The Hound | Oct. 20

Hi there,

It’s Tuesday. Elon Musk proposed slowing down Ukraine’s Starlink access. Trump agreed. Russia then launched a massive aerial attack on Kyiv — a “night of carnage” — that continued into the following morning. When cornered by reporters, Trump said he had no idea who did it. Musk blamed the U.S. military. According to four anonymous sources, they both knew.

🖊️ Sign the petition to call on the media to cover the Starlink shutoff not as a diplomatic spat or a he-said-he-said between Trump and Musk, but as what it is: an illegal circumvention of congressional authority, carried out in secret, with deadly consequences.

Congress has authorized and appropriated billions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine. That authorization is the law. A president and a billionaire contractor cannot unilaterally override it by throttling satellite internet access in the middle of an active Russian assault. What happened this week is not just a foreign policy dispute — it is a president and a private contractor acting in secret to undermine a congressionally mandated commitment, then lying about it

In addition, how Jim Crow has returned — one congressional district at a time. And suspicious letters were sent to election officials across the country weeks before the midterm elections.

Read about these, and more, in today’s stories:

Elon Musk and Trump Were Both in on Ukraine Starlink Shutoff (The New Republic)

Suspicious letters sent to election officials nationwide weeks before the midterms (Votebeat)

Jim Crow Returns…One Congressional District at a Time (Mother Jones)

A Perfect Economic Storm (The American Prospect)

Rubio heads to Central Asia as some wonder if he's keeping the most pressing matters at a distance (PBS)

How women’s stories are reshaping a high-stakes Kansas Senate race (The 19th News)

A Rising Tide Lifted Floating Wind Turbines. Now Comes the Real Test. (Inside Climate News)

Until next time,

Harry from The Hound

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