President #Bolsonaro and the state attorney-general requested the #SupremeCourt (#STF) to rule on the unconstitutionality of lockdown and curfew measures that cities and states are putting up again. A similar request, but directed to other states in March, was rejected by the STF, and this makes many believe they will reject this new one too. But, a lot of other people are expecting that the STF is going to rule against the measures this time because the request is better formulated—an observation made by a judge-minister—and also because Bolsonaro said a couple of weeks ago that he has a decree ready to be signed that would force a military action against any city or state administrator that puts a curfew or lockdown in action. #pandemic#covid#lockdown
#MarcoAurelio de Melo, one of the #SupremeCourt's (#STF) judge-ministers, expressed opposition to the Senate #pandemic commission hearing some governors due to accusations of federal money misuse. His opinion (which he isn't supposed to be giving) is based on the idea that the responsability to form commissions to investigate their administration is of the local houses. On the other side, the argument is that the local houses seem to be under total control of their administrators, either a governor or a mayor, and not a single commission to investigate any misuse of money was formed in any of the 27 states or in any of the 5,000 plus cities across the country. #covid
The #SupremeCourt (#STF) voted 7-4 to deny the federal police the request to investigate the STF Judge-Minister and President Dias #Toffoli for receiving 4 million reals to help politicians in election processes while he was the president of the #SupremeElectoralCourt (#STE). No one is surprised by this decision.
The #Bolsonaro administration is trying to pass a bill that forces fuel taxes to be shown separately on the consumers' receipt, and not just that, but also which entity is charging that amount, if it is the distributor, the gov't, or the state. The bill has been facing difficulty to go for a vote due to pressure from governors (the #SupremeCourt (#STF) has also been making it difficult) since they are charging their taxes on top of the final price and based on the final price, which is considered unconstitutional.
It is believed President #Bolsonaro's last motorcycle rally in #RiodeJaneiro reached 2.6 miles in length.
The president of the #Senate commission to investigate money misuse during the #pandemic, Senator #OmarAziz, presented a bill that would give doctors 3 years of jail time if they ever prescribed any medicine for #COVID except the vaccine. President #Bolsonaro decided to make it public on his social media, and the backlash was so intense that Aziz requested its permanent dismissal just 30 minutes later.
The governor of #SaoPaulo, João #Doria, decided to extent the business reopening transition from May 31st to June 14th, and in some cities, even essential businesses, like, pharmacies and supermarkets, are closed. #RibeiraoPreto is one of these cities. Just a reminder, cities in the State of São Paulo, the City of São Paulo mainly, allowed the public transportation, buses and trains, to operate at a lower capacity and thus crowded for over a year. #pandemic#covid
A movement that seeks to sue the City of #SaoPaulo for keeping schools closed, called 'Portas Abertas' ('Open Doors'), has encouraged a broader demand for other mayors and for governors to be called into accountability for not letting cities open their schools. The argument for this is that there are studies worldwide suggesting that opening schools, even if partially, does not represent a considerable risk, especially the earlier education. They claim that businesses that do not have the same kind of comprehensive study and that serve others than children were allowed to open. 10 out of the 27 states (one is not a state, but a federal district, #DistritoFederal, just like #Washington DC) have partially opened schools, but Open Doors claims this opening is too restrictive to be considered adequate. For instance, they are letting children of health workers and children in serious circumstances (for instance, homeless or abused) to attend it. In #Brazil, there is this Law of Accountability, which was the one on which ex-President #Dilma's impeachment was based. Among the reasons for a public administrator to break this law is abuse of power, and keeping schools closed when there has been neither consensus for that nor a single standard being applied can be considered abuse of power. #covid#pandemic#lockdown
The #Congress probe into #COVID-related actions approved the hearing of 9 governors; from #Amapa, #Amazon, #DistritoFederal, #Para, #Piaui, #Rondonia, #Roraima, #SantaCatarina, and #Tocantins. #WilsonWitzel, the impeached ex-governor of #RiodeJaneiro, will be heard too. Other people are going to be heard as well. The governor of Piaui is a member of a consortium composed by some Northeastern states, and there is a separate probe into this consortium. Some representatives wanted mayors to be heard, but none was included. #pandemic
The #Bolsonaro administration is following the steps of #Florida Governor #DeSantis and has already prepared a bill that prohibits social media platforms from removing accounts and posts solely based on their terms of use. The bill was written by a team in the Ministry (Department) of Culture, and a subsecretary called National Secretary of Copyrights and Intellectual Property would be in charge of its effectiveness. If it's signed, social media platforms can receive from a warning up to a fine of up to 10% of the company's revenue in Brazil in the year prior to the offense. #socialmedia#censorship#bigtech
Ex-president #FernandoHenriqueCardoso (#FHC) had lunch with Ex-president #Lula at Ex-#SupremeCourt (#STF) judge-minister #NelsonJobim's home to make political peace with Lula. FHC was president two times in the 90's and until early 2000's, and his administration was responsible for the creation of Brazil's current money, the real. He and Lula were, back then, the biggest representations of the right and the left, respectively, with their parties fiercily opposing each other. Just a couple of years ago FHC was recorded on video saying, “I HEARD DURING 13 YEARS SOMEONE [Lula] SAY, 'NEVER BEFORE [IN THIS COUNTRY SUCH A GOOD THING WAS DONE/HAPPENED]. ACTUALLY, NEVER BEFORE THERE WAS SO MUCH ROBBERY. [...] BRAZIL IS BROKEN! BRAZIL WAS BROKEN BY PT [Workers Party], IT WAS BROKEN BY THE LULOPETISM, AND THIS CURRENT CRISIS, AS GOVERNOR #ALCKMIN PUTS IT, 'WILL HAVE A HIGH COST ON BRAZILIANS.' [...] IN THE US, I WAS RECENTLY PAID A HOMAGE, AND THEY SAID I LOST POPULARITY. POPULARITY WE LOSE AND WE REGAIN. WHAT I NEVER LOST WAS MY CREDIBILITY.” Many political analysts are struggling to see the strategy behind FHC's support for Lula. He basically threw himself and his party under the bus, since his party was trying to picture itself as a third, a moderate alternative. They have not convincing too many, but some PSDB politicians have been doing a reasonable job, meaning people's perspective on them was not getting bad at a high rate, so we thought they were trying to keep the rate slower until it stopped and then get back to go up. What could be going on there?
Does FHC and the PSDB has a heck of a card under their sleeve that's beyond any political analyst can guess? Is it desperation? Is it FHC saying “effe the world” and coming out (before he dies) as the leftist he always was inside? Is it some kind of pressure beyond the party's power to control?
The decision of the #SupremeCourt (#STF) whether the federal police will be allowed to investigate the STF's president #Toffoli for being accused of receiving millions in bribery to help candidates in electoral complication when he was the president of the #SupremeElectionCourt (#STE) will come out on Friday. There is a lot of doubt this permission will be granted, since an eventual arrest of such a high profile judge (if he ever steps a foot in jail, which is already a far-fetched scene in Brazil) could result in a chain reaction and could affect other judge-ministers, some suggest.
The ex-minister of health Eduardo #Pazuello, who is a military, attended the motorcycle rally organized by President #Bolsonaro and now some military and the opposition is asking for his punishment for the fact that he is an ative-duty general, and as such, he could not attend political events. If he is, he'll become a reserve. After he left the ministry, he got a job near the presidency so he could continue close to Bolsonaro. Him becoming a reserve, at least politically speaking, doesn't do him any bad, since he left the ministry with a good approval rate, a great relationship with the administration, no apparent rejection from most people regarding his performance while dealing with the #COVID crisis in #Manaus, and many others are trying to convince him to run for governor of his homestate #RiodeJaneiro.
President #Bolsonaro organized another motorcycle rally this last Sunday, this time in #RiodeJaneiro, and the number of riders is already, and by far, the largest of any motorcycle event ever hosted there. The fact that he is the president played a factor, obviously, but the massive attendance is one (more) evidence that he is not the “most unpopular president in history” the big old marxist mainstream media tries to sell 24/7. At the end of rally, #Bolsonaro spoke to the attendees.
The Federal Police foiled a school shooting from happening in #Brasilia. It was an American agency that informed the Brazilian police about a 19-year-old girl who was planning to commit #massshootings in several places. She has already confessed to the plan, but police has not released her name yet because they apparently have evidence that she is linked to some group.
Last week, President #Bolsonaro made a surprise helicopter landing on a public soccer field at a small city called #SenadorLaRocque in the State of #Maranhao, an allegedly leftist stronghold, as is known to be the Brazilian northeastern states, but the amount of people that gathered to express support contrasts with the unpopular image the big old mainstream media tries to sell 24/7, that is that he is the most unpopular president in history.
Journalist #OswaldoEstaquio, arrested twiced by the #SupremeCourt (#STF) and left paralyzed from waist down on the second time, when then reports said he had suffered an accident at hospital, spoke last week to the police about the event and made some revelations. He said that when he got to the detention center in December 18th last year, a police officer called him 'animal' because he was refusing to eat in protest for how he was being treated—he was accused, judged, and arrested by order of one judge-minister of the STF, #AlexandredeMoraes, which is considered unconstitutional. Not even a formal police report De Moraes made. Estáquio insulted the officer back the same way. The prison guard, in retaliation, told the other prisoners that, because of Eustáquio's misbehavior, they would not have their sunbath time and he was going to be punished. He was taken to the solitary, where, on the way, a police officer was telling him what to say and how to respond to an officer. At some point, he was slapped on his face, and at the end of the hall to the solitary, he was hit with a baton. Swearing and beating followed, and they demanded he called himself 'animal.' At some moment, “ONE OF THEM DID AN ARM WRENCH ON ME, THEN ANOTHER OFFICER GOT AHOLD OF MY OTHER ARM. A THIRD OFFICER CAME TOWARDS ME WITH A BATON AND STARTED TO CHOKE ME WITH IT. I FELT PAIN EVERYWHERE AND I RAN OUT OF BREATH. I WOKE UP SHIRTLESS AND WITH MANY BRUISES.” On the 21st he was quickly taken to hospital. A foresinc exam was not performed. One congresswoman, #BiaKicis, today chair of the Constitution Commission in the Congress, went there to give support to his wife (who had already been part of the Ministry of Human Rights' staff) and to help her have access to him, but police barely let her. Eustáquio is in home arrest for being paralyzed. Only a very small part of his interview was released, where he doesn't name any of the officers or give any details about how he got paralyzed.
On International Day of Families, President #Bolsonaro received tens of thousands of supporters in front of the Planalto Palace. People going by themselves and them wearing the Brazilian colors and waving the Brazilian flag were in a stark contrast to when ex-president #Lula gathered people there, wearing red and waving red flags, and many of them being paid and fed, and given a ride in order to attend it.
#SaoPaulo Mayor #BrunoCovas died today. He was in the ICU and the hospital had released a statement a couple of days ago saying his condition was irreversible. He had adenocarcinoma. Covas started having problems in 2019, but was able to keep working during his treatment. He was much criticized for his opposition to President #Bolsonaro, for his strong lockdown measures, and also for not obeying his own orders. #covid#pandemic
According to the opinion poll #Datafolha, the infamous Marxist and ex-president #Lula, whose charges of corruption were nullified by the #SupremeCourt (#STF) recently, wins over #Bolsonaro in the first round and with a good margin. This is the same push #Biden got by a large part of the media and of opinion polls. If Bolsonaro doesn't get paper trail to be approved and added to the voting machines to avoid election fraud, nobody will be able to prove the contrary if Lula's elected (because it's inconceivable that he wins if the Bolsonaro administration keeps going as it's been).
The Ministry (Department) of Economy, whose minister is #PauloGuedes, was able to get passed a law that will help companies save thousands of reals a year with newspapers. Until then, companies listed in the stock market were forced to pay the printing press to publish their annual balance. With the internet, social media, and cell phones, there's no need for this. The printing press should lose 150 million reals per year, but some kinds of companies still have to pay for that. The gov't will try to extend this change to all companies.
The #SupremeCourt (#STF) voted 8-3 to limit in 20 years the time for medical patents to expire, and this is not for new patents only, but any patent that has already exceeded 20 years. Some say this could be a bad move as it could drive labs away or keep labs from being installed in Brazil. In the #UnitedStates, it's 20 years.
A consortium composed of 9 governors from the Northeast of Brazil ordered nearly 49 million reals in ventilators from a company called #HempcarePharma (specialized in selling products related to the cannabis). The ventilators were never delivered and some people have already been arrested, including the owner, #CristianaPrestes, and her business partner, #LuizHenriqueRamos, but they were released after being heard by the police. She said they'd bring the ventilators from #China but noticed there was some issue with them only later. They then offered Brazilian-made ventilators instead and for a cheaper price, primising to deliver 480 units instead of 300. Problem is, the Brazilian ones were never approved by the regularoty agency (#Anvisa). #BrunoDauster, then secretary of the house staff in #Bahia, tried to solve the problem by convincing Prestes to increase the value of the contract in 52%, to which she refused, saying she didn't want to “RAPE THE STATE.” Prestes said she was surprised to receive all the money up front and so quickly (not common in this kind of contract in #Brazil), two days after the contract was signed. Also, Prestes was surprised when she received an order from a judge in #Araraquara, State of #SaoPaulo, to sign a donation document, since the mayor, #EdinhoSilva, informed he had ordered 30 ventilators and had not received any, and that they'd be paid by the consortium. #CarlosGarbas was assigned executive secretary of the consortium and was the person behind all the negotiations and contacts. Garbas has been involved in several corrupt cases, and his ascension to power came while he was ex-President #Dilma's driver, when he got a temporary employement in government as a senator's assistant making a lot more money. From then on, he kept moving up and growing in influence, became minister more than once. It's Garbas who made this deal with Araraquaras' mayor, which Prestes was not aware of. In other words, this #COVID committee, if going in the right direction, will reveal and clarify a myriad of intricate corruption like this one case seems to be.
During the police operation in #Jacarezinho Favela which resulted in one police officer and 27 criminals dead (and some others injured, including citizens) police found documents about the operation, suggesting someone in the department is leaking information.
The #PCC (Capital's First Command, one of Brazil's criminal organizations) is accused of laundering money diverted from the #pandemic help sent to #RiodeJaneiro.
#Twitter was not allowing a video to play where it shows the ex-president of the Senate and now president of a suspicious committee to investigate irregularities committed during the #pandemic#RenanCalheiros (one the perfect stereotypes of the “successful” Brazilian corrupt) throwing a tantrum when a senator suggests that they invite the federal police director to attend and help with the committee. #covid
Ex-president Fernando Henrique Cardoso, commonly referred to by Brazilians as #FHC, said in a recent interview about ex-president #Lula running in 2022 “MAKE DO WITH WHAT YOU HAVE” (or literally, “IF YOU CAN'T HUNT WITH A DOG, HUNT WITH A CAT), only confirming (once more) that he and his party, the #PSDB, differs nothing from the infamous leftwing #PT, except in the manners, being more diplomatic and keeping a profile low when it comes to pushing their Marxist agenda. #marxism
During President #Bolsonaro's daily stop to talk to supporters last week, a woman said “IN #FOZDOIGUACU, THEY ARE ALREADY TALKING ABOUT LOCKING PEOPLE DOWN AGAIN,” to which he replied “I ALREADY SENT THE MESSAGE I WANTED TO. FROM NOW ON, I'M GOING TO TAKE ACTION.” What he means by this is that he will take action against any mayor or governor that imposes a lockdown from now on, since, under the current circumstances, it's nearly unanimously considered to be unconstitutional.
The #SupremeCourt (#STF) Judge-Minister #Barroso, who said “WE DON'T FIX WHAT'S NOT BROKEN” referring to the wish of #conservatives and President #Bolsonaro to add paper trail to the voting machines, has started a campaign to push back in the hopes of getting enough votes in #Congress to block this change. He already posted three videos on YouTube. Among many things, he says “[THIS CAMPAIGN] IS ABOUT THE SECURITY, THE TRANSPARENCY, AND THE POSSIBILITY OF AUDIT OF THE BRAZILIAN PROCESS,” and also “IN THE VOTING MACHINES AND IN THE BRAZILIAN PROCESS YOU CAN TRUST.” The proposed system will allow the machine to print the vote so the voter can see it, but the voter won't be able to touch it; they will see it through a glass window. If the number and name on the paper is correct, the voter confirms it and the machine deposits the paper into a ballot box. It's two ways of auditing against one; but Barroso, who has been having a shameful role in the STF, is all in for pushing back on this change. The first video of the justice Barroso got 10,000 views and 95% dislikes, his second one got 38,000 views and 94% dislikes, and his third and latest one got 44,000 views and 89% dislike (as of May 15th). The comments are overwhelmingly negative and hostile to Barroso and the STF, showing how infamous and unpopular the Supreme Court is to the eyes of Brazilians. Unfortunately, even if #Congress approves the paper trail, the STF has the authority to block it, and the chances of them blocking it is high.
President #Bolsonaro attended the opening of a 1-mile bridge connecting the State of #Acre to #Rondonia. The construction had been planned to start 6 years ago, but it was impeded by the strong lobby of ferryboat owners who was making about 100,000 reals a day by charging to transport vehicles, cargo, and people from one side to the other.
The civil and military police of #RiodeJaneiro made a surprise raid in the Favela of #Jacarezinho with the purpose of arresting some criminals involved in recruiting underage youngsters to work with drug dealing. During the raid, criminals quickly responded with heavy fire and fatally hit one officer in the head. Shots coming from criminals hit passengers inside a city train. 25 criminals were killed during the operation. The police used helicopters, which had been restrict by the #SupremeCourt (#STF) to fly any closer than 1.25 miles from a school or hospital, greatly diminishing the effectiveness of operations by giving criminals a hint of which areas they can use for cover from an air patrol or an air chase.
#SergioMoro gave up running for president in 2022. #Moro became notorious for leading the #LavaJato (#CarWash) operation, the biggest anticorruption operation #Brazil has ever seen. He was assigned minister of justice by President #Bolsonaro but later fell into disgrace. The amount of loss of reputation and importance he reached is remarkable.
President #Bolsonaro attended a motorcycle ride on #MothersDay.
He rode along with hundreds of others in the streets of #Brasilia. This city is known to host the third largest motorcycle event in the world, #BrasiliaCapitalMotoWeek, which lasts 10 days and happens toward the end of July to coincide with National Motorcyclist Day on July 27th (World Motorcycle Day is on June 21st). Bolsonaro is used to riding a motorcycle a couple of times a month, and one or another person would approach him and express their wish to have the chance to ride along. Bolsonaro then decided to plan this last Sunday's ride. #capitalmotoweek
#RiodeJaneiro Mayor #EduardoPaes was caught disobeying his own city's pandemic restrictions. He was filmed singing in a bar called #ArmazemSenado, the place was crowded inside, no social distancing, and very few people is seen wearing a mask including him.
During this morning's stop to talk to supporters, President #Bolsonaro said, “LOOK, BRAZIL IS AT ITS LIMIT. PEOPLE SAY I SHOULD DO SOMETHING. I AM WAITING FOR THE PEOPLE TO GIVE ME A SIGN, BECAUSE HUNGER, MISERY, JOBLESSNESS; IT'S THERE FOR ANYONE TO SEE.”
Business people, employees, and some of the population of the City of #Muriae, #MinasGerais, joined forces and drove away police officers and health inspectors that were checking if businesses were complying with the city's and state's lockdown measures.
The export of some commodities to #China has shown continued increase since #Bolsonaro took office, and the number of businesses opened in 2020 is 6% higher compared to the same period of 2019.
At least two of the biggest old mainstream news media reported the news that #China recognizes their vaccine has low efficacy as, “CHINA CONSIDERS MIXING VACCINES (or STUDIES WAYS) TO IMPROVE EFFICACY.” #COVID
New photos and videos shared online are going viral for showing buses and trains in #SaoPaulo continuing to operate at lower capacity, resulting in large agglomerations and the impossibility of social distancing.
A law bill proposing that remote meetings by congresspeople be permanent was presented. The argument is that it will help the government save a lot of money with facilities, services, food, supplies, and with commuting.
A law bill proposing a “passport” that identifies who has #COVID and who took the vaccination shot has been presented. Just as what has been proposed in other countries, the passport can be used as a requirement to buy products and to use services.
The ex-interim president of #Brazil, #MichelTemer, will work as a lobbyist for the Chinese company #Huawei during the 5G bidding.
As of two days ago, the government delivered 47 million vaccine shots and 26 million of them were given.
The Senate already have enough signatures to add mayors, governors, and #SupremeCourt judge-ministers into a nationwide investigation on the use of money to fight #COVID. Some governors want to restrict the investigation at the federal level; want it to investigate how federal money was used, but not state and city money.
During #Bolsonaro's morning stop to talk to supporters he said the rest of the audio of the phone call recorded by Senator #Kajuru should be released. “I SAID MORE THINGS IN THAT CONVERSATION. EVERYTHING I SAID CAN BE RELEASED.” Kajuru said on #CNN that the president of #Pfizer went to the Palácio do Planalto (the president's office) to offer their vaccine, got there at 8am and waited until 6pm when he was told the president would receive him. Kajuru said that an ex-minister of the Ministry [Department] of Health witnessed this event. Bolsonaro tweeted it's a lie and asked Kajuru to name said minister. CNN asked Pfizer for comments and they were told this situation didn't happen. Kajuru's party announced it wants him out. Not because Kajuru seems to be lying about the president and the government, but because his plan doesn't seem to be working. One of the president's son, #FlavioBolsonaro, who's also a senator, sent a request to the Senate Ethics Council accusing Kajuru of unconstitutional behavior for recording and releasing a phone call with the president while both were in office without Bolsonaro's permission.
The #SupremeCourt (#STF) judge-minister that was appointed by President #Bolsonaro last year, #KassioNunes, was chosen to be the one to decide whether the request for the impeachment of Judge-minister #AlexandredeMoraes will be taken to a vote in the Senate, but the president of the Senate, #RodrigoPacheco, doesn't seem willing to allow the vote to happen. He argued, “WE WON'T ALLOW THAT THE SENATE ACT AS AN AVENGER AGAINST THE #SUPREMECOURT [#STF].”
An 88-year-old Brazilian actor called #StenioGarcia took the two shots of the Chinese vaccine #Sinovac (under the research name #Coronavac) and tested positive for #COVID, calling the attention again to the long-reported low efficacy of this one vaccine. The test result said he didn't even develop any antibody. The Brazilian organization behind the import of Sinovac, #Butanta (Butantã), is pushing for a third vaccination.
#Niteroi's mayor imposed restrictions on what can be bought at supermarkets and grocery stores. According to him, only “essential” items can be sold from this Monday on. #RiodeJaneiro
A senator called #JorgeKajuru leaked a six-minute phone conversation he recorded between him and President #Bolsonaro discussing the request to open an investigation on the government's actions in relation to the #pandemic. In the audio, Bolsonaro tells #Kajuru, the main author of the investigation request, that, as is, the investigation will leave mayors and governors and #SupremeCourt (#STF) judges out of it, rendering an unfair and incomplete investigation. Kajuru asks the president to be more considerate of him because he is on his side. Bolsonaro says he believes in his good intention, but reinforces that he signed an investigation that aimed at questioning the government only and that no good intention could make up for this fact. He asks Kajuru to show his good intention by adding mayors and governors and Supreme Court judges into the request, since all of them took decisions of their own regarding the #pandemic, to which Kajuru fails to give a positive and confident answer. The request clearly asks “TO INVESTIGATE THE ACTIONS AND OMISSIONS OF THE FEDERAL GOV'T.” In a part where it says “JUSTIFICATION [FOR THE RESQUEST],” it starts with, “THE FEDERAL GOV'T HAS, SYSTEMICALLY, VIOLATED BASIC AND FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS OF THE BRAZILIAN POPULATION WHEN IT COMES TO LIFE AND HEALTH.” The reason he gave for the leak is that people was bothering him by saying he was having private conversations with the president, so he wanted to show he had nothing to hide. Problem is, #Globo, the biggest public television in #Brazil and also an openly antiBolsonaro organization, covered the leak in their Sunday night's show #Fantastico e Kajuru showed approval and reposted it on Twitter account. The fuel for animosity towards Bolsonaro had been low recently, and this leak was the fuel the opposition needed to raise hell again and boost their call for Bolsonaro's impeachment, alleging he was trying to interfere with the powers, trying to collude with a senator to go after the opposition. Further evidence Kajuru recorded and leaked the call with bad intention is a tweet where he says, “KASSIO, WE KNOW YOUR PRICE!!!” #KassioNunes is a conservative judge-minister appointed by Bolsonaro. Nunes signaled he would vote against the investigation if mayors and governors and judge-ministers weren't added to it. #COVID
The #Bolsonaro administration got a much higher value in investment from the ports' and airports' concessions bidding than they expected, making the left go nuts after months insinuating the government was a disaster and the world was afraid of investing in #Brazil. This also shows that many foreign investors are not that naive to rely only on what the mainstream media reports.
Despite the fact it is known the #vaccine is no longer any guarantee of protection, that you should take further unknown number of shots, that it has caused adverse effects in dozens of thousands of people—some hundreds died—that they modify humans cells in an irreversible way that's still not known, and that health people and children don't need them, Minister of Economy #PauloGuedes', recently appointed Minister of Health #MarceloQueiroga's, and President #Bolsonaro's recent announcements clearly imply that a mandatory vaccination could be coming, going against the strongest of Bolsonaro's stances regarding the vaccine; in his own words, “A MANDATORY VACCINATION, ONLY OVER MY DEAD BODY.” Some people say this is a strategy by the Bolsonaro administration to lower the opposition's awareness to some kind of strategy, while others say that the Bolsonaro ADM is simply being tricked into giving the opposition time to keep ruining the country's economy and disheartening his supporters. Every single day that goes by, more businesses than usual either close or are sold; big ones get bigger, and small ones disappear or are absorbed by the big ones; lands and properties are sold, and... Who knows to whom? Every single day that goes by, more people get poor, get discouraged, get jobless, and more children get less education.
After an important meeting this Wednesday with representants of the three branches of power (#Congress, #Senate, and #SupremeCourt [#STF]), of some ministers, and of some governors from the four regions of #Brazil, President #Bolsonaro announced the creation of a committee in the hopes that it will speed up a response to the demands coming from cities and states, and avoid later antagonisms by any of them, since any decision made by the committee is supposed to be backed by them all. The Ministry (Department) of Health will be entirely responsible for decisions regarding the use of preventive medicine. The president of the STF, #LuizFux, said he can't participate of the committee directly, but he guaranteed that the STF will work to avoid the committee's decisions to have to pass through lengthy judicial processes. The committee should meet once per week.
A judge in the city of #Franca, state of #SaoPaulo, issued an injunction where he says it is unconstitutional for a mayor or governor to order a #lockdown or a curfew (or both). He wrote, “[...] I NOTE THAT, AS OF NOW, THERE'S NO INFORMATION ABOUT A CALLING FOR A STATE OF DEFENSE OR OF EMERGENCY BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC, THE ONLY AUTHORITY WITH A SUCH POWER—AFTER CONSULTING THE REPUBLIC COUNCIL AND WITH THE APPROVAL OF THE #CONGRESS [...] IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE [...] #CONSTITUTION OF 1988.” This is the first rule of its kind and it might encourage other judges to take heart and follow suit. The fact that this city is located in São Paulo makes the injunction look even more important, since Governor #Doria has shown the strongest opposition to the #Bolsonaro administration and has used all his power to set SP as an example of antagonism in the hopes of destabilizing the gov't and encouraging other governors to do the same. Just last week, the mayor of #Aparecida, another city in SP that is highly dependent on tourism, gave a touching interview where he calls for food donations, says the unemployment rate is in 70%, and breaks down in front of the camera. #covid#pandemic
The president of the #SupremeCourt (#STF) said he accepts an invitation from #Bolsonaro to meet with him this week to discuss a national plan to fight the #pandemic. Although the Brazilian states are not as independent to take decisions on their own as are the American states, the STF ruled early on that the measures would be up to the states. The chairs of the #Congress and the #Senate, and some governors and mayors are also expected to attend this meeting. #COVID
During #Bolsonaro's daily morning stop to talk to supporters on his way to office, he said, “WHAT HAVE I BEEN SAYING? CHAOS IS COMING. HUNGER WILL TAKE PEOPLE OUT OF THEIR HOMES. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE PROBLEMS WE NEVER EXPECTED WE WOULD. SERIOUS SOCIAL PROBLEMS. [...] WHERE ARE WE GOING TO END UP? I WONDER IF THE GOV'T WILL HAVE TO TAKE SOME DECISION BEFORE THAT HAPPENS. IS THE POPULATION READY FOR SOME HARSH MEASURE FROM THE GOV'T REGARDING THIS ISSUE? WHAT DO I MEAN BY HARSH? TO GUARANTEE PEOPLE'S FREEDOM, TO GIVE BACK TO THE PEOPLE THEIR RIGHT TO WORK.”
The Prosecutors Office along with the State Fiscal Court signed a document asking for the temporary removal of President #Bolsonaro's power over decisions related to the fight against the #pandemic, and not only the president's, but also the ministers of health's, of state's, of economy's, and others the Fiscal Court views as to have contributed to the chaos caused by the pandemic. In the document, the Vice-President #HamiltonMourao is asked to occupy Bolsonaro's position. Everything about this document is absurd, and it shows, or confirms, something more important than the fact that the deep state is alive and kicking, which is the fact that the vice-president is not on Bolsonaro's side. #mourao
The conservative movement in Brazil has been building a self-damaging relationship with #CNN. #CNNBrasil started its operations during the conservative wave, and since then they have opted for showing little to no bias, but TBB believes this has been a tactic to gain popularity. It never made sense to us that CNN Brazil would have a very different approach to politics compared to CNN International and to CNN in the #UnitedStates, which are actively working against conservatives, against the right. Proof of this self-damaging relationship was recently shown in one of #LucianoHulk's tweet. Hulk is widely famous for his TV shows, has been a strong critic of the #Bolsonaro administration, and considers running for president in 2022. He wrote in his tweet, “BRAZIL WAS ALWAYS ADMIRED BY THE WORLD BECAUSE OF THE HAPPINESS OF ITS PEOPLE. TODAY WE ARE SCARING. HOW SAD! CNN AMERICA SEES US AS A THREAT, A COUNTRY GOING AGAINST PROGRESS WITH A GOV'T THAT HAS UNDERESTIMATED SCIENCE AND VACCINE.” If a Brazilian thinks CNN Brazil is reasonably unbiased, how trustful will any other CNN's opinion be for this person? #conservatives#liberals#fakenews#misinformation#disinformation
About 500 people marched in front of #RioGrandedoSul's gov't building in protest against the lockdown measures. #covid#pandemic
Due to the controversial nullification of former president #Lula's sentence, General Luiz Eduardo Rocha Paiva, member of the gov't's Amnesty Commission, wrote and published a letter on the Military Club's website condemning the action, but although the Armed Forces expressing their disapproval is welcome and help the people feel that they are paying attention and are sharing the same outrage—better late than never—, two parts of the text sound disheartening. In one he wrote, “THE #STF (#SupremeCourt) GAVE A FATAL BLOW TO THE BALANCE OF POWERS, ONE OF THE PILLARS OF THE DEMOCRATIC REGIME AND OF THE POLITICAL AND SOCIAL PEACE.” What does 'fatal blow' means here if the military hasn't done anything? Ok, he may be referring to the next one. There should be some action on the next one or the phrase 'fatal blow' will have meant nothing. In another part, in the very beginning, he wrote, “[JUDGE-]MINISTER FACHIN'S DECISION, FREEING LULA FROM HIS SENTENCE, WAS A SLAP ON THE FACE (FORGIVE ME THE EXPRESSION) OF THE BRAZILIAN NATION.” Yes, he apologized for using the expression bofetada, which is a synonym of tapa ('slap'), and which in no way sounds rude or too strong. It's worth remembering Judge-Minister #AlexandredeMoraes hurt the #Constitution badly twice between 2019 and last month, when he, also monocratically, accused, investigated, arrested, judged, and sentenced; first a journalist, and then a congressman. According to the Constitution, #Moraes could have been arrested by President #Bolsonaro, who chose not to.
The population of #AngradosReis, in #RiodeJaneiro, invaded City Hall. They are outraged by the mayor's decision to put a lockdown in place, after he ran in 2020 promising alignment with #Bolsonaro and no more strong restriction measures. A video shows people forcing their way in and one guard trying to keep them out. As they are entering they chant “WE WANT TO WORK!” Angra dos Reis does not have a high #COVID infection or death rate and the excuse the mayor gave was that the country is going through a hard time. #pandemic#lockdown
#JanainaPaschoal, coauthor of former president #DilmaRousseff's impeachment, believes the reason behind judge-minister #Fachin's decision to nullify #Lula's sentence is the fear that even more damning messages leaked from #LavaJato become public. If Fachin's intention was to halt the investigations on the illegal practices in the operation, this was still not fully accomplished as the Superior Justice Court (#STJ) is still willing to proceed with the investigation. #dilma#moro#dallagnol
The republican-like Congresswoman #BiaKicis was elected as president of the Constitution and Justice Commission in Congress. This is a big win for the #Bolsonaro administration. With her and a less partisan president in Congress, #Bolsonaro should see most of his projects at least go for a vote.
After the Department (Ministry) of Culture announced that it will no longer approve money for events that can't happen under a regular planning schedule for any reason, like lockdown or renovation, the Brazilian Lawyers Association (#OAB) issued a letter criticizing the decision, claiming it to contribute for the destruction of culture. Secretary (Minister) #MarioFrias tweeted, “I HAVE A QUESTION: IS OAB DEFENDING OUR CULTURE OR THE PERCENTAGE LAW FIRMS RECEIVE FOR EVERY SINGLE PROJECT THAT'S APPROVED UNDER THE ROUANET LAW?” Law firms receive 15% of the money. OAB has been criticized for it's open leftist political activism. Many people consider it a disgrace for the country, not only for the activism per se, but for the fact that lawyers can't work without their approval and without paying them, even though a lawyer is graduated. OAB seems to be a union disguised as an association, and as with the majority of unions you are forced to pay, they don't need to convince you that it's worth paying them.