Former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, better known as Lula, was found guilty in 2017 of corruption and money-laundering. But this past March, the Brazilian Supreme Court annulled the corruption convictions and another court ruled the 75-year-old is now free to run in next year’s presidential election. As president, Lula is credited with bringing 20-million Brazilians out of poverty and achieving the lowest unemployment rate in his country’s history. In a wide-ranging interview, Lula talked about his likely candidacy, addressed climate change, relations with China and the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic by his rival, current President Jair Bolsonaro.

Joining the discussion:

• Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva served as the Brazilian President from 2003-2010.

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#Brazil | Two new legal actions filed against former Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, related to the Lava Jato case, were suspended this Wednesday in the country's Supreme Federal Court (STF).https://t.co/REvtqmm2al

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) September 15, 2021

The Brazilian president patted himself on the back for establishing goals to eradicate illegal deforestation by 2030 — a promise former President Dilma Rousseff had made six years before at the same venue.https://t.co/XINhLrnm5c

— The Brazilian Report (@BrazilianReport) September 21, 2021