INTERNACIONAL
Trump gets major win against China in African rare earth minerals race
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In what’s being hailed as a major win for the Trump administration against Chinese domination of the rare earth minerals market, the U.S. has supported an American company, Virtus Minerals, in developing two major mines producing cobalt and copper in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
This is claimed to be the first U.S. rare earth minerals acquisition in the African nation since President Trump announced the Washington Accord last December.
Historically, China has been the heavy lifter of these metals. The Strategic Studies Institute reported that 80% of the world’s cobalt is produced in the DRC — and 80% of that is controlled by China. Cobalt, used in a wide range of applications, from electric cars and mobile phones to military jets, is on the U.S. government’s list of critical minerals. Copper, also on the list, has traditional uses such as piping for plumbing, but is also needed in electronics and the automotive industry.
President Donald Trump attends a signing ceremony with Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame and Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix-Antoine Tshisekedi at the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace in Washington on Dec. 4, 2025. (Evan Vucci/AP)
During December’s signing at the White House, Trump made clear the administration’s fight to curb Chinese domination of minerals and help American mining companies make a major impact in the DRC. «A great day for Africa, a great day for the world,» Trump said. The accord also aims to bring an end to fighting between the DRC and Rwandan-backed forces, although the Rwandan-supported M23 rebel group have continued their hostile infiltration in the Eastern DRC.
American mining company Virtus is, with U.S. support, claiming to be «the first U.S.-owned operator back in the DRC in more than a decade», with its investment in Chemaf, a local cobalt and copper producer with two mining operations, one, Étoile, in Lubumbashi and Mutoshi, in Kolwezi. Together it’s planned the mines will produce a combined 75,000 tonnes of copper, and 20,000 tonnes of cobalt a year. The processing plants are currently under development and will come online next year.
Virtus Minerals CEO and Chamaf Chairman. Phillip Braun, the Chargé d’Affaires U.S. Embassy Kinshasa Ian J. McCary, and Chemaf Managing Director Sooryanarayanan Prabhakaran cutting the ribbon of the new mine. (Virtus Minerals / Chemaf)
The minerals will ultimately be exported to the west through the Lobito Corridor to a port in Angola. Lobito is the rail route the U.S. has backed with a $5 billion investment commitment, with, according to a Virtus statement, «the aim of obtaining a secure, auditable copper and cobalt supply chain for the U.S. and its allies.»
THE WEST STILL DOESN’T GRASP THE DANGER OF CHINA’S RARE EARTH ENDGAME
Frans Cronje, president of the Washington-based Yorktown Foundation for Freedom, says the Virtus projects are significant because they show the administration is seriously trying to change the balance in a minerals battle with China.
He told Fox News Digital, «This development signals a more assertive United States effort to compete with China for access to Africa’s critical mineral base, particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where cobalt and copper are strategically vital to global energy and defense supply chains.»
The U.S. and DRC flags fly outside Chemaf’s site in Kolwezi, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (Virtus Minerals / Chemaf)
Cronje added, «China has built deep structural dominance across much of Africa’s resource sector over the past two decades, but U.S.-backed initiatives such as this suggest a shift towards more direct engagement, rather than relying on Chinese-controlled supply routes. This matters because Africa’s vast resource endowment, combined with its geostrategic position along key Atlantic and Indian Ocean corridors, makes it central to future global economic and security competition.»
A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital, «President Trump and Secretary Rubio remain firmly committed to supporting U.S. companies that seek to do business in the DRC.»
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Chemaf’s site in Kolwezi, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (Virtus Minerals / Chemaf)
«The United States government fully supports the efforts of Virtus Minerals,» the spokesperson continued. «This acquisition serves as an initial flagship U.S. investment in the DRC, and sends a clear signal that the U.S. private sector interest is real and will catalyze further investment in alignment with the U.S.-DRC Strategic Partnership Agreement, which positions the DRC to play an integral role in the Trump Administration’s global efforts to secure critical mineral supply chains.»
The spokesperson added, «increased U.S. investment will create quality jobs for American and Congolese workers, foster skills development and support local communities that have long been exploited by the opaque systems constructed and perpetuated by adversarial foreign actors who have controlled the DRC’s critical minerals sector.»
Cobalt and Copper mined from Chemaf’s Etoile site in Lubumbashi, DRC. (Virtus Minerals / Chemaf)
Virtus holds 56 mining licenses in total in the DRC. Phillip Braun, Virtus Minerals CEO and Chemaf chairman, told Fox News Digital, «our first goal is to bring the Étoile and Mutoshi plants up to full production. From there, we will explore everything Chemaf’s 56 mining permits have to offer — copper, cobalt and other metals like tungsten.»
«None of this would be possible,» Braun added, «without the strong partnership now growing between the United States and the DRC, and the support of leaders in both countries who saw what was possible. We look forward to bringing our two nations closer by building a steady, trusted supply of the minerals we depend on and supporting other American companies that want to invest in the DRC any way we can.»
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«A more active U.S. presence in these supply chains,» Cronje continued, «would mark a significant rebalancing of influence on the continent, with implications not only for resource access but for broader geopolitical alignment in regions that are becoming increasingly contested.»
Fox News Digital reached out to the DRC government for comment, but did not receive a response.
africa, administration, conflicts, donald trump
INTERNACIONAL
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INTERNACIONAL
Trump birthright citizenship fight comes roaring back with page from Kavanaugh playbook
Jim Banks honors Lindsey Graham, slams past ‘kid gloves’ approach to Iran
Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., joins ‘Fox News Sunday’ to pay tribute to the late Senator Lindsey Graham, calling him the most effective lawmaker of the Trump era. Banks also outlines how the administration is utilizing overwhelming military force to clear the Strait of Hormuz, contrasting Trump’s uncompromising ‘position of strength’ with the failed, soft appeasement policies of past administrations that routinely ‘played footsie’ with state sponsors of terrorism.
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EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Jim Banks will introduce legislation Monday aimed at ending birthright citizenship for children of illegal immigrants and birth tourists by defining them as children of «invaders» under federal law after a Supreme Court ruling last month dealt a setback to President Donald Trump’s executive order on the issue.
Trump recently urged Senate Republicans to move faster on his legislative agenda, including ending birthright citizenship, telling them they were «not fighting hard enough,» Banks, R-Ind., recalled in a June 30 interview with Human Events.
Banks told Fox News Digital he plans to introduce the Citizenship Act as soon as the Senate opens for business Monday afternoon – crafting it with a nod to Trump-appointed Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s concurrence in last month’s Trump v. Barbara case.
Kavanaugh, concurring in the judgment and dissenting in part, said Trump’s order conflicted with federal birthright citizenship law but suggested Congress could amend that statute to create new exceptions.
TRUMP’S ‘HERO’ JUSTICE OFFERS ROADMAP AFTER SUPREME COURT REJECTS BIRTHRIGHT ORDER
The Citizenship Act would declare that children of statutory «invaders» are not entitled to birthright citizenship under the law and codify a 2025 executive order that cites the term.
In its summary, Banks’ bill declares «any person who enters the United States without authorization or for the purpose of engaging in birth tourism is considered an invader …» and amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to exclude children of such «invaders.»
Banks’ key use of «invaders» cites Trump’s executive order declaring illegal immigration across the southern border an «invasion,» while the bill notes the «Barbara» decision leaves that avenue open for Congress to crack down on.
Without touching the constitutional amendment process or attempting to overturn any court ruling, the Citizenship Act will codify Trump’s declaration of «invasion» and amend federal law to revoke birthright citizenship from children of illegal immigrants under exceptions listed in the same case the «Barbara» ruling’s majority used as its precedent.
SEN MORENO PUSHES CONGRESS TO CLARIFY BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP RULES USING HARRY REID’S OWN 1993 LEGISLATION
The Supreme Court, left; Sen. Jim Banks, right. (Li Rui/Getty Images; Andrew Harnik; Getty Images)
Kavanaugh found that Trump’s order didn’t violate the Fourteenth Amendment but did conflict with a federal statute on birthright citizenship passed in the spirit of the amendment conservatives said was intended mainly for freed slaves and their children.
Bush-appointed Justice John Roberts relied on the landmark 1898 U.S. v. Wong Kim Ark case to rule against Trump in «Barbara» and «guarantee citizenship to all children born in the United States and subject to its power» – but Banks’ bill would use that same case as precedent to secure an end to birthright citizenship for progeny of illegal immigrants and birth tourists.
Then-Justice Horace Gray – an appointee of Republican President Chester Arthur – ruled in Wong Kim Ark that those exceptions include diplomats’ kids, «enemies within» and those engaged in hostile occupation of U.S. territories who are not «bound to render obedience to the sovereign [U.S. government] whose domains are being invaded.»
‘WEAPONS OF MASS REPRODUCTION’: WATCHDOG UNVEILS ACTION PLAN TO CURB BIRTH TOURISM AFTER SUPREME COURT RULING
By Roberts reaffirming Wong Kim Ark’s precedent with its exceptions, Banks’ bill would essentially use it against itself.
«The Supreme Court’s birthright citizenship decision was an unprecedented assault on American sovereignty, and we must do whatever it takes to save our country,» Banks told Fox News Digital.
«I’m leading the Citizenship Act to reverse the effects of this consequential ruling and ensure the millions of illegal aliens that invaded our country can’t continue to exploit our immigration system.»
In U.S. v. CASA, a similar 2025 case that went against Trump, Obama-appointed Justice Sonia Sotomayor separately confirmed «children born of alien enemies in hostile occupation» do not qualify for birthright citizenship, while not taking the extra step to classify illegal immigrants as such «invaders» mentioned in the original ruling.
Banks also makes a textual Constitutional argument in his bill, writing that Article IV requires the feds to «protect each [state] against invasion» while Congress’ Article I power includes «establish[ing] a uniform rule of naturalization.»
He also cited President James Madison’s 1788 analysis that the Constitution vested Congress—not the states—with authority over naturalization through a uniform national rule.
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Demonstrators rally in support of birthright citizenship outside the US Supreme Court in Washington, DC on April 1, 2026. President Donald Trump attended in person as the US Supreme Court heard a landmark case weighing the constitutionality of his contentious bid to end birthright citizenship, an extraordinary and possibly unprecedented move for the nation’s highest office. (Mandel Ngan/Getty Images)
The Citizenship Act lays out that some Mexican nationals view migration northward as a means of re-conquering territory the U.S. won during 1840s military hostilities finalized in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 that established Texas and beyond as part of the U.S.
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It also points to Chinese birth tourism being encouraged directly by the CCP – which brings the birthright citizenship debate over what defines an invasion by a hostile government full circle.
Banks’ bill argues those examples demonstrate that birthright citizenship has become intertwined with broader questions of national sovereignty and foreign influence.
immigration, illegal immigrants, naturalization, congress, supreme court, republicans elections, republicans, donald trump
INTERNACIONAL
Orsi regularizó obras y pagó una deuda tributaria tras la polémica por sus casas: “Debo tener más cuidado”
El presidente de Uruguay, Yamandú Orsi, regularizó la situación impositiva y el registro de obras de dos casas familiares en Salinas (Canelones). El mandatario uruguayo había quedado envuelto en una nueva controversia que involucró su patrimonio personal, luego de que el programa radial Informativo Carve informara que tenía una deuda vencida y que no había regularizado algunas construcciones.
“Lo resolvimos, lo resolvimos. Por suerte lo resolvimos”, dijo el presidente Orsi el pasado jueves en una rueda de prensa, al participar de actividades oficiales en el departamento de Colonia.
“Tengo que tener más cuidado, por supuesto”, reconoció ante los periodistas. “Tenés que estar atento. Lo que pasa es que también es un tema de tener claro todo lo que tenés que hacer. Son procesos que a veces son lentos y uno a veces se deja estar”, agregó.
El presidente dijo que este tipo de controversias pueden impactar en la aprobación de su gestión (hoy fuertemente desaprobada por la ciudadanía según las encuestas), aunque señaló que lo más importante es que cumplir con las obligaciones. “Eso está pasando”, se defendió.
“Todos los uruguayos –y fundamentalmente los que tenemos responsabilidades– tenemos que presentarle bastante más atención a estas cosas”, cerró Orsi.
Tras buscar cerrar la controversia por la compra de su camioneta con descuento de USD 25.000, una investigación periodística del programa Informativo Carve concluyó que Orsi tenía una deuda del impuesto de Primaria (que se destina a programas de educación pública) y no había actualizado ante organismos del Estado obras que había realizado en su casa.
El programa radial detalló que una de las casas –adquirida en octubre de 2024– tenía una deuda vencida del Impuesto de Primaria de 5.509 pesos uruguayos (unos USD 137). La segunda propiedad, que está al lado y que pertenece a su esposa Laura Alonsopérez, tuvo obras y mejoras que no figuran actualizadas en la documentación catastral disponible en el país.
Orsi vive junto a su familia en Pine Park, un barrio de la localidad de Salinas, en el departamento de Canelones. En su predio hay dos inmuebles linderos: una vivienda comprada en 2010 y otra casa obtenida en 2024.
La propiedad debía el Impuesto de Primaria de todo el ejercicio de 2025, sumado a la primera cuota de 2026 , multas y recargos. Mientras tanto, la segunda propiedad de la familia Orsi tiene declarados 198 metros cuadrados. Pero, según consignó el programa radial en base a imágenes de Google Earth, entre 2018 y 2019 se realizaron obras en el patio de la vivienda, que podrían corresponder a una piscina, una barbacoa o un área construida.
La actualización de ese valor catastral es la base para configurar el monto de la contribución inmobiliaria, uno de los tributos que los propietarios deben pagar a los gobiernos departamentales en el país (las municipalidades). En este caso, en Canelones.
Según detalló el noticiero Subrayado de Canal 10, el mismo día que se conoció la noticia, Orsi comenzó a encaminar ambas situaciones. El mandatario encomendó a una arquitecta que revisara planos y registros oficiales para registrar las obras que se habían hecho y que no se habían informado. Los trámites se cumplieron en la misma semana. Ahora la casa quedó registrada por su valor efectivo, en base a los metros de construcción que tiene y las obras incorporadas.
Alejandro Sánchez –secretario de Presidencia (jefe de gabinete) y uno de los jerarcas más cercanos a Orsi lo defendió públicamente. Entrevistado en Radio Sarandí, el funcionario señaló: “Ahí hay más responsabilidad de su secretaría, que es la que lleva adelante muchas cosas. Imagínese que el presidente no está mirando y llevando las cuentas personales cuando tiene que dirigir un país”.
democracia y desarrollo en américa latina y el caribe 2026,hombre,interior,pnud,políticos,presentaciones de informes,presidentes uruguayos,retrato
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