Trump-China Summit Yields Limited Progress on Trade and Tech Cooperation 
Trump Signals Tough Stance on Iran Uranium Stockpile as Nuclear Talks Show Limited Progress 
US Approves $108 Million Hawk Missile System Support Package for Ukraine 
House Republicans Delay Vote on Iran War Powers Resolution Amid Growing Congressional Debate 
Mexico-EU Free Trade Deal Signals Strategic Shift Away From U.S. Dependence 
Xi Jinping Orders Full Rescue After Shanxi Coal Mine Gas Explosion Kills Eight 
Trump Says Iran Peace Deal Could Reopen Strait of Hormuz as Nuclear Talks Advance 
China Coal Mine Explosion Death Toll Revised to 82 in Shanxi 
Trump Announces 5,000 Additional U.S. Troops to Poland Following Nawrocki Election Victory 
U.S. Military Drill Over Caracas Raises Tensions in Venezuela 
Trump Sends 5,000 Additional U.S. Troops to Poland Ahead of NATO Talks on Iran War 
DHS Threatens to Halt International Airport Processing in Sanctuary Cities 
World Bank Emergency Funding Demand Surges as 27 Countries Seek Crisis Support Amid Iran Conflict 
U.S. Sanctions Tanzanian Police Official Over Human Rights Violations 
Greenland Protesters Rally Against Expanded U.S. Consulate Amid Trump Arctic Ambitions 
Israel Faces Global Backlash Over Gaza Flotilla Activists’ Treatment 
Russia Launches Massive Missile and Drone Strike on Kyiv Amid Oreshnik Threat 
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.”
