Musk v. Brazil's Supreme Court, explained

+ color blindness and picky eating US Edition - Today's top story: Elon Musk's feud with Brazilian judge is much more than a personal spat − it's about national sovereignty, freedom of speech and the rule of law [View in browser]( US Edition | 10 September 2024 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Top headlines - [Whales vs. the fishing industry]( - [Who’s responsible for AI? Theologians have answers]( - [Why do presidential debates matter?]( Lead story I’m sure I’m not the only one to notice that the number of posts at the top of my X feed from a certain Elon Musk have increased massively since he bought the company. And so I kind of felt I knew a lot about the current fight he is having with Brazil’s Supreme Court, what with the frequency that he posts about it. But at the same time, what did I know? Musk’s mini-missives on the matter – which consist largely of insults, complaints and barbs directed at Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes – told me nothing substantive about what was actually going on. And that is where today’s piece from Yasmin Curzi, a digital law expert at Rio de Janeiro’s FGV Law School and University of Virginia research associate, comes in. Curzi takes a look at [Brazil’s decade-long effort to regulate social media platforms]( – a task made all the more difficult by the barrage of disinformation surrounding the 2022 election and subsequent storming of Brazil’s Congress, Supreme Court and the presidential palace in January 2023. The judicial inquiries following that attack on democratic institutions led, via Musk’s refusal to play ball, to the banning of X. But as Curzi writes, this is more than a bitter personal feud. It “raises important questions about platform regulation and how to combat disinformation while protecting free speech. And while the focus is on Brazil and Musk, it is a debate being echoed around the world.” [ [Get perspectives from around the world with our weekly global newsletter](. ] Matt Williams Senior International Editor Brazil’s Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes faces off against X’s Elon Musk. Ton Molina/NurPhoto via Getty Images / AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth [Elon Musk’s feud with Brazilian judge is much more than a personal spat − it’s about national sovereignty, freedom of speech and the rule of law]( Yasmin Curzi de Mendonça, University of Virginia Brazil’s attempt to strike a balance between free speech and regulation of online platforms has become politicized – complicating future legislation. Politics + Society - [Bobbleheads, Magic 8 Balls, chairs and other artifacts in the Smithsonian reveal the historical significance of presidential debates]( Claire Jerry, Smithsonian Institution Debates are moments in time, but even years later, key items can evoke their history and reinforce their importance in American democracy. Science + Technology - [How we discovered that people who are colorblind are less likely to be picky eaters]( Isabel Gauthier, Vanderbilt University Seeing the world with a restricted color palate seems to tone down an emotion-based resistance to new foods. - [Apple’s iPhone 16 launch shows AI is shaking up the tech giant’s core market]( Lewis Endlar, Keele University Apple is marketing its new AI features under the banner of Apple Intelligence. Health + Medicine - [Is weight loss as simple as calories in, calories out? In the end, it’s your gut microbes and leftovers that make your calories count]( Christopher Damman, University of Washington Your gut microbes have a lot to say about how many calories you consume and how effectively your body metabolizes them. Environment + Energy - [I’ve visited the same Rocky Mountain subalpine meadow weekly for a decade of summers looking at plant-pollinator interactions – here’s what I learned]( Julian Resasco, University of Colorado Boulder Decades-long environmental studies can reveal trends caused by climate change better than projects that last only a year or two. - [Whales are recovering from near extinction, but industrial fishing around Antarctica competes for their sole food source]( Matthew Savoca, Stanford University The Southern Ocean’s krill-rich waters attract multiple species of filter-feeding whales – and, increasingly, fishing boats. Ethics + Religion - [Medieval theology has an old take on a new problem − AI responsibility]( David Danks, University of California, San Diego; Mike Kirby, University of Utah Autonomous AI is still designed by people − so who or what is really responsible for its actions? For centuries, theologians have posed similar questions about mankind and God. Arts + Culture - [A college course that’s a history of the future]( Adam Jortner, Auburn University Science fiction can be thought of as a film negative of history – a back door into what used to worry people and what gave them hope. 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