Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, speaking over the past hour, defended a $20 billion bailout of Argentina by stating "It is America First because we are supporting a U.S. ally." Bessent appeared on "Face the Nation" where he was pressed by host Margaret Brennan on why President Trump has not negotiated with Democrats to end the ongoing government shutdown. During the interview, which concluded shortly before 2:45 PM UTC, Bessent stammered when Brennan questioned his stance on the shutdown negotiations, according to a video shared on X. This exchange occurred as the Treasury Department confirmed the bailout for Argentina, a move Bessent framed as strategically aligned with American interests. In separate remarks this week, Bessent had labeled Putin envoy Kirill Dmitriev a "Russian propagandist" and confirmed the Treasury had temporarily paused sanctions on Dmitriev to allow for travel to the U.S. for meetings with Trump envoy Steve Witkoff. Bessent also previously stated that Russia's oil earnings are down 20% year-over-year, with a potential further decrease of 20% to 30% predicted, noting that this revenue "funds the Russian war machine." Meanwhile, in a separate development reported earlier today, Gavin, whose father served as attorney for the billionaire Getty family, discussed his upbringing on an NBA podcast, stating, "It was about payin' the bills, man." He also described his youth as "Hustlin" and "Wonder bread and Mac 'n cheese."
