South Africa Mining Group Says Advice on Draft Law Ignored
The Mineral Resources Development Bill, opened to public feedback last week, 'does not reflect the inputs' of the Minerals Council South Africa, the industry group said in a statement on Tuesday. The government says the proposed law will improve regulatory certainty and streamline administrative processes.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
14 minutes ago
- USA Today
Trump official slams 'elderly white hippies' as Vance mocks pushback to DC takeover
Top Trump official Stephen Miller derided protesters as "elderly white hippies" in a city that has more Black residents than white residents. WASHINGTON ― Top Trump administration officials including Vice President JD Vance fired back at noisy protesters targeting the recent federal takeover of Washington D.C. during a scene at Union Station, the city's transit hub. Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Stephen Miller, a senior White House official, dropped by Union Station unannounced on Aug. 20 for a photo-op to tout President Donald Trump's recent deployment of National Guard troops to the nation's capital to crack down on crime. But as the trio spoke from a Shake Shack to claim credit for bringing down crime, a small group of protesters could be heard from the main hall chanting "Free D.C.!" and producing a drumbeat of noise that visibly irritated the three Trump officials. More: Voters split on Trump's DC police takeover, National Guard deployment, new poll Miller, the White House's deputy chief of staff, called the protesters "crazy communists" who have no connections to Washington D.C., accusing them of advocating for "the criminals, the killers, the rapists, the drug deals." "I'm glad they're here today," Miller said in brief remarks, "because me, Pete and the vice president are going to leave here, and inspired by them, we're going to add thousands more resources to this city to get the criminals and the gang members out of here." More: How DC's unique status let Trump take control of police, deploy National Guard Miller went on to label the protesters "elderly white hippies" in a city that has more Black residents than white residents. "Most citizens in Washington D.C. are Black. This is not a city that has had any safety for its Black citizens for generations, and President Trump is the one who is fixing that," Miller said. "So we're going to ignore these stupid white hippies. They all need to go home and take a nap because they're all over 90 years old." Vance, who claimed violent crime in D.C. has dropped 35% in nine days, also took note of the loud demonstrators. "Of course, these are a bunch of crazy protesters. But I'll tell you: A couple of years ago, when I brought my kids here, they were being screamed at by violent vagrants, and it scared the hell out of my kids," the vice president said. Vance said Union Sation is now a place where parents can safely bring their children again. "I know we've traded now some violent crazy people who are screaming at kids with a few crazy liberals who are screaming at the vice president, but I think that's a very worthwhile trade to make," Vance said. More: Trump orders National Guard into Washington and takes over DC police Declaring a local crime emergency in D.C., Trump on Aug. 11 deployed 800 National Guard troops to the streets of Washington and took action to seize control of the city's police force. Trump said the extraordinary steps were necessary to combat crime in the city, even though Washington's violent crime rate was down 26% in 2025 compared with last year. The National Guard has maintained a major presence at Union Station, a frequent stop for visitors of Washington but not a destination in one of the city's most dangerous neighborhoods. "We talked to a first-responder before we came up here," Hegseth said. "They said this is their No. 1 call location ‒ Union Station ‒ for first responders. So it's not as if this is insignificant. In many ways, this is part of the epicenter." During their visit to Union Station, Vance, Hegseth and Miller thanked the guard members for their service. After speaking for 12 minutes to reporters, Vance stuck around at Shake Shack to have lunch with the troops. 'You guys bust your ass all day and we give you hamburgers ‒ not a fair trade but we're grateful for everything you do," Vance said. Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
Axios
43 minutes ago
- Axios
"Hippies" and "communists": Trump team dismisses blowback to D.C. takeover
Top Trump administration officials, surrounded by Shake Shack burgers, scorned protests against the federal takeover of D.C. during a Wednesday press conference meant to celebrate National Guard troops. Why it matters: Rhetoric from Vice President Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and top Trump aide Stephen Miller drew on dated stereotypes and dismissed D.C. residents' dismay about President Trump's policies. Protesters loudly chanted "Free D.C." throughout the press conference. What they're saying: "And by the way most of the citizens that live in Washington D.C. are Black," Miller said. "This is not a city that has had any safety for its Black citizens for generations." Miller went on to call protesters "elderly white hippies." "The voices that you hear out there, those crazy communists, they have no roots, they have no connection to the city," Miller said. "They have no families that they're raising in the city." Reality check: Black residents represented just more than 40% of the D.C. population, according to U.S. Census figures. D.C. residents overwhelmingly opposed Trump's takeover of the D.C. police and deployment of federal law enforcement and the National Guard to the capital city, according to polling out Wednesday from the Washington Post-Schar School. By the numbers: 65% said they don't think his actions will make the city safer from violent crime. Vance dismissed the polling: "I don't know what poll you're talking about," he said. "Maybe the same polls that said Kamala Harris would win the popular vote by 10 points." He earlier said, referencing protests during the press conference: "You hear these guys outside? They appear to hate the idea that Americans can enjoy their communities."
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Trump says Fed Governor Lisa Cook 'must resign' after William Pulte alleges mortgage fraud
President Donald Trump said on Truth Social Wednesday that Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook 'must resign, now!!!' Trump's comment came after the director of the U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency, William Pulte, a sharp critic of the Fed, alleged in a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi that Cook 'falsified bank documents and property records to acquire more favorable loan terms, potentially committing mortgage fraud.' In the letter that Pulte called a 'criminal referral,' he said that his agency had obtained her mortgage documents and requested that the Justice Department review the matter. He further alleged that Cook falsified her 'residence statuses for an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based residence and an Atlanta, Georgia-based property.' Pulte's letter is the latest scrutiny over the mortgages of prominent Democratic figures, including Sen. Adam Schiff of California and New York Attorney General Letitia James. Speaking on CNBC, FHFA director Pulte said "it doesn't matter whether you're Fed Governor Cook or Joe Blow on the street, if you commit mortgage fraud, we are going to report it." The letter about Cook's mortgages ratchets up the administration's pressure on the Federal Reserve to lower interest rates. Pulte has posted on social media dozens of times calling on Fed Chair Jerome Powell to resign or lower rates, and he attended Trump's recent tour of the Federal Reserve's headquarters renovation. Asked about his fierce criticism of the central bank in the CNBC interview, Pulte said that was a "separate matter" but then said that "Jay Powell has a chance to do the right thing by the law" with regard to Governor Cook. Powell does not have the authority to remove a governor. Pulte added, "we'll see" if Powell knew about Cook's mortgages. Cook has a permanent vote on the central bank's rate-setting committee and was appointed by President Joe Biden to a term running until 2038. Before joining the Fed, Cook was a professor of economics at Michigan State University. Cook, a graduate of Spelman College and Oxford University, is regarded in the economics field as a trailblazer. She is the first Black woman to serve on the Federal Reserve board in the U.S. central bank's more than 100-year history. The Federal Reserve declined to comment on Trump's post Wednesday. The Justice Department and FHFA did not immediately respond to requests for comments. This article was originally published on
