News Wrap: Pro-Bolsonaro crowd storms Brazil’s government buildings

In our news wrap Sunday, supporters of Brazil's former President Bolsonaro stormed the country's Congress, presidential palace and Supreme Court, China reopened its borders to international travel for the first time in three years, California is bracing for another wave of powerful storms, and award-winning author Russell Banks died at the age of 82.

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  • John Yang:

    Look at the day's other headlines begins in Brazil's capital city of Brazilia, where hundreds of supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro stormed the grounds of the country's congress, presidential palace and Supreme Court. They claim without factual basis that Bolsonaro's election defeat last year was due to fraud. The crowds clashed with police in riot gear who responded with tear gas.

    Inside, chants of Lula lost were heard as the crowds vandalized the halls and lounged on the furniture. New President — Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was inaugurated last week. He was in a different city today. Bolsonaro left Brazil days ago. The far right ex-president has long sown distrust over the legitimacy of the country's election system. The U.S. says it condemns any effort to undermine democracy.

    And China opened its borders to international travel today for the first time in three years. In airport terminals, family and friends embraced, some of them separated since the pandemic began in 2020.

    Even as the battle cut — the country battles a surge in COVID cases, incoming travelers will no longer need to be quarantined upon arrival, but they will still need to show proof of a negative test.

    In California, they are bracing for another week of torrential downpours and high winds. Hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses are without power, and mudslides are possible with the ground already saturated by days of heavy rain. At least six people died in last week's storms.

    The next wave of storms is forecast to arrive tomorrow and could bring between six to 12 inches of rain. But that's still not enough to end the state's drought.

    And a passing of note award winning author Russell Banks has died from cancer. His celebrated works include the novel's Continental Drift, Cloud Splitter and The Sweetheart After. In 2011, Banks spoke with correspondent Jeffrey Brown.

  • Russell Banks, Author:

    The process of writing fiction is really the only way I can penetrate things that are truly mysterious to me. And what's truly mysterious to me are people who are not like me, who aren't privileged in the same I said I am, and who are therefore likely to be marginalized and outcasts, or people who we tend to generalize the stereotype.

  • John Yang:

    Russell Banks was 82 years old.

    Still to come on "PBS News Weekend," why do so many Americans feel lonely? And what can they do about it? A young immigrants take on embracing immigration.

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