As passed by the House of Representatives

As passed by the House of Representatives

As passed by the House of Representatives

As passed by the House of Representatives

As reported by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on April 28

As passed by the House of Representatives

Oklahoma Requests Soda, Candy Be Excluded From Food Stamp Purchases

Authored by Katabella Roberts via The Epoch Times,

Oklahoma has become the latest state to request federal permission to exclude soft drinks and candy from the list of items that can be purchased through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps, Gov. Kevin Stitt announced on June 26.

Stitt made the announcement during an event at the state Capitol, alongside Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., as part of his “Make Oklahoma Healthy Again” (MOHA) campaign.

According to Stitt’s office, the campaign is a state-level extension of the national Make America Healthy Again movement championed by President Donald Trump and Kennedy.

“For far too long, we have settled for food that has made us sicker as a nation,” said Stitt. “In Oklahoma, we’re choosing common sense, medical freedom, and personal responsibility.”

Stitt said Oklahoma formally submitted the federal waiver to the Department of Agriculture amid growing bipartisan concern about the link between processed food consumption and chronic illnesses.

The move means Oklahoma joins a growing list of states seeking to remove the sugary items from the federal program that helps more than 42 million low-income Americans pay for food each month.

The governors of Arkansas and Indiana each submitted waivers on April 15, citing efforts to reduce chronic disease and ensure taxpayer funds in federal food assistance programs are used to help low-income Americans afford nutritious food.

Iowa and Nebraska have also submitted similar requests, while West Virginia and Utah have begun the process of pursuing similar changes to their SNAP program.

The American Beverage Association, a trade group whose members include producers and bottlers of soft drinks such as The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, and Keurig Dr Pepper, has consistently opposed the move, writing in an April statement that such waivers “won’t make an ounce of difference on health.”

The group pointed to data showing that obesity has skyrocketed in the past two decades while beverage calories per serving have dropped by 42 percent.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that approximately one in five American children and adolescents are obese, while 40 percent of school-age children and adolescents have at least one chronic health condition.

A 2016 report from the USDA showed that soft drinks were the number one food commodity by expenditure in the SNAP program.

The waivers come after Trump signed an executive order in February establishing the “Make America Healthy Again” commission as part of wider efforts to tackle America’s escalating health crisis.

The commission, which is chaired by Kennedy, is tasked with investigating and addressing the “root causes” of the crisis, with an initial focus on childhood chronic diseases. It must also produce a strategy, based on the findings of its assessment, to improve the health of America’s children.

According to the order, America’s health care system is largely focused on treating chronic illnesses instead of preventing them, which has led to a growing health crisis with serious economic and national security consequences.

As a result, Americans are becoming sicker and plagued by illnesses that the country’s medical system isn’t addressing effectively, the order says.

Speaking at the Oklahoma state Capitol, Kennedy said that if Americans want to drink a bottled soda, “you should be able to have that right,” however, he added that the federal government “should not be paying for it with taxpayer money.”

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/27/2025 - 15:05

There will be additional trade related distortions in Q2 boosting GDP.

From BofA:

Since our last weekly publication, our 2Q GDP tracking is down one-tenth to +2.5% q/q saar. [June 27th estimate]
emphasis added

From Goldman:

We lowered our Q2 GDP tracking estimate by 0.1pp to +3.9% (quarter-over-quarter annualized). Our Q2 domestic final sales estimate stands at 0%. [June 27th estimate]

And from the Atlanta Fed: GDPNow

The GDPNow model estimate for real GDP growth (seasonally adjusted annual rate) in the second quarter of 2025 is 2.9 percent on June 27, down from 3.4 percent on June 18. After recent releases from the US Census Bureau and the US Bureau of Economic Analysis, an increase in the nowcast of the contribution of net exports to second-quarter real GDP growth from 2.07 percentage points to 3.49 percentage points was more than offset by a decrease in the nowcasted GDP growth contribution of inventory investment from -0.42 percentage points to -2.22 percentage points. [June 27th estimate]

Nate Silver makes lemonade from lemons: “Is Trump less popular than he was a few weeks ago? Yes. Is he now firmly underwater on his best issue (immigration)? Also yes. But he’s still more popular today than he was at this point during his first term. On day 159 of term 1, Trump’s net approval […]

The post Fetishizing numbers appeared first on Angry Bear.

Newsom Files $787M Lawsuit Against Fox News Alleging It Lied About His Call With Trump

Authored by Jill McLaughlin via The Epoch Times,

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has filed a $787 million lawsuit against Fox News claiming the company defamed him through its coverage of a phone call between the governor and President Donald Trump.

“No more lies,” Newsom wrote on social media platform X on June 27, confirming news of the lawsuit. “I’m suing Fox News for $787 million.”

The governor seeks damages for what he claims were lies about a phone call with the president. He has also asked the court for an order to stop Fox News from broadcasting or posting segments that say Newsom lied about the call.

Newsom also sent a letter to Fox News, demanding that it issue a retraction and that host Jesse Walters issue an on-air apology about the call.

If the news company and Walters meet those conditions, Newsom will drop the lawsuit.

Newsom’s latest legal action against Trump was done in a personal capacity, one of his official spokespersons, Brandon Richards, told The Epoch Times.

Rumors of a possible presidential run for Newsom have swirled in recent years, though he has denied any intention of entering the 2028 race. However, the governor hinted at the possibility in an interview with the Wall Street Journal for a profile published on June 10.

“I’m not thinking about running, but it’s a path that I could see unfold,” he said.

Fox News reported earlier this month that Newsom had lied when he claimed he did not get a call from Trump.

Trump shared with Fox News an alleged screenshot of a call the president said he had with the governor about the Los Angeles riots, dated 1:23 a.m. on June 7, that lasted 16 minutes.

“There was no call. Not even a voicemail,” Newson wrote in a June 10 post on X.

Fox News did not immediately return a request for comment.

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/27/2025 - 14:25

Nestle To Stop Using Artificial Dyes By Mid-2026

It's another resounding success for the MAHA movement that has left us thinking why on Earth were these steps not taken any sooner. And of course, we know the answer: the food lobby that RFK and his administration has been hell bent on not taking their cues from. 

Nestlé announced Wednesday it will remove artificial colors from its U.S. food and beverage products by mid-2026, according to CBS.

“We are always looking for different ways to offer great tasting, compelling choices for our consumers. As their diverse dietary preferences and nutritional needs evolve, we evolve with them,” said Nestlé U.S. CEO Marty Thompson. “Serving and delighting people is at the heart of everything we do and every decision that we make,” he added.

The company said it has gradually eliminated synthetic dyes over the past decade, with 90% of its U.S. portfolio already dye-free. However, some products like Nesquik Banana Strawberry milk still contain Red 3.

Nestlé previously pledged to remove artificial dyes in 2015 but did not fully follow through.

CBS writes that other major food companies are making similar moves. Kraft Heinz and General Mills both announced plans last week to eliminate artificial dyes from U.S. products by 2027. General Mills also aims to remove them from cereals and all K–12 school foods by mid-2026.

Public and regulatory pressure is growing. A recent AP-NORC poll shows about two-thirds of Americans support removing dyes and added sugars from processed foods. California and West Virginia have banned artificial dyes in school meals, and Texas will require a new warning label starting in 2027 for foods with ingredients "not recommended for human consumption" in Australia, Canada, the EU, or the U.K.

Federal oversight is increasing as well. In January, just before President Trump took office, Red 3 was banned from food due to cancer concerns. In April, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said the agency would seek to phase out synthetic dyes by the end of 2026, relying largely on voluntary action from the food industry.

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/27/2025 - 14:05

As reported by the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship on March 4, 2025

Loonie Tumbles As Trump Suddenly 'Terminates' All Trade Talks With Canada

US stocks and the Canadian dollar are sliding after President Trump announces on TruthSocial that the US is terminating all trade discussions with his northern neighbor due to Carney putting a tax on US tech firms (like Europe):

"We have just been informed that Canada, a very difficult Country to TRADE with, including the fact that they have charged our Farmers as much as 400% Tariffs, for years, on Dairy Products, has just announced that they are putting a Digital Services Tax on our American Technology Companies, which is a direct and blatant attack on our Country.

They are obviously copying the European Union, which has done the same thing, and is currently under discussion with us, also.

Based on this egregious Tax, we are hereby terminating ALL discussions on Trade with Canada, effective immediately.

We will let Canada know the Tariff that they will be paying to do business with the United States of America within the next seven day period. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"

The reaction was swift and saw the loonie dumped...

...and US stocks rolled over...

The Canadian digital services tax, which is similar to one implemented by some other countries including the UK, is equal to 3% of the digital services revenue that a firm makes from Canadian users above C$20 million ($14.6 million) in a year.

It would apply to companies including Meta Platforms and Alphabet.

However, Canadian Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne suggested to reporters last week that the digital tax may be renegotiated as part of US-Canada trade discussions.

“Obviously, all of that is something that we’re considering as part of broader discussions that you may have,” he said.

Seems a little short-sighted given the Canadian trade flow...

The Business Council of Canada has come out and said that Carney should drop the Digital Tax... we wonder why...

Well the negotiation is on now!

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/27/2025 - 13:57

Iran Missile Attack On US Base Marked 'Largest Patriot Missile Engagement In US History'

Via The Libertarian Institute

Even after Tehran informed Washington that Iran would execute a symbolic retaliatory strike on the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the US military had to engage in its largest battle using Patriot missiles to date to repel the attack. 

On Monday, Iran fired 19 ballistic missiles at America’s largest Middle East air base. Most of the missiles were shot down by air defenses. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine told reporters, "We believe that this is the largest single Patriot engagement in US military history, and we were joined in this engagement by the Qatari Patriot crews."

Image: US Department of Defense

While Gen Caine did not disclose how many interceptors were fired, it was likely an expensive operation as each PAC-3 Patriot missile costs $4 million. Additionally, the supply of air defense is becoming increasingly limited due to the ongoing war in the Middle East and Ukraine. 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the Senate in May, "The Ukrainians asked for air defense systems — Patriot systems, which, frankly, we don’t have."

After Israel launched its aggressive war against Iran, Tel Aviv’s supply of interceptors quickly dwindled. Within five days of the start of the war, multiple outlets reported Tel Aviv was nearly out of Arrow-3 interceptors and only had supplies to run the Iron Dome air defense system for less than two weeks. 

By the end of the short war, Israel was forced to ration its deployment of interceptors, leaving some areas vulnerable to Iranian strikes. After the war, President Donald Trump noted that "Iran hit Israel hard."

Throughout the 12-day conflict, the US aided Israel in shooting down incoming Iranian missiles. The assistance put a strain on the Navy’s supply of interceptors.

Adm. James Kilby, the acting chief of naval operations, said while the US had enough SM-3 interceptors, they were being used “at an alarming rate” to defend Israel. 

The SM-3 can cost between $10 million and $30 million for a single missile.

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/27/2025 - 13:45

“President Trump said Iranian leaders cleared their plan with the U.S. to fire retaliatory strikes against an American airbase in Qatar, and even requested a specific time to attack. “They said, ’We’re going to shoot them. Is one o’clock OK?’ I said it’s fine. And everybody was emptied off the base so they couldn’t get […]

The post Trump approved bombing of US airbase appeared first on Angry Bear.

Spain Could Ruin The EU-US Trade Negotiations

By Philip Marey, Senior US strategist at Rabobank

Yesterday, the US dollar was under pressure - with EUR/USD peaking at 1.1744 - as speculation about Fed rate cuts increased after comments by Trump and reports in the media that he is considering nominating the next Fed Chair in the coming months. An early nomination could make the nominee the “de facto shadow chair” as his comments (only men are reported to be on the shortlist) would carry a lot of weight in the markets regarding monetary policy beyond May 2026 when Powell’s term expires. For more details on Powell’s succession and the concept of a shadow chair, see our article in International Banker from a few months ago. Meanwhile, there was more pushback against a July rate cut by several Fed speakers yesterday, specifically Daly, Collins, Barkin and Goolsbee.

One day after the NATO summit in The Hague, European leaders met in Brussels again. Now that President Trump has made a clear connection between NATO policy and trade negotiations, European leaders think they have earned trade concessions from the US for their increased contributions to NATO. A major problem is Spain which is not willing to help defend Europe by spending 5% of GDP, but it expects the EU to protect it from US tariffs. Whether other EU countries are happy with this double free riding remains to be seen. They just assigned a lot of money appeasing President Trump (and defending Europe from Russia) but Spain could ruin the EU-US trade negotiations. Yesterday, European leaders discussed trade concessions to the US, including lowering tariffs, reducing non-tariff barriers, buying more US products including LNG, and cooperating with the US to tackle its economic concerns with China.

In other trade news, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said that a trade “deal” with China had been signed two days ago, although this appears to be essentially the truce reached last month in Geneva. He added that there are imminent plans to reach agreements with 10 major trading partners.

Meanwhile, the spinning of the Fordow attack is in full force on both sides. While the White House maintains that the nuclear facility was obliterated, Iran is downplaying the impact and both sides claim victory. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine gave a joint press conference providing more details about the air strike, but they offered no new evidence about the effectiveness of the attack.

Yesterday, the Senate Committee on Finance issued a statement that the proposed introduction of Section 899 to the Internal Revenue Code would be removed from the One Big Beautiful Bill because of a forthcoming international tax agreement announced by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Section 899 would have introduced retaliatory taxes on foreign companies from countries that impose “unfair taxes” on US companies, such as undertaxed profits rules, digital services taxes, and diverted profits taxes.

“We applaud President Trump and his team for protecting the interests of American workers and businesses after years of congressional Republicans sounding the alarm on the Biden Administration’s unilateral global tax surrender under Pillar 2.  Reaching a joint understanding with the G7 means the U.S. can reclaim tens of billions of dollars that had been ceded from our tax base by Democrats’ America-Last policy. At the request of Secretary Bessent and in light of this joint understanding to preserve U.S. tax sovereignty and allow U.S. tax laws to co-exist with the Pillar 2 regime, we will remove proposed tax code Section 899 from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and we look forward to active engagement with Treasury on these important issues. We are committed to restoring Americans’ confidence in our representative government by putting America first.  Congressional Republicans stand ready to take immediate action if the other parties walk away from this deal or slow walk its implementation.”

The last sentence of the statement can be seen as a threat to foreign governments that the US Congress could still adopt Section 899 if the new international tax agreement is violated.

Meanwhile, progress of the One Big Beautiful Bill in the Senate was dealt a blow by the Senate parliamentarian. The Senate’s rules arbiter decided that several spending cuts proposed in the bill did not qualify for the reconciliation process that allows the bill to be passed with a simple majority. Republicans hope to remedy this by changing the wording and are still sticking to their self-imposed July 4 deadline to get the bill to President Trump’s desk. However, if the Senate parliamentarian is not going to be convinced, they may have to drop these spending cuts which would make it harder to reach their budget targets and meet the Independence Day deadline.

Day Ahead

In politics, the US Senate intended to start voting today on the One Big Beautiful Bill. However, this could be delayed by the procedural clash with the Senate parliamentarian. Over a month ago, the House of Representatives passed its version with a narrow 215-214 vote. When it comes to a vote, the margins in the Senate are also small. There are 53 Republican senators, but libertarian Rand Paul is expected to vote no because of the debt limit increase included in the bill. Other fiscal hawks, in particular Ron Johnson, Rick Scott, and Mike Lee are demanding more savings in the bill, such as bigger spending cuts and a faster expiration of clean-energy tax credits. However, this is a difficult balancing act for Senate Majority Leader John Thune because at the other end of the Republican spectrum, the “Medicaid moderates”, in particular Thom Tillis, Josh Hawley and Susan Collins think the bill’s Medicaid cuts are too deep. Lisa Murkowski, Jerry Moran and Jim Justice are also considered to be part of this group. Meanwhile, there is disagreement about the increase in the cap (to $40,000) on how much taxpayers can deduct from the amount they owe in federal taxes state and local taxes (SALT). This was negotiated by House Republicans from high tax states, such as California, New Jersey and New York. However, many Republican senators want to keep this at the level of the TCJA ($10,000).

Once the Senate has passed its version, the House could accept the adjusted version early next week and send the bill to President Trump who can then sign it into law by July 4, or reject it. However, the self-imposed Independence Day deadline is symbolic and there is no X-date until August at the earliest and the fiscal cliff from the income tax provisions in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is at end of the year. So a modest delay would have no major consequences other than ruining Trump’s good mood after getting the royal treatment at the NATO summit in The Hague.

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/27/2025 - 13:05

SoftBank's Masayoshi Son "Ready To Hand Over Reins" As He Goes "All-In" On AI Superintelligence

Masayoshi Son is positioning SoftBank to become the "world's top platformer" for Artificial Superintelligence (ASI), aiming to control the core architecture, compute infrastructure, and strategic partnerships that will enable ASI. Yet even as Son charts SoftBank's course for the 2030s, the 67-year-old says he's preparing to hand over the reins—though he won't name a successor until the last minute.

Bloomberg reports SoftBank's Son is preparing to step aside and will hand over leadership to an internal successor...

"I'm mentally prepared for anything, and am ready to hand over the reins at any time," Son told shareholders at a meeting in Tokyo earlier today. He added that he won't name the individual until the last minute to avoid fostering arrogance. "It's a delicate balance."

He revealed that SoftBank now controls key AI chip architecture and plans to invest up to $30 billion in OpenAI. The group also recently acquired Graphcore and is in talks to buy Ampere Computing.

Son emphasized the importance of controlling AI infrastructure in a "winner-take-all" era, anchored by SoftBank's stake in chip designer Arm. He discussed plans to 'Make America Great Again' by establishing an Arizona hub modeled after China's Shenzhen, potentially in partnership with TSMC, which is investing heavily in the U.S.

"We want to become the world's top platformer for ASI," he said, adding, "I'm all in." 

Son didn't disclose a specific reason or timeline for stepping down, but with SoftBank's ability to fund bold AI bets by heavily relying on Japanese retail investors, installing younger leadership ahead of the 2030s may be a strategic move to strengthen confidence and align with a new generation of investors. 

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/27/2025 - 12:45

RFK Jr. Axes All Funding For Bill Gates' Global 'Vaccine Alliance'

Authored by Zachary Stieber via The Epoch Times,

The United States will not provide money to a global vaccine organization called Gavi until the group changes the way it responds to vaccine safety issues, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told a fundraiser for the organization on June 25.

“There’s much that I admire about Gavi, especially its commitment to making medicine affordable to all the world’s people. Gavi has done that part of its job very well,” Kennedy said in recorded remarks played at the summit.

“Unfortunately, in its zeal to promote universal vaccination, it has neglected the key issue of vaccine safety.”

The United States has provided $8 billion to Gavi since 2001. The United States is one of the organization’s largest funding sources.

In its zeal to promote universal vaccination, @gavi, the Vaccine Alliance has neglected the key issue of vaccine safety. When vaccine safety issues have come before GAVI, it has treated them not as a patient health problem, but as a public relations problem.

During the COVID-19… pic.twitter.com/z140rJQMnn

— Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) June 25, 2025

That investment must be justified, according to Kennedy.

“I’ll tell you how to start taking vaccine safety seriously: Consider the best science available, even when the science contradicts established paradigms. Until that happens, the United States won’t contribute more to Gavi,” he said.

Gavi said in a statement that the group “fully concurs with the Secretary for Health and Human Services on the need to consider all available science, and remains committed to continuing an evidence-based and scientific approach to its work and investment decisions, as it always has done.”

Gavi says on its website that it helps vaccinate more than 50 percent of the children in the world against various diseases.

It said in a separate statement that it is enacting reforms, including restructuring to reduce costs.

The organization’s pledging summit took place Wednesday in Brussels. It was co-hosted by the European Union and the Gates Foundation.

The Gates Foundation said in a statement this week that it will give $1.6 billion to Gavi over the next five years, calling the alliance “one of the most effective mechanisms for delivering lifesaving vaccines to children and preventing disease in the world’s most vulnerable communities.”

The United States committed $300 million to Gavi in the funding bill for fiscal year 2025, but the Trump administration’s budget request for fiscal year 2026 does not include funding for the group.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the top minority member on the Senate Health Committee, lamented Kennedy’s announcement during a hearing in Washington on Wednesday. He asked Susan Monarez, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about the development.

“I believe the global health security preparedness is a critical and vital activity for the United States,” she said.

“I think vaccines save lives. I think that we need to continue to support the promotion and utilization of vaccines,” she added later, promising Sanders that if she receives confirmation, she will look into the matter.

A vaccine advisory panel whose members were all chosen by Kennedy was also meeting on Wednesday. The panel announced it would be examining the effects of the CDC’s childhood immunization schedule as well as vaccines that have not been reviewed for seven years and consider whether to change the current recommendations for Hepatitis B vaccines.

Trump previously ordered officials to withdraw from several other international groups, including the World Health Organization (WHO), over concerns about their goals.

Kennedy said after meeting with Argentinian officials in May that the United States and Argentina—both of which withdrew from WHO earlier this year—are focused on “the creation of an alternative international health system based on gold-standard science and free from totalitarian impulses, corruption, and political control.”

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/27/2025 - 12:25

Heat Dome Breaks: Mid-Atlantic & Northeast See Short-Lived Relief

After a stretch of scorching heat across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, including Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York City, much-needed relief in the form of cooler weather has descended into the area on Friday morning. Daytime highs are expected to hover near 75°F from the nation's capital up through New York City—well below the triple-digit temperatures earlier this week that sent power grids across the eastern half of the U.S. into emergencies. 

2 pm temps today as far BELOW normal as they were above a couple of days ago. Anyone want to panic over that pic.twitter.com/VNnhM7BjCR

— The American Storm (@BigJoeBastardi) June 27, 2025

This temporary cooldown will offer relief today before temperatures climb back into the 85°F to 90°F range for the Washington metro area through the weekend. 

This week, power grids across the eastern U.S. were pushed to the brink as millions cranked up their air conditioners to survive the heat:

• "Maximum Generation Alert" Issued for Nation's Largest Power Grid

• Power Blackout Hits Parts Of Queens, NYC: Con Edison Urges Energy Conservation As Temps Spike

• DoE Declares U.S. Southeast Grid Emergency To Avert "Blackouts"

• "You're Welcome": Pennsylvania Boasts About Saving 'Green' Maryland From Near Power Grid Collapse

• New York Power Grid Stabilizes After Rare Energy Warning

What was the one thing missing from this week's extreme heat dome? The usual barrage of "climate crisis" headlines from far left-leaning legacy corporate media outlets like ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, and MSNBC.

Bloomberg data show a sharp decline in climate-crisis story counts. No spike this week??

The reason may be simple: these headlines only spike when the Democratic Party is ramming through 'green' climate bills that benefit their rogue NGO industry. 

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/27/2025 - 12:05

6 Americans Detained In South Korea For Trying To Send Rice, Bibles, Dollars To North

Authored by Katabella Roberts via The Epoch Times,

Six Americans were detained in South Korea on June 27 for allegedly attempting to send thousands of plastic bottles filled with rice, U.S. dollars, and Bibles to North Korea by sea, according to police.

The group had allegedly been trying to dispatch 1,300 bottles into the sea at a border island west of the South Korean capital, Seoul, toward North Korea when they were discovered by a military official patrolling the area, a police official at the Incheon Ganghwa Police Station said.

The U.S. citizens are suspected of violating the country’s disaster and safety law in an area that was recently designated a risk zone, meaning activities deemed harmful to residents are banned, the official said.

No charges have been announced against the individuals.

“We’re investigating them through an interpreter and will decide after 48 hours whether to release them or not,” the official said.

Ganghwa Island, where the group attempted to float the bottles, has been restricted to the public since it was designated a danger zone in November 2024, according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.

An administrative order banning launches of anti-North Korea leaflets is also in effect in the area, the news agency reported.

Korean defectors and activists in South Korea have previously sent inflatables across the border containing leaflets critical of the communist North and leader Kim Jong Un, along with food, medicine, money, and USB sticks loaded with K-pop music videos and other content.

Legislation passed in 2020 by South Korea’s previous government, which had pushed for closer engagement with Pyongyang, made it a criminal act for civilians to send leaflets and other items to the North.

The law made leafleting a crime punishable by up to three years in prison or a fine of 30 million won (about $22,000).

In 2023, South Korea’s Constitutional Court struck down the legislation, ruling it was an excessive restriction on free speech, but said the government still had the power to keep activists in check, including through police monitoring and intervention.

The latest arrests come as South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has sought to bolster relations with neighboring North Korea since taking office earlier in June, suspending loudspeaker broadcasts that had been directed at the North in response to its alleged weapons development.

Lee has also asked activists in the South to stop launching helium balloons containing leaflets and other materials critical of Pyongyang and its leader.

Last year, North Korea said it sent balloons full of trash and manure across the border, calling them “gifts of sincerity.”

As tensions flared between the two neighbors last year, the North Korean leader said his nation should “completely eliminate“ any notion of reunification or reconciliation with the South, which he called the ”primary enemy” of his country.

He also proposed rewriting the North’s constitution to state that it could pursue “occupying, subjugating and reclaiming South Korea” in the event of a war on the Korean Peninsula.

In response, then-South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol vowed to continue to maintain firm defense readiness while warning that the North Korean regime would be severely punished if it provoked South Korea.

Tyler Durden Fri, 06/27/2025 - 11:45