Rebel Republicans make secret threat to block Trump’s nominees over Ukraine

Republican senators are escalating their clash with President Donald Trump and reaching for one of their most powerful pieces of leverage.Senators from both parties have warned top White House officials that they will hold up Trump’s pending nominees until his administration restores the satellite communications Ukraine’s military relies on, The New York Times reported Friday, citing three people familiar with the discussions.The threat has not yet been made public, according to the Times. It would land during the lame-duck session following the midterm elections, when Republicans are expected to push dozens of Trump’s nominees through before the current Congress expires.The standoff follows reports from Ukrainian officials last week that their ability to fly military drones had been restricted, along with suspicions that someone in the Trump administration may have deliberately throttled Starshield, the SpaceX-run network that keeps those drones connected. It remains unclear whether anyone took such a step, or...