Six months before Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis officially announced his presidential campaign, former President Trump launched his war of words against the rising conservative, enraging Republicans for launching his offensive just three days before the crucial midterm elections.

Trump’s attacks failed to make a dent in Florida’s support for DeSantis, and while Republicans went on to underperform on the national level, losing the U.S. Senate and only retaking the House by a few seats, DeSantis cruised to an historic 19-point win in Florida, a onetime battleground state.

DeSantis managed to stay out of the mudslinging until only recently, and since DeSantis officially announced his candidacy for president on May 24, both campaigns have ramped up their criticism of the other. The Trump campaign, however, has been repeatedly accused by the other of creating false narratives about DeSantis’ policies. 

A recent New York Post report found that Twitter accounts affiliated with Trump’s campaign had community notes adding context to their tweets on at least seven occasions throughout the month of May, while those associated with DeSantis were not slapped with any community notes.

Here are five examples of when Trump and his campaign’s claims about DeSantis have contradicted reality:

COVID-19:

Earlier this year, Trump dubbed DeSantis the ‘lockdown governor,’ even though the governor’s restrictions were among the least heavy-handed – and short-lived – in the country.

‘Ron DeSanctimonious wants to cut your Social Security and Medicare,’ Trump wrote on his Truth Social site in February, ‘closed up Florida & its beaches, loves RINOS Paul Ryan, Jeb Bush, and Karl Rove (disasters ALL!), is backed by Globalist’s Club for NO Growth, Lincoln Pervert Project, & ‘Uninspired’ Koch — And it only gets worse from there.’ 

‘Surprise, Ron was a big Lockdown Governor on the China Virus, sealing all beaches and everything else for an extended period of time, was Third Worst in the Nation for COVID-19 Deaths (losing 86,294 People), Third Worst for Total # of Cases, at 7,516,906. Other Republican Governors did MUCH BETTER than Ron and, because I allowed them this ‘freedom,’ never closed their States,’ Trump wrote in March.

However, Trump’s narrative leaves out some very key details. The former president’s own lockdown guidance predated DeSantis’ first and only stay-at-home order in Florida. On March 16, 2020, then-President Trump and his White House Coronavirus Task Force leader, Dr. Anthony Fauci, unveiled their ’15 Days to Slow the Spread’ plan, which recommended that governors shut down schools, restaurants and other public places. While many states closed almost immediately, DeSantis waited more than two weeks to issue his stay-at-home order on April 1, 2020, which lasted a total of 30 days and never returned.

DeSantis has since vowed that the state would never lock down again, and that one of his biggest regrets was not pushing back against the Trump administration’s recommendations.

Trump came under fire last month after he claimed disgraced former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo ‘did better’ in his COVID-19 response despite Cuomo’s infamous nursing home scandal.

DeSantis pushed back calling the attack ‘very bizarre.’

While Florida had a vastly different approach to the pandemic than lockdown-heavy states like New York, the death rate in Florida remained on par with those states, even after the Delta variant surge in 2021. Today, Florida’s death rate is still on par with New York’s and even lower than lockdown-heavy states like Michigan and New Jersey, despite the Sunshine State holding one of the largest elderly populations in the country, second only to Maine.

Before they became political rivals, Trump repeatedly fawned over DeSantis’ pandemic response and for being one of the first to reopen his state, calling him ‘one of the greatest governors in our country.’

‘And now you’re at your lowest numbers,’ Trump told a crowd in Ocala on Oct. 16, 2020. ‘And you’re open, and you didn’t close.’

‘The lockdowns in Democrat run states are absolutely ruining the lives of so many people – Far more than the damage that would be caused by the China Virus,’ Trump tweeted on Dec. 26, 2020. ‘Cases in California have risen despite the lockdown, yet Florida & others are open & doing well. Common sense please!’

Christopher Wray:

Trump’s campaign falsely claimed last month that DeSantis, a former member of the House, ‘voted for’ Trump-nominated Christopher Wray to become the next FBI director in 2017.

‘DeSanctimonious is now making a show of promising to fire FBI Director Christopher Wray, but DeSantis voted FOR Wray’s confirmation in 2017, praising him as ‘talented, capable & highly respected,” the campaign wrote in a tweet, less than a week after DeSantis vowed to replace Wray if he was elected president.

The remarks quoted a 2017 tweet from DeSantis that read: ‘Christopher Wray is talented, capable & highly respected. POTUS has made an inspired choice & I look forward to working with Director Wray.’ DeSantis’ remarks at the time came in response to a tweet from Trump, who announced that he would be nominating Wray to lead the FBI. In the 2017 announcement, Trump described Wray as ‘a man of impeccable credentials.’

The Trump campaign’s Twitter account was slammed after it resurfaced DeSantis’ tweet, cropping out that he was quote tweeting Trump’s tweet praising Wray.

DeSantis served in the House from 2013 to 2018, but he did not vote in favor of Wray’s confirmation because that is a role fulfilled by Senate members, as outlined in the U.S. Constitution.

Social Security:

The Trump campaign claimed over the weekend that DeSantis ‘voted 3 times to raise the retirement age to 70.’

Both candidates have walked back their stances on Social Security reforms.

DeSantis previously criticized Trump for the Social Security attack, pointing to Trump’s 2000 book, ‘The America We Deserve,’ in which the former president argued for raising the retirement age. However, Trump has since reversed those views, repeatedly stating since at least 2015 that he does not want to increase the retirement age.

DeSantis, as a U.S. congressman representing Florida’s 6th district, had also supported proposals that would cut Social Security spending, including raising the age for eligibility of full benefits. In March, however, the governor told Fox News his stance had changed due to consideration of the large elderly population in his state.

‘Look, I have more seniors here than just about anyone as a percentage,’ he said. ‘We are not going to mess with Social Security as Republicans.’

Fair Tax Act:

Trump’s campaign also claimed over the weekend that ‘Ron DeSantis’ ‘Fair Tax Act’ would have raised taxes on working, middle-class families.’ 

While DeSantis did endorse the Fair Tax Act during his time as a congressman, which would eliminate most taxes like payroll and income in favor of a national sales tax, he has not voiced support for it as governor or as a presidential candidate.

Meanwhile, Trump repeatedly signaled he was open to the idea of a flat tax during his 2016 campaign, and several of Trump’s allies in the House cosponsored the Fair Tax Act just this year, including Republican Reps. Matt Gaetz, Byron Donalds and Marjorie Taylor Greene.

‘Stealing policy’:

The Trump campaign recently claimed DeSantis was ‘stealing policy’ from Trump after the governor said he wanted a ‘different kind of accreditation’ for colleges in the state of Florida.

‘President Trump proposed this weeks ago. DeSantis is just stealing policy now,’ Trump campaign spokesman Steve Cheung tweeted.

DeSantis did sign legislation last month that banned all state funding for diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the state’s universities, and the legislation’s signing came two weeks after Trump said he wanted to go after the college accreditation system.

However, what the Trump campaign did not mention was that DeSantis passed legislation in April 2022 targeting what he described at the time as the ‘accreditation monopoly.’

‘They have an inordinate amount of power to shape what is going on at these universities,’ DeSantis said at the signing. ‘What this bill does here is requires diversity with the accreditations, you can’t just keep going to the same accreditor. I think that’s going to be very significant.’

DeSantis took a step further in January by mandating that all state universities report expenditures and resources used for campus activities that relate to diversity, equity, and inclusion and critical race theory initiatives. 

Honorable mention: The ‘broke down’ bus:

The DeSantis campaign busted a claim made Wednesday by Cheung that the bus for the pro-DeSantis super PAC Never Back Down had broken down in Des Moines, Iowa.

‘SPOTTED: Tiny @RonDeSantis Super PAC bus broke down on the side of the road in Des Moines. Always Broke Down,’ Cheung wrote in a tweet, which was accompanied by an image of the bus on the side of the road.

Christina Pushaw, the rapid response director for DeSantis’ 2024 campaign, was quick to respond to Cheung’s claim and insisted that people were only ‘unloading luggage’ from the bus when he took the photo.

‘SPOTTED: Steven Cheung standing alone in the middle of the road in Des Moines. Watching people unloading luggage from a bus. . . . Wishing he could hitch a ride,’ Pushaw wrote in the tweet.

‘Sorry. Not interested in getting into the creepy Ron van no matter how much candy you offer,’ Cheung, a longtime Trump political adviser, responded.

Pushaw also called out the Trump campaign on Sunday, accusing it of tweeting a photo of a DeSantis event before it had started.

When reached by Fox News Digital, Cheung said DeSantis’ campaign ‘is built on a house of cards because they know he’s truly a puppet of the swamp.’

‘The facts are that DeSantis locked down his state, oversaw mass vaccination events, armed checkpoints, praised Fauci, voted for the First Step Act, and voted to raise the retirement age. We have the receipts,’ Cheung said. ‘The real question is why DeSantis and his team can’t answer the simple question of how to pronounce his name. If they’re having so much trouble, we have a suggestion for them — DeSanctimonious.’

The DeSantis campaign declined to respond to the Trump campaign’s latest attack.

Earlier Monday, DeSantis told Fox NewsRadio host Brian Kilmeade that the ‘frivolous’ and ‘false smears’ prove that Trump and Democrats recognize him as a threat.

‘The way I’m being attacked, Trump has run almost $20 million in ads negative attacking me, you know, with frivolous and false smears,’ he said. ‘The corporate press is attacking me more than anybody else. Democrats are attacking me. They would not do that if they didn’t think I was a threat. I mean, if they thought that I wasn’t, you know, in shape to really win this thing, they would just be ignoring me. But they’re not. They’re coming after me. I’m the one that’s taken most of the fire. And I think that’s an indication that people know that, yeah, we have what it takes and that we’re a force to be reckoned with.’

Fox News’ Kyle Morris contributed to this report.

A new bill introduced in the House of Representatives on Monday is aimed at making sure American consumers know the difference between fantasy and reality online by cracking down on generative artificial intelligence technology. 

Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., is leading the effort on the AI Disclosure Act of 2023, which would force AI-generated content to include the disclaimer, ‘Disclaimer: this output has been generated by artificial intelligence.’

In a statement announcing the bill, Torres predicted that ‘regulatory framework for managing the existential risks of AI will be one of the central challenges confronting Congress in the years and decades to come.’

He noted risks in going too far with policing AI as well as not regulating it enough.

‘The simplest place to start is disclosure. All generative AI – whether the content it generates is text or images, video or audio – should be required to disclose itself as AI,’ Torres said. ‘Disclosure is by no means a magic bullet but it’s a commonsense starting point to what will surely be a long road to regulation.’

His bill, if passed, would give the Federal Trade Commission oversight over the new rule. 

And there appears to be an appetite on both sides of the aisle for promoting transparency in AI content.

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., one of the GOP’s leading voices on AI in the House, said Torres bill was not the ‘best solution’ but agreed that Americans need to be informed if the content they are viewing, particularly as the 2024 presidential cycle heats up, is real or fake. 

‘AI has the ability to revolutionize the way we live and can be a valuable tool in our arsenal for national security. However, as we continue to witness the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence, it is crucial that we prioritize transparency and accountability,’ Mace told Fox News Digital.’

‘The American people deserve to know when they are interacting with AI-generated content, especially in politics where there is an easy ability to manufacture content which can be used to mislead people,’ she added.

‘While this particular bill may not be the best solution, by requiring a disclaimer for AI content, we empower users to make informed decisions about the information they consume.’

AI generated content has already had a test-run in the current election season. Former President Donald Trump shared an AI-made video parodying Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ 2024 announcement on Twitter Spaces. 

Rather than the thousands of listeners who tuned in to hear DeSantis speak, Trump’s video included DeSantis with guests Dick Cheney, Adolph Hitler, the FBI, George Soros and others. 

And just last month, an AI-made image depicting the Pentagon suffering an explosion went viral on the internet and even appeared to cause a brief dip in the stock market.

Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., the top Republican on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, is pressing the Department of Energy over the impact of its abrupt decision last month to pull a grant for an energy technology firm.

In a letter to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm on Monday, Barrasso expressed concern that her agency’s decision to award a $200 million grant to Microvast, an electric vehicle battery component firm, then subsequently withdraw the grant created sharp market fluctuations. According to Barrasso, Microvast’s share price surged more than 40% after the federal grant was announced in October and fell 36% after it was pulled in May.

‘It is inappropriate if not unethical that the federal government has played such an outsized role in a single company’s stock price,’ he wrote. ‘The case of Microvast exemplifies the fact that the Department, fueled by Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and Inflation Reduction Act funds, has created massive fluctuations in financial markets caused by government misinformation.’

‘I expect the complete cooperation of the Department as Congress works to gather information related to the Department’s award negotiations with Microvast, as well as award processes for other Department selectees,’ the Wyoming senator added.

On Oct. 19, the Department of Energy (DOE) and White House both issued press releases announcing that the Biden administration was ‘awarding’ a total of $2.8 billion to 20 companies, including Microvast, as part of a program under the 2021 infrastructure package. Granholm said at the time that Microvast and the other grant recipients were examples of companies that would foster increased domestic manufacturing.

However, the DOE withdrew the grant on May 22, explaining that the October announcement was merely the beginning of ‘negotiations’ and was not a guarantee that Microvast would receive the grant. A DOE spokesperson said ‘it is not uncommon for entities selected to participate in award negotiations under a DOE competitive funding opportunity to not ultimately receive an award.’

‘It is irrefutable the White House and Department of Energy’s deceptive press releases were a major catalyst in misleading investors,’ Barrasso wrote to Granholm, noting posts by apparent Microvast investors on an online message board.

While the agency neglected to offer a reason for the surprise move, Republican lawmakers, including Barrasso, had called on it to rescind the grant after Microvast’s ties to China were revealed. 

Overall, 69% of Microvast’s revenue was generated in China and just 3% came from the U.S., according to a third quarter financial disclosure it filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission last month. In the same filing, the company acknowledged that the Chinese government ‘exerts substantial influence’ over its business activities and ‘may intervene at any time and with no notice.’

In his letter Monday, Barrasso called on Granholm to clarify why the DOE withdrew the grant considering its impact on investors.

‘In the interest of transparency and accountability, it is imperative American taxpayers understand what criteria the Department uses both when announcing award negotiations and when canceling them,’ he said. 

‘This lack of clarity surrounding the Department’s award processes has led to great confusion and uncertainty for those investing in Department award selectees, as is the case for Microvast investors.’

The DOE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Ohio senators plan to remove earmarks for $1 billion in one-time spending from the state operating budget and place the money into a new fund for community projects to be doled out next spring, a high-level Ohio Senate source told The Associated Press.

Creation of the One-Time Strategic Community Investment Fund, to be announced Tuesday, would nix many earmarks for infrastructure and other projects contained in the House’s version of the $88 billion, two-year spending blueprint, the individual said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because details of the announcement were still being finalized.

The fund will be created from leftover federal revenue and taxpayer money from fiscal year 2023, which the Ohio House and Republican Gov. Mike DeWine have proposed spending in different ways. The Senate concept is to help lawmakers make thoughtful, one-time funding decisions for priority transportation or capital projects and keep the budget document focused on policy decisions, the person said.

Projects eligible to be covered by the fund could include transportation projects, such as road and bridge construction or public transportation, and brick-and-mortar community projects benefiting schools, jails, zoos, museums, parks, waterfronts and other local facilities.

The move appears aimed at the $1 billion in one-time money that the House budget earmarks for Connect4Ohio, which would be a new program administered by the Ohio Department of Transportation aimed at shortening commutes and easing truck delivery times across the state.

Specifically, the House-passed bill allocated: $200 million for bridge replacement projects; $200 million for local matching grants; $24 million for infrastructure improvements supporting the $20 billion Intel chip factory being built east of Columbus; $6.2 million for road improvements in a southwestern Ohio county that contains a stretch of Interstate 71; and $1 million to study connecting two deep sea ports in northern Ohio. No less than a third of the money must go to rural county construction projects under the House plan. But slashing these projects from the operating budget isn’t a statement on their value, the source said. In fact, the new fund was created to ensure that worthwhile projects could still find funding with money that the state is just sitting on.

State senators will also announce further changes to the state’s operating budget Tuesday.

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A measure that would expand the kind of criminal records that can be sealed from public view easily passed the Pennsylvania House of Representatives with bipartisan support on Monday.

The legislation cleared the House on a 189-14 vote, and goes to the Senate.

It would expand the state’s existing Clean Slate law to make non-violent drug felonies with a maximum sentence of 2 1/2 years eligible for automated sealing.

The measure also would allow for those with a criminal history to petition to seal other nonviolent felonies if they are conviction-free for 10 years. It would also reduce the waiting period for automated sealing of misdemeanors to seven years, rather than 10 years.

Sponsors for the legislation said the current law has sealed 40 million cases involving 1.2 million Pennsylvanians.

‘The bipartisan passage of Clean Slate 3.0 shows that Pennsylvania continues to believe in second chances and expand the folks who can access them,’ sponsor Rep. Jordan Harris, a Democrat from Philadelphia, said in a prepared statement.

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A Republican state senator in New Jersey is fighting to hold on to the nomination after his surprise victory in 2021 ousted the Senate president. On the other side of the aisle, two long-time Democratic state senators are vying against each other for another chance to represent their party in the state Legislature.

It’s Primary Election Day on Tuesday, when polls open at 6 a.m. and close at 8 p.m., although it’s not the only day ballots will be cast. In-person voting was held over the weekend and mail-in ballots have been available to voters who prefer them for weeks.

New Jersey has no statewide races on the ballot this year, however both chambers of the Democrat-led Legislature are up for grabs in the November election.

Democrats have a 46-34 advantage in the Assembly and a 25-15 margin in the Senate, but control won’t be decided until November. This year’s primary stands out because there’s only a handful of contested races.

In southern New Jersey, incumbent Republican Sen. Ed Durr is facing a challenge from incumbent GOP Assemblywoman Beth Sawyer in the 3rd Legislative District.

Durr had worked as a furniture delivery truck driver when he shocked the state by defeating Steve Sweeney, the Senate president.

At the time Sawyer, a real estate broker, was his running mate. In New Jersey, candidates from the same party typically run on a joint ticket in their district, even if they’re seeking different seats. As a team they swept the Democrats who held the Senate seat and two Assembly seats, helping the GOP net seven seats.

In northern New Jersey, a Democratic contest in the 27th Legislative District has captured some attention, with Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy weighing in.

Incumbent senators Dick Codey and Nia Gill are competing to lengthen their already decadeslong political careers.

Gill has been in the Senate since 2002. She was a long-shot candidate for Senate president after Sweeney was ousted, but lost to Sen. Nicholas Scutari, a fellow Democrat.

Codey, who served as governor from November 2004 until January 2006, has been in the state Senate since 1982. Their primary contest comes after redistricting left Gill’s hometown inside the district currently held by Codey.

Endorsing Codey, Murphy called him a ‘hardworking and dedicated’ public servant.’ Murphy didn’t mention Gill although the two have agreed on legislation previously, including bills to tighten the state’s gun laws.

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Connecticut’s Democratic Legislature is expected to vote Monday on a two-year, $51.1 billion state budget containing a historic income tax cut.If signed into law by Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont, the budget would take effect July 1.‘Of course we’re going to say it never goes far enough because Connecticut is a very unaffordable state,’ Republican House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora said of the tax cut. ‘But it makes an effort. It’s recognizing the middle class needs relief.’

Connecticut lawmakers were expected Monday to pass a two-year, $51.1 billion state budget that includes a historic cut to the state’s personal income tax, possibly on a bipartisan vote.

The Democratic-controlled House of Representatives was on track to vote sometime in the evening. The Senate, also controlled by Democrats, will have to pass the bill before the General Assembly adjourns at midnight on Wednesday.

First proposed by Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont, the planned tax reduction is predicted to benefit approximately 1.1 million of the state’s 1.7 million tax filers by permanently lowering marginal rates for the first time since 1996. It’s being billed as the largest reduction since the tax was first implemented in 1991.

‘Today, Connecticut’s fiscal health is stronger than it’s been in decades,’ Lamont said when he first called for cutting the rates. ‘Considering the state’s strong financial position, it is time to provide tax relief for Connecticut’s residents.’

Republican House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora welcomed the tax cut, even though the GOP had wanted more tax relief, including for the business community.

‘Of course we’re going to say it never goes far enough because Connecticut is a very unaffordable state,’ he said. ‘But it makes an effort. It’s recognizing the middle class needs relief.’

The two-year tax-and-spending package also boosts state aid for local school districts; funds the ‘baby bonds’ program that sets aside up to $3,200 for low-income infants; increases rates for ambulance services; expands an anti-gun violence program to two more cities; increases pay for inmates; and includes additional funding for nonprofit social service agencies and state colleges and universities, even though advocates contend it’s not enough considering the state’s resources.

‘Look, do I wish we could have spent a couple $100 million more? Yes, I do. I think that’s where our caucus was. We thought there were ways to do it. … But it didn’t happen,’ said Democratic House Speaker Matthew Ritter, who contends he’s still happy with the package. There was a disagreement between legislative Democrats and Lamont over whether to spend approximately $200 million above and beyond the state’s cap on spending.

Last week, state Comptroller Sean Scanlon projected the current fiscal year, which ends June 30, will end with a $1.6 billion budget surplus, an increase of $16.1 million from May.

‘A 2.5 percent increase is insufficient and the state has the ability to do more for hundreds of community nonprofits and the 500,000 people they serve,’ said Gian-Carl Casa, president and CEO of CT Community Nonprofit Alliance, which represents agencies that provide services ranging from mental health and substance abuse treatment to homeless shelters and prison reentry programs. He said the budget will make it more difficult to hire workers, force programs to close and create longer waiting lists for services.

There’s also disappointment over how much is set aside for the state’s new early voting program, which is expected to affect general elections, primaries and special elections held on or after Jan. 1, 2024. Democratic Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas said the budget plan ‘shortchanges’ voters and funds ‘roughly half of the bare minimum that municipalities need’ to successfully implement the program. She vowed to continue to seek additional funding next fiscal year.

Candelora predicted a lot of Monday’s debate will focus on non-budgetary language included the budget bill. He gave the example of a provision concerning federally qualified health centers that he said might violate federal law.

‘It sounds technical, but the reality is that there’s a push to pass a law that’s against federal law, and that’s dangerous,’ he said.

The new budget, if signed ultimately into law by Lamont, will take effect on July 1.

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President Biden spent Sunday afternoon golfing with his younger brother James Biden as House Republicans ramp up their investigation into the Biden family’s foreign business deals, including those conducted by James ‘Jim’ Biden and first son Hunter Biden, who is under federal investigation.

Photos Sunday showed Biden, 80, driving a golf cart with James, 73, in the passenger seat on the golf course at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland.

The Republican National Committee tweeted a video of the golf trip Sunday, describing the younger Biden as a ‘key player’ in the Biden family business ‘scandal.’

In 2017, James and Hunter, along with John Robinson ‘Rob’ Walker, James Gilliar and Tony Bobulinski, entered a joint-venture called Sinohawk Holdings, which was meant to be a partnership with now-bankrupt energy firm CEFC China Energy Company Limited, a Chinese Communist Party-backed company. 

The venture eventually failed, but Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., and House Oversight Committee Republicans said they obtained records by subpoenaing Bank of America that revealed James, Hunter and Hallie Biden received lucrative payments from a bank account belonging to Walker and his company Robinson Walker LLC.

Comer said Walker received $3 million from State Energy HK Limited, a CEFC-affiliated Chinese company, and in turn, he paid out more than $1 million to Hunter, James and Hallie, the widow of President Biden’s son Beau who was romantically involved with Hunter. Walker hasn’t responded to multiple previous Fox News Digital inquiries about what the payments were for.

In February, Comer sent James a request for records to determine whether members of the Biden family leveraged Biden’s position as vice president to sell access to foreign entities.

‘The Committee on Oversight and Accountability is investigating President Biden’s connections to certain international and domestic business transactions and practices, including family members who peddled influence to generate millions of dollars for the Biden family,’ the committee wrote in a letter to James. 

‘The Committee has reviewed documents implicating you as a central figure in these transactions,’ the letter read. ‘Evidence shows you communicated with Hunter Biden and others regarding relevant companies, investments, and payments. The Committee requests documents and communications related to our investigation of President Biden’s involvement in his family’s financial conduct.’

During the 2020 campaign, Fox News approached Biden’s brother outside a residence in the Eastern Shore of Maryland about claims that Biden had knowledge about the family’s overseas business dealings when he was vice president.

‘I don’t want to comment about anything,’ Biden’s brother said at the time.

The White House did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment about Biden’s golf outing.

Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed reporting.

The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday denied the Biden administration’s request for a stay on an order blocking the implementation of a controversial policy that saw thousands of migrants released into the U.S. without a court date in the short time it was in place.

A federal judge had blocked the administration’s ‘parole with conditions’ policy in May, a day after it was implemented amid a surge in migration to historic highs just ahead of the end of Title 42 expulsions on May 11. The administration has said that nearly 9,000 migrants were released in the time the policy was in place.

The judge found that the policy, which saw migrants released into the U.S. without court dates and told to check in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement within 60 days, was materially identical to a separate policy that paroled migrants into the U.S. while enrolling them into alternatives to detention (ATD) programs. The judge had blocked that policy in March in response to a lawsuit from Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, who also filed the May challenge.

The administration, which called the block of the policy ‘sabotage,’ filed a motion to stay the orders blocking both the ‘parole + ATD policy’ and the ‘parole with conditions’ policy. Lawyers for the administration said that the orders blocking the policies will ‘undermine the Executive Branch’s constitutional and statutory authority to implement its immigration priorities and secure the border.’

The administration had also argued that blocking the ability to release migrants will lead to the overcrowding of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facilities and threaten the health, safety and security of Border Patrol agents and migrants – with downstream effects on public safety and national security.

‘The fact remains that when overcrowding has occurred in Border Patrol facilities, Republican and Democratic Administrations alike have used this parole authority to protect the safety and security of migrants and the workforce,’ a CBP statement said last month.

The three-judge appeals court panel denied the motion, arguing that the warnings ‘ring somewhat hollow on this record, considering the department’s track record of overstating similar threats in the underlying proceedings’ and pointed to prior claims made by the administration of disastrous consequences if releases were blocked.

‘Given this record, we take DHS’s latest claims of impending disaster if it is not allowed to use either of the challenged policies with some skepticism,’ the judges wrote. The judges also noted a recent drop in encounters at the border since the Title 42 order ended on May 11.

The denial marks another win for Moody, who secured first a temporary restraining order and then the preliminary injunction against the policy.

‘The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals has refused to disturb an injunction Florida obtained against a Biden policy allowing the mass release of illegal immigrants into the country,’ Moody said in a statement. ‘Protecting our border is one of the most fundamental responsibilities of our President and Florida will not allow Joe Biden and Secretary Mayorkas to continue putting American lives at risk in clear violation of Federal Law.’

Moody last week expanded the challenge to include migrants being released with court dates (Notices to Appear) after DHS said it had streamlined a policy that released migrants with NTAs on their own recognizance. Should that policy be blocked, it could result in most migrants not being allowed into the U.S. and a significant increase in detention.

Meanwhile, the administration is also facing legal challenges from both GOP-led states and civil rights groups targeting its asylum rule, which in theory bars most migrants from claiming asylum if they have entered illegally and failed to claim asylum in a prior country.

GOP-led states have called the rule a ‘smoke screen’ while left-wing groups have argued it unlawfully bars migrants from claiming asylum. The administration has defended the policy, saying it is designed to encourage migrants to use lawful pathways and enter via ports of entry.

DHS officials said last week that, amid a 70% drop in encounters at the border, ‘[W]e’ve also seen how the consequences we are delivering as part of our comprehensive effort to manage flows at the border are working.’

A group of 11 House Republicans is sounding the alarm on Interior Secretary Deb Haaland’s potential conflicts of interest related to an action she took last week restricting oil and gas drilling.

The Republicans, led by Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., wrote to Haaland and top Interior Department ethics official Heather Gottry, expressing concern about how her and her family’s past activism may have influenced the action. On Friday, Haaland finalized a ban on fossil fuel leasing within 10 miles of the Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico.

‘Under the standards of ethical conduct, federal government officials are required to recuse from particular matters involving specific parties where ‘a person with whom he has a covered relationship is or represents a party to such matter,’ unless authorized by the agency to participate,’ the Republican lawmakers wrote.

‘Furthermore, a federal government official is barred from using their position for the private gain of family members or nonprofit organizations,’ the letter continued.

The letter noted that Haaland has been involved with the Pueblo Action Alliance (PAA), a New Mexico-based environmental and cultural group that has advocated against new leasing near Chaco Canyon. PAA Executive Director Julia Bernal boasted in 2021 that she met personally with Haaland, whom she referenced as ‘Auntie Deb,’ about the group’s broad opposition to oil and gas leasing.

Haaland’s daughter Somah has also worked for PAA and even lobbied on behalf of the group against new leasing near Chaco Canyon during a trip late last year to Washington, D.C. 

‘Prior to joining the Biden Administration as Secretary of the Department of the Interior, Secretary Haaland was evidently involved with the Pueblo Action Alliance, a New Mexico based environmental and social justice organization that frequently engages in advocacy, protests, and lobbying throughout the United States,’ the letter stated. 

‘PAA and its leaders advocate for the dismantling of America’s economic and political system and believe America is irredeemable because there is no ‘opportunity to reform a system that isn’t founded on good morals or values,’’ it added. ‘PAA’s work includes efforts to restrict domestic oil and gas production.’

In addition, the letter cited Haaland’s latest ethics filing, which showed her husband Skip Sayre does consulting work for the Laguna Development Corp., a firm that is affiliated with the Laguna Pueblo, an Indigenous tribe. Like the PAA, the tribe has advocated in favor of a buffer zone around Chaco Canyon where new leasing would be banned.

‘One of Congress’s most essential duties is overseeing federal agencies and the cabinet secretaries who lead them,’ Westerman told Fox News Digital in a statement. ‘Recently, we’ve discovered concerning ties between Secretary Haaland and the radical environmental and social justice advocacy group Pueblo Action Alliance, as well as other potential conflicts of interests from her household she is required by law to disclose.’ 

‘These alliances raise ethical concerns about Secretary Haaland’s conflict of interest over specific activities like her recent decision to further restrict domestic oil and natural gas production at a site in New Mexico,’ he added. ‘The committee is calling on Secretary Haaland to shed light on these ties between her family and this extremist group so we can determine the potentially unethical way these types of decisions are being made throughout the federal bureaucracy.’

The Republicans’ letter concluded by listing a series of related questions about Haaland’s ethics obligations and communications with PAA.

Meanwhile, in April, government watchdog organization Protect the Public’s Trust filed two federal lawsuits against the Department of the Interior, alleging the agency and its subagency Bureau of Land Management have stonewalled information requests demanding communications involving Somah Haaland.

PAA didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. The Interior Department declined to comment.