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“Paper or plastic” will no longer be a choice at grocery store checkout lines in California under a new law signed Sunday by Gov. Gavin Newsom that bans all plastic shopping bags. California had already banned thin plastic shopping bags at supermarkets and other stores, but shoppers could purchase bags made with a thicker plastic that purportedly made them reusable and recyclable. The new measure, approved by state legislators last month, bans all plastic shopping bags starting in 2026. Consumers who don’t bring their own bags will now simply be asked if they want a paper bag. State Sen. Catherine Blakespear, one of the bill’s supporters, said people were not reusing or recycling any plastic bags. She pointed to a state study that found that the amount of plastic shopping bags trashed per person grew from 8 pounds (3.6 kilograms) per year in 2004 to 11 pounds (5 kilograms) per year in 2021. Blakespear, a Democrat from Encinitas, said the previous bag ban passed a decade ago didn’t reduce the overall use of plastic. “We are literally choking our planet with plastic waste,” she said in February. The environmental nonprofit Oceana applauded Newsom for signing the bill and “safeguarding California’s coastline, marine life, and communities from single-use plastic grocery bags.” Christy Leavitt, Oceana’s plastics campaign director, said Sunday that the new ban on single-use plastic bags at grocery store checkouts “solidifies California as a leader in tackling the global plastic pollution crisis.” Twelve states, including California, already have some type of statewide plastic bag ban in place, according to the environmental advocacy group Environment America Research & Policy Center. Hundreds of cities across 28 states also have their own plastic bag bans in place. The California Legislature passed its statewide ban on plastic bags in 2014. The law was later affirmed by voters in a 2016 referendum. The California Public Interest Research Group said Sunday that the new law finally meets the intent of the original bag ban. “Plastic bags create pollution in our environment and break into microplastics that contaminate our drinking water and threaten our health,” said the group’s director Jenn Engstrom. “Californians voted to ban plastic grocery bags in our state almost a decade ago, but the law clearly needed a redo. With the Governor’s signature, California has finally banned plastic bags in grocery checkout lanes once and for all.” As San Francisco’s mayor in 2007, Newsom signed the nation’s first plastic bag ban. (AP)

On Sunday, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Mike Johnson introduced a temporary funding bill aimed at preventing a partial government shutdown at the end of the month, notably omitting an immigration-related provision sought by Donald Trump.

In a letter to his colleagues, Johnson detailed this plan just eight days prior to the expiration of the current $1.2 trillion discretionary budget on September 30. According to a source familiar with the situation, the House is expected to vote on this proposal on Wednesday.

If Congress does not act by the deadline, it would lead to the furlough of thousands of federal employees and disrupt numerous government services, all occurring just weeks before the election on November 5.

This new proposal does not include Trump’s call for new requirements mandating proof of citizenship for voter registration, aligning instead with Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s recommendation for a straightforward funding extension until December. The plan extends funding through December 20.

“As history has taught and current polling affirms, shutting the government down less than 40 days from a fateful election would be an act of political malpractice,” Johnson remarked in his correspondence.

Democratic leaders, including Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, expressed hope that a bipartisan agreement could be achieved.

Jeffries responded positively to the Sunday announcement, stating that House Democrats would review the proposal following a prior attempt by Republicans to push through a partisan policy.

“Congress is now on a bipartisan path to avoid a government shutdown that would hurt everyday Americans,” Jeffries noted.

The House, currently controlled by Republicans with a slim margin of 220-211, previously dismissed Johnson’s earlier suggestion for a six-month funding extension that included the voter-registration clause, which Democrats and advocates for democracy consider unnecessary since it is already illegal for non-citizens to participate in federal elections.

A more pressing deadline looms on January 1, when Congress must raise the national debt ceiling to prevent a default on over $35 trillion in federal debt.

The proposed bill allocates $231 million in additional funding for the U.S. Secret Service in light of a recent assassination attempt on Trump in July, which left him with a grazed ear, and another incident this month where a gunman was found waiting near a Florida golf course where Trump was playing.

These additional resources are intended “for operations necessary to carry out protective operations including the 2024 presidential campaign,” the bill states.

{Matzav.com}

The Social Democrats of Chancellor Olaf Scholz won an election in the eastern German state of Brandenburg on Sunday, gaining a narrow edge over a growing far-right party, according to the vote count. The vote took place three weeks after the far right made gains in two other states in eastern Germany. According to final results published Sunday evening by the state electoral administration, the Social Democrats won 30.9% of the votes in the election to the parliament of Brandenburg, the state that surrounds Berlin. The far-right Alternative for Germany was a close second with 29.2%. A new leftist movement, the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance, or BSW, came in third with 13.5% while the center-right Christian Democrats took 12.1% The first-place showing for the Social Democrats brought a reprieve to the beleaguered Scholz, whose three-party governing coalition has fared poorly in elections so far this year. The Social Democrats have governed Brandenburg continuously since German reunification in 1990, and a loss there would have been a major setback for Scholz, who has his constituency in the state capital, Potsdam. Scholz has said he would like to be the party’s candidate for chancellor in next fall’s federal election, and Sunday’s vote was also being watched for what it might signal about his political future. “It’s great that we won,” Scholz said from New York, where he was attending a meeting at the United Nations, according to the German dpa news agency. But the success of the Social Democrats in Brandenburg — after defeats elsewhere — was largely credited not to Scholz, but to the efforts of the popular state governor, Dietmar Woidke. He distanced himself from Scholz during the campaign and took the gamble of promising to resign in case of a win by the far right. He was able to celebrate his political survival on Sunday night. “It is an important victory for me, it’s an important victory for my party, and it’s an important victory for the state of Brandenburg,” Woidke said after polls closed. But he also said he felt the strong showing of the far-right party means there is work to do. “They (the AFD) have achieved about 30 percent, a lot of voters have voted for the AFD, and that’s too much. So we have to think about these results and we have to make our policies better,” Woidtke told The Associated Press. The far-right party has gained support amid a growing backlash against large-scale migration to Germany over the past decade and recent extremist attacks. Germany’s economy, once a powerhouse, has been weakening, adding to a general feeling of malaise. Sunday’s vote followed a heated election campaign centered on the issues of migration, internal security and peace. Both the far right and the new leftist movement want to end weapons deliveries to Kyiv as Ukraine tries to defend itself against Russia’s full-scale invasion. The Alternative for Germany won the most votes in the state of Thuringia and also did well in Saxony in elections held on Sept. 1. The new party on the left, the BSW, also made a strong impact, while the parties in Scholz’s unpopular national government obtained extremely weak results — as they did again on Sunday in Brandenburg. The vote in Thuringia marked the first electoral victory for a far-right party in […]

By Rabbi Yair Hoffman WHAT WE SHOULD BE DAVENING FOR In a Sefer called “Yehge Chochma” we find a list of 7 things that Rav Yitzchok Feigelstock zt”l said that we should be davening for during the period of Elul and Yomim Noraim: We should be davening for our brethren living in Eretz Yisroel amidst all the dangers of terrorism. We should be davening for our brethren that are estranged from Torah. Through no fault of their own, they have never tasted the glorious taste of Torah and Mitzvos. We should be davening for all those who are suffering from illness in our times – young and old. We have to daven for the welfare of the yeshivah movement – the Yeshivos and other institutions of Torah. They are the foundation stone for the success of the nation. We should daven for the well-being of the Gedolei Yisroel – that they should continue to have strength to lead. We should also daven for the creation of future and worthy Gedolei Yisroel. If we have a friend that we know needs something – whether it is of a physical or spiritual nature – we should be davening for that for him. And when we do make these requests – we must do so without demands, with no expectations – like a poor person at a doorstep requesting alms. THE SHLIACH TZIBBUR The Shliach Tzibbur that is chosen both for Selichos as well as the Yomim Noraim should have the following six qualities.  The qualities are in the following order of preference: A] Talmid Chochom B] yarei Shomayim C] thirty years old or more D] Married with children E] Sweet Voice F] Merutzah laKahal — desired by and acceptable to the congregation. The Baal Tefillah for Slichos should also, ideally, be the Shliach Tzibbur for Shacharis and Mincha.  This is to fulfill the principle found in the Jerusalem Talmud (Psachim 10:5) of “HaMaschil B’Mitzvah omrim lo g’mor.” EREV ROSH HASHANA We recite more Slichos on this day than on other days because this day is even more favorable for Hashem forgiving our sins.  Many people fast on Erev Rosh HaShana.  Some fast only until Mincha.  This fast does not need to be declared on the Mincha before it like other fasts. After Shacharis, it is important to recite the Hataras Nedarim on Erev Rosh HaShana so that we enter the new year without having the sins of unfulfilled vows.  This is done before three knowledgeable men.  Husbands should have their wife and daughters in mind when saying it and should say this aloud. We do not sound the Shofar on this day for two reasons:  1] To differentiate between the voluntary Shofar blastings of Elul and the mandatory ones for Rosh haShana. 2] We wish to confuse the Satan by not letting him know when Rosh HaShana occurs and thus will be unable to present his charges against us.  It is therefore very important that he not get hold of this pamphlet. Other things that we do in order to confuse the Satan is not to bentch Rosh Chodesh Tishrei, not to say the words “uvroshei Chodhsaichem takrivu” in the Mussaf of Rosh HaShana, and we do not end the cycle of the reading of the Torah on Rosh haShana either. Many have the custom to visit Tzaddikim at the cemetery on Erev Rosh […]

Starting this month, Americans will be able to order free COVID-19 test kits that will be mailed to their homes. U.S. households will be able to order as many as four nasal swab tests at COVIDTests.gov when the federal program reopens. The U.S. Health and Human Services agency overseeing the program has not yet given an exact date when ordering can begin. An agency spokesperson has said the tests will detect current virus strains and can be ordered ahead of the holiday season, when families and friends gather for celebrations. U.S. regulators last month approved an updated COVID-19 vaccine that is designed to combat the recent virus strains and, hopefully, forthcoming winter ones, as well. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention already has recommended this fall’s shot for everyone age 6 months and older. While most Americans have some degree of immunity from prior infections or vaccinations or both, that protection wanes. Last fall’s shots targeted a different part of the coronavirus family tree, a strain that’s no longer circulating. (AP)

WATCH:

A two-story building collapsed in the southern Italian province of Naples early Sunday, killing two young siblings and their mother, while burying the children’s grandmother under the rubble, firefighters and local authorities said. The firefighters said on their official Telegram channel that a gas explosion likely caused the collapse. Rescuers in the town of Saviano recovered first the bodies of a 6-year-old boy and a 4-year-old girl, and a few hours later recovered the body of another victim, identified as their mother, local authorities said. Searches are still underway to find the older woman, identified as the grandmother of the children, who was believed to be trapped under the rubble. Earlier on Sunday, the siblings’ 2-year-old brother had been found alive with the father, who was hospitalized in Naples in serious condition. Firefighters’ spokesman Luca Cari said earlier that rescuers had to be “very careful and move slowly, to avoid new collapses” as they searched for the two women. Mayor Vincenzo Simonelli was at the scene and told reporters that the building appeared “crumpled up on itself,” adding it was “a very serious situation.” Media reports said a gas leak could have caused the explosion that rocked the second floor of the building, which crumbled down, covering the lower floor with rubble. (AP)

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An Arab-Israeli contractor who was working at the IDF’s Lachish Air Force training base tried to attack an IDF soldier on Monday morning. The terrorist was shot and neutralized by a noncommissioned officer before he managed to harm the soldier, b’chasdei Hashem. The IDF stated that “a contractor worker at the Lachish base attempted to carry out a stabbing attack. The suspect was neutralized by a noncommissioned officer at the base, and there are no injuries. The details are being investigated.” The Lachish base is located near Kibbutz Beit Guvrin in southern Israel. The Arab terrorist is a resident of the Israeli-Arab town of Reineh in the Lower Galil. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

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The IDF shows previously unreleased footage of Hezbollah operatives preparing to launch a cruise missile from within a civilian home in a southern Lebanon village. The building was targeted in an airstrike.

The IDF early Sunday morning launched a series of powerful airstrikes deep in Lebanon and southern Lebanon. Videos of the stikes from local residents that spread on social media showed huge explosions, making it apparent that the IDF was striking weapon depots among other targets. Shortly later, IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari spoke to the public and warned that the IDF is attacking Lebanon to remove the threat to Israeli citizens. He explained that the IDF launched the attacks after identifying Hezbollah’s preparations to attack Israel. “Hezbollah has turned southern Lebanon into a stronghold of terror,” he said. “A village in southern Lebanon is nothing other than a terror base, with rocket launchers located inside people’s homes – risking the lives of the villagers.” On the video, Hagari showed footage of Hezbollah terrorists about to launch a  powerful cruise missile from the home of an “innocent” Lebanese civilian in southern Lebanon. The IDF destroyed the house. For the first time since the war began, Hagari warned Lebanese civilians in southern Lebanon,  especially those who have launchers located in their homes, to immediately evacuate the area. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

The explosions of Hezbollah’s beepers and other devices last week, which injured around 3,000-4,000 operatives, were not the result of the group’s discovery of sabotage. Rather, the timing was deliberate, The Jerusalem Post is reporting.

Following the series of blasts that rocked Lebanon last Tuesday and Wednesday, some reports emerged suggesting that those responsible for the explosions – widely believed to be Israel, according to multiple foreign media outlets – had initially hoped for a later, more coordinated strike. The Post corroborated this narrative through Western sources.

According to this account, Israeli intelligence urgently informed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu early last week – with the entire Israeli media referencing a significant but vague “security event” – that the window to detonate the devices was closing. In other words, some Hezbollah members had begun to uncover parts of the sabotage effort, and if Hezbollah publicly exposed it, they might have removed the devices before they could be detonated.

This version of events aligned with how both Israeli and Lebanese audiences were caught off guard, especially considering Israel had allowed Hezbollah to fire rockets across the northern border for 11 months with only limited retaliation.

However, the Post learned that the timing of the sabotage was chosen strategically and not as a reaction to any sudden Hezbollah discoveries.

In the days leading up to last Tuesday, both Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant emphasized that bringing northern Israel’s residents back home had become a central focus of Israel’s current war efforts.

This shift followed Gallant’s announcement on August 21 that Hamas’s last 24 battalions in Rafah had been defeated.

For weeks, Israel had been redirecting its military forces from Gaza to the northern border, preparing for a confrontation with Hezbollah. The device explosions seemed to serve as the prelude to a larger Israeli campaign, culminating in the major attacks that the IDF acknowledged later in the week.

Without access to beepers or cell phones, Hezbollah’s Radwan special forces commander, Ibrahim Aqil, and about 20 of his top deputies were forced to meet in person to organize their response. During this meeting on Friday, the IDF struck, killing Aqil along with 13 to 15 key sub-commanders.

Between Thursday and Sunday, Israel launched a series of four major strikes, depleting Hezbollah’s rocket arsenal by destroying over 500 launchers and thousands of rockets.

On Tuesday, Israel also lifted the gag order on a Hezbollah plot to assassinate former Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon. Although the case against those behind the plot had been ongoing for a year, the announcement was strategically timed to coincide with Israel’s escalation against Hezbollah.

The Post also learned that the planning of the beeper and device sabotage had been in motion for years, with different media outlets reporting both long-term and more recent stages of preparation.

The varying timelines reflect a common intelligence challenge. For instance, in the book Target Tehran, it was revealed that Mossad began planning the seizure of Iran’s nuclear archives in 2016, but had to modify the operation in 2017 due to shifting circumstances.

The Post reports that various stages of the sabotage plan required key adjustments, including some made as recently as five months ago, according to foreign reports.

Discrepancies also exist about how the explosions were executed. Many foreign reports claim that small amounts of explosives were covertly placed in the devices by agents working through a shell company that posed as part of a Hungarian firm, which was in turn licensed by a Taiwanese company to manufacture and distribute the devices.

However, some sources informed the Post that the sabotage may have been carried out by manipulating the lithium inside the devices, a task achievable by any skilled engineer without needing advanced cyber hacking.

These devices operate with a delicate balance of electrical resistance between two poles. If the current is manipulated, it could eventually trigger a short circuit between the positive and negative sides of the battery, leading to an explosion.

Sources noted that the methods used against Hezbollah are not new.

Asked whether Israel should be concerned about its enemies replicating such attacks, sources acknowledged that this is always a possibility once a new capability is publicly demonstrated. It is widely recognized that Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas have used Israel’s once-dominant drone technology against it by reverse-engineering their own drone fleets. Sources emphasized the importance of staying several steps ahead of adversaries, ensuring that defenses or counter-attacks are always ready in case enemies attempt to replicate an attack used against them.

{Matzav.com Israel}

An Iranian official reportedly revealed that Tehran played a role in acquiring the pagers used by Hezbollah members, which detonated throughout Lebanon last week. The attack, largely attributed to Israel, led the official to suggest that a similar device may have been behind the helicopter crash that claimed the life of Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi in May.

In a post on X, Europe-based Iranian journalist Mohamad Ahwaze shared that Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani, a member of Iran’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, acknowledged that Hezbollah’s systems had been breached. He further confirmed that Raisi was in possession of one of the compromised pagers.

The explosions, which took place on Tuesday and Wednesday, killed at least 30 individuals and injured thousands. The devices, including pagers and walkie-talkies, were used by Hezbollah operatives, and the coordinated attack was swiftly blamed on Israel following a period of escalating cross-border tensions.

Earlier this month, Iran’s official investigation into the May helicopter crash concluded that it was the result of poor weather conditions. The helicopter, carrying Raisi and his entourage, crashed into a foggy mountainside in northern Iran, leading to the president’s death, along with seven others, and prompting immediate elections to fill the leadership void.

{Matzav.com}

Ensure your name is on the shtender of “The Chofetz Chaim of our generation” during Rosh HaShana, Aseres Yemei Teshuva, and Ne’ilah. Rav Yitzchak Koldetzki & Rebbetzin Koldetzki are seeking urgent help for a prominent Talmid Chochom who is critically ill. They believe this is a matter of pikuach nefesh. Rebbetzin Koldetzki encourages donations of $298, which corresponds to the gematria of mercy The Rebbetzin promises that those who contribute will receive blessings for a good year, health, and happiness, and their names will be included in her husband’s tefillos during Rosh HaShana, Aseres Yemei Teshuva, and Ne’ilah of Yom Kippur. Rebbetzin Koldetzki will also daven for donors during hafrashas challah and the lighting of candles on Erev Rosh Hashanah and Erev Yom Kippur. CLICK HERE TO DONATE 

[COMMUNICATED]

Ensure your name is on the shtender of “The Chofetz Chaim of our generation” during Rosh HaShana, Aseres Yemei Teshuva, and Ne’ilah. Rav Yitzchak Koldetzki & Rebbetzin Koldetzki are seeking urgent help for a prominent Talmid Chochom who is critically ill. They believe this is a matter of pikuach nefesh.

Rebbetzin Koldetzki encourages donations of $298, which corresponds to the gematria of mercy The Rebbetzin promises that those who contribute will receive blessings for a good year, health, and happiness, and their names will be included in her husband’s tefillos during Rosh HaShana, Aseres Yemei Teshuva, and Ne’ilah of Yom Kippur. Rebbetzin Koldetzki will also daven for donors during hafrashas challah and the lighting of candles on Erev Rosh Hashanah and Erev Yom Kippur.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE 

Former President Donald Trump suggested that if he is defeated in the upcoming November 5 election by Vice President Kamala Harris, he would probably not seek the presidency in 2028.

“I don’t think so. I believe that will be the end. I don’t see myself doing that,” the 78-year-old said during an interview on “Full Measure” with Sharyl Attkisson, which was broadcast on Sunday. He was responding to a question about the possibility of another campaign in 2028 if he doesn’t win this time around.

“Hopefully, we’ll come out on top,” he added.

{Matzav.com}

On Sunday, White House National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby spoke about how the US is still working to reach a diplomatic solution to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, despite recent developments.

When asked if all out war is inevitable by ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, Kirby said: “We believe that there are better ways to try to get those Israeli citizens back in their homes, up in the north, and to keep those who are there safe than a war, than an escalation, than opening up a second front on that border with Lebanon against Lebanon.”

Continuing on the topic, Kirby said: “We don’t believe that escalating this military conflict is in their best interest, it’s certainly not going to be in the best interest of all those people that Prime Minister Netanyahu says he wants to be able to send back home.”

Kirby acknowledged that no progress has been made in the last week or two torwards a ceasefire deal in Gaza, and placed the blame on Hamas, saying: “It doesn’t appear like Mr. Sinwar is prepared at all to keep negotiating in good faith, especially after he murdered six hostages in a tunnel execution style. So it doesn’t appear that he’s willing to move this forward.”

However, Kirby emphasized the US government’s goal of reaching such a deal, saying: “But it doesn’t mean that we’re not trying. You heard the President talk about this just a few days ago, things could be unrealistic until all of a sudden they are realistic and that’s why our team is still engaged with Qatar, Egypt, and the Israelis to see if they can move it forward.”

{Matzav.com}

For more than three weeks, a question has loomed over Brazil and much of the tech world: Who would back down first?

Would it be Elon Musk, whose refusal to comply with orders from a Brazilian judge had resulted in the suspension of the social network in one of its largest markets?

Or would it be Alexandre de Moraes, the taciturn jurist who issued the order?

This weekend appears to have brought an answer.

The social network X, formerly known as Twitter, said Friday that it had taken steps to comply with demands issued by the Brazilian Supreme Court to end the impasse that has severed the company from one of its most active markets. These included naming a representative in the country and blocking accounts that Moraes had accused of propagating misinformation and undermining Brazilian democracy. Much of the company’s fines have also been paid off.

Moraes responded on Saturday with a short judicial order that asked for additional documents. He gave the company five days to complete the paperwork to legalize its presence in Brazil and asked several agencies to inquire into X’s legal standing in Brazil.

He did not provide a timeline for when X might resume operations in Brazil, or if it will.

The judicial compliance by X amounts to nothing short of capitulation by the billionaire tech mogul, who has sought to assume the global mantle of right-wing free speech champion since he took over the social network in 2022.

In Brazil, one of X’s most active markets, Musk found not only a battleground to wage his ideological campaign but perhaps his most bitter political opponent in Moraes.

In many ways, the men are opposites. Musk is a glib billionaire who courts controversy and the spotlight. Moraes, an austere jurist, almost exclusively communicates with the world in the dense legalese of his judicial orders. In the global schism over the limits of free speech amid polarization and misinformation, each have come to represent opposite poles.

Musk has overseen the loosening of speech guardrails on X, pushed for a network where most everything is permissible and cozied up to political figures accused of wielding misinformation to enhance their power.

Moraes, through his role as director of the Brazilian Supreme Court’s investigation into fake news on social media, has transformed himself into one of the world’s most aggressive prosecutors of misinformation. He frequently issues directives to tech companies to suspend accounts he accuses of spreading misinformation that could endanger Brazil’s democracy.

The men have frequently clashed in recent months over such orders, often in personal language. Musk has called Moraes a dictator and derided him as a Brazilian Lord Voldemort, the villain in the Harry Potter series. Moraes has named Musk a target in a criminal investigation and tied him to what he calls “digital militias” threatening to rupture Brazilian democracy.

– – –

The mutual animosity deepened in August. Musk continued to refuse to suspend accounts targeted by Moraes’s probe. Moraes upped the fines. X didn’t pay. Then Moraes ordered the arrest of attorney Rachel de Oliveira Villa Nova, who was acting as X’s legal representative in Brazil.

In response, Musk removed Villa Nova from her post and pulled X’s physical presence from Brazil, a legal requirement to operate as a business in the country. Moraes told him to name a new representative – or else he would suspend the network. Musk refused. And on Aug. 30, Moraes ordered the suspension of a social media network that more than 20 million Brazilians had long used to debate politics, sports and pop culture.

From the beginning of the impasse, it was clear which of the men had more leverage. Other justices lined up behind Moraes’s decision. Right-wing figures in Brazil tried to mobilize around the issue of censorship, but their complaints didn’t seem to resonate beyond their bubbles. In a country awash in social media platforms, many had already stopped using X by the time of its suspension. And those still on the network started flocking to other platforms.

It was clear Brazil could live without X.

But it wasn’t clear X could live without Brazil.

Then, last week, Brazilian officials accused the network of trying to circumvent the suspension. The company rerouted its internet traffic using the third-party security firm Cloudflare, enabling a new path to its site by bypassing the virtual blockade. Brazilians swarmed back onto the site.

X said the misdirection had been unintentional, and the digital route was closed by Wednesday night. Brazilian officials accused the company of purposefully countervailing a judicial order.

“There is no doubt that the platform, X, once again, intends to disrespect the Brazilian judiciary,” Moraes said. Accusing X of “willful, illicit and persistent recalcitrance,” he fined the company nearly $1 million.

Within days, the company had reassigned attorney Villa Nova as its legal representative in the country.

The capitulation by Musk was met by relief by many in Brazil. The decision to suspend X was seen by many here as extreme. But in a country deeply protective of its sovereignty and sensitive to foreign meddling, many also felt Musk had gone too far in attacking Brazil’s highest court.

“X didn’t back down because of reason, but because it bowed to pressure,” the editorial board of the newspaper O Globo said yesterday. “The suspension of the platform, while necessary to assure the sovereignty of the country, should not go on for too long.”

(c) Washington Post