Lula’s Comeback, AIPAC Under the Microscope, and Michigan’s Racially Charged Senate Race

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva pulled off one of the most stunning comebacks in Brazilian political history, defeating incumbent Jair Bolsonaro in a runoff election that defied both polling and betting markets. On the same episode, Mehdi Hasan joined to discuss his new documentary Nightflower, which investigates whether AIPAC should register as a foreign agent. And the show closed with a deep look at Michigan’s Senate race, where Democrat Abdul El-Sayed faces a torrent of racist attacks from Donald Trump and his allies — while some fellow Democrats refuse to say his name.

Lula’s Narrow Victory and the Bolsonaro Movement’s Congressional Surge

Brazil’s runoff was supposed to be Bolsonaro’s to lose. After winning the first round with more votes than expected, betting markets gave him a 90-plus percent chance of victory. Instead, Lula won a narrow but decisive victory, sending the Brazilian stock market down 20 to 30 percent as investors scrambled.