Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent referred to Putin envoy Kirill Dmitriev as a "Russian propagandist" this week, according to statements made on Face the Nation and shared on X by @margbrennan. Bessent confirmed the Treasury had paused sanctions on Dmitriev to allow him to travel to the U.S. for meetings with Trump envoy Steve Witkoff. Bessent also indicated that Russia's oil earnings are down 20% year over year, predicting a potential further decrease of 20% to 30%, stating that oil revenue "funds the Russian war machine." In separate developments, new details have emerged regarding a call between former Vice President Mike Pence and then-President Donald Trump on January 6th. According to exclusive excerpts from Mike Pence's notes, published in conjunction with the release of the book "Retribution" by Jonathan Karl, Trump told Pence, "You'll go down as a wimp." These notes are presented as key evidence in an unspecified case. Secretary Bessent also expressed confidence regarding U.S.-China trade talks, stating that President Trump provided significant negotiating leverage with the threat of 100% tariffs on November 1st. Bessent believes a substantial framework has been reached to avoid these tariffs and facilitate further discussions. U.S. and Chinese officials have sounded confident after trade talks held in Kuala Lumpur, according to reporting by The Wall Street Journal. Meanwhile, a State Department intelligence bureau has cast doubt on the notion that Russian President Putin is prepared to negotiate an end to the Ukraine war, a view that diverges from a more optimistic assessment of potential talks from the CIA, as reported by The Wall Street Journal. In other news, U.S. Border Patrol's Special Operations Group highlighted the capabilities of its agents and canines in a statement on X, asserting they are "built different, and trained to take down any threat."
