Explaining Brazil
323 episodes - English - Latest episode: 2 days ago - ★★★★★ - 121 ratingsNews from Brazil, by The Brazilian Report — an independent media outlet uniquely positioned to offer an insider’s view of current affairs in Brazil.
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Episodes
Bolsonaro's Evangelical justice
July 14, 2021 09:00 - 29 minutes - 20.4 MBJair Bolsonaro is using a Supreme Court nomination to rally his base. We explain the effects of his appointment on Brazilian justice and politics. Read show notes. — Support the Show.
Leite is no Milk
July 07, 2021 08:00 - 24 minutes - 16.7 MBGovernor Eduardo Leite of Rio Grande do Sul came out as gay. But don't expect him to be a Brazilian Harvey Milk. Instead, he might be closer to Pete Buttigieg. Read show notes. — Support the Show.
Cash for jabs
June 30, 2021 08:00 - 20 minutes - 13.8 MBIn an ironic twist, the Jair Bolsonaro administration is facing its most severe crisis — not over the vaccines it did not pursue, but over the ones it did. Read show notes. — Support the Show.
The Anti-Bolsonaro dilemma
June 23, 2021 08:00 - 19 minutes - 13.6 MBDetractors of President Jair Bolsonaro are now taking to the streets to pressure him, but doing so means creating massive gatherings that are health hazards in themselves. Read show notes. — Support the Show.
The future of work in Brazil
June 16, 2021 09:00 - 23 minutes - 15.9 MBIn Brazil, the remote work solution was never easy, as the country has an extremely informal economy. This week, we discuss the future of work in Brazil. Read show notes. — Support the Show.
Bolsonaro opens a military Pandora's box
June 09, 2021 08:00 - 25 minutes - 17.5 MBUnder pressure from President Bolsonaro, the Army refused to punish active general Eduardo Pazuello for taking part in a political demonstration, causing uproar and stoking fears of military interference in the 2022 election. Read show notes. — Support the Show.
A crisis in Angola threatens Bolsonaro
June 02, 2021 06:00 - 21 minutes - 14.9 MBPresident Jair Bolsonaro is battling multiple domestic crises — but one dispute across the Atlantic could cost him the support of a valuable ally. Read show notes. — Support the Show.
More variants, fewer vaccines
May 26, 2021 07:00 - 16 minutes - 11.3 MBAs vaccine rollouts stumble in multiple Brazilian regions, health officials confirm the country's first cases of the Indian variant. Read show notes. — Support the Show.
A president without a party
May 18, 2021 22:00 - 26 minutes - 18.5 MBJair Bolsonaro has seen his popularity dip in recent months, now polling behind Lula. But he has an even more immediate concern: the president needs to find a party. Read show notes. — Support the Show.
Testing Bolsonaro's endurance
May 11, 2021 22:00 - 22 minutes - 15.6 MBThe Covid hearings have exposed a laundry list of malfeasance by the Bolsonaro administration during the pandemic. Will that be enough to bring him down, though? Read show notes. — Support the Show.
Vaccine diplomacy in Latin America
May 05, 2021 13:00 - 28 minutes - 19.4 MBWhen Latin American countries received their first vaccines, they didn't get them from Western powers — but from China and Russia instead. But these deals often came with strings attached. Guests: Flávio da Fonseca (Brazilian Virology Society) and David Fidler (Council on Foreign Relations). Read show notes. — Support the Show.
The Brazilian Epstein?
April 27, 2021 22:00 - 19 minutes - 13.7 MBA new exposé shows how one of Brazil's biggest business success stories may have covered a child sexual abuse ring, in a case with eerie parallels to that of notorious American pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Read show notes. — Support the Show.
Bolsonaro fighting on multiple fronts
April 21, 2021 09:00 - 21 minutes - 14.6 MBThe next few weeks are packed with the definition of the 2021 budget, the start of the Covid hearings, and Biden's climate summit. Read show notes. — Support the Show.
What to make of South America's Super Sunday
April 14, 2021 12:00 - 20 minutes - 14.4 MBElections in Ecuador and Peru were filled with surprises. Latin America correspondent Lucas Berti breaks down what they mean for the region. Read show notes. — // Music in this podcast: Infados by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0 license), Fall of the Solar King by Twin Musicom (CC BY 4.0 license). Support the Show.
A Brazilian vaccine on the way?
April 07, 2021 10:00 - 23 minutes - 15.9 MBWith coronavirus deaths on the rise, a massive vaccination campaign seems to be Brazil's only way out of the pandemic crisis. President Jair Bolsonaro and São Paulo Governor João Doria are in a race toward the first coronavirus vaccine fully produced in Brazil. Support the show
A Brazilian vaccine on the way?
April 07, 2021 10:00 - 23 minutes - 15.9 MBWith coronavirus deaths on the rise, a massive vaccination campaign seems to be Brazil's only way out of the pandemic crisis. President Jair Bolsonaro and São Paulo Governor João Doria are in a race toward the first coronavirus vaccine fully produced in Brazil. Read show notes. — Support the Show.
When political crisis becomes military crisis
March 31, 2021 10:00 - 30 minutes - 21.1 MBBrazilian President Jair Bolsonaro carried out a massive cabinet reshuffle on Monday, raising fears that his administration could take an undemocratic turn. Read show notes. — Support the Show.
RIP Car Wash, Part 2: Clash of titans
March 25, 2021 12:00 - 18 minutes - 12.6 MBLula has regained his political rights and is set to face off against Bolsonaro next year. What can we expect from this clash of titans? Read show notes. — Support the Show.
RIP Car Wash, Part 1: A tarnished legacy
March 24, 2021 09:00 - 31 minutes - 21.6 MBThe Supreme Court ruled that Sérgio Moro — the former judge who led Op. Car Wash — was biased in his trial of former President Lula. The judicial achievements of the anti-corruption task force are being undone, but what legacy does it leave behind? Read show notes. — Support the Show.
Four ministers and 280,000 funerals
March 17, 2021 09:00 - 17 minutes - 12.2 MBPresident Jair Bolsonaro has changed Health Ministers for the third time since the start of the pandemic. Army General Eduardo Pazuello is out, cardiologist and ally Marcelo Queiroga is in. Read show notes. — Support the Show.
Brazil's pandemic nadir yet to come
March 10, 2021 08:00 - 27 minutes - 18.6 MBBrazil has become something of an open-air laboratory, showing how new variants can develop when left to spread unchecked. Most, if not all states are inching closer to a health collapse, but far-right President Jair Bolsonaro continues to speak out against lockdowns and vaccines. Read show notes. — Support the Show.
The Brazilian people v. big mining
March 03, 2021 14:00 - 21 minutes - 14.7 MBMining giants have been let off scot-free from the consequences of environmental disasters. Brazilians are going after them on their own turf. Guest: Pedro Martins, partner at law firm PGMBM Read show notes. — Support the Show.
Bolsonaro's hand is not invisible
February 24, 2021 08:00 - 25 minutes - 17.7 MBMarkets backed Bolsonaro in 2018 hoping for a libertarian president. Facing a sluggish economy and rising inflation, the president decided to intervene in the economy. Read show notes. — Support the Show.
Flawed democracies
February 17, 2021 09:00 - 25 minutes - 17.3 MBIn Latin America, only three countries qualified as “full democracies.” As many as those qualified as “authoritarian regimes.” Read show notes. — Support the Show.
Trading 5G for coronavirus vaccines
February 10, 2021 00:00 - 22 minutes - 15.6 MBOur podcast is back! This week, how the Brazilian government is using the country's upcoming 5G auction as a bargaining chip to receive more coronavirus vaccines. Read show notes. — Support the Show.
Neither to the left, the right, or in the center
December 02, 2020 14:00 - 26 minutes - 18.2 MBBrazil's "Big Center" were the big winners of this year's municipal elections, despite being regularly demonized by the population. We explain who they are and how they work. Read show notes. — Support the Show.
Has Brazil's second wave already begun?
November 26, 2020 13:00 - 17 minutes - 11.9 MBJust as Brazilians were starting to get used to their so-called new normal, a second wave appears to be on the horizon. Read show notes. — Support the Show.
Who tried to hack the Brazilian election?
November 18, 2020 13:00 - 18 minutes - 12.5 MBAfter weeks of gloating about its fast and efficient vote count system, Brazil's election authorities were hacked during Sunday's vote, raising cybersecurity fears. Read show notes. — https://brazilian.report/podcast/2020/11/18/explaining-brazil-podcast-who-tried-to-hack-the-brazilian-election/ Support the Show.
What Brazil can teach the U.S. about elections
November 11, 2020 15:00 - 10 minutes - 7.16 MBThe U.S. election process took days to confirm a winner. Were it to have taken place in Brazil, the entire vote count would have been wrapped up within a couple of hours. Read show notes. — Support the Show.
Banking transformation PIX up steam
November 04, 2020 12:00 - 20 minutes - 14.2 MBBrazil's Central Bank has launched PIX, its new instant payment system. We analyze what changes this brings to the country's financial landscape. Read show notes. — Support the Show.
Throwing Pinochet's legacy on the fire
October 29, 2020 08:00 - 20 minutes - 14 MBIn a huge majority, Chile voted to scrap its 1980 constitution, the last remaining legacy of the Pinochet dictatorship era. Read show notes. — Support the Show.
Electoral calculations around Covid-19 vaccines
October 21, 2020 15:00 - 25 minutes - 17.7 MBJair Bolsonaro and São Paulo Governor João Doria are using the race for a vaccine as a sparring match before the 2022 election. Read show notes. — Support the Show.
Bolsonaro steering away from Bolsonarism
October 15, 2020 15:00 - 20 minutes - 14.1 MBAlmost two years since his election, President Jair Bolsonaro has cozied up to the establishment politicians he campaigned against — and his core supporters are incensed. Read show notes. — Support the Show.
Elections in the Time of Covid-19
October 07, 2020 15:00 - 20 minutes - 14.4 MBMunicipal elections have a significant impact on national politics. And what happens in November 2020 will ripple over until 2022. Read show notes. — Support the Show.
When protection becomes repression
October 01, 2020 13:00 - 21 minutes - 14.6 MBSome Latin American countries have been called out for not enacting social distancing rules during the pandemic. Others, for using them to repress specific populations. Read show notes. — Support the Show.
You give Brazil a bad name
September 23, 2020 14:00 - 30 minutes - 20.7 MBJair Bolsonaro addressed the United Nations General Assembly for the second time on Tuesday — we analyze how he fared. Read show notes. — Support the Show.
Brazil's Supreme Court at a crossroads
September 16, 2020 16:00 - 22 minutes - 15.1 MBA new Chief Justice takes the reins of Brazil's Supreme Court in a moment when it faces a crisis of legitimacy and attacks from President Jair Bolsonaro. Read show notes. — Support the Show.
Rio's descent into political hell
September 09, 2020 15:00 - 29 minutes - 20.3 MBEvery single living former governor of Rio has been jailed at some point, and the incumbent governor looks set to face the same destiny. Read show notes. — Support the Show.
Reducing business complexity in Brazil
September 02, 2020 17:00 - 20 minutes - 14.3 MBBrazil's second-quarter GDP results have been released and it's official: the country is back in recession. We analyze how Brazil can recover. Read show notes. — Support the Show.
Six months of the coronavirus in Latin America
August 26, 2020 10:00 - 21 minutes - 14.7 MBLatin America had its first confirmed Covid-19 case on February 26. Six months later, the region is the world's coronavirus epicenter. How have things gotten so out of control? Read show notes. — Support the Show.
The Al Capone of Colombia
August 19, 2020 13:00 - 22 minutes - 15.6 MBÁlvaro Uribe is arguably the most powerful politician in Colombia, but he has been placed under house arrest for a fraud scandal. What does this mean for the country? Read show notes. — Support the Show.
Brazilian football hits fever pitch, literally
August 12, 2020 14:00 - 17 minutes - 12.3 MBBrazil has rushed its national football championship into a hasty return, and already there are Covid-19 cases popping up all over the league. Read show notes. — Support the Show.
Brazil's place in the race for a Covid-19 vaccine
August 05, 2020 13:00 - 19 minutes - 13.5 MBIronically, Brazil's mismanagement of the coronavirus crisis may lead to the country cutting the line in the race for a vaccine. This episode was supported by AMEC, the Brazilian Association of Investors in Capital Markets. Read show notes. — Support the Show.
Bolsonaro's ticket to re-election
July 30, 2020 10:00 - 17 minutes - 11.8 MBEveryone predicted that the pandemic would plummet Jair Bolsonaro's approval rates. It hasn't. And now the president sees his re-election prospects grow more realistic. Read show notes. — https://brazilian.report/podcast/2020/07/30/explaining-brazil-podcast-bolsonaros-ticket-to-re-election/ Support the Show.
Biden or Trump, what changes for Brazil?
July 22, 2020 12:00 - 23 minutes - 16.3 MBFew elections worldwide influence Brazil as much as the U.S. presidential race. Joe Biden seems poised to beat Donald Trump, but what would a change in the White House mean for Latin America's biggest country? Read show notes. — Support the show
Deforestation is bad for business
July 16, 2020 14:00 - 20 minutes - 14.3 MBDeforestation is on the rise during the Covid-19 pandemic, and now international investors have threatened to remove their money from Brazil, forcing the government to act. Read show notes. — Support the Show.
Bolsonaro is one in a 1.6 million
July 08, 2020 10:00 - 15 minutes - 10.9 MBAfter months of reckless behavior, President Jair Bolsonaro has been infected with the coronavirus. And is trying to make lemonade out of it. Read show notes. — Support the Show.
Violent effects of Brazil's job apocalypse
July 01, 2020 12:00 - 24 minutes - 17.2 MBThe pandemic is set to cost millions of jobs in Brazil, which can cause a number of troubling knock-on effects in society. Read show notes. — Support the Show.
Special: How Brazil became the Land of Football #3
June 25, 2020 14:00 - 22 minutes - 15.5 MBIn this final episode of our series, we look back at the legend of that final, and then try and frame the legacy of the 1970 World Cup, both in Brazil and abroad. Read show notes. — Support the Show.
Special: How Brazil became the Land of Football #2
June 23, 2020 13:00 - 18 minutes - 12.6 MBPelé is the greatest footballer of all time, and the 1970 World Cup in Mexico is seen as his crowning achievement. But just months before the tournament, people in Brazil thought he was finished. Read show notes. — Support the Show.