President Donald Trump faces potential backlash from Republican voters during the midterms, which could lead to increased Congressional scrutiny from Democrats if they win control of the House and Senate.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) does not regret voting for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation as secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), reaffirming her position in a Thursday debate. “I agree with him on some issues; I don’t with others,” Collins said. “He was very helpful in expediting the release of the low-income eating assistance…

White House officials instructed Pentagon leaders to limit Starshield, SpaceX’s military-grade satellite service used by Ukrainian forces, Reuters reported on 15 October, citing three officials. The report came a day after a senior US official told Axios the Trump administration had nothing to do with the alleged Starlink restrictions.

Ukrainian forces rely on US-controlled satellite technology for battlefield operations and for intercepting Russian drones aimed at Ukrainian cities, so the latest restrictions have raised questions about how reliably they can depend on it.

Senior US official denies president requested restrictions

Asked about the order, a senior US official replied, “No such request was ever made by the president.” The White House did not respond to questions about whether other administration officials might have made the request.

Ukrainian officials contacted the White House, State Department and Pentagon on 13 and 14 October and were told it was a White House decision

European allies question Starlink restrictions

European officials raised concerns about the restrictions. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul criticized the throttling and said Ukraine must continue to receive full support, Spiegel reported on 15 October. Wadephul said Germany had questions for the US, noting that Germany finances part of the Starlink technology used in Ukraine.

On 16 October, UK Defense Secretary Wes Streeting said US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had assured him in a face-to-face meeting that Starlink was back up and running, the Guardian reported. However, a Ukrainian Defense Ministry source said that military-grade terminals were working in motion again, but only at speeds of up to 160 km/h.

New data-speed restrictions disrupted drone missions

The military Starshield package previously had no data-speed restrictions, Ukraine’s 7th Rapid Response Corps told Novynarnia. Ukrainian officials said that after the restrictions were imposed, terminals disconnected when drones exceeded 160 km/h and sometimes at 80 km/h.

The Corps also reported 10–20-second connection drops at 110–120 km/h on the Huliaipole front, which made drones harder to control. One unit had to cancel some missions.

The restrictions came as US President Donald Trump pressed Kyiv to stop striking Russian oil refineries, blaming them for soaring energy prices ahead of November’s midterm elections. Ukraine suspects SpaceX imposed the restrictions to pressure Kyiv over the refinery strikes, but that motive has not been confirmed.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) suggested that President Trump should remove Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth from his position before the House votes to impeach him. The Kentucky Republican, who often finds himself in the crosshairs of Trump for breaking with the party, was responding to a report claiming that the president was considering firing the Pentagon…

En un tenso contexto electoral para los republicanos, Trump, que había apoyado el plan de ejecución pública, dio marcha atrás, aunque señaló que "podría haber sido un fuerte disuasivo".

The president said only immediate families of the victims of the mass shooting in 2009 would witness the execution of Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan.

© Doug Mills/The New York Times