Tesla CEO Elon Musk defied county officials in California on Monday by announcing that the automaker would be restarting production against Alameda County rules. Musk has been vocal on Twitter in recent weeks, objecting to state lockdown orders implemented to combat the spread of the coronavirus. In a tweet, he stated that he would be at the factory "on the line with everyone else" and requested that if anyone were to be arrested, it should only be him. Musk has argued that the restrictions imposed by Alameda County are excessive and unconstitutional and has even threatened to move Tesla's headquarters and manufacturing out of California.

County officials responded by stating that they are in negotiations with Tesla on a plan to reopen the plant more fully, which includes improving employee health screening procedures and addressing staff concerns about safety protocols. Musk has garnered support from some members of the Trump administration, such as Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who believes that California should prioritize reopening the local economy for the sake of major employers like Tesla.

However, Governor Gavin Newsom deferred to county officials, emphasizing that the reopening process is being led by individual counties. In a surprising turn of events, Newsom expressed his support for Tesla and Musk, stating that he expects the county to allow the automaker to reopen by as early as next week. Musk expressed gratitude to Newsom on Twitter for his support. Tesla has yet to provide a comment on the situation. In unrelated news, Twitter has requested a court to terminate a consent order it struck with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) last year regarding data breaches.

The company plans to subpoena Senator Elizabeth Warren in connection with the fight, requesting communications between her office and both the FTC and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Twitter alleges bias and overreach on the part of the FTC. Warren had previously urged the agency to investigate Twitter's privacy policies and consider enforcement actions against executives after the company's layoffs.

Warren's office and the SEC have not responded to requests for comment. The FTC declined to comment. Twitter, in its usual irreverent style, responded to a request for comment with a poop emoji. This move comes after Twitter underwent significant cost-cutting measures, including laying off thousands of employees, following Elon Musk's takeover of the platform.