Pressure Systems edition
Trump Sanctions Waivers Shadow Brazil Presidential Runoff
October 25, 2026
What this edition shows
The Trump administration is dismantling traditional foreign policy alignments by waiving Russian sanctions and courting Moscow, while US right-wing political playbooks ripple southward into Brazil's presidential runoff. As Brazilian voters confront high abstention rates and determine whether the country remains a regional bulwark against White House interventionism, Washington's domestic ethical erosion and foreign concessions are actively destabilizing hemispheric politics.
Reporting and analysis behind this edition 9 sources
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Brazil’s Far-Right Trajectory Is a Warning for Us All
Attempts to make generalizations from what happens in the United States and Europe to the rest of the planet do not, as a rule, meet with much surprise; these are, after all, generally assumed to be the most advanced edges of world history, where processes that will eventually spread to other region…
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The Stakes of Brazil’s Presidential Election
“Almost all of the worst ideas in the United States have been intentionally exported to Brazil as a way to make Brazil a worse country that’s more in line with U.S. interests.” The post The Stakes of Brazil’s Presidential Election appeared first on The Intercept.
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Brazil’s election puts at risk country’s role as a bulwark against Trump interventionism in the Americas
On Oct. 25, Brazilians will return to the polls for the second round of the presidential election. The results will matter not only for the future of country itself, but also for the region and the world. Alongside Canada and Mexico, Brazil, under the leadership of current President Luiz Inácio Lula…
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Do abstaining voters hold the key to Brazil’s 2026 presidential election?
Some 21 percent of Brazilian adults did not cast a ballot in the first round of voting. Will they affect the run-off?
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How Corruption Got This Bad
“Isn’t that illegal?” That’s a question I get asked a lot as a former federal prosecutor. Donald Trump, his family, and members of his administration are most often the inspiration. Last year, the Qataris gave the U.S. Defense Department a $400 million luxury jumbo jet for the president’s use, which…
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Why Putin’s Defenders Are Increasingly American
Like Joseph Stalin’s Western fans, they use a vicious foreign regime to grind their axe at home.
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Siding With Putin Is a Huge Mistake
President Trump’s inexplicable decision to waive some sanctions on Russia, announced late Friday, essentially gives a pass to the forces of evil in the Kremlin. The move effectively nullifies legislation that was named after the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, passed by huge bipartisan major…
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Trump Puts His Faith in Putin
Trump wants a foreign-policy win, but Moscow is unlikely to deliver.
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America Is Now an Ally of Russia
In the past week, the president of the United States has conclusively turned America into an ally of the Russian Federation. Donald Trump has now abandoned pretense and is openly aiding the Kremlin in its war against a friend and partner of the U.S. The American commander in chief has abandoned the…