memeorandum: FTX/ Defi: If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck . . . (Jamie Powell/Financial Times)

10:15 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

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

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

Lauren Feiner / CNBC:

Twitter accepts Elon Musk's buyout deal — KEY POINTS — Twitter's board accepted billionaire Elon Musk's offer to buy the social media company and take it private, the company confirmed. — The announcement ends a weeks-long saga Musk kicked off when he offered to buy the company at $54.20 per share, his “best and final.”

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, IJR and Hollywood Reporter

Tim Miller / The Bulwark:

Musk Twitter Could Be a Disaster For MAGA Grifters and Republican Ostriches — With the news that the sale is final, it's time to embrace the schadenfreude. — Liberals on Twitter are not happy about their new overlord. — They are Godwinly concerned that Musk Twitter might signal the end of the American Weimar.

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog, Mediaite and TheBlaze

Evelyn Douek / The Atlantic:

Running Twitter Is Going to Disappoint Elon Musk — A fun thing about content moderation—the practice of social-media platforms deciding what we can and cannot say in some of the world's most important online spaces—is that almost everyone thinks that it's broken, albeit in different ways.

Discussion: Washington Examiner, RedState, Noahpinion and Los Angeles Times

Bloomberg:
Twitter on Track to Reach Deal With Musk as Soon as Monday

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Press Watch, Breitbart, TechCrunch, Los Angeles Times, RedState, The Western Journal, Washington Post, CNBC, UPI, Forbes, Reason, The US Sun, Politics with Ben Mackillop, The Independent and We Love Trump

Greg Roumeliotis / Reuters:
Twitter set to accept Musk's original $43 bln offer

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

Discussion: CNN, HuffPost, Los Angeles Times, Becker News, Fox News, New York Magazine, Slashdot and The Daily Wire

Kate Conger / New York Times:
Twitter Employees Search for Answers as Musk Takeover Becomes Reality

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

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

Discussion: The Verge, The Hill, Bloomberg, The US Sun, Deadline, Voice of America and Political Wire

Media Matters for America:
Elon Musk's own Twitter use is the biggest sign he's unfit to steer the ship

Discussion: Politico, Steve Bannon's War Room and Margins

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

Discussion: Washington Examiner, RedState, The Hill, The Anarchist Peace, C's Newsletter, Red Hot Political and Mindscapes, more at Techmeme »

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: Media Matters for America, CBS News, The Drive, globalnews.ca, TechCrunch, Fox News, New York Post, WTOP News, Metro.co.uk, Big League Politics, Florida Politics, Sportico, Bloomberg and Fortune

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 …

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 Examiner, Washington Post and IJR

Fox News:
Pelosi said Obama is ‘jealous’ of Biden, new book reveals

Discussion: The Daily Caller

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

Discussion: Washington Post, The Hill, Washington Examiner, NBC News, Breitbart, New York Post, Washington Times, Common Dreams, ABC13, The Daily Wire and Political Wire

Geoffrey Dickens / Newsbusters:
Hunter's Business Partner Visited White House 19 Times, Nets REFUSE to Report

Discussion: Washington Examiner, New York Post, The Daily Caller, The Federalist and We Love Trump

Axios:

House Republicans plot to impeach Mayorkas — Enthusiasm for impeaching top Biden officials has spread from the fringes of the House Republican conference to its mainstream — foreshadowing the intense pressure Kevin McCarthy will face from his colleagues if he's Speaker next year.

Emily Brooks / The Hill:
McCarthy warns of impeachment for Biden border official

Discussion: KRQE-TV, Fox News and Political Wire

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

Discussion: Associated Press 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: Washington Post and Raw Story

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

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

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

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

Russell Berman / The Atlantic:
Mitch McConnell's Nightmare Scenario

Discussion: Washington Examiner and Raw Story

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

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

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, Snopes.com, WKRG-TV, USA Today, NPR and Common Dreams

Jolie McCullough / The Texas Tribune: Listen as Melissa Lucio learns her life has been spared

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, New York Times, Bloomberg, SCOTUSblog and Blue Virginia

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.

Discussion: Daily Kos

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

Annie Lowrey / The Atlantic:

$100 Million to Cut the Time Tax — A mother in Louisiana is struggling to pay her bills and decides to apply for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, better known as food stamps. She starts to fill out the state's 26-page, 8,350-word application.

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

Rose L. Thayer / Stars & Stripes:

Body of missing Texas National Guard soldier recovered — AUSTIN, Texas — The body of Spc. Bishop E. Evans was found Monday, three days after the Texas National Guard soldier jumped into the Rio Grande to rescue two migrants trying to cross from Mexico into the Texas city of Eagle Pass, the state's military department reported.

Discussion: NPR and TheBlaze

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