EU Delays Mercosur Free Trade Agreement Signing Amid Ukraine War Funding Talks 
Trump Announces $1,776 Cash Bonus for U.S. Military Personnel Ahead of Christmas 
Union-Aligned Investors Question Amazon, Walmart and Alphabet on Trump Immigration Policies 
Honduras Election Recount Delayed Amid Protests and Political Tensions 
Fernando Haddad Confirms He Will Not Run for Office in 2025, Signals Possible Exit as Brazil’s Finance Minister 
Canada Signals Delay in US Tariff Deal as Talks Shift to USMCA Review 
Venezuela Seeks UN Security Council Meeting Over U.S. Oil Tanker Blockade 
Putin Signals Possible Peace or Continued War in Ukraine at Major Year-End Address 
Kennedy Center Reportedly Renamed Trump-Kennedy Center After Board Vote 
U.S. Senators Move Toward Deal to Strengthen Military Helicopter Safety Rules 
Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency 
Syria, Kurds and U.S. Race to Show Progress on SDF Integration Deal 
U.S. and China Push for Ceasefire as Thailand–Cambodia Border Clashes Escalate 
U.S.-Russia Talks in Miami Raise Hopes for Potential Ukraine War Deal 
Federal Appeals Court Allows Trump’s National Guard Deployment in Washington, D.C. to Continue 
Trump Administration Proposes Sweeping Limits on Gender-Affirming Care for Children 
Trump Administration Plans Major Increase in Denaturalization Cases for Naturalized U.S. Citizens 
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi dismissed the notion that members of Congress and their spouses should not own individual stocks in companies. Pelosi’s response comes as a report that found that dozens of lawmakers and their staffers owned individual stocks that were not publicly disclosed in a period of time.
Speaking at a news conference, Pelosi rejected the notion of banning members of Congress from owning individual stocks. This is despite the concerns of a conflict of interest between the legislative duties of lawmakers and their personal finances.
“No,” said Pelosi on whether she would support a ban. “We’re a free market economy. They should be able to participate in that.”
This follows a report by Business Insider regarding share ownership by members of Congress along with controversies over the stock purchases made by senators during the pandemic. The report found that 49 members of Congress and 182 senior-level congressional staff members were in violation of the STOCK Act. Pelosi said that she had not seen the report by the outlet.
Pelosi said, however, that they have a responsibility to report on their stock trades. “But if people aren’t reporting, they should be,” added the House Speaker.
The act, which was established in 2012, requires members of Congress and their family members to publicly disclose their stock purchases within 45 days of sales or purchases of stocks, bonds, and commodity futures. Violations of the STOCK Act, should it be sanctioned, usually lead to fines of $200.
Pelosi also rejected the notion of a separate piece of legislation to extend the child tax credits as the provision expires this month. The House Speaker cited that it would make it less likely for the Senate to pass US President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better proposal, which already includes an extension to the provision.
“I don’t want to let anybody off the hook on the BBB to say, ‘Well, we covered that one thing, so the pressure is off,’” said the top House Democrat. “I think that is really important leverage in the discussion on BBB, that children and their families will suffer without that payment.”
