WASHINGTON — Republican lawmakers welcomed news that billionaire Elon Musk, who calls himself a free speech absolutist, was purchasing Twitter, Inc., but Democrats slammed it as a sign that more needed to be done to rein in Big Tech.

Mr. Musk, owner of Tesla and SpaceX, clinched the $44-billion cash deal on Monday.

Conservatives have accused the social media platform of bias against right-leaning views. They cheered the prospect of fewer controls under Mr. Musk, who has criticized Twitter’s moderation.

“Free speech is making a comeback,” tweeted US Representative Jim Jordan, a member of the Freedom Caucus of conservative House Republicans.

Mr. Jordan and other Republicans have been critical of Twitter for banning former President Donald Trump and other notable conservatives.

Mr. Trump’s account, which had more than 88 million followers, was his primary communication tool during his presidency. He repeatedly used Twitter to claim his defeat in the Nov. 2020 election was due to widespread voter fraud, and he urged supporters to come to Washington on Jan. 6, 2021 and march on the US Capitol to protest the election result.

Days after the storming of the Capitol, Twitter said it was permanently suspending Mr. Trump’s account due to the risk of further incitement of violence.

Political activists expect Mr. Trump could get his account restored after Mr. Musk’s takeover of Twitter. But Mr. Trump, who has hinted he wants to run for president again in 2024, said on Monday that he will not return to Twitter even if his account is reinstated and would stay on his own social media startup, Truth Social.

Truth Social, which launched in February, joins other newer companies that bill themselves as champions of free speech and hope to draw users who feel their views are suppressed on more established platforms. But so far none have come close to matching the popularity of their mainstream counterparts. 

Senator Marsha Blackburn, another Republican, said on Monday: “I am hopeful that Elon Musk will help rein in Big Tech’s history of censoring users that have a different viewpoint.”

Mr. Musk has said Twitter’s algorithm for prioritizing tweets should be public and has described user-friendly tweaks to the service, such as an edit button and defeating “spam bots” that send overwhelming amounts of unwanted tweets.

“Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy,” he said in a statement on Monday. He also tweeted: “I hope that even my worst critics remain on Twitter, because that is what free speech means.”

Amid concerns from human rights activists that the deal could lead to unfettered hate speech, Democratic lawmakers called for more accountability.

Senator Elizabeth Warren, a progressive and a critic of the tech platforms, called the deal “dangerous for our democracy.”

“Billionaires like Elon Musk play by a different set of rules than everyone else, accumulating power for their own gain. We need a wealth tax and strong rules to hold Big Tech accountable,” she said on Twitter.

White House spokesperson Jen Psaki declined direct comment on Mr. Musk’s deal but added: “The president has long talked about his concerns about the power of social media platforms, including Twitter and others, to spread misinformation.”

Representative Ro Khanna said the deal was a reason to pass a bill to protect the data of people who go online.

“We need safeguards in place that give users more control over their data and ensure fairness and transparency,” Mr. Khanna said in a statement. — Reuters

BEIJING/SHANGHAI — Three-quarters of Beijing’s 22 million people began lining up for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) tests on Tuesday as authorities in the Chinese capital raced to stamp out an outbreak and avert the kind of city-wide lockdown that has shrouded Shanghai for a month.

Beijing residents also began stocking up on food and supplies on worries of any sudden localized lockdowns, as frustration with tough curbs continues to mount in Shanghai, the Chinese financial and commercial hub that is home to 25 million people.

Videos on social media show people leaning out of Shanghai windows to beat pots and pans in anger, or play “Do you hear the people sing?”, a protest anthem from the musical Les Miserables, on flutes and trumpets.

Trying to avoid a similar fate by acting early, Beijing began mass tests of 3.5 million people in its most populous district Chaoyang on Monday. By the end of the day, authorities listed 10 other districts and one economic development zone for mandatory tests this week, covering a total of 20 million people and ordering 16 million for tests on Tuesday.

The orders come days after dozens of infections were found. Shanghai waited for about a month and more than 1,000 cases before launching city-wide testing in early April.

Liu Wentao, a Beijing cook, said he was concerned at how fast COVID was spreading, but was confident the capital could handle it.

“The virus controls are stronger than in other places, I don’t think it will be like Shanghai,” he said on his way to get tested.

Beijing recorded 33 new COVID cases for April 25, up from 19 the day before with no deaths reported so far in the outbreak. The total case load is miniscule compared with hundreds of thousands in Shanghai.

Shanghai reported 52 new COVID deaths on Tuesday, up from 51 the day before. That takes the official death toll to 190, all reported from April 17 onwards, although many residents have said relatives or friends died after catching COVID as early as March, casting doubt over the statistics.

In the capital, schools, stores and offices remained open, but the iconic Lama temple said it would be closed to tourists from Wednesday, while Beijing’s National Theater would close for the rest of the month.

Officials have urged residents to refrain from leaving the capital and avoid gatherings for the upcoming April 30-May 4 Labor Day holidays.

BAD WEATHER
In Shanghai, strict enforcement of measures continued, but plans for a city-wide PCR testing exercise were somewhat derailed by the weather forecast, with hail expected later.

While authorities say they have relaxed some curbs, most in Shanghai are still either confined to their homes or cannot leave their residential compounds. Even those who can go out have few places to go, with shops and most other venues closed.

In areas where leaving home is allowed, residents were asked to take rapid antigen tests on their own, rather than line up for PCR testing in the rain. In the rest of Shanghai, daily PCR tests remained mandatory.

Online videos showed leaking roofs at quarantine centers. Officials on Tuesday said they would conduct maintenance works.

The prolonged lockdown has fueled frustration over lost wages, family separation and quarantine conditions, as well as access to medical care and food, with residents struggling to dispose of trash and make basic errands.

The Shanghai government did not immediately comment on signs of growing discontent.

Asymptomatic and symptomatic new cases dropped slightly to 15,319 and 1,661, respectively, while cases outside quarantined areas were flat at 217. Other Chinese cities that have been under lockdown began easing restrictions once such cases hit zero.

The fallout from any lockdown in Beijing is expected to be much smaller than that on economic powerhouse Shanghai, however.

“If there is a lockdown in Beijing, I think it has less impact on businesses because most of these positions can be done from home,” Beijing-based Joerg Wuttke, president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce, told Reuters. “There is less trucking involved, there is less packaging involved, there is less production going on.” — Reuters