air defense systems.

"I don't think this would ever happen, but, you know, there's people that, you give that technology, they can someday turn on you," Trump added. "You look at war, that's happened a couple of times over the years, right? So we have to be very careful."

On the Hamas agreement, Trump acknowledged that the agreement that would also lead to Israel's withdrawal from Gaza will have "ups and downs." Still, he called it a "great breakthrough" that has been helped along by the U.S. and Israel's war with Iran, which has served as Hamas' prime backer.

Trump also remarked on the anti-weaponization fund that is holding up the confirmation of Todd Blanche as his attorney general, saying the pot of money is "dead" and that "I wish it weren't, to be honest with you."

The president continued to defend the people who could potentially benefit from the fund, mainly those who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to stop the certification of Democrat Joe Biden's victory over him.

"Their families have been ruined," Trump said. Those people "wanted to go to a rally or an event and ended up spending the rest of their lives in horror."

Trump said Blanche has been a "pawn in this whole thing." Blanche, who was present, did not speak in the public portion of the Cabinet meeting.

Authorities release early ransom note in Nancy Guthrie case, hoping someone recognizes it

PHOENIX (AP) -- Authorities released an early ransom note in the investigation into the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie in hopes that someone will recognize the writing style. A second note released Friday indicated Guthrie died shortly after she was kidnapped.

Both notes initially were sent to a Tucson television station days after the 84-year-old mother of "Today" show host Savannah Guthrie went missing from her home outside Tucson on Feb. 1. Authorities have not said whether Nancy Guthrie is still alive.

Saturday is the six-month mark since Guthrie went missing. No suspects have been arrested in her disappearance. The investigation is dogged by unanswered questions, such as how many people are believed to have taken part in her abduction and whether she was taken by someone who knew her.

In her latest video about her mother's disappearance, Savannah Guthrie said earlier this week that her family has been living an unending nightmare and pleaded with the kidnappers to "tell us where to look for her."

In releasing the ransom notes, the Pima County Sheriff's Department said "we believe these distinctive linguistic characteristics may be recognizable to someone who knows or has interacted with the notes' writer."

The first note, sent Feb. 2, said Guthrie was safe but scared and would be released unharmed once her captors received $4 million in cryptocurrency, with the ransom amount increasing if the first demand was not met.

It said Guthrie would be released within 12 hours if the payment was received. It also included a threat to kill her if the ransom wasn't paid.

"Your mother is aware of this and her life is in your hands," the first note read. "It is in the best interest of everyone to have this completed as soon as possible."

The second note was sent Feb. 6 and said Guthrie died shortly after she was taken. "She is buried in nature now," the second note said. "Nothing you could have done could have changed the outcome." The note ends with an apology, "We are truly sorry."

The sheriff's department said the notes reveal a distinctive pattern of word choices and provide insight into the writer's mindset. The agency said someone who knows the notes' writer may recognize the patterns.

Authorities similarly used a suspect's own writings as a tool to apprehend Theodore "Ted" Kaczynski, branded the "Unabomber" by the FBI. Kaczynski, who killed three people and injured 23 others with mail bombs over a 17-year span, pressured The Washington Post, in conjunction with The New York Times, to publish his 35,000-word manifesto in 1995. Federal authorities encouraged its publication, leading Kaczynski's brother and sister-in-law to recognize the syntax and anti-technology themes and tip off the FBI, bringing to a close the agency's longest and costliest investigation at the time.

In a statement Friday, the sheriff's department also appealed to people who may know something about the case, saying it may be difficult to come forward due to a personal relationship with someone involved or just for their own safety.

"We recognize relationships and loyalties change over time as do people and their perspectives," the sheriff's department wrote. "It is not too late to come forward."

Tax returns show California's Newsom earning between $1.7 million and $2 million annually

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom and his wife made between $1.7 million and $2 million annually from 2022 through 2024, and they paid about half a million a year in federal and state taxes, according to tax returns released by his office.

The Democrat's office released more than 700 pages of tax filings spanning four years for reporters to review, offering a window into Newsom's finances as he prepares to leave office and considers a 2028 presidential bid. Newsom's office did not release returns for 2025, because the couple filed for an extension and will complete those returns in October.

The returns show the Newsoms' income has remained relatively consistent since when he took office in 2019, when the couple reported $1.7 million in annual income. The exception was in 2021, when the family sold a house for nearly $6 million in Marin County, making roughly $800,000 from the sale. That year, they made $4.2 million and paid more than $1 million in federal and state taxes. They earned roughly $2 million in 2022.

The release of the couple's tax filings comes as their finances have been under scrutiny after the U.S. Justice Department launched investigations into the Newsoms, the governor announced last month. Newsom has blasted the probes as politically motivated.

It was the first time Newsom released returns since 2022.

Newsom made nearly $200,000 annually from serving as governor, but most of his income comes from winery and restaurant businesses that he put in a blind trust when he took office. The returns don't name each individual business, making it impossible to know which ones gained and lost money.

The PlumpJack Group, a company he owns that includes a suite of wineries and restaurants, is now run by his sister and cousin.

His wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom, a film director, lost money most years from Girls Club Entertainment, a production company she founded. The business produced "Miss Representation," a 2011 documentary about disparaging portrayals of women and girls in media, and two other films.

The Newsoms paid between roughly $14,000 and $44,000 a year for childcare for three of their four children, according to the tax filings.

They gave between $40,000 and $65,000 in gifts to charity each year, mostly through monetary donations. They also donated thousands of dollars worth of clothing, toys and other items to thrift stores and nonprofits, including in 2022, when they gave away Armani business wear they originally bought for $45,000 to a racial justice organization in Oakland.