On a Thursday in early June, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent faced the House Ways and Means Committee a day after declining to say whether the President and his family would keep their shield from IRS audits, a question raised by the administration's abandonment of a $1.776 billion compensation fund that would have served the president's allies. Around the same moment, an AP investigation revealed that dozens of children had been separated from their parents a second time, despite a settlement meant to end such ruptures, and some of those parents now sit in detention or have been sent abroad.
Bessent Testifies on Treasury Priorities as Administration Drops $1.776B Fund and Bolton Nears Plea Deal
AP reports dozens of children were re-separated from their parents, some of whom remain in immigration detention for months or were deported.
Dozens of children, separated from their parents a second time
Mark
Why does the audit question matter so much?
Mimi
Bessent wouldn't say whether Trump and his family would still be shielded from IRS audits, and that came right after the $1.776 billion fund was dropped.
Luke
Careful, though. The reporting says he declined to answer. It doesn't confirm that any immunity exists.
Mark
And the Bolton plea?
Mimi
One count of retaining classified information, possibly with no prison time.
Luke
That's from an unnamed person familiar with the matter. No court filing is cited yet.
Mark
The AP separation finding seems heavy.
Mimi
Dozens of children re-separated, some parents detained for months or deported, despite the settlement.
Luke
"Dozens" is the AP's count, and the emails are described but not published here. We don't know the full scale.
Mark
What's the common thread?
Mimi
Many items are about institutions responding to pressure: a court, a planning commission, Congress.
Luke
Fair, but the coal figure and the Cuba sanctions are documented, while the rally and arch claims are Trump's own statements.
The Pulse
- Bessent is pressed before lawmakers on whether the Trump family's IRS audit immunity survives the abandoned $1.776 billion fund.
- An AP investigation finds dozens of children re-separated from their parents, years after a landmark settlement was meant to prevent exactly that.
- Some parents have been held in detention for months while others were deported, with emails suggesting people legally protected from removal were sent out anyway.
- New sanctions on Cuban President Díaz-Canel draw a sharp rebuke from Havana, which calls the move vile and vows greater national unity.
- Congress and the courts now stand as the next checkpoints, with IRS immunity questions and legal responses to the separations awaiting their scrutiny.
On a Thursday in early June, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent faced the House Ways and Means Committee a day after declining to say whether the President and his family would keep their shield from IRS audits, a question raised by the administration's abandonment of a $1.776 billion compensation fund that would have served the president's allies. Around the same moment, an AP investigation revealed that dozens of children had been separated from their parents a second time, despite a settlement meant to end such ruptures, and some of those parents now sit in detention or have been sent abroad. Across these threads runs a familiar question for any republic: whether the powerful are held to the same standards as everyone else, and whether the promises made to the vulnerable survive the political weather.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent returned to Capitol Hill on Thursday to testify before the House Ways and Means Committee. The day before, he had declined to say whether President Trump and his family would still be shielded from IRS audits, a question that followed the administration's decision to drop a planned $1.776 billion compensation fund that would have benefited the president's allies.
The same day brought a sobering finding from an Associated Press investigation. Dozens of children have been separated from their parents a second time, even though a landmark settlement was supposed to keep families together. Some parents remain in immigration detention for months, and others were deported after being taken from their children again. Emails obtained by the AP suggest that in some cases, officials deported people even after finding they were legally protected from removal.
Elsewhere, the Treasury Department posted sanctions on Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel and four others, including a son of former President Raúl Castro. Cuba's foreign minister condemned the move as vile and vowed that any threat to his nation's sovereignty would be met with greater unity.
The day's news also included the Kennedy Center beginning to remove Trump's name under a federal court ruling, and a planning commission asking for more information on a proposed triumphal arch. The threads to watch now are congressional questions about IRS immunity and the legal response to the re-separations.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent returned to Capitol Hill on Thursday to testify before the House Ways and Means Committee about the department's priorities. The appearance came one day after he declined to say whether President Donald Trump and his family would still be shielded from IRS audits, following the administration's decision to abandon a planned $1.776 billion compensation fund that would have benefited the president's allies.
The same day, a person familiar with the matter said former national security adviser John Bolton has agreed to plead guilty to a single count of retaining classified information. Under the deal with the Justice Department, he could avoid prison time.
Among the other developments, an Associated Press investigation found that the government has separated dozens of children from their parents for a second time. Eight years after Trump's forcible border separations officially ended amid global outrage, the AP reports re-separations have occurred despite a landmark legal settlement meant to keep families together. Some parents have been held in immigration detention for months; others were deported to their home countries after being taken from their children again. Emails obtained by the AP show that in some cases, immigration officials making interior arrests deported people even after finding they were legally off limits for removal.
On Cuba, the Treasury Department posted a filing Thursday showing sanctions on President Miguel Díaz-Canel and four other individuals, including Alejandro Castro Espín, son of former President Raúl Castro. They follow an executive order from Trump expanding sanctions on the island. The U.S. has previously sanctioned heads of state and their relatives, including Sudan's Omar al-Bashir, Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe, and more recently Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro and his wife. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez condemned the move on X, calling the inclusion of Díaz-Canel, Cuban institutions and civil society groups "vile" and saying any threat to Cuba's sovereignty would be met with greater unity.
At the Kennedy Center, lawyers sent staff a memo Thursday starting the removal of Trump references, a week after a federal judge ruled on May 29 that his name was illegally added. Email signatures, letterhead and other documents must read "The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts" or "Kennedy Center" by June 12. The ruling also blocked a closure for renovations planned for July. Hours afterward, Trump said he was backing away from the revamp and arranging to hand control to Congress. A spokesperson said the center is complying while weighing legal options.
Elsewhere, the National Capital Planning Commission voted to seek more information on Trump's proposed 250-foot triumphal arch, specifically its effect on air navigation and traffic between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery. Public comments mostly raised concerns about scale and skyline impact, and one critic called it a "vanity project." Trump says private donations can fund it.
Trump also announced a June 24 rally for the country's 250th anniversary, featuring Lee Greenwood, Christopher Macchio and military bands, after several musical acts backed out of a related concert. He said a UFC octagon on the South Lawn will come down after the June 14 bout, calling his earlier remark about keeping it a joke. He said he will attend a Knicks NBA Finals game at Madison Square Garden, possibly Monday. On Ukraine, he said it would be great if Putin and Zelenskyy met. He said Bill Pulte, acting director of national intelligence, will not be the permanent pick. Bureau of Labor Statistics data show 1,800 coal mining jobs lost since 2025, over 4% of the workforce, despite Trump's claim that miners are going back to work.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured Kuwait's foreign minister of U.S. support a day after an Iranian strike on Kuwait's international airport. What to watch: congressional follow-up on the IRS immunity question, and the legal response to the re-separations.
Notable Quotes
Every threat against Cuba's independence and sovereignty will be met with even greater unity and determination from our people.— Bruno Rodríguez, Cuban foreign minister
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