After former President Trump’s recent digs at NATO, officials at a global security conference in Munich over the weekend weighed what European countries would do if Trump were re-elected and abandoned the United States’ treaty commitments. On the show today, Kathleen McInnis, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, discusses the history and future of NATO and why it matters to the global economy. We’ll also share our takeaways from Fani Willis’ testimony. Plus, a former NASA astronaut was wrong about what we (earthlings) gain from going to space.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

- “Trump said he might ignore NATO’s duty to defend. Here’s what the group does.” from The Washington Post

- “After Trump’s claims, here’s what to know about NATO member defense spending” from ABC News

- “NATO’s Article 5 Collective Defense Obligations, Explained” from Brennan Center for Justice

- “Why Americans Still Need NATO” from Foreign Policy

- “Trump didn’t quit NATO, but a potential second term alarms allies” from The Washington Post

- “The life and testimony of Fani Willis’s father, John Floyd III” from The Washington Post

- “DA Fani Willis testified she paid cash during trips with top prosecutor. One winery host remembers her paying in paper bills” from CNN Politics

- “How the Freedman’s Bank failure still impacts Black Americans” from Marketplace

- “Elon Musk’s SpaceX Forges Closer Ties With U.S. Spy and Military Agencies” from The Wall Street Journal

We want to hear your answer to the Make Me Smart question. You can reach us at makemesmart@marketplace.org or leave us a voicemail at 508-U-B-SMART.

NATO’s place in the global economy

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