Musk tweets - then deletes - conspiracy theory about Paul Pelosi attack

Welcome to The Independent's US Morning Headlines newsletter

View online October 31, 2022 1/ Elon Musk laughs off being forced to delete lurid Paul Pelosi conspiracy tweet Elon Musk has attempted to laugh off criticism for sharing an unsubstantiated conspiracy theory on Twitter about the attack on Nancy Pelosi's husband Paul last week.   Mr Musk, who confirmed on Thursday night that he would buy the social network for $44bn, shared a link on Sunday to a news article claiming without evidence that Mr Pelosi had met his attacker in a San Francisco gay bar that night.   After deleting his tweet on Sunday night, Mr Musk posted a screenshot of a New York Times headline reporting that he had shared content from a website "known to publish false news", with a joking rebuttal: "This is fake – I did not tweet out a link to The New York Times!"   Mr Musk did not give any reason for deleting the tweet. 2/ South Korean actor among 154 crushed as probes begin A period of national mourning begins today as the country grieves 3/ Warnock hits Walker over insulin comments: 'You actually have to know stuff to do this job' 'When I pointed out the ways in which there are bad corporate actors who are gouging [insulin], do you know what my opponent said?' 4/ Brooklyn Nets owner responds to Kyrie Irving promoting antisemitic film 'I'm disappointed that Kyrie appears to support a film based on a book full of anti-Semitic disinformation' 5/ US president Biden, world leaders congratulates Lula as he beats Bolsonaro to become president The final result of the election is expected in the next few hours The Big Question What do we know about the vicious attack on Speaker Pelosi's husband? A man broke into House speaker Nancy Pelosi's home in San Francisco in the early hours of Friday morning and severely beat her 82-year-old husband, Paul Pelosi, with a hammer while the Democratic lawmaker was away in Washington, DC.   Mr Pelosi had surgery to repair a skull fracture and serious injuries to his right arm and hands and his doctors expect a full recovery, the speaker's office said.   David DePape, 42, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, elder abuse and burglary, police said. So what else do we know about this shocking attack and its possible motivations? Read the full story > Watch/ K-9 officer's final radio sign-off as he retires after eight years of service NUMBER OF THE DAY 154   – The number of people who died in the horrific Halloween crush in Seoul's Itaewon district on Saturday. Two American tourists are reportedly among the dead. QUOTE OF THE DAY "I don't know Elon Musk and, tbh, I could care less who owns Twitter. But I will say that if this is true, I hope he and his people take this very seriously because this is scary AF. So many damn unfit people saying hate speech is free speech." – NBA superstar LeBron James calls on the social network's new owner to address the recent spike in use of the n-word on the platform. Other stories you might like Flu season has hit 13-year record in US, CDC reports Twitter users may soon have to pay monthly fee to keep their verified tags, report says 'I'm being humbled': Kanye West compares himself to George Floyd as he brands family 'greedy' over lawsuit Articles available exclusively to subscribers Hamish McRae, The Independent - From Musk to Meta, social media is now a bad investment Other newsletters you might like Climate News Fridays, 12pm (UK time) Written by Louise Boyle Sign up The Race Report Fortnightly, 6pm (UK time) Written by Nadine White Sign up If you can spare a minute we'd love your feedback on our newsletters. Join the conversation or follow us Please do not reply directly to this email You are currently registered to receive The Independent's US Morning Headlines newsletter. Add us to your safe list of senders.   If you do not want to receive The Independent's US Morning Headlines newsletter, please unsubscribe.   If you no longer wish to receive any newsletters or promotional emails from The Independent, you can unsubscribe here.   This e-mail was sent by Independent Digital News and Media Ltd, 14-18 Finsbury Square, London EC2A 1AH. Registered in England and Wales with company number 07320345. Read our privacy notice and cookie policy.