Today: Congress hints at an ultimatum to the Bolsonaro government. Top foreign policy advisor accused of making white supremacist gesture on camera. Brazil sees its own vaccine line-cutting scandal.
Red flags after Speaker’s “amber light”
Following a televised address in which he committed to vaccinating the population, President Jair Bolsonaro set up an anti-Covid committee with leaders of other branches of government and allied state governors. It remains to be seen whether the committee will bear fruit, as it will be coordinated by the president himself — who, just 12 hours after supporting vaccines, once again touted unproven treatments against the coronavirus.
Congress. To lawmakers, the move was seen as merely an attempt to “buy the government time,” and “shift the focus away from the president” — as one prominent congressional leader told Brasília correspondent Débora Álvares.
- On Wednesday evening, House Speaker Arthur Lira delivered a speech to his peers discussing his intent to cooperate with the administration — but also demanding significant change. “I’m putting up an amber light today: we won’t continue to follow the legislative protocol if, outside of this building, basic mistakes continue to happen — even if they are outweighed by successes.”
- Mr. Lira...