Good Morning! Today’s edition is 886 words, a 3-minute read.

What’s on tap: 

• Brazil outlaws Elon Musk’s X platform

• Israel hostage deaths sparks protests & strikes

• PGA Tour Championship

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Big Story

Brazil Bans X

Elon Musk’s social network X was blocked in Brazil.

• The ban was enforced by Brazil's supreme court, causing millions of users to lose access on Saturday. The court ordered that X be removed from app stores and that anyone using VPNs to access the platform could face fines.

• The ban came after months of tension between Elon Musk and Brazil’s top court, led by Judge Alexandre de Moraes. The court wanted X to suspend accounts spreading misinformation. Musk resisted accusing the court of censoring free speech. The situation escalated when Musk missed a deadline to appoint a new legal representative in Brazil.

• With X blocked, many Brazilians, including President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, are moving to Bluesky, a different microblogging platform. Bluesky reported a surge of 500,000 new users in just two days.

Big Story

Israel Protests Hostage Deaths

A general strike in Israel on Monday shut down much of the country as people protested against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's handling of the war with Hamas.

• The strike was called by the largest trade union, Histadrut, to pressure Netanyahu to secure the release of 101 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. During the strike many offices, schools, and the international airport closed, though it ended by late afternoon after the government intervened.

• Public outcry began after the Israel Defense Forces found the bodies of six hostages taken by Hamas during the Oct 6. attacks. The IDF said they were murdered in the underground tunnels below Gaza shortly before they reached them. The news sparked protests demanding that Netanyahu agree to a deal to bring all the hostages home, even if it meant ending the war.

• The U.S., Qatar, and Egypt have tried to help mediate a ceasefire and secure the release of the hostages. However, Netanyahu has resisted calls to end the conflict, facing pressure from far-right ministers who threaten to topple his government if a deal is made.

Big Story

Germany Election Shake UP

For the first time since World War II, a far-right party in Germany won a state election.

• Alternative for Germany (AfD) secured 32.8% of the vote in Thuringia, beating the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which got 23.6%. Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats (SPD) only received 6.1% of the vote.

• The success of the AfD creates difficulties in forming new state governments. Other parties have said they won’t work with the AfD, which means forming coalitions will be challenging. With just a year before Germany’s national election, the pressure is mounting on Scholz to address key issues like immigration and the Russia-Ukraine war, which were central in this campaign.

• Chancellor Scholz was concerned with the election results, calling them "bitter" and warning about the impact of the AfD's rise. He believes the AfD is harming Germany by dividing society and damaging the country's reputation. Another AFD win in the upcoming state election in Brandenburg could increase the pressure on the ruling government.

Little Stories

• The U.S. government has taken a luxury jet used by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The plane was seized in the Dominican Republic and brought to Florida. Officials say a fake company bought the jet illegally in the U.S. to get around U.S. sanctions and export laws. (More)

• Two U.S. researchers believe they've found where Russia has placed the 9M370 Burevestnik, a new nuclear-powered missile that President Putin calls "invincible." Putin says the missile can travel almost anywhere and avoid U.S. defenses. However, some experts doubt its effectiveness and think it might be risky, possibly causing a radiation accident without offering new advantages to Russia. (More)

• New photos taken this summer show that part of the Titanic’s railing on the upper deck has fallen off. The 15-foot-long section is now on the sea floor. RMS Titanic Inc., the company with rights to the wreck, said it was sad about the ship's decay but was to be expected. They plan to continue studying it and want to preserve as much as they can before more of the ship is lost. (More)

• Scottie Scheffler capped a dominant 2024 season on the PGA Tour this weekend. He won the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club and earned his first FedEx Cup title, which comes with a $25 million bonus. Scheffler shot a 4-under par 67, finishing the tournament at 30-under par, four strokes ahead of Collin Morikawa. It was his seventh win of the season, the most by any PGA Tour player since Tiger Woods in 2007. (More)

• Around 10,000 hotel workers started a Labor Day weekend strike after talks with big hotel chains like Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott failed. Workers in 24 hotels across eight cities, including Boston, Honolulu, and San Francisco, are striking for higher pay and to reverse COVID-era cuts in staffing and services. The strikes are expected to last two or three days, with more cities possibly joining soon. (More)

Extra Credit

🎉 Ranking America’s favorite holidays.

🐋 Russian “spy whale” found dead off Norway. 

🇺🇸 The 20 most fun states in the U.S. 

🧂 Healthies salt: Is Himalayan Pink salt over hyped?