In this week’s issue: The most important facts of the week. 30m Brazilians live in “news deserts.” Brazilian state of Roraima under federal intervention.
The week in review
- Investigation. COAF, Brazil’s money laundering enforcement council, has detected “atypical” transactions totaling BRL 1.2m from accounts belonging to a former aide of Senator-elect Flávio Bolsonaro, son of the president-elect. The list of transactions under scrutiny includes a BRL 24,000 check made out to the future first lady, Michelle Bolsonaro, and numerous withdrawals of less than BRL 10,000, the cut-off limit for banks to be required to notify COAF. Mr. Bolsonaro said that the check to his wife was for paying off a debt.
- Lower house. Leaked WhatsApp messages between congressmen-elect from Mr. Bolsonaro’s Social Liberal Party (PSL) show a group which is divided against itself. Besides verbal spats between members of the future legislature, the party is split when it comes to the election of the next House Speaker—one group wants to support incumbent Rodrigo Maia, a conservative from Rio, while another group, led by Eduardo Bolsonaro, son of the president-elect, is against that alliance. The president-elect called for a meeting on Wednesday to calm things down.
- Privatizations. President Michel Temer has...