International
Brazil’s Lula gains even more ground against Bolsonaro: poll

AFP
Brazil’s former leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has gained ground against incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro ahead of the vast South American country’s October election, and could even win in the first round, a poll out Thursday found.
The Datafolha survey revealed that 48 percent of likely voters would cast ballots for the 76-year-old Lula, while only 27 percent were supporting the far-right Bolsonaro — a whopping 21-point advantage.
A previous poll by the same institute published in March gave Lula a 17-point advantage, but included scenarios featuring other candidates, some of whom have since left the race.
In late April, a PoderData poll put the 67-year-old Bolsonaro just five points behind Lula.
Thursday’s poll showed that if only valid votes were counted, excluding blank and invalid ballots, Lula would win the presidency outright in the first round on October 2, with 54 percent of the vote to 30 percent for Bolsonaro.
If the election were to go to a runoff on October 30, Lula would prevail with 58 percent of the vote, the survey predicted.
The campaign represents a remarkable political comeback for Lula, four years after the leftist icon — who was wildly popular during his 2003-2010 tenure in office, was jailed on controversial corruption charges.
In a Brazil deeply divided over Bolsonaro’s combative style, social media polemics, weak performance on the economy and chaotic handling of Covid-19, Lula returned to the ring with the immediate status of frontrunner.
For political analyst Creomar de Souza, the poll shows that Brazil’s lingering economic woes could “play in Lula’s favor.”
Thursday’s poll was the first not to include former anti-corruption judge Sergio Moro, or the former governor of Sao Paulo, Joao Doria, who have withdrawn from the race.
In third place is the center-leftist Ciro Gomes, with seven percent of the vote.
Datafolha interviewed 2,556 people between May 25 and 26 in 181 Brazilian cities, and the results include a margin of error of two percentage points.
International
Paraguay summons Brazilian ambassador over Itaipú espionage scandal

Paraguay summoned the Brazilian ambassador in Asunción on Tuesday to demand “explanations” and called its own representative in Brasília for consultations following Brazil’s acknowledgment of an espionage operation. The Brazilian government, led by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, attributed the operation to the previous administration.
The surveillance effort aimed to uncover Paraguay’s position in now-suspended negotiations with Brazil regarding the pricing of electricity from the binational Itaipú hydroelectric plant, according to reports in the Brazilian press.
The Brazilian government “categorically denied any involvement in the intelligence operation,” stating in a Foreign Ministry communiqué on Monday that the espionage was carried out under former President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration (2019-2023).
“The operation was authorized by the previous government in June 2022 and was annulled by the interim director of the (state intelligence agency) ABIN on March 27, 2023, as soon as the current administration became aware of it,” Brazil’s government asserted.
Paraguay’s Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez announced that Brazilian Ambassador José Antonio Marcondes de Carvalho was summoned “to provide detailed explanations” regarding the operation. Additionally, Paraguay recalled its diplomatic representative in Brasília “to report on aspects related to the intelligence activity conducted by Brazil regarding Paraguay’s government affairs.”
International
Elon Musk to step down as government advisor, per Trump insiders

President Donald Trump has informed his inner circle that Elon Musk will be stepping down from his role as a government advisor, according to a report by Politico today.
Citing three individuals close to Trump, Politico states that the president is pleased with Musk’s leadership at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), where he has implemented significant budget cuts. However, both have agreed that it is time for Musk to return to his businesses and support Trump from a different position outside the government.
A senior administration official told Politico that Musk will likely maintain an informal advisory role and continue to be an occasional visitor to the White House. Another source warned that anyone thinking Musk will completely disappear from Trump’s circle is “deluding themselves.”
According to the sources, this transition is expected to coincide with the end of Musk’s tenure as a “special government employee,” a temporary status that exempts him from certain ethics and conflict-of-interest regulations. This 130-day period is set to expire in late May or early June.
International
Milei vows to make Argentina so strong that Falkland Islanders “choose” to join

Argentine President Javier Milei reaffirmed his country’s claim over the Falkland Islands (known as the Islas Malvinas in Argentina) and praised the role of the nation’s armed forces during a ceremony marking the “Veterans and Fallen Soldiers of the Malvinas War Day,” commemorating 43 years since the 1982 conflict with the United Kingdom.
Argentina continues to assert sovereignty over the islands, arguing that Britain unlawfully seized them in 1833.
“If sovereignty over the Malvinas is the issue, we have always made it clear that the most important vote is the one cast with one’s feet. We hope that one day, the Malvinas residents will choose to vote with their feet and join us,” Milei stated.
“That is why we aim to become a global power—so much so that they would prefer to be Argentine, making deterrence or persuasion unnecessary. This is why we have embarked on a path of liberation, working to make Argentina the freest country in the world and once again the nation with the highest GDP per capita on the planet,” he added.
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