SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva arrives at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, USA on February 9, 2023.
(Photo: @ricardostuckert/Twitter)
Brazil's Lula to Meet With Bernie Sanders Ahead of Friday White House Visit
Sanders was an outspoken advocate for Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's freedom when the fellow progressive was jailed on what critics called politically motivated corruption charges.
Feb 09, 2023
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will meet Friday with Sen. Bernie Sanders as part of the recently inaugurated leftist leader's first visit to the United States this term.
According to a statement from his administration, da Silva—who defeated far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro in last October's runoff election—will meet with Sanders (I-Vt.) at Blair House in Washington, D.C. at 12:30 pm local time, five hours before President Joe Biden hosts Lula at the White House.
According to The Hill, Biden "extended an invitation as a sign of support after Bolsonaro's supporters stormed the country's Congress, Supreme Court, and presidential palace" last month in an echo of the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of then-President Donald Trump.
Da Silva, who arrived at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on Thursday, is also scheduled to meet with Democratic members of Congress and representatives of the AFL-CIO union. He is accompanied on the trip by numerous members of his cabinet.
As the statement detailed:
Two of the world's largest democracies, Brazil and the United States face similar challenges linked to political radicalization and hate speech in virtual space. Also at the center of the agenda: the reactivation of the Brazilian commitment to environmental conservation and the search for a greater engagement of developed countries in fulfilling their financing commitments in the climate area.
In the economic sphere, efforts are being made to boost investments, particularly in energy transition and clean energy generation, and greater integration of production chains. The United States is Brazil's second-largest trading partner and the main destination for our exports of industrialized products.
Special attention should also be given to promoting the human rights agenda, in particular on topics such as the fight against hunger and poverty on a global scale, the rights of Indigenous peoples, and the fight against racism, in addition to the integration of the two million Brazilians who live in the United States, our largest overseas community.
Sanders was an outspoken advocate for da Silva's release after the former president—he also served from 2003-2010—was jailed on what critics called politically motivated corruption charges in 2018. Da Silva was freed in November 2019 and in 2021 a Brazilian Supreme Court justice annulled Lula's criminal convictions, restoring his political rights and opening the door for his remarkable comeback last year.
Da Silva and Bolsonaro will be in the U.S. at the same time. Last month, Bolsonaro applied for a six-month tourist visa as his legal woes, including an investigation of his role in the January 8 insurrection, mount.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will meet Friday with Sen. Bernie Sanders as part of the recently inaugurated leftist leader's first visit to the United States this term.
According to a statement from his administration, da Silva—who defeated far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro in last October's runoff election—will meet with Sanders (I-Vt.) at Blair House in Washington, D.C. at 12:30 pm local time, five hours before President Joe Biden hosts Lula at the White House.
According to The Hill, Biden "extended an invitation as a sign of support after Bolsonaro's supporters stormed the country's Congress, Supreme Court, and presidential palace" last month in an echo of the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of then-President Donald Trump.
Da Silva, who arrived at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on Thursday, is also scheduled to meet with Democratic members of Congress and representatives of the AFL-CIO union. He is accompanied on the trip by numerous members of his cabinet.
As the statement detailed:
Two of the world's largest democracies, Brazil and the United States face similar challenges linked to political radicalization and hate speech in virtual space. Also at the center of the agenda: the reactivation of the Brazilian commitment to environmental conservation and the search for a greater engagement of developed countries in fulfilling their financing commitments in the climate area.
In the economic sphere, efforts are being made to boost investments, particularly in energy transition and clean energy generation, and greater integration of production chains. The United States is Brazil's second-largest trading partner and the main destination for our exports of industrialized products.
Special attention should also be given to promoting the human rights agenda, in particular on topics such as the fight against hunger and poverty on a global scale, the rights of Indigenous peoples, and the fight against racism, in addition to the integration of the two million Brazilians who live in the United States, our largest overseas community.
Sanders was an outspoken advocate for da Silva's release after the former president—he also served from 2003-2010—was jailed on what critics called politically motivated corruption charges in 2018. Da Silva was freed in November 2019 and in 2021 a Brazilian Supreme Court justice annulled Lula's criminal convictions, restoring his political rights and opening the door for his remarkable comeback last year.
Da Silva and Bolsonaro will be in the U.S. at the same time. Last month, Bolsonaro applied for a six-month tourist visa as his legal woes, including an investigation of his role in the January 8 insurrection, mount.
From Your Site Articles
- Sanders Warns That 'Like Trump, Bolsonaro Is Attempting to Undermine Democracy in Brazil' ›
- Sanders, Kaine Hail US Senate's Passage of Brazil Election Resolution ›
- 'A Brazil of Hope' as Leftist Lula Defeats Far-Right Bolsonaro in Presidential Runoff ›
- Bernie, US Progressives Meet Lula Ahead of Brazilian President's First White House Visit ›
- In Private Meeting, Sanders Urged Biden to Embrace FDR-Style Agenda ›
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will meet Friday with Sen. Bernie Sanders as part of the recently inaugurated leftist leader's first visit to the United States this term.
According to a statement from his administration, da Silva—who defeated far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro in last October's runoff election—will meet with Sanders (I-Vt.) at Blair House in Washington, D.C. at 12:30 pm local time, five hours before President Joe Biden hosts Lula at the White House.
According to The Hill, Biden "extended an invitation as a sign of support after Bolsonaro's supporters stormed the country's Congress, Supreme Court, and presidential palace" last month in an echo of the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of then-President Donald Trump.
Da Silva, who arrived at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on Thursday, is also scheduled to meet with Democratic members of Congress and representatives of the AFL-CIO union. He is accompanied on the trip by numerous members of his cabinet.
As the statement detailed:
Two of the world's largest democracies, Brazil and the United States face similar challenges linked to political radicalization and hate speech in virtual space. Also at the center of the agenda: the reactivation of the Brazilian commitment to environmental conservation and the search for a greater engagement of developed countries in fulfilling their financing commitments in the climate area.
In the economic sphere, efforts are being made to boost investments, particularly in energy transition and clean energy generation, and greater integration of production chains. The United States is Brazil's second-largest trading partner and the main destination for our exports of industrialized products.
Special attention should also be given to promoting the human rights agenda, in particular on topics such as the fight against hunger and poverty on a global scale, the rights of Indigenous peoples, and the fight against racism, in addition to the integration of the two million Brazilians who live in the United States, our largest overseas community.
Sanders was an outspoken advocate for da Silva's release after the former president—he also served from 2003-2010—was jailed on what critics called politically motivated corruption charges in 2018. Da Silva was freed in November 2019 and in 2021 a Brazilian Supreme Court justice annulled Lula's criminal convictions, restoring his political rights and opening the door for his remarkable comeback last year.
Da Silva and Bolsonaro will be in the U.S. at the same time. Last month, Bolsonaro applied for a six-month tourist visa as his legal woes, including an investigation of his role in the January 8 insurrection, mount.
From Your Site Articles
- Sanders Warns That 'Like Trump, Bolsonaro Is Attempting to Undermine Democracy in Brazil' ›
- Sanders, Kaine Hail US Senate's Passage of Brazil Election Resolution ›
- 'A Brazil of Hope' as Leftist Lula Defeats Far-Right Bolsonaro in Presidential Runoff ›
- Bernie, US Progressives Meet Lula Ahead of Brazilian President's First White House Visit ›
- In Private Meeting, Sanders Urged Biden to Embrace FDR-Style Agenda ›
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.