The Latin American Report # 561: LATEST ON THE BOLSONARO SAGA AND MORE

In yesterday's report, I stated that Bolsonaro had once again provoked Judge Alexandre de Moraes somehow during the demonstrations staged by his supporters. Thus, the controversial magistrate has issued a domiciliary arrest order, alleging that the former president violated the precautionary measures imposed by him. This is an interesting move amid tensions with the United States, which sanctioned him last week while linking the introduction of high tariffs to the judicial process he oversees at Brazil's highest court. Bolsonaro, who was already under a nighttime curfew Monday-Friday and a total one on weekends, must now remain at his residence in Brasília. He cannot use cell phones directly or indirectly, nor receive visitors except for his lawyers or those authorized by the Supreme Court. "There is no doubt that Jair Messias Bolsonaro violated the imposed precautionary measure, as the defendant produced material for publication on his three sons and political supporters' social media, with clear content inciting attacks against the Supreme Federal Court and showing overt support for foreign intervention in the Brazilian Judiciary," emphasized Moraes.

Haiti

As of late Monday evening, no criminal organization operating in Haiti had claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of nine people—AP reports eight—from the Nos Petits Frères et Soeurs-run Saint-Hélène orphanage, though the area is known to be under the de facto control of the powerful gang coalition Viv Ansanm. Among those kidnapped are a 3-year-old child and an Irish missionary (the director), who previously endured a similar nightmare about twelve years earlier in the troubled Caribbean nation. Authorities continued evacuating approximately 240 children and an undetermined number of staff members from the assaulted orphanage. About four years ago, a gang held 17 missionaries linked to a U.S. NGO for two months, in what would be the last case of similar gravity to yesterday's kidnapping in the Kenskòf commune of Port-au-Prince Arrondissement.

"The last place you would expect a violent death to happen in Haiti would be in a house with special-needs people," Gena Heraty, the kidnapped missionary, said a while ago in an interview, referring to the previous incident at the same orphanage. "Life is just not fair. We know that. We just have to accept it." While Haiti's violence isn't crossing into major media as frequently as in previous months, the security crisis engulfing the country since President Jovenel Moise's 2021 assassination remains tragically active, progressively draining any remaining sense of peace and hope. A UN division reported last week that violence claimed 1,500 Haitian lives in the second quarter of this year alone, while over 1,300,000 people had been forcibly displaced.

Argentina

Strictly adhering to his anti-fiscal deficit plan, President Javier Milei vetoed key legislation aimed at alleviating the crisis affecting vulnerable sectors like pensioners and people with disabilities. The leader's strong monetary adjustment policy has yielded macroeconomic results, but some analyses suggest it continues to harm certain social strata severely. Milei's narrative for vetoing such legislation is that people in Congress never specify funding sources, while he has determined not to "print" money that fuels inflation.

As I've always said, he has made reducing this figure the hallmark of his administration—after five years, monthly inflation fell below 2% again in June—believing this naturally leads to organic economic growth. The key question is how much of this potential growth reaches most Argentines' food tables, given reduced job opportunities.

"This president prefers to tell an uncomfortable truth rather than repeat comfortable lies: There is no money," officials stated from the Pink House, though Milei has allocated funds before to buy fighter jets for a potential war as uncertain and distant as humans vs. aliens. "The only way to make Argentina great again is with effort and honesty, not the same old recipes," added the libertarian politician in Trumpian fashion. October's midterm elections will serve as an important referendum on the iconoclastic president's management, AP notes.