Good morning! We’re covering how President Bolsonaro has been involved in a murder case. Saudi investments in Brazil. And the oil spill in the Northeast could get even worse. (This newsletter is for platinum and gold subscribers only. Become one now!)
When a murder investigation reaches the president
A new report from Globo TV’s Jornal Nacional—Brazil’s most-watched newscast—links President Jair Bolsonaro to the investigation into the assassination of Marielle Franco, the former Rio city councilor executed on March 14, 2018, in what police believe was a hit job ordered by urban militias.
In a nutshell. Visitation logs and a statement from a doorman suggest the man accused of having driven the getaway car in the murder visited Mr. Bolsonaro’s home in a gated community hours before the crime. The statement, however, contains some inconsistencies. He said he spoke to “Mr. Jair,” who authorized the man’s entrance. But congressional records show that Mr. Bolsonaro was in Brasília at the time.
Why it matters. Rio state prosecutors have informally asked the Supreme Court (the only tribunal with the power to investigate and prosecute a sitting president) about how to proceed next—which indicates the president could, at least momentarily, become part of a...