Politics
77 Years Ago Today, NATO Was Created to Defend the West—But Is It?
WATCH: 77 Years Ago Today, NATO Was Created to Defend the West—But Is It?
77 years ago, on April 4, 1949, the NATO treaty was signed. The alliance, known as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, was created to deter Soviet expansion and ensure collective security among Western nations.
For decades, it succeeded in that mission. However, today’s geopolitical landscape raises a more complicated question: not whether the United States should leave NATO, but whether the alliance, in its current form, still serves American interests fairly.
Recent tensions surrounding Iran have exposed a persistent imbalance. While the United States continues to provide the backbone of NATO’s military power, many European allies remain reluctant to fully support American-led operations that fall outside a narrow interpretation of Article 5.
That hesitation is not entirely surprising. NATO’s collective defense clause applies when a member is attacked, not necessarily when the United States engages in offensive or preemptive actions.
Still, the broader issue is reciprocity. The United States maintains extensive military infrastructure across Europe, provides advanced defense capabilities, and has historically underwritten the alliance’s security umbrella. In return, Washington expects more consistent strategic alignment.
As previously reported by The Gateway Pundit, President Donald Trump is reportedly considering withdrawing from NATO, reflecting growing frustration within parts of the American political establishment.
However, leaving the alliance is neither simple nor likely. Legislation passed in 2024 requires a two-thirds vote in the Senate to approve any withdrawal, making unilateral action effectively impossible.
This legal reality underscores an important point: the debate is not truly about exit, but about leverage and reform.
It is also important to acknowledge that NATO has not always been a one-sided arrangement. The alliance invoked Article 5 for the first and only time after the September 11 attacks, leading European allies to support U.S. operations in Afghanistan.
Thousands of allied troops were deployed, and many lost their lives alongside American forces. That history matters. It demonstrates that NATO can function as intended when the threat is clearly defined within its framework.
At the same time, structural imbalances have persisted. For years, many NATO members failed to meet the agreed-upon benchmark of spending 2% of GDP on defense. While recent pressure—particularly during the Trump administration—has pushed more countries toward that target, disparities remain.
The United States continues to account for a disproportionate share of total NATO defense spending, raising legitimate concerns about burden-sharing.
Reform, therefore, should focus on three key areas. First, enforceable defense spending commitments must become the norm rather than the exception. While this has largely been the case under Trump, it remains unclear how NATO allies will respond under future administrations.
NATO should also clarify expectations for allied support in operations that, while not strictly defensive, still serve broader Western interests.
Finally, the alliance must adapt to modern threats, including cyber warfare, economic coercion, and strategic competition with powers such as China, rather than remaining overly focused on its Cold War structure.
Leaving NATO would create a vacuum that adversaries such as Russia and China would quickly exploit. The alliance provides the United States with forward operating bases, intelligence coordination, and strategic depth that cannot be easily replicated.
Of course, European nations would likely bear the greatest immediate consequences if the United States were to leave NATO. However, that does not mean withdrawal would be the right decision.
Trump is known for following through on his positions, but that does not preclude negotiation. The same principle applies to NATO: the goal should not be abandonment, but a recalibration of the alliance to better reflect mutual responsibility and shared interests.
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The post 77 Years Ago Today, NATO Was Created to Defend the West—But Is It? appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
Politics
WATCH: Radical Democrats in New York Battleground Congressional District Call to Abolish ICE or ‘Go Back to the Drawing Board’ During Debate, One Candidate Declares ‘Everyone Will be Held Accountable’
Democrats hoping for the chance to unseat Republican Rep. Mike Lawler in New York’s battleground 17th Congressional District made their radical positions on immigration enforcement crystal clear at a candidate forum this week.
In video footage from the Westchester County Democratic Committee’s pre-primary debate on Thursday, at Manhattanville College, a moderator asked the candidates, “Abolish, reform, or keep ICE?”
The responses from three leading contenders left little doubt about their desire to see the agency keeping Americans safe destroyed.
Beth Davidson, the Rockland County legislator who leads early polling in the Democratic primary, responded first.
“Go back to the drawing board,” Davidson said. “We need a system that is humane and streamlined that keeps people safe and allows everyone who plays by the rules a full path to citizenship.”
Effie Phillips-Staley, a progressive Tarrytown Village Trustee and self-described “unapologetic progressive,” was blunter.
“Abolish ICE!” she declared.
Phillips-Staley has made abolishing the agency a centerpiece of her campaign.
On her official website, Phillips-Staley lists “abolishing ICE” among her priorities and published a press release in January titled “A New Vision for a Civil Immigration System,” calling for demilitarizing immigration enforcement and treating it as a civil administrative matter rather than a “paramilitary” operation.
Cait Conley, an Army combat veteran and former election security official from Ossining, framed ICE agents as the problem.
“Everyone will be held accountable,” she said, describing federal agents on American streets who “assault, harass, and kill people sworn to serve.”
Conley’s campaign site states she will fight to “rein in ICE” as part of opposing what she calls the Trump administration’s “unlawful and authoritarian agenda.”
WATCH:
MODERATOR: Abolish, form, or keep ICE?
Beth Davidson: “Go back to the drawing board.”
Effie Phillips-Staley: “Abolish ICE!”
Cait Conley: “Everyone will be held accountable.”
The Democrats running for New York’s 17th congressional district want to end immigration enforcement. pic.twitter.com/e9o43mEgx2
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 10, 2026
New York’s 17th District, which includes parts of Rockland, Westchester, Putnam, and Dutchess counties, is a battleground seat.
The Democrat primary is scheduled for June 23.
Davidson currently leads the crowded field in fundraising and name recognition, according to recent polls reported by Politico and Patch.
The district has been a top target for national Democrats hoping to flip the House in the midterms.
Lawler has consistently supported strong border security and interior enforcement measures.
The post WATCH: Radical Democrats in New York Battleground Congressional District Call to Abolish ICE or ‘Go Back to the Drawing Board’ During Debate, One Candidate Declares ‘Everyone Will be Held Accountable’ appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
Harry and Sentebale’s chairwoman Sophie Chandauka: lawsuit
An African headache for the self-exiled British Royal.
Twenty years ago, British Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho co-founded a Charity in Africa called Sentebale.
For Harry, it was reportedly a way to honor his late mother, Princess Diana, and help young people with HIV and AIDS in Lesotho and Botswana.
Harry and Chandauka in happier times
In early 2025, Harry quit his role as a patron for the charity, following high-profile mudslinging in the press, in which he was accused of ‘bullying and harassing’ Sentebale’s chair of the board, Sophie Chandauka.
Now, it arises that Sentebale is suing Harry for libel at the High Court in London.
BREAKING: Prince Harry sued for libel by his former charity Sentebale, a court record seen by Reuters shows.https://t.co/7hjhXSZmvh
Sky 501 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/OZO28eZJTj
— Sky News (@SkyNews) April 10, 2026
Reuters reported:
“According to a record made public on Friday, Sentebale lodged a defamation claim last month at the High Court against Harry and one of his close friends Mark Dyer, who was also a trustee of the charity.
There were no details as to what the lawsuit involved. Neither Harry’s spokesperson nor the charity immediately responded to a request for comment.”
UK’s Charity Commission investigated Sentebale
Chandauka reported Harry and the trustees to Britain’s charity regulator ‘for alleged bullying and harassment’.
“After a review, the Charity Commission reported it had found no evidence of bullying, but said there had been weak governance and criticized all parties for allowing an internal dispute to become public.”
Read more: UK Charity Commission Finds Prince Harry Did Not Bully or Harass African Charity Chairwoman – The Duke of Sussex Torches Dr. Chandauka, But She Fires Back
The post JUST IN: African Charity Sentebale Sues Estranged Founder Prince Harry for Libel appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman
A man threw a Molotov cocktail at OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s San Francisco home on Friday morning.
The suspect was taken into custody.
Nobody was hurt.
According to OpenAI, the male suspect also made threats outside of its San Francisco headquarters very early Friday morning.
The suspect has not been identified.
Sam Altman has not released a statement on the incident.
NBC News reported:
San Francisco police early Friday arrested a person who allegedly threw a Molotov cocktail at OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman’s home and made threats outside the AI giant’s San Francisco headquarters, the company said in a statement.
“Thankfully, no one was hurt,” OpenAI said.
“We deeply appreciate how quickly SFPD responded and the support from the city in helping keep our employees safe. The individual is in custody, and we’re assisting law enforcement with their investigation,” the company added.
Altman has not publicly addressed the arrest.
In a separate statement, the San Francisco Police Department said officers responded to a home in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco around 4:12 a.m. PT Friday “regarding a fire investigation.”
The officers learned that an unknown man had thrown “an incendiary destructive device at a home, causing a fire to an exterior gate,” police said.
The suspect fled on foot, and his description was broadcast to all officers.
DEVELOPING…
The post DEVELOPING: Suspect Throws Molotov Cocktail at OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s Home appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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