• A year ago, Brazil’s then President Jair Bolsonaro gathered foreign diplomats in the presidential palace, where he made baseless claims against Brazil’s electronic voting system which caused a public outcry, and were quickly denounced by critics as politically motivated disinformation.
Eleven weeks later, Bolsonaro narrowly lost his re-election campaign to former leftist President Luiz Ignacio Lula de Silva. After the former president’s supporters ransacked the presidential palace and government offices on Jan. 8, Bolsonaro’s top aides were linked to the violence.
(“Judges Ban Bolsonaro from Running for Office for 8 Years Over ‘Appalling Lies,’” The Guardian, June 30, 2023; “Dumping the Tropical Trump,” Economist, June 30, 2023)
• As President Biden runs for re-election, he lists congressional passage of the CHIPS and Science Act, which commits $52 billion to the research and production of semiconductors in the U.S. as one of his proudest achievements. Building domestic computer chip fabrication plants are part of an effort to meet national security goals while restoring America’s manufacturing capacity.
(“Chipmakers Scramble to Build Marred by Mistakes and Injuries,” American Prospect, June 22, 2023)
• The Black Hills in South Dakota are sacred to the Lakota Sioux. It’s near some of the poorest indigenous communities in the United States, as well as land rich in natural resources. In 1980, the Sioux won a historic victory at the U.S. Supreme Court, claiming the land was illegally taken from seven Sioux tribes. The high court ruled the tribes were entitled to tens of millions of dollars in compensation. But tribal leaders refused to take the funds, now worth over $1.3 billion, insisting they want the land back.
(“When $1 Billion Isn’t Enough, Why the Sioux Won’t Put a Price on Land,” Christian Science Monitor, June 28, 2023)
This week’s News Summary was narrated by Anna Manzo.
