PGR says INSS's Careca did not close deals with Lula government

Around 21 August 2026 in Brazil, the PGR said 'Careca do INSS' did not close deals with the Lula government and saw 'imprecision' by the Federal Police, Estadão reported. Lula and Trump spoke by phone for 80 minutes, according to Clarín, about tariffs and fighting organized crime, and Lula called the accusations about tariffs 'unfounded'. Reuters reported that Trump told Lula that officials should meet soon to discuss tariffs. O Globo reported that the call included a mention of Brazilian elections while controversial topics were left aside.

A Datafolha poll put Lula at 47% and Flávio Bolsonaro at 43% in a possible runoff, and the government was approved by 47% and disapproved by 50%. Lula's campaign told Band that he will not attend a debate, and Caiado promised to cut interest rates to 6%. Estadão and O Globo reported a message from a former chief of staff of Lula asking a lobbyist for a painting worth 100,000 euros; his defense denies receiving it.