Frist faces questions
The week's news at a glance.
Washington, D.C.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist came under increasing scrutiny this week as federal investigators looked into a stock trade he made this summer. Frist said he sold his stake in his family’s HCA Inc. hospital chain to avoid a conflict; critics had questioned how he could make unbiased decisions on health legislation while owning HCA stock. But at the time Frist unloaded his holdings, several insiders were also dumping HCA shares, and a month later, HCA issued a disappointing earnings forecast, sending the stock into a free-fall. Democrats, led by party chairman Howard Dean, called the trade “suspicious,” but Frist said he had no information “that was not available to the public.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
What should you be stockpiling for 'World War Three'?
In the Spotlight Britons advised to prepare after the EU tells its citizens to have an emergency kit just in case
By Elizabeth Carr-Ellis, The Week UK Published
-
Carnivore diet: why people are eating only meat
The Explainer 'Meatfluencers' are taking social media by storm but experts warn meat-only diets have health consequences
By Elizabeth Carr-Ellis, The Week UK Published
-
Scientists want to fight malaria by poisoning mosquitoes with human blood
Under the radar Drugging the bugs
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published