Explaining Brazil

For decades, political elites and the military have tried to sweep Brazil's recent authoritarian past under the rug. It was a time in which kidnappings, torture, and rape became state policy. Now, Brazil's ultra-right wing is trying to rewrite history. Read show notes. — 

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After five years, Operation Car Wash's gravitational center has shifted from Curitiba to Rio, where investigators have opened up a sordid bottomless pit of corruption in that state. How will the anti-corruption probe look like moving forward? Read show notes. — 

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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. — 

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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. — 

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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/

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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. — 

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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 anything but smooth. Read show notes. — 

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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. — 

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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 defended these militias. And yes, including President Jair Bolsonaro. Read show notes. — 

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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. — 

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