memeorandum: Biden plans to nominate Bridget Brink as the next ambassador to Ukraine. Who is she? (Rachel Treisman/NPR)

8:00 PM ET, April 25, 2022

Top Items:

Elon Musk to Acquire Twitter — Twitter, Inc. (NYSE: TWTR) today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by an entity wholly owned by Elon Musk, for $54.20 per share in cash in a transaction valued at approximately $44 billion.

Brooke Singman / Fox News:

Trump will not return to Twitter even as Elon Musk purchases platform, will begin using his own TRUTH Social — Trump said a Musk Twitter takeover would be a positive development, but he will stay with his own platform — Twitter reportedly nearing deal to accept Elon Musk's offer

Greg Roumeliotis / Reuters:

Twitter set to accept Musk's original $43 bln offer — Twitter Inc (TWTR.N) is poised to agree a sale to Elon Musk for around $43 billion in cash, the price the chief executive of Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) has called his “best and final” offer for the social media company, people familiar with the matter said.

Dan Primack / Axios:

Twitter agrees to be bought by Elon Musk — Twitter on Monday agreed to be acquired for around $44 billion in cash by Elon Musk, just weeks after the tech mogul launched his unsolicited, take-it-or-leave-it offer. … - It's sure to be criticized by those who disagree with Musk's laissez-faire views …

Discussion: Bloomberg, CNN, Insider, Washington Post, Poynter, HotAir, RedState, Mercury News, Breitbart, Mediaite, The US Sun and Slashdot

Variety:

FX and The New York Times Announce Elon Musk Exposé Documentary (TV News Roundup) — Right on the heels of the news that Elon Musk is nearing a deal to buy Twitter, a television documentary about the polarizing businessman has been announced to premiere this May.

Discussion: The Daily Wire, Deadline, Mediaite and IJR

Bloomberg:

Twitter on Track to Reach Deal With Musk as Soon as Monday — Twitter is in the final stretch of negotiations about a sale to Elon Musk, a person with knowledge of the matter said, Bloomberg News reports. The social media company is working to hammer out terms of a transaction and could reach …

Discussion: Media Matters for America, TechCrunch, Press Watch, Breitbart, RedState, CNBC, Washington Post, UPI, Twitchy, Forbes, The Hill, Daily Briefing, The Independent, The US Sun, Reason, We Love Trump, The Daily Wire and RedState

Kate Conger / New York Times:

Twitter Employees Search for Answers as Musk Takeover Becomes Reality — Workers say they have been left largely in the dark about what a sale to the billionaire will mean for them and their shares in the company. — In January 2020, thousands of Twitter employees gathered in Houston for a corporate summit called #OneTeam.

Discussion: The Hill, The Daily Beast, Bloomberg, HotAir, Mashable, The Western Journal, Mediaite, The Verge, The Dossier, New York Post and Techdirt, more at Techmeme »

Kanishka Singh / Reuters:

Human rights groups raise hate speech concerns after Musk's takeover of Twitter — Human rights groups on Monday raised concerns about hate speech on Twitter (TWTR.N) and the power that its takeover by Elon Musk would give the billionaire after the self-described “free speech absolutist” …

Discussion: New York Post, Twitchy, Chicago Sun-Times, The Daily Caller and Fortune

Washington Post:
Trump says he won't rejoin Twitter. Some advisers don't believe him.

Discussion: CNN, Fox News, New York Magazine and Slashdot

Lauren Feiner / CNBC:
Twitter accepts Elon Musk's buyout deal

Discussion: Reuters, RedState, Washington Examiner, WFLA-TV, Breitbart, Protocol, TheBlaze, Deadline, Fortune, TechCrunch, The Daily Caller, Euractiv, Ace of Spades HQ, The Daily Wire, Twitchy and IJR, more at Mediagazer »

Evelyn Douek / The Atlantic:
Running Twitter Is Going to Disappoint Elon Musk

Discussion: KTVX-TV, Mediaite and The US Sun

Brian Schwartz / CNBC:
Biden officials worry Musk will allow Trump to return to Twitter

Discussion: The Hill, The Verge, Bloomberg, The US Sun, Mediaite and Voice of America, more at Techmeme »

Jordan Boyd / The Federalist:
The Best Thing Elon Musk Could Do With Twitter Is Annihilate It

Discussion: Washington Examiner, RedState, The Anarchist Peace, C's Newsletter, Red Hot Political and Mindscapes

Tim Dickinson / Rolling Stone:
Marjorie Taylor Greene Predicts Elon Musk Will Reinstate Her Twitter Account

Discussion: Fortune

Wall Street Journal:
Twitter Accepts Elon Musk's Offer to Buy Company in $44 Billion Deal

Discussion: CBS News, TechCrunch, Fox News, The Drive, globalnews.ca, Big League Politics, Florida Politics, WTOP News, New York Post, Bloomberg, Sportico, Metro.co.uk and CBS San Francisco

CNN:

CNN Exclusive: Mark Meadows' 2,319 text messages reveal Trump's inner circle communications before and after January 6 — Washington (CNN)CNN has obtained 2,319 text messages that former President Donald Trump's White House chief of staff Mark Meadows sent and received between Election …

Josh Dawsey / Washington Post:

‘Exhilarated’ McConnell said Jan. 6 ‘discredited’ Trump, book says — Hours after a mob ransacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 in a bid to block the certification of the 2020 presidential election, then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell described himself as “exhilarated” about the potential damage to then-president Donald Trump.

Discussion: Insider, Talking Points Memo, Daily Kos, Forbes, Mediaite and Raw Story

Brent D. Griffiths / Insider: Trump pushed Lindsey Graham to tell reporters about how good he is at golf: book

Felicia Sonmez / Washington Post:
McCarthy dodges questions about audio, Trump and Jan. 6

Discussion: Associated Press and Insider

Felicia Sonmez / Washington Post:
Greene, in text to Meadows, raised topic of martial law to keep Trump in power

Discussion: CNN, Raw Story, New York Magazine, Talking Points Memo, CBS News, The Hill, Insider, Rolling Stone and Mediaite

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:
GOP handling of Kevin McCarthy's treachery sinks to abysmal lows

Discussion: HuffPost, Media Matters for America, Punchbowl News, PBS NewsHour and Daily Kos

CNN:

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's comments in since-deleted videos contradict testimony on close ties to Capitol rioter — 'I'm not answering that': Marjorie Taylor Greene testifies at hearing challenging her congressional candidacy — (CNN)Since-deleted videos from Georgia …

Discussion: Raw Story and Washington Post

Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
The Jolt: Takeaways from the brawl between Brian Kemp and David Perdue

Discussion: HuffPost, Daily Kos, HotAir, Washington Examiner, BizPac Review, CNN, Washington Post, Fox News and Associated Press

Aaron Rupar / Public Notice: Marjorie Taylor Greene doesn't remember anything and you can't prove she does

New York Times:

Judge Holds Trump in Contempt Over Documents in New York A.G.'s Inquiry — Former President Donald J. Trump was ordered to turn over materials sought by Letitia James, the New York attorney general, and will be fined $10,000 per day until he does so. — Give this article- - - Read in app

Discussion: CBS News, Associated Press, New York Magazine, CNBC, Talking Points Memo, Washington Times, Mediaite, Wall Street Journal, New York Post, POLITICUSUSA, Reuters, Deseret News, Syracuse Post-Standard, Occupy Democrats, Rolling Stone and Washington Examiner

CNN:
Judge holds former President Trump in civil contempt for failing to comply with document subpoenas from New York attorney general

Discussion: The Daily Beast, The Hill, Vanity Fair, Gizmodo, Forbes, KRON4, Al Jazeera, The Root, UPI, Daily Kos and HuffPost

Fox News:

Biden's White House senior adviser called ‘Squad’ members ‘f—ing idiots’: book — White House counselor Steve Ricchetti said the issue with progressives is 'they don't understand that they lost' — Fox News Flash top headlines for April 25 — A new book being published by a pair …

Discussion: Washington Post, Washington Examiner and IJR

Politico:
Judge threatens to stop Biden's Title 42 plan, right as he rushes to defend it

Discussion: The Hill, NBC News, Washington Times, ABC13, The Daily Wire, Common Dreams and Political Wire

Tyler Pager / Washington Post:
Democrats approach a midterm message but struggle to deliver it

Discussion: RedState, Townhall, New York Post, Daily Kos, HotAir, Washington Examiner and Breitbart

Washington Post:

Supreme Court lets Thomas Jefferson High School admissions policy stand — The Supreme Court on Monday left in place an admissions system for a prestigious Northern Virginia science and technology high school that administrators said opened the magnet program to a wider socioeconomic range …

Discussion: CNN, Associated Press, New York Times, Bloomberg and Blue Virginia

Paul Blumenthal / HuffPost:
Supreme Court Conservatives Likely To Open Door To School Prayer

Discussion: Vox, Slate and Zandar Versus The Stupid

Devin Dwyer / ABC News:
Public school coach asks Supreme Court to OK post-game prayers

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Washington Free Beacon, Fox News, The Daily Caller, Politico, Washington Examiner, Human Events and Deseret News

Harvard University:

Spring 2022 — A national poll released today by the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School indicates that while 18-to-29-year-olds are on track to match 2018's record-breaking youth turnout in a midterm election this November and prefer Democratic control 55%-34% …

Discussion: HotAir, The Hill, Common Dreams, Forbes, The Daily Caller, The Daily Wire, Washington Examiner, USA Today, Uniic Media and Insider

Jolie McCullough / The Texas Tribune:

Melissa Lucio's execution halted by Texas Court of Criminal Appeals — Acknowledging substantive questions about Lucio's guilt and the fairness of her conviction, the appeals court blocked her Wednesday execution so the case can be further investigated. — Copy link

Discussion: Innocence Project, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Common Dreams, WKRG-TV and NPR

Rachel Treisman / NPR:

Biden plans to nominate Bridget Brink as the next ambassador to Ukraine. Who is she? — The U.S. hasn't had an official ambassador to Ukraine since 2019, when former President Donald Trump removed Marie Yovanovitch from her role. After several years and Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine …

Discussion: New York Times, Washington Post, Associated Press, National Review, CBS News, Reuters, HuffPost, UPI, Metro.co.uk, The US Sun and Axios

Politico:
Heavy weaponry pours into Ukraine as commanders become more desperate

Discussion: New York Times, ABC News, NPR, 19FortyFive, nationalinterest.org, The Atlantic, Al Jazeera, Associated Press, Fox News, The Guardian and ABC7

Eli Yokley / Morning Consult:

Joe Manchin's Approach to Biden's Presidency Is Paying Off in West Virginia — Over the past year, Manchin has seen the largest job approval rating improvement of any senator — 57% of West Virginia voters approve of Manchin's job performance, up from 40% during the first quarter of 2021.

Discussion: HotAir, USA Today, Insider, Breitbart, The Daily Caller, The Hill, Mediaite, Decision Desk HQ, Washington Times, The Daily Wire and IJR

Heather Digby Parton / Salon:

Nobody cares about Jared: How long can Kushner get away with it? — Just as there are no repercussions for Donald Trump running his business out of the White House — There's a lot going on in the world these days, but I have to say that I'm disappointed that there isn't more attention …

Jeremy Turley / InForum:

North Dakota Sen. Holmberg to resign after text exchanges with jailed child porn suspect — An investigation published by The Forum on April 15 revealed that Holmberg exchanged 72 text messages in August with Nicholas Morgan-Derosier, a Grand Forks County Jail inmate suspected of child porn and sex abuse crimes.

Matt Bai / Washington Post:

Why Elizabeth Warren is stirring up an intra-party feud — Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) occupies a singular place in the Democratic Party: a former Harvard law professor with unshakable self-certainty, she lends the presumption of intellectual rigor to every argument she makes.

Discussion: Words & Deeds

Vulture:

The 101 Best Movie Sequels of All Time — Whether they come after, before, or between their predecessors, these films have their own indelible legacies. — Presented by — You loved the movie and you want more. The studio loves money, and they want more too.