The world's changed a lot.

Since then.

The NATO alliance has grown a lot since then, and yesterday's visit by its leader to the U.

S Capitol is our first subject on today's show.

Even though the United States was a founding member of NATO in 1949 Wednesday was the first time that a NATO secretary general ever addressed the U.

S House and Senate.

During a speech that promoted the organization itself and the unity of its members, Jens Stoltenberg acknowledged that NATO countries have their disagreements.

But he said, they've overcome them in the past and they'll have to do it again because the challenges that NATO faces can't be addressed by one country alone.

Questions are being asked on both sides of the Atlantic about the strength of our partnership.

And yes, there are differences.

This is democracy.

Open discussions and different views is not a sign of weakness.

It is a sign of strength.

What is NATO?

Why is it important?

What's its future?

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is a political and military alliance established in 1949 that seeks to promote stability in the North Atlantic area.

It is the will of the people of the world for our freedom and our led by Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

There are 29 member countries and its age.

Q is in Brussels.

NATO doesn't have his own troops but relies on contributions of forces from its member countries.

That NATO's core is Article five, which states an attack on one member is an attack on all NATO allies.

Collective defense principle was to protect Western European nations against the Soviet Union.

But when the Soviet Union collapsed, NATO's new tasks range from being a bulwark against Al Qaeda in Afghanistan to fighting human trafficking on intercepting refugees in the Mediterranean.

NATO is still extremely active, with some 4000 U.

S troops in Poland and the Baltic states and tens of thousands on 48 hour standby, bolstering NATO's allies and sending a clear message to Russia.

Secretary General Stoltenberg speech on Wednesday came a day after he met with U.

S President Donald Trump at the White House and Stoltenberg referred to the American leader in his speech.

President Trump spent skeptical of NATO in the past.

The Defense Alliance recommends its members spend at least 2% of their gross domestic product on defense.

Onley seven out of 29 actually do that US does, and Stoltenberg credits President Trump with getting other members to spend Maur.

Despite that and other international disagreements over its policies, NATO has lasted longer than any other defense alliance in recorded history, and several international analysts say it's the most successful alliance to next story.

India has kicked off what's been called the world's largest democratic exercise.

That exercise is voting, and with a government that's a federal parliamentary republic and a population of 1.3 billion people, India is considered the world's largest democracy.

In this election, about 900 million people are eligible to vote to give you a sense of that number.

It's almost three times the entire population of the United States.

In order to give that many people the chance to cast ballots, India plans to open about one million polling stations across the country, and more than 10 million officials will be working to manage them.

The election will take more than a month.

So what exactly will voters be choosing 545 seats have to be filled in India's lower house of parliament, and all but two of them are elected by a simple majority vote.

The others are appointed by the president.

The party that wins the majority in this election forms the government that will rule for the next five years.

But India has hundreds of political parties.

So if a single one doesn't win enough seats than a coalition or alliance conformed to choose the nation's prime minister during the last general election in 2014 464 political parties took part.

And if that sounds like a lot, consider the number of candidates.

There were more than 8200 and 50 of them.

Lawmakers help determine what happens in India and in space.

India is riding high after a successful anti satellite missile test last week, but new concerns may bring them back down to Earth.

Last Wednesday, India destroyed one of its own satellites operating in a low orbit, using a ground to space missile, an accomplishment hailed by India.

India has registered its name as the space power.

Only the U S Russia and China have successfully carried out anti satellite missile tests.

But India's move has been strongly criticized by NASA's top official, who says debris from the test is a threat to the international space station.

That is a terrible, terrible thing to create an event that sends debris in an apogee that goes above the international space station and that kind of activity is not compatible with the future of human space flight.

NASA says they have identified 400 pieces of space debris from the test, and the chances of small particles hitting the I SS have increased by 44% over the next few days.

But they also point out that they have everything under control, while the risk went up 44%.

Our astronauts are still safe.

The international space station is still safe.

If we need to maneuver it, we will.

India says it expects the objects to burn up soon and conducted the test at a lower altitude so the debris would dissipate quickly into the atmosphere.

In this case, our scientists have taken all precautions and in a matter of three weeks the whole environment will be debriefed, NASA says.

The process takes time.

In 2007 China conducted a similar test at a higher altitude, creating one of the largest debris clouds in history, much of which is still circling overhead.

Admiral Walker, CNN huh?

If you're hoping to see a comodo dragon in its native habitat anytime soon, you'd better do it before next January.

The government of Indonesia, where Kimoto Island is located, reportedly plans to close it to tourists for the year 2020.

It's a popular destination, but Comodo dragons are considered to be a vulnerable species, and several people were arrested last month and accused of smuggling them.

Authorities say 41 Comodo lizards were illegally taken from the island and sold in other countries for $35,000 each.

They don't make good pets.

Tomatoes can grow up to 10 feet long and weigh more than £150.

They're the largest lizards in the world, and their bite is so venomous that it can kill someone.

During the island's closure, Indonesian officials hope to preserve the lizards habitat and help their population growth.

First, it may look like a flock of birds, a really bright, colorful, artificially lighted flood.

But surprise it's drones.

The technology company Intel put on the show to kick off a summit.

You're looking at 500 shooting star drones.

They're lightweight and have led.

As you can see, Intel says all they can really do is light up the sky, but that they do that really well.

The display took place recently over Phoenix, Arizona.

As long as they all work.

It's a bright idea, a reflection of illuminating technology that plays like a semi conducted light orchestra.

But no one would give him props if they were to get their wires crossed and go boom.

Raining drones make for a bad forecast.

Ah, worst spin class and a generally cath odious experience.

We're glad no one crashed the party.

I'm Carla Zeus and that CNN.