Moulton criticizes Polymarket over Iran pilot bets

April 4, 2026

Summary

Polymarket removed a market on a U.S. pilot shot down over Iran after Rep. Seth Moulton criticized the listing.

Why this matters

The dispute highlights growing scrutiny of prediction markets as lawmakers question whether betting on wars and other sensitive events creates ethical and oversight concerns. It also underscores concerns about access to nonpublic information on such platforms.

Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., criticized prediction platform Polymarket after it briefly hosted a market on when a U.S. pilot shot down over Iran would be found.

“They could be your neighbor, a friend, a family member,” Moulton wrote Friday on X. “And people are betting on whether or not they’ll be saved.”

Polymarket said it removed the market because it did not meet company standards.

“We took this market down immediately as it does not meet our integrity standards,” the company said in a statement on X. “It should not have been posted, and we are investigating how this slipped through our internal safeguards.”

A U.S. fighter jet was shot down over Iran on Friday, the first such incident since the Israeli-U.S. war on Iran began five weeks ago. One crew member was rescued after the crash. Information on whether other crew members were aboard, and their whereabouts, had not been released.

Moulton also said on X that Donald Trump Jr. is an investor in Polymarket, which could give him “access to intelligence that isn’t public yet.” Polymarket recently said it had added a tool to limit politicians from betting on certain markets to help prevent insider trading on the platform.

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Syniehubov said Saturday that the attacks hit the city of Kharkiv and 11 other towns and villages.

In the neighboring Sumy region, at least 11 people, including a child, were injured after a Russian drone struck a building overnight.

“Attack drones struck a 16-storey building and a private residential area [in the region of Sumy]. Residents of the burning high-rise were promptly evacuated … The fire has been extinguished,” the State Emergency Service of Ukraine’s press office said in a statement.

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In Russia, at least one person was killed and four others were injured in a drone and missile attack on the southern Rostov region, according to regional Gov. Yury Slyusar.

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A missile struck a commercial facility, causing a fire, Slyusar said. He said authorities evacuated people and brought the fire under control.

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A fourth round scheduled for last month was postponed because of the U.S.-Israel war on Iran, with no progress reported on territory in eastern Ukraine.

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The judiciary website Mizan Online identified the men as Abolhassan Montazer and Vahid Baniamerian. It said they were hanged after being convicted of PMOI membership and “armed rebellion through involvement in multiple terrorist acts.”

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Iranian media said a strike hit the commercial terminal at the Shalamcheh border crossing in Khorramshahr, near the Iran-Iraq border. Mehr, citing Khuzestan Deputy Gov. Valiollah Hayati, said the site was targeted in an air attack. ISNA quoted Hayati as saying an Iraqi driver was killed and two Iranian workers were wounded.

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The order directed the Department of Homeland Security to create a list of eligible voters and provide it to states at least 60 days before an election. It also directed the U.S. Postal Service to accept mail-in ballots only from voters on that list.

Jackson said the order violated the U.S. Constitution by interfering with states’ authority to administer elections, as well as federal and state laws.

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Police and fire officials in Swansboro responded to multiple crashes each month, according to the article. Officers in the new unit will target stop sign, red light, and speeding violations, with a focus on high-traffic areas, including school zones.

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Barry Keith Cooper, 47, of Jacksonville, was identified as the victim. He was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries and later died, the sheriff’s office said.

Shakin Zion Bullock, 19, of Jacksonville, was charged with an open count of murder and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, according to the sheriff’s office. He was being held without bond.

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County tax records showed the 400-unit apartment complex paid about $1.2 million annually from 2022 through 2024, but owed no property taxes in 2025. The town said the total tax break was about $1.3 million, including losses to Beaufort County Public Schools, Beaufort County, and green space conservation funding.

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NASA said the Artemis II astronauts passed the halfway point between Earth and the Moon on Saturday as they traveled toward a planned lunar flyby.

The milestone came about two days, five hours, and 24 minutes after the Orion spacecraft launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, according to NASA. The agency’s online dashboard showed early Saturday that Orion was more than 229,000 kilometers, or 142,000 miles, from Earth.

NASA official Lakiesha Hawkins said during a Friday briefing that the photographs taken by commander Reid Wiseman were “amazing.”

“We continue to learn all about our spacecraft as we operate it in deep space with crew for the first time,” Hawkins said. “It’s important to remind ourselves of that as we learn a little bit more day by day.”

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NASA officials said Friday that all systems were performing well and that the astronauts were in “great spirits” and had spoken with their families.

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The Artemis II mission is part of NASA’s longer-term plan to return astronauts to the Moon repeatedly and establish a permanent lunar base for further exploration.