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(CNN) — Brazil reported yet another record number of deaths on Tuesday as a surge of COVID-19 infections cripples hospitals across the country. But it's the political turmoil rocking the government that grabbed headlines on Wednesday.
A day after the biggest Cabinet reshuffle since President Jair Bolsonaro took office, the three commanders of Brazil's armed forces were squeezed out, fueling speculation that Bolsonaro is losing the support of the military and seeking to assert control, amid growing criticism over his handling of the pandemic.
"The Military Refuses Political Affiliation and Bolsonaro Replaces the Heads of the Armed Forces," declared O Globo newspaper. In its headline, Folha de S. Paulo called it the "biggest military crisis since 1977," when there was a similar institutional rift during the military dictatorship.