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


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.
American journalist Shelly Kittleson will be released after being abducted in Iraq, an Iranian-backed militia says. https://t.co/QSJJBNJ77b
— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 7, 2026
The post DEVELOPING: Shelly Kittleson, American Journalist Kidnapped in Iraq, Freed After Week in Captivity appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
Politics
Lifelong Catholic Tom Homan Pushes Back Against Pope with Realities of Immigration (Video)


President Trump and Pope Leo XIV have been trading barbs about the Pontiff weighing in on American politics.
Trump recently blasted the Pope as “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy.”
In addition to slamming U.S. involvement in Iran, the Pope has repeatedly slammed the Trump administration’s stance against illegal immigration.
Border Czar, a lifelong Catholic, speaking outside the White House, told reporters the Vatican doesn’t know what they are talking about.
“I’m not going to speak for the President, I’m speaking for myself, a lifelong Catholic,” Holman told reporters. “I wish they’d stay out of immigration. They don’t know what they’re talking about.”
“Because if they wore my shoes for 40 years, and talked to a 9-year-old girl that got r*ped multiple times, or stood in the back of a tractor-trailer with 19 dead aliens at my feet, including a 5-year-old boy that baked to death, if they understood the atrocities that happened on the open border, I think their opinion would change!”
“And I welcome discussion with any of them, because they don’t understand illegal immigration is not a victimless crime.”
“Where President Trump had the most secure border in the lifetime of this nation, right now, lives are being saved. He’s saving thousands of lives a year because he has a secure border.”
“Human traffickers are out of business, right?”
“The cartels are going bankrupt because of that secure border.”
“I wish they’d understand that.”
“Because if they did, I think they’d have a different opinion.”
Watch:
The post Lifelong Catholic Tom Homan Pushes Back Against Pope with Realities of Immigration (Video) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
Politics
WAYNE ROOT: President Trump Can Destroy the Ignorant, Clueless, Bleeding-Heart, Hypocrite, Communist Pope Leo, With These 6 Powerful Words: “Pope Leo, TEAR DOWN THIS WALL!”


By Wayne Allyn Root
President Trump, it’s easy to destroy all the clueless, ignorant, bleeding-heart, communist, hypocritical arguments of Pope Leo.
Simply CHALLENGE HIM!
Be the modern-day Ronald Reagan. Reagan changed the world by standing in front of the Berlin Wall and speaking directly to the Soviet Union leader. Reagan made history by saying forcefully……
“Mr. Gorbachev, TEAR DOWN THIS WALL!”
President Trump needs to travel to Italy, and stand outside the Vatican, in front of the media of the world, and issue this powerful challenge to the Pope…
“Pope Leo, TEAR DOWN THIS WALL!”
The Pope is upset at the way President Trump, DHS, ICE, and America treat illegal aliens. The Pope says he loves everyone. To him, no one is illegal. The Pope thinks we should be welcoming illegal aliens by the millions. And of course, he hates our wall.
No problem. Here is the 3-part solution…
First, challenge Pope Leo to knock down those Vatican walls, and start inviting immigrants and migrants from around the globe in. You take care of them all. From now on, Pope, they are all yours!
Make the Vatican grounds look like New York City, or LA, or San Francisco, or Chicago. Good luck.
Liberals (i.e., communists) like Pope Leo love to complain about walls, and gates, and guard houses, and guards with guns…
While they live behind walls, gates, guard houses, and are surrounded by militarized guards with guns.
And those same liberal hypocrites think once someone invades our country, and illegally breaks into our country, it’s now our responsibility to feed and house them for the rest of their lives- even if it bankrupts us.
Even if they murder, rape, and assault innocent Americans. Women and children.
So, here is Part 2 of this powerful challenge…
Once all these millions of poor, unskilled, military-age males and pregnant women are inside the Vatican, Pope Leo, please accept that they are your responsibility for life.
Please acknowledge that the Vatican and the Catholic Church are responsible for them. Forever. You pay their bills. You pay for their welfare, food stamps, housing, free medical, and school for their millions of children. You pay for their police, court, and prison costs.
Dear Pope, if you love them so much, then you pay the bill.
Finally, we come to Part 3 of the challenge to Pope Leo…
President Trump needs to announce that the USA will start deporting millions of our illegal aliens to the Vatican. We don’t want them, and you claim you do, so here’s your chance, Pope. Let’s test if your actions match your words.
From now on, they’re yours.
Our first deportation flights will take off for the Vatican tomorrow. Are you in?
If the Pope is such a fan of illegal aliens…and migrants from Muslim countries…and MS-13…and terrorists…and drug traffickers…and pedophiles…and murderers…and rapists…
And if the Pope thinks we are “mean, heartless Americans” for not wanting to pay for them…and feed them…and for wanting them gone…
Then, from now on, he can take in our millions of illegal immigrants and migrants at the Vatican.
Call his bluff, President Trump.
The big-mouth, clueless, communist, hypocrite Pope can say all the nice things he wants about migrants, and felons, and illegal invaders, but he says it all from afar…surrounded by big walls, and guarded by heavily-armed militarized guards- the Vatican Army.
That’s rich.
Who does he think he is? Barack Obama? Nancy Pelosi? Joe Biden? Illinois Governor JB Pritzker? California Governor Gavin Newsom? Kamala Harris? Hillary Clinton?
All these powerful Democrats live just like the Pope.
In mansions, behind walls and gates, and protected by armed guards. They never see or touch illegal aliens. There are no homeless tents and drug addicts sleeping on the lawn inside their gates. These filthy rich DEmocrat hypocrites all ride in limos and fly private jets. Their children go to fancy, all-white, private schools that cost $60,000 a year.
Just like Pope Leo, the only migrants they ever see are cleaning their toilets or mowing their lawns.
It’s easy to criticize others who have to actually live with the “unwashed, unhoused” masses of migrants, a large percentage of whom are criminals, when you fly above in your private jet, or drive by in your limo, or watch from afar, inside your gated mansion.
It’s really easy to tell others to pay for their bills when the Vatican and the Catholic Church don’t have to pay a dime. The money comes from American taxpayers- and by the way, Pope, millions of those taxpayers are your Catholic parishioners.
And it’s also easy to tell us to accept millions of illegals when you’ve conned and scammed the U.S. government into handing Catholic Charities billions of dollars annually to help bring illegals into the USA.
In other words…what a SCAM you’ve got going, Pope…
American taxpayers pay the bills, and you get paid. And the more illegals who break into our country, the more money the Catholic Church makes.
So, from now on, Pope Leo, they are yours, and their bills are yours. Forever. They’re your responsibility.
Please accept President Trump’s challenge…
“Pope Leo, TEAR DOWN THIS WALL.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Wayne Allyn Root is a CEO, businessman, best-selling author, and national conservative TV and radio host, who has interviewed President Trump 16 times. Watch Wayne’s TV show “America’s Top Ten Countdown” on Real America’s Voice TV Saturdays at Noon ET/9 AM PT, and his 2-hour daily video podcast “WAR Zone Live presented by The Gateway Pundit” daily from 6 PM to 8 PM ET at TheGatewayPundit.com. His website is ROOTforAmerica.com. Read Wayne’s latest fun book, “How Democrats Have Made America Great.” It’s 140 blank pages. The joke is on Democrats!
The post WAYNE ROOT: President Trump Can Destroy the Ignorant, Clueless, Bleeding-Heart, Hypocrite, Communist Pope Leo, With These 6 Powerful Words: “Pope Leo, TEAR DOWN THIS WALL!” appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
Politics
LISTEN: US Military Releases Audio of US Naval Vessels on Patrol in the Gulf of Oman, Warning Other Vessels Amid Blockade – “We Will Use Force”

US Naval Vessel patrols Gulf of Oman
The US Military on Tuesday released audio of US Naval officers patrolling the Gulf of Oman and warning other vessels that try to breach blockade.
“U.S. naval vessels are on patrol in the Gulf of Oman as CENTCOM continues to execute a U.S. blockade on ships entering and departing Iranian ports. U.S. forces are present, vigilant, and ready to ensure compliance,” CENTCOM said.
“After implementing the blockade on ships entering and departing Iranian ports, American forces halted economic trade going into and out of Iran by sea. U.S. Sailors, Marines, and Airmen remain positioned and ready to act against any vessels seeking to violate the blockade,” CENTCOM said.
“The US has announced a formal blockade of Iranian ports in coastal areas,” a Naval officer says.
“This is illegal action. All vessels are advised to immediately return to port if leaving, and discontinue transit to Iran if that is your next port of call, do not attempt to breach the blockade,” he said.
“Vessels will be boarded for interdiction and seizure transiting to or from an Iranian port,” the officer said.
“Turn around and prepare to be boarded. If you do not comply with this blockade, we will use force. The whole of the United States Navy is ready to force compliance,” he said.
WATCH:
On Monday, President Trump announced a US Naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz after peace negotiations stalled.
“The United States to Blockade Ships Entering or Exiting Iranian Ports on April 13 at 10:00 A.M. ET. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DJT” Trump said on Truth Social.
The Gateway Pundit reported on Sunday, President Trump had already ordered the U.S. Navy to BLOCK “any and all ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz effective immediately” after Iran defied his nuclear demands and continued their terrorist extortion racket on the world’s energy supply.
CENTCOM confirmed the blockade: Starting at 10 a.m. ET today, U.S. forces will implement a full blockade of all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports and coastal areas, including every single Iranian port on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.
The blockade will be enforced impartially against vessels of all nations. Freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz to non-Iranian ports will continue, but the terror regime’s ports are now effectively shut down.
The US Naval blockade was implemented after Vice President JD Vance announced no deal had been reached with Iran after a 21-hour marathon negotiations.
Here is the US’s ‘red line’ list according to Semafor (It is unclear if any points were agreed upon):
– End all uranium enrichment
– Dismantle all major nuclear enrichment facilities
– Retrieve highly enriched uranium
– Accept a broader peace, security and de-escalation framework that includes regional allies
– End funding for terrorist proxies Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis
– Fully open the Strait of Hormuz, charging no tolls for passage
The post LISTEN: US Military Releases Audio of US Naval Vessels on Patrol in the Gulf of Oman, Warning Other Vessels Amid Blockade – “We Will Use Force” appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
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