memeorandum: Nobody cares about Jared: How long can Kushner get away with it? (Heather Digby Parton/Salon)

6:30 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: Wall Street Journal, CNN, HotAir, Washington Post, Insider, Poynter, Reuters, Mercury News, Breitbart, Mediaite, The US Sun, Slashdot, Bloomberg and Human Events

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 …

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, IJR, Mediaite and Hollywood Reporter

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.”

Brian Schwartz / CNBC:

Biden officials worry Musk will allow Trump to return to Twitter — Officials within President Joe Biden's administration are closely watching Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter, according to more than half a dozen advisors to Biden, including two administration officials.

Discussion: The Hill, Bloomberg, The Federalist, The Daily Caller, The US Sun, Voice of America and Political Wire

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

Discussion: The Daily Beast, HotAir, Bloomberg, The Verge, The Dossier, New York Post, Techdirt, Talking Points Memo and Wall Street Journal, more at Techmeme »

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 …

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dareh Gregorian / NBC News:
N.Y. judge holds Trump in contempt for failing to produce documents in attorney general probe

Discussion: Washington Post, Fox News, The Daily Wire and Wall Street Journal

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, Forbes, Mediaite and Raw Story

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

Discussion: Associated Press, HuffPost, Media Matters for America, Daily Kos, The Hill and CNN

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

Discussion: Washington Examiner and Raw Story

Lynn Sweet / Chicago Sun-Times:
Sen. Duckworth's pushback after Biden rejected her for VP covered in new book

Discussion: Insider

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

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

Discussion: RedState, Townhall, Breitbart, New York Post, Daily Kos, HotAir, Washington Examiner, Political Wire, Twitchy and Fox News

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

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 …

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

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, Associated Press, USA Today, Common Dreams, WKRG-TV and NPR

Michael Hunt / Los Angeles Times:

As Finland considers NATO membership, citizens mobilize for an invasion by Russia — When the Finnish Reservists' Assn. recently announced wartime defense courses for civilian women in the southern town of Haemeenlinna, the 400 slots filled almost immediately, with a waiting list of 500 more.

Discussion: nationalinterest.org and Just An Earth-Bound Misfit, I

Anders Fogh Rasmussen / New York Times:
Putin Is Pushing Finland and Sweden Into NATO's Arms

Discussion: Associated Press, Raw Story, Outright Barbarous, The New Arab and Yahoo News

Terry Jones / Issues & Insights:

Who Do Dems Want In 2024? Right Now, Anybody But Biden: I&I/TIPP Poll — Yes, it's very early. But if given the choice right now, which Democrats do Americans want to see run for president in 2024? The perhaps not-so-surprising answer emerging from the latest I&I/TIPP Poll seems to be: “Anyone but Joe Biden.”

Discussion: The Western Journal and Washington Examiner

Mark Penn / New York Times:
American Voters Haven't Been Afraid Like This in a Long Time

Discussion: Politico, NPR, HotAir, National Review, Brandless Existence, Vox, UPI and The Hill

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.

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, Townhall and BizPac Review

Bradford Betz / Fox News:

DNC Chair Jaime Harrison calls Florida Gov. DeSantis ‘the little devil’ — DeSantis signed a bill, stripping Disneyworld of a decades-old special agreement — ‘The View’ rails against Ron DeSantis' actions on Disney: ‘A message of hate’ — Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison …

Discussion: Politico

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:

Political Correctness Is Losing — It's been seven or eight years since a wave of illiberal norms around the discussion of race and gender began to hit an expanding array of progressive institutions. The name for this phenomenon kept changing, from political correctness to call-out culture …

Discussion: Althouse

Department of Homeland Security:

Uniting for Ukraine — On April 21, 2022, President Biden announced Uniting for Ukraine, a new streamlined process to provide Ukrainian citizens who have fled Russia's unprovoked war of aggression opportunities to come to the United States. This represents a key step toward fulfilling …

Discussion: CBS News and U.S. Embassy & Consulates …

Kansas City Star:

Judge strikes down Kansas map, finding lawmakers intended to dilute minority voter power — A Kansas judge on Monday tossed the state's Republican-drawn congressional map, finding the Legislature intentionally diluted minority votes in a partisan and political gerrymander that violated the state constitution.

Discussion: Associated Press, New York Times and Washington Examiner

Katie Benner / New York Times:

After a Rocky First Year, a Cautious Garland Finds His Footing — For all of the attention on the Justice Department's investigation into the Jan. 6 attack, Mr. Garland has focused on the everyday work of being the attorney general. — During a recent swing through the South …

Discussion: The Daily Caller