DeSantis to have presidential campaign kickoff event in Iowa

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(WASHINGTON) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to forgo a traditional presidential campaign launch and will instead hold his “campaign kickoff” event next week in the key state of Iowa, according to campaign plans exclusively obtained by ABC News.

The May 30 kickoff event will begin a four-day swing through 12 cities and towns in the early nominating states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, which the campaign is billing as “Our Great American Comeback Tour.”

“Our campaign is committed to putting in the time to win these early nominating states. No one will work harder than Governor DeSantis to share his vision with the country — he has only begun to fight,” said campaign manager Generra Peck in a statement to ABC News about the plans.

During the tour, the Florida Republican governor will participate in a series of speeches, retail shops and fireside chats.

Although DeSantis has already visited key primary states over the course of the past few months, these will be his first visits as an official candidate for president.

Earlier this month, DeSantis was a special guest at Rep. Randy Feenstra’s third annual Feenstra Family Picnic in Iowa and pitched a “positive alternative” to Republican voters.

DeSantis launched his 2024 presidential bid for the White House on Wednesday, releasing a video announcing his candidacy prior to the glitch-plagued Twitter Spaces campaign launch with Twitter owner and billionaire Elon Musk.

“I am running for president of the United States to lead our great American comeback,” DeSantis said during the Twitter Space.

“We know our country’s going in the wrong direction. We see it with our eyes and we feel it in our bones,” he said, going on to criticize current Democratic policies regarding the southern border, crime and public safety and the cost of living for middle-class families.

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Fulgence Kayishema, most wanted Rwandan genocide suspect, arrested in South Africa, authorities say

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(LONDON) — One of the world’s most wanted fugitives accused of involvement in the Rwandan genocide has been arrested in South Africa after more than two decades on the run, authorities announced Thursday.

Fulgence Kayishema was taken into custody in Paarl, about 35 miles northeast of Cape Town, on Wednesday afternoon in a joint operation by the United Nations’ International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) and South African authorities.

Kayishema allegedly orchestrated the killing of approximately 2,000 people in western Rwanda in 1994 during the genocide, according to the IRMCT’s Office of the Prosecutor.

Story developing…

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LA bus driver stabbed in ‘heinous act,’ suspect flees on foot

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(LOS ANGELES) — Police are searching for a suspect who allegedly stabbed a Los Angeles Metro Bus operator multiple times Wednesday evening, leaving him in critical condition.

A male suspect boarded the bus in Woodland Hills and began arguing with the driver before stabbing him, Metro Los Angeles said on Twitter.

“The bus driver and the suspect exited the bus and continued the argument, at which time the suspect produced a knife (or sharp object) and stabbed the bus driver multiple times,” police said in a press release.

The suspect then fled on foot near Erwin Street and Topanga Canyon Boulevard, officials said.

L.A. Police Department officers began a grid search of the area, Chief Michel Moore said, adding that the department “has mustered a number of night watch detectives and uniform personnel to investigate this senseless attack.”

Police officials released a statement with images of the suspect.

“This heinous act of violence is horrific and the harm done to one of our Metro drivers is tragic. I join the entire City family in praying for him tonight, and my heart also goes out to his family,” Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement.

Police described the suspect as a 21-year-old white man with blonde curly hair and a thin build. He is about 6 feet tall. He wore a red shirt, black pants and a black backpack.

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American tourist attacked by shark in Turks and Caicos, police say

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(LONDON) — An American tourist was seriously injured in a shark attack in Turks and Caicos on Wednesday, authorities said.

The 22-year-old Connecticut woman was snorkeling with a friend in the waters off Blue Haven Resort on Providenciales island at around 3 p.m. local time when a shark attacked, according to the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Department.

A resort employee contacted police and requested an ambulance, telling officers that the victim had her leg bitten off. Officers and an ambulance were then dispatched to the scene, police said.

The victim was transported to the nearby Cheshire Hall Medical Centre, where she remains hospitalized in serious condition, according to police.

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Jan. 6 rioter who was seen in Pelosi’s office is chided by judge at sentencing

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(WASHINGTON) — Richard “Bigo” Barnett was sentenced on Wednesday to four years and six months in prison for his role in the Jan. 6 riots at the Capitol.

Barnett became one of the most recognizable figures in the 2021 attack after images circulated showing him with his feet propped up on a desk in then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office.

Barnett profited from online fundraisers and even tried selling signed copies of the photos on social media.

He was convicted in January on all charges, including felonies for obstruction of an official proceeding and civil disorder as well as several misdemeanors.

In explaining his sentencing decision Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper noted Barnett’s lack of remorse, saying he didn’t believe that Barnett was simply swept up in the rioting mob, as Barnett had testified.

“You were an active participant,” Cooper said.

Leaning back in his chair — and wearing a long white beard, gray suit jacket, silver tie and dark red shirt — Barnett, 63, gazed back at the judge. When he was called forward for his final remarks before sentencing, he struck a mostly defiant tone but apologized for being “angry that day.”

He also said he’d “behaved perfectly” while he was free on supervised release.

Despite touting his admiration and support for law enforcement, Barnett claimed “peaceful” protesters were attacked by police at the Capitol two years ago.

“I was angry that day,” he said. “I admit I was angry, and I apologize for that.”

Barnett insisted the government “misconstrues every word I say” and that “they want me to be remorseful for things I did not do.”

He was ordered to self-surrender to authorities after getting his affairs in order Wednesday.

According to prosecutors, Pelosi’s staff were “psychologically traumatized” by the events of Jan. 6. Many aides left the office afterwards and some left government altogether.

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Twitter glitches delay Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign announcement with Elon Musk

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(WASHINGTON) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ novel way to kick off his 2024 presidential campaign — via a live Twitter event featuring one of the world’s most famous businessmen — was hamstrung on Wednesday night by the most ordinary of internet obstacles: spotty technology.

DeSantis had planned to begin his appearance with Twitter owner Elon Musk at 6 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

But repeated issues and crashes delayed the start of the Twitter Spaces audio event for almost 30 minutes. At one point, it was abruptly ended and then restarted — all as Musk and others could apparently be heard discussing the issues behind the scenes.

Musk suggested during the broadcast that the problems were due to a strain on the platform’s servers and “scaling issues” because his own account was involved and has a following of 140 million users.

Once Twitter Spaces appeared to stabilize, and after being reintroduced by moderator David Sacks — who quipped that “I think we melted the internet” — DeSantis declared, “I am running for president of the United States to lead our great American comeback.”

“We know our country’s going in the wrong direction. We see it with our eyes and we feel it in our bones,” he said, going on to criticize current policies at the southern border, on crime and public safety and on the cost of living for middle-class families.

President Joe Biden, DeSantis said, lacked the “vigor” to lead while letting himself be led by the “woke mob.”

The event, which is ongoing, had more than half a million people attending in the beginning and later on had about 260,000 listeners.

After DeSantis gave a brief stump speech about why he is running for president, the event segued into a moderated question-and-answer session where DeSantis has been addressing topics including COVID-19, his legal fight with Disney (ABC News’ parent company), the news media, immigration and more.

Earlier Wednesday, the Florida governor filed paperwork for his presidential campaign with the Federal Election Commission. Shortly before the Twitter event, he released a video announcing his White House bid.

He enters the race as former President Donald Trump’s biggest challenger for the Republican nomination.

Both Biden and Trump’s team quickly seized on the issues with the Twitter Spaces.

“Glitchy. Tech issues. Uncomfortable silences. A complete failure to launch. And that’s just the candidate!” a Trump campaign spokesperson said in a statement.

Meanwhile, tweeting a link to a donation page, Biden’s campaign wrote on Twitter: “This link works.”

Even some DeSantis supporters said they were dismayed.

One backer, a veteran GOP strategist who asked not to be quoted by name, said that “technical glitches are not good foreshadowing” and predicted it would be labeled a “#DeSaster,” but said, “They’ll spin it that the demand was too huge. He’s too popular.”

ABC News’ Tal Axelrod and Soo Rin Kim contributed to this report.

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US investigating whether arms given to Ukraine have been used in attacks in Russia

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(WASHINGTON) — The Biden administration is investigating claims that American munitions initially supplied to the Ukrainian government have been used in a rare cross-border attack on Russia by groups of anti-Kremlin assailants, U.S. officials said on Wednesday.

“We’re looking into those reports that the U.S. equipment and vehicles could have been involved,” White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters.

Matthew Miller, the State Department’s spokesperson, said that while U.S. policy against using weapons supplied to Ukraine outside of the country’s borders is clear, the exact circumstances surrounding recent attacks on Russian soil were not — yet.

“We have not reached any conclusions,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to prejudge either the outcome or when we’ll reach that outcome.”

Still, Miller’s comments marked a notable shift from earlier in the week when administration officials expressed skepticism about reports circulating online alleging that U.S.-supplied weapons were fueling the incursion.

On Tuesday, Miller said the accusations were being leveled by “armchair intelligence analysts” and based off of “fuzzy pictures on social media.”

But on Wednesday, he said, “Since then, there have obviously been media reports with additional images. We’re looking into those reports.”

The Pentagon has confirmed that no third-party transfer agreements from Ukraine to paramilitary groups have been approved by Washington or requested by Kyiv.

While Miller declined to say what consequences Ukrainian officials could face if the U.S. assesses the claims are accurate, sources within the administration say that determination will very likely be made at the highest level of the federal government.

The recent spate of attacks on Belgorod, a Russian oblast just over 20 miles from the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, picked up on Monday, with drone footage capturing plumes of smoke over the region and local officials reporting that “Ukrainian saboteurs” had broken across the frontlines.

The Russian Volunteer Corps and Freedom of Russia Legion — two Russian paramilitary groups cooperating with Ukraine — have taken credit for conducting the operation.

Leaders from both forces have also said that they received weaponry, intelligence and guidance from Ukraine to carry out their mission, which one described as “ongoing.”

A spokesperson for the Ukrainian government asserted that the two organizations were behind the attacks but denied that Ukraine had played any role.

Belgorod’s governor said that at least one Russian civilian was killed and that eight have been wounded, and Moscow has promised to retaliate.

While the fog of war has made verifying any of the assertions surrounding the attacks in Belgorod exceedingly difficult, U.S. officials have a vested interest in determining whether American weapons and equipment were used — both to avoid the risk of fueling escalation with Moscow and to ensure Kyiv is properly managing lethal assistance in repelling Russia’s invasion.

ABC News’ Tom Soufi Burridge, Benjamin Gittleson and Matt Seyler contributed to this report.

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Biden to pick history-making general as next head of Joint Chiefs

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(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden plans to nominate Gen. “CQ” Brown, the current Air Force chief of staff, to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the White House said Wednesday, elevating the four-star general to be the senior military adviser to the president.

Biden will announce his intent to nominate Brown in a Rose Garden ceremony on Thursday, the White House said.

At 61, Charles Quinton Brown Jr. would succeed Gen. Mark Milley as chairman if the Senate confirms him, and would be the second Black Joint Chiefs chairman after Army Gen. Colin Powell. Also, for the first time in history, the Pentagon’s top two leaders, the current secretary of defense, Lloyd Austin, and the Joint Chiefs chairman, would be Black men.

An Air Force F-16 fighter pilot who became an officer after completing his undergraduate degree in engineering in 1984, Brown rose through the ranks to become a general in 2009. He held senior leadership roles in the Middle East beginning in 2015, and in 2018 took command of Pacific Air Forces, America’s presence in the skies of the Indo-Pacific.

After being nominated by former President Donald Trump in 2020, the Senate confirmed Brown 98-0 to be chief of staff of the Air Force. His nomination now to lead the military’s service chiefs comes as Milley’s tenure comes to a mandated end in September. Milley came to have a notoriously strained relationship with Trump, who had chosen him to be chairman.

As Biden’s senior adviser in uniform, Brown would be called to contend with a growing Chinese military presence where he once led American airmen, the Indo-Pacific.

Heather Wilson, a former congresswoman and secretary of the Air Force who served with Brown, told ABC News his experience in the region makes him a good fit for the moment.

“There is no more important adversary or potential adversary now than China,” she said. “And he has that experience. I think even more than just understanding the strategic landscape of the Pacific, he has started to build relationships with our allies. And one of the things that America has that’s an advantage is that we have allies. China generally does not. Their neighbors are afraid of them.”

Brown’s personal character would be a plus, Wilson said.

“This position, if he’s confirmed, has a role in relationships with our allies in deepening those partnerships of trust. And if there’s one thing CQ Brown has demonstrated it’s that he’s a man that you can trust. And I think that will be very important as we deepen our alliances in the Pacific,” she said.

The threat is different from the one U.S. leaders have come to know in the Middle East, according to Wilson.

“I think that’s a challenge because for the last thirty years, we have really been focusing on terrorist threats all around the world and not necessarily crisis or conflict with a near-peer adversary. That’s different. Particularly, a technologically advanced near-peer adversary. So, he has to think about warfare in all of its domains. When we have not had to do that against ISIS and Al Qaeda,” she said.

Brown, in a video message spread widely in June 2020, reckoned publicly with the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, an injustice he felt compelled to discuss as a senior military leader who was often the first or the only Black man in his position. He said his son asked him how the Air Force would respond to Floyd’s killing, and he knew he needed to speak out.

“I’m thinking about how full I am with emotion not just for George Floyd, but the many African Americans that have suffered the same fate as George Floyd,” he said. “I’m thinking about a history of racial issues and my own experiences that didn’t always sing of liberty and equality.”

When Wilson saw the video, she said she “was really proud of him. He had a sense of what airmen needed to hear from him. And as a leader, he was in a unique position to stand up and say so. And – I think – I was really proud of him.”

Wilson pointed to the admission of women to service academies for the first time in 1976 as the sort of breakthrough Brown’s nomination represents.

“I think this country has benefited from that. We have a stronger national defense because you use the gifts that everyone brings to the table,” she said.

Joining ABC’s “GMA3” last February, Brown told ABC News, “You can only aspire to be what you can see. And hopefully by me being in this position, I’ll inspire many young people to open doors for not just in the military, but just really across the country, to be in a great position to — just like this.”

Brown’s “style is different,” Wilson said. “But that’s okay…Different secretaries of defense and different presidents need different things.”

“One of the things that CQ does well is listen, and this is in a town where there’s a lot more people who want to talk than listen and who listens and understands and synthesizes problems. He asks good questions and then is able to crystallize what the big issues are.”

ABC News’ Matthew Seyler and Ben Gittleson contributed to this report.

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Miami Zoo apologizes after treatment of Kiwi bird sparks outrage

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(MIAMI) — Zoo Miami has apologized following an uproar over its treatment of a kiwi bird under its care.

Footage emerged online showing Paōra, a male Kiwi bird, being petted by guests at the zoo’s “encounter experience.” Videos also showed the nocturnal bird being placed in a brightly lit enclosure.

The footage sparked outcry among New Zealanders at home and abroad, who say the Kiwi, New Zealand’s national bird, is being mistreated.

Paōra was the first kiwi to hatch in Florida in 2019.

A petition to “Help Save” Paōra garnered over 12,300 signatures in three days as people called for investigations into the kiwi’s living conditions.

“Kiwis are our precious Taonga, not America’s toys,” read the petition, which was started by New Zealander Jeseka Christieson.

Zoo Miami apologized for its treatment of Paōra on Wednesday, announcing that it has scrapped “encounter” experiences with the bird to take effect immediately.

“First and foremost, on behalf of everyone at Zoo Miami, please accept our most profound and sincere apology for the stress initiated by a video on social media depicting the handling and housing of ‘Paora,’ the kiwi bird that is presently under our care. The concerns expressed have been taken very seriously and as a result, effective immediately, the Kiwi Encounter will no longer be offered,” the zoo said in a statement.

The zoo also announced that plans are underway to build a “special habitat” for Paōra with “relative darkness,” where guests can learn about the unique bird without direct contact.

The move comes as New Zealand’s Department of Conservation announced it will be “discussing the situation” with the American Associations of Zoos and Aquarius, thanking viewers for raising concerns about the welfare and handling of Paōra.

New Zealand’s Prime Minister Chris Hipkins thanked Zoo Miami for taking the nation’s concerns seriously.

“The zoo [has] immediately taken steps to address the concerns that were raised,” Hipkins said. “They have acknowledged that what they were doing wasn’t appropriate or wasn’t right or wasn’t fair to the kiwi. I thank them for taking it seriously.”

The bird is dear to many New Zealanders, who refer to themselves as “Kiwis,” a nickname that first started around World War I.

The small and unique bird appears on New Zealand’s postage stamps and is native to the country. The bird has cultural, historic and spiritual significance to the Māori people. Kiwi feathers are used to make the iconic “kahu kiwi,” a traditional feather cloak worn by tribal chiefs that is symbolic of protective spirits.

There are an estimated 70,000 kiwis left in New Zealand, according to New Zealand’s Department of Conservation.

Paōra was the first kiwi to hatch in the state of Florida. The bird was part of Smithsonian’s National Zoo breeding program that aimed to ensure the survival of the threatened species. Zoo Miami said it was “happy to have watched him grow and thrive” under its care.

“Though Paora has thrived at Zoo Miami while receiving the best care available, the development of the Kiwi Encounter was, in hindsight, not well conceived with regard to the national symbolism of this iconic animal and what it represents to the people of New Zealand, especially the Maori,” the zoo said in the statement.

“Having had the honor of hosting the Honorable New Zealand Ambassador to the United States and several representatives of the Maori people during a special naming ceremony here at Zoo Miami, it is especially painful to all of us to think that anything that has occurred with Paora here at Zoo Miami would be offensive to any of the wonderful people of New Zealand. Again, we are deeply sorry,” the statement added.

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Where Trump and DeSantis stand on 5 financial issues, including taxes and Social Security

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(WASHINGTON) — Former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis are headed toward a clash in the 2024 GOP primary race and are already foreshadowing an intense conflict of personalities.

Their stances on tax and spending policies, however, aren’t so different.

In a GOP largely remade by Trump’s 2016 success, many leading conservatives have become aligned with him on the economy, including the Florida governor, who polls show is Trump’s biggest competitor for the Republican presidential nomination.

DeSantis on Wednesday filed paperwork to begin his presidential campaign. Here’s where he and Trump stack up in five key financial areas.

Social Security and Medicare

Republicans have historically promoted various types of changes to the country’s entitlement programs, from cuts to raising the age to qualify for them, because they argue that doing so promotes the programs’ longevity and decreases the size of the government.

However, both Trump and DeSantis are currently aligned in bucking those beliefs, instead advocating for the widely popular programs to remain as they are.

During the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump emerged as — and continues to be — perhaps his party’s loudest voice in favor of keeping the programs entirely intact.

“Under no circumstances should Republicans vote to cut a single penny from Medicare or Social Security,” Trump said in a video message in January, early on in the ongoing talks in Washington over the debt and government spending.

“Cut waste, fraud and abuse everywhere that we can find it, and there’s plenty of it,” Trump said then. “But do not cut the benefits our seniors worked for and paid for their entire lives. Save Social Security, don’t destroy it.”

DeSantis has sounded similar notes.

“Look, I have more seniors here than just about anyone as a percentage,” he said on Fox News in March. “We’re not going to mess with Social Security as Republicans. I think that that’s pretty clear.”

However, both Trump and DeSantis have previously said different things on the issue.

While he was in Congress, DeSantis supported certain changes to Social Security, including backing nonbinding resolutions proposing raising the Social Security retirement age to 70 — a record Trump has already attacked.

The resolutions that DeSantis supported also called for transitioning Medicare from a program funded by the government to one in which the government would allocate funds for beneficiaries to spend on private insurance.

Trump, too, has voiced support for certain reforms in the past.

In a 2000 book he wrote called “The America We Deserve,” Trump backed raising the retirement age to 70 and called Social Security a “Ponzi scheme.” He also said in 1999 that he was open to privatizing Social Security, though he said he didn’t “like the idea.”

Taxes

Trump is likely to continue to boast about one of his signature legislative wins as president: a sweeping tax cut that he signed into law in 2017.

He and senior members of his administration at the time said the cuts would pay for themselves by sparking increased spending and growth. However, a recent report by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said that making permanent the provisions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 would add $3.5 trillion to the nation’s deficit.

DeSantis, meanwhile, voted for that legislation when he was in the House and co-sponsored the Fair Tax Act of 2015, which would have imposed a 23% sales tax as a replacement for “the current income and corporate income tax, employment and self-employment taxes, and estate and gift taxes” and halted funding to the Internal Revenue Service after 2019.

Trump’s allies have hammered DeSantis over his past support for the 23% tax, with a political group that supports him dubbing the Florida governor in an ad as “Ron DeSalesTax,” prompting the main pro-DeSantis super PAC to recirculate his support in past interviews for a “fair tax or a flat tax.”

DeSantis earlier this year also proposed a plan that he claimed would provide $2 billion in tax relief and involved “a one year sales tax exemption on children’s items like books and toys; a permanent sales tax exemption on baby and toddler necessities like clothing, cribs, and strollers; and an expansion of the annual Back to School tax holiday.”

Trade

Trump upended Republicans’ support for free trade deals, telling voters during the 2016 campaign that other countries were instead using such agreements to take advantage of the U.S. As president, he also started a trade war with China.

In a plan released in February, Trump called for a “new pro-America system of universal baseline tariffs on most foreign products” and the adoption of “a 4-year plan to phase out all Chinese imports of essential goods.”

“My cutting-edge trade agenda will revitalize our economy by once again putting America first. We will quickly become a manufacturing powerhouse like the world has never seen before,” Trump argued then.

DeSantis has said less on trade, though on a recent international trip he did call for more cooperation between Florida and South Korea in areas such as space and aviation.

While he was in Congress, he also urged for more protections for Florida farmers under the North American Free Trade Agreement, a deal that Trump scrapped while in office but replaced with a similar agreement.

Spending and the Federal Reserve

Neither Trump nor DeSantis has laid out detailed plans for how they’d tackle inflation, but their past comments give some indications on their views on government spending and monetary policy.

While he was president, Trump sharply criticized Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, pushing the Fed to lower borrowing rates both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. He joined many other political leaders in supporting direct government payments to Americans as a way of dealing with lost jobs and economic uncertainty during the public health crisis.

With Republicans now blaming federal spending under Democrats for high inflation, DeSantis could pose a contrast with Trump, who signed major omnibus packages into law in 2017 and 2018 as well as the government’s initial wave of sweeping COVID-19 relief.

Trump had praised the $1.2 trillion bill signed in 2017 and lambasted the $1.3 trillion bill in 2018 before signing it. DeSantis voted against both pieces of legislation.

Trump and DeSantis have also criticized Powell, though Trump did name him to his current role.

Regulations

Trump and DeSantis have found common ground on the issue of federal regulations.

The former president made a show of slashing red tape while in office and said in a policy rolled out in April that he would “bring the independent regulatory agencies, such as the FCC and the FTC, back under Presidential authority.”

“No longer will unelected members of the Washington Swamp be allowed to act as the fourth branch of our Republic,” he declared before vowing, if reelected, to reinstate an executive order from his term to scrap two old regulations for every new one implemented.

While in Congress, DeSantis took a similar position, supporting legislation mandating that any regulation determined to have significant economic impacts be subject to a vote by Congress before going into effect.

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