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BREAKING: American Journalist Kidnapped by Iranian-Backed Militias in Central Baghdad (VIDEO)

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Surveillance footage shows a busy street in Baghdad where armed individuals reportedly kidnapped an American journalist.

An American journalist has reportedly been kidnapped in central Baghdad.

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

Iraq’s Interior Ministry confirmed the kidnapping.

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

WATCH:

Shelly Kittleson was reportedly kidnapped by Iranian-backed militias.

Per Al Jazeera:

“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.”

“The pursuit resulted in the interception of a vehicle belonging to the kidnappers, which overturned as they attempted to flee. Security forces were able to arrest one of the suspects and seize one of the vehicles used in the crime.”

“The Ministry affirms that efforts are ongoing to track down the remaining individuals involved, secure the release of the kidnapped journalist, and take all necessary legal measures against all those involved in this criminal act, in accordance with the law.”

Photos posted to social media show the vehicle belonging to the kidnappers damaged after crashing amid a pursuit.

Shelly Kittleson’s whereabouts are not known at this time.

Update: The US State Department released a statement on the kidnapping:

•The Trump Administration has no higher priority than the safety and security of Americans.
•We are closing tracking these reports.
•Due to privacy and other considerations, we have nothing further to share at this time.

Alex Plitsas, Shelly Kittleson’s US point of contact confirmed she has been kidnapped.

“I can confirm that my friend Shelly Kittleson was abducted and may have taken hostage in Baghdad by Khatib Hezbollah. Whereabouts and condition unknown. I am her designated U.S. point of contact. If you have information please provide to law enforcement and send me a DM,” he said.

DEVELOPING…

The post BREAKING: American Journalist Kidnapped by Iranian-Backed Militias in Central Baghdad (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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After UK and France, Now Kanye West’s Show in Poland Gets Cancelled

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A performer kneels on stage with a microphone, surrounded by an enthusiastic crowd capturing the moment on their phones.A performer kneels on stage with a microphone, surrounded by an enthusiastic crowd capturing the moment on their phones.Kanye West hasn’t reacted to the news yet – Wiki Commons

Ye’s tour is under heavy cancellation pressures.

Another show in Kanye West’s embattled 2026 tour has been canceled, after he was banned from the UK, and ‘postponed’ his show in the French city of Marseille.

Today (17), a Polish stadium announced that it will cancel West’s concert ‌amid widespread condemnation over his past celebration of Nazism.

Reuters reported:

“’We would like to inform you that the Ye (Kanye West) concert planned for 19 June 2026 ​at the… Slaski stadium will not take place due to ​formal and legal reasons’, stadium director Adam Strzyzewski said in ⁠a statement posted on Facebook.

The decision by the Slaski stadium ​in the western city of Chorzow, first reported by Wyborcza newspaper on ​its website, comes just over a week after Britain blocked the 48-year-old from travelling there to headline a festival.”

Announcement regarding the cancellation of Kanye West's concert scheduled for June 19, 2026, at Superauto Stadion Śląski due to legal reasons.

West has not reacted to the news yet.

The rapper apologized in January for his Nazi praise, attributing it to ‘untreated bipolar disorder’.

He made a point of renouncing past social media posts praising Adolf ‌Hitler.

“Authorities ⁠in Poland had already signaled they would seek to ban the planned June 19 concert.

‘In a country scarred by the history of the Holocaust, we cannot pretend that this is just entertainment’, Polish Culture ​Minister Marta Cienkowska ​said on Thursday.”

Read more:

Unhinged Rapper Kanye West Sparks Outrage After Release of Bizarre “Heil Hitler” Music Video on Victory in Europe Day

The post After UK and France, Now Kanye West’s Show in Poland Gets Cancelled appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Big Win! Maricopa Superior Court Judge Orders Board of Supervisors to Restore Key Election Functions to Recorder’s Office

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Voting machine with a checkmark on the screen, set against the Arizona state flag background, symbolizing democratic participation in elections.Professional portrait of a man in a blue suit with a red tie, smiling confidently against a blurred outdoor background.Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap defeated Stephen Richer in the Republican Primary in July 2024

In October of 2024, former Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer entered into an agreement with the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors (Board) to shift certain election duties away from the Recorder’s office and to the Board.  This was done months after Justin Heap defeated Richer in the July 30th, 2024, Republican Primary for Maricopa County Recorder, and one month before Heap won the November 5th election to succeed Richer.

The agreement was unanimous and gave the Board control over early ballot processing, including the appointment of a bipartisan board responsible for overseeing the early voting process.  The agreement also centralized election-related information technology (IT) functions, as well as the $5 million budget associated with the IT service.

Following the agreement’s approval on October 10th, KJZZ Phoenix reported:

The agreement, unanimously approved by the board on Oct. 10, gives the Board of Supervisors the authority to appoint the board that processes early ballots, which includes an inspector and two judges from different political parties. According to the Election Procedures Manual, those boards examine, count and verify early ballots before they are tabulated. That includes opening envelopes, ensuring the ballot envelopes show the correct election code and identifying damaged ballots.

Under the previous shared services agreement adopted in 2023, the recorder managed early ballot processing.

Under the new agreement, the Recorder’s Office will retain other election-related responsibilities, including voter registration, planning and administering early voting and signature verification of early ballots.

However, the Board of Supervisors also voted to move the recorder’s information technology staff and its associated $5 million budget under its supervision, including “any IT-related service necessary for the Recorder to effectively perform its elections or business-related responsibilities as designated.

Upon assuming office, Heap cancelled the contract and called on the newly seated Board of Supervisors to renegotiate.  In a statement posted to the Maricopa County Recorder’s website, Heap suggested he would take legal action over “the Supervisors’ unwillingness to address these concerns.”

Heap did take legal action, and yesterday a Maricopa County Superior Court judge sided with the Recorder’s position.

According to the Court’s decision, the authority was delegated to a county’s recorder or an “other officer in charge of elections.”  But the order also stated that, “The recorder may subsequently withdraw his or her consent and reclaim his or her statutory authority or responsibility.”

The judge ordered that the Board of Supervisors “return to the Recorder’s direct custody and/or control the IT staff, servers, databases, software, websites, and equipment that were in the Recorder’s custody…prior to October of 2024…” and enjoined the Board of Supervisors “from further exercising any election functions delegated by the Legislature to the Recorder.”

The Board of Supervisors had argued that it had the authority to control funding and structure operations of the Recorder’s office, however, the judge rejected that claim, finding that the Board of Supervisors has a “non-discretionary duty to fund all reasonable and necessary expenses of the Recorder as set forth in Title 16 of Arizona Revised Statutes.”

Court order detailing responsibilities and authority delegation under Arizona Revised Statutes Title 16 for county recorders and boards of supervisors.

The post Big Win! Maricopa Superior Court Judge Orders Board of Supervisors to Restore Key Election Functions to Recorder’s Office appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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Federal Reserve Stonewalls DOJ Prosecutors Investigating Headquarters Construction: Report

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Federal Reserve Chairman delivering a speech at a press conference, with American flags and the Federal Reserve emblem in the background.

Federal Reserve Chairman delivering a speech at a press conference, with American flags and the Federal Reserve emblem in the background.

Federal prosecutors made a surprise visit Tuesday to the construction site of the Federal Reserve’s headquarters renovation project.

Workers at the site refused to admit them, saying they did not have clearance in advance of the visit, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The $2.5 billion project has been under review by the administration, and the prosecutors came from the office of U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro.

“Any construction project that has cost overruns of almost 80 percent over the original construction budget deserves some serious review,” Pirro said in a statement.

“And these people are in charge of monetary policy in the United States?” she asked.

Robert Hur, an attorney representing the Fed, said prosecutors Carlton Davis and Steven Vandervelden appeared “without prior notice” and sought a tour to check the work’s progress.

President Donald Trump has praised Pirro “for having the courage” to investigate the Fed.

As noted by ABC News, Trump has continually pushed for lower interest rates and also sparred with Fed Chair Jerome Powell about the cost of the $2.5 billion building project.

On Wednesday, Trump said he would fire Powell due to the economist’s “incompetence” if Powell does not leave when his term ends in May.

Trump has nominated former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh to replace Powell, according to Fox Business.

“I’ve held back firing him. I’ve wanted to fire him, but I hate to be controversial, you know?” he said in a Fox Business interview.

Trump said the renovation project involved a “building that I would have done for $25 million that’s going to cost maybe $4 billion.”

“Don’t you think we have to find out what happened there?” he asked.

Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina has threatened to oppose Warsh’s confirmation.

When asked about Warsh’s chances, he said, “We’re going to have to find out [if he will be confirmed]. He might not, but that’s why Thom Tillis is no longer a senator.”

Tillis is not seeking re-election.

“He’s on his way out… and I think he doesn’t want the legacy of stopping a great person who could be great… I know he said what he said, and maybe it’s true, in which case I’ll have to live with it,” Trump said.

This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.

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