CBS News resumed posting on Twitter Sunday after announcing the network would pause its activity on the platform two days earlier “out of an abundance of caution” as the social media company moves through an intense period of change under its new owner Elon Musk.

“After pausing for much of the weekend to assess the security concerns, CBS News and Stations is resuming its activity on Twitter as we continue to monitor the situation,” the networks communications team tweeted Sunday morning.

CBS News reporter Jonathan Vigliotti said Friday that the network would cease sharing content on Twitter out of “uncertainty” of how the platform would perform after thousands of employees had either been forced out or chosen to resign instead of continuing to work under Musk.

Variety reports the news outlet had expressed concern about Twitter’s critical functions breakdown and if the platform would be susceptible to hacking attacks.

Independent journalist Glenn Greenwald mocked the network after reversing its decision in less than 48 hours.

CBS News has decided it's once again safe to use Twitter – but only for the moment!

They are continuing to "assess security concerns" and "monitor the situation."

If there are more outbreaks of free speech or hearing from people journalists dislike, they may retreat again. https://t.co/o0ZtgFshCk

— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) November 20, 2022

“CBS News has decided it’s once again safe to use Twitter – but only for the moment!” he said. “They are continuing to ‘assess security concerns’ and ‘monitor the situation.’ If there are more outbreaks of free speech or hearing from people journalists dislike, they may retreat again.”

Since acquiring Twitter last month, Musk has eliminated senior management officials, dubbed himself CEO, and dismissed more than half of the company’s staff.

Following significant changes made by Musk, hundreds of employees at Twitter reportedly resigned from the company last week after the new CEO demanded that to stay at the company, they would need to commit to “extremely hardcore” working conditions.

Reports from former employees, legacy media outlets, and leftist politicians about how Musk would transform the platform swayed multiple advertisers to freeze ad spending on Twitter.

Musk remains optimistic, reporting user activity has hit an “all-time high.”

Leftists and anti-Trumpers were outraged over the weekend after Musk reinstated the Twitter account of former President Donald Trump, who officials under the platform’s old guard banned in January 2021 after an unruly mob breached the U.S. Capitol.

Musk reactivated Trump’s account after 15 million Twitter users responded to a poll asking if the ex-president should return to the platform.

The people have spoken,” Musk said in a tweet. “Trump will be reinstated.”

“Vox Populi, Vox Dei,” he added, a Latin phrase meaning “the voice of the people is the voice of God.”

The people have spoken.

Trump will be reinstated.

Vox Populi, Vox Dei. https://t.co/jmkhFuyfkv

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 20, 2022

The persecution of Christians in at least 18 countries throughout the world has been increasing, according to a new report. 

The report, titled “Persecuted and Forgotten? A Report On Christians Oppressed For Their Faith 2020-22,” was released on November 16 by the Catholic group Aid to the Church In Need. It examined “human rights violations” in 24 countries where the persecution of Christians is “of particular concern” and revealed that the conditions in 18 of those countries have gotten “worse” or “slightly worse” for Christians. 

“Religious nationalism and authoritarianism intensified problems for the faithful – including the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan, which prompted Christians and other minorities to attempt a desperate scramble to escape,” the report stated, explaining some factors behind the rise. 

The 18 countries were mainly in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. They include China, Afghanistan, Turkey, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Mali, Nigeria, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Pakistan, Myanmar, Russia, North Korea, Vietnam, India, and Qatar. The results are from 2020-2022 and are compared with data from 2017-2019. 

Each nation reviewed in Africa experienced declining conditions for Christians. The report attributes the persecution on the continent largely to “militant non-state actors” and Islamic extremism, citing specifically Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province. Nigeria is reportedly “on the brink of becoming a failed state” due to jihadism, facing kidnappings, attacks on churches, and priests being murdered.

As for the Middle East, migration has threatened areas the report describes as the “world’s oldest and most important Christian communities located in Iraq, Syria, and Palestine.” In 2011, before the war began, 10%, or approximately 1.5 million people in Syria were Christian. A decade later, there are 300,000 Christians, less than 2% of the population, the report says. 

One of the primary drivers for the persecution of Christians in Asia comes from authoritarianism from the state, harshly affecting nations like China, Vietnam, and North Korea. “China continues to harass and attempt to control Christians and members of other religious groups that will not accept the official Communist Party line – making it unsurprising that in the Pew Forum’s analysis authorities’ restrictions on religion it achieved the highest score of any nation-state,” the report stated. 

Open Doors USA, a Christian organization committed to serving persecuted Christians, releases a “World Watch List” annually outlining the top 50 countries where persecution of Christians is highest. According to the 2022 World Watch List, China ranks 17th for Christian persecution. Surveillance is a significant issue, allowing the state to monitor and close down churches, according to the organization. A source told Open Doors that pastors and Christian leaders “are simply snatched away, only to appear months later in a kind of house arrest, where they get re-educated.” 

In Afghanistan, the country thrown into chaos last August when the U.S. completed a hasty withdrawal that ended with a collapse of the American-supported Afghan government, persecution against Christians is worsening. The report cites the rise of the Taliban “driving Christians underground,” where they “live in fear of arrest, torture, and execution.” Open Doors ranks Afghanistan number one on its watch list, listing Islamic oppression as the primary cause. 

In 2022 there were 360 million Christians living in places where they were at risk for high levels of discrimination and persecution, according to Open Doors. Last year, 5,898 Christians were killed for being Christian, more than 5,000 churches or Christian buildings were attacked, and 4,765 Christians were “detained without trial, arrested, sentenced, or imprisoned.”