Explaining Brazil

For the first time, we were able to witness the bromance between Jair Bolsonaro and Donald Trump on full display. Has the Brazilian president come out strong from his visit to Washington? Read show notes. — Send us your feedback Support the show

For the first time, we were able to witness the bromance between Jair Bolsonaro and Donald Trump on full display. Has the Brazilian president come out strong from his visit to Washington? Read show notes. —  Send us your feedback Support the show

Rio de Janeiro city councilwoman Marielle Franco was assassinated in March 2018. Investigations stalled and were filled with missteps by the police. One year later, though, a breakthrough appears to have happened. Read show notes. — Send us your feedba...

Rio de Janeiro city councilwoman Marielle Franco was assassinated in March 2018. Investigations stalled and were filled with missteps by the police. One year later, though, a breakthrough appears to have happened. Read show notes. —  Send us your feedback Support the show

Carnival is such a focal point of the Brazilian calendar that often locals say nothing gets done in the new year until Ash Wednesday. But, in actual fact, a huge amount of work goes into producing Carnival, and that's what we are going to take a look a...

Carnival is such a focal point of the Brazilian calendar that often locals say nothing gets done in the new year until Ash Wednesday. But, in actual fact, a huge amount of work goes into producing Carnival, and that's what we are going to take a look at this week. Read show notes. — https://brazilian.report/podcast/2019/03/06/50-business-carnival-rio/ Send us your feedback Support the show

The Jair Bolsonaro administration has submitted a reform proposal of its own. And it is the most ambitious we've seen — or the harshest, depending on how you see it. Will his administration be able to succeed where so many others failed? Read show note...

The Jair Bolsonaro administration has submitted a reform proposal of its own. And it is the most ambitious we've seen — or the harshest, depending on how you see it. Will his administration be able to succeed where so many others failed? Read show notes. —  Send us your feedback Support the show

In politics, we usually say a new head of state enjoys a sort of grace period of 100 days. Popular support is still fresh from the campaign, the opposition still doesn't have much ammo against the new administration, and there hasn't been enough time f...

In politics, we usually say a new head of state enjoys a sort of grace period of 100 days. Popular support is still fresh from the campaign, the opposition still doesn't have much ammo against the new administration, and there hasn't been enough time for internal disputes to create unsolvable problems for the government. But, boy, the start of the Jair Bolsonaro administration has been a...

In 2018, law enforcement agents in Rio de Janeiro admitted to killing over 1,400 people — mostly in drug-related incidents. That's more than the number for the entire USA. That cannot be considered a success by any standard. Read show notes. — Send us ...

In 2018, law enforcement agents in Rio de Janeiro admitted to killing over 1,400 people — mostly in drug-related incidents. That's more than the number for the entire USA. That cannot be considered a success by any standard. Read show notes. —  Send us your feedback Support the show

On February 4, Justice Minister Sergio Moro presented his first bill after taking office. His anticrime plan, as the set of proposals was called, includes several measures against organized crime. And, for the first time, it singles out urban militias ...

On February 4, Justice Minister Sergio Moro presented his first bill after taking office. His anticrime plan, as the set of proposals was called, includes several measures against organized crime. And, for the first time, it singles out urban militias as one of the targets of the state. It may seem ludicrous, but urban armed militias were once well-regarded in Rio de Janeiro. Many politicians defe...

On January 25, an iron tailings dam near the town of Brumadinho, in the Southeastern state of Minas Gerais, spilled the equivalent of at least 12 hundred Olympic-sized pools of mud onto the surrounding region. - How did this happen? - Who is to blame? ...

On January 25, an iron tailings dam near the town of Brumadinho, in the Southeastern state of Minas Gerais, spilled the equivalent of at least 12 hundred Olympic-sized pools of mud onto the surrounding region. - How did this happen? - Who is to blame? - What will be the lasting environmental consequences? - And, most importantly, how can we prevent this from happening again? Read show notes. —  Se...

If you live in or have even been to São Paulo, it is likely that you’ve walked over a waterway without even noticing it. There are between 300 and 500 of them in Brazil’s biggest city, running through pipes extending from 1,500km to 4,000km. And the fa...

If you live in or have even been to São Paulo, it is likely that you’ve walked over a waterway without even noticing it. There are between 300 and 500 of them in Brazil’s biggest city, running through pipes extending from 1,500km to 4,000km. And the fate of the city’s main rivers doesn’t have a happy ending. They’ve become ugly and polluted – not at all fit for a São Paulo postcard. Read show note...

Imagine you are a Brazilian soybean producer located in the state of Mato Grosso, deep in midwestern Brazil, neighboring Bolivia. And you have clients waiting for your products in China. So, how do you get your soybeans to your Chinese customers? What ...

Imagine you are a Brazilian soybean producer located in the state of Mato Grosso, deep in midwestern Brazil, neighboring Bolivia. And you have clients waiting for your products in China. So, how do you get your soybeans to your Chinese customers? What would you say if I told you that the drive between your silos and Santos will be more expensive than the ship taking your grains all the way to the...

When he left office, Michel Temer's administration was evaluated as good or great by only 7 percent of Brazilians. 62 percent thought his government was either bad or terrible. While these are far from positive figures, they actually represent an impro...

When he left office, Michel Temer's administration was evaluated as good or great by only 7 percent of Brazilians. 62 percent thought his government was either bad or terrible. While these are far from positive figures, they actually represent an improvement. At one point, only 3 percent approved Temer, while 73 percent didn't care for him. Was he as bad as most Brazilians seem to think?...

Reporter Raphael Ferreira was at the Ministries Esplanade and covered Jair Bolsonaro's inauguration up close for The Brazilian Report. Find out what it was like at the ceremony. Read show notes. Send us your feedback Support the show

Reporter Raphael Ferreira was at the Ministries Esplanade and covered Jair Bolsonaro's inauguration up close for The Brazilian Report. Find out what it was like at the ceremony. Read show notes.  Send us your feedback Support the show

At the end of November, Brazil's Ministry of Health signed an agreement with leaders of the food and drink industry to reduce the amount of sugar in their products by 144 thousand tonnes by 2022. But is it enough? Read show notes. Send us your feedback...