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Trump Won't let Pentagon Close Stars and Stripes Newspaper

Associated Press

   WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump said Friday that he won't allow the
   Pentagon to cut funding for the military's independent newspaper, Stars
   and Stripes, effectively halting Defense leader's plan to shut the
   paper down this month.

   "The United States of America will NOT be cutting funding to
   @starsandstripes magazine under my watch," Trump tweeted. "It will
   continue to be a wonderful source of information to our Great
   Military!"

   The Defense Department has ordered the paper to halt publication by
   September 30 and dissolve the organization by the end of January. The
   order, in a recent memo to Stripes, follows the Pentagon's move earlier
   this year to cut the $15.5 million in funding for the paper from the
   Defense Department budget.

   The Trump White House hadn't spoken out against the Pentagon plan to
   close the paper before Friday, even though it's been in the works and
   publicly written about for months and was in the president's budget
   request. Friday afternoon, however, Trump worked to shore up his
   reputation as a staunch supporter of the nation's armed services.

   Trump was alleged to have made the comments about the war dead, calling
   them "losers," as he was set to visit the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery
   during a trip to France in November 2018, according to an article in
   The Atlantic.

   Trump denied the allegations, calling them "fake news," and the White
   House released a statement Friday that said, "President Trump holds the
   military in the highest regard."

   The Pentagon had no immediate comment on Trump's tweet regarding the
   Stars and Stripes or how it may affect Esper's plan to ultimately shut
   down the paper.

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