Axios

Brazil's top judge ordered the suspension of X in the country Friday, after owner Elon Musk refused to appoint a legal representative for the social media platform in the country, multiple outlets reported.

Why it matters: The move effectively bans X in Latin America's largest nation, and fuels a standoff between Musk's social media platform and Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.

PayPal alum Franz Paasche has joined Columbia University as executive vice president for public affairs and communications.

Why it matters: Columbia has been at the center of the free speech vs hate speech controversy sparked by ongoing campus protests related to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

An Israeli security cabinet meeting about the hostage-release and Gaza ceasefire deal erupted on Thursday night and turned into an unprecedented shouting match between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, Israeli officials said.

Why it matters: The confrontation exposed the ongoing — and intensifying — political rift and personal animosity between Netanyahu and Gallant.

Elon Musk's Starlink said Thursday that Brazil's top judge has issued an order that "freezes" the internet satellite business' finances in the country and prevents it from conducting financial transactions in Latin America's largest nation.

Why it matters: Starlink said on X that the action was due to a standoff between Musk's social media platform and Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.

Talks continued this week in Cairo and Doha in an effort to get Israel and Hamas to agree on the details for implementing a hostage-release and ceasefire in Gaza deal, U.S. and Israeli officials said.

Why it matters: The White House is hoping that having these details in place and presented as part of a comprehensive package will persuade Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to compromise on some of the big issues so the deal can go through.

1. Oropouche virus cases have now been reported in six Latin American nations, after the Dominican Republic yesterday reported positive lab tests in some patients.

• So far, Brazil, Cuba, Bolivia, Peru and Colombia have found transmission of the virus, according to Pan-American Health Organization data.
• Oropouche virus disease, nicknamed sloth fever, is transmitted by the bite of an insect that used to be found only in the Amazonian region — but the PAHO says has now spread elsewhere because of climate change and deforestation.

2. A lawyer for the Venezuelan opposition, Perkins Rocha, has been detained by the regime of President Nicolás Maduro for unclear charges, opposition leader María Corina Machado said Tuesday.

A round of applause today for Daniel Hernández Marrero, who recently won a NextGen Award for his trailblazing public relations work!

• The award from the Museum of Public Relations honors professionals with less than 15 years in the industry who show the "potential to be among the industry's next generation of leaders and pacesetters."
• Plus, Daniel is working with the Harris-Walz campaign on its WhatsApp channel.

Congrats, Daniel! Keep up the great work.

The U.S. Army rebuked the Trump campaign on Thursday, issuing a statement over an encounter at Arlington National Cemetary earlier this week and confirming that a cemetery employee was "abruptly pushed aside" while the former president was visiting the grounds.

Why it matters: The apparent altercation between former President Trump's aides and an Arlington official ignited intense scrutiny over the Trump campaign's seemingly political use of the sacred site.

Mexico's ruling Morena party this week doubled down on plans to fast-track a massive revamp of the country's judicial system despite large protests and U.S. officials' concerns.

Why it matters: The constitutional reform would make changes that legal scholars, victims' advocates, international organizations, investment credit rating agencies and others say would weaken checks and balances in the courts.

Look at a place that suffered intensively from industrial decline earlier this century as imports from China displaced parts of U.S. manufacturing, and you're likely to find somewhere that's disproportionately benefiting from the wave of investments now underway.

Why it matters: That's exactly the outcome the Biden administration intended to achieve with the Inflation Reduction Act, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and CHIPS and Science Act, which together are meant to ultimately trigger trillions in investment.

The Trump campaign tells Axios it's "weighing options" on whether to release its footage of an altercation with Arlington National Cemetery officials.

Why it matters: The cemetery is sacred ground for hundreds of thousands of American families. A cemetery worker confronted former President Trump's team on Monday to enforce rules against using the setting for political purposes. The events that followed are contested.

The Trump campaign's visit to Arlington National Cemetery is testing the limits of laws meant to prevent hallowed site from being used for political purposes following an apparent altercation Monday with cemetery staff.

The big picture: The details remain debated, but NPR reports two aides "had a verbal and physical altercation" with a cemetery official trying to enforce rules against using the setting for political purposes. The Trump campaign insists it was "granted access to have a photographer" on the grounds.

A Brazil Supreme Court judge warned Elon Musk Wednesday that he would have X suspended in Latin America's largest nation if the billionaire didn't name a legal representative for the platform in the country within 24 hours.

The big picture: Justice Alexandre de Moraes' summons alerting Musk that X has until about 8pm local time Thursday (7pm ET) to comply with the order comes after the platform announced earlier this month that it would close its operations in Brazil over what it called the judge's "censorship orders."

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov was issued preliminary charges in France Wednesday shortly after being released from police custody.

Why it matters: Durov's arrest in connection to illicit activity on the messaging app sparked an outcry among anti-censorship advocates. It also raised questions about how other social media companies and executives could be held accountable for the content on their platforms.

The Federal Aviation Administration temporarily grounded SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets on Wednesday after a booster failed to land upright and exploded following the successful launch of Starlink satellites.

Why it matters: The grounding pending the outcome of an investigation into Wednesday's incident comes as SpaceX prepares for its Polaris Dawn mission featuring four private astronauts who are set to attempt the first-ever space walk by private citizens.