Trump reverses Defense Dept. order to shut down Stars and Stripes newspaper

[UpInArms]

Source: CNN

President Trump overrode his defense secretary and vowed to continue funding Stars and Stripes, the military's editorially independent newspaper that covers issues relevant to members of the armed forces, after news the administration ordered the organization to shutter leaked to the public.

Trump tweeted Friday afternoon that the US "will NOT be cutting funding" to the outlet. The President's tweet came as he faces significant uproar over a report in The Atlantic that said he disparaged military members.

The Defense Department, which notified Stars and Stripes in February that it intended to cut funding, said in an August 4 memo to the outlet's publisher that it had "decided to discontinue the publication" of the newspaper.

The memo, first reported Friday by USA Today and independently obtained by CNN, instructed Stars and Stripes publisher Max Lederer to provide the Defense Department a plan that "dissolves" the organization by January 31, 2021. The memo said Stars and Stripes should cease publishing by September 30, 2020, when the fiscal year ends.

... snip ...

Stars and Stripes, which was first produced during the Civil War by Union soldiers, is partially funded by Congress. In its 2021 budget, the House specifically included funding for the publication. The Senate, however, has not released its appropriations bill for 2021.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/04/media/stars-and-stripes-future/index.html

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For emphasis:

after news the administration ordered the organization to shutter leaked to the public.

[Walleye]

1. We just know it was his idea to kill the paper. He didn't reckon on a public outcry

[Zoonart]

3. It WAS his idea. He ordered it defunded in this last budget.

[jorgevlorgan]

2. What a fucking dumbass.

[bucolic_frolic]

4. It's a setup, each day they'll do something that makes no sense, then Trump reverses

By election day he'll be toeing the middle of the road. This is how you manipulate public opinion.

[dhill926]

19. exactly...

[ancianita]

5. Tsk tsk what a stupid flip flopper.

[JohnnyRingo]

6. Was this a set up all along?

Like Trump ordered the Pentagon to shut it down causing an uproar. Then he rides at the last minute in on a sinewy white horse and saves the day.

My hero!!

[sheshe2]

9. Like watching a tennis match.

[TwilightZone]

14. Yes. It's a pattern. He starts fires then wants credit for putting them out.

He's like a firefighter who's also an arsonist.

[crickets]

16. +1

Perfect analogy.

[abqtommy]

7. Dang! tRUMP was right! Whatever he breaketh he alone can fixeth! snark off

[beachbumbob]

8. blew in trump's face pretty fast, too bad he is the one who ordered done

don;t fuck with the military cadet bonespurs

[TygrBright]

10. LOL, now we can talk about what a weak loser he is.... n/t

[scarletwoman]

11. So much bullshit!

First of all, the plan to discontinue funding the Stars & Stripes was in Trump's DOD budget and was known in January/February - and was portrayed (absurdly) as a needed bit of belt-tightening. But the real reason may have been to divert those funds to Space Force.

Personally, I also think it could be a good bet that something published in the Stars & Stripes offended him. Plus, this is also of a piece with the Trump administration's ongoing program of destroying the independence of all government institutions, in order to convert them all into vehicles of personal loyalty to him.

In any case, it really didn't make much sense - a measly $15.5 million out of the billions and billions that go into the Pentagon budget?

So, was it all just a head fake from the get-go, in order to provide a kabuki theater moment for trump to ride to the rescue?

[keithbvadu2]

12. "overrode his defense secretary" - Pretends it was not his wishes.

"overrode his defense secretary" - Pretends it was not his wishes.

[Normanart]

17. Esper better prepare

Going to get rough under the bus.

[Historic NY]

13. Trump is like a fish on a line flopping around the boat just waiting to be clubbed..

and gutted.

[truthisfreedom]

15. Fucker was choking it out and only stopped because of the outcry at the news he hates the military.

He's a total bully. Everybody can see it.

[DallasNE]

18. Here Is What Trump Would Have Buried By Shutting It Down

SP4 Douglas C. Holland was a writer and photographer for the publication during the Viet Nam war. He gave his life on the battlefield in that capacity - a bullet through the neck.

Doug and I attended the same 1 room country school near Anita, IA for his first 3 years of school. That school closed and we rode the same school bus to "town school", the K-12 school in tiny Anita, IA. It was these years where I knew him best because of our close proximity. He was always very outgoing and cherished playing practical jokes on people. The bus route was split after that but we both continued to attend Anita Public School until I graduated from high school and he graduated from 8th grade. The "C" stands for Carl, the name of his paternal grandfather, who lived across the road from Russell and Carol Holland, Doug's parents. While in high school Russell hired my brother and I to help put up hay one year. Doug got his start in journalism by working for the local weekly newspaper.

Doug had classmate, Kevin Gail Burke, who was also killed in battle in Viet Nam. I only knew Kevin as the younger brother to a high school friend of mine. Kevin was an infantry officer. Gail was the name of Kevin's father. Gail was the local banker and my dad did business with him a few times. That is how it is in small towns. People know one another.

Why in the world would Trump want to end something with such a rich history and forget about genuine hero's like Doug. I find it offensive and sickening.

http://thewall-usa.com/guest.asp?recid=23732

http://www.virtualwall.org/db/0BurkeKG01a.htm

[malthaussen]

20. He ordered it!

What is this "override" noise?

-- Mal