Congressman Abe Hamadeh has shared considerations in regards to the partnership between Kalshi and CNN, highlighting “threats to market integrity, democratic stability, and American nationwide safety”.
Congressman Abe Hamadeh wrote a letter to Performing Chairwoman of the Commodity Futures Buying and selling Fee, Caroline D. Pham, outlining considerations centered across the recently announced partnership between Kalshi and CNN. Particularly, Congressman Hamadeh wrote that this partnership “poses direct and foreseeable threats to market integrity, democratic stability, and American nationwide safety” and described it as “not merely inappropriate; it’s outright harmful.”
“CNN could be uniquely positioned to form public notion and information cycles across the very occasions Kalshi lists as tradable markets,” wrote Congressman Hamadeh. “These occasions would contain elections, warfare, overseas coverage crises, and home instability. No different main media outlet has tried such a partnership, and for good purpose: it creates a built-in structural battle of curiosity that permits an influential information group or overseas adversaries to form outcomes for monetary or aggressive benefit.
“I’m not shocked {that a} media entity that has confronted persistent considerations relating to accuracy, impartiality, and narrative framing would permit the potential for overseas governments, home political teams, or adversarial actors to escalate tensions, manipulate narratives, and strain establishments so as to revenue by means of Kalshi’s event-contract platform.”
Congressman Hamadeh cited Part 5c(c)(5)(C) of the Commodity Trade Act, which requires the CFTC to ban contracts involving warfare, gaming, or something opposite to public curiosity, equivalent to markets that may very well be susceptible to manipulation. He argues that the Kalshi–CNN partnership would violate that part, pointing to bets about “whether or not Palestinians in Gaza would undergo mass hunger,” and “when Israel will bomb Gaza, bomb the West Financial institution, or annex both?”
“The state of affairs is chilling, and I’ve questions,” said Congressman Hamadeh. “We have to know if the Fee is assessing this partnership to see whether it is creating vulnerabilities for overseas or home actors to affect U.S politics, economics, or nationwide safety outcomes for monetary revenue.”
Kalshi responds to the claims
Kalshi has publicly responded to Congressman Hamadeh’s claims, writing on X: “With all due respect, you’re accusing Kalshi of issues we don’t do. The markets you checklist (e.g. “Will Israel strike Gaza”) are on a competitor’s website, not Kalshi’s. And Kalshi guidelines prohibit CNN workers from buying and selling on any contract the place CNN could be a supply of data.”
With all due respect, you're accusing Kalshi of issues we don't do. The markets you checklist (e.g. "Will Israel strike Gaza") are on a competitor's website, not Kalshi's. And Kalshi guidelines prohibit CNN workers from buying and selling on any contract the place CNN could be a supply of data.
— Kalshi Information (@KalshiNewsroom) December 17, 2025
Certainly, looking for ‘Israel’ on Kalshi brings up a number of associated contracts, however none associated to precise strikes. As a substitute, Kalshi’s markets embody questions like “will the US halt navy support to Israel?”, and “who would be the subsequent new Prime Minister of Israel?”
Congressman Hamadeh has given the Performing Chair 30 days to stipulate the Fee’s evaluation and its supposed actions relating to the Kalshi–CNN partnership.
Featured picture: Flickr, licensed underneath CC BY-SA 2.0
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