Surprise! Elon Musk may close Twitter deal this week.

By Marita Vlachou

Monday, April 25

ELON MUSK, TWITTER REPORTEDLY IN TALKS TO STRIKE PURCHASE DEAL In a startling new development, Twitter was negotiating to sell the company to Tesla billionaire Elon Musk and could settle on a deal by this week. The two sides reportedly met Sunday — just 10 days after Musk offered $43 billion for the social media platform. Twitter had been chilly about the offer, but then Musk revealed that he had amassed $46.5 billion in financing. [HuffPost]

BLINKEN SAYS RUSSIA IS FAILING IN WAR, UKRAINE 'SUCCEEDING' After a secrecy-shrouded visit to Kyiv, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Russia is failing in its war aims and "Ukraine is succeeding." The trip by Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was the highest-level American visit to the capital since Russia invaded in late February. They told Ukraine's president, Volodomyr Zelenskyy, that the U.S. would provide more than $300 million in foreign military financing and had approved a $165 million sale of ammunition. [AP]

TO EUROPE'S RELIEF, FRANCE'S MACRON WINS BUT FAR-RIGHT GAINS While incumbent French President Emmanuel Macron snatched a victory in Sunday's election, the far-right has gone mainstream in France. Fierce nationalist Marine Le Pen secured 41.5% of the vote, unprecedented for her, telling her supporters: "In this defeat, I can't help but feel a form of hope." Le Pen wanted to start diluting France's relationships with the E.U., NATO and Germany — moves that would have been seismic for the architecture of peace in Europe, in the midst of Putin's war in Ukraine. [AP]

TRUMP'S OLD PAL PIERS MORGAN CALLS HIM 'PATHOLOGICAL' British journalist and one-time Donald Trump chum Piers Morgan revisited his recent tense interview with the former president, calling him "pathological." Morgan stood by his claim that Trump walked off the set angry and "fired up" after Morgan confronted him over his lies that the presidential election was rigged against him. The interview airs tonight. [HuffPost]

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EMERGENCY DECLARATION FOR MULTIPLE WILDFIRES IN NEW MEXICO New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has signed emergency declarations as 20 wildfires continued to burn in nearly half of the state's drought-stricken 33 counties. Meanwhile in Arizona, some residents forced to evacuate due to a wildfire near Flagstaff were allowed to return home. In Nebraska, authorities said wind-driven wildfires sweeping through parts of the state killed a retired Cambridge fire chief and injured at least 11 firefighters. [AP]

GOV. DESANTIS TESTS LIMITS OF HIS COMBATIVE STYLE IN DISNEY FEUD Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis′ decision to punish Walt Disney World for criticizing the state's "Don't Say Gay" bill, is testing the limits of his combative leadership style, while sending an unmistakable message to his rivals that virtually nothing is off limits as he plots his political future. DeSantis, who is up for reelection in November, has also leaned into simmering tensions with Trump. [AP]

10 FOUND DEAD AFTER JAPAN BOAT CARRYING 26 PEOPLE SINKS

Rescuers said 10 people retrieved from the frigid sea and the rocky coast of a northern Japanese national park had died, a day after a tour boat with 26 aboard apparently sank in rough waters. The search for the others is still ongoing after the boat sent a distress call on Saturday afternoon saying it was sinking. [AP]

FINLAND IS ON THE BRINK OF A NUCLEAR POWER 'GAME CHANGER' A Finnish project called Onkalo will turn the page to a new chapter of nuclear energy's turbulent 80-year story, as the world's first nuclear power plant that solves the problem of the toxic waste that has for years rendered humanity's most reliable and efficient energy source politically radioactive across much of the globe. [HuffPost]

ROGER STONE CLAIMS GOD GAVE TRUMP COURAGE TO PARDON HIM Trump confidant Roger Stone said he believes God convinced the former president to pardon him for his multiple federal felonies. God also speaks directly to Stone, he insisted, and Stone claimed the almighty very specifically wants Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) out of office. [HuffPost]