Published on: December 18, 2025, 10:44 AM.
Updated on: December 18, 2025, 10:44 AM.
- CNN collaborates with Kalshi as announced earlier this month.
- Congressman from Arizona urges the CFTC to investigate the partnership.
- Claims CNN has a history of “partisan bias.”
This month, CNN and Kalshi declared their collaboration, marking a significant milestone for the prediction market platform. Congressman Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ) expressed that this partnership raises considerable concerns, potentially threatening national security.
In a recent correspondence to Acting Chairwoman Caroline Pham of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the congressman emphasized that the CNN/Kalshi alliance “poses clear risks to market integrity, democratic resilience, and American national security.” He noted that many of his constituents are concerned about a prediction market working closely with a news organization perceived as leaning left.
CNN may have the unique ability to influence public perception and media narratives concerning the events Kalshi offers as tradable contracts,” Hamadeh informed Pham. “These events could involve elections, military conflicts, foreign diplomatic crises, and domestic unrest. No other significant news organization has pursued such a partnership, and for good reason: it establishes a structural conflict of interest that permits a powerful media entity or foreign opponents to mold outcomes for financial or competitive gain.”
Shortly after the announcement of the CNN collaboration, it was revealed that Kalshi also secured a deal with CNBC, although some may argue that this is more relevant to the event contracts market due to its aim to delve deeper into economic and financial derivatives.
Hamadeh Claims CNN/Kalshi Partnership Breaches CFTC Regulations
While CNN is not financially compensating Kalshi for its data, the prediction market’s data, branding, and visuals will be prominently showcased across various broadcasts by the cable news channel. An exclusivity agreement also prevents the network from entering into a similar deal with a competing entity of Kalshi.
At first glance, this relationship seems akin to those established between sports networks and betting companies in recent years, but Hamadeh argues that the CNN/Kalshi agreement is a violation of Section 5c(c)(5)(C) of the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA), which forbids contracts relating to warfare and those contrary to public interest.
“The partnership between Kalshi and CNN seems to contravene this ruling,” the congressman noted. “One media outlet even reported on a recent Kalshi betting market where individuals could wager on whether Palestinians would face mass starvation or on when Israel might carry out bombings in Gaza or the West Bank, or whether it would annex either territory.”
He described the scenario as “disturbing” and inquired of Pham if the CFTC is scrutinizing CNN’s partnership with Kalshi to determine if it poses risks for domestic or foreign parties aiming to sway U.S. political, economic, or national security outcomes for profit.
CNN Viewed as a ‘Propaganda Entity’
The Arizona Republican’s letter to Pham arrives amidst growing worries about insider trading within prediction markets—a relevant point as he contends that the convergence of editorial influence and event contracts might jeopardize public interest.
“The CFTC’s mission is to uphold U.S. market integrity, and permitting CNN, an entity many Americans view as a propagandistic organization, to operate within an active prediction market introduces unacceptable national-security and governmental risks,” Hamadeh articulated in his letter to Pham.
Pham has a period of 30 days to provide a response.