Tag: brazil

China Pivots To Brazil, Squeezing U.S. Farmers As Trump Plans Relief Fund

President Trump announced plans last week to use tariff revenue as a financial cushion for struggling American farmers as China shuns U.S. agricultural goods. Beijing’s pivot to Brazilian ag suppliers has left Midwest farmers in the nation’s top ag belts fearing a spiral into financial hardship.

At the White House on Thursday, President Trump told reporters, “We’re going to take some of that tariff money that we’ve made, we’re going to give it to our farmers, who are – for a little while – going to be hurt until it kicks in, the tariffs kick in to their benefit.” 

Trump later told reporters that he has not decided on a final version of the plan and would consult with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on the matter. 

China’s abrupt pivot to Brazil, after decades of purchasing more than half of the U.S.’s soybeans annually, highlights elevated trade tensions this year as both superpowers attempt to find common ground on a new deal. 

Financial Times noted, “For decades, more than half of all U.S. soybeans went to China, the world’s biggest buyer. But this year, as trade talks between Washington and Beijing stall, not a single American soybean has headed east, leaving farmers struggling to stay afloat as bins fill and prices sag while China turns to record supplies from Brazil.” 

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Marco Rubio: U.S. Will ‘Respond Accordingly’ to Brazil Jailing Jair Bolsonaro

Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a statement on Thursday, immediately following the news that former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro had been sentenced to 27 years in prison, vowing that America would “respond accordingly” to what he deemed a human rights abuse.

Bolsonaro, a conservative who governed from 2018 to 2022 after suffering a debilitating assassination attempt that continues to cause severe health problems today, stood accused before the Supreme Federal Tribunal (STF) of Brazil of attempting and failing to stage a coup following his defeat in the 2022 election. Bolsonaro lost that election narrowly to incumbent socialist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, whose participation in that election many Brazilians challenge as illegitimate given his conviction on corruption charges in 2017. The STF overturned Lula’s conviction on dubious procedural grounds and its election oversight analog, the Superior Electoral Tribunal (TSE), heavily censored the Bolsonaro campaign while allowing Lula to spuriously disparage Bolsonaro as a “cannibal” and a “pedophile.”

The STF and TSE’s interference in the election, both under the auspices of Justice Alexandre de Moraes, prompted many Bolsonaro supporters in Brazil and around the world to question the integrity of Lula’s victory. The STF turned these questions into a prosecution of Bolsonaro and several others in his inner circle, who it claimed had attempted to violently overthrow the Lula administration following the president’s inauguration.

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Isabella Cêpa Wins Landmark Free Speech Case After Brazil Sought 25-Year Sentence for “Misgendering”

Isabella Cêpa, a Brazilian feminist and outspoken women’s rights advocate, has defeated a legal campaign that once threatened her with up to 25 years in prison.

Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court issued a final, non-appealable ruling in her favor, concluding a high-profile case that began with a brief social media video and evolved into one of the most significant free speech battles in Brazil’s modern history.

After years of legal pressure and public silence from Brazilian institutions, Cêpa has not only escaped prosecution but has been granted full refugee protections in Europe.

The move marks the first time a Brazilian citizen has received asylum abroad for being persecuted over gender-critical beliefs. Her case has now become a legal precedent, one that free speech advocates say could help protect others facing similar repression.

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Brazil Uses Child Safety as Cover for Online Digital ID Surge

Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies has advanced a bill marketed as a child protection measure, drawing sharp condemnation from lawmakers who say the process ignored legislative rules and opens the door to broad censorship of online content.

Bill PL 2628/2022, which outlines mandatory rules for digital platforms operating in Brazil, moved forward at an unusually fast pace after Chamber President Hugo Motta approved an urgency request on August 19.

That decision cut off critical steps in the legislative process, including committee review and broader debate, allowing the proposal to reach the full floor for a vote just one day later.

The urgency motion, Requerimento de Urgência REQ 1785/2025, passed without a roll-call vote. Instead, Motta used a symbolic vote, a method that records no individual positions and relies on the presiding officer’s perception of consensus. Requests for a formal, recorded vote were rejected outright.

Congressman Marcel van Hattem (NOVO-RS) accused the Chamber’s leadership of bypassing democratic norms. He said Motta approved the urgency request to expand the “censorship” of the Lula government.

Other deputies joined the protest, calling the process arbitrary and abusive.

Under the bill, digital platforms must verify users’ ages, take down material labeled offensive to minors, and comply with orders from a newly created federal oversight authority.

That body would hold sweeping powers to enforce regulations, issue sanctions, and even suspend platforms for up to 30 days in some circumstances, potentially without a full court decision.

Although the urgent request had been filed back in May, it gained renewed traction after social media influencer Felca released a series of videos exposing what he called the “adultization” of children online. His content prompted widespread media coverage and pushed the topic of online child safety to the forefront. In response, Motta committed to fast-tracking related legislation.

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X Slams Brazil for Censorship, Secret Orders, and Free Speech Crackdown in USTR Trade Investigation

As part of an ongoing investigation by the US Trade Representative (USTR) into Brazil’s treatment of American digital platforms, X has filed a stark warning about what it describes as intensifying threats to freedom of expression and the rule of law in Brazil.

The USTR probe, focused on policies that may harm US companies, closed its comment period on August 18, with a hearing scheduled for September 3.

We obtained a copy of the comments for you here.

X’s submission outlines a series of aggressive measures by Brazilian authorities that the company says are undermining internet freedom and imposing extraterritorial censorship demands.

Among the most concerning developments, according to the platform, is a ruling from Brazil’s Supreme Court in June 2025 that gutted a core protection in the country’s 2014 internet law, the Marco Civil da Internet (MCI).

By declaring Article 19 partially unconstitutional, the ruling opened the door for tech platforms to be held legally responsible for user-generated content, without requiring judicial oversight.

This, X argues, has increased operational burdens and incentivized preemptive content removals.

The platform also warned that Brazil’s judiciary, particularly under Justice Alexandre de Moraes, has been issuing covert content removal orders targeting journalists, politicians, and even US users.

These directives are often enforced without any notice or opportunity to appeal, a practice X says raises serious concerns about due process and transparency.

Further, the company expressed alarm over Brazil’s Superior Court of Justice asserting jurisdiction beyond its borders. According to X, the court has ordered content to be removed globally, even when such content is legal in countries like the United States. The court has described this overreach as a “natural consequence” of the internet, a justification X contends disregards international legal norms.

X also highlighted what it sees as the Brazilian judiciary’s disregard for the US-Brazil Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT).

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Want proof USAID was meddling in right-wing foreign elections? Well, here you go…

For decades, USAID has sold itself as a “humanitarian” agency handing out aid to struggling nations. But that wasn’t the case. As soon as folks started digging, an entirely different story was uncovered. As it turns out, USAID has quietly served as a front for left-wing political experiments, funneling US taxpayer money into projects that prop up globalist and crush populist movements all over the world.

Mike Benz, executive director of the Foundation for Freedom Online, has been digging into the Brazil story, and what he’s found is damning. The trail of breadcrumbs shows USAID’s fingerprints all over Brazil’s censorship regime, which looks a heck of a lot like the same lawfare and censorship tactics that were unleashed against President Trump and his supporters.

Earlier this month, Mr. Benz testified before the Brazilian Congress on how USAID helped build the censorship state in Brazil. The only recording was in Portuguese, but he’s promised to prepare an English version for Americans to see and hear.

This matters because Brazil has become a literal playground for left-wing censorship. The regime there has been using North Korea-style tactics against their own people. They’ve banned populists from running for office, censored political speech online, and persecuted dissidents.

And it all centers around one corrupt judge: Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.

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Brazilian Woman Granted Refugee Status in Europe After Facing 25-Year Sentence for ‘Misgendering’ Trans Politician

In a precedent-setting move, a European country has officially granted full refugee protections to a Brazilian women’s rights activist who was facing 25 years in prison in her home country for misgendering a transgender politician. Isabella Cêpa is the first person to be recognized as a victim of state persecution for her outspoken opposition to gender identity ideology.

As previously reported by Reduxx, Cêpa first came under criminal investigation after she made a social media post about Erika Hilton – a male politician who “identifies” as a woman. Hilton was elected to São Paulo’s municipal government in November of 2020, winning his seat by a landslide that gave him the title of the most voted-for ‘woman’ in Brazil.

At the time of his victory, Hilton was celebrated in international media as being a “symbolic triumph” for transgender people. Hilton was amongst the top 10 most-voted for candidates in all of Brazil, and was touted as the “only woman” to make the list. 

It was the widespread announcement of his victory that first put him on Cêpa’s radar.

“At the time I didn’t even know who this person was. I just saw a headline on an Instagram page celebrating that ‘the most voted woman in São Paulo is a transwoman,’” Cêpa told Reduxx during a 2022 interview, recounting how her ordeal began. “Then, I shared a video with my followers saying I was disappointed to hear that the most voted-for woman in São Paulo – later found out that it was in the entire country – was a man.”

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Woman, 20, found dead with dozens of iPhones glued to her body

A young woman has died after collapsing on a bus in Brazil with 26 iPhones glued to her body.

The 20-year-old became unwell during a long-distance journey and passed away before she could be taken to the hospital. 

Police have now launched an investigation into the bizarre case.

The woman was travelling alone from Foz do Iguaçu to São Paulo when the bus stopped at a restaurant in Guarapuava, in the central region of Paraná. 

Emergency services were called after she complained of breathing difficulties.

She was treated by Mobile Emergency Care Service (SAMU) workers, who said she was awake but struggling to breathe. 

Shortly afterwards, she began to show signs of respiratory distress and appeared to suffer a seizure.

Paramedics attempted to revive her for 45 minutes, but she was declared dead at the scene.

It was while trying to treat her that medics noticed several packages attached to her body. Police later discovered 26 iPhones had been glued directly to her skin.

Officers from the Military Police called in forensic teams from the Scientific Police and Civil Police.  

A sniffer dog did not detect any drugs on the woman, but several bottles of alcohol were found in her luggage and seized.

In a statement, Paraná Civil Police said: ‘The Paraná Civil Police are investigating the case and awaiting the conclusion of forensic reports to clarify the cause of death.’

According to preliminary information, the woman, who was alone, was travelling from Foz do Iguaçu to São Paulo. 

The 26 cell phones that were glued to her body were seized and sent to the Federal Revenue Service.’

Her identity has not been made public, and the investigation is ongoing.

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Brazil Raids Bolsonaro’s Home, Orders Him To Wear Ankle Monitor After Trump Blasts Leftist Country

The Brazilian Supreme Court ordered that police raid former President Jair Bolsonaro’s home and place an ankle monitor on him on Friday, escalating its targeting of the conservative leader as President Donald Trump defends him.

After the Brazilian Supreme Court issued search warrants and restraining orders on Bolsonaro, federal police raided his home, and the former president was banned from contacting foreign officials, Reuters reported. Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes cited a “concrete possibility” of Bolsonaro fleeing the country when he issued the order.

Brazil’s increased pressure on Bolsonaro comes shortly after President Trump defended his political ally and blasted the Brazilian Supreme Court for its “witch hunt” targeting Bolsonaro. Trump also imposed a 50% tariff on Brazil last week, citing the country’s “insidious attacks on Free Elections, and the fundamental Free Speech Rights of Americans.”

“The way that Brazil has treated former President Bolsonaro, a Highly Respected Leader throughout the World during his Term, including by the United States, is an international disgrace,” Trump said in a letter to Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. “This trial should not be taking place. It is a Witch Hunt that should end IMMEDIATELY!”

Moraes specifically called out Trump’s tariff on Brazil in his Friday order, arguing that it is intended to create an economic crisis in Brazil and interfere with the country’s judicial system.

On Thursday, Trump posted a letter on Truth Social that he sent to Bolsonaro, which read in part, “I have seen the terrible treatment you are receiving at the hands of an unjust system turned against you. This trial should end immediately! I am not surprised to see you leading in the polls; you were a highly respected and strong leader who served your country well.”

Bolsonaro told Reuters that he believes the Supreme Court’s move on Friday is in response to Trump’s recent comments. The former Brazilian president called Moraes a “dictator” and denied that he had any plans to flee the country.

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Why is the New Yorker sucking up to Latin American tyrants?

How does a judge ban one of the world’s biggest social-media platforms, nakedly target political opponents and repress reporting on his involvement in the biggest corruption scandal in his country’s history, and still get to be portrayed as a champion of democracy? Only, it seems, if the journalist is working for the New Yorker.

In April, the leading American magazine hailed Alexandre de Moraes as ‘The Brazilian judge taking on the digital far right’. Moraes, whose most notorious achievements to date include banning X and driving political opponents into exile, was presented as the only thing standing between his country and autocracy. According to journalist John Lee Anderson, Moraes is a ‘pugnacious jurist’ who has repeatedly saved his country from ‘digital militias’. The article even described the judge as ‘conspicuously fit’ and praised his ‘sharp cheekbones’.

It’s a good thing this terrible article was published in America, rather than Brazil, which remains in a well of authoritarianism that Moraes is in no small part responsible for. For many Brazilians, Moraes’s unprecedented assault on free speech is a fresh and depressing memory.

Most Brazilians received their first taste of his authoritarian streak in 2022, the year current president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva defeated Jair Bolsonaro. Many Brazilians took to the streets to protest the result, centering on the capital, Brasilia. While the protests had an uncomfortable whiff of America’s ‘January 6’ riots the previous year, ordinary voters were right to feel a little aggrieved. ‘Lula’ had served just over 18 months of a 12-year prison term after he was convicted of corruption, before his charges were overturned by a Supreme Court that now included Moraes, a longstanding political ally.

The riots that occurred in Brasilia in January 2023 were serious, but hardly the threat to democracy and national security they were made out to be. For example, it occurred on a Sunday, meaning government buildings were largely empty. Critically, Bolsonaro wasn’t even in the country – he was in Florida, where he had been since losing the election.

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