SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was discharged from the hospital Sunday after undergoing surgery to stop a brain bleed.
The 79-year-old president spoke alongside doctors in a press conference on Sunday morning in a show that he was doing well following the head surgery.
“I’m here alive, well, with the urge to work. And I’ll tell you something I used to say during the campaign. I’m 79 years old, I have the energy of 30 and the enthusiasm of 20 to build this country,” Lula said.
Lula's medical team said the surgery went well and that Lula would be able to walk and hold meetings as he rests in his home in the city of Sao Paulo until Thursday.
The leader's doctors said international travel would be out of the question until further notice, but that he'd be able to travel to the country's capital, Brasilia, if all goes well in a medical exam.
The president also offered his first comments on Saturday's arrest of Gen. Walter Braga Netto, a former member of President Jair Bolsonaro’s government and his 2022 running mate, in connection with investigations into an alleged coup plot. Lula has largely avoided commenting on the case because of ongoing investigations.
“It is not possible for us to accept disrespect for democracy, disrespect for the constitution. And it is not possible for us to accept that in a generous country like Brazil we have people of high military rank plotting the death of a president, his vice president and a presiding judge of the supreme electoral court,” said Lula.
Braga Netto was indicted in November, along with Bolsonaro and 35 others, on charges of plotting a coup to keep Bolsonaro in office after his failed 2022 reelection bid.
Prosecutors have not yet filed formal charges against Braga Netto. His arrest was related to allegations of obstructing the collection of evidence, the Federal Police said in a statement.
A supporter of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva dressed as Santa Claus signals the letter "L" for Lula, with a photo that reads in Portuguese "Health President!," during a gathering of support for the leader in Brasilia, Brazil, Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024, while Lula is hospitalized in Sao Paulo. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Notre Dame women's basketball coach Niele Ivey tried to focus on preparing her third-ranked team for a road game at No. 17 North Carolina. It wasn't easy amid the worry about her son — NBA player Jaden Ivey — after he sustained a serious leg injury that required surgery this week.
That's why she was so thankful of the way her Fighting Irish handled Sunday's 76-66 win.
“They really ignited me as a person, and a mother," said Ivey, her voice fragile with held-back emotion in the postgame news conference. “So I'm really grateful for that because I knew this was going to be a tough one for me.”
Ivey, 47, is in her fifth year as Notre Dame's coach and leads a team picked as the preseason Atlantic Coast Conference favorite as well as a potential Final Four contender. Her son, 22-year-old Jaden, was the No. 5 overall NBA draft pick in 2022 and was having a breakout year (17.6 points) in his third year with the Detroit Pistons.
Ivey was hurt Wednesday night when Orlando’s Cole Anthony slipped as he and Ivey went for a loose ball, and Anthony crashed into Ivey's planted left leg. Ivey was in obvious pain as members of the training staff held up towels to block the crowd’s view of the injury while players from both teams formed a circle around him. He was eventually loaded onto a stretcher and wheeled out of the arena with a towel covering the injury.
The team said after the surgery that he would be re-evaluated in four weeks.
Niele Ivey's Irish, who hadn't played since her son's injury, took control in the second quarter at UNC behind the latest big performances from Hannah Hidalgo (24 points) and Olivia Miles (19) — two previous Associated Press All-Americans in the backcourt.
Afterward, Ivey patted Miles gently on the back as she talked about the past week, saying she told her players afterward that they gave her a lift.
“It's a really, rough week for me having my son go down a couple of days ago,” she said. “They really played for me, and I really really appreciate that because it was really tough. I'm really grateful for them because they really kept my spirits up.”
Miles said it's “routine” that the players try to play hard for Ivey, but that they were also aware of the family's emotion.
“We always want to play for Coach Ivey in every game,” Miles said. “But there was definitely some added fuel to the fire just given the circumstances.”
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Teammates look over Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey (23) after an incident during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Orlando Magic, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in Detroit. Ivey was carted off the court by stretcher. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
