Stock market holds solid gain as Ukrainian President says 'nobody pushed me'

U.S. stocks held solid gains Wednesday afternoon as investors keyed in on a news conference between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 175 points, or 0.7%, at 26,982, the S&P 500 index climbed 0.6% at 2,984, while the Nasdaq Composite Index advanced 1% to 8,070. Zelensky said "nobody pushed me," in reference to questions about whether he felt pressured by Trump to investigate the former Vice President Joe Biden's son Hunter. At issue, is a July 25 phone call between Zelensky and Trump, where he is accused of abusing his presidential powers by threatening to withhold money from Ukraine in return for Zelensky launching a probe. Joe Biden is attempting to become the Democratic presidential nominee in the 2020 election. A summary of the Zelensky/Trump conversation was released by the White House earlier in the session. The recap revealed that Trump asked Zelensky to "look into" former vice president Biden, but the 25-minute call didn't mention military aid to the country. Zelensky said he doesn't want to get involved in U.S. affairs. On Tuesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced an impeachment inquiry into Trump tied to the Ukraine call.

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