Newsom sues Fox News for defamation over Trump phone call

• Newsom's office and the White House did not respond to Axios' requests for comment.

The latest: "Gov. Newsom's transparent publicity stunt is frivolous and designed to chill free speech critical of him" Fox News said in a statement to Axios. "We will defend this case vigorously and look forward to it being dismissed."

Driving the news: Newsom's lawsuit accuses Fox host Jesse Watters of misleadingly editing a video of Trump to support the president's disputed assertion that the two spoke before Trump deployed the National Guard in response to anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles, multiple outlets reported.

• Newsom denied that Trump contacted him before deploying more National Guard troops to Los Angeles, after the president claimed he had spoken with the governor.
• "No more lies," Newsom said on X Friday morning.

Friction point: Trump's decision to federalize the California National Guard over the governor's objections only exacerbated a brewing feud between the two men.

• Trump has repeatedly targeted California, threatening to withhold funding for education and disaster recovery and to strip the state's ability to regulate vehicle emissions.
• The governor sued the Trump administration earlier this month to block deployment of the U.S. Marines and the National Guard to Los Angeles protests.

Go deeper: "He's lost it": Inside Newsom's attack on Trump's mental fitness

Editor's note: This story was updated with a statement from Fox News.