ELON MUSK'S TWITTER SAGA

What exactly does Elon get out of this?:

© Giphy

Elon Musk is the richest man in the world — worth an estimated $260 billion — “and there are no signs of immediate threats to that wealth.” https://bit.ly/37SMBpX 

“In that context, Musk’s bid for 100 percent of Twitter in an all cash deal worth roughly $43 billion may seem like it has little to offer him.”  

So, why’s he doing it? Musk said at a TED conference on Thursday: “My strong intuitive sense is that having a public platform that is maximally trusted and broadly inclusive is extremely important to the future of civilization. I don’t care about the economics at all.” 

Yes, but keep in mind: “It is unclear what threat, if any, he sees Twitter in its current form posing to free speech. Twitter is a private company and has no legal obligation to let every person tweet whatever they want.”  

More on what Musk has been saying recently about Twitter and free speech, via The Hill’s Chris Mills Rodrigo: https://bit.ly/37SMBpX

OP-ED — ‘ELON MUSK KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT HE’S DOING’:

From The New York Times’s Kara Swisher: https://nyti.ms/3ElAH4b

‘CAN ELON MUSK BE STOPPED FROM TAKING OVER TWITTER?’:

Via CNN’s Clare Duffy: https://cnn.it/36hFKGr

Happy Friday of the holiday weekend! I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send comments, story ideas and events for our radar to cmartel@thehill.com — and follow along on Twitter @CateMartel and Facebook.

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If Elon Musk buys Twitter, it could be a big deal for the future of social media:

© AP/Susan Walsh

Via The Hill’s Rebecca Klar, “If Twitter accepts Musk’s offer, his plan to ‘unlock’ Twitter’s ‘extraordinary potential,’ may lead to a form of Twitter with fewer content moderation policies — in a way that impacts the internet beyond Twitter itself.” https://bit.ly/3jMdaQk 

How so — Twitter has been a leader with social media guidelines: “Twitter has often led social media rivals with its stricter content moderation practices. The company was among the first to boot former President Trump from its platform, and went a step further than Facebook by issuing a permanent ban on Trump.”  

Would Musk allow Trump back on Twitter?: “It’s not clear if Musk would retroactively change any of Twitter’s decisions, such as the one to ban Trump or other politicians, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), but he said he would be ‘very cautious’ on permanent bans and thinks ‘timeouts’ are a better option.” 

What we know about Musk’s plans: https://bit.ly/3jMdaQk

THE MIDTERMS

‘Hey, Donald Trump, come campaign for us!’:

© AP/Chris Seward

Via The Hill’s Niall Stanage, “Democrats know just how bad an environment they face heading into November’s midterm elections but hold out hope from an unlikely quarter: former President Trump.” https://bit.ly/3KKXjgN 

Reason No. 1 — the candidates Trump has endorsed: “Democrats believe Trump’s backing of flawed candidates in Republican primaries could saddle the GOP with losers in the general election.” 

Reason No. 2 — he’s controversial: “They also hope Trump will retain his status as a powerful motivator of Democratic voters even when he isn’t on the ballot.” 

Reason No. 3 — remember Jan. 6? That little old thing?: “Then there is the long shadow of the Jan. 6 insurrection. The House select committee investigating the riot is expected to release a report into its findings in the months to come — just as the campaign for the midterms starts heating up.”  

How this could play out — and whether any of those three factors matter: https://bit.ly/3KKXjgN

IN CONGRESS

Sliding into the Senate’s DMs:

Via The Hill’s Aris Folley, “Democratic senators leading a push to legalize marijuana say they are now on track to introduce legislation before recess in August, after initially announcing plans to file a comprehensive reform bill later this month.” https://bit.ly/3Ek0dqo 

When the private texts don’t match the public vote:

© AP images

Via CNN’s Ryan Nobles, Annie Grayer, Zachary Cohen and Jamie Gangel, “In the weeks between the 2020 election and the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, almost 100 text messages from two staunch GOP allies of then-President Donald Trump reveal an aggressive attempt to lobby, encourage and eventually warn the White House over its efforts to overturn the election, according to messages obtained by the House select committee and reviewed by CNN.” https://cnn.it/37S8S7m 

The two Republicans: Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) 

The gist of the texts: “The text exchanges show that both members of Congress initially supported legal challenges to the election but ultimately came to sour on the effort and the tactics deployed by Trump and his team.”  

The timeline and why this matters: https://cnn.it/37S8S7m

IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

I know we don’t talk about Bruno, but let’s find him!: 

^ Sorry to mention Bruno to parents with young kids.  

One of the two dogs stolen at gunpoint in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday has been reunited with its family. 

Which dog: Pablo, the Australian shepherd puppy. Photos of Pablo’s return: https://bit.ly/3uJO8aU 

Who is still missing?: Bruno, the French bulldog  

The full story from NBC Washington: https://bit.ly/3KON8In

LATEST WITH COVID-19

CASE NUMBERS

Coronavirus cases in the U.S.: 80,574,209

U.S. death toll: 988,121

Breakdown of the numbers: https://cnn.it/2UAgW3y

VACCINATION NUMBERS

Total number of vaccinations administered in the U.S.: 568 million shots have been given. 

Seven-day average of doses administered: An average of 105,729 doses 

For context: The U.S. population is roughly 331 million. 

Breakdown of the numbers: https://bloom.bg/3iVTPLH

NOTABLE TWEETS

Lol, omg: 

@figgityfigs tweeted, “My wife came to me and said ‘nothing can prepare you for our son’s Easter drawing.’ Reader, she was correct.” This tweet has more than 104,000 likes — photo of the drawing: https://bit.ly/3uKn6QL 

@figgityfigs added: “Also just noticed that the Jesus bunny has a smile scribbled over an earlier frown, which feels theologically relevant.” https://bit.ly/37ROnro 

⏱ ON TAP:

The House and Senate are out. President Biden is at Camp David and Vice President Harris is in Washington, D.C. 

President Biden has no public events scheduled. 

10:40 a.m. EDT: Vice President Harris held a bilateral meeting with Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

📺 WHAT TO WATCH:

Sunday: Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer will appear on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” 

IN LIGHTER NEWS:

© Joe Keller/America's Test Kitchen via AP

Today is National Glazed Ham Day. 

Getting traction — ‘This $800K House in Fairfax Will Go Quickly. It Comes With a Person in the Basement.’: 

Via Washingtonian’s Andrew Beaujon: https://bit.ly/36k7Dh4 

“Despite an ‘Ozark’-like scenario, there's already one offer, says the listing agent.” 

And to get you in the holiday mood, here’s what happened when the Easter bunny visited one house: https://bit.ly/3Ehi9lz