Flávio Bolsonaro breaks silence from US: 'I left Brazil due to persecution'

Flávio Bolsonaro, speaking from the United States, said he left Brazil due to persecution, while the Lula government calls it a flight from judicial investigations and the US administration has begun reviewing his asylum request. Bolsonaro, who lost the presidential runoff to Lula, fled to Florida via Argentina and Ecuador. He claims police revoked his passport during a money laundering probe, and he vowed to run for president again, predicting Brazil's economy will go bankrupt under Lula. The former candidate made his first public appearance since declaring himself Brazil's "leader," saying he decided to leave with his wife without telling anyone, after a tearful conversation with his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is under house arrest.