The White House was looking to shake things up when it designated Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist organization. It worked, NBC News reports.

“American terrorists killed in bombing,” read a headline in Iran’s official Fars news agency, referring to an attack in Afghanistan that killed three U.S. servicemen. Iranian lawmakers dressed in military uniforms chanted "Death to America" during an open session of Parliament on Tuesday. And according to the country’s Mehr news agency, Parliament passed an emergency bill requesting that countries that arrest U.S troops should hand them over to Iran to face trial as terrorists.

Richard Nephew, a former director for Iran at the National Security Council who served as a member of the team who negotiated the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement — from which President Donald Trump has since withdrawn — said Trump's decision to designate the Guard as terrorists would most likely make American operations in the region “much more complicated.”

Trump called the designation an “unprecedented step” that “recognizes the reality that Iran is not only a state sponsor of terrorism, but that the IRGC actively participates in, finances, and promotes terrorism as a tool of statecraft.”

The dreaded April 15 deadline is just days away. But as of last week, more than 70 million American households had still not filed their 2018 federal income tax returns.

If you're one of them, what happens if you make a mistake in the rush to the Tax Day deadline? What happens if you owe but can't pay?

To get some answers, we sat down with an IRS insider -- a former agent with more than 30 years’ experience at the Internal Revenue Service.

In those three decades, "April" (not her real name) tracked down non-compliant taxpayers. We agreed to conceal her identity so she could speak freely with us about her time as a collections agent with the U.S. Treasury Department.

"I have a lot of respect for what I did," April said. "I worked with a lot of great people."

As a collections agent and manager, April was sometimes tasked with taking the assets of taxpayers who failed to pay what they owed.

"I've seized cars [and] boats," she said. "[I've] gone to a business, had to take inventory and close the business down for a large amount of taxes that were due."

April knows some people fear the IRS. She wants to counter its heartless reputation.

The moment an IRS agent comes to your door, you're likely to be very anxious. April admits agents are uneasy, too.

"You get nervous," she said. "You're a little afraid because you don't know how the person is going to react."

April says the biggest fear many taxpayers have is losing their home. It's true the IRS can seize your house, but that's rare. The IRS gets 150 million tax returns every year, yet it's currently auctioning off just 14 taxpayer-seized homes nationwide. In more than 30 years at the IRS, April says she never evicted anyone.

"Taking a home? Last resort," she said. "We don't want to take your personal residence."

April says some taxpayers fear take-it-or-leave-it tactics. Ads for attorneys and accountants have reinforced that idea, offering services to defend against "threatening letters" from the IRS. You can hire an expert, but April says you can also try to negotiate with the IRS on your own. There's an official form to offer a compromise. April says it works, and she cut deals with families that couldn't pay in full.

"We may take less than what you owe and resolve it," she said. "But one of the key factors to that is compliance. If we do take your offer for something less than what you owe, in future years, you have to file; you cannot owe."

Taxpayers who owe large amounts can also request a payment plan, known as an installment agreement.

"There is a fee for the installment agreement," April said. "Sometimes you just can't pay. Just tell [the IRS], 'Hey, right now, it's a hardship for me.' They'll ask for verification. That's where being honest comes in."

April says assumptions are what get taxpayers in trouble. If your taxes are off by a small amount -- say, $100 -- you can't just write it off.

"No matter how much you owe, whether it's a small amount or a big amount, you're going to get a letter," she said.

April tells us too many taxpayers ignore those letters. They assume minor mistakes will be forgiven. Ignoring an IRS letter triggers penalties, interest, and eventually a visit from an IRS agent.

If you set aside your fears and just talk to the IRS up front, you'll learn agents have some leeway to help you correct your errors. The faster you do that, the sooner they'll leave you alone.

"Own up to it," April said. "We do understand. Life happens. You're one day working at a job, making big money, getting bonuses, and boom - the floor falls from your feet, and you're finding yourself unemployed, with a big tax bill. We get it."

Police are investigating after two men were shot in New Haven on Saturday night.

Police responded to a ShotSpotter alert of gunfire and numerous 911 calls reporting gunfire and a person shot.

Officers then found two adult males with gunshot wounds to the ankle and the leg. 

Police said the incident took place around 8 p.m. at Kensington Street and Edgewood Avenue.

The men were transported to the hospital for treatment. 

The conditions of the two men were not released by police.

No arrests have been made at this point.

Anyone with information is asked to call New Haven Police at 203-946-6304.

In Texas two children, ages 8 and 3, died when a tree fell on a car Saturday afternoon, trapping them inside, Angelina County Sheriff's Department told NBC News. They were pronounced dead at the scene.

In West Monroe, Louisiana, a 13-year-old boy drowned in a drainage area in what officials believe was a weather-related incident, said Glen Springfield, spokesman for the Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office. Several streets had been closed in the city of around 13,000 and a flood warning had been issued for the area, officials said.

A fourth person who died in the storms was a woman killed by weather-related debris near the community of Weches in Houston County, Texas, the sheriff’s office said.

Emergency crews responded to South Main Street in West Hartford Sunday after an SUV slammed into a building there Sunday morning.

The SUV damaged the front of Advanced Home Medical Supplies at 43 South Main Street.

The store was closed at the time and no one was injured.

Police are investigating what caused the accident.

The White House is offering another rationale for why Democrats should not get their hands on President Donald Trump's tax filings: They're not "smart enough" to properly understand them, NBC News reported.

Speaking with "Fox News Sunday" host Chris Wallace, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said she wouldn't "trust" members of Congress to fully grasp the contents of the president's returns.

"And frankly, Chris, I don't think Congress, particularly this group of congressmen and women, are smart enough to look through the thousands of pages that I would assume President Trump's taxes will be," Sanders said. "My guess is most of them don't do their own taxes, and I certainly don't trust them to look through the decades of success the president's had and determine anything."

Sanders said Trump has "been clear since the beginning that as long as his taxes are under audit he's not going to release them" and has "also filled out hundreds of pages in financial disclosure."

Two people were shot outside a restaurant in Hamden early Sunday morning.

Police responded to Off the Hook, a seafood restaurant at 940 Dixwell Avenue around 2 a.m. for a report of shots fired.

After arriving, officers found a 23-year-old Hamden resident in the parking lot suffering a gunshot wound to the thigh, according to police. A short time later, a second victim, a 27-year-old New Haven resident, was found on the ground in front of the restaurant with a gunshot wound to the chest.

Both victims were taken to the hospital. There is no word on their conditions.

Westport police are investigating a fatal car accident that closed a road for hours.

Emergency crews responded to 57 Weston Road just before 1 a.m. Sunday and found a car fully engulfed after it had hit a utility pole, bringing down power lines.

One person was found dead in the car, according to police.

Weston Road was closed between Sipperley's Hill Road and Silver Brook Road for an extended period of time.

The victim has not been identified.

The NBC Connecticut First Alert meteorologists are forecasting a potentially stormy morning commute on Monday.

Showers and thunderstorms are expected to increase after midnight and toward Monday morning. A line of showers and embedded thunderstorms will begin to move in after 5 a.m.

The storms could produce some very heavy rain, along with thunder and lightning. Some areas will see localized flooding from the heavy downpours.

Conditions are expected to improve after 8 a.m. from west to east with only a scattered shower chance remaining into the afternoon.

Track the showers and storms on our NBC Connecticut interactive radar.

One person is dead after a shooting in Hartford Sunday afternoon.

Police said the shooting took place at the intersection of Pavillion Street and Wooster Street.

Detectives are at the scene investigating the homicide.

American Airlines has extended flight cancellations into August as investigations into the Boeing MAX 737 continue.

According to a Sunday press release, the airline has decided to extend cancellations through Aug. 19.

Approximately 115 flights per day will be canceled through Aug. 19. and those flights make up 1.5% of the total flights this summer.

American Airlines' full statement read:

“As we prepare for summer, our focus is around planning for the busiest travel period of the year.

Families everywhere are counting on American Airlines for their summer vacations, family reunions, trips to visit friends and adventures overseas.

Our commitment to each other and to our customers is to operate the safest and most reliable operation in our history.

To further that mission, we have made the decision to extend our cancellations for the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft through Aug. 19.

Based upon our ongoing work with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Boeing, we are highly confident that the MAX will be recertified prior to this time.

But by extending our cancellations through the summer, we can plan more reliably for the peak travel season and provide confidence to our customers and team members when it comes to their travel plans.

Once the MAX is recertified, we anticipate bringing our MAX aircraft back on line as spares to supplement our operation as needed during the summer.

The planning team is working on this action now and in total, approximately 115 flights per day will be canceled through Aug. 19.

These 115 flights represent approximately 1.5 percent of American’s total flying each day this summer.

We remain confident that the impending software updates, along with the new training elements Boeing is developing for the MAX, will lead to recertification of the aircraft soon.

We have been in continuous contact with the FAA, Department of Transportation (DOT), National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), other regulatory authorities and are pleased with the progress so far.

Our Reservations and Sales teams will continue to work closely with customers to manage their travel plans, and we appreciate their outstanding efforts to care for our customers.

Your professionalism and care for customers is second to none, and we thank you for all you do every day for our customers and for each other.”

For continued updates on the Boeing 737 MAX, click here.

A man was arrested in Griswold after driving on the wrong side of the road and causing a four vehicle crash on Interstate 395 Sunday morning.

Police responded to reports of a wrong-way driver at the area of exit 24 traveling south in the northbound lanes. The accident occured in the area of exit 22.

57-year-old Jeffrey Decker of New London was arrested when troopers determined he was the driver of the wrong-way vehicle. 

Decker faces charges including driving under the influence and three counts of reckless driving.

Police said no injuries have been reported.

Decker was held on a $3,500 bond and is expected to appear in court on April 25.

Nearly a month after the massacre at mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, a Connecticut mosque is holding active shooter training with police.

Families from the Islamic community at the Berlin Mosque feel a heightened sense of threat. Every weekend, about four hundred children from the greater Hartford community attend Sunday School at the mosque, which is also the home of the Islamic Association of Greater Hartford. But lately, parents have expressed concerns about bringing their kids to a place where they fear they may be in danger.

“Since Christchurch, we’re more aware of the islamophobia that exists around us,” said Aida Mansoor, who is a chaplain at the Hartford Seminary and a board member at the Islamic Association of Greater Hartford.

In response, leaders of the Berlin Mosque community created a safety committee dedicated to educating and protecting their members and neighbors. Recent efforts have included hiring retired police officers as security for the mosque, increasing local law enforcement presence, and for the first time on Sunday, hosting an active shooter training session led by Berlin Police.

President of the Islamic Association of Greater Hartford, Dr. Reza Mansoor, M.D., says these efforts are not ideal. But, they are necessary.

“We shouldn’t have to feel this sense of almost being in lockdown when you come to prayer and spirituality,” said Dr. Mansoor. “Unfortunately, that’s what it is.”

Mohamed Mountassir prays at the Berlin Mosque and has two children who attend the Sunday School. He says he was “extremely terrified” for his family’s safety when he heard of what happened in Christchurch last month.

“We mind our business, we try to pray, we are peaceful people,” said Mountassir, who is also a teacher in the Berlin area. “Our children are like regular children,” he added, “they need a safe place where they can grow and learn and be good community members and good community leaders, that’s the purpose. They are here to better themselves and also to serve their community, and if they don’t feel safe, obviously that’s going to affect them.”

Mountassir says he is happy with how leaders like Dr. Mansoor have responded.

“They’re doing their best to keep our children safe,” he said. “The community’s keeping an eye on one another and also on the children.”

Fatma Antar leads the educational programs at the Islamic Association of Greater Hartford, which welcomes children from preschool age to 12th Grade. She says the outpouring of support from the Berlin community, has been overwhelming.

“It is a clear message that the Berlin Mosque is part of Berlin,” Antar said. “I cannot say enough about the Berlin Police. Actually, the Sunday right after the situation in New Zealand, the police was here during the school hours all the time. And that made parents very comfortable and confident about the fact that the police is taking these issues seriously.”

Beyond law enforcement, Colleen Keyes, who also worships at the Berlin Mosque, says members of other faith communities have stepped up in solidarity.

“They’ve even come physically to the mosque, shared in our worship service, invited us to theirs, and this is a way of bringing greater collaboration between the Muslims and the greater community,” said Keyes. “Out of this tragedy, we have great hope for better relations with each other as humans.”

President of the Islamic Association of Greater Hartford, Dr. Reza Mansoor, M.D., says that sadly, their fear is valid.

Police are investigating after a car in East Hartford drove into the Connecticut River on Sunday.

When police arrived to the Connecticut River boat launch, no one was in the vehicle and no one was in danger.

Police said medical units were called to the scene.

It is unclear if more than one party was involved, according to police.

Police have not yet determined if this was a medical situation or if there was a malicious intent.

The cause of the incident is unknown at this time.

A new report shows the number of hospital inpatient stays in Connecticut is declining.

The 2018 Statewide Healthcare Facilities and Services Plan , compiled by the Connecticut Office of Health Strategy, determined the number is down more than 118,000, from 2013 to 2017.

The same report also found hospital emergency room visits declined by more than 100,000 over the same time period, while hospitalizations that could have been avoided if conditions and illnesses were managed successfully in another medical setting remained stable over the past two years.

OHS Executive Vicki Veltri says conclusions can't really be drawn from the data, but it helps officials identify cost drivers, such as the overuse of emergency departments.

The same report found heart failure is the top preventable hospitalization condition for adults. It's asthma for children.

Police have identified a person of interest after a person was killed in a Hartford shooting Sunday afternoon.

When police responded, they found a man laying by the intersection of Pavillion Street and Wooster Street.

The man had multiple gunshot wounds, police said. He was transported to St. Francis Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

The person of interest was found by police in the South End less than an hour after the shooting, according to officials.

“This is a rapid dynamic and fluid situation right now. We’re following down a lot of leads and we’re just trying to make sure that we’re on the right track. We don’t want to rush into anything. So we have top notch detectives working this,” Hartford Police Sgt. Jeff Morrison said.

Police have not released the identities of the victim or the person of interest at this time.

Police did not receive a ShotSpotter alert for the shooting and said they are looking into why they didn't.

Those who commute on the Metro North New Haven Line will have different departure times and longer travel times as a result of new schedule changes.

Morning and evening peak train schedules will be lengthened by one to six minutes.

The changes went into effect on Sunday.

For more information on all the changes that have been made, visit Metro North's website.

East Bay Rep. Eric Swalwell kicked off his 2020 presidential campaign with a rally in Dublin, California, Sunday afternoon.

Speaking to an enthusiastic crowd at his former high school, the 38-year-old Democratic congressman who represents California's 15th Congressional District addressed his humble beginnings and understanding firsthand what it is that working people need. 

Swalwell, a prominent critic of President Donald Trump, talked about the need for inclusiveness and an economy that works for everyone. He also made addressing gun violence and school shootings a centerpiece of his campaign. 

"That's why I started my campaign at Parkland," Swalwell said Sunday. "I pledged to that community what I pledge to you: I will be the first campaign to make ending gun violence the top priority in my campaign."

Swalwell officially declared his bid for the 2020 presidential race Monday evening in an appearance on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" after much speculation and visits to Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and other states in the months leading up to the announcement.

He said in a clip that was released by the show: "I see a country in quicksand, unable to solve problems and threats from abroad, unable to make life better for people here at home. Nothing gets done. I'm ready to solve these problems. I'm running for president of the United States."

Swalwell, an Iowa native, was elected in 2012 to represent California’s 15th Congressional District.

He joins what is expected to be a wide-open race for the Democratic presidential nomination. There's no apparent front-runner at this early stage, and he will face off against several of his Senate colleagues who have more name recognition.

While the Obama Administration didn’t solve all the problems associated with the for-profit college industry, it successfully created new rules intended to help rein in the worst-performing schools and to protect taxpayer dollars, NBC News reports. 

Now, the Trump Administration is trying to overturn those rules — and veterans and low-income Americans are the most at risk. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has begun a months long process to unwind the Obama-era rules, easing oversight of for-profits’ use of tax dollars and protections for defrauded students.

“Instead of targeting schools simply by their tax status, this administration is working to ensure students have transparent, meaningful information about all colleges and all programs,” DeVos said last year, announcing plans to overturn the rules. DeVos did not respond to an NBC interview request.

In response, House Financial Services Committee Chair Maxine Waters, D-Calif., told NBC News she plans to introduce two bills ending the incentives given to for-profit schools to recruit military members and veterans.

“I am absolutely concerned. We may be going back to the worst of times with this industry” when minorities, poor people and veterans were the targets, Waters said.

Over the course of eight seasons, "Game of Thrones" was filmed in more than 49 locations throughout Northern Ireland. From historic castles to rugged coastlines and ancient forests, the sites have grown popular with fans eager to visit, NBC News reports.

Tourism has become big business for Northern Ireland, with the show helping to attract 120,000 visitors a year and bringing in $40 million annually to the local economy. But not everyone is so gushing about the show's impact on their ancient land. Some have raised concerns about how the sudden influx of tourists may affect the conservation of historic sites.

For many, however, the positive attention is preferable to the way things were before. For decades, Northern Ireland struggled to draw visitors, with many people associating the country with the decadeslong sectarian conflict known as "the Troubles," even after it largely ended in 1998.

William van der Kells, who runs a business at the show's "Winterfell," believes "Game of Thrones" has helped alter that perception. “We had 40 years of violence. People have got killed, maimed, injured. Now we have fantasy violence, and it is bringing in more money.”