Explaining Brazil

The EU and Mercosur reached an agreement on a trade deal back in 2019. But since then, nothing much has happened — and the window of opportunity may be closing. Show notes. Send us your feedback Support the show

YouTube’s recommendation algorithm might have been a key weapon for the far-right to firehose public discourse with disinformation. Read show notes. Send us your feedback Support the show

Ten years after Brazil's June 2013 protests, we look back and analyze what they meant, where they came from, and what legacy they have left us. Show notes. Send us your feedback Support the show

For foreign observers, Lula's environmental promises were among the most important facets of his campaign. And less than six months in, there are fears that many of these pledges may have been empty words. Show notes. Send us your feedback Support the show

Wars, pandemics, and global inequalities show that countries need to work together in order to thrive. We explore how to achieve effective multilateralism, and where Brazil fits into the global equation.  Show notes. Send us your feedback Support the show

Since mid-2016, Petrobras had pegged fuel prices in refineries to international fluctuations. That policy is gone four and a half months into the Lula administration. Show notes. Send us your feedback Support the show

As the world debates social media regulation, Brazil's Congress and Supreme Court are tackling the issue as we speak. We discuss why the world should be paying notice. Show notes. Send us your feedback Support the show

This week, The Brazilian Report has been on the ground at Web Summit Rio, one of the world's biggest tech events, being held outside of Europe for the first time. Over four days of panels, lectures, and events, Web Summit Rio has its full capacity, attracting more than 21,000 attendees from 91 countries. Show notes. Send us your feedback Support the show

Congressional inquiries make up for their limited powers with their very public nature, being more suited to political point-scoring than real accountability. Show notes. Send us your feedback Support the show

Brazilian allies saw Lula as a man who would recover Brazil's international clout. Three months, several statements, and a visit to China later, they may no longer be so sure. Show notes. Send us your feedback Support the show

The Brazilian Report and the Wilson Center's Brazil Institute hosted an event to discuss Lula's first 100 days in office. What can we make of the start of the new government? Read our special report on the government's first achievements and challenges. Send us your feedback Support the show

This week, Brazil's top electoral court reaches the final stage of a trial against former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is accused of abusing his political power to sow disinformation in the voting system. If convicted, he will lose his political rights. Show notes. Send us your feedback Support the show

The heads of the House and Senate are locked in a cold war over how Congress should appraise provisional decrees submitted by the federal government. Show notes. Send us your feedback Support the show

Markets are patiently waiting to hear the Lula government's proposal for a new fiscal anchor to replace Brazil's lame-duck spending cap. We discuss what the plan may look like and how it would be received. Show notes. Send us your feedback Support the show

We still don't know who ordered the 2018 assassination of Rio de Janeiro Councilwoman Marielle Franco. Now, it seems the federal government wants to solve the case once and for all. Show notes. Send us your feedback Support the show

Andrade Gutierrez, a major Brazilian construction conglomerate operating in 11 countries, has suffered a massive security breach. And we have all the details. Read the full report by Amanda Audi here. Send us your feedback Support the show

Following the January 8 Brasília riots, the Lula administration on Wednesday created a working group to present strategies and policy solutions to fight extremist acts and hate speech online. Read show notes. —  Send us your feedback Support the show

The meeting between Lula and Joe Biden laid bare the points on which the two leaders share common goals, such as the environment and the fight against the far-right … and also those on which they disagree. Read show notes. —  Send us your feedback Support the show

Our team revealed that the man who broke into the Telegram accounts of federal prosecutors working in Operation Car Wash also tried to hack his way into obtaining personal data from Alexandre de Moraes, head of Brazil's electoral court. Read show notes. —  Send us your feedback Support the show

Brazil's House and Senate choose their new leaders today. But don't expect the levels of drama of the election in the U.S. House of Representatives, where 15 rounds of voting were necessary for Kevin McCarthy to win the speakership.  Read show notes. —  Send us your feedback Support the show

The Brazilian government has called the humanitarian catastrophe in the northern Yanomami indigenous land a "genocide." Read show notes. Send us your feedback Support the show

The Chinese economy has posted one of its worst economic performances in 50 years. Meanwhile, its population has shrunk for the first time since the Great Leap Forward. For Brazil, which depends on sales to China, that doesn't bode well in the long term. Read show notes. —  Send us your feedback Support the show

So much for a "honeymoon period." One week into his term, Lula, Brazil's new president, has to deal with a massive national security threat and a full-blown attack on democracy and its symbols. Read show notes. —  Send us your feedback Support the show

During his inaugural speech, Lula painted a scorched-earth picture of the government he takes over from, repeatedly using words such as destruction, disorganization, dilapidation, and ruin to describe the legacy he inherits. Read show notes. —  Send us your feedback Support the show

Pelé — the greatest player in the history of football — was admitted to hospital last week. We remember how he became the "King" of the world's most popular sport. Read show notes. —  Send us your feedback Support the show