Trump says to reverse Pentagon plan to close Stars and Stripes newspaper

Kampala, Uganda | XINHUA |    U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he will reverse Pentagon’s decision to cut funding to U.S. military’s independent newspaper, Stars and Stripes, and cease its publication.

“The United States of America will NOT be cutting funding to @starsandstripes magazine under my watch,” Trump tweeted Friday.

“It will continue to be a wonderful source of information to our Great Military!” the president said of the tabloid, which has served American soldiers since the Civil War in 1860s.

In a memo cited by USA TODAY earlier on Friday, the Pentagon ordered the newspaper to cease publication after Sept. 30 and dissolve by the end of January. Earlier this year, the Pentagon moved to cut 15.5 million U.S. dollars in funding for the publication from the defense budget.

Trump’s move came as the White House is facing a firestorm after a report in The Atlantic that, citing unnamed officials, said the president disparaged fallen U.S. service members as “losers” and “suckers.”

Trump vehemently denied the report, calling the unnamed sources making the claim “low-lifes” and “liars.”

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XINHUA