Our Take: Who Spun It, Who Didn’t
Spin Meter: Some Spin
Earlier this week Ukraine’s military satellite link got throttled, drones stopped catching Shaheds, and civilians paid for it. Now we have a full investigation. Elon says it’s the government’s system and ultimately the President’s call. The President says, “I just checked this morning, it wasn’t us,” and also “I don’t think it was Elon,” and also he’s “not sure it was shut off at all.” That’s three alibis in one breath. Pick one, man. You can’t be innocent, uninvolved and also deny the crime happened.
Reuters says two U.S. officials pinned it on the White House. The Telegraph says four sources say Musk pitched it and Trump nodded. Zelensky says it wasn’t shut off, it was slowed, and it still isn’t fully back. So the only thing everyone agrees on is that somebody touched the dial and nobody wants their fingerprints on it.
The good part: Zelensky says speed is coming back. Whoever turned it down apparently also knows how to turn it up. Funny how that works.
Left
CNN: “Trump says he didn’t meddle with Elon Musk’s Starshield in Ukraine”
Got the denial, got Musk’s “ultimately POTUS” line, got officials saying the order came from the White House but not Trump personally. Solid. Lost a point for writing it like the closing argument in a trial nobody’s had yet. We get it, CNN. You’ve got a theory. So does everybody.
Center
Axios: “Trump: White House didn’t impede satellite system in Ukraine”
Quote, context, the Reuters report he was answering, the Ukrainian official who isn’t buying it, and the Starlink-versus-Starshield explainer most people needed. Plus the backdrop: the oil-sanctions fight right before the slowdown. Bullet points, no sermon. Annoyingly competent.
Right
Look at Alex, playing it straight. The quotes are accurate and the headline is true: Trump did contradict Zelensky. That’s progress, considering last time this crew said the thing was fully cut off. But it’s stenography. No Reuters report, no Telegraph sources, no Musk saying the President makes the call. If you only read this, you’d think the case was closed because the suspect said so.
The facts, checked
- CONFIRMEDOn Oct. 16 Trump said “I just checked this morning, it wasn’t us” and “I don’t think it was Elon” (Axios, CNBC, UNN).
- CONFIRMEDMusk wrote on X that Starshield systems are owned and controlled by the US government, and earlier that speed limits are set by the President (CNBC, UNN).
- REPORTEDReuters, citing two U.S. officials, reported the call came from the White House; CNN reported officials said it was not Trump personally (CNBC, CNN).
- UNVERIFIEDThe Telegraph reported, from four sources, that Musk proposed the slowdown and Trump agreed. Not independently confirmed.
- CONFIRMEDZelensky said the service was slowed, not shut off, that it caused missed Shahed intercepts, and that speed is being restored but is not fully back (Times Now, Zelensky on X).
Closest to the truth: Axios (center)
Nobody got a fact wrong. CNN had the fuller picture with a little lean in the delivery. Alex Jones Live was accurate but only told Trump’s side. Axios had every side and no attitude. Left slightly more complete this round, mostly because the right column left out the reporting that contradicts the headline.
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.
President Donald Trump said Friday that Washington did not impede Starlink satellite access to the Ukrainian military. “I just checked this morning — it wasn’t us,” Trump told reporters. “I don’t know if it was anybody, because it wasn’t me and I don’t think it was Elon.” The Ukrainian military found that Starlink was severely […]
The post
Read the full story at Alex Jones Live
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