Our Take: Who Spun It, Who Didn’t
Spin Meter: Heavy Spin
Ukraine’s military satellite service suddenly cut out for anything moving faster than 100 mph. Ukraine’s drones move faster than 100 mph. Missions failed. So, who flipped the switch?
Musk: “decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS.” Trump: “I didn’t do that,” and he isn’t sure it even slowed down, because he “just checked this morning.” Checked how, exactly? Reuters: two U.S. officials say the order came from inside the White House. White House: “No such request was ever made by the president.” That’s four people pointing at each other in a room with one light switch.
And then there’s Alex Jones, who says he predicted it, with help from Victor Bout. Yes, that Victor Bout. The arms dealer. Nothing says “trusted military analyst” like a guy the U.S. traded for a basketball player.
The good part: Kyiv is talking with SpaceX and the Pentagon to lift the cap. Eventually somebody has to admit they touched it.
Left
NBC News: “Ukraine says new Starlink restrictions disrupt military amid intel gaps, Trump clash”
Solid reporting from the front: the unit statements, the 100 mph limit, Musk’s line pinning it on POTUS. But the lede says Ukraine “accused Elon Musk’s SpaceX” before we learn Musk says it’s not his call. Leading with the guy you like least isn’t lying. It’s arranging.
Center
Three officials, and it printed the White House denial right next to them. Didn’t pretend to know who gave the order, because it doesn’t. Anonymous sources cost a point, then it earned the point back by saying exactly what it didn’t know. Rare skill.
Right
It wasn’t “cut off.” It was speed-capped. Big difference if you’re a drone. The next day’s show said Trump “turned Starlink back on,” which is wild, because Trump says he never turned it off. Alex is now taking credit for an event Trump says didn’t happen. That’s a Trump-supporting site contradicting Trump to compliment itself. Then it brought in an arms dealer for analysis. Tomorrow’s news today. Today’s facts, maybe Thursday.
The facts, checked
- CONFIRMEDThe cap cuts Starshield’s data link for terminals moving faster than 160 km/h (100 mph), and it disrupted Ukrainian drone missions (AP, NBC News, CNBC).
- CONFIRMEDMusk: “Any limits on speed or usage are decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS” (CNBC, NBC News, The Hill).
- CONFIRMEDTrump: “I didn’t do that” and “I just checked this morning” (The Hill, Washington Post/AP).
- REPORTEDTwo U.S. officials and a Western official say the order came from inside the White House. The White House denies the president requested it (Reuters via Defense News).
- CONFIRMEDUkraine is in talks with SpaceX and the Pentagon to lift the cap (AP).
- FALSE“Access cut off.” Service was limited at high speeds, not shut off (AP, NBC News, CNBC).
Closest to the truth: Reuters (center)
Center wins clean. NBC was accurate but framed SpaceX first. Alex Jones turned a speed cap into a shutdown and then into a prophecy. The left was more accurate this round, and it wasn’t close. The real story nobody can answer yet: who sent the order. When somebody can, we’ll update this.
Sources
Satire-free zone: the jokes are ours, the facts are not made up. Grades and “Our Take” are analysis and opinion, not news. Scores follow the facts, not the team jersey.
Read the full story at BBC News
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