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77 Years Ago Today, NATO Was Created to Defend the West—But Is It?

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Image of a political conference featuring Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and former U.S. President Donald Trump discussing NATO at a podium.

Image of a political conference featuring Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and former U.S. President Donald Trump discussing NATO at a podium.

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.

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US and Russian Lawmakers Meet in DC in a New Step in the Normalization of Bilateral Relations

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April 12, 2026

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Close-up of a small Russian flag in front of a blurred American flag, symbolizing international relations and diplomacy between Russia and the United States.Close-up of a small Russian flag in front of a blurred American flag, symbolizing international relations and diplomacy between Russia and the United States.(U.S. Air Force photo by Stephanie R. Plichta)

The US and Russia are rebuilding ties.

On the one hand, the US supports Ukraine against Russia in their 4-year war, while Russia supports Iran against the US in their recent military confrontation.

But on the other hand, the United States and the Russian Federation have been engaged in a difficult but potentially rewarding détente.

Reuters reported:

“A delegation of Russian lawmakers has arrived in the United States for meetings with U.S. lawmakers, Russian media said, on the ​first such trip since relations between the world’s two biggest ‌nuclear powers hit rock bottom over the war in Ukraine.”

After the start of the war in Ukraine, US-Russian relations deteriorated to the worst level in history, but after the return of Donald J. Trump, the ties have improved considerably.

“The ⁠lawmakers’ visit to the United States, first reported by Russia’s Vedomosti ​newspaper, includes Vyacheslav Nikonov, a lawmaker who is the grandson of Josef ​Stalin’s foreign minister, Vyacheslav Molotov, according to Russian media reports.”

The Russian lawmakers met US lawmakers today and are expected to meet US officials tomorrow.

“The visit is ‘part of ​the normalization of relations with the United States of America’, Alexei Chepa, first deputy ‌chairman ⁠of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, told Izvestia.”

Read more:

TRUMP TO OIL TANKERS: “SHOW SOME GUTS!” – President Says Iran’s Navy Is Finished, Urges Ships to Sail Through Strait of Hormuz

The post US and Russian Lawmakers Meet in DC in a New Step in the Normalization of Bilateral Relations appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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WATCH: Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso Exposes Democrat Caught on Tape Saying, ‘The People We Care Most About Are the Undocumented’

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19 seconds ago

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April 12, 2026

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U.S. Senator delivering a speech in the Senate chamber, emphasizing key legislative points with hand gestures and a serious expression.

U.S. Senator delivering a speech in the Senate chamber, emphasizing key legislative points with hand gestures and a serious expression.

Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso delivered a blistering floor speech Tuesday, exposing the Democrat Party’s priorities during the ongoing partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

While roughly 50,000 TSA agents are required to work without pay, causing massive airport delays and forcing hundreds to quit, Democrats are laser-focused on protecting illegal aliens.

Barrasso played a clip of Democrat Sen. Chris Murphy admitting on live television, “The people we care most about… are the undocumented.” He explained that the Democrat strategy for over 30 years has been to make undocumented immigrants citizens.

Barrasso stated plainly, “This is a Democrat… ‘the people we care most about,’ he says, ‘are the undocumented.’”

“Not these people who are working every day,” Barrasso said of American TSA agents.

Murphy made the comment during a 2024 MSNBC interview discussing immigration policy.

Murphy said the Democratic approach “has failed to deliver for the people we care about most, the undocumented ‘Americans’ that are in this country.”

Barrasso summed it up by saying, “The American people are wondering today… why the Democrat Party continues to stand up for illegal immigrant criminals against law-abiding citizens.” He warned that Democrats are willing to “make people hurt” to protect their open-border agenda.

WATCH:

The resurfaced admission has gone viral as the DHS shutdown drags into its sixth week.

WATCH:

The partial DHS shutdown began in February after Democrats blocked full funding for the department unless it included restrictions on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations, such as limits on the use of masks by agents or on warrantless arrests.

Republicans have repeatedly offered clean funding bills and targeted measures to reopen TSA, the Coast Guard, FEMA, and other critical functions, but Democrats have voted them down.

As a result, TSA officers, who are deemed essential workers, have missed multiple paychecks for the third time in six months.

DHS reports that more than 450 TSA officers have already quit since the shutdown started.

Absenteeism has skyrocketed, with over 11 percent of agents calling out on some days and rates approaching 30-50 percent at major hubs like Houston, Atlanta, and New Orleans.

Travelers have been facing hours-long security lines during peak spring break travel.

The post WATCH: Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso Exposes Democrat Caught on Tape Saying, ‘The People We Care Most About Are the Undocumented’ appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Philly DA Larry Krasner Threatens to Handcuff and Jail ICE Agents Working at Philadelphia Airport: ‘The President Cannot Pardon You!’ (VIDEO)

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34 seconds ago

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April 12, 2026

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Man in a suit gestures while speaking during a presentation in a modern airport terminal, emphasizing key points to an audience.

Man in a suit gestures while speaking during a presentation in a modern airport terminal, emphasizing key points to an audience.

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner threatened to arrest and prosecute federal ICE agents working at Philadelphia International Airport on Tuesday.

Krasner held a press conference at the airport as ICE agents arrived to assist overwhelmed Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers.

The deployment was ordered by President Trump to help ease long security lines and flight delays caused by severe staffing shortages at TSA checkpoints.

The partial government shutdown, caused by Democrats refusing to budge on DHS funding, is now in its 39th day. It has left TSA officers working without pay, and reports of 3,200 agents not showing up for their shifts on Monday alone, and another 458 who recently quit.

During his remarks, Krasner told reporters and the agents on site that he expects them to uphold the law while operating in Philadelphia.

“This is how it works — you commit crimes within the jurisdiction that is the city and county of Philadelphia, I prosecute you,” Krasner said. “That is how it works. No, I don’t take a phone call from the president saying ‘Let em go.’ No, the president cannot pardon you. I’ll say it again, the president cannot pardon you.”

Krasner escalated by bringing up the chaos caused by leftist agitators in Minneapolis, which resulted in two of them being killed during confrontations with agents.

“And yes, I will put you in handcuffs, and I will put you in a courtroom, and if necessary, I will put you in a jail cell if you decide to make the terrazzo floor of this floor anything like you did in the streets of Minneapolis, which involved the criminal homicide of unarmed, innocent people.”

WATCH:

Krasner doubled down in a video posted to X, stating: “To anyone who is an ICE agent, thank you for upholding the law and the Constitution of the United States. But if you don’t, you’re gonna find out.”

WATCH:

The ICE assistance at Philadelphia International Airport, part of a nationwide effort at 14 major hubs, has already been credited with reducing wait times, with some travelers describing the unmasked agents as professional, friendly, and helpful.

President Trump had specifically directed the agents not to wear masks while assisting TSA in order to speed up processing.

The post Philly DA Larry Krasner Threatens to Handcuff and Jail ICE Agents Working at Philadelphia Airport: ‘The President Cannot Pardon You!’ (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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