Will focus on quality public spending: GovernmentSAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro was fully aware of and actively participated in a coup plot to remain in office after his defeat in the 2022 election , according to a Federal Police report unsealed Tuesday. Federal Police last Thursday formally accused Bolsonaro and 36 other people of attempting a coup. They sent their 884-page report to the Supreme Court, which lifted the seal. The unsealed document provides a first glimpse of several testimonies that describe the former president as one of the key leaders of the plot, and not a mere observer. “The evidence collected throughout the investigation shows unequivocally that then-President Jair Messias Bolsonaro planned, acted and was directly and effectively aware of the actions of the criminal organization aiming to launch a coup d’etat and eliminate the democratic rule of law, which did not take place due to reasons unrelated to his desire,” the document said. At another point, it says: “Bolsonaro had full awareness and active participation.” Bolsonaro, who had repeatedly alleged without evidence that the country's electronic voting system was prone to fraud, called a meeting in December 2022, during which he presented a draft decree to the commanders of the three divisions of the armed forces, according to the police report, signed by four investigators. The decree would have launched an investigation into suspicions of fraud and crimes related to the October 2022 vote, and suspended the powers of the nation's electoral court. The navy’s commander stood ready to comply, but those from the army and air force objected to any plan that prevented Lula’s inauguration, the report said. Those refusals are why the plan did not go ahead, according to witnesses who spoke to investigators. Bolsonaro never signed the decree to set the final stage of the alleged plan into action. Bolsonaro has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing or awareness of any plot to keep him in power or oust his leftist rival and successor, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. “No one is going to do a coup with a reserve general and half a dozen other officers. What is being said is absurd. For my part, there has never been any discussion of a coup,” Bolsonaro told journalists in Brazil’s capital Brasilia on Monday. “If someone came to discuss a coup with me, I’d say, that’s fine, but the day after, how does the world view us?” he added. “The word ‘coup’ has never been in my dictionary.” The top court has passed the report on to Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet. He will decide whether to formally charge Bolsonaro and put him on trial, or toss the investigation. The former president was formally accused of three crimes: violent elimination of the rule of law, staging a coup d'etat and forming a criminal organization. Rodrigo Rios, a law professor at the PUC university in the city of Curitiba, said Bolsonaro could face up to a minimum of 11 years in prison if convicted on all charges. “A woman involved in the Jan. 8 attack on the Supreme Court received a 17-year prison sentence,” Rios told The Associated Press, noting that the former president is more likely to receive 15 years or more if convicted. “Bolsonaro’s future looks dark.” Ahead of the 2022 election, Bolsonaro repeatedly alleged that the election system, which does not use paper ballots, could be tampered with. The top electoral court later ruled that he had abused his power to cast unfounded doubt on the voting system, and ruled him ineligible for office until 2030 . Still, he has maintained that he will stand as a candidate in the 2026 race. Since Bolsonaro left office, he has been targeted by several investigations, all of which he has chalked up to political persecution. Federal Police have accused him of smuggling diamond jewelry into Brazil without properly declaring them and directing a subordinate to falsify his and others’ COVID-19 vaccination statuses . Authorities are also investigating whether he incited the Jan. 8, 2022 riot in which his followers ransacked the Supreme Court and presidential palace in Brasilia, seeking to prompt intervention by the army that would oust Lula from power. Bolsonaro had left for the United States days before Lula’s inauguration on Jan. 1, 2023 and stayed there three months, keeping a low profile. The police report unsealed Tuesday alleges he was seeking to avoid possible imprisonment related to the coup plot, and also await the uprising that took place a week later. Hughes reported from Rio de Janeiro
Kendrick Lamar — rap’s undoubted MVP of 2024 — surprised fans on Friday (Nov. 22) with the release of his GNX album. The project seemingly dropped out of the sky without warning around 12 p.m. ET. Filled with 12 tracks, GNX boasts a pair of assists from former TDE running mate SZA , Sam Dew as well as emerging artists such as Deyra Barrera, Ink, Dody 6, AzChike and more. Kendrick was rumored to be cooking up an album in the wake of battling Drake , and the Compton native came through. GNX follows Lamar’s Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers in 2022, which topped the Billboard 200 with 295,000 total units earned in the first week. Sounwave notches co-production credits across the project while Jack Antonoff and Kamasi Washington also make appearances. Lamar dropped off a teaser before the album hit streaming services with the clip featuring what appears to be a 1987 Buick Grand National Regal GNX, which inspired the album title. With the Super Bowl on the horizon, K. Dot will have new music with him when he heads to New Orleans to take the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show stage in February. Even prior to the album’s arrival, Lamar notched seven Grammy Award nominations earlier this month — five of which came tied to his “Not Like Us” Drake diss. Check out the album and all of the 12 tracks ranked from worst to best below. Kenny weaves through the distorted bounce with a hazy flow with some help from Ink, Siete and Roddy Ricch. The West Coast tribute fails to break through like some of the other stronger tracks on the LP so it’s forced to blend in with the background. “Peekaboo” is a perfect descriptor aligning Lamar’s career. He only comes out of hiding on his own terms to shake up the game and then can go back into hibernation for months without anyone hearing a word, a social media post, a TMZ paparazzi photo or anything from him. As Charlamagne Tha God described him, K. Dot really is rap’s boogeyman or the rap version of WWE legend Undertaker. Was that Kendrick mimicking NBA star Kawhi Leonard’s viral “hey, hey, hey” clip? This guy can work just about anything into the flow of a song. Only Kendrick can turn irrelevant sayings like “Hey now, say now” into a menacing chorus. “The Black know I just strangled me a GOAT,” he raps in a possible jab at Drake following their battle. The pulsating reverb transitions to traditional Cali bounce and Kendrick opens the floor for an assist from emerging L.A. rapper Dody 6. In the midst of the Kendrick-Drake feud, a repeated take in an attempt to ding Lamar was that he rarely uplifted younger artists coming up from Los Angeles. It feels like he intentionally made that part of his story with GNX . Especially with the title track, he shouts about putting the “West Coast back in front of s–t.” Then he takes a back seat as if he’s iconic UCLA head coach John Wooden and allows Young Threat, Peysoh and Hitta J3 to run the three-man weave. “Gloria” serves as Kendrick’s version of Common’s memorable “I Used to Love H.E.R.” In what starts out as a love song, Lamar vulnerably opens up about the complications and toxicities of his relationship with what appears to be his fiancee Whitney. While she had other suitors on their journey, he also had commitment issues. However, the final line reveals K. Dot was talking about his love for his pen with references to writer’s block placating his enduring journey to the top of the food chain in this rap game. A second hat tip to Nas as Kendrick seemingly interpolates the Queensbridge icon’s 2002 “One Mic.” Lamar draws up a scenario of being at heaven’s gates seeking eternal life. He builds out a case about how his life’s practices have prepared him for this moment while powering through trials and tribulations. “I did it with integrity and n—-s still try to hate on me/ Just wait and see, more blood will be spillin, it’s just paint to me,” Kenny promises. A haunting intro sprinkled in with some Latin flavor courtesy of Deyra Berrara. Kendrick balances an ego boost coming off his dominant Drake victory and spewing his version of a State of the Union. All while riding in his GNX bumping Anita Baker. Dot grapples with his Lil Wayne fandom while taking what he hoped was his spot at the Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show in Weezy’s hometown. He was baffled by the backlash and shouted out Nas for showing him love. There aren’t many direct references to his Drake feud, but Lamar lets his disappointment in Snoop be known after the Doggfather reposted Drizzy’s AI-assisted “Taylore Made Freestyle.” “I prayed it was the edibles/ I couldn’t believe it, it was only right for me to let it go,” he raps. An all-star lineup of Jack Antonoff, Sounwave, Cardo and Kamasi Washington are among the cast lending their talents to the luscious production of “Luther” — which builds around a sample of Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn’s “If This World Were Mind.” SZA joins the party for her and Kendrick’s fifth collaboration and their chemistry hasn’t taken a step back as they mix vocals with ease for a smooth blend of rapping and singing. K. Dot takes away the world’s darkness and reimagines a society without pain and suffering. Drake attempted to mock Kendrick’s “The Heart” series with his own installment in the decorated series that originated in 2010, but as Lamar made a habit of in their feud, Dot flipped the script to up the score with the real sixth addition on “Heart Pt. 6.” Sounwave and Jack Antonoff lay out an ethereal soundscape built around a soothing Neptune-produced SWV sample for Kendrick to reminisce on his humble beginnings surrounded by his TDE family members like Jay Rock and Ab-Soul. Lamar briefly allows his ego to creep in: “Time flies, I’m carryin’ debates of a top five,” he raps. But also takes accountability for his Black Hippy supergroup falling flat. “I jog my memory, knowin’ Black Hippy didn’t work ’cause of me/ Creatively, I moved on with new concepts in reach,” he candidly admits. It’s another worthy chapter in the books. Sampling Debbie Deb’s “When I Hear Music” banger makes this some of the most fun production across the entire project. Initially teased as a snippet tentatively titled “Broccoli” over the summer, fans were happy to hear the full track live up to the hype. “Squabble Up” gets the shoulders bobbing as Kendrick basks in his status as his most brash self. “Tell me why the fuck you n—s rap if it’s fictional/ Tell me why the fuck you n—s fed if you criminal,” he fires at the opposition. Kendrick yelling “MUSTARD” has to be the next little Kendrick-ism to go viral on social media. The meme possibilities are endless and the “Not Like Us” producer has to at least sample that in the future, right? The beat makes a stark transition from G-Funk to triumphant horns as Lamar lets society know how disgusted he is with where things are at. As we’ve seen on plenty of other tracks, Kenny has no issue letting his hate for certain pockets of culture fly. Songmaking at its finest. Kendrick’s versatility along with his vivid storytelling ability allow him to shine brightest on “Reincarnated,” which samples 2Pac’s “Made N—-z.” Lamar pays homage to the West Coast deity while mirroring an aggressive flow from Pac. He cinematically connects to the spirits of a 1940s guitarist (possibly John Lee Hooker or Jackie Wilson) and a ’60s singer on the Chitlin Circuit (Tammi Terrell or Dinah Washington) who struggled with substance abuse using 8-balls of cocaine as medicine. Dot then turns the camera lens on himself for the final poignant verse as he battles his demons while looking to rewrite the devil’s story. OH MY GOD KENDRICK LAMAR SAMPLED THIS FOR REINCARNATED pic.twitter.com/bqjQaBJGh0College Football Playoff rankings show: Live coverage, updates, bracket reveal
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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies have no plans to pitch prized prospect Andrew Painter in spring training games as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. The 21-year-old Painter hurt his elbow during spring training in 2023 and had surgery that July 25 with Los Angeles Dodgers head team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache. Painter was the 13th overall pick in the 2021 amateur draft and signed for a $3.9 million bonus. “He'll throw but not plan on pitching” in games, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Monday. “We're going to push the innings back.” Dombrowski said Painter will build up at some point in the minor leagues and could make his major league debut at some point in the summer. Painter made six starts and allowed four runs in the Arizona Fall League. He struck out 18 batters in 15 2/3 innings after he sat out each of the last two seasons. Painter sprinted through Philadelphia’s system in 2022, going 6-2 with a 1.48 ERA in 26 appearances spread across two Class A teams and Double-A Reading. AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
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Burt died over the weekend, the Crocosaurus Cove reptile aquarium in Darwin, Australia, said. He was at least 90 years old. “Known for his independent nature, Burt was a confirmed bachelor – an attitude he made clear during his earlier years at a crocodile farm,” Crocosaurus Cove wrote in social media posts. The aquarium added: “He wasn’t just a crocodile, he was a force of nature and a reminder of the power and majesty of these incredible creatures. While his personality could be challenging, it was also what made him so memorable and beloved by those who worked with him and the thousands who visited him over the years.” A saltwater crocodile, Burt was estimated to be more than 16 feet long. He was captured in the 1980s in the Reynolds River and became one of the most well-known crocodiles in the world, according to Crocosaurus Cove. The 1986 film stars Paul Hogan as the rugged crocodile hunter Mick Dundee. In the movie, American Sue Charlton, played by actress Linda Kozlowski, goes to fill her canteen in a watering hole when she is attacked by a crocodile before being saved by Dundee. Burt is briefly shown lunging out of the water. But the creature shown in more detail as Dundee saves the day is apparently something else. The Internet Movie Database says the film made a mistake by depicting an American alligator, which has a blunter snout. The Australian aquarium where Burt had lived since 2008 features a Cage of Death which it says is the nation’s only crocodile dive. It said it planned to honour Burt’s legacy with a commemorative sign “celebrating his extraordinary life and the stories and interactions he shared throughout his time at the park”.6,000 inmates escape from a high-security prison as post-election violence roils Mozambique
