The Latest: Rousseff supporters smash windows in Brazil

The Latest: Rousseff supporters smash windows in Brazil


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BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — The Latest on the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff (all times local):

10:50 p.m.

Unhappy with Dilma Rousseff's ouster, a group of Brazilians smashed windows of bank branches, other businesses and a police SUV in the city of Sao Paulo.

Anti-riot police tried to quell the demonstration that began in one of the city's main avenues with stun grenades and tear gas. The protest turned violent right after new leader Michel Temer addressed the nation in a televised message. It's not clear whether anyone was injured in the clashes.

At one point, a group of masked demonstrators threw rocks at a police SUV and shattered its windows with other objects before they tried to make it roll over.

Earlier around the same area, a group of people cut cake and drank sparkling wine to celebrate the change in power.

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9:30 p.m.

Addressing the nation in a televised message, Brazil's new leader Michel Temer promised to revive the economy by curtailing government spending with unpopular austerity measures and a pension reform.

"I am aware of the size and weight of all the responsibility that falls on my shoulders," Temer said. "My commitment is to make our economy strong again and put Brazil back on track."

Hours after being sworn following an impeachment trial that ousted president Dilma Rousseff, Temer said his priority is to put a cap on government spending through a budget reform. "Our motto is to spend only the money we make," he said.

He said a pension reform was much needed to guarantee retirees will get paid in a few years and also spoke about a labor reform to bolster the job market.

6:30 p.m.

Newly sworn-in, Brazilian President Michel Temer tasked his Cabinet with pushing forward budget and pension reforms as well as proposals to create jobs.

"From today on, the expectations are much higher for the government. I hope that in these two years and four months, we do what we have declared — put Brazil back on track," he said.

Temer also denied that the impeachment proceedings were a coup against Dilma Rousseff, like she claimed in her first remarks after being kicked out of power.

"Putschist is you," he said, referring to Rousseff. "It's you who is breaking the constitution."

Temer said he will begin his visit to China Wednesday night for G20 meetings and spoke about bilateral meetings the leaders of Spain, Japan, Italy and Saudi Arabia have already requested.

"We are traveling precisely to reveal to the world that we have political and legal stability," he said. "We have to show that there is hope in the country."

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5 p.m.

Michel Temer has been sworn in as Brazil's new leader following the ouster of President Dilma Rousseff.

Temer took an oath of office a few hours after the Senate voted 61-20 to remove Rousseff from office for breaking fiscal laws in her management of the federal budget.

Temer was accompanied by leaders of both chambers of Congress and his Cabinet. He did not make any statements, and expected to address the nation later Wednesday.

The 75-year-old career politician had been acting president since May, when the Senate impeached and suspended Rousseff ahead of the trial to decide her fate.

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4:30 p.m.

Venezuela says it is freezing diplomatic relations with Brazil and withdrawing its ambassador in response to Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff's ouster in a Senate vote.

A statement from Caracas calls Rousseff's impeachment and removal a "parliamentary coup" and says the withdrawal of its ambassador is "definitive."

The statement argues that the political process against her violates democracy and Brazil's constitution. It alleges it's part of an "oligarchical and imperial attack" on leftist movements in Latin America.

Venezuela and Brazil have been part of a group of allied, leftist-led nations in the region in recent years.

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4:10 p.m.

In her first remarks after being ousted as Brazil's president, Dilma Rousseff is vowing to form a strong opposition front against the new government.

In her words, "They think that they beat us, but they are wrong."

She told followers at the presidential residence on Wednesday she's form "the strongest, most tireless and most active opposition that a coup government could suffer."

The overthrown leader maintained her innocence and used the word "coup" 14 times in her 12-minute speech. She said her ouster was an attack on "social movements and unions and against those who fight for their rights."

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2:15 p.m.

Brazil's government says its economy continues to shrink, posting its ninth consecutive quarterly contraction.

It's a reminder of the economic woes that contributed to Wednesday's ouster of President Dilma Rousseff

The country's statistics institute says that gross domestic product slipped 3.8 percent in the second quarter of this year, compared to the same time frame of 2015.

Opponents accused Rousseff of mismanaging the federal budget and neglecting to make needed changes as the economy began slowing down.

Some economists believe the nation has already weathered the worst.

Investment slightly recovered by 0.4 percent this time after 10 negative quarters. Stock prices have risen slightly likely because commodity prices have stabilized.

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1:55 p.m.

Ousted Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff is firing back at the Senators who removed her from office.

She's sent a tweet saying that "today is the day that 61 men, many of them charged and corrupt, threw 54 million Brazilian votes in the garbage."

Rousseff won re-election in 2014 with more than 54 million votes.

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1:45 p.m.

Brazil's Senate has voted to permanently remove President Dilma Rousseff from office.

The decision is the culmination of a yearlong fight that paralyzed Latin America's most powerful economy and exposed deep rifts among its people on everything from race relations to social spending.

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12:30 p.m.

Senators who support President Dilma Rousseff are submitting a request to separate the upcoming decision on whether to remove her from office and to ban her from further posts into two different votes.

Rousseff is on trial for breaking fiscal responsibility laws in her management of the federal budget.

She will be removed permanently from office if 54 of 81 senators vote in favor.

Senators want to separate the vote on her removal from the presidency from a ban on holding public office for eight years.

Supreme Court Justice Ricardo Lewandowski is overseeing the proceedings. He is expected to decide later Wednesday on the petition to treat the two issues as separate votes.

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11:20 a.m.

Brazil's Senate has begun its final session in a trial that will decide the fate of President Dilma Rousseff.

Brazil's first female president is accused of breaking fiscal responsibility laws in her management of the federal budget. She denies wrongdoing, and frequently points out that previous presidents used similar accounting measures.

Supreme Court Justice Ricardo Lewandowski is overseeing the proceedings. He's scheduled to present a summary of the six-day trial before voting begins.

If 54 of 81 senators vote in favor, Rousseff will be removed from office. The same body voted 55-22 in May to impeach and suspend Rousseff.

The vote is expected later Wednesday.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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