Rubio added that a decision on this issue “ultimately” rests with US President Donald Trump. The US Secretary of State said that during his time in the US Senate he was “one of the strongest defenders of NATO” because he “saw great benefits in it”. A large part of this benefit was having army bases in Europe, which enabled the US Army to “exercise power in different parts of the world”. If a time comes when the US Army can no longer use these bases, “then NATO is a one-way street,” Rubio added.
Washington has not asked its allies to carry out air strikes as part of the war against Iran, Rubio said. “But if we need them to allow us to use their army bases and their answer is ‘no’? Then why are we in NATO?” he added. This question must be asked.
Legal defeat for US President Donald Trump in the dispute with public broadcasting: A US federal judge has classified Trump’s withdrawal of federal funds for the radio network National Public Radio (NPR) and the television station Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) as unlawful. District Judge Randolph Moss wrote that Trump’s May 1 order to end funding was aimed at suppressing critical views.
The president does have the right to criticize the media for their reporting. However, he should not use his power to exclude the broadcasters from federal grants or other funding in retaliation for unpopular statements, Moss wrote. The broadcasters welcomed the verdict as strengthening freedom of the press and freedom of expression. A spokeswoman for the White House called the judge’s ruling “ridiculous” and announced possible legal remedies. Trump had described NPR and PBS as “arms of the radical left-wing Democratic Party” and justified the funding cuts.
The broadcasters cannot count on additional funds. Based on Trump’s decree, the US Congress last July approved the retroactive cut of $1.1 billion (almost €960 million) for the public broadcasting company CPB, which partially financed NPR, PBS and numerous local stations. CPB subsequently suspended work earlier this year. Unlike in Germany, public broadcasting is only partly financed by federal funds, the rest comes from advertising and donations.
