‘Leave Iraq now’: Americans in Baghdad warned of potential Iran-aligned militia terrorist attacks

‘Leave Iraq now’: Americans in Baghdad warned of potential Iran-aligned militia terrorist attacks
‘Leave Iraq now’: Americans in Baghdad warned of potential Iran-aligned militia terrorist attacks
Iraqi Shiite militia groups organize a military parade as part of the ‘World Quds Day’ events in Baghdad, Iraq, March 28, 2025. (Anadolu via Getty Images)

(WASHINGTON) — U.S. officials have issued a new warning to Americans still in Iraq, advising them to leave the country immediately as Iraqi terrorist militia groups aligned with Iran may “intend to conduct attacks” in central Baghdad.

“U.S. citizens should leave Iraq now,” said the alert issued on Thursday by the United States Embassy and Consulate in Iraq, which has previously issued warnings for Americans to leave the country due to security risks.

The new alert comes as the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran has entered its second month.

The security alert also came just days after an American journalist, Shelly Kittleson, was kidnapped in broad daylight on a busy street in Baghdad, allegedly by an Iran-linked militia group.

“Iraqi terrorist militia groups aligned with Iran may intend to conduct attacks in central Baghdad in the next 24-48 hours,” the U.S. Embassy’s alert said.

The embassy’s statement added that Iran and Iran-aligned terrorist militias have already conducted “widespread attacks against U.S. citizens and targets associated with the United States throughout Iraq, including the Iraqi Kurdistan Region.”

The alert cautioned Americans to be aware that militia groups “may claim to be associated with the Iraqi government.”

“Terrorists may carry identification denoting their status as Iraqi government employees,” according to the alert.

In addition to U.S. citizens, terrorist militias might also target businesses, universities, diplomatic facilities, energy infrastructure, hotels, airports and “other locations perceived to be associated with the United States,” according to the alert.

While telling U.S. citizens to leave the country immediately, U.S. officials also said the only escape routes out of Iraq are overland to Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Turkey because the airspace is closed, preventing commercial airlines from flying out of Iraq.

“Local ground transportation options are functioning. Americans should depart now via one of these overland routes,” according to the alert.

For the time being, the U.S. Mission in Iraq remains open. But the alert advised Americans not to go there.

“Do not attempt to come to the Embassy in Baghdad or the Consulate General in Erbil in light of significant security risks,” the alert said.

The search for Kittleson, 49, a freelance journalist originally from Wisconsin, continued on Thursday, according to the Iraqi Ministry of Interior.

“We have no answer or explanation,” the interior ministry said in a statement on Thursday about Kittleson’s abduction.

In a security camera recording verified by ABC News and confirmed by Iraq’s interior ministry to show the moment Kittleson was kidnapped on Tuesday, the journalist is seen standing on a sidewalk as a silver car approaches before she is pushed towards the car, which then quickly speeds away.

One suspect alleged to be involved in the kidnapping was arrested when one of the cars fleeing the scene crashed and overturned, according to Iraq’s interior ministry. Kittleson had been forced into another car that got away.

Dylan Johnson, assistant secretary of state for global public affairs for the State Department, said in a statement on Wednesday that the suspect has ties to the Iranian-aligned militia group Kataib Hezbollah.

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Trump replacing Pam Bondi as attorney general, Todd Blanche to step in

Trump replacing Pam Bondi as attorney general, Todd Blanche to step in
Trump replacing Pam Bondi as attorney general, Todd Blanche to step in
Pam Bondi, US attorney general, center, during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, March 26, 2026. (Will Oliver/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump announced Thursday that Pam Bondi was being ousted as his attorney general in a post on his social media platform, saying she’ll move to a role working in the private sector.

“We love Pam, and she will be transitioning to a much needed and important new job in the private sector, to be announced at a date in the near future,” Trump said in the post.

Trump’s deputy attorney general and former personal attorney Todd Blanche will serve as acting Attorney General, the president said.

“And our Deputy Attorney General, and a very talented and respected Legal Mind, Todd Blanche, will step in to serve as Acting Attorney General,” Trump wrote.

Trump had raised potentially removing Bondi as attorney general in recent discussions with senior administration officials, sources told ABC News on Wednesday, amid months of mounting frustration that the Justice Department ​isn’t doing enough to target his political opponents for prosecution.

Blanche previously served as Trump’s defense attorney in the cases brought against him by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and former special counsel Jack Smith.

He has served as the nation’s No. 2 law enforcement official since being confirmed by the Senate in March of last year, and previously served in the Justice Department as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York.

Like Bondi, he has been vocal about his personal loyalties to President Trump and just last week appeared at the Conservative Political Action Conference, where he cheered the purge of prosecutors who previously worked on investigations into Trump and defended the DOJ from criticism by the MAGA base.

“So when people say, ‘Why aren’t you doing more?’ I welcome that criticism,” Blanche said. “Keep on putting pressure on us. Do you think it makes me upset when you go on X and say, ‘Come on, Blanche, why aren’t we doing more?’ You don’t know me. That’s what motivates me.”

The shakeup comes as Democrats and voting rights groups have expressed alarm that the White House may seek to use the DOJ and FBI to intervene in the midterm elections in November.

The president’s announcement brings an end to a rocky tenure for Bondi as the nation’s top law enforcement official, during which she aggressively sought to reshape the Justice Department as an enforcer of Trump’s agenda — repeatedly breaking with institutional norms implemented after the Watergate era that had encouraged independence from the political demands of the White House.

From her first days in office, Bondi emphasized her personal loyalty to Trump and echoed his longstanding grievances with the DOJ and FBI that the president and his allies have long accused of being “weaponized” against him.

During Trump’s first term in office he faced resistance from top officials at the DOJ and FBI against using the vast powers of their agencies to punish the president’s perceived enemies, but Bondi publicly embraced Trump’s demands to launch prosecutions against specific targets — to mixed effect.

The department’s attempts to prosecute former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James fell apart after a federal judge ruled that the Trump-appointed prosecutor who indicted them was appointed unlawfully. Attempts to revive the case against James were twice rejected by a grand jury, sources previously told ABC News.

A separate effort by the U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C., Jeanine Pirro, to indict six Democratic lawmakers who posted a video urging military service members to refuse to follow unlawful orders was also rejected by a grand jury — despite Trump’s accusation the group was guilty of “treason.”

Pirro and the department are separately appealing an order from the chief judge in Washington, D.C., that has put on hold their attempt to launch a criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, another frequent target of Trump’s ire.

In recent months, Trump has repeatedly vented frustration to aides regarding both the pace and the effectiveness of the Justice Department’s ability to target his foes — concerns he had also conveyed directly to Bondi — according to sources familiar with the matter.

Trump and other senior White House officials have also criticized Bondi’s handling of the DOJ’s files from its investigations into deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which has consumed months of media attention and led to widespread backlash from some of Trump’s most devoted supporters.

Bondi’s appearance in front of the House Judiciary Committee in February, in which she repeatedly yelled at lawmakers and sidestepped questions about the DOJ’s handling of the Epstein files and other sensitive matters, was also a subject of some criticism at the White House, sources say. Trump posted afterward on social media that Bondi was “fantastic” at the hearing.

Weeks later, a bipartisan group of lawmakers on the House Oversight committee voted to subpoena Bondi with a demand that she sit for a deposition on the Epstein files in mid-April.

ABC News’ Isabella Murray contributed to this report.

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Suspect arrested in killing of 7-month-old baby shot in stroller, police say

Suspect arrested in killing of 7-month-old baby shot in stroller, police say
Suspect arrested in killing of 7-month-old baby shot in stroller, police say
Mayor Mamdani speaks at a press conference after a 7-month-old child was fatally shot in Brooklyn, New York, on April 1, 2026. (NYPD)

(NEW YORK) — A 21-year-old will be placed under arrest in his hospital bed on charges he murdered a baby in Brooklyn by a stray bullet, the New York City Police Department said Thursday.

Amare Green allegedly fired shots from the back of a moped into a crowd in Williamsburg that struck and killed 7-month-old Kaori Patterson-Moore and grazed her 2-year-old brother as they sat in a stroller on Wednesday afternoon. 

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani called it a “devastating shooting” and said, “My heart aches for the parents impacted,” at a press conference on Thursday.

Green is a known associate of a street gang operating out of a public housing project in Brooklyn, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny said. Investigators are looking into whether the baby’s father may have been the intended target as part of a dispute with a rival gang.  

New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said detectives have identified the moped driver, but she declined to release a name. The driver is at large.

Tisch mentioned the impending arrest in a crime that shocked the city as she touted a continued drop in crime.  

The shooting was reported at about 1:20 p.m. on the corner of Humboldt and Moore streets in the East Williamsburg area, according to police.

Several adults, including two people with strollers, and several other children, were nearby when two males approached the intersection on a moped, Tisch said. The rear passenger on the moped pulled out a gun and fired at least two shots toward the corner, Tisch told reporters, citing surveillance video.

“Today our city suffered a horrifying, senseless tragedy: a 7-month-old child being pushed in a stroller along a busy Brooklyn sidewalk was shot and killed in broad daylight,” the police commissioner said.

The baby was taken to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

After the shooting, the two suspects collided with an oncoming car about two blocks away, police said. Both men were thrown from the moped. The rear passenger, who fits the description of the shooter, was taken to the hospital and is in police custody, Tisch said.

The other passenger took off, but police later located the moped.

Mamdani called the shooting a “devastating reminder” of the work that remains to be done to combat gun violence.

“A life that had barely begun was taken in an instant,” Mamdani said. “There are no words that can mend the heartbreak this family is feeling now.”

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Court overturns prison sentence of Colorado 2020 election denier Tina Peters

Court overturns prison sentence of Colorado 2020 election denier Tina Peters
Court overturns prison sentence of Colorado 2020 election denier Tina Peters
Mesa County Clerk and Colorado Republican candidate for secretary of state Tina Peters reacts to early election returns during a primary night watch party at the Wide Open Saloon on June 28, 2022 in Sedalia, Colorado. (Marc Piscotty/Getty Images)

(MESA COUNTY, Colo.) — A Colorado appeals court has overturned the prison sentence of Tina Peters, the former Colorado county clerk who was convicted in a scheme to breach voting systems in search of evidence of election fraud in 2020.

In its decision on Thursday, the appeals court upheld Peters’ conviction but ordered her case to be sent to a lower court for a judge to issue a new sentence.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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‘Bob’s Burgers’ star pulled from fiery crash by New Hampshire governor, her security: Police

‘Bob’s Burgers’ star pulled from fiery crash by New Hampshire governor, her security: Police
‘Bob’s Burgers’ star pulled from fiery crash by New Hampshire governor, her security: Police
A burning car is seen following a crash at the Bedford Toll Plaza in Bedford, New Hampshire, March 31, 2026. (New Hampshire State Police)

(NEW HAMPSHIRE) — New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte and her security detail were among those who assisted in a fiery crash at a New Hampshire toll plaza on Tuesday — with a state trooper on her detail and two other bystanders helping pull the driver from the burning vehicle, according to state police.

The driver of the car was “Bob’s Burgers” star Eugene Mirman, 51, of Massachusetts.

“Eugene was in a very scary car accident. He wants to thank the bystanders, state police, first responders and hospital staff who saved him. He is grateful to be on the mend. At this time, we kindly ask for privacy for Eugene and his family as he focuses on recovering from his injuries,” Mirman’s agent, Jay Gassner, said in a statement.

The “dangerous” collision occurred at the Bedford Toll Plaza on the Everett Turnpike shortly before noon, according to New Hampshire State Police Director Col. Mark Hall.

The vehicle, a 2026 Lucid electric vehicle, “immediately became engulfed in flames,” Hall said during a press briefing on Tuesday.

The governor and her security detail came upon the accident just after the vehicle crashed into the toll plaza, Hall said. A New Hampshire state trooper assigned to her detail and two other bystanders helped Mirman — the lone occupant — out of the burning vehicle through the window, according to Hall.

Hall said he is not identifying the trooper due to the nature of the assignment.

“It is a veteran trooper, and certainly their actions were heroic in what they did — without hesitation, put themselves in danger to render aid to somebody that clearly was in need of it,” Hall said.

“I’m proud of the State Trooper and the bystanders who saved a life at the scene of yesterday’s crash in Bedford,” Ayotte said in a statement. “It’s an example of the great work first responders do each day to keep New Hampshire safe and how Granite Staters always step up to help someone in need.”

The governor and other witnesses also provided assistance at the scene, according to Hall.

“The governor did get out of the vehicle and tried to assist in any way that she could,” Hall said, adding he believed she tried to get a fire extinguisher from a vehicle to help put the fire out.

Mirman was transported to an area hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

Photos released by police showed the burning vehicle and firefighters at the scene.

The crash remains under investigation.

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Trump says he’ll sign order to pay all DHS employees as shutdown continues

Trump says he’ll sign order to pay all DHS employees as shutdown continues
Trump says he’ll sign order to pay all DHS employees as shutdown continues
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks from the Cross Hall of the White House on April 1, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Alex Brandon-Pool/Getty Images)

(WASHNGTON) — President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he plans to sign an order to pay “all” employees at the Department of Homeland Security amid the record-long agency shutdown.

“Help is on the way for our Brave and Patriotic Public Servants who have continued to work hard, and do their part to protect and defend our Country,” Trump wrote in a post to his social media platform.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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Stocks tick lower after Trump vows to hit Iran ‘extremely hard’ in coming weeks

Stocks tick lower after Trump vows to hit Iran ‘extremely hard’ in coming weeks
Stocks tick lower after Trump vows to hit Iran ‘extremely hard’ in coming weeks
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, March 31, 2026 in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

(NEW YORK) — Stocks ticked lower in volatile trading on Thursday after President Donald Trump delivered a televised address vowing to hit Iran “extremely hard” over the coming weeks.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 75 points, or 0.1%, after opening down by 600 points, while the S&P 500 dropped 0.06%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq declined 0.1%.

Each of the major indexes tumbled more than 1% in early trading, but they quickly recovered most of those losses.

The rollercoaster trading followed losses across Asian and European markets. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index slipped 2.3% and the pan-European STOXX 600 fell 0.6%.

Oil prices, meanwhile, surged as traders feared a persistent supply shortage amid the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. U.S. oil prices climbed more than 8% on Thursday, registering at about $108 a barrel.

Gasoline prices in the U.S. ticked up to $4.08 on average per gallon, marking a leap of $1.09 over the past month, AAA data showed.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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Stocks tumble after Trump vows to hit Iran ‘extremely hard’ in coming weeks

Stocks tick lower after Trump vows to hit Iran ‘extremely hard’ in coming weeks
Stocks tick lower after Trump vows to hit Iran ‘extremely hard’ in coming weeks
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, March 31, 2026 in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

(NEW YORK) — Stocks tumbled worldwide on Thursday after President Donald Trump delivered a televised address vowing to hit Iran “extremely hard” over the coming weeks.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 600 points, or 1.3%, while the S&P 500 dropped 1.2%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq declined 1.6%.

The selloff followed losses across Asian and European markets. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index slipped 2.3% and the pan-European STOXX 600 fell 1.3%.

Oil prices, meanwhile, surged as traders feared a persistent supply shortage amid the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. U.S. oil prices climbed more than 10% on Thursday, registering at $112 a barrel.

Gasoline prices in the U.S. ticked up to $4.08 on average per gallon, marking a leap of $1.09 over the past month, AAA data showed.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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Democratic senators demand answers from Hegseth over reported defense investment inquiry ahead of Iran war

Democratic senators demand answers from Hegseth over reported defense investment inquiry ahead of Iran war
Democratic senators demand answers from Hegseth over reported defense investment inquiry ahead of Iran war
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks during a press briefing at the Pentagon, March 31, 2026 in Arlington, Virginia. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

(WASHINGTON) — A group of Senate Democrats are demanding more information about Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s finances and investments following a report — which the Pentagon demanded be retracted — that he may have tried to invest in defense stocks before the war in Iran began roughly five weeks ago.

“If this report is accurate, it would appear to represent an appalling effort to profit off of your knowledge of the President’s plans for war,” Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Richard Blumenthal, Tammy Duckworth, Ed Markey and Gary Peters wrote in a letter to Hegseth — and provided exclusively to ABC News — on Wednesday night. “This would be a profound conflict of interest and a potential violation of your federal ethics agreement — and betrayal of the nation paying the price for this war and the troops you are sending into harm’s way.”

The Financial Times reported earlier this week that a broker for Hegseth at Morgan Stanley contacted BlackRock — an equity fund — and tried to make a multimillion-dollar investment into a fund with defense stocks weeks before the Iran war.

The investment did not go ahead because it was not yet available for Morgan Stanley clients, the Financial Times reported — adding that it’s not clear whether Hegseth’s broker found another defense fund to invest in.

ABC News has not independently confirmed the Financial Times’ report.

When reached by ABC News, Morgan Stanley and BlackRock declined to comment on the Financial Times report

In a post on X on Monday, Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell dismissed the report calling it “entirely false and fabricated” and demanded a retraction from the Financial Times.

Still, the Democratic senators, led by Armed Services Committee member Warren, said in their letter that if the report turns out to be accurate, it would be a “serious breach of the public’s trust” and in violation of the ethics agreement he signed ahead of his confirmation as secretary of defense.

“The American people deserve leaders they can trust to put national security ahead of their own financial self-interest,” the senators wrote to Hegseth.

Hegseth is prohibited, under the Department of Defense’s standards of conduct, from owning stock in 10 major industry-specific corporations including Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, Huntington Ingalls Industries, Boeing, RTX Corporation and L3Harris, which are part of the fund that the Financial Times article claims Hegseth’s broker attempted to purchase.

Hegseth does not have any major holdings in defense companies, according to his most recent financial disclosure reviewed by ABC News.

“Since this was a multi-million dollar investment in a sector-specific fund, your agreement appears to indicate that your broker would have needed your approval or that you did not intend to meet the commitments you made in your ethics agreement,” the senators wrote. 

The senators have asked Hegseth to respond to a number of questions about the Financial Times report.

They ask Hegseth to say whether he shared any information with his broker about pending military action or whether he directed his broker to invest in any defense related funds, including BlackRock as the Financial Times report suggests, ahead of the Iran war. They also ask what instructions Hegseth has given his broker to try to avoid conflict of interests and they ask for an accounting of defense stocks owned and sold by Hegseth and his wife.

In his statement, Parnell said that Hegseth and the Department of Defense “remain unwavering in their commitment to the highest standards of ethics and strict adherence to all applicable laws and regulations.”

The senators say that getting answers to their questions will help them to “understand where there may be gaps in current department practices and policies to prevent conflicts of interest.”

House Democrats are also looking into the allegations made about Hegseth in the Financial Times report. 

Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, announced Tuesday that he’d launch an investigation into the matter.

Republicans have not been publicly commenting on Financial Times report. ABC News has reached out to Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker for comment about Democrats’ calls for an investigation, but did not receive a response.

ABC News’ Elizabeth Schulze and Lauren Peller contributed to this report

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4.9 magnitude earthquake rattles Northern California

4.9 magnitude earthquake rattles Northern California
4.9 magnitude earthquake rattles Northern California
Earthquake richter scale (Gary S Chapman/Getty Images)

(BOULDER CREEK, Calif) — A 4.9 magnitude earthquake shook Northern California early Thursday morning, ​according to the United States Geological ​Survey (USGS).

The epicenter struck at a depth of 10.9 ​km (6.77 ⁠miles) near Boulder Creek, California, approximately 65 miles southeast of San Francisco.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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