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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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Patronizing Democrat MA Governor Maura Healey Uses Donuts to Explain Soaring Energy Costs to Suffering Constituents (Video)

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April 15, 2026

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Woman in a black leather top holds a donut while speaking passionately in a classroom setting.Woman in a black leather top holds a donut while speaking passionately in a classroom setting.MA Gov. Maura Healey uses donuts to lecture residents on energy costs. Image: Video screenshot/@MassGovernor/X

Fresh off being booed on Red Sox opening day alongside radical Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, leftist Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey thinks the suffering her constituents are facing with rising energy costs is a joke.

She appears to think voters are too dumb to understand economics and, instead of talking to residents like adults, she pulled out donuts to dumb down her patronizing explanation.

“Energy bills are high. Everyone can see that. So lowering your energy bills is my top priority. Now, how does that happen? That’s a little more complicated,” Healey began.

“So let’s talk about energy in a way that everyone understands— with munchkins.”

“Picture this: you’re at work or school, wherever. It’s 9 AM, and no one’s eaten breakfast. Someone shows up with one of these. Demand is high.”

“Everyone wants a munchkin or two or three, but we’ve only got 25. That’s where we’re headed with energy. So how do we fix that? See this glazed munchkin? That’s wind.”

“Massachusetts already has an offshore wind project lowering our energy bills as we speak. And we need more. It’s affordable, homegrown energy, and it’ll create thousands of jobs.”

“This sprinkled munchkin? That’s solar.”

“Solar is the cheapest, fastest way we can bring more energy into Massachusetts.”

“This chocolate munchkin? That’s storage. Storage is when we take energy off the grid when it’s cheaper and we store it, like you do in a battery, and then we use it later, when we need it most.”

“States across the country are going after more storage, and so is Massachusetts. And that’s not all. We’re going after geothermal and nuclear, gas, hydro, energy efficiency too. And I just signed an executive order to supercharge our all-of-the-above energy strategy to bring more energy in and to lower our bills.”

“Now Donald Trump wants to take energy options off the table.”

“You and I both know messing with Dunkin’ in Massachusetts is never a good idea because we know that when everyone gets a munchkin or 2 or 3, everyone’s happy.”

“And when there’s enough energy to go around, prices go down. So that’s why we’re saying yes to all kinds of energy and the lower bills and good jobs that come with it.”

“Now, what are you guys going to do with all these munchkins?”

Watch:

The post Patronizing Democrat MA Governor Maura Healey Uses Donuts to Explain Soaring Energy Costs to Suffering Constituents (Video) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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DEVELOPING: Shelly Kittleson, American Journalist Kidnapped in Iraq, Freed After Week in Captivity

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17 seconds ago

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April 15, 2026

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Surveillance footage capturing a suspicious interaction between two individuals near parked cars in an urban setting.

Surveillance footage capturing a suspicious interaction between two individuals near parked cars in an urban setting.

Shelly Kittleson, the American journalist who was kidnapped in Iraq last week, is set to be freed from captivity.

American freelance journalist Shelly Kittleson was kidnapped by armed men in Baghdad on Tuesday.

Iraq’s Interior Ministry confirmed the kidnapping.

Shelly Kittleson was reportedly kidnapped by Iranian-backed militias.

Per Al Jazeera last week:

“Security forces said they managed to arrest one of the suspects and seize one of the vehicles used in the kidnapping.”

“The Ministry of Interior announces that this evening, a foreign journalist was kidnapped by unknown individuals. Security forces immediately launched an operation to apprehend the perpetrators, acting on precise intelligence and through intensive field operations, tracking the kidnappers’ movements.”

Video shows a group of armed men surrounding a vehicle, opening the doors of the car, and driving off.

Shelly Kittleson’s whereabouts and condition are not known.

CBS News reported:

American journalist Shelly Kittleson is being released a week after she was kidnapped in Baghdad, an Iranian-backed militia in Iraq said Tuesday.

A spokesperson for the Kata’ib Hezbollah militia said in a post on the group’s Telegram messaging app channel that Kittleson was being released on the condition that she leave Iraq immediately.

Her whereabouts were not immediately clear.

Alex Plitsas, Kittleson’s designated point of contact in the U.S. and a CNN national security analyst, previously told CBS News the U.S. government had warned Kittleson about a specific threat against her by Kata’ib Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed paramilitary group that was allegedly looking to kidnap or kill female journalists.

Kittleson was contacted multiple times with warnings of threats against her, including as recently as the night before she was abducted, a U.S. official had told CBS News.

The post DEVELOPING: Shelly Kittleson, American Journalist Kidnapped in Iraq, Freed After Week in Captivity appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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BREAKING: President Trump Says ‘Somebody’ Leaked Information About Downed Fighter Jet and Missing Pilot to Media (VIDEO)

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21 seconds ago

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April 15, 2026

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Donald Trump speaks at a press conference in the White House briefing room, flanked by American flags and the presidential seal.

Donald Trump speaks at a press conference in the White House briefing room, flanked by American flags and the presidential seal.

President Trump on Monday attended the White House briefing to update the public on the Iran conflict and the amazing and miraculous rescue of the missing fighter pilot.

Trump said that ‘somebody’ leaked information about the missing fighter pilot and ultimately put hundreds of US service members in danger.

A fighter pilot went missing last week after Iran shot down an F-15E fighter jet.

The fighter jet went down in a remote part of Iran on Friday. One pilot was rescued, and the other pilot, the ‘gunner,’ went missing.

The missing fighter pilot was rescued early Sunday morning local time.

In an incredible act of valor, the seriously wounded pilot evaded capture by scaling a 7,000-foot mountain ridge in Southern Iran and hiding out in a crevice.

President Trump said someone leaked information about the downed jet and missing pilot.

The president also vowed to jail the reporter who wrote the story on the downed jet if they don’t give up information about the leaker.

It is unclear which media outlet President Trump was referring to, but The New York Times, Washington Post, Axios, and Fox News all reported on the downed fighter jet.

“As you probably know, we didn’t talk about the first one for an hour, and then somebody leaked something, which we’ll hopefully find that leaker; we’re looking very hard to find that leaker, and talked about there’s somebody missing,” Trump said to reporters on Monday.

“They basically said that we have one, and there’s somebody missing. Well, they didn’t know there was somebody missing until this leaker gave the information!” Trump said.

“So whoever it is, we think we’ll be able to find it out, because we’re going to go to the media company that released it. And we’re going to say, national security, give it up or go to jail.”

“There’s some things you can’t do. When they did that, all of a sudden, the entire country of Iran knew that there was a pilot that was somewhere on their land that was fighting for his life!” Trump said.

He continued, “Because a leaker leaked – because we have one – we rescued one, but there’s another one out there that we’re trying to get, actually, the country, Iran, put out.. offering a very big award for anybody that captures the pilot.”

“They put this mission, that man at great risk, and hundreds of people looking for him!” he added.

“The person that did the story will go to jail if he doesn’t say!” Trump said.

WATCH:

The post BREAKING: President Trump Says ‘Somebody’ Leaked Information About Downed Fighter Jet and Missing Pilot to Media (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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