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Congressional stock trading has fallen off sharply this year, according to an analysis by a popular financial news site and some insiders believe its because US lawmakers are feeling heat from a possible legislative clampdown.

The volume of stock trades made by members of Congress tumbled more than 75% in the nine months of this year to just 1,800 trades versus 8,000 a year earlier, according to data from Unusual Whales. 

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has made just six trades this year as a congresswoman representing San Francisco. Those include selling Roblox shares, buying Apple and Microsoft shares and acquiring a stake in a luxury hotel, according to recent filings.

Thats a steep dropoff from the 39 trades she made in 2022, the 24 trades she made in 2021, and the 38 trades she made in 2020.

A spokesperson for Pelosi did not respond to a request for comment.

While the markets have been bumpy this year, overall trading volume is down just 10%, according to CBOE data, versus the three-quarters plunge inside Congress.

Passing legislation, sources say, is critical to keep Congress from trading again.

If a movement doesnt turn into a law, Congress isnt going to remain scared, Jeff Hauser, founder of nonprofit watchdog the Revolving Door Project, said. The combination of a bill that could pass and the broader conversation acts as a deterrent.

Ethics experts say the another reason may simply be that members dont feel the trades are worth the trouble anymore.

Federal Reserve governors Eric Rosengren and Robert Kaplan resigned after scrutiny of their trades. Now-retired Sen. Richard Burr stepped down as Chair of the Intelligence Committee and now-ex-Sen. James Inhofe resigned after scrutiny of trades. 

It may not be worth the grief, Charles Stewart III, a political science professor at MIT, told On The Money.

The founder of Unusual Whales, who prefers to remain anonymous, notes that members of Congress have lately been far more diligent about filing their trades quickly. The STOCK Act requires members to file their trades within 45 days but members of Congress like Pelosi lately are filing within just a few days.

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There is limited upside and maybe a lot of downside to congressional trading these days, agrees Thomas Hayes, chairman at Great Hill Capital. Shining a light on this has played a big role.

Another issue: Some of the most lucrative, valuable stocks like Google and Amazon which Pelosi had snatched up are presenting an even greater conflict of interest than they did previously.

The tech high flyers that many members wanted to trade in are politically fraught these days a reference to lawsuits both Google and Amazon are facing, Stewart adds.

While some applaud the recent trend, others are more cautious and note stronger laws against stock trading need to be codified. 

Attention helps and attention makes transparency more effective, Jeff Hauser, founder of nonprofit watchdog the Revolving Door Project, said. But even more effective than transparency is strict rules.

As for the question of whether regulators will ever be willing to regulate themselves, the answer is almost always no. Still, Hauser is optimistic that with enough sticks not to mention the dwindling supply of carrots lawmakers could eventually succumb. 

If the momentum grows big enough, it could pass, Hauser said. And it only has to pass one time.

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World

Driver hits several people on French holiday island of Ile d’Oleron

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Driver hits several people on French holiday island of Ile d'Oleron

A driver has knocked down several people on the French island of Ile d’Oleron.

Two people are in intensive care following the incident and a man has been arrested, French interior minister Laurent Nunez said.

Several others were injured after the motorist struck pedestrians and cyclists, he added.

Thibault Brechkoff, the mayor of Dolus-d’Oleron, told BFMTV the suspect shouted “Allahu Akbar” (Arabic for God is Greatest) when he was detained.

Arnaud Laraize, the public prosecutor in La Rochelle, told the Sud Ouest newspaper the 35-year-old suspect “resisted arrest” and was “subdued using a stun gun”.

He said the suspect was known for minor offences such as theft, adding he was not on a list of people considered a threat to national security.

Pedestrians and cyclists were hit on a road between Dolus d’Oleron and Saint-Pierre d’Oleron, he added.

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Police were alerted, with the first calls made at around 9am, according to French media reports.

Mr Nunez said in a post on X that he was heading to the scene at the request of the French prime minister.

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World

Aerial images show destruction of Typhoon Kalmaegi in Philippines – with at least 66 killed

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Aerial images show destruction of Typhoon Kalmaegi in Philippines - with at least 66 killed

At least 66 people have died after Typhoon Kalmaegi struck the Philippines, as footage emerges showing the scale of destruction.

A further 26 people have been reported missing, half of them in Cebu, where floods and mudslides killed at least 49 people, the Office of Civil Defence said.

Six crew members of a military helicopter were also killed when it crashed on the island of Mindanao, where it was carrying out a humanitarian disaster response mission, according to the military.

The powerful storm, locally named Tino, made landfall early on Tuesday and lashed the country with sustained winds of 87mph and gusts of up to 121mph.

Drone footage shows wrecked homes after heavy flooding in Cebu province. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Drone footage shows wrecked homes after heavy flooding in Cebu province. Pic: Reuters

Some communities have been wiped out. Pic: AP
Image:
Some communities have been wiped out. Pic: AP

‘State of calamity’ in Cebu

Several people were trapped on their roofs by floodwaters in the coastal town of Liloan in Cebu, said Gwendolyn Pang, secretary-general of the Philippine Red Cross.

She said in the city of Mandaune, also in Cebu, floodwaters were “up to the level of heads of people”, adding that several cars were submerged in floods or floated in another community in Cebu.

Cebu, a province of more than 2.4 million people, was still recovering from a 6.9 magnitude earthquake on 30 September, which left at least 79 people dead.

A state of calamity has been declared in the province to allow authorities to disburse emergency funds more rapidly.

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Entire towns flooded in the Philippines after typhoon

Damaged vehicles after flooding in Cebu City. Pic: AP
Image:
Damaged vehicles after flooding in Cebu City. Pic: AP

Pic: Reuters
Image:
Pic: Reuters

Fierce winds either ripped off roofs or damaged around 300 mostly rural shanties on the island community of Homonhon in Eastern Samar, but there were no reported deaths or injuries, mayor Annaliza Gonzales Kwan said.

“There was no flooding at all, but just strong wind,” she said. “We’re okay. We’ll make this through. We’ve been through a lot, and bigger than this.”

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Red Cross staff rescue people and dogs. Pic: Reuters
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Red Cross staff rescue people and dogs. Pic: Reuters

Pic: AP
Image:
Pic: AP

Hnndreds of thousands evacuated

Before Kalmaegi’s landfall, officials said more than 387,000 people had been evacuated to safer ground in eastern and central Philippine provinces.

The combination of Kalmaegi and a shear line brought heavy rains and strong winds across the Visayas and nearby areas, state weather agency PAGASA said.

A shear line is the boundary between two different air masses such as warm and cold air.

Pic: AP
Image:
Pic: AP

A boy with a goldfish he caught after a nearby fish farm flooded. Pic: AP
Image:
A boy with a goldfish he caught after a nearby fish farm flooded. Pic: AP

Vietnam gears up for storm

The Vietnamese government has said it was preparing for the worst-case scenario as it braced for the impact of Kalmaegi.

The typhoon is forecast to reach Vietnam’s coasts on Friday morning. Several areas have already suffered heavy flooding over the last week, leaving at least 40 people.

Kalmaegi hit the Philippines as it continues to recover from several disasters, including earthquakes and severe weather over recent months.

Around 20 typhoons and storms hit the Philippines each year, and the country is also often struck by earthquakes and has more than a dozen active volcanoes.

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Environment

Royal Enfield unveils Flying Flea S6 scrambler-style electric motorcycle built for urban adventure

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Royal Enfield unveils Flying Flea S6 scrambler-style electric motorcycle built for urban adventure

Royal Enfield’s new electric motorcycle brand, Flying Flea, just pulled the wraps off its second model – the scrambler-inspired FF.S6 – at EICMA 2025, and it’s an agile, tech-packed machine that brings serious trail-ready vibes to city streets.

Inspired by the iconic 1940s Flying Flea motorcycle (which was literally parachuted into battle, hence the logo), the FF.S6 is a modern reimagining with off-road chops and futuristic tech. Royan Enfield assures us that this is a far cry from an average urban electric motorcycle. Instead, it’s a lightweight, connected, and capable machine that blends classic scrambler style with serious smart features.

Built on a lightweight frame with staggered 19-inch front and 18-inch rear wheels, a USD front fork, and chain final drive, the FF.S6 is ready for both tight urban corners and loose gravel backroads. A high-torque electric motor paired with a magnesium finned battery case keeps weight low while enhancing cooling, and the long enduro-style seat offers comfort for longer rides.

Tech-wise, the FF.S6 goes way beyond what you’d expect from a typical commuter. A circular high-res touchscreen display nods to the original Flying Flea while delivering fully connected features, including lean-angle sensing ABS, traction control, off-road mode, and built-in navigation. Voice Assist lets riders launch music or maps hands-free through their phone, and OTA updates ensure the bike gets smarter over time.

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The system is powered by a Snapdragon QWM2290 processor, the same class of chip you’d find in advanced smartphones. Riders can use a smartwatch or phone app to manage everything from keyless start to charging status and diagnostics.

Production of the FF.S6 is expected to begin by the end of 2026.

Electrek’s Take

Sure, this is largely just an experiment in applying some mods to the same motorcycle prototype that Royal Enfield showed us last year, but it’s a cool-looking example of it! And while we’re still waiting to see what these bikes will cost (not to mention a few more hard and fast tech specs), I’m glad to see that Royal Enfield’s Flying Flea team is jumping in with bold design and bleeding-edge software. The FF.S6 looks like a scrambler but thinks like a smartphone and rides like an urban bike – likely. And for a new wave of connected urban riders, that might be the perfect combination.

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