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  • Trump's Plan to Swing Brazil's Election for Bolsonaro

    Trump's Plan to Swing Brazil's Election for Bolsonaro
    Oct 6 2026
    Brazil votes this Sunday, and the Trump administration has spent months trying to tilt the outcome toward far-right presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro. Tariffs. Terrorist designations. Revoked visas. Frequent meetings with the Bolsonaro family. Taken alone, each move looks random. Put the pieces together, and a picture emerges: U.S. interference in Brazil's 2026 elections. Over the last year, Trump has met frequently with members of the Bolsonaro family. In June, the State Department put two Brazilian gangs on the terrorist list. Just a few weeks later, Trump shared an article on Truth Social that said Brazil was his next big challenge. Less than a month later, in July, Trump imposed new 25% tariffs on Brazilian goods. In August, Trump revoked the U.S. visa of the Brazilian ambassador. The Brazilian Intelligence Agency recently raised the risk of external influence and interference by the United States in Brazil’s 2026 elections to a quote, “critical level.”This is Episode 15 of Under the Shadow, Season 2. Under the Shadow is an investigative narrative podcast series that walks back in time, telling the story of the past by visiting momentous places in the present. Season 2 responds in real time to the Trump administration’s onslaught on Latin America.Follow Under the Shadow on Spotify and Apple PodcastsHosted by Latin America-based journalist Michael Fox. This podcast is produced in partnership between The Real News Network and NACLA. It is supported, in part, by Global Exchange.VOTE by October 15: Under the Shadow has been nominated for three podcast Signal Awards. Please consider voting for Under the Shadow and The Real News:https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/shows/craft/best-host-documentaryhttps://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/individual-episodes/craft/most-innovative-audio-experiencehttps://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/individual-episodes/genre/activism-public-service-social-impacthttps://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting#/2026/shows/genre/documentaryPanamerican Dispatch You can check out Michael Fox's new reporting project on Brazil, Panamerican Dispatch. It's a project of The Real News in partnership with Global Exchange. The website is www.panamericandispatch.org.You can also follow us on social media below:Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/padispatch.bsky.socialX x.com/PAdispatchIG instagram.com/padispatchTiktok www.tiktok.com/@padispatchTheme music by Michael Fox’s band, Monte Perdido. Monte Perdido's 2024 album Ofrenda is available on Spotify, Deezer, Apple Music, YouTube or wherever you listen to music. Other music from Blue Dot Sessions and Epidemic Sound. Script editing by Heather Gies. Hosted, written, produced, mixed, and edited by Michael Fox.Guests: Alexander MainMaria Martha BrunoIgor FuserResources: Visit Panamerican Dispatch for all of the latest news on BrazilYou can visit Agencia Public for their reporting and analysis about Brazil. Here is Agencia Publica’s investigación, Digital Militia. Many thanks to Jake Johnston from the Center for Economic and Policy Research and Maria Martha Bruno, from Agencia Publica, for taking the time to speak with me and for their excellent analysis and insight.You can visit CEPR’s Live Tracker on Latin America.You can check out Michael Fox’s Patreon.More background… The Beginning: Monroe and migration | Under the Shadow, Episode 1Panama. US Invasion. | Under the Shadow, Episode 13The legacy of Monroe | Under the Shadow, Bonus Episode 4 Support Under the Shadow Please consider supporting this podcast and Michael Fox’s reporting on his Patreon account: patreon.com/mfox. There you can also see exclusive pictures, video, and interviews. You can subscribe to Michael Fox's new free speech podcast, The Battle for Free Speech On Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033olXvh3dLzQFJc1HSd6O?si=7eda46a92fe14894 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-battle-for-free-speech/id1896829044 Or wherever you get your podcasts.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/brazil-on-fire--5630445/support.
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    48 Min.
  • Brazil’s Battle Against Fake News & the US War to Undermine it

    Brazil’s Battle Against Fake News & the US War to Undermine it
    Jul 16 2026
    Just over the last 24 hours, Trump announced that he is levying new 25% tariffs on Brazilian goods. This is supposed to combat supposed quote "UNFAIR TRADE PRACTICES” by Brazil. In reality, Trump is rolling out these tariffs out in defense of his personal interests and those of his allies. That includes powerful US credit card companies. And as I look at in depth in this episode… Silicon Valley tech billionaires and their far right allies. There is one other important thing at stake in Brazil right now: the upcoming presidential elections in October. President Lula is running for reelection. The Bolsonaro family is trying to take the presidency back. Trump has already said that he sees this as his next big challenge. This episode is a joint collaboration together with my podcasts Brazil on Fire, Under the Shadow and the Battle for Free Speech. The Battle for Free Speech is my latest. It’s an 8-part investigative narrative podcast series. I’ve been working on it for the last year. It looks at the attacks on free speech today from the Trump administration. But also how people are standing up and pushing back. This is episode 6 of that podcast. If you like what you hear, please consider subscribing and listening, wherever you get your podcasts. OK. I hope you enjoy the show… This is really a tale of two countries: the United States and Brazil. In both countries, far-right presidents come to power — Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro. In both those countries, the presidents spent several years unraveling democratic institutions and public policy. Both presidents then ran for reelection. Both presidents lied about their country's voting systems in order to undermine the elections and whip up their base. Both those presidents lost their reelections — Trump in 2020. Bolsonaro in 2022. They both claimed fraud and tried to carry out a coup to stay in power. But that is where these two paths diverged. In the United States, President Donald Trump continued to peddle his lies about the elections. He created his own social media platform and he used it to push his agenda. He was reelected in 2024 and returned to power. In Brazil, however, the country’s Supreme Electoral Court blocked former President Jair Bolsonaro from running for office for eight years, because of the lies he told about the country’s electoral system.It wasn't censorship. it was a different interpretation of free speech. One that said the right to free expression must be balanced with the other rights in the country and the country’s democratic system. The United States doesn’t agree. And the Trump administration has been pushing to bend Brazil toward its definition of "free speech."In this episode, Michael Fox journeys to Brazil to understand the lengths that the country has gone to fight disinformation. Michael is joined in the episode by Maximillian Alvarez, editor-in-chief and co-executive director of The Real News Network and the host of the Working People Podcast.The Battle for Free Speech is a production of The Real News Network.Hosted by Michael Fox and Marc Steiner. Theme music by Michael Fox, Jordan Klein and Daniel Nuñez. Other music from Blue Dot Sessions and Epidemic Sound. Production and Sound Design by Michael Fox and Stephen Frank. Editorial support by Kayla Rivara. Research by Ben Schweiger.Guests: Fabio de Sa e SilvaArtur RomeuFernando PaulinoBrian MierResources: Follow The Battle For Free Speech on Spotify or Apple PodcastsSupport Michael Fox's reporting at patreon.com/mfoxNever miss an episode — sign up for The Real News newsletter at therealnews.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/brazil-on-fire--5630445/support.
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    1 Std. und 20 Min.
  • Introducing: Stories of Resistance

    Introducing: Stories of Resistance
    Jul 27 2025
    Hi folks, this is Michael Fox, the host of Brazil on Fire. It’s been a while since I’ve been in touch on this podcast feed, and I’m here to bring you good news. If you liked Brazil on Fire, I have another podcast that I think you will enjoy…

    This year, I’ve been writing, producing, and hosting a podcast called Stories of Resistance. It’s investigative journalism, prose, poetry, historical memory, and above all — story. Think vignettes… Eduardo Galeano-style, for a new Trump era. For a few minutes each week, I transport you to another place, in another time, where others also stood up, resisted, and planted seeds of hope, despite the circumstances. A little bit of hope and inspiration in these dark times.

    In Stories of Resistance, I dive into Brazil often. So today, I’m bringing you episode 14 of Stories of Resistance. We released it on March 31st, the anniversary of Brazil’s 1964 U.S.-backed military coup. And it looks at the Brazilian musicians and music that made up the soundtrack to the resistance against the Brazilian dictatorship.

    And it’s only 6 minutes long. I know you’ll like it.

    Follow Stories of Reistance on:
    • Apple Podcasts
    • Spotify
    • Spreaker

    Please consider supporting this podcast and Michael Fox’s reporting on his Patreon account: patreon.com/mfox. There you can also see exclusive pictures, video, and interviews.

    Sign up for the newsletter to follow Brazil on Fire at The Real News Network

    Become a member and join the Supporters Club for Brazil on Fire

    Help The Real News Network continue producing stories like Brazil on Fire by following us and making a small donation: https://www.therealnews.com/donate-pod-brazil-on-fire

    Follow us on:
    Bluesky: @therealnews.com
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    7 Min.
  • Update #3 — An autopsy of Bolsonaro's failed coup

    Update #3 — An autopsy of Bolsonaro's failed coup
    Jan 24 2023
    On Jan. 8th, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed Brazil's capital in a failed attempt to spark a military coup. In scenes that drew instant comparison to the events of Jan. 6th, 2021 in the US, Bolsonaro supporters smashed windows, destroyed artwork, and even climbed on the roofs of government buildings before being rounded up and arrested en masse by security forces.

    In this update to Brazil on Fire, Michael Fox examines the significance of the failed coup in scattering pro-Bolsonaro forces and uniting the country behind Lula, who has already embarked on an aggressive agenda to undo his predecessor's legacy. While Lula may be triumphant for now, the battle for Brazil's future is far from settled. As Bolsonaro licks his wounds in exile in Florida, the question remains as to how he might scheme with his US-based allies in the future. Historian Kristin Kobes Du Mez returns to the show to delve deeper into the links between Brazil and the US's evangelical right and neofascist movements.

    Sign up for the newsletter to follow Brazil on Fire at The Real News Network

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    Help The Real News Network continue producing stories like Brazil on Fire by following us and making a small donation: https://www.therealnews.com/donate-pod-brazil-on-fire

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    Subscribe to updates from NACLA: https://nacla.org/subscribe
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    47 Min.
  • Update #2 — Lula Presidente

    Update #2 — Lula Presidente
    Nov 17 2022
    Brazil has a new president-elect.

    Former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won the Brazilian presidency on October 30th. He defeated far-right president Jair Bolsonaro by just over 2 million votes. Tens of thousands of Lula supporters descended on Sao Paulo’s Paulista Avenue for huge celebrations. Brazil on Fire host Michael Fox was there and he takes us to the streets.

    But Bolsonaro supporters were also mobilizing. They shut down highways and called for the military to intervene.

    In this second update to Brazil on Fire, we look at Lula’s victory, Bolsonaro’s disinformation campaign that is keeping Bolsonaro’s supporters in the streets, Bolsonaro’s ties to Donald Trump’s former White House strategist Steve Bannon, and how Bannon is trying to spread a fake news fraud narrative to bolster Bolsonaro and divide Brazil, like the United States after Trump’s 2020 defeat. We hear from UFSC International Relations professor Camila Feix Vidal about the shared tactics of the international far-right and University of Virginia Media Studies professor David Nemer about Bolsonaro's unprecedented use of fake news and disinformation in the election.

    This is Brazil on Fire, a podcast about Brazil’s descent toward fascism under President Jair Bolsonaro. We look at Bolsonaro’s far-right government that has set the country ablaze, and how the United States helped him do it. We visit the birthplace of Brazilian Nazism, evangelical churches, and Indigenous villages in the Amazon.

    Hosted by Latin America-based journalist Michael Fox.

    This podcast is produced in partnership between The Real News Network and NACLA.

    Edited by Heather Gies.

    Sound design by Gustavo Türck.

    Theme music by Monte Perdido

    Follow Brazil on Fire at The Real News Network: https://therealnews.com/brazil-on-fire-pod

    Help The Real News Network continue producing stories like Brazil on Fire by following us and making a small donation:
    Donate to TRNN: https://www.therealnews.com/donate-pod-brazil-on-fire
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    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/brazil-on-fire--5630445/support.
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    30 Min.
  • Elections update with BrasilWire’s Brian Mier

    Elections update with BrasilWire’s Brian Mier
    Oct 14 2022
    The first round of Brazil’s elections has come and gone. As expected, former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was the big winner, with 48%. But he fell short of winning outright. Current President Jair Bolsonaro exceeded expectations and came in just a handful of points behind the former president. And it’s going to mean weeks of intense campaigning as Bolsonaro has now become a real contender for the second-round election at the end of the month.

    In this first update to Brazil on Fire, we look at what it all means and how things stand ahead of the runoff election on Oct. 30. In particular, we analyze the media spin in the wake of the first-round vote in an in-depth interview with Brian Mier, editor of the English-language news site BrasilWire.

    This is Brazil on Fire, a podcast about Brazil’s descent toward fascism under President Jair Bolsonaro. Over these six episodes we look at Bolsonaro’s far-right government that has set the country ablaze, and how the United States helped him do it. We’ll visit the birthplace of Brazilian Nazism, evangelical churches, and Indigenous villages in the Amazon.

    Hosted by Latin America-based journalist Michael Fox.

    This podcast is produced in partnership between The Real News Network and NACLA.

    Follow Brazil on Fire at The Real News Network: https://therealnews.com/brazil-on-fire-pod

    Help The Real News Network continue producing stories like Brazil on Fire by following us and making a small donation:
    Donate to TRNN: https://www.therealnews.com/donate-pod-brazil-on-fire
    Sign up for our newsletter: https://www.therealnews.com/signup-brazil-on-fire
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    26 Min.
  • Episode 6: Amazon up in Smoke

    Episode 6: Amazon up in Smoke
    Sep 27 2022
    The Amazon is a place that both Brazil’s former military regime and President Jair Bolsonaro have eyed with dreams of development, looking to take advantage of bountiful resources.
    It’s a place where Bolsonaro’s deconstruction of state institutions is wreaking havoc. Where illegal and armed actors are pushing into formerly protected areas and plundering the land to make a quick profit. Where Indigenous people are constantly under threat, whether staring down the barrel of a gun, fires, or COVID, and their territories and their way of life are under attack — the invaders slowly eating away at the forests that have given them life for generations.

    And where Bolsonaro has been empowering those behind the devastation.

    There is no other place in Brazil that better symbolizes the destruction that Bolsonaro has wrought on the country.

    The Amazon is under attack. The fires are just the most visible sign.

    This is Brazil on Fire, a podcast about Brazil’s descent toward fascism under President Jair Bolsonaro. Over these six episodes we look at Bolsonaro’s far-right government that has set the country ablaze, and how the United States helped him do it. We’ll visit the birthplace of Brazilian Nazism, evangelical churches, and Indigenous villages in the Amazon.

    Hosted by Latin America-based journalist Michael Fox.

    This podcast is produced in partnership between The Real News Network and NACLA.

    Edited by Heather Gies.

    Sound design by Gustavo Türck.

    Theme music by Monte Perdido.

    Follow Brazil on Fire at The Real News Network: https://therealnews.com/brazil-on-fire-pod

    Help The Real News Network continue producing stories like Brazil on Fire by following us and making a small donation:
    Donate to TRNN: https://www.therealnews.com/donate-pod-brazil-on-fire
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    42 Min.
  • Episode 5: Ghosts of the Past

    Episode 5: Ghosts of the Past
    Sep 20 2022
    Read the transcript of this podcast: https://therealnews.com/brazil-on-fire-episode-5-ghosts-of-the-past

    Brazil’s military dictatorship was a dark time in the country’s history. Hundreds were killed. Thousands jailed and tortured. And it is an era that President Jair Bolsonaro remembers with nostalgia—It's where he got his start, and a thing he has long championed as being worthy of returning to.

    As president, Bolsonaro has called for the closure of Congress and the Supreme Court, marched with supporters to demand military intervention, and appointed more military officials to his government than any leader since the end of the dictatorship.

    In this episode, we will dive head-first into Brazil’s military regime, which ran the country from 1964 through to 1985. We’ll look at the country’s failure to reckon with the past, and Bolsonaro’s steps to push Brazil back in that direction.

    This is Brazil on Fire, a podcast about Brazil’s descent toward fascism under President Jair Bolsonaro. Over these six episodes we look at Bolsonaro’s far-right government that has set the country ablaze, and how the United States helped him do it. We’ll visit the birthplace of Brazilian Nazism, evangelical churches, and Indigenous villages in the Amazon.

    Hosted by Latin America-based journalist Michael Fox.

    This podcast is produced in partnership between The Real News Network and NACLA.

    Edited by Heather Gies.

    Sound design by Gustavo Türck.

    Theme music by Monte Perdido.

    Follow Brazil on Fire at The Real News Network: https://therealnews.com/brazil-on-fire-pod

    Help The Real News Network continue producing stories like Brazil on Fire by following us and making a small donation:
    Donate to TRNN: https://www.therealnews.com/donate-pod-brazil-on-fire
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    38 Min.