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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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Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Is Appealing His Criminal Conviction and Sentencing – But Panel Judges Seem Skeptical of His Argument

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Diddy is appealing his conviction and sentence

Diddy is hopeful, but the judges appear unconvinced.

Around 10 months ago, disgraced hip-hop mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs was sentenced to a 50-month prison sentence.

Today, his lawyers presented his plea before an Appeals court, questioning both his conviction for ‘transportation to engage in prostitution’ and his sentencing.

Reuters reported:

“A lawyer for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs said on ​Thursday judges should not be allowed to consider conduct relating to charges for which a defendant has been acquitted ‌in determining a sentence, urging an appeals court to overturn the hip-hop mogul’s conviction on prostitution charges and his prison sentence.

‘This case presents an important issue about a respect for jury verdicts and public confidence in our criminal justice system’, defense lawyer Alexandra Shapiro told the Manhattan-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals during ​arguments in an appeal by Combs of his conviction and sentence of four years and two months in prison.”

ABC News reported:

“A three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals appeared skeptical on Thursday of Sean Combs’ argument that his prison sentence should be reduced because the judge unlawfully punished Combs as if he had been found guilty of more serious crimes.”

[…] Combs is serving a four-year prison sentence, which defense attorney Alexandra Shapiro said treats him as if he had been convicted of the more serious counts. She urged the appeals court to reduce the sentence ‘to ensure that not guilty really means not guilty’.”

CCTV video shows Diddy brutally beating Cassie Ventura during a ‘freak off’ sex marathon

The appellate judges deemed it constitutional for judge Arun Subramanian to consider ‘all of Combs’ conduct in establishing a sentence’.

“’We have two women who were plied with drugs to participate in this, one of whom became an opioid addict, so doesn’t that support the reasonableness of this?’ Judge M. Miller Baker asked.”

Read more: Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Asks Federal Appeals Court for the Reversing of His Conviction and Immediate Prison Release

The post Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Is Appealing His Criminal Conviction and Sentencing – But Panel Judges Seem Skeptical of His Argument appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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NEW: Minnesota Children’s Hospital Snubs Trump’s Executive Order, Will Resume Sex Change Procedures on Minors

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A Minnesota children’s hospital plans to resume sex change procedures for minors, flying in the face of President Trump’s executive order banning the practice. 

Last January, Trump signed the “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation” Executive Order, which restricts sex-change procedures for minors by cutting federal funding to institutions that practice the satanic procedures.

“It is the policy of the United States that it will not fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support the so-called ‘transition’ of a child from one sex to another, and it will rigorously enforce all laws that prohibit or limit these destructive and life-altering procedures,” Trump wrote in the order.

It can be recalled that former MAGA firebrand Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) led an effort to codify the President’s executive order last year, when the House passed her Protect Children’s Innocence Act.

The bill would make it a crime for sex-change surgery and hormonal treatments to be provided to minors and leave parents who allowed their child to be mutilated subject to prosecution.

However, the RINO-controlled Senate, led by Leader John Thune (R-SD), did not even vote on the bill.

Now, states are flaunting Trump’s executive order after a federal judge ruled in favor of 21 blue states that sued the Trump Administration.

United States District Court for the District of Oregon Judge Mustafa Kasubhai ruled that the executive branch lacked the authority to unilaterally implement a ban on so-called gender affirming care for minors due to a lack of Congressional action.

Per MPR New:

Children’s Minnesota announced Monday that it has resumed all services in its Gender Health program, some of which had been temporarily paused on Feb. 27.

The decision follows a federal court ruling in March that overturned a previous attempt to restrict gender-affirming care. This ruling, resulting from a lawsuit filed by Minnesota and a coalition of states, blocks the Trump administration from limiting access to such care.

“Offering science- and research-based health care to transgender and gender diverse youth is part of Children’s Minnesota’s vision of being every family’s essential partner in raising healthier children,” a spokesperson for the hospital said in a statement.

In February, Children’s Minnesota announced the temporary pause on prescribing puberty-suppressing medications and pubertal hormones to patients under the age of 18 in its Gender Health Program for Children. This pause was a reaction to federal actions targeting pediatric health systems that provide such care.

A spokesperson for the hospital previously said that this was not the decision Children’s Minnesota wanted to make, but it felt necessary to protect both its providers and the hospital itself.

This comes amid a lawsuit from the Trump Administration against Minnesota alleging sex-based discrimination for allowing boys to compete in girls’ sports and use girls’ locker rooms and bathrooms.

MORE:

NEW: Justice Department Sues Minnesota for Allowing Boys in Girls’ Sports and Intimate Spaces

The post NEW: Minnesota Children’s Hospital Snubs Trump’s Executive Order, Will Resume Sex Change Procedures on Minors appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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CNN Airs Premature Death Tribute for Actor Michael J. Fox — Who Is Very Much Alive and Fires Back with Humor

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Man with a thoughtful expression leans close to a bronze bust, surrounded by various awards and trophies on a shelf.Man with a thoughtful expression leans close to a bronze bust, surrounded by various awards and trophies on a shelf.Michael J Fox /Image: Wikimedia Commons Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license./Author www.davincifilmfestival.com

A very much alive Michael J Fox, famous for his movie role in Back to the Future and on TV as the Reagan-loving briefcase-toting Alex P. Keaton on Family Ties, mocked CNN for sharing a tribute video implying the actor had passed away.

Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1991, but he has maintained his acting career, with roles as recently as AppleTV+’s Shrinking in 2026.

The network released a video package titled “Remembering the life of actor Michael J. Fox,” which prompted him to reassure worried fans.

Fox wrote on his Threads account, “How do you react when you turn on the TV and CNN is reporting your death?”

“Do you…A) switch to MNSBC, or whatever they are calling themselves these days, (B) Pour scolding hot water on your lap, if it hurts your fine, (C) Call your wife, hopefully she’s concerned but reassuring, (D) Relax, they do this once every year, (E) Ask yourself wtf ?”

“I thought the world was ending, but apparently it’s just me and I’m ok. Love, Mike.”

The network apologized for the error.

Entertainment Weekly reports:

A spokesperson for the network told Entertainment Weekly, “The package was published in error; we have removed it from our platforms and send our apologies to Michael J. Fox and his family.”

********

The video in question showed viewers clips of Fox’s work over the years, as well as interview excerpts.

“He came into our living rooms on the small screen each week as Alex P. Keaton [on Family Ties] and eventually onto the big screen as Marty McFly in [Back to the Future],” the narrator said. “But Michael J. Fox had a compelling third act as Parkinson’s sufferer and stem cell research advocate.”

In 2025, Fox received the Presidential Medal of Freedom primarily for his decades of advocacy and work through The Michael J. Fox Foundation to advance Parkinson’s disease research.

He is married to actress Tracy Pollan, who he met on the set of Family Ties.

They were married in 1988 and have been since having four children: one son and three daughters.

The post CNN Airs Premature Death Tribute for Actor Michael J. Fox — Who Is Very Much Alive and Fires Back with Humor appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

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