Brazil on Fire

5.0 (26)
Society & Culture

A podcast with journalist Michael Fox about one country’s descent toward fascism under President Bolsonaro ... and how the United States helped push it along. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/brazil-on-fire--5630445/support.

3d ago

Brazil’s Battle Against Fake News & the US War to Undermine it

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/mfox Never miss an episode — sign up for The Real News newsletter at therealnews.com Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/brazil-on-fire--5630445/support.
07/27/2025

Introducing: Stories of Resistance

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 PodcastsSpotifySpreaker 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 Facebook: The Real News Network Twitter: @TheRealNews YouTube: @therealnews Instagram: @therealnewsnetwork
01/24/2023

Update #3 — An autopsy of Bolsonaro's failed coup

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 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 Facebook: The Real News Network Twitter: @TheRealNews YouTube: @therealnews Instagram: @therealnewsnetwork Subscribe to updates from NACLA: https://nacla.org/subscribe
11/17/2022

Update #2 — Lula Presidente

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 Sign up for our newsletter: https://www.therealnews.com/signup-brazil-on-fire Like us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/therealnews Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/therealnews Subscribe to updates from NACLA: https://nacla.org/subscribe Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/brazil-on-fire--5630445/support.
10/14/2022

Elections update with BrasilWire’s Brian Mier

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 Like us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/therealnews Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/therealnews Subscribe to updates from NACLA: https://nacla.org/subscribe Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/brazil-on-fire--5630445/support.
09/27/2022

Episode 6: Amazon up in Smoke

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 Sign up for our newsletter: https://www.therealnews.com/signup-brazil-on-fire Like us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/therealnews Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/therealnews Subscribe to updates from NACLA: https://nacla.org/subscribe Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/brazil-on-fire--5630445/support.
09/20/2022

Episode 5: Ghosts of the Past

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 Sign up for our newsletter: https://www.therealnews.com/signup-brazil-on-fire Like us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/therealnews Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/therealnews Subscribe to updates from NACLA: https://nacla.org/subscribe Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/brazil-on-fire--5630445/support.
09/13/2022

Episode 4: Nazis on your Street

Brazil has a long and complicated history with fascism, going back to the early 20th century. Far-right and white supremacist groups have been emboldened by President Jair Bolsonaro—with some members of his own cabinet openly sporting Nazi tattoos. They’ve unleashed online attacks, pushed fake news and misinformation in favor of Bolsonaro, and they’ve threatened Brazil’s Supreme Court and its justices. But the country’s top court is pushing back. In this episode, we look at Brazil’s troubled past of reactionary fascist forces, and how Bolsonaro’s rise unleashed them anew. 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. Sound design by Gustavo Türck: @coletivocatarse Theme music by Monte Perdido: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0nexDyQCZI89JH8zsYu5wa?si=jo6-l1wiSrGmDkxyCA_cow Portions of today’s episode were previously aired in a series on nationalism and religion produced by Michael Fox for PRI’s The World. You can find that, and more, at https://theworld.org/categories/sacred-nation 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 Like us on Facebook: https://facebook.com/therealnews Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/therealnews Subscribe to updates from NACLA: https://nacla.org/subscribe Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/brazil-on-fire--5630445/support.

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Trailer

Coming soon: Brazil on Fire

Jair Bolsonaro's rise was unimaginable just a few years before his election to Brazil's presidency. With an impending showdown between the incumbent Bolsonaro and popular left-wing former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, many fear Bolsonaro may resort to a January 6-style coup to retain power. In this special limited podcast series from Latin America-based journalist Michael Fox, we’ll take listeners on a journey to understand Brazil’s turn toward fascism: Bolsonaro’s rise, his government that set the country ablaze, and how the US helped him do it. Produced in partnership by The Real News Network and the North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA). The Real News Network: https://therealnews.com NACLA: https://nacla.org Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/brazil-on-fire--5630445/support.

out of 5

26 Ratings

Super informative

09/11/2022

mysticarlos

Excellent podcast if you want to understand the current political situation in Brazil and the political stakes in the 2022 elections. I learned a lot from the host, who is clearly very knowledgeable about Brazil.