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Well before this month's restrictions on Ukraine's military access to Elon Musk's satellite communications system, the Biden and Trump administrations had repeatedly asked SpaceX to turn its Starlink service on or off in various countries, according to six former senior...

President Donald Trump defended Elon Musk when asked about Democrats potentially targeting the Tesla and SpaceX CEO if they gain control of Congress in the midterms.

Jonathan Capehart of MS NOW and National Review editor Ramesh Ponnuru join Geoff Bennett to discuss the week in politics, including the Trump administration's legal fight over a closely watched Senate race in Alaska, reports that Elon Musk restricted Ukraine's access to Starlink and Vivek Ramaswamy's personal ad attacking his opponent in the Ohio governor's race.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday that service remained slow from Starshield, SpaceX's military-grade version of the Starlink satellite internet service.

Ukraine’s military on Friday struggled with a still-slowed Starlink satellite system despite President Trump’s promise a day earlier that SpaceX owner Elon Musk had restored the service. Connections with Starshield — the military version of Starlink, a major tool for Ukraine to defend itself from missile and drone attacks from Russia — continued to fail...

Plus: All eyes on Musk amid Starlink saga {beacon} It’s Friday, and it's shaping up to be a busy one with lots of news breaking before lunchtime. Let's dive in, shall we? In today's issue: Trump heads to Florida Fight over Starlink in Ukraine drags on Omar hit with another Trump accusation LeBron shrugs...

Trump reportedly asked Musk to lift restrictions on military-grade Starlink assets in Ukraine that impacted the country’s drone capabilities.

The woman who watched French rioters destroy her livelihood. Inside the annual conference where men learn how to get laid. And more. It’s Friday, October 23. This is The Front Page, your daily window into the world of The Free Press—and our take on the world at large. Today: Kara Kennedy attends SlutCon, where “flirt girls” teach awkward men how to get laid. A Parisian bakery owner shares a harrowing first-person account of watching rioters loot her store. And much more. But first: the method to Trump’s foreign policy madness. Anyone hoping to keep up with U.S. foreign policy this week had their work cut out for them. The week began with news that Russian president Vladimir Putin had proposed a summit to discuss Ukraine. The participants? Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping—but not Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky. Trump reportedly did not reject the proposal. Then we learned that Elon Musk had green-lit a slowdown of a military-grade Starlink that Ukraine uses for many of its drones. If this all sounds backward to you, you’re not alone. “Confused is how many people today feel about U.S. foreign policy,” Niall Ferguson writes in our lead story today. “For some people,” he continues, “the only possible explanation for all of this is that President Donald Trump is simply a crazed man-child emperor.” Those people would be wrong, he says. “To understand Trump’s approach to foreign policy, and particularly his counterintuitive approach to the war in Ukraine, you have to understand the debt he . . . owes to a 20th-century president: Richard Nixon.” Read Niall’s column to understand how the 47th president’s strategy borrows a page from the 37th’s—and the one key difference that may determine whether Trump ultimately succeeds. Still, Trump’s apparent courting of Putin is hard for many to stomach. That’s especially true when you consider the case of Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter who was imprisoned by Russia for 491 days on trumped-up espionage charges. Evan has written a new book about his time in prison, and today he talks to Tanya Lukyanova about his experience, his thoughts on ongoing hostage diplomacy, and what Putin still gets wrong about him. Click below to watch the interview. —The Editors EDITORS’ PICKS The biggest story this week was the rioting in France, and for the past five days, we’ve brought you a series of stories to help make sense of the violence. With unrest threatening to resume this weekend, don’t miss Douglas Murray, Simone Rodan-Benzaquen, and Nora Bussigny on the essential questions raised by the riots: Who is behind them, what is at stake, and can French culture and the Republic endure their aftermath? In case you missed it, we recently brought a new columnist aboard. Ross Douthat is writing for The Free Press every Thursday, and this week, he took on a topic he knows better than almost anyone: the so-called religious revival in the West. Despite the cultural cachet enjoyed by today’s Catholics, he wrote, “the form of Christianity that’s most adapted to late-modern America” isn’t Catholicism—“it’s evangelical Protestantism.” In his latest column, he revealed why the sect of Christianity most often criticized by the left has more to teach us about ourselves than we might think. In the early 20th century, Portsmouth, Ohio, was a bustling metropolis, home to an NFL team and booming manufacturing plants. Then, in the 1990s, the town was hollowed out by deindustrialization and devastated by the opioid crisis, swiftly becoming the “pill mill” capital of America. Today, it’s been overrun by addicts seeking treatment, leading to the emergence of a new cottage industry: substance abuse recovery. But when Frannie Block went to Portsmouth, she found something troubling: an industry that locals say is rife with exploitation, abuse, and fraud. Her latest investigation takes us to a forgotten corner of America, where the cure to the opioid crisis may have become worse than the disease. It’s a…

Communications system still faces speed restrictions despite Trump claim that Musk had resumed full service Trump, Musk, Zelenskyy: who is blaming who in the Ukraine-Starlink row? Ukrainian forces continue to report widespread disruptions to the Starlink satellite network , despite Donald Trump’s claim that Elon Musk had lifted restrictions on the service. The slowdown, which has affected the key communications system used by Ukrainian troops, began last week after Trump and Starlink founder Musk publicly criticised Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, over continued strikes on Russian oil refineries. Continue reading...

A war of words has erupted over who is responsible for the restrictions on Starshield access in Ukraine A war of words has erupted between the Trump administration, officials in Kyiv and Elon Musk over who is to blame for limiting Ukraine’s access to Space X’s military-grade version of Starlink. The restrictions to Starshield have rendered many of the drones used by Kyiv to strike behind the frontlines inoperable and hampered air defence systems that stop Russian attacks, according to Ukrainian officials . Continue reading...

US president says Starshield military communications system is back, but declines to comment on whether he spoke to Musk on the matter. What we know on day 1,703 Donald Trump has claimed that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk fully restored Ukraine’s Starlink access , restrictions on which have hampered Ukraine’s attack missions and air defence. However, a senior European official told the Associated Press on Thursday that nothing has changed in the operation of the military-grade Starshield service. The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump had called Musk and asked him to lift restrictions on Ukraine’s use of ⁠the system. Trump on Thursday appeared to confirm that the service had been down, but claimed it was once again working at optimal speeds. “You know, whether I called or whether somebody else called, doesn’t make any difference,” he said. “I guess the bottom line, he put it back.” Questions over who ordered interruptions to Starshield – which plunged relations between Kyiv and Washington to a new low – have ignited a blame game within the Trump administration and its allies . Trump has denied being involved in the decision concerning the slowdown, while US secretary of state Marco Rubio has said that decisions regarding Ukraine’s access to Starlink were up to its parent company SpaceX and Musk, not the White House. Musk last week posted to X: “Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government. Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS.” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said ⁠on Thursday – before Trump’s latest comments – that Starlink had not ⁠been fully restored. Russia pounded Kyiv with ballistic missiles overnight , after US envoy Steve Witkoff met Vladimir Putin to discuss the resumption of peace talks. Russia’s aerial attacks hit 12 regions of Ukraine, killing at least four people and wounding scores of others, including five children, Zelenskyy said on social media Thursday. Two women, aged 50 and 60, were killed and dozens of other people were wounded in a Russian strike on a market in Lozova, in Ukraine’s northeeastern Kharkiv region, said Oleh Syniehubov, head of the regional military administration. Another person was killed in other strikes on Kharkiv. Downing Street has rejected the description of Putin as a “humanitarian” made by Witkoff after meeting the Russian president. When asked about the US envoy’s comments, a Downing Street spokesperson said: “We certainly do not recognise that characterisation, and President Putin has killed thousands of people, both innocent Ukrainians and his own Russian people, who he has sent to their deaths on the frontline.” Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha chided Witkoff for flattering Putin, saying on social media the latest “brutal” Russian attacks demonstrate “what Russian ‘humanism’ truly sounds like.” Nato member Denmark said on Thursday it has agreed to buy its first ⁠long-range precision missiles as ⁠it seeks to bolster its security to deter Russian aggression in Europe, drawing condemnation from Moscow. Defence minister Jeppe Bruus said the new missile systems would boost Denmark’s capabilities and enable strikes “behind enemy lines” ⁠if attacked. “We’re in a serious and deteriorating security situation and that ​is why we are ‌building up the defence ‌and strengthening our combat power,” he said. The Russian embassy in ‌Copenhagen said Denmark’s missile policy aimed at confrontation with Moscow and warned of “inevitable disastrous consequences”. Romania will accelerate development of surveillance capabilities and equipment to counter mines ⁠and drones in the Black Sea after a series of drone attacks on commercial ships off ⁠its coast , its ⁠top defence council ​said on Thursday. At least seven cargo ships have been hit near the coasts of Nato members ⁠Romania and Bulgaria in the past two weeks, with 30 sailors reported dead or missing. No ⁠deals should ​be made to buy gas from ⁠Russia as long as Moscow’s war ⁠in Ukraine continues, Finland’s prime ⁠minister Petteri Orpo said in Kyiv on Thursday . The EU banned Russian pipeline gas under short-term contracts ​from 17 June, and will ​apply it to long-term contracts from 1 November next year. Senior Russian political and energy officials meanwhile have urged the EU to reconsider plans to ban imports of ⁠Russian LNG, arguing the bloc’s ⁠low storage levels ​had put Europe in a precarious position. “I ‌hope there is still time to reconsider these decisions,” Leonid Mikhelson, the head of Novatek, Russia’s largest liquefied natural ‌gas producer, told an economic forum in Istanbul on Thursday. “Europe should support its industry, in my view. There is still time.” Continue reading...

The call from the president about the Starshield network came after officials in Ukraine reported that they found new limits on the use of military drones in their war against Russia.

"Balance of Power" focuses on the intersection of politics and global business. On today's show, Celinda Lake, founder of Lake Research and a Democratic pollster whose firm has done polling for Abdul El-Sayed’s Senate campaign, says Republicans are in deep trouble, but Democrats have a lot to prove. Evelyn Farkas, McCain Institute executive director and former deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia, says it's a moral problem for the US that Starlink speeds were slowed while Ukrainians were trying to intercept missiles and drones targeting civilians. Aaron Lehman, president of the Iowa Farmers Union and fifth-generation farmer in Polk County, Iowa, says both diesel prices and tariffs have been devastating for farmers. (Source: Bloomberg)

Elon Musk has publicly endorsed a combination of SpaceX and Tesla, his two most valuable companies, in what would be the biggest corporate transaction ever attempted. There's a push to announce a deal by the first half of 2027, so that it closes during the current administration, according to people familiar with the matter, with the combined market value of the companies being around $3.7 trillion. Musk's endorsement comes at a moment of extraordinary influence for him, having repaired his relationship with President Donald Trump and tapped into fervent investor enthusiasm, but this advantage is not guaranteed to last. On today's episode: Max Chafkin, Bloomberg Businessweek Senior Reporter Jackie Reses, co-founder and CEO of Lead Brett Winton, Chief Futurist, ARK Investment Management Andra Timu, Bloomberg Reporter covering Romania on Russian Drones Attacking EU (Source: Bloomberg)

President Trump wouldn’t say Thursday whether he was the one who called SpaceX founder Elon Musk to restore Starlink for Ukraine. “Well, I don’t want to say, but I know it was a very interesting situation,” he told reporters before departing the White House. “I don’t want to comment one way or the other.” “Whether...

Elon Musk, a critic of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, had ordered the slowdown of SpaceX's Starlink, The Wall Street Journal previously reported.

President Donald Trump asked Elon Musk on Wednesday to lift restrictions on Starlink satellite services in Ukraine after the SpaceX founder allegedly ordered a slowdown that hampered Ukrainian defenses against Russian attacks, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing U.S. officials.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday the Trump administration was not responsible for throttled Starlink connectivity in Ukraine.

President Donald Trump reportedly called Elon Musk on Wednesday and asked the SpaceX chief to lift restrictions on a satellite communications system that had disrupted Ukrainian drone operations. Service improved Thursday, although some Ukrainian officials said it had not returned to full functionality, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing U.S. and Ukrainian officials. Trump confirmed ...

President Donald Trump spoke to SpaceX Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk and asked him to lift restrictions on his company’s Starlink satellite system, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

President Trump and former President Obama are on the campaign trail for the midterms, U.S. and Israel are planning for a possible post-midterms attack on Iran, Musk says SpaceX and Tesla could merge.

Asked if Elon Musk ordered the slowdown, Trump said, "I don't know who did it, but I was not involved."

Late-night hosts discussed Donald Trump’s praise for Elon Musk as well as the physical appearance of several male US Senate candidates Late-night hosts recapped Donald Trump ’s recent comments on Elon Musk and the physical attractiveness of numerous male candidates in the upcoming US midterms. Continue reading...

Shortly after President Donald Trump’s second term began, Elon Musk proclaimed “RIP CFPB” while trying to kill the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The president and Congress slashed the federal agency’s budget, almost in half, by enacting the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. However, Musk’s chainsaw and Congress’s axe can’t cut through political reality: Voters really […]

House Democrats' main super PAC is winding down its spending in several races where the party has struggled to make headway despite national trends working in their favor . Why it matters: Democrats' ambitions of winning heavily Republican districts are running into the reality of finite resources at the end of a long and expensive midterm campaign. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and its corresponding super PAC, House Majority PAC, have struggled to keep pace with their GOP counterparts' monster fundraising this cycle. Republicans also have the bonus advantage of a network of cash-rich outside groups, namely President Trump's MAGA Inc. and Elon Musk's America PAC . Driving the news: HMP pulled back its spending this week in three Republican-leaning districts, according to AdImpact and a source familiar with the matter. TN-05: Democrats were bullish about their star recruit, Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder, until redistricting made the district redder and embattled Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) lost his primary to former state Agriculture Commissioner Charlie Hatcher . HMP has drawn down its ad reservations in the district from nearly $1.6 million this month to a little over $500,000 as of Monday. Trump carried the newly reconstituted 5th district by 21 percentage points in 2024. Cook Political Report rates the race as "solidly Republican." FL-07: Facing a situation similar to Tennessee, Democrats liked their odds of unseating scandal-tarred Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.), who lost his primary to former local news anchor Ryan Elijah. Like Molder, Democratic candidate Bale Dalton, a former NASA chief of staff, was a top DCCC recruit and is part of the committee's coveted "Red to Blue" program. HMP essentially halved its investment in the district on Monday, cutting ad reservations from $3.9 million to just $1.95 million. Cook rates the race as "likely Republican," though a poll released by the DCCC on Tuesday had the two candidates tied at 45% each. CO-03: A top target for Democrats when Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) represented it, the seat has become a heavier lift for the party since she abandoned it and Rep. Jeff Hurd (R-Colo.) took office last year. Democrat Dwayne Romero, a real estate company CEO and Army veteran, is seen by party operatives as having failed to build the kind of momentum shown by Jessica Killin in the neighboring 5th District. HMP halved its investment in this district too, from more than $2.1 million last week to less than $1.1 million as of Monday. Between the lines: The group has also made partial cuts — what it calls "shaves" — in districts where Democrats have struggled to gain traction but still see a glimmer of hope. That includes Arizona's 2nd District, where Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.) is locked in a rematch with former Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez in a race Cook rates as "likely Republican." HMP has also taken some money out of Texas' 23rd District, where Republican Brandon Herrera, a right-wing YouTuber, is facing Democratic lawyer Katy Padilla Stout in another race rated "likely Republican." Yes, but: Some HMP triages are in districts where they feel confident the Democratic candidate will prevail. That includes Reps. Greg Landsman (D-Ohio) and Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-Mich.), both of whose races are rated "likely Democratic" by Cook. The PAC has also pulled back in the districts of retiring Reps. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and Don Bacon (R-Neb.), which Democrats are increasingly bullish about flipping. The money from these cuts is funneled to districts the party views as more core battlegrounds — including some seats Trump carried by double digits in 2024 that Democrats nevertheless view as winnable. HMP has added at least $4.7 million to its existing investments in nearly two dozen districts over the last two days. What they're saying: Phil Gardner, a senior adviser for Blue Dog Action — a centrist group backing Dalton — told Axios of the cuts in Florida, "I'm not sure what HMP was thinking here." "The rest of the party is not triaging this seat," he said, citing the DCCC's poll and House Minority Whip Katherine Clark's (D-Mass.) plans to campaign there on Wednesday. Gardner said he agrees with "95% of the decisions HMP's made this cycle," but that it is "bonkers they're dumping so much money" into Maine's 2nd District "while leaving one of the party's best recruits high and dry in Florida." Blue Dog Action spent nearly $500,000 to help Dalton win the primary, but it hasn't yet invested any money in the general election. The bottom line: "We're focused on taking back the House," CJ Warnke, a spokesperson for HMP, told Axios in response to Gardner's criticism. Said Gardner: "I'm confident they'll rethink and make the right decision for the final week. Bale can win and hold that seat with everyone's help."