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On Wednesday, we wrote about the danger of letting one former trillionaire hold a country’s critical infrastructure in his hands. Turns out, there may have been more than one billionaire in that decision tree.
Reuters reports the order came from inside the White House. Musk said it’s ultimately Trump’s call. Trump denies any involvement. So a system Ukraine relies on for self-defense was throttled, and no one can tell us who gave the order.
Consider the timing. Trump told Ukraine to stop striking Russian refineries. He struck a deal to buy Russian diesel. Ukraine took out major Russian data centers. Then Ukraine’s satellite access was restricted. Each development gave Putin something he wants.
When American power is repeatedly used in ways that benefit an adversary and undermine an ally, it’s important to ask who is making these decisions and whose interests they serve. Sometimes just reporting the news feels like unwinding a conspiracy theory.
In this newsletter: Somebody gave the order. California on fire, again. A very brief White House career. The execution will not be televised. Trump takes aim at Omar’s citizenship. Who’s behind the ballroom? American photojournalist beaten in the West Bank. And in our first edition of People Doing Something, celebrating funding for dozens of initiatives across LA.
Who Gave the Order: The order to restrict Ukraine’s access to Starshield, the military version of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service, came from the White House, multiple officialstold Reuters. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says people died during combat operations because Starshield failed. Who exactly gave the order is unclear. Elon Muskclaimedthe U.S. government controls Starshield, which SpaceXdevelopedfor the Pentagon, and that any decision to limit access would have come from the Trump administration and “ultimately POTUS.” Trumpdeniedhe gave the order and said he didn’t know who was responsible. Sources𝕏tell the Telegraphthat Musk came to Trump with the idea. A bipartisan group of senatorsis askingthe Pentagon’s inspector general to investigate the incident. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA)suggestedlawmakers could impose “consequences” on the administration, including withholding funding from federal agencies responsible for the move. ZelenskyysaidStarshield services have since been improved butnot fully restored. The disruptionunderminedUkraine’s efforts to intercept Russian drones. “We felt it straight away,” one trooptoldReuters from near the front line. “It really did have a negative impact.”Battle Lines: The Starshield incident comes as the Trump administration once again turns against Ukraine. Zelenskyy publiclyexpressed his frustrationwith Trump, criticizing him for striking a diesel deal with Putin — one that other European leaders have nearlyunanimously condemned— andaccusing himof betraying Ukraine. Ukraine has nowresumed strikeson Russian oil refineries, ending its brief (and unilateral) acquiescence to Trump’s “energy truce.” TrumpslammedUkraine’s energy strikes as a “disgrace” and claimed Zelenskyy is “more difficult to deal with than Putin.” Musksaysit was “time for Zelenskyy to go.”
