Bucknackt's Sordid Tawdry Blog: Brazil

04 November 2026

MOTHER JONES DAILY: Trump's closing argument has me very confused, Election Day and the Battle to Come, Trump's closing argument is about algae, Meet the blogger who upended the Ohio governor’s race, How Brazil broke the far-right “curse”, A democratic betrayal and GOP panic: The wild finale of the midterms. 3NOV26

November 3, 2026

One day, I hope not to be voting in an existentially critical, most important election of our lifetime. But that day is not today.

That is, unless you are Donald Trump? Seems unlikely. But that's the impression I got from the president's closing arguments on Monday, as he ranted about all the construction he had done to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. There was no mention of the issues on voters' minds, such as affordability or the Iran war. Instead, as my colleague Dan Friedman writes, Trump spent nearly an hour talking about pipe replacements and self-indulgent statues. And when he finally did come around to the election, Trump recycled ugly racist attacks.

The appearance had me wondering: Does Trump grasp the stakes of Tuesday's elections? That the midterms are widely being viewed as a referendum on his very leadership? Who can say. But whether it's a matter of bravado, inattention, or something else entirely, one thing's for sure: Donald Trump is not a serious man.

We'll see if voters feel the same. Until then, be sure to pay attention to Mother Jones, where we'll be tracking all the major highlights and the battle to come.

—Inae Oh

Election Day and the Battle to Come

In the weeks and months ahead, Democrats will need offer a counternarrative.

BY DAVID CORN

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Trump's closing argument is about algae

BY DAN FRIEDMAN

Meet the blogger who upended the Ohio governor’s race

BY ABBY VESOULIS

How Brazil broke the far-right “curse”

BY ISABELA DIAS

How Brazil broke the far-right “curse”

BY ISABELA DIAS

A democratic betrayal and GOP panic: The wild finale of the midterms.

In today’s "Stress Test": Michigan’s midterm melodrama, Trump’s voting schemes, JD Vance’s ruby-red bailout—and the key races to watch on election night.

BY MOTHER JONES

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01 November 2026

MOTHER JONES DAILY: Trump’s “Donroe Doctrine” in Latin America just took a massive hit, Lula’s Suprise Win Blocks Trump’s Push for a Far-Right Brazil, How “one of the most costliest blunders anyone’s ever made” helped put a Republican seat in play, Missouri’s GOP has a new strategy to ban abortion—attack trans kids, Anthropic’s founders pledged to donate most of their stock. Their IPO tells another story., A Serbian nationalist leader who courted MAGA just lost in a landslide, Why are we still talking about voting rights in 2026? 26OKT26

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October 26, 2026

On Sunday, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won reelection in Brazil, fending off the far right’s advance in the country. Lula made history by becoming the first Brazilian president elected to a fourth term in office and won more votes—64 million—than any candidate in the country in its history, also marking the first time a presidential candidate won after finishing second in the opening round of voting.

Lula, who turns 81 Tuesday, defeated Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of disgraced former President Jair Bolsonaro, by more than 4 million votes. In his victory speech, he thanked the young people who took to the streets and mobilized online in his support ahead of Sunday’s election. Lula also said his reelection was a win against “outside interference” by digital platforms like Meta, which he vowed to regulate.

The incumbent’s stunning comeback throws cold water on the MAGA world’s hopes that Brazil would become the latest country in Latin America to elect a Trump-aligned right-wing leader. In a race marked by concerns about US interference, the relationship between Brazil and Washington was front and center.

Borrowing from a similar playbook as his father, who’s serving a 27-year sentence for a failed coup attempt, Bolsonaro refused to accept the legitimate results. Some of his far-right allies in the United States and Brazil already are raising baseless claims of a “stolen” election. On Monday, President Donald Trump added to that chorus, saying without any evidence that the Brazilian elections looked “rigged.”

—Isabela Dias

Lula’s Suprise Win Blocks Trump’s Push for a Far-Right Brazil

The 80-year-old incumbent will serve a fourth term in office.

BY MARIA MARTHA BRUNO AND ISABELA DIAS

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