Republican senators threaten to block Trump nominees over Ukraine satellite outage

Republican senators from both parties have privately threatened to block President Donald Trump's pending nominees unless his administration restores satellite communications that Ukraine's military relies on, according to The New York Times. The threat, not yet made public, would occur during the lame-duck session after the midterm elections. It follows Ukrainian reports that Starshield, a SpaceX-run network, was throttled, causing drones to crash, with Trump reportedly calling Elon Musk to restore access. The disruptions have endangered Americans, with delayed attack warnings forcing U.S. personnel in Kyiv to shelter in hallways. Senators Richard Blumenthal and Thom Tillis held a bipartisan call with President Volodymyr Zelensky, while Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick threatened to fire responsible officials and cut budgets.