The Heat: Former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

The Heat

FILE PHOTO: Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva gestures as he attends the release of the book “Why is Lula innocent and why they tried to destroy the greatest leader of Brazil”‚ in Sao Paulo, Brazil August 12, 2021. REUTERS/Carla Carniel/File Photo

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:

For more: