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
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
#RibeiraoPreto's justice ruled that the statewide #lockdown imposed by #SaoPaulo Governor #JoaoDoria is unconstitutional, saying that it can only be imposed by the president and with the approval of the #Congress. Although lockdowns and curfews imposed by mayors' and governors' decrees are unequivocally unconstitutional, and this fact has been exhaustively exposed on the media ever since the first ones were put in place, Ribeirão Preto is the first Brazilian city to effectively do something to uphold the Constitution. This is a remarkable event, especially considering it's a city . #covid#pandemic
#Criciuma's Mayor #ClesioSalvaro, State of #SantaCatarina, signed a #lockdown bill that, in his words, “HAS A CATCH: [HOMEY WITH NO MONEY; this was us trying to rhyme. He actually said, lockdown without income]. YOU DON'T WANT TO COME TO WORK? FINE. YOU WANT TO PROTECT YOURSELF? GREAT. YOU'LL BE ALLOWED TO STAY AT HOME, BUT YOU WON'T RECEIVE YOUR SALARY.” He also said, “EVERY JOB IS ESSENTIAL.” #pandemic#covid
A study done with more than 500 people in #Amazon shows that patients in serious conditions that took
The news show #OsPingosNosIs often brings on air mayors of cities that haven't gone on a #lockdown and are doing well, with low #COVID cases, and mayors from cities that are being devastated economically, and last night they brought on air #AparecidadoNorte's Mayor #LuizCarlosdeSiqueira, city located in the State of #SaoPaulo. Aparecida means shown up, or Shown Up in the North, referring to when fishermen found an statue of the Virgin Mary. The interview was heartbreaking. The city is highly dependent on tourism. People from across the country, especially Catholics, go there to pay their homage to the Virgin Mary and to shop related products. The city has a high revenue on the weekends, but due to the imposed lockdown by Governor #JoaoDoria, the city lost most of its revenue and the unemployment rate is 70%. He has talked to people that are contemplating suicide and desperate business owners looking for alternative solutions. The mayor can't hold his tears and asks for food donations. Aparecida has a population of about 36 thousand. #pandemic
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.
In #SaoPaulo there is this area were many crack addicts get together to use this and other drugs. It's a skid row, it's called #Cracolandia ('Crackoland'). Despite all the governor's and mayor's virtual signaling, nothing's been done there to prevent agglomeration. You see no police officers dispersing or arresting people there; no social workers, no volunteer doctors and nurses,... #covid#doria
The #SupremeCourt (#STF) already got the majority of the judge-ministers to agree on renewing the power of the states to decide over their health measures regardless of the gov't recommendations. Only one judge-minister hasn't declared his side yet, #KassioNunes, appointed by #Bolsonaro. The president was hopeful that the STF would not renew the states' autonomy. #pandemic
A city called #Guaraciaba, #SantaCatarina, is considering mandating #COVID infected (or suspected) people to wear a wrist band so they can be easily identified and kept from crowding places. If this idea goes ahead, citizens will also be encouraged to inform on people who go out without their wrist band.
The State of #RioGrandedoSul entered phase black until the 21st, and during this time only essential products can be sold on supermarkets. Some widely circulated photos show a supermarket with carts and barricade tapes blocking certain aisles. #covid
#RiodeJaneiro's mayor #EduardoPaes is going for a new #lockdown, and now his order says that bars and restaurants must be closed after 5pm. The association of this kind of business predicts 1 thousand people will be losing their jobs for every week they are closed.
“ESSENTIAL SERVICE IS ANY ONE THAT'S NEEDED FOR THE BREADWINNER OF THE FAMILY TO PUT FOOD ON THE TABLE!” President #Bolsonaro on #Twitter.
The Dept (Ministry) of Education sent a letter to universities saying that political manifestations by professors will result in notifications and can lead to punishments. In response, 25 regional attorneys offices sent a letter to the Citizen Rights' Attorneys Office asking it to reinforce and clarify the need to respect #freedomofexpression, even inside educational institutions and when expressed by faculty members.
The #COVID relief bill was approved by the #Senate, and if the spending doesn't surpass 44 billion reals, it won't be subjected to strict fiscal rules. On the other hand, the gov't was able to add new fiscal regulations for future general spending in this bill. Apparently, the strategy was, “here's 44 billion for you to make your party, as long as this is the last one.” Will it work?
Last year, #Bolsonaro's first reaction to the news of cities and states and companies forcing the vaccination was, “MANDATORY VACCINATION, ONLY OVER MY DEAD BODY!” Now, the gov't is buying a lot of vaccine doses, and it won't take longer until there are enough vaccines for the whole population. Will Bolsonaro still do anything to prevent people from being forced to take the vaccine? #covid
The Attorneys Office of the State of #Goias issued a letter saying that they are for the use of #hydroxychloroquine and #ivermectin for #COVID prevention. Attorneys Offices have been criticized for not expressing or taking too long to express their position regarding this and governors' and mayors' #abuseofpower by sending the police to arrest law-abiding citizens and to shut down businesses.
#SaoPaulo governor #Doria ordered 14 more days of lockdown. His #COVID Contingency Center secretary said that it should be “at least” that number. São Paulo's secretary of health, on the other hand, is not in agreement with Dória's decision and said, “WITH THE LOCKDOWN, PEOPLE WILL DIE OF HUNGER.” In #Bahia, the governor extended the lockdown (and curfew) till April 1st. Regarding to new and to the extending of lockdowns and curfews, #Bolsonaro said, “IF I HAVE THE POWER TO DECIDE, I HAVE MY OWN PLAN AND IT'S READY TO BE PUT IN PLACE, BUT I NEED TO HAVE THIS AUTHORITY. [...] IF THE #SUPREMECOURT (#STF) UNDERSTANDS THAT THE MANAGEMENT OF THIS CAN FALL INTO THE GOV'T'S HANDS, [...] I AM READY TO PUT MY PLAN IN PLACE.” Curiously (and tragically), São Paulo is not increasing the quantity of buses, and train and subway cars in order to allow for proper social distancing.
#Brazil's GDP fell 4.1% during the #pandemic, being the most negative since 1996. The result, though, was better than what the #IPEA predicted (5%), #XPInvestments predicted (6%), the #OECD predicted (6%), and the #IMF predicted (9.1%). Compared to some other countries, Brazil did worse than the #UnitedStates (3.5%), for instance, but less worse than #Japan (4.8%), #Germany (5%), #France (8.2%), the #UnitedKingdom (9.9%), and #Spain (11%). Considering that Brazil has quite a precarious health system, that the #SupremeCourt (#STF) granted the states power to put health measures in place regardless of the gov't'l recommendations—thus leading many states and cities to go for lockdowns—and that many mayors and governors have been antagonizing the president by just doing to opposite in order to wear off #Bolsonaro's image, it did not do that bad. A poll by the media company #JovemPan asking who was the main responsible for this GDP fall—and got 35 thousand votes—shows that 96.8% believe it was mayors' and governors'. #covid#coronavirus
Leftist comedian #DaniloGentili wrote in a tweet, “I WOULD ONLY BELIEVE THIS COUNTRY CAN BE SAVED IF THE POPULATION GOT INTO THE CONGRESS RIGHT NOW AND PUNCHED EVERY CONGRESSPERSON THAT'S DISCUSSING [IN FAVOR OF] THE [SPEECH] IMMUNITY BILL.” Some congresspeople, seeing the chance to put the #SupremeCourt (#STF) on the wall due to its decision to arrest Congressperson #DanielSilveira for a #thoughtcrime, are demanding the STF orders Gentili's arrest. Judge-minister #AlexandredeMoraes, who alone decided for Silveira's arrest, asked the Attorney-General #AugustoAras (appointed by #Bolsonaro) for his word on this matter. Moraes might be trying to dilute his responsibility and raise animosity in Congress, since Aras' support for Gentili's arrest will please some groups in Congress and angry others, and if he goes against it, it will please and anger opposite sides.
A police commissioner who cooperated with the #LavaJato operation was processed and eventually punished when he denounced that some of the Lava Jato investigative tactics were illegal. This commissioner, #MarioFanton, accused the operation of illegally wiretapping and of covering another Lava Jato commissioner, ErikaMarena, who forged a testimony. Marena is one of the responsibles for ordering the illegal wiretappings. And, #DeltanDallagnol, impressed and excited with the popularity #LavaJato commissioners and prosecutors were having, started discussing opening a company to make money giving lectures. In one of the leaked messages he wrote, “LET'S ORGANIZE CONFERENCES AND EVENTS, OK? THIS IS A GOOD WAY TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR NETWORKING AND VISIBILITY.” [...] “BEFORE TAKING STEPS TO OPEN THIS COMPANY, WE SHOULD HAVE A BUSINESS PLAN AND A CLEAR VIEW OF EACH ONE'S EXPECTATIONS. FOR THE BUSINESS PLAN, WE SHOULD LOOK UP FOR THE LATEST EVENTS AND PRICES.” In another part, he explains that they'd better set up their company as an NGO institution and have a professional company organize the events and charge for the lectures, so they could receive the money in a different way, thus avoiding legal questionings and the negative repercussion with the public.
The mayor of the State of #SaoPaulo, #JoaoDoria, wants luxury cars seized by the police to be used as police cars. Some people have expressed disapproval for the idea of stopping selling luxury cars in auctions and start spending money on maintaining them as police cars. A regular luxury car, which, on average, has a lower mileage, is already very expensive to maintain, and there is also the higher expense to make any adaptations to the car, since it will be done on demand.
The mayor of #Florianopolis, #GeanLoureiro, decided to have spend some vacation time in #Cancun, and while he was there he decided to restart a #lockdown period, and that's when his trip became big news. After getting back, he apologized for the trip. He wrote he needed some vacation and he thought having online meetings would be enough to make up his physical absence. He said he couldn't get back sooner because he had to wait for a COVID test result in order to fly and because he had a hard time to reschedule his flight for sooner.
Despite the fact that the #pandemic resulted in a lot of businesses losing revenue or closing, thus cities and states seeing their tax revenue go down dangerously, these ones finished 2020 with 94% more money on average. The only explanation for this, so far, is the billions and billions in relief money they have received from the gov't. What could be behind this lack of expenses in such a time so many people are in need of material and financial support while they are, on average, generating less money in taxes? #corruption#covid
The 46th Independent Military Police Campaign of the State of #Bahia posted a photo of a bag with 5 long neck bottles of beer inside, saying it was seized from a citizen who was seen outside during the period of #curfew and taken to the police station. Many people expressed outrage, since Bahia has one of the highest (real) crime rates in Brazil and they found disgusting the fact that a highly trained police was proud enough of such an arrest to show it on Instagram.
The Medicine Regional Council of [the State of] #DistritoFederal (#CRM) published a one-page letter titled “PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT AGAINST THE #LOCKDOWN,” and the first paragraph starts with, “THE CRM-DF IS AGAINST THE LOCKDOWN AS AN EFFECTIVE MEASURE FOR THE CONTROL OF SARS-COV-2.” #covid
A video of a street vendor being approach by the military police and being put into the trunk of a police car Thursday night in #Bahia went viral. He was not supposed to be out at that time due to the #curfew. He said he lost the last bus and no more buses had come since then. At a certain moment, one of the officers forcibly approaches him and puts him in the trunk of the police vehicle while the vendor says, “DON'T HURT ME!” What's shocking about the video is that the officer's approach is nearly the same as if approaching a criminal, which very much makes you believe the guy is a criminal (if you didn't know the context). Another thing that worries is the fact that another officer, when he realizes there's someone recording it, approaches the person and says, “IF THIS GENTLEMAN IS BEING FILMED [BY YOU] YOU'RE GOING TO BE A WITNESS. COME ON [WITH US].” #covid#covid19#coronavirus#abuseofpower
The #Senate approved a bill that authorizes private companies to buy vaccines. It's now headed to the #Congress. If it passes, President #Bolsonaro may veto it because the bill removes the responsibility for side effects of the #vaccine from the makers and put it in the government. #covid#covid19#coronavirus
Keeping the annoying and uncalled-for habit of giving interviews nonstop, one of the judge-ministers of the #SupremeCourt (#STF), #EdsonFachin, listed the seven symptoms of a corrupt democracy during an interview for the leftist, liberal, progressive, #FolhadeSaoPaulo (#Folha). They are [with comments], “REMILITARIZATION OF A CIVIL GOVERNMENT” [the military regime was the most stable and orderly period #Brazil had ever experienced in a long time, failed by the 'positivist' mindset and old-anti-#communism combat tactics, while the “civil” government that started in 1988 never made the country any better, so this argument per se doesn't say much], “INTIMIDATION [BY CALLS TO SHUT DOWN THE OTHER POWERS—#CONGRESS, #SENATE, AND #STF” [there was never a direct call to shut them down, but to the possibility of them being shut down due to their unconstitutional behavior, and since #Bolsonaro was elected, no actual attempt has been made and no plan to do so has ever been exposed], “MINIMIZATION OF THE VALUE OF VOTING” [the judge-ministers have been reacting positively to making the voting process even more digital, like voting by phone, which makes it even more prone to fraud, while #Bolsonaro, his allies, and his supporters support the opposite, walking toward more auditability, even if it means partially using paper], “ATTACKS AGAINST THE FREEDOM OF THE PRESS” [it was the STF who censored a news outlet back on 2019, who ordered the arrest of a journalist twice in 2019 and 2020, who ordered the conservative site #TercaLivre to be mass suspended on social media platforms in 2021, who ordered the arrest of a congressman for a thought crime and also demanded all his social media accounts to be suspended in 2021; no such restricting actions were ever taken by the President #Bolsonaro; the most he has done was to harshly criticize the big old media, call them corrupt, unfair, evil, disgraceful], “ENCOURAGEMENT OF THE SALES OF WEAPONS AND THUS OF VIOLENCE” [violence in Brazil increased after the gun ban in 2005, and since #Bolsonaro was elected and a few of his pro-guns decrees passed, along with other measures, violence has decreased; also, violence numbers in countries were fire weapons are allowed don't support the judge-minister's reasoning], “NORMALIZING ADMINISTRATIVE AGENTS' CORRUPTION” [one of his administration's hallmark is the nearly total elimination of corruption, at least at the highest level] and “REFUSAL TO ACCEPT ELECTION RESULTS” [the president never refused to accept the elections' results, but expressed that if the vote can't be audited, fraud is possible].
The tax over imported #fireweapons was going to be zero this year, but the judge-minister of the #SupremeCourt (#STF) #EdsonFachin issued an injunction order halting the decree. Another judge-minister commented that zeroing the tax and thus increasing the sales of fire weapons in #Brazil is a “RISK FOR THE STABILITY OF DEMOCRACY.” Once again, the STF ruling over things it shouldn't. #guns#gunsales#gunban#disarmament#selfdefense#fachin
During a speech and while he was talking about the stronger #lockdown measures imposed by some governors, President #Bolsonaro said, “THE RELIEF CHECK WILL BE COMING FOR A COUPLE MORE MONTHS. THE GOVERNOR THAT DESTROYS JOBS SHOULD PAY FOR THE RELIEF CHECK. [...] THOSE WHO CLOSE EVERYTHING AND DESTROY JOBS ARE GOING AGAINST THE WISH OF THEIR PEOPLE.” #covid#covid19#coronavirus
Leaked messages exchanged by #LavaJato Operation prosecutors show that they had illegal access to the President #Bolsonaro family's personal information, including fiscal, right after he was elected. They laugh in several moments. The data was accessed by the COAF ('Council for Financial Activities Control') and the MP ('Public Ministry' or 'Prosecution Office'). #RobertoLeonel was in control of the COAF back then, he was assigned by #SergioMoro, and the latter got very upset when COAF was taken out of the control of his ministry by President Bolsonaro. #Leonel is behind the leaks from COAF, and he is referred in one of the messages by one prosecutor as “HE IS 1000.” 'To be 1000' is an expression that means a person helped someone else greatly; it's like saying, “He was so helpful that saying he was 100% helpful is not enough. Maybe 1000%?” #carwash#deltandallagnol#moro
The city of #Buzios, in the State of #RiodeJaneiro, reached zero hospitalizations for #COVID. They bet strongly on prevention, not withholding themselves from making use of several medications that can possibly help avoid cases from getting too serious, like #ivermectin#hydroxychloroquine, vitamin D, zinc, etc. This example contrasts with other cities, where the number of too serious cases surpassed the number of hospital rooms. #covid19#coronavirus
Some #Brazil(ian) states and some cities in some states are going for a #curfew in order to stop or slow down the spread of the virus. According to the #Constitution, the curfew can only be allowed in two situations: State of Defense and State of Emergency. The State of Defense allows for the curfew in isolated areas, as long as there is a social unrest or a natural disaster that's big enough to result in lack of control by the local authorities. It can last 30 days and be extended for 30 more days. If the lack of control persists, then the State of Emergency is the next step. In this case, it allows for the curfew to be extended to areas where everything is apparently calm, and several constitutional rights are suspended, but in order for a curfew to start, the president (not a mayor or a governor) needs the #Congress' approval—this is to show you how extreme a curfew is. Beyond this point, the military intervention is the call. The virus and the rulings it has caused to be issued have resulted in all the rules regarding curfews being broken, in cities and states making decisions about putting it in place regardless of the government's direction. In other words, mayors and governors are breaking the Constitution, paving the way for a federal intervention; but, will there be? And, how long will unconstitutional actions continue to be taken for? #covid#covid19#coronavirus
The #Congress is discussing a bill called [Speech] Immunity Bill. It has the purpose of clarifying where the limit of the #SupremeCourt (#STF) is when it comes to its power to warrant the arrest of a congressperson for a thought crime. In its original form, the bill made it clear only the Congress Ethical Counsel could apply a punishment, but some parties, like #PT, leftist, is critical of the bill for totally leaving the judiciary out of it. At least one congressman, the infamous and often ridiculed #KimKataguiri (another politician who did a great job pre-#Bolsonaro, campaigned for him and was elected in great part because of him, but ultimately flipped 180°), came to the point of asking the STF to interfere in the Congress' affairs by ordering that this bill be prohibited from even being discussed, and one judge-minister was already chosen to analyze this possibility. #freedomofspeech
The City of #Araraquara, in the State of #SaoPaulo, is the first #Brazil(ian) city to put a full #lockdown measure in place. It started this Sunday and was to finish yesterday, but it was extended. The mayor is from the far left and even supermarkets and grocery stores, considered essential business according to a national #COVID19 lockdown guidelines, are closed, thus breaking a national policy. #coronavirus
#Bolsonaro signed a decree that will force gas stations to show in receipts how much in #ICMS (tax over products and services) a customer is paying over the fuel. The decree is to start in 30 days and aims to expose to the population how abusive the local ICMS amount is, since it is calculated based on how much the government charges when the fuel leaves #Petrobras' refineries to gas stations (this tax is charged over any and every transaction, even over the same product, until it reaches the consumer end). The gov't is zeroing the ICMS at the federal level, and this means the amount in the receipt will show the customer precisely how much they are being charged locally. Strangely, the president of #PROCON (a public institution that deals with abuses against the consumer) in #SaoPaulo stated that they won't inspect gas stations that don't inform their ICMS in receipts unless SP's General-Attorney's Office recommends them to. No other PROCON, so far, has expressed resistance to do their natural job.
The ex-secretary (minister) of #Bolsonaro's #DepartmentofJustice (#MinistryofJustice) and lead judge in the #LavaJato operation #SergioMoro, who has 'antagonizingly' been giving his opinion on almost everything related to politics since he left the government last year—accusing Bolsonaro of interference in the federal police, promising to prove it, and never doing it—strangely hasn't said a word about #DanielSilveira's case, and people are starting to take notice. #carwash#moro
Several #Brazil(ian) states is putting a curfew in place, and in some places, not even deliveries will be allowed. Restarting in-person classes was also delayed in many places. #SaoPaulo is one of the states adopting the radical measures. The public transport in some of these places will be reduced, increasing agglomeration. The reason behind this measure is, for some, to destabilize the government, and for others it goes beyond, to allow #China and globalism-oriented groups to buy companies in financial difficulty.
The #Congress plans to start discussing in the next weeks changing the #Brazil(ian) electoral system. The discussion will be about adopting the American system. As is, a councilor or a local representative can live in place A, campaign for people who live in place B, and work for people in place C. Also, candidates who receives insufficient votes, even 1 single vote, can be elected if they're chosen by their party and the party has accumulated enough votes to transfer the excess. To make things even worse, the list of candidates the party chooses to receive the excess of votes is open, meaning the party can pick a name AFTER the votes are counted. Believe it or not, that's how it works in Brazil. Since this electoral system started, in 1988, more than 85% or all councilors and state and federal representatives were elected indirectly.
In #Brazil, there is this national association for lawyers and attorneys called #OAB, Brazilian Attorneys-Lawyers Association, and in one post where the association asks for recently graduated attorneys and lawyers (up to 5 years) to attend a commission, you can see the image of a man fixing his LGBT-colored tie and the title “ADVOGADX INICIANTE, PARTICIPE DA SUA COMISSÃO” ('NEW ATTORNEY-LAWYER, ATTEND YOUR COMMISSION') where the first word is the gender neutral form of ADVOGADO (male attorney/lawyer) and of ADVOGADA (female). Every single attorney-lawyer has to be a member of OAB if they want to be able to practice their profession, just so you have an idea of the outreach and power this association has.
Although #OperationCarWash was very important for #Brazil to get rid of the left (that was in power), there are some things about the operation that raise questions about the legality of the whole operation, especially since the main member of the operation, #SergioMoro, started messing up by saying #Bolsonaro used to interfere in his work in the #DepartmentofJustice (#MinistryofJustice), more specifically, interfere in the #FederalPolice's (the #Feds) freedom to act, saying during his resignation press conference he had proof of it but never presented it, and since then turning himself into a political enemy. One of the things about #CarWash that has called the attention is the amount of data collected by the operation, reaching 350 terabytes, while the Public Prosecutors Office involved in it has had access to only 40. Attorney General #AugustoAras requested access to the rest of the data, but another important member of the operation, #DeltanDallagnol, asked the #SupremeCourt's (#STF) to deny access. #moro#lavajato
#SaoPaulo Governor #Doria is feeling the heat because of his unbridled political aggressiveness towards the #Bolsonaro administration, allies, and even simple citizens, like journalists, and, after some recent and fierce disagreements with big names in his party, the #PSDB, him leaving it is starting to get unavoidable. The reason behind this conflict is the fact that the PSDB, even though it's definitely not a Bolsonaro ally, is not willing to take on Dória's aggressive political antagonism.
The #Brazil(ian) #SupremeCourt (#STF) put down #Bolsonaro's vetoes on the mandatory use of masks in schools. One more time, the STF ruling on what it shouldn't, just to antagonize the president. You see, back in 2020, the STF ruled that states and cities should be responsible for what anti#COVID19 measures they take and how they are applied, including the #lockdown, but now each school can't decided over mandating or not, or partially mandating the use of masks.
The congressman #FilipeBarros wrote a law bill that removes the absolute power of the Electoral Supreme Court (#STE) to create, change, and remove election rules. The law bill proposes that this becomes the #HouseofRepresentatives' (#LowerHouse#Congress) responsibility. It's already clear that the #SupremeCourt (#STF) is working against the #Bolsonaro administration by ruling about things they shouldn't be ruling, and STF Judge #AlexandreBarroso revealed last year his excitement about the implementation of the vote by phone. If an app happens to be unveiled and the STF rules it will be the means to vote, there will be nothing Bolsonaro or the Houses can do. This law bill is from last year, but the previous chair of the Congress wouldn't even put it to vote, but now that the chair is more aligned with the president and the chair of the commission that analyzes the constitutionality of law bills is a strong Bolsonaro ally, this law bill is sure to go a vote.
As has become much more usual in #Brazil after #Bolsonaro was elected, some of the #SupremeCourt (also called #STF) judges keep giving interviews, and in Judge #AlexandreBarroso's latest interview, he said, DO YOU THINK #VENEZUELA IS CONSERVATIVE? I DEFINITELY THINK SO, EVER SINCE #HUGOCHAVEZ. IN MY OPINION, THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN A RIGHTWING TYRANNY WITH A DISGUISED RHETORIC. PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T LIVE DURING THE #DICTATORSHIP [it was a #militaryregime, actually] ARE INFLUENCED BY THE RHETORIC OF THOSE WHO MISS A TIME THAT DIDN'T EXIST [one can romanticize about a time they didn't live, but not miss it, or the judge is just dismissing the opinion of those who lived back then, which is vastly positive]. THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO LOST FAITH IN BRAZIL AND MISS WHAT DIDN'T HAPPEN. He also said that it's necessary to DEMYSTIFY FETISHES about the past. In that past, crime was lower, individuals had more freedom, families more power, and development was higher. Are these fetishes to one of our highest level judges?
The number is still small, but teachers in private schools in #Brazil are already experimenting pushing for the use of #genderneutral words. For instance, 'thank you' is 'obrigado' when said by a man and 'obrigada' when said by a woman. Its gender neutral is 'obrigade.' Most parents and students are reacting negatively and have been demanding explanations.
The mayor of #Mirandópolis, #ÉvertonSodaro, stood up against a team of health professionals last night who were trying to make sure no businesses would stay open after 8pm. They were following #SãoPaulo Governor #Dória's #lockdown measures orders. The mayor made a dramatic appeal for the team to think about the jobs and businesses that are being lost after almost a year of tough restrictions, pointed out he and they have kept receiving their salaries throughout the lockdown period while regular citizens have not, he said that he has constantly been receiving people at #CityHall asking when the restrictions were going to loosen, some showing desperation, bravely urged them not to carry out illegal orders, and said that Mirandópolis has a mayor. This city has about 30 thousand inhabitants and only two #COVID19 cases. #JoãoDória#coronavirus#virusfromchina#chinavirus#chinesevirus#ccpvirus