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.

Iraqi Interior Ministry said American freelance journalist Shelly Kittleson was kidnapped by unidentified armed men (Iranian backed militias) in central Baghdad & that during a pursuit the vehicle belonging to the kidnappers was intercepted which overturned as they… https://t.co/cOAwUZn6hq pic.twitter.com/ciUo05iUbF

— Saad Abedine (@SaadAbedine) March 31, 2026

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.

American journalist Shelly Kittleson has been kidnapped in Iraq according to two sources including her designated point of contact @alexplitsas. State Department official provides below comment:
•The Trump Administration has no higher priority than the safety and security of… https://t.co/2WRJK1ffo0

— Margaret Brennan (@margbrennan) March 31, 2026

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.

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.

— Alex Plitsas (@alexplitsas) March 31, 2026

DEVELOPING…

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

Tim Walz testifies in House Oversight Committee hearing – March 4, 2026

The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) and the Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) on Monday, alleging sex-based discrimination by allowing boys to compete in girls’ sports and use girls’ locker rooms and bathrooms. 

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is a well-known advocate for these policies, and he infamously signed a 2023 law, directing all public schools to provide free menstrual products to all menstruating students, including trans students, in grades 4 to 12.

The 45-page lawsuit was filed in Minnesota federal court, arguing that the “unfair, intentionally discriminatory practice violates the very core of Title IX of the Education Amendments.”

“Title IX’s core purpose is to ensure that both boys and girls have equal educational opportunities. This includes protecting girls’ equal educational athletic opportunities by recognizing that boys have an inherent biological advantage in sports,” the filing reads, noting male and female athletes have “undeniable physiological differences.”

“But Minnesota casts this aside in favor of so-called “gender identity,” a choice that elevates ideology over biology, fairness, and safety. In open defiance of Title IX’s antidiscrimination protections, Minnesota’s policies and practices create unfair competition, deny girls equal educational opportunities, and expose girls to a hostile educational environment with heightened risks of physical injury and psychological harm.”

It further points to the over $3 billion in federal funding that the Minnesota Department of Education receives annually from the US Department of Education (USDOE), arguing that Minnesota has a duty to comply with USDOE’s regulations implementing Title IX.

The MDE also receives approximately $42.6 million annually from the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and is required to comply with HHS’s regulations implementing Title IX

President Trump’s Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports executive order directs the USDOE to prioritize Title IX enforcement actions “against educational institutions (including athletic associations composed of or governed by such institutions) that deny female students an equal opportunity to participate in sports and athletic events by requiring them, in the women’s category, to compete with or against or to appear unclothed before males.”

The Department of Justice asked the court to block the state’s policy of abolishing sex-separated sports and intimate spaces, monitor their compliance with Title IX, and to compensate female athletes and correct girls’ athletic records that have been set by male athletes.

Attorney General Pam Bondi, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Education Secretary Linda McMahon issued statements on the lawsuit in a press release:

“The Trump Administration does not tolerate flawed state policies that ignore biological reality and unfairly undermine girls on the playing field,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This Department of Justice is proud to partner with HHS and the Department of Education to protect our girls in Minnesota and across the country.”

“The Justice Department cannot ignore a state’s brazen defiance of federal antidiscrimination law,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “In service of radical gender ideology, Minnesota’s actions violate Title IX and deny female athletes their hard-earned trophies, records, dignity, and safety.”

“We will not allow girls to be denied equal opportunity and basic privacy,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “Title IX is clear: schools that accept federal funding must protect the rights, safety, and dignity of female students.”

“The Trump Administration will always fight for the safety and civil rights of women and girls,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “Minnesota’s policies allow men to dominate women’s sports, denying female athletes fair competition and eroding their right to equal access in educational programs and activities. Thank you to Attorney General Bondi for bringing this fight to the courts to hold Minnesota accountable.”

This is a developing story.

The post NEW: Justice Department Sues Minnesota for Allowing Boys in Girls’ Sports and Intimate Spaces appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Basketball legend Charles Barkley attacks Trump’s immigration policies during the NCAA tournament. Credit: CBS screenshot

Americans who were tuning in to watch Sunday’s classic Duke-UConn Elite Eight NCAA Tournament matchup were treated to an immigration lecture from legendary NBA player and broadcaster Charles Barkley. And they were not happy.

As Fox News reported, CBS shared a legal immigration story concerning UConn star forward Alex Karaban during the pregame. They talked about how his mother arrived in Massachusetts from Ukraine with her parents and grandparents in 1996.

Meanwhile, Karaban’s father, Alexei, immigrated to the U.S. from Belarus on a work visa in 2001. One year later, Alex was born in Southborough.

Despite the story’s non-political nature, Sir Charles used the moment to launch an ill-informed attack on President Trump’s immigration policies, calling the treatment of immigrants in America “a travesty and disgrace.”

In the process, he not only failed to provide a single example of immigrants being abused, but also made no distinction between illegal and legal migrants.

Barkley then closed by saying that immigrants built America and said everyone should respect them. Once again, he failed to distinguish between legal and illegal aliens.

WATCH:

“The way some of these other immigrants are getting treated in our country right now is a travesty and a disgrace… I think what’s going on in our country, what we’re doing to some of these amazing immigrants, is really unfortunate and it’s really sad.” – Charles Barkley on CBS pic.twitter.com/uEllZpD57u

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 29, 2026

BARKLEY: I want to be careful with my words right now because this is a really touchy subject for me. I love that kid and his family, but the way some of these other immigrants are getting treated in our country right now is a travesty and a disgrace.

I think there’s a difference between amazing immigrants and criminal immigrants. I think what’s going on in our country, what we’re doing to some of these amazing immigrants, is really unfortunate, and it’s really sad.

And that’s a great immigrant story. We have a lot of great immigrant stories out there that their stories need to be told, but some of the stuff that’s happening to immigrants in our country right now is really unfortunate, and it’s really unfair.

But immigrants built this country, and we should admire them and respect them.

Unlike UConn’s miraculous game-winning three with 0.4 seconds left following a Duke turnover, this take from Barkley proved a complete airball with Americans.

Charles Barkley: “There’s a difference between amazing immigrants and criminal immigrants.”

No, Chuck.

The real difference is between LEGAL immigrants and ILLEGAL immigrants.

Alex Karaban is a first-generation American citizen. His parents came here the right way. pic.twitter.com/9XQ8uv7ILE

— Alec Lace (@AlecLace) March 30, 2026

Yeah, Charles sits in his mansion protected from the criminals that Biden let in. Fvck you.

— Trina (@AClDBURN67) March 30, 2026

I can appreciate Charles Barkley’s heart, but this is inappropriate and unprofessional.

He made the segment overtly political when it didn’t need to be.

Wanna share your thoughts about illegal immigration and ICE? Do it elsewhere.

Keep March Madness coverage apolitical.

— Jon Root (@JonnyRoot_) March 30, 2026

Charles Barkley is too dumb to know the difference between a legal immigrant and an illegal immigrant.

— Right Winged Angel (@RightWngdAngel) March 29, 2026

Charles Barkley: this is MARCH MADNESS. We don’t want to hear your unintelligent, indecipherable takes on politics. You’ve always been great with entertaining us (regarding basketball—even when you’ve not done your homework) but you’re bollocks when it comes to politics. STHU.

— Uncle Jack (@JackDentsTweets) March 29, 2026

He has plenty of room to house a few hundred and feed them. pic.twitter.com/zq3FGuPMP6

— OhioSportsHistory (@history_oh61180) March 30, 2026

GTFO Chuck, stop the moral grandstanding. When Obama was being called the “Deporter in Chief” none of these people said a fucking word. They didn’t give one single fuck about the illegals. Now they just parrot all of these bullshit claims that all illegals are somehow being…

— kentuckytrailerpark.trash (@kytrailerpark) March 30, 2026

The post Basketball Legend Charles Barkley Sparks Backlash After Launching an Idiotic Attack on Trump’s Immigration Policies During March Madness (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.