Good morning! The president’s health. Corporations get their way in tax reform dispute. Senate’s Covid inquiry on a collision course with the military. Another Supreme Court decision causes a headache for Bolsonaro.
Bolsonaro in hospital with abdominal pain
President Jair Bolsonaro has checked into the Armed Forces Hospital in Brasília this morning. He reportedly has a bowel obstruction.
- The president’s office says Mr. Bolsonaro is feeling well and is investigating the causes of persistent hiccups he has suffered for the past week or so, which have impaired his speech.
- He is also planning to operate on an abdominal hernia — a result of being stabbed during the 2018 presidential campaign. It will be his seventh procedure following the assassination attempt.
Schedule. The president cleared his entire schedule for the day.
Why it matters. A meeting between heads of the three branches of government was scheduled for today and was canceled.
- Tensions in Brasília are high and the meeting was an attempt to bury the hatchet.
Opacity. Mr. Bolsonaro and his staff are traditionally less than transparent about his health. Last year, he failed to reveal his Covid-19 test results and months later turned his infection into a reality TV-like spectacle.