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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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WATCH: Dramatic Video Shows Suspect Setting Multiple Fires Inside Ontario Mills Mall in California Before Cops Take Him Down Inside True Religion Store

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April 12, 2026

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Image showing a True Religion store, a mugshot of a man, and a scene with police responding to an incident in a shopping area.

Image showing a True Religion store, a mugshot of a man, and a scene with police responding to an incident in a shopping area.

A 28-year-old man from Rancho Cucamonga was arrested Friday morning after he allegedly set multiple intentional fires inside the busy Ontario Mills Mall in Ontario, California, forcing a full evacuation and temporary closure of the shopping center.

The crazy scene was captured on video by witnesses.

Ontario Police officers responded around 10:30 a.m. on Friday to reports of a suspicious male carrying a lighter and a backpack who was intentionally igniting fires inside the mall.

Callers described the suspect actively setting blazes in several stores, including the True Religion outlet and Nordstrom Rack.

Officers quickly located the suspect, identified as Luis Javier Gallegos Jr., inside the True Religion store.

Footage shared on social media shows flames burning in the store as police confront and take Gallegos into custody after he failed to comply with commands.

WATCH:

According to a press release from the Ontario Police Department, “One officer received non-life-threatening injuries during the incident and was later treated and released from a local medical center. ”

Gallegos was also injured and was transported to a local hospital for evaluation and treatment.

After medical clearance, Gallegos was booked into the West Valley Detention Center on an arson-related felony charge.

Explosive detection K-9 teams swept the mall as a precaution, but no additional threats were found.

Fire crews extinguished the fires with no reported injuries to shoppers or mall employees.

The mall remained closed for the rest of the day.

No motive has been released by authorities, and the investigation remains ongoing.

This incident comes days after a separate large warehouse fire in Ontario that led to arson charges against another suspect, though police have not linked the two cases.

The post WATCH: Dramatic Video Shows Suspect Setting Multiple Fires Inside Ontario Mills Mall in California Before Cops Take Him Down Inside True Religion Store appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Iran’s New Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei Reportedly Left Crippled and Disfigured by Airstrike That Killed His Father

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April 12, 2026

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Portrait of a man with glasses and a beard, set against a fiery background, conveying intensity and seriousness.Portrait of a man with glasses and a beard, set against a fiery background, conveying intensity and seriousness.Mojtaba is reportedly recovering from terrible wounds – Wiki Commons

The prolonged absence of Mojtaba leaves room for different rumors.

Ever since the start of the military confrontation between the US and Israel against Iran, a mystery surrounds the situation regarding the new Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.

In his absence, a flurry of rumors and reports is going around saying that he is dead, or else very gravely wounded; he is also said to be gay and disowned by his late father.

Today, a new report arises that Mojtaba is ‘recovering from severe facial and leg injuries’ that he suffered in the airstrike that killed his father, sources in his inner circle told Reuters.

Reuters reported:

“Khamenei’s face was disfigured in the attack on the supreme leader’s compound in central Tehran and he suffered a significant injury to one or both legs, all three sources said.

The 56-year-old is nonetheless recovering from his wounds and remains mentally sharp, according to the people, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. He is taking part in meetings with senior officials via audio conferencing and is engaged in decision-making on major issues including the war and negotiations with Washington, two of them said.”

The New York Post reported:

“The question of whether Khamenei’s health allows him to run state affairs comes during Iran’s moment of gravest peril for decades, with high-stakes peace talks with the United States opening in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on Saturday.

[…] Khamenei’s whereabouts, condition and ability to rule still largely remain a mystery to the public, with no photo, video or audio recording of him published since the air attack and his subsequent appointment as his ​father’s replacement on March 8.

[…] Mojtaba Khamenei’s wife, brother-in-law ⁠and sister-in-law were among other members of his family killed in the strike.”

Read more: MOJTABA KHAMENEI MYSTERY: Iran’s New Supreme Leader, Rumored Dead or Wounded in Airstrike, Now Reportedly Taken to Moscow for Surgery

The post Iran’s New Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei Reportedly Left Crippled and Disfigured by Airstrike That Killed His Father appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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WATCH: 62-Year-Old Michelle Obama Says America is in a ‘Janky’ Era Under Trump, While Wearing Her Hair in Pigtails

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April 12, 2026

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Michelle Obama speaking passionately during a podcast interview, gesturing with her hand while discussing important topics, with a microphone in front of her.

Michelle Obama speaking passionately during a podcast interview, gesturing with her hand while discussing important topics, with a microphone in front of her.

Former First Lady Michelle Obama, 62, took to her podcast this week to trash-talk America under President Donald Trump, calling the country “janky,” while weirdly sporting a pair of childish pigtails.

In the latest episode of her “IMO” podcast, co-hosted with her brother Craig Robinson, Obama sat down with comedian Hasan Minhaj and declared that the United States is currently living through a “janky” 2.0 version of itself under Trump.

“That’s the 2.0 of life, and when we talk about how do you feel about the country? You know, there are versions of the country that happen, right? And the new version doesn’t make the old one bad. It’s necessary for growth. And I think we’re in just a janky version,” Obama declared.

“Sh-t is jank right now. It’s super jank,” Minhaj replied.

WATCH:

Obama tried to spin the “janky” current state as some sort of necessary growing pain, praising what she called “powerful” community resistance to Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Minnesota, which included riots and two agitators being shot while trying to impede agents.

The former first lady seemed to suggest that these clashes were a healthy sign of the country’s “growth.”

“Right now, I’m kind of digging the way folks are beginning to respond, right? I mean, Minnesota, powerful stuff. I mean it was a powerful reminder of what a community of people can do and are willing to do to protect one another,” Obama said.

Americans were “taking things for granted,” Obama claimed.

“When you’re not so janky, you don’t have to prove that, right? And so we haven’t been this janky for a while,” Obama said. “And I think our muscle of understanding our truth just got a little lax. We started taking things for granted, right.”

WATCH THE FULL EPISODE HERE:

While the former first family lectures and complains about ICE from her luxury bubble, everyday Americans are happy to see record-low illegal border crossings.

The post WATCH: 62-Year-Old Michelle Obama Says America is in a ‘Janky’ Era Under Trump, While Wearing Her Hair in Pigtails appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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