Happy Friday! Today, the latest spat between the House speaker and the government. And Petrobras’s no-rush approach to energy transition.
☕ If you like our work and want to give us an extra boost, you can fill up our reporters’ coffee mugs. Supporters get exclusive perks! Find out more.
Lira declares war
House Speaker Arthur Lira and Institutional Relations Minister Alexandre Padilha, the political liaison between Congress and the presidential office, were never a match made in heaven. But their relationship has soured to the point that it could lead to a very rocky 2024 for the government.
Grave miscalculation. The House voted this week on whether to keep one of its members, Chiquinho Brazão, in jail. He has been arrested for obstruction of justice and has been accused by the Federal Police of being one of the masterminds behind the 2018 murder of Marielle Franco, a Rio city councilor.
- Political wonks say Mr. Lira saw the vote as a way to draw a line in the sand for the Supreme Court — which many lawmakers, especially on the conservative side, believe is overstepping its powers.
- So when the House voted to keep Mr. Brazão in jail (albeit by...