Tom Phillips
@tomphillips.bsky.social
Latin America correspondent for the @guardian based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 🇧🇷 via London 🇬🇧, Beijing 🇨🇳 and Mexico City 🇲🇽 Say hello: tom.phillips@theguardian.com
Our @theguardian.com podcast 'Missing in the Amazon' about Bruno Pereira & Dom Phillips is one of the @economist.com's best podcasts of 2025! www.economist.com/culture/2025...
The best podcasts of 2025
They cover fake wars, true crimes and chatbot romances
www.economist.com
December 19, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Our @theguardian.com podcast 'Missing in the Amazon' about Bruno Pereira & Dom Phillips is one of the @economist.com's best podcasts of 2025! www.economist.com/culture/2025...
“To fulfill her promise of reuniting Venezuela’s families, she first had to follow the path of the exiles who went before her" www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...
‘Follow the path of exiles’: María Corina Machado’s US-aided escape from Venezuela
Nobel peace laureate’s decision to flee on people-smuggling route is highly symbolic, but will her influence wane if unable to return?
www.theguardian.com
December 11, 2025 at 12:49 PM
“To fulfill her promise of reuniting Venezuela’s families, she first had to follow the path of the exiles who went before her" www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...
Reposted by Tom Phillips
For the latest Politics Weekly America, I talk to the Guardian’s Latin America correspondent @tomphillips.bsky.social asking the question: is Trump about to invade Venezuela? open.spotify.com/episode/29Yi...
“This is war”: Is Trump about to invade Venezuela?
open.spotify.com
December 5, 2025 at 8:47 AM
For the latest Politics Weekly America, I talk to the Guardian’s Latin America correspondent @tomphillips.bsky.social asking the question: is Trump about to invade Venezuela? open.spotify.com/episode/29Yi...
"The last thing we want is for South America to become a war zone – and a war zone that would inevitably not just be a war between the US and Venezuela. It would end up having global involvement and this would be really unfortunate" www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...
US attack on Venezuela risks ‘Vietnam-style’ regional conflict, warns Lula adviser
Brazil aide says Trump’s closure of Venezuelan airspace amounts to an ‘act of war’ that could escalate
www.theguardian.com
December 8, 2025 at 1:51 PM
"The last thing we want is for South America to become a war zone – and a war zone that would inevitably not just be a war between the US and Venezuela. It would end up having global involvement and this would be really unfortunate" www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...
Talking Venezuela, Latin America & Trump on today's Politics Weekly America podcast with @jonathanfreedland.bsky.social
For the latest Politics Weekly America, I talk to the Guardian’s Latin America correspondent @tomphillips.bsky.social asking the question: is Trump about to invade Venezuela? open.spotify.com/episode/29Yi...
“This is war”: Is Trump about to invade Venezuela?
open.spotify.com
December 5, 2025 at 10:09 AM
Talking Venezuela, Latin America & Trump on today's Politics Weekly America podcast with @jonathanfreedland.bsky.social
“It just shows that the entire counter-drug effort of Donald Trump is a charade” www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Trump’s pardon of Honduras’s ex-president shows counter-drug effort is ‘based on lies and hypocrisy’
Why has Trump blown up alleged narco boats in the Caribbean and at the same time decided to let a big time trafficker off the hook?
www.theguardian.com
December 1, 2025 at 6:17 PM
“It just shows that the entire counter-drug effort of Donald Trump is a charade” www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Reposted by Tom Phillips
Exclusive: Hegseth ordered everyone killed in the first alleged drug boat strike on Sept. 2, prompting a second hit to finish off survivors in the water in a mission led by SEAL Team 6. Ordering no quarter could legally perilous www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
Hegseth order on first Caribbean boat strike, officials say: Kill them all
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a verbal order to kill all crew members in the Sept. 2 strike on a suspected drug boat. Navy SEALs fired a second missile.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 28, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Exclusive: Hegseth ordered everyone killed in the first alleged drug boat strike on Sept. 2, prompting a second hit to finish off survivors in the water in a mission led by SEAL Team 6. Ordering no quarter could legally perilous www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
“The unexpectedly lethargic response to Jair Bolsonaro’s incarceration has caused some to wonder if his grip over the Brazilian right has been shattered” www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
‘Foam that’s washed away’: support dissolves as Bolsonaro starts 27-year jail term
Brazil shows little sign of feared rightwing rebellion, with only a few die-hards protesting outside prison
www.theguardian.com
November 28, 2025 at 10:32 AM
“The unexpectedly lethargic response to Jair Bolsonaro’s incarceration has caused some to wonder if his grip over the Brazilian right has been shattered” www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
27 years in a 12 sq meter room www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
Jair Bolsonaro ordered to start 27-year prison term for plotting Brazil coup
Ex-president to start serving term in 12 sq metre bedroom in police base in Brasília after time for appeals elapses
www.theguardian.com
November 25, 2025 at 7:05 PM
27 years in a 12 sq meter room www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
Bolsonaro says he took a soldering iron to his ankle tag out of “curiosity”
No momento da troca da tornozeleira eletrônica, Jair Bolsonaro foi questionado sobre pq ela estava tão danificada. Ele responde que, por “curiosidade”, usava o ferro de solda desde a tarde 👇🏾
November 22, 2025 at 7:39 PM
Bolsonaro says he took a soldering iron to his ankle tag out of “curiosity”
“Moraes said Bolsonaro’s electronic ankle monitor had been tampered with at 12.08am on Saturday. That suggested “the convict had planned to break the ankle monitor in order to ensure the success of his escape, aided by the confusion caused by the protest”
Brazilian police arrest Bolsonaro amid suspicions he was about to flee
Politician reportedly taken from his villa into custody at a federal police base about 7 miles from presidential palace
www.theguardian.com
November 22, 2025 at 12:43 PM
“Moraes said Bolsonaro’s electronic ankle monitor had been tampered with at 12.08am on Saturday. That suggested “the convict had planned to break the ankle monitor in order to ensure the success of his escape, aided by the confusion caused by the protest”
“Nobody wants Bolsonaro to be put in a dungeon. Nobody wants Bolsonaro to be put in solitary confinement or for him to have to sleep on the floor. We want him to receive dignified treatment – but dignified treatment in prison,” said @reimont.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
Jailhouse shock: Brazil coup monger Bolsonaro finally faces life behind bars
The former president’s far-right supporters have discovered a new interest in prison conditions as incarceration looms
www.theguardian.com
November 20, 2025 at 11:03 AM
“Nobody wants Bolsonaro to be put in a dungeon. Nobody wants Bolsonaro to be put in solitary confinement or for him to have to sleep on the floor. We want him to receive dignified treatment – but dignified treatment in prison,” said @reimont.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
Over the moon that our Bruno and Dom podcast Missing in the Amazon has been nominated for a Rose D’Or! 🙏🏽
November 17, 2025 at 3:13 PM
Over the moon that our Bruno and Dom podcast Missing in the Amazon has been nominated for a Rose D’Or! 🙏🏽
On the eve of Chile's presidential election today, we followed the footsteps of the far-right favorite, José Antonio Kast, to its most northerly village, in the Andes www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
‘We need an iron fist’: the Trump-inspired favourite to win Chile’s election
José Antonio Kast, 59, is appealing to voters with a hard-right pitch on crime and immigration
www.theguardian.com
November 16, 2025 at 12:09 PM
On the eve of Chile's presidential election today, we followed the footsteps of the far-right favorite, José Antonio Kast, to its most northerly village, in the Andes www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
Reposted by Tom Phillips
3/ José Antonio Kast is polling second behind Jara, and is the likely winner of a runoff. He has campaigned on vilifying migrants, calling immigration an invasion, and proposing deportations and building barriers on the border. @tomphillips.bsky.social reports:
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
‘We need an iron fist’: the Trump-inspired favourite to win Chile’s election
José Antonio Kast, 59, is appealing to voters with a hard-right pitch on crime and immigration
www.theguardian.com
November 14, 2025 at 12:03 AM
3/ José Antonio Kast is polling second behind Jara, and is the likely winner of a runoff. He has campaigned on vilifying migrants, calling immigration an invasion, and proposing deportations and building barriers on the border. @tomphillips.bsky.social reports:
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
“An iron fist! That’s what we need! Like a Bukele!”: the ultra-conservative politician José Antonio Kast closes in on the presidency in Chile with a Trumpian pitch on crime & immigration www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
‘We need an iron fist’: the Trump-inspired favourite to win Chile’s election
José Antonio Kast, 59, is appealing to voters with a hard-right pitch on crime and immigration
www.theguardian.com
November 12, 2025 at 11:19 AM
“An iron fist! That’s what we need! Like a Bukele!”: the ultra-conservative politician José Antonio Kast closes in on the presidency in Chile with a Trumpian pitch on crime & immigration www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
In 1988, on the eve of Just Cause, the US indicted Noriega for drug smuggling – just as they have w/ Maduro who recently had a $50m bounty put on his head. “So they’ve established a convenient pretext if they choose to pursue a military route”
US military buildup off Venezuela coast stirs echoes of 1989 Panama invasion
Some see anti-Noriega operation as model for deposing Maduro but others say US-orchestrated military coup is more likely option
www.theguardian.com
November 6, 2025 at 11:47 AM
In 1988, on the eve of Just Cause, the US indicted Noriega for drug smuggling – just as they have w/ Maduro who recently had a $50m bounty put on his head. “So they’ve established a convenient pretext if they choose to pursue a military route”
“It’s so sad to see what’s happening in our communities. It’s terrible what the people who live there are going through … Those who live in war zones will understand this pain, this despair and this revolt.”
Thousands join protests in Rio favela after deadliest ever police raid
Demonstrators demand inquiry after operation on Tuesday in which at least 121 people were killed
www.theguardian.com
November 1, 2025 at 10:30 AM
“It’s so sad to see what’s happening in our communities. It’s terrible what the people who live there are going through … Those who live in war zones will understand this pain, this despair and this revolt.”
Reposted by Tom Phillips
“In 30 years working in the favelas this is the greatest act of savagery, the biggest massacre I have seen”
Horrifying report from @tomphillips.bsky.social on Rio’s deadliest-ever police raid
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...
Horrifying report from @tomphillips.bsky.social on Rio’s deadliest-ever police raid
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...
‘This was a slaughter, not an operation’: the favela reeling from Rio’s deadliest police raid
Residents of Vila Cruzeiro gather bodies after more than 130 were killed in pre-dawn assault
www.theguardian.com
October 29, 2025 at 7:08 PM
“In 30 years working in the favelas this is the greatest act of savagery, the biggest massacre I have seen”
Horrifying report from @tomphillips.bsky.social on Rio’s deadliest-ever police raid
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...
Horrifying report from @tomphillips.bsky.social on Rio’s deadliest-ever police raid
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...
Between 4.15am and 9am, when government body collectors finally arrived, the Guardian witnessed pick up trucks delivering dozens of corpses to a square in Vila Cruzeiro named after Saint Luke the Evangelist. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...
‘This was a slaughter, not an operation’: the favela reeling from Rio’s deadliest police raid
Residents of Vila Cruzeiro gather bodies after more than 130 were killed in pre-dawn assault
www.theguardian.com
October 29, 2025 at 6:59 PM
Between 4.15am and 9am, when government body collectors finally arrived, the Guardian witnessed pick up trucks delivering dozens of corpses to a square in Vila Cruzeiro named after Saint Luke the Evangelist. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...
"This doesn’t solve the problem,” said Rene Silva, from @vozdascomunidades.com.br “Rio’s crime problem needs to be combated in other places – not just in the favelas" www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...
Brazil: at least 64 reported killed in Rio’s worst day of violence amid police favela raids
Governor says city ‘at war’ after gunfights between troops and Red Command drug traffickers who reportedly used weaponised drones
www.theguardian.com
October 28, 2025 at 8:59 PM
"This doesn’t solve the problem,” said Rene Silva, from @vozdascomunidades.com.br “Rio’s crime problem needs to be combated in other places – not just in the favelas" www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...
“He’s not Joe Biden,” Lula’s friend and biographer, Fernando Morais, tells me. “He’s someone who has astounding physical energy, not to mention the energy of his soul”
Brazilian president will seek fourth term at age 80: ‘I’ve got as much energy as when I was 30’
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who first ran for elected office in 1982, announced he will run again in next year’s election
www.theguardian.com
October 23, 2025 at 4:31 PM
“He’s not Joe Biden,” Lula’s friend and biographer, Fernando Morais, tells me. “He’s someone who has astounding physical energy, not to mention the energy of his soul”
A Venezuela mission would not be the first in Latin America & the Caribbean conducted by the Night Stalkers, whose pilots specialise in infiltrating and exfiltrating special forces troops – called “customers” – from hostile places, nearly always at night.
US ‘Night Stalkers’ seen in Caribbean as fears of regime change rise in Venezuela
Elite helicopter unit’s part in military deployment comes as Donald Trump ramps up pressure on Nicolás Maduro
www.theguardian.com
October 22, 2025 at 1:41 PM
A Venezuela mission would not be the first in Latin America & the Caribbean conducted by the Night Stalkers, whose pilots specialise in infiltrating and exfiltrating special forces troops – called “customers” – from hostile places, nearly always at night.
Reposted by Tom Phillips
Keir Starmer will attend Cop30 in Brazil, No 10 confirms
Keir Starmer will attend Cop30 in Brazil, No 10 confirms
After speculation and conflicting pressures, prime minister will attend climate summit next month
www.theguardian.com
October 20, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Keir Starmer will attend Cop30 in Brazil, No 10 confirms