Latest news with #OpenSecrets
IOL News
6 days ago
- Business
- IOL News
Legal pressure mounts on NPA and Hawks over Prasa corruption claims
Civil society organisation Open Secrets wants the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, to force the Hawks and the National Prosecuting Authority to fast-track their investigation and prosecution of individuals and companies responsible for looting the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa. Image: SAPS A High Court application has been launched to force the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the Hawks to investigate and prosecute individuals and companies implicated in widespread Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) corruption. Open Secrets, a civil society organisation and non-profit company, has hauled outgoing national Hawks head Lieutenant-General Godfrey Lebeya and National Director of Public Prosecutions Shamila Batohi to the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, to force the law enforcement agencies to act against Siyangena Technologies and Swifambo Rails Leasing, which received lucrative contracts from the country's troubled rail agency. The troubles facing Batohi, who is due to retire early next year, appear to be piling up after she endured a tough few weeks at the helm of the NPA. In its application, Open Secrets states that the two companies were awarded contracts worth billions of rand meant to modernise South Africa's rail system. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ 'Instead, they became conduits for fraud, stripping Prasa bare and abandoning millions of poor commuters to a crumbling transport lifeline,' reads the affidavit filed by Open Secrets director Hennie van Vuuren last month. The organisation has asked the court to declare invalid and review and set aside the Directorate of Priority Crimes Investigation's [DPCI (the Hawks)] failure, within a reasonable time, to complete the investigations into the complaints of corruption and fraud at the Prasa. This is in relation to Prasa's decision to award and conclude the contract with Siyangena and Swifambo, as well as their implementation. In addition, Open Secrets wants the NPA's conduct in failing, within a reasonable time, to see to the completion of those investigations also declared invalid, reviewed, and set aside as well as its inability to take a decision, either to prosecute or not to prosecute, persons implicated or involved in criminal activities, related to the award, conclusion, and implementation of Prasa's contracts with Siyangena and Swifambo. Open Secrets wants the Hawks to be directed to complete their investigations, without further delay, and to take such further steps or file further reports as the court deems just and equitable. It also wants the NPA to be directed to see to the completion of the investigations without further delay, to take a decision, either to prosecute or not to prosecute, persons implicated or involved in criminal activities, relating to Prasa's contracts with Siyangena and Swifambo, and do so without further delay. According to Open Secrets, the NPA should be directed to take such further steps or file such further reports as the court deems just and equitable. 'Due to the delay in the finalisation of the investigations into the alleged corrupt conduct of those who were involved in the award of these contracts, the NPA has consequently not decided whether to prosecute anyone linked to the unlawful Siyangena and Swifambo contracts,' Van Vuuren stated in his affidavit. He added that as a result, an excess of nine years has passed since the criminal complaints were laid in 2015/16, yet no one has been held accountable, contrary to the recommendations of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture, chaired by retired Chief Justice Raymond Zondo. Hawks national spokesperson Brigadier Thandi Mbambo on Saturday confirmed that the DPCI received the notice of motion and that the matter is currently receiving the necessary attention. 'It is important to note that this is a complex matter requiring thorough investigation and ongoing collaboration among relevant stakeholders. We request time and space to allow investigation to proceed without compromise, to ensure that justice is served,' she said. Open Secrets' Ariella Scher said the Hawks and the NPA have filed their notices to oppose the matter, but not Prasa. NPA spokesperson Mthunzi Mhaga did not respond to requests for comment.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Trump's EPA announces major rollbacks to power plant pollution limits
US power plants will be allowed to pollute nearby communities and the wider world with more unhealthy air toxins and an unlimited amount of planet-heating gases under new regulatory rollbacks proposed by Donald Trump's administration, experts warned. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unveiled a plan on Wednesday that would repeal a landmark climate rule that aims to mostly eliminate greenhouse gases from power plants by the 2030s and would, separately, weaken another regulation that restricts power plants' release of hazardous air pollutants such as mercury. 'We choose to both protect the environment and grow the economy,' said Lee Zeldin, administrator of the EPA, at an event to announce the plans. He said the rollbacks will save households money while also defying what he called 'the climate change cult'. The climate rule has 'saddled our critical power sector with expensive, unreasonable and burdensome regulations', Zeldin said. 'American energy suffered and Americans who rely on reliable, affordable energy suffered. The good news is those days are over.' The EPA's proposals will go out for public comment and are likely to face legal challenges. They target a rule crafted last year by the Biden administration to phase out emissions from electricity-producing fossil fuel plants, which are responsible for around a quarter of US greenhouse gases, and a regulation called the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, which Biden toughened in 2023 to slash harmful pollution suffered by communities. These rollbacks come despite overwhelming scientific evidence of the dire consequences of the worsening climate crisis and the harm caused by pollutants such as mercury, which can seep into water, soils and the air and has been linked to neurological damage in young children as well as heart, lung and immune system ailments in adults. Coal-fired power plants cause nearly half of all mercury emissions in the US, according to the EPA. More than 200 health experts wrote to the EPA on Wednesday warning the moves 'would lead to the biggest pollution increases in decades and is a blatant give-away to polluters'. The experts added the reversals are 'a direct contradiction to the Environmental Protection Agency's mission of protecting public health and the environment'. Trump, however, has vowed to boost fossil fuel production at all costs, having reaped record donations from the oil and gas industry during his election campaign. At Wednesday's EPA event, Zeldin was joined by eight lawmakers, all Republicans – Kevin Cramer, Troy Balderson, Brett Guthrie, Carol Miller, Dan Meuser, Rob Bresnahan, Michael Rulli and Riley Moore – who have collectively received more than $3m from fossil fuel donors in their own election campaigns, a Guardian analysis of the OpenSecrets database shows. Bresnahan, a Pennsylvania representative, holds personal financial interests in more than 20 fossil fuel companies. In justifying the deletion of the Biden climate plan, which the EPA previously estimated would deliver $370bn in net benefits, Zeldin has claimed that US power plants only produce a small and declining fraction of the world's emissions. This is despite the fact that if these power plants were a country, it would be the sixth-largest emitter on the planet. Gina McCarthy, who was EPA administrator under Barack Obama, said that Zeldin's 'dismantling of our nation's protections from power plant pollution is absolutely illogical and indefensible. It's a purely political play that goes against decades of science and policy review.' 'By giving a green light to more pollution, his legacy will forever be someone who does the bidding of the fossil fuel industry at the expense of our health,' she added. 'Everyone will be affected by his actions, but the most vulnerable among us, our kids and grandkids, will suffer the most.' The EPA has embarked upon a wide-ranging blitz upon environmental regulations since Trump became president, setting about removing or loosening clean air and water rules that, collectively, were on track to save 200,000 American lives in the decades ahead. Trump, who has adopted the mantra of 'drill, baby, drill', has claimed unhindered fossil fuel production will bring down energy costs, although he has sought to hobble clean energy such as solar and wind, which are typically the cheapest sources of new electricity generation. The rollbacks follow the second-hottest May on record globally, and a record-hot 2024 that unleashed a stunning number of climate-driven disasters and six weeks of extra-dangerously hot days. Experts have warned that sea level rise is on track to cause 'catastrophic inland migration', including to millions of Americans, with climate shocks set to wipe 50% from global GDP by the end of this century. 'It's completely reprehensible that Donald Trump would seek to roll back these lifesaving standards and do more harm to the American people and our planet just to earn some brownie points with the fossil fuel industry,' said Patrick Drupp, climate policy director at the Sierra Club. 'This administration is transparently trading American lives for campaign dollars and the support of fossil fuel companies, and Americans ought to be disgusted and outraged that their government has launched an assault on our health and our future.'
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
From Donor Dollars To Detained: Waters' SEIU Buddy Faces ICE, She Faces Door
When Democrat Rep. Maxine Waters attempted to check on David Huerta, the SEIU California president who was arrested during the Los Angeles riots, she was essentially trying to meet an official of one of her largest donor organizations, The Dallas Express has learned. Amid the anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles, officials arrested Huerta on June 6 for obstructing a warrant. Huerta is the president of the California branch of SEIU, a national public union that overwhelmingly Democrats. Waters tried to check on Huerta on June 8, but officers shut the door in her face. SEIU was the third-highest contributor to Waters' campaign committee from 2023 to 2024, according to OpenSecrets. While the union itself cannot give directly to candidates, individuals or PACS affiliated with the union have given $57,500 total to Waters' campaigns since 2016. After Waters was denied access to the Los Angeles building where Huerta was being detained, she said she wanted to 'report back to my caucus' on his situation. 'He is the head of SEIU local union here,' Waters said in a video at the time. 'I don't know why he was targeted, I don't know what they're doing with him, I don't know whether they're going to deport him.' Gov. Gavin Newsom, also a Democrat, denounced Huerta's arrest at the time, as The Dallas Express reported. 'David Huerta is a respected leader, a patriot, and an advocate for working people. No one should ever be harmed for witnessing government action,' Newsom wrote on X. SEIU was the contributor to Newsom's campaign committee in 2022, the year he won reelection, according to OpenSecrets. That cycle alone, individuals or PACs associated with the union gave $154,300 to support Newsom's reelection. The day before Waters tried to access Huerta, Attorney General Pam Bondi warned rioters in Los Angeles: 'It doesn't matter if you're a judge, a member of Congress, or a protestor in Los Angeles: If you obstruct or assault a law enforcement officer, this Department of Justice will prosecute you.' President Donald Trump has since deployed the National Guard to protect ICE operations in Los Angeles, as The Dallas Express reported. Elon Musk also called out the riots: 'This is not ok.' According to CBS 8, Newsom announced June 8 the state is suing Trump for his efforts to quell the violence.
Time of India
09-06-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
Trump vs. Musk feud started in private: Shocking details emerge about tense meeting before public meltdown
Trump and Elon Musk were already fighting in private before their feud went public. A tense meeting over a NASA pick made things worse. What followed was a wave of insults, anger, and big moves from both sides. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads What made Trump Mad Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads How the dirty laundry got public FAQs Trump and Elon Musk had a private fight before the drama exploded in public this week. Their feud was already heating up right after Musk's strange farewell party, where he showed up with a black eye and gave a weird excuse for it, as per to White House insiders, Trump got angry just before Musk's final Oval Office meeting last week. Trump had just found out that Jared Isaacman, the guy Musk wanted to lead NASA, had donated a lot of money to Democrats in recent years, as mentioned in the report by New York though political donations are easy to find online like on OpenSecrets, Trump hadn't noticed this before and got mad when he found out. After being friendly during Musk's televised farewell, Trump got real and told Musk this wasn't okay. Trump even read some names out loud, while shaking his head. He told Musk straight up, 'This isn't good', as per tried to defend Isaacman by saying his donations showed Trump's team was open to hiring from all political sides, like Trump himself. But Trump didn't care, he basically called Isaacman a 'turncoat', meaning a that intense talk at the end of May, Isaacman's nomination was canceled. That moment pushed Musk over the edge. He got super mad at Trump. Just days later, Musk started thrashing Trump's 2025 budget and tax plan, calling it an 'abomination.' Musk also went way too far by hinting at a pedophilia accusation against Trump, as mentioned by New York Times hit back publicly, in his usual harsh style. Trump even threatened to cancel SpaceX's NASA contracts. And as a final slap, Trump decided to sell the red Tesla he had bought in March, which he had originally bought to show support for had a private argument over Musk's NASA nominee, who had donated to threatened SpaceX contracts and sold his Tesla car to show he's done with Musk.
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump Confronted Musk in Private Before Their Blowout Public Fight
This week, president Donald Trump and Elon Musk's bad blood burst into public view — but apparently, it had been brewing behind the scenes for some time. In a massive exposé looking behind the curtain of the year's biggest breakup, the New York Times revealed that the pair was already squabbling immediately after Musk's now-infamous farewell party — yes, the one that Musk showed up to with a mysterious black eye and a bizarre excuse. According to White House insiders who requested that the NYT keep them anonymous, Trump learned just ahead of Musk's now-infamous final Oval Office meeting last week that aviator Jared Isaacman, the billionaire's pick to lead NASA, had in recent years been a big-time donor to Democrats. Though many donations are public and easily accessible on databases like OpenSecrets, the information in that file was apparently news to the president. After playing nice during Musk's televised farewell, Trump apparently made his displeasure with the situation known. During the confrontation, Trump read the names out loud — which names, we don't know, because the NYT didn't reveal them — while reportingly shaking his head. This wasn't good, he told Musk. Attempting to defend his pick, Musk insisted that Isaacman's donations could be spun positively as proof that Trump, himself a former registered Democrat, was willing to hire people from different political backgrounds. The president, however, wasn't buying it, and suggested it showed only that the well-heeled SpaceX customer was a turncoat. Isaacman's nomination was ultimately rescinded after that tense exchange at the end of May. And according to the NYT's unnamed insiders, that debacle was the tipping point that took his increasing frustrations with the president to nuclear levels. Within just a few days, Musk began posting about the "abomination" that he consider's Trump's 2025 budget and tax proposal to be — and added in an apparent pedophilia allegation for good measure. The president, to his end, responded publicly to Musk's barbs the only way he knows how: with cruelty and aplomb. Along with threatening to cancel SpaceX's NASA contracts, Trump allegedly, per more reporting from the New York Times, decided to sell the cherry-red Tesla he purchased in March "as a show of support and confidence" for Musk. More on the Musk-Trump drama: Elon and Trump's Breakup Results In Hilarious Consequences For Dogecoin
