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U.S. officials point at Elon Musk over reported Starlink military slowdown

techOct 22, 2026351,073

Sen. Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth publicly pinpointed SpaceX founder Elon Musk after The Wall Street Journal reported that Musk ordered a slowdown of Starlink and its military counterpart Starshield for Ukraine. Rubio told reporters that Ukraine’s access to Starlink “is governed by a private commercial contract” and depends on what speeds SpaceX allows, while Hegseth said compliance with terms of service is ultimately a commercial decision for Starlink. The Journal’s report followed Reuters reporting that an order to throttle Starlink had come from inside the White House in a directive to the Pentagon, though Reuters did not name who issued it. President Trump denied involvement, saying “I was not involved,” even as at least one source told the Journal that Trump and Musk spoke before the slowdown. Outgoing Sen. John Cornyn expressed doubt that Musk acted without White House acquiescence and called for accountability. Starlink’s slowdown comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky criticized Trump for waiving sanctions and arranging a Russian diesel purchase, and the episode has prompted demands from Republicans for an investigation into who authorized the throttling.

capitolhunters
@capitolhunters.bsky.social

So the same month that Elon Musk throttled Starlink to run his own military policy, he's also seeking more control over your flow of information. Musk and the Ellisons will control CNN and CBS for news; HBO, Warner Bros, Paramount & more for entertainment; Twitter (X) and TikTok for social media.

1641h ago
Quoting this
Will Stancil295

Who's in charge of this country because it sure isn't us and it doesn't even appear to be the government anymore A bunch of paunchy moon-faced degenerate dead-eyed parasites forming a human centipede of investment in each others' vanity conglomerates, not a scintilla of civic virtue among them

Radley Balko143

If these gits cancel John Oliver, I turn into the Joker.

ryan cooper104

boy I sure hope the AI bubble pops in a big way, and soon

Neil Lewis, Jr.78

“Who helped Elon finance Twitter when he bought it? Larry Ellison,” Malone said. “How did Larry Ellison come up with some of the money to put into the creation of Skydance? Tesla stock. And I would not doubt for a minute that before very long you’re going to see an announcement.”

Howard Dalton8

Daily reminder that a South African Nazi is goosestepping all over our democracy with his obscene wealth.

Greg Greene (he/him/his)6

[ME, glowering toward Sacramento:] "… I tried to tell y'all."

Clean Observer4

This is why @robbonta.bsky.social and @gavinnewsom.bsky.social should be haunted by this everywhere they go. Every day of delay was worth it.

Pretty Khemyst2

You know what I want the next Congress to focus on? Permanently breaking up monopolies. They did it with Ma Bell and here we are right back but on steroids. In the meantime, its also time to go back outside. Rediscover your city. Choose your adventure because there won't be much to watch.

Jane Roe Has Hope - Pro-choice Adoptee2

Get off TikTok, you numpties!

Fall of Shafiq2

Anything they control is something I won’t use. Make their shit as useless as possible where it hurts them.

George Pearkes
@peark.es

lol they had to get a partial bailout from Elon *ELON MUSK INVESTED $1B IN ELLISON’S SKYDANCE: SEMAFOR

2762h ago
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