Authored by Nate Kostar via CoinTelegraph.com,
US President Donald Trump’s longtime teleprompter operator is in talks with federal regulators to settle allegations that he used nonpublic information to profit from bets on Kalshi markets tied to the president’s speeches, ABC News reported Thursday, citing sources familiar with the matter.
According to the report, Gabriel Perez, a technical assistant who has operated Trump’s teleprompter since 2016, allegedly placed bets on more than a dozen markets tied to Trump’s speeches, generating more than $100,000 in profits.
Kalshi detected the activity through its surveillance systems and referred the trades to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the outlet said.
The contracts were part of the platform’s “Mentions” markets, which allow users to bet on whether particular words, phrases or topics will appear in public speeches.
According to ABC’s sources, Perez sometimes exited positions mid-speech when Trump skipped prepared passages containing words he had wagered would be mentioned. Regulators reportedly uncovered bets tied to more than a dozen speeches over roughly three months, including the State of the Union and remarks at the World Economic Forum.
The White House placed Perez on unpaid administrative leave after the report, according to press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who said Trump called the alleged conduct a “disgrace.”
Prediction markets confront insider trading scrutinyPrediction markets have faced increasing scrutiny over potential insider trading as trading volumes have surged in recent months.
In March, six Polymarket traders earned roughly $1 million after correctly betting the United States would strike Iran before the end of February, prompting questions about possible access to nonpublic information. Bloomberg, citing analytics firm Bubblemaps, reported several wallets placed bets only hours before explosions were first reported in Tehran.
In a seperate incident, wallets earned more than $1.2 million betting on an onchain investigation into DeFi platform Axiom shortly before blockchain investigator ZachXBT published allegations of insider trading involving an employee.
Another trader also made about $400,000 by correctly wagering on the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro shortly before the news became public.
The incidents have prompted greater attention from lawmakers and regulators. Last month, Republican Representative Bryan Steil, who chairs the House subcommittee on digital assets, introduced legislation that would prohibit members of Congress and their immediate families from trading prediction market contracts tied to public policy and political outcomes.
Tyler Durden Thu, 07/16/2026 - 19:15Update (1900ET): SpaceX scrubbed their 13th test flight on Thursday right as the countdown clock reached zero.
Noooo! Abort triggered after 4 of the centre engines failed to ignite at start-up...as seen in the Booster engine graphic, bottom left of screen.
Video straight off the @SpaceX stream. pic.twitter.com/nZ65wfuQkb
Could be wrong, but it seems that 4 engines didn’t light causing the abort sequence
Unfortunate scenario, but better safe than sorry! Hoping for another attempt tomorrow pic.twitter.com/o0BQ8Ekt7i
Developing...
* * *
SpaceX is scheduled to launch the 13th test flight of its Starship rocket on Thursday evening, marking the first mission since the company completed its blockbuster public debut in June, according to ABC News. Liftoff is scheduled from the company's Starbase facility in Texas, with a 90-minute launch window opening at 6:45 p.m. ET. As always, weather or technical issues could delay the attempt.
The mission will be the second flight of Starship Version 3, a significantly redesigned vehicle that SpaceX believes represents a major leap forward. Charlie Cox, the company's director of Starship Engineering, described the new spacecraft as "basically a clean-sheet design," explaining that engineers took the lessons learned from the first two generations and rebuilt the vehicle to address reliability and performance shortcomings.
The launch carries added significance now that SpaceX is a public company. Beyond the engineering milestones, investors will be watching closely because another successful test would reinforce confidence in the company's long-term plans, while another high-profile setback could weigh on sentiment and potentially pressure the stock.
The ABC News report says that Starship sits at the center of SpaceX's future. NASA plans to use a modified version of the spacecraft as the lunar lander for future Artemis missions, while SpaceX also intends to use it to rapidly expand its Starlink constellation, support future space-based infrastructure, and eventually carry humans to Mars. Bill Riley, SpaceX's vice president of Starship Engineering, called Version 3 "the foundational design," adding that it will ultimately be "the one that puts humans back on the moon" and eventually "the first boot prints and then city on Mars."
The previous test flight achieved many of its objectives but also exposed several issues. The Super Heavy booster experienced propulsion problems during its return burn, resulting in a hard splashdown and an FAA investigation that has since been closed after regulators accepted SpaceX's corrective actions. Meanwhile, Starship lost one of its Raptor engines during flight, forcing the company to abandon an attempted in-space engine relight.
Flight 13 will try that engine relight once again, a critical capability needed before Starship can reach orbit and begin deploying operational Starlink satellites. The spacecraft will also attempt to release 20 next-generation Starlink satellites during the mission. Like the previous test, the flight will remain suborbital, traveling from Texas across the Atlantic before splashing down in the Indian Ocean, while the Super Heavy booster is expected to land in the Gulf.
"> Tyler Durden Thu, 07/16/2026 - 19:01
Joe Biden's publisher has picked a release date for his memoir, Promise Me, America, and the timing may reflect how little the party wants to talk about him before November.
Biden previously indicated during one of his wife Jill Biden's book events last month that his memoir would be released in September; however, its official publication date has been revealed to be Nov. 17, 2026, two weeks after the midterm elections.
USA Today framed the schedule as a gift to Democratic candidates, sparing them questions about a book.
The book, published by Little, Brown and Company, comes as Democrats are still debating Biden's initial decision to run for reelection despite concerns about his age, only to drop out less than four months before the election to allow Vice President Kamala Harris to become the nominee.
The post-midterm release will spare Democratic candidates from having to revisit any questions raised by the book during their campaigns to regain control the House and Senate. And it also means any media tour Biden goes on to promote the book would seemingly take place after the election.
The reasoning assumes any media tour built around the book will also wait until after Americans have voted in the midterms. However, that likely won't be the case.
Jill Biden's memoir, View From the East Wing, was published on June 2, 2026, but the publicity campaign began earlier, with interviews, excerpts, and advance coverage designed to build anticipation and build up pre-order sales. Joe Biden's team has every reason to run a similar playbook, as his sales figures will be heavily scrutinized by the media.
A two-minute teaser video frames Promise Me, America as an account of, in his words, "the challenges we face as a nation, about the decisions I made, and why I made them," with the most significant reveal in its pages being his two key decisions of the 2024 presidential campaign.
"It's about why I chose to run for reelection, and why I chose to step aside," he said. "Most of all, it's about my faith in the promise in America - the promise we made to those who've gone before us and to honor their sacrifice. The promise we've made to one and another, and to treat everyone with dignity and respect."
I’ve written a book about my time as President. It’s called PROMISE ME, AMERICA. It’s coming out November 17th and is available for preorder now. https://t.co/uMINr9efxS@littlebrown pic.twitter.com/yzWfZyD31A
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 15, 2026The decision to run again is the part Democrats least want relitigated before the midterms. Some in the party already blame Trump's return to power on Biden's initial push for a second term. Biden's poor performance during that June 2024 debate led to his withdrawal a month later under pressure from senior party figures. He dropped out 107 days before the election, leaving Vice President Kamala Harris a nomination and a campaign calendar many argue made it impossible for her to win.
CNN's chief data analyst Harry Enten warned last month that Joe Biden's unpopularity could sink Democrats in the midterms.
"Look at Biden's net favorable rating. In January 2025, it was minus twenty-two points. Has it gotten any better? No! Not really!" he said. "He's still way underwater here at minus nineteen points ... he is an anchor to the Democratic Party and potentially their fortunes in the 2026 midterm elections."
Americans have one message for the Bidens: Go away.
Joe Biden left office tremendously unpopular & remains so (-19 pt net favorable).
He's by far the least popular of any former Dem prez at this point after their presidency.
Jill Biden was the least popular Dem first lady. pic.twitter.com/gpJK8bzM1D
If Joe Biden starts doing interviews weeks in advance, that conversation could complicate matters for the Democrats as Americans head to the polls in November.
Tyler Durden Thu, 07/16/2026 - 18:50