Some weekend reading...
Now that I’ve spent a few weeks carpet-bombing you with pleas to my book, it’s time, as promised, to revert back to our regularly scheduled programming: the exposure of corruption, perfidity and incompetence. It’s been since last week since I’ve written this email, so I have a whopper of an update that could keep you busy through a lazy weekend, if you’re lucky enough to have one.
First, though, do me a favor and review the book, if you liked it. Five-star reviews give it a boost in the algorithm so more people are likely to see it.
In Brazil, a series of stories my colleagues down there have done have rocked the country’s fascist government to its core. We obtained a vast archive of documents, including text messages, photos and audio recordings, that prove that Judge Sergio Moro, who oversaw the case of Lula da Silva, worked secretly and improperly with the prosecutors to help craft the legal strategy. The documents also proved that the prosecutors, who have been hailed around the world for their anti-corruption work, were motivated by the goal of preventing Lula’s party from winning the presidential election.
The documents also show that the prosecutors had major doubts about the key elements of the charge of corruption against Lula.
After Jair Bolsonaro was elected, he named Moro as his Justice Minister. Moro is now facing major pressure in Brazil to resign, and Lula’s conviction is being reviewed.
This week, the Ways and Means Committee assented to holding a hearing on Medicare for All under pressure from activists and the Congressional Progressive Caucus leadership. But ahead of the hearing, the panels chairman, Richie Neal, told committee members privately that they ought not to use the term “Medicare for All” at the hearing, and instead focus on the variety of different ways to accomplish “universal health coverage,” according to members of Congress who spoke to me and Akela Lacy.
I co-hosted TYT’s main news show this week while in Los Angeles, and stayed for an interview with Cenk Uygur on my book. If you haven’t gotten it yet, you can buy it through TYT’s shop – or you can get it here.
Kamala Harris, as San Francisco district attorney, was pressed by victims of sexual abuse at the hands of priests protected by the Catholic Church to share evidence that her predecessor had collected, Lee Fang reported. Harris ultimately declined to share the evidence or assist the victims in their pursuit of pedophiles and sexual predators, and also turned down press attempts to access the documents related to the politically powerful institution. In Pennsylvania, a different approach was taken recently, and a public airing of the evidence of abuse shook the church, leading to major changes. Lee’s story is a difficult one to read, but it’s an important look at how sometimes tough-on-crime prosecutors can be selective about who they are tough on.
The United Arab Emirates enlisted a businessman to gather intelligence on the Trump administration, and plotted to hack the computers of Intercept reporters. (I disapprove.)
All this week I was traveling for book promotion, and it was a thrill to meet so many of you at those events, particularly some who have been reading this newsletter for years but I’ve never gotten to meet in person.