Good morning and welcome to Fox News First. Here's what you need to know as you start your day

Rand Paul receives death threat package with white powder and violent, profane message
EXCLUSIVE: The FBI is investigating a suspicious package, filled with white powder and bearing an image threatening violence, that arrived at Republican Sen. Rand Paul's home in Kentucky Monday.

On the outside of the envelope was a picture of a bruised and bandaged Paul with a gun to his head and a threat printed beneath it: "I’ll finish what your neighbor started you motherf------"

A copy of the image was obtained by Fox News.

Paul in 2017 was assaulted by his neighbor, Rene Boucher, while doing yard work. Boucher badly injured the senator, breaking five of his ribs. and eventually pleaded guilty to assaulting a member of Congress.

"I take these threats immensely seriously," Paul wrote in a statement Monday. "I have been targeted multiple times now, it is reprehensible that Twitter allows C-list celebrities to advocated for violence against me and my family. This must stop. Just this weekend Richard Marx called for violence against me and now we receive this despicable powder filled letter."

Marx, an American singer, tweeted Sunday: "I’ll say it again: If I ever meet Rand Paul’s neighbor I’m going to hug him and buy him as many drinks as he can consume."

Paul had another close call as he and his wife Kelley were surrounded by a mob as they tried to make it back to their hotel following Donald Trump's Republican National Convention acceptance speech at the White House. CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON OUR TOP STORY.

In other developments:
- Rand Paul refusing to get vaccinated because he already had COVID-19
- Rand Paul: Mainstream media not asking Fauci the right questions about China lab, virus research
- Rand Paul: Dr. Fauci lied to Congress about Wuhan lab research funding
- Rand Paul, Fauci again spar over COVID origins, controversial Wuhan lab

Biden's DOJ announces plan to appeal order to release Trump obstruction memo
The U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday that it plans to partially appeal a court ruling earlier this month that called for the release of a legal memorandum the Trump-era Justice Department prepared for then-Attorney General William Barr before he announced his conclusion that President Trump did not obstruct justice during the Russia investigation.

The DOJ announced its decision just before the midnight deadline and appealed to U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson to stay her May 3 decision during the appeal process.

The department, which is led by Attorney General Merrick Garland, said in a court filing that the government "acknowledges that its briefs could have been clearer, and it deeply regrets the confusion that caused. But the government’s counsel and declarants did not intend to mislead the Court."

The judge said earlier this month that Barr's Justice Department had obscured "the true purpose of the memorandum" when it withheld the document.

Jackson chastised Barr for his general handling of the Robert Mueller report, saying his "characterization of what he’d hardly had time to skim, much less, study closely, prompted an immediate reaction, as politicians and pundits took to their microphones and Twitter feeds to decry what they feared was an attempt to hide the ball."

Garland’s decision will likely result in some backlash from Democrats, who have called for transparency.

Reuters reported that a group of Senate Democrats called on Garland not to appeal the decision. CLICK HERE FOR MORE.

In other developments:
- Democrats and mainstream media smear Republicans with false claims of Russia collusion, again
- Ron Johnson: House's 9/11-style commission to investigate Jan. 6 riot keeps 'false narrative' alive

Florida Gov. DeSantis signs law to hold Big Tech companies accountable for content moderation practices
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed a measure that he says will protect state residents from Silicon Valley’s "power grab on speech, thought and content."

The Big Tech Bill, as DeSantis calls it, allows residents to fight back against de-platforming and censorship, allowing them to sue tech companies for up to $100,000 in damages for each proven claim in a bid to ensure companies are more transparent about their content moderation practices.

The law requires companies to detail how they reach conclusions about content moderation and stick to those standards consistently, DeSantis said during a press conference on Monday.

The Florida Attorney General will also be able to bring action against tech companies that violate the law, which prohibits the de-platforming of political candidates as well. CLICK HERE FOR MORE.

In other developments:
- DeSantis asks if Fauci's COVID-19 origin remarks will result in censorship
- Trump launches new communications platform months after Twitter, Facebook ban

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

TODAY'S MUST-READS:
- Dem congressman calls out progressives' 'deafening' silence on anti-Semitic attacks
- As reporting on coronavirus lab leak theory grows, critics accuse media of suffering 'amnesia' on topic
- Whitmer administration rescinds COVID-19 rule after photo pops up on social media
- Ohio shooting: At least 3 killed outside Columbus

THE LATEST FROM FOX BUSINESS:
- Infamous Bitcoin pizza guy who squandered $365M haul has no regrets
- There are ‘no anchors’ holding inflation down, economist warns
- PPP loan fraud schemes ran wild as government doled out billions; at least 120 charged
- Ellen DeGeneres buys back $14.3M ranch after bombshell announcement

#TheFlashback: CLICK HERE to find out what happened on "This Day in History."

SOME PARTING WORDS

Laura Ingraham slammed the media on Monday’s "The Ingraham Angle" for the way it handled – and continues to handle – the story of the origins of the coronavirus.

"Tonight we declare that journalism in the U.S. is dead, cold and buried," she said. "Now, just when you thought things couldn’t get worse, the Washington Post is defending the positon that because of Trump – because he advanced the theory Covid may have originated in that Wuhan lab – that it was perfectly acceptable to the Post and others to ignore evidence confirming the theory."

Not signed up yet for Fox News First? Click here to find out what you're missing.

Fox News’ Go Watch page is now available, providing visitors with Pay TV provider options in their area carrying Fox News Channel & Fox Business Network.

Fox News First was compiled by Fox News' Jack Durschlag. Thank you for making us your first choice in the morning! We’ll see you in your inbox first thing Wednesday.

GUIDE TO PERSONAL FINANCE Sponsored by Credible:
- How to buy a house in 2021: Tips for winning the COVID homebuying season
- Need a $75,000 personal loan? What to know