🇧🇷 Brazil Episodes

Guests: Isabela Camargo, TV Globo reporter in Brasília; and Diego Cherulli, lawyer and president of the Brazilian Independent Institute of Law and Social Security Research. Former INSS president Alessandro Stefanutto and eight others were arrested this Thursday (13) in another phase of Operation No Discount, by the Federal Police. They are suspected of being part of a scheme to embezzle money from retirees and pensioners which, according to the PF and the Comptroller General of the Union (CGU) investigation, may have moved R$ 6.3 billion between 2019 and 2024. According to investigations, the suspects charged irregular monthly fees, deducted from retirees' and pensioners' benefits, without their authorization. The most recent balance sheet released by the INSS indicates that more than 6 million beneficiaries stated that they did not recognize discounts made in recent years. On Wednesday (11), the government extended the deadline for contesting these amounts. The embezzlement scandal is yet another in the history of the INSS, a social security system created to guarantee security and dignity to retirees and pensioners. In practice, what is seen is an endless source of scams, many of them committed at the door of service agencies, as journalist Isabela Camargo recalls in conversation with Natuza Nery. Globo reporter in Brasília, Isabela tells who Stefanutto is and what suspicions fall on him. She also answers how the work of the CPI created to investigate the scandal is going. Afterwards, the conversation is with lawyer Diego Cherulli, president of the Brazilian Independent Institute of Law and Social Security Research. He answers why the INSS is a “breeding ground for scams” against insured parties and gives examples of fraud – such as that of the false lawyer, who has already made thousands of victims. Diego points out necessary mechanisms to avoid embezzlement and warns: "the golden rule is not to pay anything before receiving" the benefit.

Guest: Marcelo Lins, GloboNews commentator and host of GloboNews Internacional. An old ghost returned to haunt the White House this Wednesday (12th): the Jeffrey Epstein case, a millionaire accused of sexually exploiting teenagers. Democratic deputies revealed three Epstein emails suggesting Trump knew about the girls. In one of the messages, from 2011, Epstein says Trump spent hours with one of them. Following the release of the emails, congressmen from Trump's party made public 23,000 pages of documents about the case. The American president has always denied any involvement with the case and, this Wednesday, said that the Democrats created a farce to divert attention from the party's failure during the biggest shutdown in US history. To explain what the emails reveal and how the Epstein case haunts Trump, Natuza Nery talks to Marcelo Lins, GloboNews commentator and host of GloboNews Internacional. Lins recalls the relationship between Trump and Epstein and analyzes the political moment in which the emails and other documents about the case are revealed.

Guest: Wálter Maierovitch, legal expert in organized crime; and William Murad, executive director of the Federal Police. Rapporteur of the Anti-Faction Bill, Deputy Guilherme Derrite (PP-SP) presented on Tuesday evening (11) a new opinion on the package to combat organized crime sent by the government. It was the third version given by Derrite since last Friday, when he was chosen by the Speaker of the House, Hugo Motta (Republicanos-PB), to be the rapporteur of the government-authored project. The text is being processed urgently and is ready to be voted on in plenary, which should occur this Wednesday (12). In this third version, Derrite proposes the creation of a new law to combat organized crime. The deputy - who took leave from the Public Security Secretariat of SP to report on the project - removed the changes to the Anti-Terrorism Law and the attributions of the Federal Police. The two points generated divergences in the Chamber and were the target of criticism from the government, jurists and public security experts. In this episode, Natuza Nery talks with jurist Wálter Maierovitch to analyze what it would mean to change the attributions of the Federal Police and tamper with the Anti-Terrorism Law. He evaluates the proposal to increase the penalty for crimes attributed to factions from 20 to 40 years, and analyzes in which points the project presented by the government would need to be improved. Afterwards, the conversation is with William Murad, executive director of the Federal Police, who answers what type of investigation would be put at risk with changes in the attributions of the corporation.

Convidada: Mariana Albuquerque Zan, advogada do Instituto Alana. A lei brasileira proíbe o casamento civil de menores de 16 anos, mas dados divulgados pelo Censo revelam que 34 mil crianças e adolescentes entre 10 e 14 anos vivem em algum tipo de união conjugal. Nesse grupo, quase 8 em cada 10 são meninas, segundo os números do IBGE. Meninas que, na maioria das vezes, deixam de estudar para cuidar de afazeres domésticos. Os indicadores são baseados em informações fornecidas pelos próprios moradores que responderam ao Censo – e não têm comprovação legal. No entanto, outros números reforçam a existência deste problema na sociedade brasileira: o país ocupa o 6º lugar no ranking global de casamentos infantis, segundo dados de 2023 da Associação Nacional dos Registradores de Pessoas Naturais. Neste episódio, Natuza Nery conversa com Mariana Albuquerque Zan, advogada do Instituto Alana, organização da sociedade civil que há mais de 30 anos atua para garantir os direitos de crianças e adolescentes. Mariana lista os vários indicadores que reforçam os dados do Censo e traça um perfil das vítimas de casamento infantil no Brasil. Ela também aponta o que pode ser feito para reverter essa situação, que tira de crianças e adolescentes direitos básicos. E fala da necessidade da criação de políticas públicas para proteger menores de casamentos fora da lei.

Guests: Tasso Azevedo, general coordinator of MapBiomas; and Ricardo Abramovay, senior professor at the Institute for Advanced Studies and the Institute of Energy and Environment at USP. COP30 starts this Monday (10th) in Belém, Pará, with a proposal on the table: a fund to transform forest preservation into profit. The Tropical Forest Forever Fund (TFFF) was officially launched by President Lula during the COP Leaders Summit. The initiative aims to raise funds from governments and the private sector. One of the creators of the first version of the plan, Tasso Azevedo talks to Natuza Nery to explain the importance of preserving tropical forests. General coordinator of MapBiomas, Tasso details how the plan should work and why it is considered innovative compared to other initiatives to preserve biomes. Afterwards, Natuza talks to Ricardo Abramovay, senior professor at the Institute for Advanced Studies and the Institute of Energy and Environment at USP. Author of books on the sustainable economy of the Amazon, Abramovay answers why, from an economic point of view, it is worth keeping the forest standing. And points out ways of what can be done to combine development with environmental preservation.

Convidada: Isabela Leite, reporter from GloboNews. Around 4 PM on November 9, 2024, a man with a death sentence arrived in São Paulo on a flight from Maceió. Upon disembarking and leaving Terminal 2, Antônio Vinícius Gritzbach was executed with rifle shots at Cumbica Airport, in Guarulhos. The execution, in the middle of Brazil's largest airport, opened a Pandora's Box about organized crime. In conversation with Natuza Nery in this episode, journalist Isabela Leite recounts this story. GloboNews reporter Isabela recalls the assassination of the man who denounced the PCC and was considered by investigators a "living archive" of the faction. Months before being killed, Gritzbach had closed an agreement with the Public Prosecutor's Office of São Paulo and denounced PCC money laundering schemes, in addition to cases of police corruption. Isabela explains the questions that are still open about the case. She discusses the various lines of investigation opened and how they exposed sophisticated criminal schemes: from police corruption to money laundering using fintechs and construction companies. And she answers how Gritzbach's death shook the police of São Paulo.

Guests: Maurício Stegemann Dieter, USP criminology professor; and Lincoln Gakiya, São Paulo Gaeco prosecutor. The term narcoterrorism was used by the governor of Rio de Janeiro, Cláudio Castro, on the same day as the operation that ended with 121 deaths, including 4 police officers, in the Alemão and Penha complexes. Since then, the discussion about a project that equates drug trafficking with terrorism has gained traction in the Chamber - and the support of some governors. According to the project under discussion, the application of the Anti-Terrorism Law – created in 2016 - will be extended to criminal organizations and militias. Defended by the opposition, the proposal displeases the government, as Minister Gleisi Hoffmann declared this Wednesday. But what changes, in practice, if drug trafficking is considered terrorism? To answer this question, Natuza Nery receives two guests: Lincoln Gakiya, Prosecutor of Justice of Gaeco of São Paulo, one of the biggest investigators on the PCC; and Maurício Stegemann Dieter, Professor of Criminology at USP. Gakiya answers what could happen to ongoing investigations if the project is approved in Congress. The prosecutor assesses whether it is feasible, from an operational point of view, to transfer investigations that are currently under the competence of state police and bodies to the Federal Police. Maurício details the difference between the crimes of terrorism and trafficking and answers how a possible change could impact the lives of Brazilians.

Guest: Vanessa Cavalieri, judge of the Children and Youth Court of Rio de Janeiro. Brazil had 12,500 adolescents in restriction and deprivation of liberty in August 2024, according to data from Sinase, the National Socio-Educational Care System, linked to the National Secretariat for the Rights of the Child and Adolescent. Brazilian law provides for a series of ways to guarantee social reintegration and prevent these young people from committing illegal acts again. In a conversation with Natuza Nery in this episode, Judge Vanessa Cavalieri explains what happens from the moment a young person is apprehended. According to her, by inefficiently complying with the first restrictive measure, many of these young people return to trafficking. Vanessa reports how, when apprehended by the police and losing the drugs belonging to the traffic, young people create unpayable debts, generating a "snowball" process, in which one crime leads to another even more serious. Head of the Children and Youth Court of Rio de Janeiro, Vanessa Cavalieri reports what she sees daily in her work with young offenders and what type of investments and social programs would need to be put into practice to reverse this scenario. She lists which social, educational and family factors lead minors to commit illegal acts, in a cycle that is difficult to break.

Guests: Gabriela Azevedo, reporter from g1 Ceará; and Francisco Elionardo de Melo Nascimento, professor and executive coordinator of COVIO, the Laboratory for Studies on Conflictualities and Violence at the State University of Ceará. Brazil's two largest criminal factions were born in the Southeast and, in recent decades, have expanded to other states. An X-ray done by the Ministry of Justice shows that more than half of the criminal organizations operating in national territory are in the Northeast region, including precisely the PCC and Comando Vermelho, the country's two largest factions. The arrival of these criminal groups has provoked a series of territorial disputes, which have aggravated the problem of public security in the states. One of the portraits of this dispute is a "ghost village" in Ceará, as reporter Gabriela Azevedo, from g1 Ceará, tells Natuza Nery in this episode. Gabriela visited this village in the city of Pacatuba, in the Metropolitan Region of Fortaleza. She tells what she saw on the spot and what she heard from residents expelled from the region. Then, Natuza talks with Professor Francisco Elionardo de Melo Nascimento, from the State University of Ceará. Executive coordinator of COVIO, the university's Laboratory for Studies on Conflictualities and Violence, Elionardo details how the expansion of organized crime in the region took place and explains how the expulsion of residents is a recurring practice in the territorial dispute with other criminal groups.

Guest: Ana Maria Gonçalves, author of "A Color Defect". Next Friday (7th), writer Ana Maria Gonçalves will assume Chair No. 33 of the Brazilian Academy of Letters (ABL). The inauguration of the author of the book "A Color Defect" will be historic: for the first time a black woman will have a seat in the 128-year-old institution. On the eve of the event, Ana Maria Gonçalves talks with Natuza Nery. The author of the book that became a landmark of our contemporary culture discusses the place of black women in Brazilian literature. Ana Maria tells how the protagonist Kehinde was built, an African woman who survives the crossing of the Atlantic and the violence of slavery in Brazil. Kehinde was inspired by the life of Luísa Mahin, mother of the poet and lawyer Luiz Gama – a key figure in Brazilian abolitionism. In the conversation, Ana Maria discusses the differences between Brazil in 2006 – the year her main novel was published – and the country today. "A Color Defect" won the Casa de las Américas Prize in 2007, one of the most important in Latin America. In 2024, the book was the theme of the samba plot of the Portela samba school. Throughout the episode, excerpts from "A Color Defect" are read by journalist Maju Coutinho and actor Lázaro Ramos – he gives voice to stanzas of the poem "My Mother", by Luiz Gama, and letters written by the author.

Guests: Pierpaolo Bottini, lawyer and professor of Criminal Law at the USP Law School; and Rafael Alcadipani, professor at FGV and member of the Brazilian Public Security Forum. In Brazil, 28.5 million people live with organized crime in the neighborhood where they live. This is shown by a Datafolha survey commissioned by the Brazilian Public Security Forum, released on October 16. The data from this survey reveal that criminal factions and militias are present in the daily lives of 19% of Brazilians aged 16 or over – last year, this percentage was 14%. Data from the Ministry of Justice also indicate that 88 criminal factions operate in the country – the largest of these are the PCC and the CV. The mega-operation in Rio de Janeiro against Comando Vermelho, which ended with 121 deaths, including 4 police officers, exposes a question that has haunted the country for decades: how to combat organized crime? To answer this question, Natuza Nery receives two guests: Rafael Alcadipani and Pierpaolo Bottini and Rafael Alcadipani. Professor at FGV and member of the Brazilian Public Security Forum, Alcadipani indicates the pillars of this fight. The professor defends the professionalization of the police, the increase in the Justice system and the improvement in the articulation between the security forces. He points out the need to create an anti-mafia authority, with states and the federal government working together. Then, the conversation is with Pierpaolo Bottini, professor of Criminal Law at the USP Law School. Bottini draws attention to the effectiveness of economically suffocating criminal organizations. For him, it is only by limiting the financial flow of organized crime that it is possible to combat the factions.

Guests: Ricardo Balestreri, coordinator of the Center for Social Urbanism and Public Security at Insper Cidades; and Bernardo Mello Franco, columnist for the newspaper O Globo and commentator for CBN radio. An image marked the day after the deadliest operation in the history of Rio de Janeiro. Dozens of bodies lined up were placed by residents in a square in the Penha Complex, in the North Zone of Rio. With the bodies removed from the forest, the number of deaths in the mega-operation against Comando Vermelho jumped to 121 – including 4 police officers. For the governor of Rio de Janeiro, Cláudio Castro (PL), the mega-operation was “a success”. The day after the operation also revealed details of how the police conducted the action: traffickers were attracted to the top of the forest, in a kind of “Bope wall”, as the police detailed. Also on Wednesday (29), the Minister of Justice met with the governor of Rio, and new political clashes over public security were recorded between the federal and state governments. In this episode, Natuza Nery receives Ricardo Balestreri, coordinator of the Center for Social Urbanism and Public Security at Insper Cidades. He analyzes the statements of Cláudio Castro and the strategy adopted by the Rio police in the operation last Tuesday. Balestreri reinforces the need for joint action between all entities of the federation in the fight against organized crime. Afterwards, Natuza talks with journalist Bernardo Mello Franco to explain what answers Cláudio Castro gave about the actions of the security forces and how politics and police mix in Rio de Janeiro. Bernardo also assesses the conduct of the federal government in the case and what kind of impact this type of conflict has on the conduct of public security policies - a topic that most worries the Brazilian population.

Convidados: Henrique Coelho, repórter do g1 Rio; e Carolina Ricardo, diretora-executiva do Instituto Sou da Paz. A megaoperação contra o Comando Vermelho nos complexos do Alemão e da Penha terminou com mais de 60 mortos. Uma guerra entre policiais e traficantes, que se transformou na operação mais letal da história do Rio de Janeiro. Durante a operação - iniciada ainda na madrugada da terça-feira na Zona Norte do Rio -, bandidos espalharam barricadas pela cidade. Na ofensiva contra policiais, criminosos lançaram drones com bombas e usaram armamento de guerra: mais de 90 fuzis foram apreendidos. A terça-feira de caos no Rio de Janeiro expôs a capacidade bélica das facções. Um estudo do Instituto Sou da Paz calcula que, só no ano de 2023, 1.655 fuzis foram apreendidos na região Sudeste - berço das principais organizações criminosas do Brasil. Neste episódio, Natuza Nery recebe Henrique Coelho, repórter do g1 Rio, para relatar como foi o dia de caos na capital fluminense. Henrique explica as particularidades geográficas dos complexos do Alemão e da Penha, onde o Comando Vermelho tem raízes. Ele fala também sobre como a operação se transformou em motivo de desavença entre o governador do RJ, Cláudio Castro (PL), e o governo federal. Depois, Natuza conversa com Carolina Ricardo, diretora-executiva do Instituto Sou da Paz. Carolina traça um retrato do tipo de armamento que está sob o poder de facções criminosas – e explica o caminho que elas fazem até chegar às mãos do crime. E conclui que tipo de medidas é preciso tomar para que armamentos de guerra não circulem no país.

Guest: Matias Spektor, professor at the School of International Relations of the Getulio Vargas Foundation of São Paulo. A day after meeting in Malaysia, the presidents of Brazil and the USA set the tone for the meeting. Lula was confident and said that the two countries should close an agreement on tariffs. On the other side, Trump said he doesn't know if anything will happen. This Monday (27th), Trump also wished Lula a happy 80th birthday and praised the Brazilian president. The meeting between the two illustrates a relaxation in the relationship between Brazil and the USA, but it does not yet represent a definitive solution to the tariff imposed by Trump on Brazilian products. In conversation with Natuza Nery in this episode, Professor Matias Spektor explains what happens from now on and what is on the negotiating table, which officially started this Monday. Professor of International Relations at FGV-SP, Spektor answers what still needs to be done so that Brazilian products are no longer taxed at 50%: "this process will take months, but the direction is very positive for Brazil," he says. He analyzes the political reflections - both for Lula and Trump - of the rapprochement between the two presidents.

Guest: Fabrício Vitorino, journalist, master in Russian culture from USP and PhD candidate in International Relations at UFSC. In the geopolitical arena, new movements may compromise Vladimir Putin's objectives. Last week, after Donald Trump canceled a meeting with the Russian president, the US sanctioned the country's two largest oil companies. Subsequently, the European Union announced a new round of sanctions against Russia, including a threat to confiscate around 140 billion euros to compensate Ukraine. On the war front, Moscow's offensives continue with more force than before. This is what journalist and Russian culture expert Fabrício Vitorino saw firsthand. Guest of Natuza Nery in this episode, Fabrício traveled through a large part of Ukrainian territory in October. He reports the hours of tension he experienced during the biggest bombing suffered by Lviv, a city in western Ukraine — a region not even claimed by Moscow. Fabrício also recounts the forms of resistance expressed by the population of Odessa, in the south, where Russian attacks have become routine. Finally, he analyzes the possible next steps of Trump, Putin and Zelensky in the search for a ceasefire agreement.

Guests: Ivo Herzog, son of Vladimir Herzog, founder and president of the Vladimir Herzog Institute Council; and Rogério Sottili, executive director of the Vladimir Herzog Institute. October 24, 1975, a Friday: journalist Vladimir Herzog, then director of the journalism department at TV Cultura, was summoned by agents of the military dictatorship to testify about his relationship with the Brazilian Communist Party. Vlado, who had no connection with the party, voluntarily presented himself the next morning at the DOI-Codi in Vila Mariana, São Paulo. On the afternoon of October 25, Vlado was dead. The regime, then in the hands of Ernesto Geisel, tried to cover up the crime with a lie. The allegation was that Vlado had committed suicide. His wife, Clarice, always denied it. The staged photo of the journalist's body — with a belt around his neck, knees bent and feet touching the ground — became a symbol of the State's brutality during the dictatorship. On the 50th anniversary of Vladimir Herzog's death, Natuza Nery talks with Ivo Herzog, the journalist's son and director of the institute that bears his father's name. Ivo, who was 9 years old when his father was tortured and killed, recalls the day Vlado was summoned by the dictatorship and what happened soon after his death. Ivo talks about the role of the families of victims in the struggle for justice for the disappeared and murdered during the dictatorship. Afterwards, the conversation is with Rogério Sottili, executive director of the Vladimir Herzog Institute.

Guest: Oliver Stuenkel, FGV International Relations professor, Harvard University and Carnegie Endowment researcher. Nepal, Madagascar, Kenya, Morocco, Peru, Indonesia... Demonstrations led by Generation Z youth – born from mid-1990s to early 2010s – have spread worldwide. In Nepal and Madagascar, the wave of demonstrations overthrew the governments. In Peru, the newly appointed president decreed 30 days of emergency amidst the wave of violence. Motivated by different reasons, all these protests have a massive presence of young people dissatisfied with the political and economic elites, in a scenario of "palpable pessimism" that drives mobilizations. This is what Oliver Stuenkel explains in conversation with Natuza Nery in this episode. Oliver talks about how Generation Z perceives that political elites are "disconnected" from the real problems of the population's daily life. Professor of International Relations at FGV, researcher at Harvard University and the Carnegie Endowment, in the USA, Oliver assesses what unites these young people in different parts of the world. "They all have common agendas, which explains the use of similar symbols," he says, citing the use of the pirate flag from the anime series "One Piece." Oliver highlights the fundamental role of social media in the organization and spread of protests. And he reflects on the risk of authoritarian advancement, citing the case of Madagascar, where the demonstrations overthrew the government, but an Army colonel took power.

Guest: Thiago Faria, policy coordinator for the O Globo newspaper in Brasília. In December 2022, the Supreme Court ended the rapporteur's amendments. Since then, another type of parliamentary amendment has gained prominence: PIX amendments. In this type of amendment, local governments and municipalities indicated by parliamentarians receive money from Union resources directly into their accounts. According to the Comptroller General of the Union (CGU), the amount transferred to local governments and municipalities through PIX amendments grew almost 13 times between 2020 and 2024. This year, out of a total of R$50 billion in parliamentary amendments, almost R$8 billion were allocated to this modality – money that is even more difficult to track. This Thursday (23), the STF will hold a public hearing in which Congress needs to explain whether it has managed to increase the transparency and traceability of these amendments. In this episode, Natuza Nery receives journalist Thiago Faria, policy coordinator for the O Globo newspaper in Brasília. Author of a report entitled "The amendment disappeared," Thiago recounts what he discovered while investigating the fate of parliamentary amendments across the country. He explains how billions of reais are "scattered" into bank accounts of various municipalities. The journalist recounts what he heard from residents, mayors and parliamentarians about the money that should be spent on works and benefits for the population. He cites the case of the city of Zabelê, in Paraíba, a city of just over 2,000 inhabitants that received R$3 million in 2023 for the construction of a park: "today the park does not exist, and the money has disappeared," he says.

Guest: Mauricio Moura, founder of the IDEIA Research Institute and Professor at George Washington University. Under the motto “No Kings,” millions of protesters took to the streets in over 2,600 US cities last Saturday. An estimated 10 million people participated in the protests – marked by the presence of children and families, and with protesters even wearing costumes. Participants criticize what they see as a shift towards authoritarianism in President Donald Trump's administration. In response, Trump posted an artificially intelligent video mocking the protesters. In the video, the president appeared wearing a crown and piloting a plane with the words "King Trump". The president's party downplayed the acts and stated that they are "anti-American". This was the third mass mobilization since Trump's return to the White House, and occurred amid a government shutdown. In addition to having federal services closed, the US is experiencing a test of the balance of powers. In this episode, Natuza Nery receives Mauricio Moura, founder of the IDEIA Research Institute and professor at George Washington University. Mauricio assesses the scope of the latest protests against Trump and answers what is the degree of governability of the American president with his current level of popularity.

Guest: Marcelo Neri, economist and director of FGV Social. Income inequality in Brazil reached its lowest level in history in 2024, according to IBGE data. Also last year, the average income of Brazilians increased. Between 2022 and 2024, 17 million Brazilians escaped poverty. These positive data are joined by others: in addition to the average income of Brazilians having increased, the country left the UN hunger map after 3 years. Despite the positive results, there is still a long way to go. For 77% of Brazilians, the country is still very unequal. In 2024, the richest 1% of the country's population had an average income 30.5 times higher than the poorest half of the population. Numbers that reveal a structural inequality. To analyze what the indicators reveal about the current status of Brazilian inequality, Victor Boyadjian listens to economist Marcelo Neri. Director of FGV Social, Neri outlines the set of factors that led to the improvement of the Brazilian scenario. "Objective data show that income has never been so high. Poverty has never been so low," he says. Marcelo answers what role the improvement of the labor market and the income of Brazilians played in the recent results and what needs to be done for Brazil to escape the paradox of being an unequal country. "Growth is fundamental. But it is necessary to combat inequality using the instruments we have," he says, citing Bolsa Família and other social programs. And he concludes: "if we implement policies to combat [poverty], inequality will fall".