Brazil’s far right gains ground as institutions face scrutiny

The brief

Brazil’s runoff pits Flávio Bolsonaro against Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as the first round reveals stronger-than-expected support for the Brazilian right and gains for right-wing parties in Congress.

Rodrigo Nunes argues that Bolsonaro’s momentum extends beyond the presidential race, with proposed U.S. security ties, military cooperation, and prison policies modeled on El Salvador.

The Cornell investigation turns to Jane Doe’s allegations and the institution’s response, while Deborah Tuerkheimer explains how trauma and New York’s intoxication law can distort justice.

Issa Amro recounts documenting settler violence, then being beaten and detained by Israeli soldiers; he links settlement expansion and restricted access to de facto annexation.

The episode’s throughline is institutional power: electoral networks, universities, legal systems, and occupying forces shape whose testimony is heard and whose abuses remain protected.