Discussed:

* From Sheffield to covering the Sandinistas.

* The failures of the far left against Latin America’s military dictatorships.

* “Running to stand still.”

* Fernando Henrique Cardoso and the Plano Real.

* Socialist idealism meets capitalist pragmatism.

* Brazil’s victims and beneficiaries of circumstance.

* A look into Lula’s psychology.

* No time for the ideological left.

* What BRICS means for Brazil.

* Lula’s relationship with Trump.

* The collapse of Brazil’s unionized working class.

* PT’s shift to a lobby for pensioners and the public sector.

* No time for the Lava Jato rabbit hole.

* Was Lula the only candidate who could have beaten Bolsonaro in 2022?

* Lula’s chances of winning amidst high(ish) rejection rates.

* The current state of Brazil’s economy.

* And much more!

Richard’s latest book, ‘‘Lula! The Man, The Myth and a Dream of Latin America’’ is available here. We also recommend checking out his other title, ‘Beef, Bible and Bullets: Brazil in the Age of Bolsonaro’, which you can find here.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit podgecaste.substack.com

Discussed:

* A (very belated) recap on the Trump and Lula showdown.

* Flávio Bolsonaro goes to Washington.

* “It’s terror, but not that kind of terror.”

* Lula’s case for national sovereignty.

* Getting in the mind of the Uber driver voter.

* Will Flávio achieve his father’s dream of nationalizing the crime debate?

* Ciro Gomes: Brazilian Batman.

* A soundbite, a screenplay, and a scandal.

* A reading of Dark Horse: coming soon (?)

* Flávio’s polling fallout isn’t nearly as bad as it seems.

* “We have decided not grant you a third way. Please try again in four years.”

* Renan Santos vs “I dunno”. Who will win?

* The dichotomy of Lula’s third (and maybe fourth) term.

* The trepidations of treason.

* And much more!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit podgecaste.substack.com

Discussed:

* Big Brother Brasil has a winner.

* Will Flávio’s bad tweets get him disqualified from the race?

* Glenn Greenwald’s takes on the Supreme Court.

* Romeu Zema becomes the muppets latest showrunner.

* The impossible politics of pardons Jan 8 and attempted coup plot.

* The Path to the Planalto #01 - read it now.

* How Bolsonaro lost the 2022 election.

* Lula’s 45% trap becomes a safe haven.

* The curse of viralatismo for right-wing politicians in Brazil.

* “Lula in 2022 was closer to Trump in 2016 than Bolsonaro in 2018.”

* The misread of imposing American polarization onto Brazil.

* Does Flávio have a Trump card in 2026?

* And much more!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit podgecaste.substack.com

Discussed:

* It’s Brazilian election boy summer!

* Lula’s looksmaxxing must be stopped.

* “Why are you running, bro?”

* Geraldo Alckmin returns for Lula’s Veep Season 4.

* Move over saudades. Sapatênis is the new untranslatable word.

* Disinformation is just bad politics for the right.

* A long LARP as Flávio Bolsonaro on the debate stage.

* “Please sir, I just need one more go around the merry-go-round.”

* Hunger is going, going, gone, back, and gone again.

* Lula-EU vs. Flávio-Trump. Which way Centrist Dad voter?

* Brazil’s Grumbleocracy gives little chance to a Bukele, or even a Milei.

* Were the 2016 protests a CIA color revolution?

* “To interfere, or not to interfere. That is the question.”

* Brazilian politicians as the cast of Arrested Development.

* And much more!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit podgecaste.substack.com

Discussed:

* Note to self: never get distracted by Iran.

* A quick phone-in from an expert on the history and geography — which is an island, in case you didn’t know.

* Latin American despots were looksmaxxing before it was cool.

* “If they do anything to Cuba, I’m gonna be really, really mad.”

* Is Flávio Bolsonaro a low-energy candidate?

* What we’re seeing in the polls is a consolidation. Nothing more; nothing less.

* Lula is polling better than some of us would like to think.

* Deep State vs. Deep State Lite.

* How The Big Short has poisoned an entire generation of analysts.

* Some thoughts on VP Geraldo Alckmin.

* Will Mario win Lula the youth vote?

* And much more!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit podgecaste.substack.com

In attempt our to not talk about the events of the past 48 hours, we couldn’t help ourselves by starting a carefully thought out episode on the Brazilian election by discussing that which should not be named. Anyway, here’s our deeply uninformed take on the most complex geopolitical issue of our time. Link to video we mention in the episode.

This snippet was taken from the recording of our main episode, which will be dropping in the coming days. To hear that, and our other takes on politics, predictions, and Brazil, make sure you’re subscribed to podgecaste.substack.com.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit podgecaste.substack.com

Discussed:

* Jack’s latest article, Like Our Parents (Como Nossos Pais). Read it now.

* Will Gen Z shift towards Flávio in 2026?

* University or Multi-Level Marketing. The choice is yours.

* Thoughts on Lula’s tribute at Sapucaí.

* ‘Carnaval’s just like football, innit.”

* No one is safe from the North Korean news reader meme.

* Quaaaaaest - It’s Highly Addictive!

* “How weird! You’re weird!”

* A case for Tucker Carlson’s rhetorical style.

* Is Lula risking a Bidenification of his legacy?

* Find me the votes!

* Is anyone going to win over the independents in 2026?

* The Communist Party of Brazil vs. the Brazilian Communist Party. Hint: only one is communist.

* The Generals have been summoned to Lula’s Eastern Front.

* And much more!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit podgecaste.substack.com

Discussed:

* The Secret Agent, and other Oscar predictions.

* Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Greenland. It’s all a block of ice.

* A Ricky Gervais rant on actors and their political opinions.

* A lot of necessary legal throat clearing.

* The Brazilian Report’s Banco Master matrix.

* Is Brazil running the risk of constitutional crisis?

* A who’s who of the Brazilian deep state.

* So much that could have gone wrong, so far, hasn’t.

* Big Brazilian Government ain’t goin’ nowhere.

* Words from the wise on how Flávio Bolsonaro should run his campaign.

* What’s going on with the exchange rate?

* The storm clouds of informational warfare are brewing.

* And much more!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit podgecaste.substack.com

Discussed:

* Delcy Rodríguez is not a terrific person.

* Nissan Navara Media.

* Stop naming companies after random Latin words.

* One too many mentions of Glenn Greenwald.

* Bolsonaro heads to Papudinha.

* Smart TVs vs. Cable. The great legal battle of our time.

* Globo loses the linear narrative.

* January 6 is the only reason you hear about Bolsonaro.

* Operation Car Wash made for a better Italian soap opera.

* Google why Brazil doesn’t have trains, bro.

* Is corruption of the electoral bingo card in 2026?

* Why Flávio Bolsonaro won’t full Bukele on crime.

* You must harness the power of AI.

* The Passcode to the Planalto.

* And much more!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit podgecaste.substack.com

Discussed:

* Excuse the aircon sounds. We’re in a heatwave, because, climate change, or something.

* Boots on the ground is boots on the ground, but it’s not those boots on the ground, so it doesn’t count.

* Glenn Greenwald, Rory Stewart, and Jeremy Corbyn join the podcast.

* It’s legal; it’s not legal; but who cares? We got him.

* The rules-based international order of paper shufflers.

* Is Brazil next?

* María Corina Machado can’t catch a break.

* Biden and the 2022 Brazilian election.

* Trump’s implications for Brazil in 2026.

* Is non-alignment a sustainable foreign policy outlook?

* And much more!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit podgecaste.substack.com