Trump’s 180 on Ukraine

Trump just pulled a 180 on Ukraine. His envoy Steve Witkoff called Vladimir Putin a “humanitarian.” The Wall Street Journal reports Elon Musk personally ordered a Starlink shutdown that blindsided Kyiv in the middle of a war. And a slate of independent veterans — Bodnar, Osborn, Achilles, Bengs — are closing the gap on incumbents nobody thought were beatable. This is the sucking chest wound of American foreign policy meeting the breakout moment of independent politics, and we are not sugarcoating any of it.

October 22, 2026

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Paul Rieckhoff joins Connell McShane on News Nation with retired Air Force Special Operations Commander Glenn Ignazio to call the Ukraine…

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→ Four things from today’s episode

Paul’s cold open. “Trump has pulled a 180. He’s turned his back on Ukraine… Putin is an enemy not just of Ukraine. He’s an enemy of America.”

Witkoff on tape calling 75-year-old Vladimir Putin a “humanitarian”. and Paul’s response: “He’s not a humanitarian. He’s a war criminal.”

Glenn Ignazio on what he saw with his own eyes from Odessa t. Glenn Ignazio on what he saw with his own eyes from Odessa to Mykolaiv to Kyiv, including Bucha, and why the humanitarian label is obscene

The Wall Street Journal reporting that Elon Musk personally. The Wall Street Journal reporting that Elon Musk personally ordered the Starlink/Starshield throttle that blindsided Ukrainian forces