Rebel Republican senators secretly threaten to hold up Trump's nominees in an escalating clash with the White House over Ukraine

From the Newshound archive · first published 24 October 2026.

Ukrainian drones fell out of the sky mid-operation after Starshield — the SpaceX-operated network on which they depend for connectivity — suddenly went dark. As of Friday, Ukrainian commanders report that bandwidth restrictions remain in effect. Attack alerts came through so late that American diplomats in Kyiv took cover in corridors rather than reaching bunkers. President Donald Trump reportedly called Elon Musk last week to press him to restore full service.

Sen. Thom Tillis and Sen. Richard Blumenthal organised a bipartisan call with Volodymyr Zelensky.

The threat would hit during the lame-duck session, when dozens of nominees await approval.