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NMG Issues Updated Feasibility Study for its Integrated Phase-2 Ore-to-Active-Anode-Material Operations: the Matawinie Mine and the Bécancour Battery Material Plant

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NMG Issues Updated Feasibility Study for its Integrated Phase-2 Ore-to-Active-Anode-Material Operations: the Matawinie Mine and the Bécancour Battery Material Plant
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News

NMG Issues Updated Feasibility Study for its Integrated Phase-2 Ore-to-Active-Anode-Material Operations: the Matawinie Mine and the Bécancour Battery Material Plant

2025-03-25 18:59 Last Updated At:19:21

MONTRÉAL--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 25, 2025--

Nouveau Monde Graphite Inc. (“NMG” or the “Company”) ( NYSE: NMG, TSX: NOU ) issues the results of the Updated Technical Feasibility Study Report for the Matawinie Mine and Bécancour Battery Material Plant Integrated Graphite Projects (the “Updated Feasibility Study”) carried out in accordance with the National Instrument 43-101 (“NI 43-101”). Conducted by BBA Inc. and various specialized consultants, the Updated Feasibility Study pulled from NMG’s 2022 Feasibility Study and updated key parameters in light of technological development, project optimizations, engineering advancement, and updated economic factors.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250325079778/en/

NMG’s integrated production model, covering the full value chain from mining to advanced processing, is designed to cater to the North American electric vehicle (“EV”) and energy storage market with a turnkey, local source of natural graphite active anode material. NMG has signed offtake agreements with Panasonic Energy Co., Ltd. (“Panasonic Energy”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Panasonic Holdings Corporation (“Panasonic”) ( TYO: 6752 ), and General Motors Holdings LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Motors Co. (collectively, “GM”) ( NYSE: GM ), (together, NMG’s “Anchor Customers”) covering more than 80% of the Company’s planned Phase-2 production of active anode material.

Results of the Updated Feasibility Study indicate that NMG’s Phase 2 is technically feasible as well as economically viable. Upon a positive final investment decision (“FID”), the Matawinie Mine and Bécancour Battery Material Plant could be built and enter commercial production within less than three years. Considering that its project financing, nearly 100% of its revenue, a significant amount of its capital expenditures and interest expenses are expected to be denominated in U.S. dollars, the Company has aligned the Updated Feasibility Study financial metrics with this currency, enabling a better representation of the underlying economic realities of the cash flows associated with this integrated project and the associated capital structure.

Arne H Frandsen, Chair of NMG, said: “The underlying driver for NMG’s ore-to-battery-material business is undeniable. While inflation, geopolitics, and trade dynamics create turbulences, we are focused on delivering on our mission to responsibly produce carbon-neutral advanced graphite materials to power the energy transition. Today’s results demonstrate the attractive operation that we have engineered within a stable jurisdiction and underpinned by high ESG principles to help North American manufacturers secure and reshore their supply chain.”

Eric Desaulniers, Founder, President, and CEO of NMG, declared: “We have been hard at work over the past months to examine, challenge, and refine every component of our future operations. The input of our Anchor Customers coupled with advanced precision through engineering, equipment specifications, procurement, and construction planning have enabled us to optimize our projected Phase-2 commercial production. We are confident that our plans will deliver a performing and competitive operation, supplying highly specialized products to our Anchor Customers. I am eager to present the results to our financial partners in view of FID.”

Integrated Production, From Ore to Battery Materials

Leveraging the Matawinie Mine production as feedstock for the Bécancour Battery Material Plant, NMG has developed an integrated material flowsheet to maximize the production of high-value active anode material destined to the battery market segments. Hence, the two facilities are set to operate in tandem to maximize operational efficiencies and margins along the value chain.

Both greenfield projects, the Matawinie Mine and Bécancour Battery Material Plant were costed using test work results, Phase-1 operations, supplier quotations and consultants’ in-house databases. NMG and its consulting firms have refined design, engineering, and construction parameters to enable cost optimization. Furthermore, reserved blocks of Québec’s affordable clean hydropower underpins the Company’s operations, economics structure and carbon-neutrality commitment.

NMG’s integrated business model, with a secured feedstock, close-by operations at the western market’s doorstep and operational flexibility to adapt production based on demand, represents a stable and cost-effective structure in today’s everchanging macroeconomics.

The Company’s advanced processing capacities at the future Phase-2 Bécancour Battery Material Plant enable tailored production to unique customer specifications. The majority of the future Matawinie Mine production is set to be refined into active anode material, while a portion of jumbo and large high-purity flake graphite is set to be directed to specialty markets, with some flexibility in the allocation of volumes.

The Updated Feasibility Study incorporates NMG’s supply agreements with Panasonic Energy, GM and Traxys, as well as market studies by Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, a recognized, regulated and independent price reporting agency. NMG’s previously announced offtake agreements, which are subject to completion of conditions precedent and the project-related agreements, with its Anchor Customers provide visibility, pricing confidence, and reduced commercialization costs.

Matawinie Mine

The Matawinie Mine remains largely the same as reflected in NMG’s previous technical report. The Updated Feasibility Study considers revised key parameters and costs, leveraging advancement in the project since the 2022 report, namely through detailed engineering, preparatory work at the site, key contracts awarded and/or negotiated, procurement planning, construction preparation, as well as optimization of operations between the two Phase-2 facilities.

The Matawinie graphite property, in which the Company owns a 100% interest, is located approximately 120 km as the crow flies north of Montréal, Québec, Canada, in Saint-Michel-des-Saints. The Tony Claim Block, part of the property, is composed of 159 exclusive exploration rights totaling 8,266 hectares. Since the deposit discovery, a comprehensive exploration program identified crystalline flake graphite mineralization, ultimately leading to the definition of Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves (as presented below).

The Mineral Resources for the West Zone of the mining property is based on a total of 8,274 assay intervals collected from 27,888 m of core drilling and three surface trenches providing 207 channel samples. Proper quality control measures, including the insertion of duplicate, blank, and standard samples, were used throughout the exploration programs and returned within acceptable limits.

The future Matawinie Mine site is easily accessible via the dedicated access road that NMG built to connect to the local highway and is close to key infrastructure, including paved roads and high-voltage power lines, and the regional community, which provides a pool of workers and contractors. The project is in proximity to the Montréal metropolitan area, which also has skilled labor and many key suppliers.

Since 2015, multiple metallurgical process development and optimization programs have been carried out on samples from the Matawinie graphite mineralization zones. The programs focused on the development of a flowsheet that maximizes concentrate grade and recovery, while minimizing flake degradation. NMG has been operating the Phase-1 Matawinie Demonstration Plant since 2018 to help de-risking the process and produce graphite concentrate samples for customer evaluation and processing technological development. All components incorporated in the Matawinie Mine process are mature technologies.

With a 25-year life of mine (“LOM”), the Matawinie Mine will leverage the West Zone deposit for a nominal production of 105,882 tonnes per annum (“tpa”) of graphite concentrate. The deposit will be mined using conventional open-pit mining methods consisting of drilling, blasting, loading, and hauling. To maximize the NPV, mining phases have been designed and incorporated into the mining plan to defer waste rock stripping and provide a balanced blended feed grade for the on-site concentrator over the LOM. Through crushing, milling, flotation, cleaning, and drying, the ore will be concentrated to attain 97.5% C(t).

Tailings produced at the concentrator will be segregated after the desulphurization circuit into low-sulphur content of non-acid generating (“NAG”) tailings and a sulphide concentrate of potentially‑acid generating (“PAG”) tailings. Both NAG and PAG will be filtered to reduce water content and then co-disposed with waste rock into deposition cells on a lined platform. The co‑deposition storage facility will be located at surface and as of Year 7, tailings and waste rocks will also be placed in the mined-out areas of the open pit. The deposit will be mined from south to north to ensure adequate space is available for in‑pit backfilling.

A ministerial decree authorizing the Matawinie Mine (Decree # 47-2021) was granted by the Québec Government and all permits and authorizations pertaining to exploration, geotechnical, hydrogeological, and early preparatory works to date have been obtained.

Early works at the Matawinie Mine have included thus far tree clearing, construction of the nearly 8-km access road, preparation of the industrial pad, and civil works for environmental infrastructure. The site is considered concrete-ready for the start of construction upon a positive FID, with a number of key contracts having been awarded, including process equipment, the dedicated powerline and the electrical substation.

Bécancour Battery Material Plant

The Phase-2 Bécancour Battery Material Plant is planned as a comprehensive advanced processing platform set to receive Matawinie graphite concentrate production for refining and commercial distribution. Plans for this facility have been substantially revised using inputs from NMG’s Phase-1 operations, technology development, and engineering.

Approximately 150 km northeast of Montréal on the Saint Lawrence River, in the heart of Québec’s “battery valley”, NMG’s Bécancour site is located adjacent to its Phase-1 purification plant, within an established industrial park. The site provides robust local infrastructure with a direct supply of chemicals from nearby producers, affordable hydroelectricity, multimodal logistics (international deep-sea port, railway, and expressway) and a regional pool of skilled workforce.

The future Bécancour Battery Material Plant will regroup shaping, purification and coating capacities to produce battery-grade active anode material.

The shaping process, essentially a mechanical transformation, reduces the flake size (micronization) and rounds graphite material (spheronization) to increase the density of the spherical graphite for battery use. At its Phase-1 facility, NMG has already assimilated and refined this process, and tested different equipment to inform the engineering of the Phase-2 plant. Shaping generates a micronized graphite by-product to be sold.

Purification removes impurities from the spheronized graphite to bring the product to ≥99.90% carbon content. Following testing at its Phase-1 Purification Plant plus third-party sites, trade-off analyses and process optimization, NMG has selected the prevalent chemical purification technology for its future Phase-2 Bécancour Battery Material Plant. Commercial operations worldwide have demonstrated the performance and efficiency of this technology in line with battery manufacturers’ requirements; thus, reducing the technological risks for the project. Continued optimization of the process to refine environmental performance, operational, and financial parameters along with sample production are being carried out at partnering facilities to support detailed engineering and commercialization efforts.

The coating aims at enhancing the electrochemical performance of active anode material in lithium-ion batteries. To establish the proper technology, precursor type and process parameters, NMG performed different studies and tests at its Phase-1 facility, in independent laboratories and at suppliers’ test facilities. Most technologies selected are being widely used in the industry, further reducing technological risks.

In preparation for the launch of construction, preliminary works – tree clearing, on-site road construction, site grading – were carried out in 2024.

Responsible Production & ESG

In line with its environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) practices, NMG plans to build and operate an integrated production that promotes stewardship throughout its value chain. The Company strives to prevent and limit potential impacts through the introduction of responsible practices including co-disposal dry stacking of tailings, progressive reclamation of the Matawinie site, strategy for the electrification of its operations, water recycling, greenhouse gas reduction measures, and active stakeholder engagement at every stage of project development. NMG has signed a collaboration and benefit-sharing agreement with the Municipality of Saint-Michel-des-Saints as well as an impact and benefit agreement with the Atikamekw First Nation of Manawan.

NMG is committed to pursuing its efforts to improve its practices, technologies, products, and procurement as it advances the detailed engineering, construction, commissioning, and launch of commercial production. The Company strives to maximize opportunities for Indigenous and local workers, contractors, and communities throughout the project execution.

Next Steps and Quality Assurance

The confirmation of NMG’s Phase-2 viability through the Updated Feasibility Study enables the Company to enter its project financing stage with a view to reach FID.

There is no certainty that the economic forecasts on which the Updated Feasibility Study is based will be realized. There are a number of risks and uncertainties identifiable to any new project and usually cover the mineralization, process, financial, environment and permitting aspects. Following an analysis of the major risks to the projects, a P50 management risk reserve of US$122M is recommended. This reserve is not included in the capital cost estimate but is within the range of the financial sensitivity analysis of the capital cost. The top risks are: 1) The optimization of the water treatment process technology; 2) The efficient integration of key Asian suppliers into the project detailed engineering and construction; and 3) The qualification by the customers of the product from the Matawinie Mine and the Bécancour Battery Material Plant.

A sensitivity analysis reveals that the viability of the Projects will not be significantly vulnerable to variations in capital and operating costs within the margins of error associated with the Updated Feasibility Study estimates. However, the viability of the Projects remains more vulnerable to the USD/CAD exchange rate and the larger uncertainty in future market prices.

Scientific and technical information presented in this press release was reviewed and approved by André Allaire, P.Eng. (BBA), Yann Camus, P.Eng. (SGS Geological Services) and Jeffrey Cassoff, P.Eng. (BBA), Qualified Persons as defined under NI 43-101.

The Updated Feasibility Study will be filed on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca, EDGAR at www.sec.gov and on the Company's website at www.NMG.com within 45 days of this press release. Readers are encouraged to read the Study in its entirety, including all qualifications, assumptions and exclusions that relate to the details summarized in this press release. The Study is intended to be read as a whole, and sections should not be read or relied upon out of context.

About Nouveau Monde Graphite

Nouveau Monde Graphite is an integrated company developing responsible mining and advanced processing operations to supply the global economy with carbon-neutral active anode material to power EV and renewable energy storage systems. The Company is developing a fully integrated ore-to-battery-material source of graphite-based active anode material in Québec, Canada. With recognized ESG standards and structuring partnerships with anchor customers, NMG is set to become a strategic supplier to the world’s leading lithium-ion battery and EV manufacturers, providing advanced materials while promoting sustainability and supply chain traceability. www.NMG.com

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CautionaryNoteRegardingForward-LookingInformation

This press release contains “forward-looking information” and “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable securities legislation (collectively, “forward-looking statements”), including, but not limited to, statements relating to future financial or operating events or future performance of the Company, and reflecting management’s expectations and assumptions regarding the Company’s growth, results, performance, and business prospects and opportunities. Such forward-looking statements reflect management’s current beliefs and are based on information currently available to it. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as “aim”, “anticipate”, “aspire”, “attempt”, “believe”, “budget”, “could”, “estimate”, “expect”, “forecast”, “intend”, “may”, “mission”, “plan”, “potential”, “predict”, “progress”, “outlook”, “schedule”, “should”, “study”, “target”, “will”, “would” or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. In particular, forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the Company’s ability to develop a fully integrated ore-to-battery-material source of graphite-based active anode material in the Province of Québec, to become a strategic supplier to the world’s leading lithium-ion battery and EV manufacturers, to build the Matawinie Mine and Bécancour Battery Material Plant and enter commercial production within the timeline, to provide high-performing and reliable advanced materials while promoting sustainability and supply chain traceability, to maximize opportunities for Indigenous and local workers, contractors, and communities throughout the project execution, to maximize the production of active anode material destined to the battery market segments, and to position its integrated graphite operation in capital markets, the Company’s future role in supporting North America’s efforts to reshore critical mineral production, reducing dependency on foreign supply chains and strengthening the continent’s energy transition, the expected results of the initiatives described in this press release, and those statements which are discussed under the “About Nouveau Monde” paragraph and elsewhere in the press release which essentially describe the Company’s outlook and objectives. Additionally, the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the Company’s future results, the intended construction and commissioning timeline of the Matawinie Mine Project and the Bécancour Battery Material Plant Project, the possibility that the powerline may or may not be operational in due time for the Matawinie Mine Project commissioning phase, the economic performance and product development efforts, as well as the Company’s expected achievement of milestones, including the ability to obtain sufficient financing for the development of the Matawinie Mine Project and the Bécancour Battery Material Plant Project on favorable terms for the Company, including the completion of the FID, the Company’s development activities and production plans. Further, these forward-looking statements include the Company’s ability to achieve its environmental, social, and governance (“ESG”) initiatives, the execution of agreements with First Nations, communities and key stakeholders on favorable terms for the Company, the Company’s ability to establish a local, carbon-neutral, and traceable turnkey supply of graphite-based advanced materials for the Western World, the Company’s electrification strategy and its intended results, market trends, the consumer demand for components in lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage solutions, the Company’s competitive advantages, macroeconomic conditions, the impact of applicable laws and regulations, and any information as to future plans and outlook for the Company are or involve forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by the Company at the time of such statements, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. These estimates and assumptions are not guarantees of future performance and may prove incorrect. These statements rely on various factors, including current technological trends, the Company’s business relationships, access to sufficient financing for the Matawinie Mine and the Bécancour Battery Material Plant, demand for lithium-ion battery components, safe and effective operations, timely delivery and installation of production equipment at estimated prices, assumed graphite concentrate sale prices, the accuracy of Mineral Resource estimates, future exchange and interest rates, political and regulatory stability, commodity prices and production costs, the receipt of necessary approvals, licenses, and permits on favorable terms, sustained labor stability, financial and capital market conditions, availability of critical supplies and equipment, tax assumptions, CAPEX and OPEX estimates, economic and operational projections, local infrastructure, and overall business prospects. Forward-looking statements are also subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially, including the outcome of development, engineering, and planning activities, market conditions, competition, pricing pressures, risks inherent to mining exploration and development, the commercial viability of the Company’s technology, project timelines, business continuity challenges, geopolitical instability, and other industry risks. Additionally, there can be no assurance that the conditions precedent of offtake agreements, product qualification requirements, and commercial operations will be met, nor that the Company will fulfill the expectations of financing partners and certifying bodies.

Forward-looking statements are subject to known or unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. Risk factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among others, delays in the scheduled delivery times of the equipment, the ability of the Company to successfully implement its strategic initiatives and whether such strategic initiatives will yield the expected benefits, the availability of financing or financing on favorable terms for the Company, the dependence on commodity prices, the impact of inflation on costs, the risks of obtaining the necessary permits, the operating performance of the Company’s assets and businesses, competitive factors in the graphite mining and production industry, changes in laws and regulations affecting the Company’s businesses, political and social acceptability risk, environmental regulation risk, currency and exchange rate risk, technological developments, the impacts of the global COVID-19 pandemic and the governments’ responses thereto, and general economic conditions, as well as earnings, capital expenditure, cash flow and capital structure risks and general business risks. A further description of risks and uncertainties can be found in NMG’s Annual Information Form dated March 27, 2024, including in the section thereof captioned “Risk Factors”, which is available on SEDAR+ atwww.sedarplus.caand on EDGAR atwww.sec.gov.Unpredictable or unknown factors not discussed in this Cautionary Note could also have material adverse effects on forward-looking statements.

Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that may cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements are provided for the purpose of providing information about management’s expectations and plans relating to the future. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements or to explain any material difference between subsequent actual events and such forward-looking statements, except to the extent required by applicable law.

Market and industry data presented throughout this press release was obtained from third-party sources and industry reports, publications, websites and other publicly available information, as well as industry and other data prepared by the Company or on the behalf of the Company on the basis of the Company’s knowledge of the markets in which the Company operates, including information provided by suppliers, partners, customers and other industry participants.

The Company believes that the market and economic data presented throughout this press release is accurate as of the date of publication and, with respect to data prepared by the Company or on behalf of the Company, that estimates and assumptions are currently appropriate and reasonable, but there can be no assurance as to the accuracy or completeness thereof. The accuracy and completeness of the market and economic data presented throughout this press release are not guaranteed and the Company does not make any representation as to the accuracy of such data. Actual outcomes may vary materially from those forecast in such reports or publications, and the prospect for material variation can be expected to increase as the length of the forecast period increases. Although the Company believes it to be reliable as of the date of publication, the Company has not independently verified any of the data from third-party sources referred to in this press release, analyzed or verified the underlying studies or surveys relied upon or referred to by such sources, or ascertained the underlying market, economic and other assumptions relied upon by such sources. Market and economic data are subject to variations and cannot be verified due to limits on the availability and reliability of data inputs, the voluntary nature of the data gathering process and other limitations and uncertainties inherent in any statistical survey.

Disclosure regarding Mineral Reserve and Mineral Resource estimates included in this press release were prepared in accordance with NI 43-101 and applicable mining terms are as defined in accordance with the CIM Definition Standards on Mineral Resources and Reserves adopted by the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum Council, as required by NI 43-101. Unless otherwise indicated, all reserve and resource estimates included in this press release have been prepared in accordance with the CIM Definition Standards, as required by NI 43-101.

NI 43-101 is a rule developed by the Canadian Securities Administrators that establishes standards for all public disclosure an issuer makes of scientific and technical information concerning mineral projects. NI 43-101 differs from the disclosure requirements of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) applicable to U.S. companies. Accordingly, information contained in this press release may not be comparable to similar information made public by U.S. companies reporting pursuant to SEC reporting and disclosure requirements.

Further information regarding the Company is available in the SEDAR+ database (www.sedarplus.ca), and for United States readers on EDGAR (www.sec.gov), and on the Company’s website at:www.NMG.com.

Rendering of the Phase-2 Bécancour Battery Material Plant, in the heart of the Bécancour industrial park set to produce ~44,000 tpa of active anode material.

Rendering of the Phase-2 Bécancour Battery Material Plant, in the heart of the Bécancour industrial park set to produce ~44,000 tpa of active anode material.

Aerial view of the Matawinie Mine site in September 2024.

Aerial view of the Matawinie Mine site in September 2024.

Rendering of the Phase-2 Matawinie Mine set to produce ~106,000 tpa of flake graphite.

Rendering of the Phase-2 Matawinie Mine set to produce ~106,000 tpa of flake graphite.

Next Article

The Latest: Trump meeting with South Africa's president in White House

2025-05-22 01:27 Last Updated At:01:30

House Republicans are pushing to vote on their multi-trillion-dollar tax breaks package as soon as Wednesday, grinding out last-minute deal-making to shore up wavering GOP support and deliver on President Donald Trump’s top legislative priority.

The Trump administration acknowledged in court that it deported eight migrants after being called to answer questions Wednesday about a deportation flight of Asian migrants to the African nation of South Sudan that potentially violated a judge's order. Immigration authorities told the judge that their home countries would not take them back. They refused to say what the migrants’ final destinations would be.

And Trump hosted South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House after accusing the country’s government of allowing a “genocide” to take place against minority white farmers. Afrikaner farmers in the country say this claim is false and there's no evidence of it.

Here's the latest:

Ramaphosa, continuing to try to smooth things over with Trump, says he is sorry he doesn’t have a jet to offer.

As Trump continued to complain about being questioned on his acceptance of the Qatari jet, criticizing the reporter to as an “idiot,” Ramaphosa told Trump, “I’m sorry I don’t have a plane to give you.”

“If your country was offering the United States Air Force a plane, I would take it,” Trump said.

The White House is promoting a video Trump showed during his meeting with South Africa’s president which the U.S. president suggests shows politically motivated slayings occurring in that country.

The official White House X account posted an emoji of a siren and the title “JUST SHOWN IN THE OVAL OFFICE: Proof of Persecution in South Africa” over a video Trump had showed during his meeting with Ramaphosa. Trump said the video showed killings and suggested that white South African farmers were being targeted.

The post of the video came even as Trump’s meeting with Ramaphosa was still happening.

South Africa has been pursuing allegations of genocide against Israel in the International Court of Justice.

Although the White House has criticized the case, Trump did not address the issue in the Oval Office.

Asked what he wanted to see happen, Trump said “I don’t know.”

“There’s a lot of anger there. I don’t expect anything. We’ll see what happens.”

A federal judge says the Trump administration violated a court order on deportations to third countries with a flight linked to South Sudan.

Judge Brian E. Murphy says the eight migrants aboard the plane weren’t given a meaningful opportunity to object that the deportation could put them in danger.

The group was flown out of the United States just hours after getting notice, leaving them no chance to contact lawyers to object in court.

Government attorneys argued that the men had a history with the immigration system, giving them prior opportunities to express a fear of being deported to a country outside their homeland.

During his tense meeting with Ramaphosa, Trump noted “I have a great feeling for South Africa” and many friends in that country.

The president said some of his South African friends were at the meeting in the Oval Office, including billionaire Elon Musk.

“Elon is from South Africa,” Trump said, though he suggested that involving Musk in U.S.-South African relations could cause more controversy.

“I don’t want to get Elon involved,” Trump said. “I don’t want to talk to him about that. I don’t think it’s fair to him.”

It’s not uncommon for the U.S. president to criticize representatives of the “fake news,” but he was especially angry when NBC’s Peter Alexander asked him about Qatar’s donation of a 747 for Trump to use as Air Force One.

The Pentagon’s announcement about accepting the plane came during Trump’s meeting with the South African president. Alexander asked about it right after the White House staff played a video about allegations of persecution against white farmers.

“What does this have to do with the Qatari jet?” Trump said. “You’re a terrible reporter.”

He also called for retaliation against Comcast, the corporate owner of NBC, and its chief executive.

“Brian Roberts and the people who run that place they ought to be investigated,” he said.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has accepted a gifted Boeing 747 from Qatar for Trump to use as president, Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said.

Parnell said the plane was accepted “in accordance with all federal rules and regulations.”

Trump was asked about the acceptance Wednesday while he was in the Oval Office with South Africa’s president and said, “They are giving the United States Air Force a jet.”

He then insulted the reporter who asked about the jet.

Ramaphosa said he brought major-winning golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen after Trump requested he bring them along and that he also attempted to bring legendary 89-year-old player Gary Player, who declined the trip, citing his age.

Ramaphosa told Trump he brought the president “a really fantastic book” that weighs 14 kilograms (about 31 pounds) showcasing South Africa’s golf courses. He said he’s also started practicing golf, at Trump’s suggestion.

“I’ve started practicing so I’m ready,” he told Trump.

Trump opened by remarking that Ramaphosa “is a man who is certainly, in some circles, really respected.”

He also said he and Ramaphosa will discuss “many things,” including some of the issues that have been in the news to see if he can help.

“We want to help,” he said.

Ramaphosa, meanwhile, said it was “a real joy” to be at the White House and that he wants to take the opportunity to “recalibrate” ties between the two countries.

He said he’s hoping for more trade with the much larger American economy.

“We are essentially here to reset the relationship between the United States and South Africa,” Ramaphosa said.

President Donald Trump is hosting South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House on Wednesday for a meeting that might be tense after Trump accused the country’s government of allowing a “genocide” to take place against minority white farmers.

South Africa has strongly rejected the allegation and Ramaphosa pushed for the meeting with Trump in an attempt to salvage his country’s relationship with the United States, which is at its lowest point since the end of the apartheid system of racial segregation in 1994.

It was minutes after noon when the South African leader’s car pulled up to the West Wing entrance in the rainy weather, about a half hour behind a scheduled 11:30 a.m. arrival. During the wait, a uniformed, flag-bearing member of the honor guard appeared to faint and fall backwards into a grassy area in front of the entrance to the West Wing. The individual was roused and walked way for closer examination.

Trump was waiting at the door to greet Ramaphosa, who got out of the car and shared an extended handshake.

Both presidents then walked inside after Trump answered a couple of questions on other issues.

Wednesday’s emergency appeal to the high court concerns whether Elon Musk ’s Department of Government Efficiency, which has been central to Trump’s push to remake government, is a federal agency subject to the Freedom of Information Act.

The administration argues DOGE is merely a presidential advisory body and thus exempt from FOIA requests. It wants the justices to freeze orders that would force DOGE to turn over documents to Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington or obligate acting DOGE administrator Amy Gleason to answer questions under oath by June 13.

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper found that DOGE’s role is likely more than just advisory, noting its claims to helping shutter USAID, cut billions of dollars in government contracts and fire thousands of federal employees.

Solicitor General D. John Sauer urged the justices to act quickly, calling Cooper’s orders “extraordinarily overbroad and intrusive.”

The settlements with Minneapolis and Louisville called for departmental overhauls following the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor that set off nationwide racial injustice protests in the summer of 2020.

The Trump administration also announced it’s retracting the findings of Justice Department investigations into six other police departments that the Biden administration had accused of civil rights violations. In a court motion in Minnesota, it said “the United States no longer believes that the proposed consent decree would be in the public interest.”

“It’s our view at the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division under the Trump administration that federal micromanagement of local police should be a rare exception, and not the norm,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon.

Police and city officials in Minneapolis and Louisville said they remain committed to reforms regardless of what the Trump administration does.

▶ Read more on the Trump administration canceling police reform efforts

Mike Johnson and conservatives from the House Freedom Caucus are heading to the White House this afternoon over Trump’s big bill, according to a person familiar with the meeting who was granted anonymity to discuss it.

Johnson is struggling to shore up support for the bill. Hard-right GOP lawmakers are against how it will pile onto the national debt.

Meanwhile, action continues in a cramped House hearing room where lawmakers have been meeting all night and all day.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and his team settled into the witness table to decry the GOP’s insistence on big tax breaks and spending cuts.

“We believe it’s one big, ugly bill that’s going to hurt the American people,” Jeffries of New York told the panel. “Hurt children, hurt families, hurt veterans, hurt seniors, cut health care, cut nutritional assistance, explode the debt.”

In this Sunday, July 10, 2011 file photo, Southern Sudanese wave the national flag in the capital Juba. (AP Photo/Pete Muller, File)

The Trump administration’s pressure on South Sudan to take in deportees, including foreign ones, comes as cuts in U.S. aid leave its population of 11 million people in even grave danger.

Some Western countries have closed their embassies. The U.S. reduced its embassy staff and warned that “violent crime, such as carjackings, shootings, ambushes, assaults, robberies, and kidnappings are common throughout South Sudan.”

Recently, the Trump administration abruptly revoked the visas of all South Sudanese, saying the country’s government failed to accept the return of its citizens “in a timely manner.” South Sudan pushed back, saying the person in question was Congolese. It later allowed admitted this person “in the spirit of maintaining friendly relations.”

▶ Read more on what’s to know about the situation in South Sudan

It’s rounding the 10th hour at the House Rules Committee, what’s supposed to be a last stop for the Republicans’ big tax breaks package before a House floor vote.

Instead, lawmakers have been up all night as trouble mounts from all fronts.

GOP conservatives refuse to back the package. Democrats, as the minority party unable to stop it, are doing all they can to drag out the process with a lengthy hearing that is expected to stretch into the day.

Speaker Mike Johnson wanted a “big” vote as soon as Wednesday but that’s now in doubt.

A South African news outlet, News24, reports that in an attempt to defuse a possibly tense meeting with the golf-loving Trump, major-winning golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen will be part of the South African delegation at the White House on Wednesday. Both Els and Rupert have played golf with Trump before, the outlet reported.

Els and Goosen will be familiar to golf-loving Americans having both won the U.S. Open during their careers. They also are Afrikaners, the white minority group Trump has accused South Africa of persecuting. And they have residences in the United States. News24 says billionaire Johann Rupert, South Africa’s richest man, a prominent Afrikaner figure and another avid golf fan, also will attend.

The criminal investigation of Cuomo, who is now running for New York City mayor, follows a request by Rep. James Comer that the Democrat be charged with lying about his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, a person familiar with the matter said Tuesday.

The investigation by the U.S. attorney’s office now led by Cuomo’s political rival Jeanine Pirro follows a referral from Rep. James Comer, Republican chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, over statements Cuomo made to lawmakers investigating his management of the pandemic when the virus was spreading through nursing homes, the person said. The person was not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

A spokesperson for Cuomo, Rich Azzopardi, called this leaked probe “lawfare and election interference plain and simple.”

The Republican president posted a doctored video on his social media network on Wednesday that tried to make it appear he teed off on the golf course and struck The Boss with his golf ball.

Trump has been lobbing insults at the rock star as Springsteen, a longtime Trump critic, has been lambasting the president while on stage.

The Trump administration says it has deported eight migrants convicted of crimes in the United States after reports of a migrant flight to South Sudan.

In a 12-minute briefing, immigration authorities refused to say what their final destinations would be, but said their home countries would not take the migrants back.

The U.S. president’s powerful adviser, who was born in South Africa, is expected to be in the room when Trump sits down with Ramaphosa.

This plan was disclosed by a White House official who was not authorized to speak publicly.

Musk has harshly criticized his native country’s government as racist against white people.

South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 amid hopes that large oil reserves could bring prosperity amid endemic poverty. Instead, violence ensued.

Nicholas Haysom, who leads the nearly 20,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping mission, has warned that fighting between forces loyal to the president and a vice president threatens to spiral again into full-scale civil war of the kind that took 400,000 lives a decade ago.

The U.S. State Department’s annual report on South Sudan, published in April 2024, says “significant human rights issues” include arbitrary killings, disappearances, torture or inhumane treatment by security forces and extensive violence based on gender and sexual identity.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem recently extended Temporary Protected Status to a small number of South Sudanese already living in the United States until November, to allow for a more thorough review of whether conditions in South Sudan are unsafe for return.

Major General James Monday Enoka also told The Associated Press on Wednesday that if they do, they would be “redeported to their correct country” if found not to be South Sudanese.

U.S. District Judge Brian E. Murphy in Massachusetts called the emergency hearing to get answers about the apparent deportation of immigrants to South Sudan and other countries.

Murphy, who was nominated by Democratic President Joe Biden, previously found that any plans to deport people to Libya without notice would “clearly” violate his ruling. He wants the Trump administration attorneys to:

The Department of Homeland Security and the White House did not immediately return messages seeking comment.

U.S. District Judge Brian E. Murphy in Massachusetts called Wednesday's hearing to get answers about the apparent deportation of immigrants to South Sudan and other countries.

Murphy, who was nominated by Democratic President Joe Biden, previously found that any plans to deport people to Libya without notice would “clearly” violate his ruling. He wants the Trump administration attorneys to:

The Department of Homeland Security and the White House did not immediately return messages seeking comment.

Organizers announced some details on Wednesday for the parade on June 14 — which is also Flag Day and Trump’s 79th birthday.

The parade will run from 6:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. ET that Saturday, along Constitution Avenue between 15th and 23rd Streets. A fireworks display and daylong festival on the National Mall are also being planned.

The procession will trace the Army’s evolution from the Revolutionary War to modern times with historical U.S. Army personnel reenactors, period-accurate equipment, vehicles, flyovers and military bands.

Trump is scheduled to deliver remarks.

Trump is hosting Cyril Ramaphosa amid tension after accusing South Africa of allowing a “genocide” against minority white farmers. South Africa has strongly rejected Trump’s allegations. Afrikaner farmers in the country say there’s no evidence of this — that white and Black farmers alike have been murdered.

Ramaphosa pushed for Wednesday’s Oval Office meeting to try to set the record straight and salvage his country’s relationship with the United States. It’s at their lowest point since the nation enforced its apartheid system of racial segregation, which ended in 1994.

Trump has cut all U.S. assistance to South Africa and welcomed several dozen white South African farmers to the U.S. as refugees.

▶ See an AP Photo package on Afrikaner farmers

With Trump back in the White House, a jaunt with the president or a stop in the Oval Office is now as routine for America’s business leaders as a speech to an industry conference.

Corporate titans are spending more time than ever working to curry favor with the administration as part of their effort to score relief from regulations — and tariffs — from the transactional president. He, in turn, is happy to use them as supporting cast members as he tries to project the economy as booming at a time when growth is slowing.

But putting in time with the U.S. president has not fully insulated companies such as Apple, Amazon, Walmart and others from Trump’s anger. It’s a sign that the public commitments they make to create U.S. jobs may be doing more to burnish the president’s image than to protect their own profitability.

▶ Read more about Trump’s relationship with business titans

Trump will host South Africa’s leader at the White House on Wednesday for a meeting that might be tense after Trump accused the country’s government of allowing a “genocide” to take place against minority white farmers.

South Africa has strongly rejected the allegation and President Cyril Ramaphosa pushed for the meeting with Trump in an attempt to salvage his country’s relationship with the United States, which is at its lowest point since the end of the apartheid system of racial segregation in 1994.

Trump has launched a series of accusations at South Africa’s Black-led government, including that it is seizing land from white farmers, enforcing anti-white policies and pursuing an anti-American foreign policy.

Ramaphosa said he hopes to correct what he calls damaging mischaracterizations during the meeting, which is Trump’s first with an African leader at the White House since he returned to office.

▶ Read more about Ramaphosa’s visit

Trump has announced the concept he wants for his future Golden Dome missile defense program — a multilayered, $175 billion system that for the first time will put U.S. weapons in space.

Speaking Tuesday from the Oval Office, Trump said he expects the system will be “fully operational before the end of my term,” which ends in 2029, and have the capability of intercepting missiles “even if they are launched from space.”

It’s likelier that the complex system may have some initial capability by that point, a U.S. official familiar with the program said.

Golden Dome is envisioned to include ground- and space-based capabilities that are able to detect and stop missiles at all four major stages of a potential attack: detecting and destroying them before a launch, intercepting them in their earliest stage of flight, stopping them midcourse in the air, or halting them in the final minutes as they descend toward a target.

▶ Read more about the “Golden Dome”

House Republicans are pushing to vote on their multi-trillion-dollar tax breaks package as soon as Wednesday, grinding out last-minute deal-making to shore up wavering GOP support and deliver on Trump’s top legislative priority.

Trump himself had instructed the Republican majority to quit arguing and get it done, his own political influence on the line. But GOP leaders worked late into the night to convince skeptical Republicans who have problems on several fronts, including worries that it will pile onto the nation’s $36 trillion debt.

A fresh analysis from the Congressional Budget Office said the tax provisions would increase the federal deficit by $3.8 trillion over the decade, while the changes to Medicaid, food stamps and other services would tally $1 trillion in reduced spending. The lowest-income households in the U.S. would see their resources drop, while the highest ones would see a boost, the CBO said.

Republicans hunkered down at the Capitol through the night for one last committee hearing processing changes to the package. Democrats immediately motioned to adjourn, but the vote failed on party lines.

▶ Read more about the upcoming vote

A federal judge has ruled that U.S. officials must retain custody and control of migrants who were apparently removed to South Sudan in case he rules their removals were unlawful.

U.S. District Judge Brian E. Murphy in Massachusetts issued the ruling late Tuesday after an emergency hearing, after attorneys for immigrants said the Trump administration appears to have begun deporting people from Myanmar and Vietnam to South Sudan — despite a court order restricting removals to other countries.

Murphy said the government must “maintain custody and control of class members currently being removed to South Sudan or to any other third country, to ensure the practical feasibility of return if the Court finds that such removals were unlawful.”

While Murphy left the details to the government’s discretion, he said he expects the migrants “will be treated humanely.”

▶ Read more about the judge’s ruling

As part of the Trump administration’s push to carry out mass deportations, the agency responsible for immigration enforcement has aggressively revived and expanded a decades-old program that delegates immigration enforcement powers to state and local law enforcement agencies.

Under the 287(g) program led by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, police officers can interrogate immigrants in their custody and detain them for potential deportation.

Since President Donald Trump took office in January, ICE has rapidly expanded the number of signed agreements it has with law enforcement agencies across the country.

The reason is clear. Those agreements vastly beef up the number of immigration enforcement staff available to ICE, which has about 6,000 deportation officers, as they aim to meet Trump’s goal of deporting as many of the roughly 11 million people in the country illegally as they can.

▶ Read more about what these agreements are and what critics say about them

Immigration authorities appear to have begun deporting migrants from Myanmar and Vietnam to South Sudan, attorneys for the migrants said in court documents filed Tuesday.

The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately return messages seeking comment. An immigration official in Texas confirmed via email that at least one man from Myanmar had been flown to South Sudan Tuesday morning, according to court documents.

A woman also reported to attorneys that her husband from Vietnam and up to 10 other people were flown to Africa.

Those removals would violate a court order from a judge in Massachusetts requiring that people have a chance to challenge removals to countries other than their homelands, attorneys from the National Immigration Litigation Alliance wrote.

They asked Judge Brian E. Murphy for an emergency order to prevent such removals. He previously said deportations to Libya would violate his ruling.

Speaker Mike Johnson says Trump’s “one, big, beautiful, bill will require one, big, beautiful vote”, but holdouts remain.

The chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland, said they’re still “a long ways away” from agreement. And other key Republicans said they were still a no vote.

Johnson headed to the Senate to update Republicans there on the path ahead.

President Donald Trump, right, is joined by Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., left, as he speaks with reporters upon his departure from the Capitol following a meeting with the House Republican Conference, Tuesday, May 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

President Donald Trump, right, is joined by Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., left, as he speaks with reporters upon his departure from the Capitol following a meeting with the House Republican Conference, Tuesday, May 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, May 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, May 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, May20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, May20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

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