For him, this could be the moment of truth: Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro could find out on Friday if the judiciary sentenced him to eight years’ ban for disinformation before losing the election at the end of 2022.

• Also read: The planet was losing a soccer field of rainforest every 5 seconds last year

• Also read: Brazil: the “valley of misery” fueled by lithium wealth

• Also read: Indigenous peoples are demonstrating in Brasilia on the eve of a crucial trial for their land

So far, three of the seven judges of Brasilia’s Superior Electoral Tribunal (TSE) have voted in favor of a conviction and one against. The far-right leader faces charges of “abuse of political power and misuse of communications” for criticizing the reliability of electronic ballot boxes without evidence just months before his left-wing rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva won the election.

Friday’s session, due to start at 12:00 (15:00 GMT) could prove crucial as the court’s decision will be reached by majority. However, the suspense could grow even more if a judge asked for more time to investigate the case.

The former head of state (2019-2022) planned to stay away from his trial, as he did at the first three hearings. According to his formation, he has to go to Belo Horizonte (southeast) for lunch with members of his Liberal Party.

“I have committed no crime by meeting with ambassadors. “It is incomprehensible to strip me of my political rights over allegations of abuse of political power,” the 68-year-old former army captain told reporters on Thursday.

In fact, at the heart of the process is a speech delivered in July 2022 to diplomats at the Alvorada presidential residence and broadcast on public television and social networks. He wanted to fix “deficiencies” in electronic voting under “Armed Forces Participation,” he said.

This speech about the alleged susceptibility to fraud in the electoral system, this nostalgic of the military dictatorship (1964-1985) will have hammered him during his election campaign. He may have stoked the ire of his most radical supporters, who stormed and looted the executive, legislative and judicial branches of Brasilia on January 8, just days after Lula’s inauguration.

The three TSE judges who have already voted to convict have harshly criticized the ex-president’s conduct.

His speech sounded like a “delusional narrative with damaging effects on democracy” and it was not an isolated act, but a “strategic decision forged over time for electoral purposes,” thundered Judge André Ramos Tavares.

Conversely, for his colleague Raul Araujo, his behavior “was not likely to justify an extreme level of suspension”.

If convicted, the defense intends to appeal to the Supreme Court.

Should the former head of state be out of the running, the question of how to lead his camp would be urgent. For now, no figure stands out as a cure, but Bolsonarianism is more entrenched than ever.

Right-wing and far-right parties are even stronger in Parliament than under Jair Bolsonaro, who after two terms (2003-2010) narrowly lost to Lula in the second round by just 1.8%.

Regardless of the TSE’s decision, no justice will be served to Mr Bolsonaro. In addition to fifteen cases before the electoral court, the former leader has been targeted in five cases by the Supreme Court, particularly for his alleged role in instigating the January 8 attacks. He faces imprisonment.

Former President Donald Trump made an impassioned pledge to his supporters at the Moms for Liberty summit in Philadelphia on Friday night, vowing to “rid our children of the Marxist maniacs and perverts who have polluted our education system.”

Trump also vowed to cut funding for programs he believes “promote critical race theory, transgender and other inappropriate racial, sexual or political content” if he were re-elected in 2024.

At one point, Trump remarked, “Don’t mess with America’s mothers.” “Our beloved nation is on the brink of tyranny.”

The ex-president added that educational decisions would be left to states due to “radical left socialism” and that his Justice Department would investigate violations of his policies.

“Rather than taking their kids to church, they believe in taking kids to drag shows.” Instead of teaching them to say their prayers, they teach them to recite their pronouns,” he said.

Trump later stopped at Pat’s King of Steaks in Philadelphia after his address at the Moms for Liberty event, where he reportedly autographed at least one copy of his best-selling book, The Art of the Deal, for a police officer.

During his speech, Trump hailed Moms for Liberty as “joyful warriors” as he chaired the annual conference on Friday

Trump: “Many presidents never get the opportunity to appoint a judge to the Supreme Court. I had three… and yesterday they decided to transition our country back to a merit-based education system.” pic.twitter.com/N4Pvjd9HSh

— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) June 30, 2023

During his speech, Trump hailed Moms for Liberty as “joyful warriors” as he chaired Friday’s annual conference and criticized what he called an unfair portrayal of the group.

“But Moms for Liberty is not a hate group,” he said. “You are merry warriors, you are fierce, fierce patriots.” They are no threat to America. “You are the best thing that has ever happened to America.”

“Joe Biden and the Democratic Communists are the threat to America.” And together we will oust them on Election Day 2024,” the former Apprentice host added.

Trump also vowed to enforce the Supreme Court’s affirmative action decision, while during the campaign speech he also referenced the appointments of Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett and boasted about their recent decisions.

“You know, a lot of presidents never get the opportunity to appoint a Supreme Court justice.” I’ve had three, they’re gold! [Democrats] “I’m not happy about that,” Trump said of his appointments to the judge.

“And maybe we’ll do three or four more. Let’s have seven or eight or maybe even nine.”

It’s unclear whether Trump — who is running for the Republican nomination again in 2024 — meant he wanted to expand the Supreme Court or simply shape it so that all justices could be appointed by him.

Republicans have often criticized Democrats for attempting to expand the court or change the way judges are appointed after deriding decisions including the Affirmative Action One and others that ended Roe vs. Wade and affected the rights of LGBTQ+ people.

Trump previously praised the affirmative action decision on Truth Social Thursday.

“This is a great day for America,” he wrote. “People of exceptional ability and everything else necessary for success, including the future greatness of our country, will finally be rewarded.” “This is the verdict everyone has been waiting for and hoping for and the result has been amazing.”

“It will also keep us competitive with the rest of the world.” Our greatest minds need to be appreciated and that’s what this wonderful day brought about. We are geared entirely to earnings again – and that’s the way it should be!’

Pat’s is one of the two most notorious cheesesteak restaurants in the City of Brotherly Love and has a never-ending rivalry with nearby Geno’s.

Moms for Liberty was founded during the pandemic by Florida mothers concerned about their children’s educational direction.

It has since expanded to numerous chapters across the country, including Pennsylvania, which is believed to be a key state for Trump’s return to his column in 2024.

Former President Donald Trump visits Pat’s King of Steaks in Philadelphia

Pat’s is one of the two most notorious cheesesteak restaurants in the City of Brotherly Love and has a never-ending rivalry with nearby Geno’s

The two-year-old group, formed in Florida in 2021 to campaign against local COVID school mask rules and quarantine requirements, has quickly become a force in conservative politics as advocates for “parents’ rights.”

But it has also been accused of preaching hate, and the Southern Poverty Law Center recently labeled it an “extremist” group for allegedly harassing community members, spreading anti-LGBTQ+ misinformation and fighting to eliminate diverse and inclusive materials from lesson plans .

The conference, held at a hotel in downtown Philadelphia, was nonetheless attended by leading Republican presidential candidates, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is second in line to Trump and began the gathering by announcing 2024 as the year , in which the parents “finally fight back”. ‘

DeSantis praised the group for being “attacked by the left,” saying it was “a sign that we’re winning this fight.”

In Florida, he continued efforts to ban discussions of race and sexual identity in classrooms and certain books from school libraries. And he promised to “fight the guards” as president.

“I think what we’ve seen in this country over the past few years has awakened the most powerful political force in the country: Mama Bears.” And they’re ready to go,” he said, predicting that moms will be “the most important political force for this cycle would be 2024”.

“2024 will be the year that parents across the country finally fight back,” he said.

The Southern Poverty Law Center added the organization to its “Hate Map” as part of the publication of its “Year In Hate and Extremism 2022” report.

It has garnered national media attention for its commitment to tackling COVID restrictions in schools and restricting discussions about race, sexuality and gender in elementary school classes.

According to the organization’s mission statement, Moms for Liberty was founded in 2021 to “unite, educate and empower parents to defend their parental rights at all levels of government.”

During his Trump address, Trump referenced the appointments of Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett and boasted about their recent decisions, including ending affirmative action at American universities in 2024

It’s unclear whether Trump — who is running for the Republican nomination again in 2024 — meant he wanted to expand the Supreme Court or simply shape it so that all justices could be appointed by him

The conference, held at a downtown Philadelphia hotel, was nonetheless attended by leading Republican presidential candidates, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is second to Trump and began the meeting by announcing 2024 as the year in which the parents “finally fight back”.

Despite opposition from groups like the SPLC, Justice said she and her fellow Freedom Mothers are undeterred and plan to keep the energy up.

“We are merry warriors.” We will not stop. I mean no one will fight for anything like a parent fights for their child. And you know, we are mothers and fathers worried about the future of the country,” she said.

According to the SPLC report, “Moms for Liberty’s activities make it clear that the group’s primary goals are to foment right-wing hysteria and make the world a less comfortable or safer place for certain students — particularly those ‘ who are Black, LGBTQ people or those who come from LGBTQ families.’

The President and CEO of the SPLC and SPLC Action Fund, Margaret Huang, claimed that the goal of the report is to combat “the most hateful factions in our country” and ultimately overthrow white supremacy.

We expose the concerted effort by hate groups and extremist actors to terrorize communities and seize control of public institutions by any means necessary.

“These groups are crowding America’s main street and disrupting people’s daily lives, all too often with dire consequences for communities of color, Jewish people and the LGBTQ+ community.”

Justice and Moms of Liberty co-founder Tina Descovich criticized the decision to label their organization a “hate group.”

“Two-thirds of Americans believe the public education system today is on the wrong track.” That’s why our organization is committed to empowering parents to participate in their children’s public education,” they said in a statement to Fox News.

Former President Donald Trump speaks at the Moms for Liberty gathering in Philadelphia

Trump accused the “radical left” of “slandering Moms for Liberty as a so-called hate group”.

“That’s our fundamental goal, which began just two years ago when teachers’ unions locked students out of schools during the pandemic.”

“Empowering parents is still our mission today and that has fueled the growth of our organization – like wildfire to now 45 states across the country.”

“We believe that the rights of parents do not end at the classroom door and that no amount of hatred from such groups can prevent that.”

Moms for Liberty is one of 11 other right-wing parental rights groups named in the annual report.

Trump also accused the “radical left” of “slandering Moms for Liberty as a so-called hate group”.

“But Moms for Liberty is not a hate group,” he said. “You are merry warriors, you are fierce, fierce patriots.” They are no threat to America. “You are the best thing that has ever happened to America.”

“Joe Biden and the Democratic Communists are the threat to America.” And together we will oust them on Election Day 2024.”

The keen interest of Republican candidates in the event underscores the impact of Moms for Liberty, which has forged ties with powerful Republican organizations, politicians and donors to become a major player in 2024.

The keen interest of Republican candidates in the event underscores the impact of Moms for Liberty, which has forged ties with powerful Republican organizations, politicians and donors to become a major player in 2024

President Donald Trump speaks during the Moms for Liberty Joyful Warriors National Summit at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown

The group has stated that it has no intention of supporting any presidential candidate in the primary.

They have grown from three Florida moms speaking out against COVID-19 regulations in 2021 to 285 chapters in 45 states.

Along the way, she’s found a close ally in DeSantis, who was presented with a “liberty sword” at the group’s first annual meeting last year and who has signed several bills Moms for Liberty has backed.

In addition to remarks from the candidates and other speakers, the summit will also feature strategy sessions on issues such as “protecting children from gender ideology” and “comprehensive sex education: sex education or sexualization”.

Summit attendees said they liked what they heard so far.

“I love Moms for Liberty,” said Debbie McGinley, who is running for school board in the Methacton School District outside of Philadelphia.

As a mother of three who lost her hairdressing business during the COVID-19 pandemic, she said she appreciates that the group is “fighting for our children.”

Lucy Reyna, treasurer of a local Moms for Liberty group in Indiana, said she traveled to the conference to learn more about the national organization.

The self-proclaimed “parental rights” summit brings together school board candidates from across the country, where attendees can receive training and hear from Republican presidential candidates

During his speech, Trump discussed his nominations for Supreme Court Justices

“What am I a part of?” I need to know these things,” Reyna said, adding that she would reconsider her participation if the group skated too partisan in one direction.

About 100 parenting activists and LGBTQ+ advocates gathered outside to protest, citing the Southern Poverty Law Center’s classification of the group as an “anti-government extremist” organization.

They chanted “Not in our city” and “Let’s say gay” while holding up signs that read “Hate is not patriotic” and “Philly is the LGBTQest city.”

Some protesters said specific incidents sparked their activism, including a chapter from Indiana Moms for Liberty that published a quote from Adolf Hitler in its newsletter, then apologized and removed it, and a chapter in Tennessee that spoke out about lessons learned complained to black civil rights activists Martin Luther King Jr. and Ruby Bridges.

“I think they represent fear.” And that turns into hate very quickly,” said Molly Roses, a Philadelphia resident who joined the protest.

In the days leading up to the conference, several historical associations, senators, activists and staffers at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia had unsuccessfully asked the museum to cancel a welcome event for Thursday night’s conference. The event went as planned.

Comment on this storyComment

During a secret visit to Ukraine by CIA Director William J. Burns earlier this month, Ukrainian officials unveiled an ambitious strategy to retake Russian-held territories and begin ceasefire negotiations with Moscow by the end of the year, according to visiting officials familiar with the matter.

Burns’ trip, which has not yet been reported, included meetings with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and senior Ukrainian intelligence officials. This came at a critical moment in the conflict, as Ukrainian forces struggled to gain an early advantage in their long-awaited counteroffensive, but have yet to deploy most of their western-trained and equipped assault brigades.

“Director Burns recently traveled to Ukraine, as he has done regularly since the latest Russian aggression began more than a year ago,” said a US official who, like others, spoke about the unannounced visit on condition of anonymity.

Their purpose is to reaffirm the Biden administration’s commitment to sharing intelligence to help Ukraine defend itself, the official added.

Ukrainian officials have publicly expressed frustration with critics of the pace at which the counteroffensive has proceeded so far. But privately, military planners in Kiev have conveyed to Burns and others their optimistic confidence in their goal of recapturing significant territory by the fall; bring artillery and missile systems near the border line of Russian-controlled Crimea; advance further into eastern Ukraine; and then begin negotiations with Moscow for the first time since peace talks collapsed in March last year, according to three people familiar with the planning.

“Russia will only negotiate if it feels threatened,” a senior Ukrainian official said.

It remains to be seen whether Ukraine can implement these plans within such a tightened schedule. The CIA declined to comment when asked for Burns’ assessment of the offensive’s prospects.

Ukraine faces mine and personnel problems in the first weeks of the offensive

Burns’ trip took place shortly before the aborted uprising of Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin against the Russian defense contractor. Although US intelligence found out in mid-June that Prigozhin was planning an armed attack, those findings were not discussed at meetings with Zelenskyy and others, the US official said.

Biden administration officials have repeatedly stressed that Washington and Kiev had nothing to do with the failed March on Moscow, a rare challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin that the United States has described as an internal matter.

To reinforce that line, Burns called his Russian counterpart Sergei Naryshkin after the incident and stressed that the United States was in no way involved, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Zelenskyy and his military commanders face entrenched Russian forces in occupied parts of eastern and southern Ukraine and are under extraordinary pressure from Western nations, which have provided Kiev with billions of dollars of advanced weapons and training in advance of the counteroffensive.

Ukraine has suffered heavy casualties as its troops and armored vehicles navigated dense minefields and fortified trenches across vast, open areas. The difficult terrain makes the troops vulnerable to Russian air and missile attacks.

Zelenskyi has conceded that the counteroffensive is proceeding “slower than desired” and officials have confirmed the destruction of some Western-provided Leopard 2 tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles.

But Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov dismissed the skeptics, saying the “main event” was yet to come, while the country’s top military commander, General Valery Zaluzhny, called for patience and said the offensive was being “carried out” just as diligently. possible.

“Yeah, maybe not as fast as … the observers would like, but that’s their problem,” Zaluzhny told the Washington Post this week.

Military analysts say Ukraine’s goal of forcing negotiations, while ambitious given Russia’s fortified defenses, is not out of the question.

“It’s possible they can cut off the land bridge to Crimea by either seizing the site or bringing it within range of HIMARS and others.” artillery, but a lot depends on the level of attrition,” said Rob Lee, a military analyst at the Foreign Policy Research Institute.

“If Ukraine suffers too many casualties, their offensive could peak prematurely. But if Ukraine can inflict enough casualties on Russian forces and equipment and stop the movement of reinforcements, Ukraine may be able to weaken Moscow’s defenses enough to achieve a breakthrough,” he added.

In preparation for the overthrow, Zelenskyy and senior officials have begun thinking about how Kiev can force an end to the fighting on terms acceptable to Russia and the Ukrainian people, who have been facing violence, forced displacement, atrocities and food for the past year and a half – and power shortages.

In an ideal scenario favored by Kiev, the Ukrainian military would gain leverage over Russia by pushing troops and powerful weaponry to the edge of Ukraine’s border with Crimea, thereby holding hostage the peninsula that is home to Russia’s prized Black Sea Fleet.

“If Ukraine is able to target other key airfields, bridges, railroads and logistics hubs, it may make it more difficult for Russia to sustain the war,” said Lee, the military analyst.

By agreeing not to take Crimea by force, Kiev would then require Russia to accept any security guarantees Ukraine can get from the West, Ukrainian officials said.

However, obtaining these guarantees was a major challenge.

The Zelenskyy administration has been urging the United States and Europe to make firm commitments to Ukraine’s NATO and European Union accession — but the US and Western European governments remain opposed to the idea and are more interested in pledges of long-term security assistance instead of NATO enlargement, which risks a direct conflict with Russia.

The hesitation has frustrated Poland and the Baltics, NATO member countries awaiting next month’s NATO summit in Lithuania, where Foreign Minister Antony Blinken and other Western leaders have said they intend to offer Ukraine a “very robust” package” to submit. Strong disagreements about the contents of the package threaten to create the impression of disunity at the meeting.

Amid NATO disputes, the US supports incremental moves for Ukraine’s accession

But while US and Ukrainian officials disagree on the issue of NATO membership, they say there is broad agreement on Kiev’s goals for the offensive.

“The US agrees that Ukraine should enter the negotiations from a strong position,” a senior Ukrainian official said. “The United States is satisfied that our command does not do anything stupid, but keeps soldiers and equipment. The support is great and increases our motivation.”

However, there are numerous signs of stress. While US military leaders want to see Ukraine’s offensive accelerate, Zaluzhny has begun to vent that the West has not dispatched munitions and warplanes to the battlefield quickly enough.

It “stirrs me up,” Zaluzhny said in response to complaints that the counteroffensive hadn’t progressed quickly.

White House spokesman John Kirby on Friday sympathized with Ukraine’s complaints about guns, saying, “You can hardly blame them for talking to the world about additional support, be it quantity or quality of capability.”

However, he denied that Washington would play the “armchair quarterback” role from the sidelines.

“Where they go and how fast they go,” Kirby said, “that’s really going to be their choice.”

Ukraine’s cautious approach in the first days of the offensive is a sign of the challenge ahead, analysts say.

“The problem is that Russia has placed a large number of mines both in front of and behind the main line of defense,” Lee said. “Even if Ukraine can make a breakthrough, it will take time to exploit it. It can take weeks, it can take months.”

Give this item as a gift

Understanding the Russia-Ukraine conflict

Check out 3 more stories