Folks,
Greetings from the Burgh, where this Thanksgiving weekend, we are very grateful for Bolsonaro going to jail.
Bolsonaro Goes to Jail in Brasil
In Brasil, former president Jair Bolsonaro was arrested this weekend and put in jail.
In September, Bolsonaro had been sentenced to 27 years in prison for his role in attempting to assassinate Brazilian President Lula. Since then, Bolsonaro had been on house arrest as he waited for an appeal on whether he could serve his full sentence on house arrest for health reasons.
However, this weekend, after it was discovered that Bolsonaro had been attempting to remove his house arrest bracelet, the Supreme Court ordered Bolsonaro imprisoned as he was deemed a flight risk, decreasing the chances that he will be granted house arrest for health reasons.
Bolsonaro’s arrest led many Brazilians to rejoice. NPR has a long look at how Bolsonaro’s arrest brought relief to the many Brazilians, who had family members die of COVID-19:
Simone Guimarães, a retired 52-year-old teacher in Rio de Janeiro, lost at least five relatives to COVID-19: her husband, sister, two brothers-in-law and the godfather of her grandchild. She also lost friends and neighbors.
She woke to the news on Saturday that Brazil's Supreme Court ordered the preemptive arrest of former President Jair Bolsonaro, whom she blames for her losses. A judge claimed Bolsonaro was intent on escaping days before he was set to begin a 27-year prison sentence for attempting a coup after losing the 2022 presidential election to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
"It's a small beginning of justice starting to be served," she said. "Impunity has to end at some point. And in his case, we endured a lot."
Social media filled with posts Saturday remembering people lost to COVID-19, which also happened in September when the Supreme Court convicted Bolsonaro, even though the legal case had nothing to do with the former president's pandemic response.
Guimarães followed every vote in Bolsonaro's trial. She was at a hospital with her sister in 2021 when Bolsonaro, who was president at the time, mimicked patients gasping for air.
"I had my forehead against my sister's. She said, 'I can't breathe,'" Guimarães recalled. Her sister later died. "I can't even bring myself to say his name."
Help a Broke Labor Reporter Take Thanksgiving Off
The last few weeks, Payday Report has been in a severe fundraising drought. As the holidays approach, I am worried about money, and I would just like to relax. Please spread a little bit of holiday cheer and help us take the holiday off.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Workers End Three-Year Strike
Today, approximately 25 unionized Pittsburgh Post-Gazette workers returned to work after more than 3 years on strike.
The workers did not win a new contract, but instead of continuing the strike, they decided to return to work. The workers hope that the Post-Gazette will follow a federal court order requiring them to reinstate the previous union contract.
The company, however, has vowed to fight the federal court order.
It’s unclear how much power the union will have when it returns with so few newsroom employees. The union journalists returning to the newsroom will be forced to work alongside the approximately 90 reporters and editors who crossed the picket line during the strike.
“I’m under no pretense this is going to be easy,” Pittsburgh NewsGuild President Andrew Goldstein said at a rally earlier this week. “People are people. We are all human. We all have strong feelings on many things, especially this.”
For more, check out the Neiman Lab on lessons learned from the strike.
Tennessee Special Election Focuses on Grocery Tax Bill
Finally, over at The American Prospect, Dave Dayen has a long look at how Tennessee State Representative Aftyn Behn is focusing on her work to repeal Tennessee’s state grocery tax law:
Behn’s grocery tax bill, which received a lot of attention in the state, forced Republicans to issue their own alternative, which had no funding source attached. They scotched Behn’s bill in favor of the alternative, and then quietly failed to pass that. “It’s the culmination of the late conservative project, they haven’t embraced the populism of the moment,” Behn said.
The grocery tax has been a big topic in canvassing, campaign aides said. It represents something that could bring immediate relief at a time when people are struggling and there’s a pervasive sense that corporations don’t pay their fair share, as Gallup polling shows. Behn’s campaign ads in the election play off this. “Politicians make it easy for their rich donors … while hardworking Tennesseans get a rough ride,” she says in one ad, as images of ordinary people getting thrown off a mechanical bull play in the background.
For more, check out The American Prospect.
Alright folks, that’s all for today. Keep sending tips, story ideas comments, and complaints to melk@paydayreport.com
