SAO PAULO (AP) — Flávio Bolsonaro fled with his family to Miami after his defeat by Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Brazil's presidential elections.
The 45-year-old ally of U.S. President Donald Trump landed in Florida on Wednesday, even after Brazil's Supreme Court labeled him a flight risk due to pending corruption investigations and ordered the seizure of his passports. The U.S. granted visas to Bolsonaro and his family this week.
Here's what to know about the election and Bolsonaro's departure:
Bolsonaro beat Lula in the first round of the election on Oct. 4 by 2.2 million votes, but he lost the runoff on Sunday by double that number of votes, as abstention rates and invalid votes dropped to historic lows.
Politicians say Lula could have won by more but voters were hampered by bus shortages in Sao Paulo and Salvador, where the president is popular.
Both candidates alleged voter suppression in their strongholds and called for an extension of voting hours beyond 5 p.m. Three minutes before polls were due to close, Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin granted a two-hour extension.
Brazil's electoral court reported that some 35,000 people voted during that expanded window but that the extension did not affect the electoral outcome. More than 128 million people voted in total.
Bolsonaro said he would seek to have the election results annulled, but took no action before he fled.
His own Liberal Party elected six governors, 121 lawmakers and 19 senators in the most recent elections, and accepted all the results Monday evening, including his loss.
“We acknowledge the presidential election result as proclaimed by the superior electoral court,” the Liberal Party said in a statement.
The Carter Center and the Organization of American States sent election observers to Brazil. Neither found irregularities.
Political leaders from around the world congratulated Lula on his win. Notable exceptions included Bolsonaro allies Trump, who said Brazil’s election was “rigged,” and Argentina’s President Javier Milei, who did not comment.
Even Colombian President Abelardo De La Espriella, a right-wing Bolsonaro ally, congratulated the 81-year-old Lula, whose term begins Jan. 5.
“In the Colombian presidential campaign, President Lula openly supported Iván Cepeda, and I won. In the Brazilian campaign, I supported Bolsonaro, and Lula won,” De La Espriella said on X. “Neither Lula decides for the Colombians, nor do I decide for the Brazilians. THE PEOPLE DECIDE!”
The electronic voting system in Brazil has rarely been challenged in a meaningful way. Bolsonaro's father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, claimed — without evidence — there had been electoral fraud in the 2022 presidential election. He subsequently headed an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow Lula, his successor.
Minutes after the presidential election results were announced, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered the seizure of Flávio Bolsonaro's passports.
The senator is under Supreme Court investigation for the financing of a movie about his father’s life, “Dark Horse,” including more than $12 million from a disgraced former banker, Daniel Vorcaro. He is also accused of laundering money and fraudulent use of money intended for senior citizens.
A Brazilian diplomat who was not authorized to speak about the matter publicly told The Associated Press that Bolsonaro used an Italian passport to enter Argentina and — despite considering him a flight risk — Brazil’s federal police were not monitoring him and his family before they fled to Florida.
The same Supreme Court justice led an investigation into Jair Bolsonaro's coup attempt that resulted in the former president being sentenced to 27 years under house arrest.
Flávio Bolsonaro arrives at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, in Opa-locka, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
June Jones, the cutting-edge coach who brought the run-and-shoot offense to Hawaii and led the Rainbow Warriors to their greatest era and an undefeated regular season that catapulted them all the way to the Sugar Bowl, died on Thursday. He was 73.
Hawaii's football program in a statement did not list a cause of death for Jones, who coached the Atlanta Falcons for three seasons in the 1990s before his stint at Hawaii. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser cited a close family friend as saying Jones had entered hospice two weeks ago in his native Oregon.
“Coach Jones was a father figure, a mentor, and a visionary who revolutionized the game," said Timmy Chang, the current Hawaii coach who set the NCAA record for career passing yards (since broken) under Jones. "He believed in a young kid from Hawaii and gave me the opportunity of a lifetime to run his offense.”
Hawaii was one of three schools where Jones played quarterback in college, but it was his decision to transfer to Portland State that shaped the rest of his football career.
He played under Mouse Davis, who is largely credited with bringing to the big-time an offense that featured four receivers who adjusted their routes on the fly, rarely ran the football and, most of all, moved fast.
It was dubbed the run-and-shoot. Jerry Glanville, Wayne Fontes, Jack Pardee and Kevin Gilbride were among the few willing to throw out convention and use it. Jones might have had the most success.
After spending time in the 1980s with the Falcons, mostly as the third-string quarterback, Jones worked his way through assistant coaching jobs, landing with Glanville (and QB Warren Moon) of the Houston Oilers in 1987. In 1991, Jones joined Glanville with the Falcons, then took over when Glanville got fired.
“A visionary in the passing game,” the Falcons called Jones in a statement Thursday.
Sticking with the run-and-shoot, Jones briefly thrived and took Atlanta to one playoff trip with the help of quarterback Jeff George. But the Falcons fired Jones after three years. Jones also had a brief stint as an interim with the San Diego Chargers, replacing Gilbride after he was let go.
Jones returned to Hawaii in 1999 after the Warriors had gone 0-12, and he produced a remarkable turnaround. Hawaii capped off a 9-4 season with a win in the Oahu Bowl.
His most memorable season, though, ended at the Sugar Bowl. It came in 2007, when Colt Brennan ran the offense well enough for a 12-0 regular-season record that got Hawaii into the Bowl Championship Series — the precursor to today's playoffs. In New Orleans, the Rainbow Warriors ran into Georgia and lost 41-10.
Over nine seasons in Honolulu. Jones became the winningest coach in Hawaii history at 76-41. His run-and-shoot dazzled at Aloha Stadium, but also provided entertainment deep into the night on Saturdays (and into Sunday morning) when Hawaii games started late on the East Coast.
Jones' success landed him a job on the mainland, at SMU, where he went 36-43 over six-plus years.
But even after he left, Jones a towering figure on the islands, remained among the most popular sports celebrities in a state where surfing, golf and even basketball often grabbed more headlines than football.
Gov. Josh Green called him “an exceptional human being.”
“He was a motivator of young people and he was a winner,” Green said. “He won big moments for us, and that put us into the spotlight.”
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FILE - Hamilton Tiger-Cats head coach June Jones speaks to the media about the joint team and CFL decision to backtrack on the hiring of Art Briles as assistant coach following a practice in Hamilton, Ontario, Aug. 29, 2017. (Aaron Lynett/The Canadian Press via AP, File)
FILE - Former Hawaii football head coach June Jones is seen before an NCAA college football game, Oct. 28, 2023, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia, File)
FILE - Atlanta Falcons head coach June Jones watches the clock while standing on the sidelines with quarterback Jeff George (1) during the game against the St. Louis Rams on Nov. 19, 1995. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)
FILE - Hawaii coach June Jones and quarterback Nick Rolovich laugh during the fourth quarter action at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu on Dec. 8, 2001. (AP Photo/Ronen Zilberman, File)
