The U.S. Has Been Secretly Pressuring Elon Musk About Starlink — And That's Just the Start of Today's News

A Reuters investigation confirmed this week what security analysts had debated for years: the United States government has repeatedly and directly asked Elon Musk to alter Starlink satellite coverage in Ukraine and the Middle East.

The revelations matter because Starlink is no longer simply a commercial internet service. It has become load-bearing military infrastructure — Ukrainian forces have used it to coordinate battlefield operations since Russia's invasion in 2022. The idea that coverage decisions in an active war zone rest, even partially, with a single private executive is a question that governments, legal scholars, and military planners are only beginning to grapple with publicly.

Read nextThe DOJ Just Picked a Fight With Alaska's Elections — and Legal Experts Aren't Buying It

What remains unknown is how often Musk complied with U.S. requests, how often he refused, and whether any refusal had consequences on the ground. Those gaps are not minor. They are the heart of the story.

Elsewhere, Axios is reporting that a U.S. intelligence memo now describes Iranian plots to kill American officials abroad as 'advanced.' The threat is not new — the U.S. has indicted Iranian nationals in connection with alleged plots against former Secretary Pompeo and former National Security Advisor Bolton — but the characterisation as 'advanced' suggests planning has moved beyond the aspirational stage.

On the domestic political front, Cook Political Report shifted Ohio's governor's race from toss-up to lean Democrat — a signal worth noting in a state Donald Trump won twice. It does not predict an outcome, but it reflects real movement in polling and fundraising data.

The Justice Department meantime sent formal demands to California counties to help identify noncitizen voters, escalating a fight over election administration that voting-rights groups call intimidation and the DOJ frames as routine enforcement. Both sides are partly right.

President Trump rolled back some Canada tariffs this week, a familiar pattern: pressure is applied, negotiations begin quietly, selective relief comes as elections approach. Canadian officials called it insufficient. American manufacturers called it a start.

Perhaps the most legally striking story of the day: the DOJ has filed suit to pre-emptively block Alaska election results if Senator Dan Sullivan loses. Sullivan is currently favoured to win. Constitutional lawyers across party lines described the move as unprecedented — a contingency legal framework for a result that has not occurred.

Two former FBI officials were meanwhile charged with lying to Congress about their handling of the Hunter Biden laptop inquiry. The charges are not convictions, and the gap between what the officials allegedly said and what evidence shows they knew will be tested in court.

And in a story that cuts through the noise: the Oregon father who killed a school shooter to protect other children spoke publicly for the first time. His words were plain. 'I have to go in.' He asked that the story not become a political instrument. That request may be too much to ask of the current moment, but it is worth hearing.

Finally, Congresswoman Ilhan Omar pushed back at a confronter raising familiar questions about her legal name at a Minneapolis shopping center. No charges have ever been filed against her. The filmed exchange circulated widely.

The AVONEWS — Daily News hosts break down what each of these stories actually means — and what is still unknown — on today's episode of the podcast.