This story originally was published by Real Clear Wire

By Emzar Gelashvili

Introduction: A Confession

Let us begin with a confession. I am a devoted admirer of NATO. I believe in collective defense, in transatlantic solidarity, and in the sacred principle that an attack on one is an attack on all. I believe in this the same way I believe in Santa Claus — with great warmth, considerable nostalgia, and the quiet understanding that the evidence has become somewhat inconvenient.

So let us examine the evidence together. Calmly. Without partisan affiliation, without personal animosity toward any leader, without the fog of political preference. Just facts. You may draw your own conclusions.

The Birth of a Great Idea

On April 4, 1949, twelve nations gathered in Washington and signed the North Atlantic Treaty. The logic was elegant in its simplicity: the Soviet Union was expanding, Europe was exhausted, and America was the only power capable of holding the line. Collective defense would deter aggression. An attack on one would be treated as an attack on all.

It was, by any measure, one of the most successful security arrangements in history. For forty years, it worked. The Soviets did not march west. Europe rebuilt. The alliance held. And then the Soviet Union collapsed. This is where our story gets interesting.

No Action, Talk Only”

There is a phrase that circulates quietly among senior military officials within NATO itself — not in press releases, not in summit communiqués, but in the corridors where people speak honestly. They call the alliance “No Action, Talk Only.”

I have heard this personally from sources inside the organization. NATO. No Action, Talk Only. It is, as acronyms go, devastatingly accurate.

When the Soviet threat disappeared, NATO faced an existential question: what are we for? The answer, delivered by President George W. Bush after 2001, was that NATO would now fight terrorism. This sounded decisive. It was, in practice, philosophically catastrophic. NATO’s post-Cold War strategists decided that the enemy was a tactic. They would fight “terrorism” — an abstraction, a method, a fog. Predictably, they could never agree on what terrorism actually was.

Meanwhile, in 2008, Russia attacked Georgia. The alarm bells rang. NATO remembered, briefly, what it existed to do. But only briefly.

The 2% Fiction

NATO’s financial model is, in theory, straightforward. Each member maintains its own military and is expected to spend at least 2% of GDP on defense. In practice, during Donald Trump’s first presidency, a rather uncomfortable truth emerged: almost no one was paying.

Trump’s assessment was direct: You are not paying your dues. The United States finances 80% of this alliance. You have dismantled your own defense forces, confident that America will protect you. Biden arrived, reassured everyone that America would always be there, and NATO’s member states promptly resumed their previous arrangements — paying less than required.

Article V: A Clause in Search of a Country

Let us count. Because counting is instructive.

Iran struck a British military base in Cyprus. Both Britain and Greece are NATO members. Article V — not invoked.

The Royal Navy’s Scheduling Conflict: Britain agreed to send a single frigate to protect its base. It was discovered that the vessel required repairs. The trade unions refused to authorize overtime. A British warship could not be repaired because labor regulations did not permit workers to exceed eight hours per day.

The Turkish-Polish Incident: Iran struck Turkish territory multiple times with ballistic missiles. Turkey requested a single Patriot battery from Poland. Poland said no. The United States intervened. Poland said no again. Three NATO members struck by Iranian weapons. Zero invocations of Article V.

Coalition of the Willing — To Watch

When Iran threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, global oil prices surged. Trump called on NATO allies to protect their own tanker routes. The response was instructive.

Spain refused American forces use of its bases. France did the same. Italy declined refueling.

Germany’s Chancellor Merz offered to send one warship — provided the United States guaranteed its safety, and provided Iran gave its permission first. France, at the United Nations, voted alongside Russia and China to block a resolution that would have authorized forcible reopening of the Strait.

The Question Americans Are Asking

The American taxpayer is beginning to ask: Why exactly are we in this alliance? We pay 80% of NATO’s collective costs. We maintain the nuclear umbrella. And when we ask our allies to protect their own tanker routes, they cite scheduling conflicts and labor regulations.

The Monroe Doctrine — which some in Washington now call the “Donroe Doctrine” — has returned to American strategic thinking. The premise is simple: America’s primary interest is America’s hemisphere. Everything else is a choice, not an obligation.

What Is NATO For?

In 1951, General Dwight D. Eisenhower wrote: “If in ten years, all American troops stationed in Europe… have not been returned to the United States, then this whole project will have failed.” That was 75 years ago. American troops are still in Europe.

There are two possible arrangements. First: America is NATO’s client (Europe hires protection). Second: America is NATO’s ally (partners share risks). NATO has spent thirty years insisting on the second arrangement while practicing the first — without paying for it.

Conclusion

I have presented you with facts. Dates, amounts, decisions, votes, labor disputes, and ballistic missiles. I have offered no verdict. I would ask only that you read what you have read again and draw your own conclusion. Some conclusions write themselves.

Emzar Gelashvili is a former Member of the Georgian Parliament (7th convocation) and a former senior official across Georgia’s Special Services, including the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of State Security, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He is an independent security and intelligence analyst based in California and publishes regular geopolitical insights on Substack.

The post NATO: No Action, Talk Only — The Alliance That Forgot How to Fight appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

One day shy of his first 100 days in office, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was hit with his first potential political scandal.

A lawsuit filed by a subordinate of a woman Mamdani appointed to run the city’s department of probation — and clean up ethical messes from the previous administration — claims she was fired for blowing the whistle on an “intimate relationship” between her boss and the agency’s top attorney, according to Politico.

And Mamdani himself is already facing public questions about it.

The lawsuit was filed Thursday by now-former city Department of Probation chief investigator Ebony Huntley.

According to the New York Post, Huntley claimed that the Department of Probation Commissioner Sharun Goodwin was engaged in a personal relationship with Wayne McKenzie, the agency’s general counsel.

NYC probation staffer was sacked for blowing whistle on alleged tryst between Mamdani appointee and top aide: suit https://t.co/sbXvxYWljk pic.twitter.com/SBblQEwKTZ

— New York Post (@nypost) April 10, 2026

According to Politico, Huntley learned of the relationship from an anonymous complaint.

The complaint, received in late March, said that the relationship “may present a conflict of interest and impact impartial decision-making,” according to Politico. The alleged relationship was in place before McKenzie was hired as general counsel, according to the New York Post.

The allegation was accompanied by other complaints, such as accusing the agency’s human resource director, Zenia Melendez, of engaging in “verbal and physical violence” targeting staff members.

“Collectively, these concerns have created a workplace environment where employees feel uneasy, discouraged from speaking openly, and uncertain about their job security,” the complaint said, according to Politico.

“Many employees simply want to perform their duties in a professional setting without fear of retaliation or favoritism. If the goal is to move the Department of Probation forward, there is a strong need for leadership that reflects professionalism, objectivity and accountability.”

After she forwarded the complaint to the city’s Department of Investigation, Huntley apparently discussed the matter with an attorney in her own department. The attorney said he was going to inform McKenzie about the complaint, over Huntley’s objections.

The next day, according to Politico, Huntley was called into a meeting McKenzie organized. There, McKenzie said he could not trust her and that she was being fired, according to Politico.

Huntley maintains she was only doing her job.

“I did what I was supposed to do,” she told Politico. “I didn’t do anything wrong and I definitely shouldn’t have been fired.”

She is asking for unspecified monetary damages, according to Politico. However, the New York Post reported that Huntley maintains the firing cost her $170,000-a-year salary for the city.

Mamdani himself was questioned about the case at an unrelated news conference on Friday, the day that marked his 100th in office since his Jan. 1 inauguration.

“I take any allegations of misconduct incredibly seriously,” Mamdani said, according to the New York Daily News.

“I’m not going to be weighing in on any ongoing investigation. However, New Yorkers should rest assured that there is an investigation.”

According to a Politico report from January, Goodwin was named to head the Department of Probation amid accusations that the previous commissioner — an appointee of now-former Mayor Eric Adams — mismanaged the department and used it as a source of jobs for her family and friends.

At the time, Mamdani said he had appointed Goodwin to the post because of her commitment to “fairness,” along with “efficiency and excellence.”

This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.

The post Scandal Hits Mamdani Administration – NYC Employee Says She Was Fired for Blowing the Whistle appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

The Iranian regime is once again proving exactly why Americans, and the world, cannot trust a word coming out of Tehran.

Just hours before high-stakes peace negotiations with the United States were set to begin in Pakistan, Iran abruptly issued a list of demands, threatening to derail the entire process before it even starts.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf took to X and delivered a blatant ultimatum: the United States must release billions in frozen Iranian assets, and a full ceasefire must take hold in Lebanon before any talks can proceed.

Ghalibaf wrote on X:

“Two of the measures mutually agreed upon between the parties have yet to be implemented: a ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of Iran’s blocked assets prior to the commencement of negotiations. These two matters must be fulfilled before negotiations begin.”

Two of the measures mutually agreed upon between the parties have yet to be implemented: a ceasefire in Lebanon and the release of Iran’s blocked assets prior to the commencement of negotiations.

These two matters must be fulfilled before negotiations begin.

— محمدباقر قالیباف | MB Ghalibaf (@mb_ghalibaf) April 10, 2026

The talks in Islamabad were supposed to build on the fragile two-week ceasefire President Trump forced through Pakistan’s mediation after weeks of escalating conflict.

Vice President JD Vance is already en route to lead the U.S. delegation and turn that temporary pause into a permanent deal.

The Guardian reported:

JD Vance has warned Iran not to “try and play” the US at talks planned for Saturday in Islamabad, while Tehran said it would not take part until Israel stopped bombing of Lebanon.

The US vice-president made the comments as he boarded a plane to Pakistan for negotiations that could determine whether a ceasefire holds or the war on Iran resumes with grave implications for the global economy.

With hours to go before the talks were scheduled to start, doubts remained as to whether they actually would.

[…]

It was unclear on Friday evening whether Qalibaf and Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, were still planning to fly to Islamabad to lead their delegation. It was reported last month that Israel had taken Qalibaf and Araghchi off the target list of its bombing campaign at Washington’s request.

Donald Trump fuelled the uncertainty by saying US forces were rearming and ready to return to the attack if the negotiations failed.

“We have a reset going. We’re loading up the ships with the best ammunition, the best weapons ever made – even better than what we did previously and we blew them apart,” the US president told the New York Post. “And if we don’t have a deal, we will be using them, and we will be using them very effectively.”

The post Iran’s Terror Regime Throws Last-Minute Tantrum — Demands Release of Billions in Blocked Assets and Full Ceasefire for Hezbollah in Lebanon Before Peace Talks Can Proceed appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

What happened to believing all survivors?

Eric Swalwell, Democrat Rep. and current California gubernatorial candidate, released a desperate and unhinged video denying the sexual assault allegations against him which prompted high-profile Democrats to withdraw endorsements.

As TGP reported earlier on Friday, The San Francisco Chronicle published a story about a woman who claimed that Democrat Eric Swalwell sexually assaulted her twice.

The woman, who worked as a staffer in Swalwell’s office for two years, told The San Francisco Chronicle that Swalwell began pursuing her just weeks after she was hired at the age of 21 in 2019.

“A woman who worked for nearly two years for Rep. Eric Swalwell, a leading candidate for California governor, said she had sexual encounters with him while he was her boss and alleged he twice sexually assaulted her when she was too intoxicated to consent,” the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Swalwell denied the allegations in a written statement earlier Friday.

Swalwell’s lawyers also intimidated the alleged sexual assault victim and sent her a cease-and-desist letter, accusing her of making false statements.

“These allegations are false and come on the eve of an election against the frontrunner for governor,” he said.

High-profile California Democrats like Adam Schiff and Nancy Pelosi turned on Swalwell and called for him to drop out of the gubernatorial race.

Schiff withdrew his endorsement of Swalwell and called on him to drop out of California’s gubernatorial race.

Swalwell’s campaign staffers resigned and he lost other endorsements after the San Francisco Chronicle published the story about the sexual assault allegations.

Later Friday night, facing mounting pressure to drop his gubernatorial bid, Swalwell released a desperate statement in response to the sexual assault allegations.

“These allegations of sexual assault are flat false. They’re absolutely false,” Swalwell insisted in the video he posted to social media. “They did not happen. They have never happened and I will fight them with everything that I have.”

He continued, “They also come on the eve of an election where I have been the front-runner candidate for the governor in California.”

Swalwell seeming admitted to having extra marital affairs and apologized to his wife.

Eric Swalwell concluded his short video message by telling the public that he will spend the rest of the weekend with his friends and family.

WATCH:

The post WATCH: Swalwell Releases Desperate Video Denying Sexual Assault Allegations as High-Profile Democrats Call for Him to Drop Out of California Governor’s Race appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Hunter Biden has reportedly fled the US and is $17 million in debt.

Why doesn’t Hunter Biden just sell a few pieces of his highly coveted art? Don’t each one of Hunter Biden’s art pieces cost more than a Degas?

It is unclear where Hunter Biden is currently residing, however, last March he was spotted out and about with his wife in South Africa.

Hunter’s wife, Melissa Cohen, is from South Africa.

Last year Laura Loomer obtained photos of Hunter Biden, his second wife Melissa Cohen, and their toddler son, Beau, on a lavish vacation in Cape Town, South Africa, with US Secret Service agents in tow.

EXCLUSIVE In an international investigation with my contacts on the ground in Cape Town, South Africa, I have captured exclusive photos of @HunterBiden this morning with his Secret Service detail— PROVING that he fled the country right after he was served a deposition notice… pic.twitter.com/PM8cYIMeFI

— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) March 14, 2025

Additional photos of Hunter Biden and his wife, Melissa Cohen surrounded by taxpayer-funded Secret Service:

EXCLUSIVE

I have captured more photos today of @HunterBiden’s wife Melissa Cohen with her US @SecretService protection detail on the ground in Cape Town, South Africa where she is currently vacationing with her husband HUNTER BIDEN.

This comes just 9 days after Hunter… pic.twitter.com/YwcmPIEoNB

— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) March 14, 2025

Shortly after Laura Loomer and The New York Post reported that Hunter Biden fled the US and was in South Africa last year, Trump stripped the former First Son’s Secret Service protection.

“Hunter Biden has had Secret Service protection for an extended period of time, all paid for by the United States Taxpayer. There are as many as 18 people on this Detail, which is ridiculous! He is currently vacationing in, of all places, South Africa, where the Human Rights of people has been strenuously questioned,” Trump said last year on Truth Social.

“Because of this, South Africa has been taken off our list of Countries receiving Economic and Financial Assistance. Please be advised that, effective immediately, Hunter Biden will no longer receive Secret Service protection. Likewise, Ashley Biden who has 13 agents will be taken off the list,” Trump said on Truth Social.

According to The Daily Mail, Hunter Biden is being sued by his former lawyers for outstanding legal fees.

The Daily Mail reported:

Hunter Biden has quietly pulled up stakes and left the country amid claims he is $17 million in debt and living overseas, the Daily Mail can reveal.

The disclosure came in a new legal filing submitted by his attorney Barry Coburn on April 6, in Washington DC, where the first son is being sued by his former attorneys at Winston & Strawn.

The court filing bluntly states ‘Mr Biden lives abroad’, and argues that the former First Son ‘cannot afford’ to pay off his outstanding legal fees.

The law firm defended Hunter, 56, in his tax and gun crimes cases, as well as other legal battles, but claims he failed to pay bills ‘substantially in excess of $50,000’.

On a podcast appearance last year Hunter himself claimed he was in ‘$17 million of debt.’

Coburn declined to comment to the Daily Mail, and did not specify where in the world Hunter, 56, now lives – but it’s not America.

However, last year Hunter was spotted spending time in South Africa, the birthplace of his wife Melissa, 39, the mother of his youngest child.

The post Hunter Biden Flees US, Claims He’s $17 Million in Debt appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.