Kalshi probes suspicious bets on Trump's press secretary pick

Prediction market operator Kalshi is investigating suspicious bets that correctly predicted President Donald Trump's selection of Kary Zaheri as the next White House press secretary, according to The Wall Street Journal. The probe focuses on at least three small wagers placed before media reported Zaheri's appointment Friday afternoon. One $19 bet placed early Friday would yield $1,896, while two later bets of $74 and $80 would return $3,689 and $4,023 respectively. Zaheri, a conservative commentator, had roughly a 1% chance on Kalshi before the announcement. The investigation comes amid growing scrutiny of prediction markets and concerns about insider trading using confidential government information. A former Trump teleprompter operator was previously fired after earning over $100,000 on speech-related bets, and the White House has warned staff against profiting from non-public information.