There was a time when a person’s power could be measured by their ability to open doors. Today, this is also measured by your ability to close them. After the demolition of Lava-Jato, this movement was predictable, on a smaller scale.
1 – Gilmar protects the Supreme:
In a few days, Minister Gilmar Mendes blocked the right of citizens to initiate impeachment proceedings against the judges of the Federal Court. From now on, the only person who can do this is the Attorney General of the Republic.
It seems that the minister wants to protect the court against the possibility that the opposition will soon obtain the number of senators capable of preventing ministers Alexandre de Moraes and Flávio Dino. It looks and feels like that.
2 – Toffoli locks the Master:
Moving further down, Minister Dias Toffoli decided that any process or investigation regarding Master Bank should be referred to his cabinet. Daniel Vorcaro’s bank generated dangerous connections and a loss of 12 billion reais.
The defense of the directors of the Master requested a broad, general and unrestricted suspension of the investigations, which was not obtained, but on the same day the federal police froze their work. Master’s process began to take place in secret.
3 – The CPI will not listen to Lulinha:
On Thursday, the CPI on the theft against retirees rejected by 19 votes to 12 the request for summons of Fábio LuÃs Lula da Silva, known as Lulinha. Hours earlier, journalist Mariana Hubert revealed that Edson Claro, a former employee of Careca’s INSS, told the CPI that Lulinha received around 25 million reais from the financier, with allocations of 300,000 reais to take advantage of tenders from the Ministry of Health. Those who know the dark places of Brasilia find these figures strange. That’s a lot of money.
Lulinha now lives in Spain and suffers from his affiliation, but an ICC which already protected Frei Chico, or José Ferreira da Silva, Lula’s older brother, was quick to close the door. Frei Chico is director and vice-president of the National Union of Pensioners.
In 2020, Sindinapi received 23.3 million reais from the government due to fees charged to retirees. In 2024, transfers to Sindinapi reached 154.7 million reais. Last April, when the entities’ theft was revealed, Frei Chico said he was waiting for an investigation into “all the mess that’s going on” at the INSS. The ICC decided not to summon him.
Today, the change that Congress will make to the government and the Supreme Court will be this: a constitutional amendment will be approved, increasing the number of ministers serving on the Court from 11 to 13. The two new seats will be filled by nominees from the Senate and the House.
In the first choice, the Senate will nominate former president Rodrigo Pacheco. A slap with the glove to Lula, who passed him. The House could appoint deputy Marcos Pereira, president of the Republicans. Two minors. For those who want to fan the embers of an institutional crisis, this is an excellent idea.
Some senators hoped to receive the nomination of Jorge Messias to overturn it with 54 votes. 54 is the number of senators needed to remove a minister from the Supreme Court. This would explain the eagerness of Gilmar Mendes to cede the prerogative of opening the file to the Attorney General.
If computers talk…
Minister Dias Toffoli ordered the federal police to access the computers of the 13th Federal Court in Curitiba, where the recent Lava-Jato operation took place. In theory, the PF should seek data related to a complaint filed by former state Rep. Tony Garcia against then-Judge Sergio Moro.
In practice, the PF will be able to reopen the vault of messages and dialogues from Moro and the prosecutors who led Lava Jato. The yellow box, probably from Moro, with information on the others would just be the start
It is natural that there are different currents of opinion within a party and that there are bad feelings within the same family, but Bolsonaro’s is an exception. Senator Flávio argues with deputy Eduardo and both do not get along with their mother-in-law Michelle who, in turn, does not get along with councilor Jair Renan. All this, in public.
Lula’s proposal to President Donald Trump for cooperation between Brazil and the United States in the fight against organized crime contained a poison pill. The American market benefits from criminal arms sales and money laundering. Trump doesn’t want to get involved in this.
The tactic of partnering with U.S. arms sales in the fight against crime was pioneered more than a year ago by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. It worked and Trump started praising her.
By protecting the ministers of the Supreme Court, Gilmar Mendes took the President of the Senate, Davi Alcolumbre, off the ropes. The senator is working miracles with judicial appointments. An expert on life in Brasilia guarantees it: at least two ministers of the Supreme Court were saved by the Planalto gong. One of them fell into the hands of the Commission; the other, in plenary.
An expert from governments and Brasilia reports:
“Lula’s group surprises with its self-sufficiency. They look like talking dolls. They repeat the same arguments they heard at the Palace, with the pose of a Roman senator and the intelligence of Primo Carnera.
The mixture of the Roman senator with the intelligence of Carnera (1906-1967), an idiot boxer, was the work of journalist Nertan Macedo (1929-1989). High heels go well with Tucanos, PT members are clumsy.
The president of Rio’s Legislative Assembly, Rodrigo Bacellar, went to the Federal Police headquarters with R$90,000 in cash in his car. For other reasons he ended up in prison.
Donald Trump is still not satisfied because he was not awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He says he ended seven wars in seven months, which is another plus, but the Nobel was awarded to Barack Obama in 2009 without him having ended any war.
Economist Elena Landau said it all about Correios’ hole: the company hit rock bottom, accumulating losses of more than 13 billion reais in just three years. Those responsible for this disaster? Nobody knows it, nobody has seen it.
In two years of the Lula 3.0 government, 8.6 million people were lifted out of poverty. This is the best rating since the start of the historic series. This was achieved with a Selic rate of 15%. For interests. Apparently, 2026 will be a good year for Lula and his allies.
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