Lula's Comeback in Brazil; Trump Threatens to "Finish it Off" in Iran

Today's top stories, with context, in just 15 minutes.

On today's podcast:
1) President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won Brazil’s runoff election with 51.8% of the vote, defeating Flávio Bolsonaro who received 48.2%. Lula's victory will likely lead to market uncertainty and a potential selloff of assets, as investors had been expecting a Flavio Bolsonaro win to fix the country's fiscal accounts. Early indications pointed to a major rout, with an ETF tracking Brazilian equities in New York sinking 27% in pre-market trading, and a currency derivatives contract showing the real at 5.55 per dollar. Bolsonaro called for the annulment of Brazil’s presidential runoff after losing the election to Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro accused the Supreme Court of changing the rules mid-game when it mandated a last-minute extension of voting hours on Sunday.
2) President Trump said it's "getting to be decision time" on whether he will make a deal with Tehran or resume attacks as Iranian and Houthi threats against Americans continue to grow. The US is reducing diplomatic and military staffing in parts of the Middle East amid growing threats from Iran and the Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen. Iran is preparing to retaliate across the Middle East, including against Israel and the United Arab Emirates, in the event of a fresh US bombing campaign.
3) Democrats are preparing to launch congressional investigations into the administration's handling of files related to Jeffrey Epstein if they regain power after the midterm elections. Representative Robert Garcia said the Epstein investigation is going to be one of the top priorities, alongside probes into the Trump family's business dealings and allegations of corporate corruption. Any probe would ripple well beyond Washington, with Wall Street and corporate America already bracing for a wave of Democratic investigations, and major banks that had ties to Epstein's financial dealings could be called to testify.

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