The last time the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots played in the Super Bowl, it was defined by one of the NFL’s most infamous mistakes.
At the end of Super Bowl XLIX in 2015, Russell Wilson’s interception at the goal line changed the course of sports history, reigniting the Patriots dynasty and costing Seattle a chance at back-to-back championships. Seattle didn’t have to pass. It was second down with 53 seconds left, and Seattle had Marshawn Lynch in the backfield.
But Wilson attempted a slant pass to Ricardo Lockett, and Patriots rookie Malcom Butler jumped in front of it for the pick, clinching the game for New England.
Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium on Feb. 1, 2015 in Glendale, Arizona.(Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Wilson reflected on the infamous moment in an interview with Fox News Digital prior to the start of the 2025 season.
“I look at all the collection of great moments and tough moments along the way. But I’ve had a lot of great moments,” Wilson recalled. “I always look forward to the next moment. I think that’s always been my mentality of being able to look forward to the next play, the next moment… I think it’s the baseball in me… every pitch is a new pitch, a new day.”
Fox News Digital asked Wilson if he shared the experience of the mistake with his current New York Giants teammates, which included rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart.
Russell Wilson has a pass intercepted by Malcolm Butler late in the fourth quarter during Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium on Feb. 1, 2015 in Glendale, Arizona. (Rob Carr/Getty Images)
“They’ve asked me a lot about my experiences in terms of all the highs and all the amazing moments, and really our work habits daily,” Wilson answered.
Former Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll took the blame for making the decision to pass the ball on the infamous play. Wilson stood by the decision.
“I had no doubt in the play call,'” Wilson said at the time. “It looked open enough… When I threw it, it was, ‘Touchdown. Second Super Bowl ring. Here we go.'”
The play has become a point of debate over the years, with some pundits arguing that the decision to pass in that situation was the better decision.
But the historical impact of the play still lingers for the players, coaches and fans involved.
Wilson and Carroll never went back to the Super Bowl, and faced uncertainty in their football futures. Carroll was fired as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders last month, and Wilson, now 37, spent the 2025 season mostly as a backup after Dart took over as the Giants starting quarterback.
Jackson Thompson is a sports reporter for Fox News Digital covering critical political and cultural issues in sports, with an investigative lens. Jackson’s reporting has been cited in federal government actions related to the enforcement of Title IX, and in legacy media outlets including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Associated Press and ESPN.com.
Audio of the former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak speaking to Jeffrey Epstein, the now deceased convicted sex offender, has shone a light on Israel’s efforts to alter demographics by diluting the Palestinian population it occupies and also revealed ingrained racism within Jewish circles.
Barak told Epstein that he had told Russian President Vladimir Putin that Israel needs one million Russian-speaking immigrants to absorb, as the authorities can be more “selective” and “can control the quality much more effectively” compared to the past.
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The recording was released last week in a huge tranche of files by the United States Department of Justice.
The former Israeli leader, speaking in an undated meeting with Epstein, says that his country could “easily absorb another million” Russian-speaking immigrants, a clear reference to white Slavic peoples.
Before Israel’s creation in May 1948 and in its early years, the main source of immigration was Eastern European Ashkenazi Jews, as well as Sephardi Jews from the Middle East and North Africa.
Barak, in the audio, seems to disparage Sephardi Jews, saying the country did what they could by taking Jews “from North Africa, from the Arabs, from whatever.”
The fall of the Soviet Union in 1989 started a massive immigration flow into Israel from various parts of the country.
According to the official data, 996,059 immigrants from former Soviet republics arrived in Israel after its collapse up until 2009.
Their politics have tended to be aligned with the right wing.
Barak also underscores the deep divisions between religious and secular Jews, a dynamic which continues to eat away at the country.
“I believe we have to break the monopoly of the Orthodox rabbinate on marriage and funerals and whatever, and on the definition of a Jew,” he said, referring to the strict religious rules in the religion.
“[This would], in a sophisticated, certain manner, open the gates for massive conversion into Judaism. It’s a successful country, many will apply,” Barak said.
Barak said that the Israeli authorities “can control the quality” of the population “much more effectively than our ancestors, than the founding fathers of Israel could”.
“It was kind of a salvation wave from North Africa, from the Arab [world] or whatever. They took whatever came; now, we can be selective,” he said, adding, “We can easily absorb another million. I used to tell Putin always, what we need is just one more million.”
Barak said that Russians would come to Israel first without preconditions, but added, “Under the social pressure of the need, especially of the second generation to adapt, it will happen.”
Some are welcome, others not
The government of Israel has actively promoted immigration into the country for decades. Americans and the French are especially welcome, and many end up moving to illegal settlements and espousing domination of Palestinian land in the occupied West Bank, in which they have no previous links.
As recently as November, the government revealed that new immigrants and returning residents arriving in 2026 will be offered a zero-percent income tax rate for their first two years in the country.
Under the reform, which was introduced as part of the 2026 state budget, returning residents who lived abroad for 10 or more years and new immigrants who move to Israel in 2026 will pay no income tax in 2026 and 2027; the rates will be gradually increased, according to the Israeli media.
But a large wave of immigration into the country, when tens of thousands from the Beta Israel community were transferred to Israel from Ethiopia in the 1980s and 1990s, has exposed deep-seated racism.
Beta Israel was widely seen as the main and oldest Jewish presence in Ethiopia.
These Ethiopian Israelis have faced racism, exclusion and police violence against their communities. Many view themselves as second-class citizens.
However, they have rights that Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel do not have, nor have they been under brutal occupation as Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank have been for decades.
Two addresses have been searched by police as part of an investigation into Peter Mandelson.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed it was carrying out search warrants at an address in Camden, London, and another in Wiltshire.
The warrants form part of an investigation into Lord Mandelson, centring on allegations of misconduct in public office, following the latest Epstein files release.
Image:Two people wait to enter an address in north west London. Pic: PA
The Met is investigating the peer over accusations relating to files appearing to show that while he was business secretary following the 2008 financial crisis, he passed on market-sensitive information to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
As part of its statement on Friday, the police said no one had been arrested.
Sir Keir Starmer remains under pressure over the Lord Mandelson scandal, amid demands to release documents related to the peer’s vetting as former UK ambassador to the US.
The prime minister promised to publish documents in connection with the ex-Labour peer, but so far has not done so, after claiming the Metropolitan Police want him to hold off.
In a statement confirming the searches, deputy assistant commissioner Hayley Sewart said: “I can confirm that officers from the Met’s central specialist crime team are in the process of carrying out search warrants at two addresses, one in the Wiltshire area, and another in the Camden area.
“The searches are related to an ongoing investigation into misconduct in public office offences, involving a 72-year-old man.
“He has not been arrested and enquiries are ongoing.”
Image:Sir Keir Starmer is facing increasing pressure. Pic: Reuters
Documents coming ‘shortly’
Speaking to journalists earlier, Downing Street said the government will “publish shortly” the documents.
The prime minister’s official spokesperson said it was important that papers were made available to parliament as quickly as possible.
Sky News understands the government was working with the police to ensure any document released did not undermine the police investigation into Lord Mandelson over allegations he sent sensitive government documents to convicted sex offender Epstein.
Officials are in the early stages of assessing the documents, of which there are thousands, it is understood.
The scandal surrounding Lord Mandelson has left Sir Keir under severe pressure, with some in Labour wanting him to resign.
Even more focus has been placed on the prime minister’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, who was a close political ally of Lord Mandelson.
Speaking to the BBC, Labour backbencher MP Simon Opher called for a “clear out at Number 10”.
“If my chief of staff had done this, I think he would be looking for another job,” Mr Opher said.
Veteran Labour MP Clive Efford and Southport MP Patrick Hurley have also said Mr McSweeney should leave Number 10.
Former cabinet minister and Labour grandee Harriet Harman told the Electoral Dysfunction podcast previously that the prime minister needed a “real reset” in Downing Street.
Sir Keir could lose his premiership if he does not do the right thing, Ms Harman added.
However, so far no big names on the current frontline of Labour politics have turned their fire on the prime minister and his staff.
Sir Keir on Thursday apologised for believing Lord Mandelson’s “lies” about his closeness to paedophile financier Epstein.
The prime minister made Lord Mandelson the UK’s ambassador to the US in 2024.
Following a partial release of the Epstein files last year, Sir Keir sacked Lord Mandelson after it emerged how close the pair were.
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Another tranche of documents released by the US government in early 2026 saw Mandelson quitting the Labour Party and resigning from the House of Lords.
The documents associated with the vetting of Lord Mandelson to become ambassador will be made public, although the Intelligence and Security Committee will decide what should be redacted for national security and other reasons.
Tight end Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots scores a touchdown against the New York Jets during the second quarter of their game at MetLife Stadium on Oct. 15, 2017, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
“We’re toasting to the incredible season that it was this year. Regular season and the playoffs leading up to the Super Bowl. And we’re also toasting to the Super Bowl game,” FanDuel partner and former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski said. “So if you’re going to bet on the game, just make sure you bet responsibly and play with a plan. And do it on FanDuel.”
“There’s a lot of stuff to get fascinated with on the FanDuel app. However, those who fail to prepare, prepare to fail. You have to go in, you have to build a plan, you have to play with a plan, and you have to play within your plan,” added former offensive lineman Taylor Lewan. “That means gambling responsibly, which is what the boys are all about. Because we’re in the lab all week long, cooking up different things. But when it gets to Sunday, the hay is in the barn, our plan is in place, and then that’s when you take over.”
Lewan’s former teammate and current “Bussin’ With The Boys” podcast partner Will Compton joked that those in their position don’t have nearly enough prop bet options.
Taylor Lewan of the Tennessee Titans runs onto the field against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium on Sept. 19, 2022, in Orchard Park, New York.(Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
“There can’t be anything. It’s just too, like, what do you do?” Compton asked. “Does, hey, is so-and-so gonna give up a sack? But within that, like, what is the skill? And then, yeah, then a blitz comes, or a game takes place. There’s a lot up for gray area.”
Gronkowski’s retirement came just as sports gambling began to skyrocket, so he got the brunt from some fans.
“I got at the end of that era. I remember sometimes, like, if I didn’t do great, I saw someone out be like, ‘What the heck? You had that catch, I would have won 20 more dollars and stuff, man.’ You know, you feel for him. You feel for him,” Gronk joked.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski can’t hang on to a pass in the end zone in the third quarter of the game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium.(Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA TODAY Sports)
“Now, especially that I’m a fan, and now I bet on games. Throwing $50 on a player prop over there, throwing five bucks on the quarterback to have a game of, you know, like 400 plus yards so you can turn that $5 into like 40 bucks because he has such a big game. It just brings that excitement level and you cheer. You’re sitting on the couch and you’re yelling at the television, you’re yelling at the player, and that’s what it’s all about. But make sure you always play with a plan.”
The latest Epstein files to be released in the United States have triggered a political storm in Norway after two high-placed figures were revealed to have close ties to the late convicted sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The largest tranche yet of legal documents relating to the prosecution of Epstein for sex offences, including the trafficking of underage girls, includes some 3 million pages of documents, as well as 2,000 videos and 180,000 photographs, and was released a week ago.
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The documents were published under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law in November after pressure from his supporters to make the files public, fulfilling his campaign promises.
As media, investigators and other interested parties continue to pore through this vast array of material, new revelations have been coming out throughout the week.
They have implicated many famous people, from princes to industry leaders, believed to have been in Epstein’s vast network, including Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, billionaire Elon Musk, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and the United Kingdom Labour politician Peter Mandelson.
In Norway, the revelation of emails between Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Epstein caused initial shockwaves.
Then, on Thursday this week, Norwegian police opened a criminal investigation into former Norwegian Prime Minister Thorbjorn Jagland on suspicion of “gross corruption” linked to gifts, loans and benefits he may have received from Epstein.
The latest Epstein files also included emails showing that Borge Brende, who was Norway’s foreign minister from 2013 to 2017, had several business dinners with Epstein.
Here’s what we know about the scandal in Norway:
Who is Thorbjorn Jagland, and what is he being investigated for?
Jagland, 75, is a senior politician within Norway’s Labour Party. He is being investigated for economic corruption.
He was Norway’s prime minister from 1996 to 1997 and, afterwards, served as foreign affairs minister from 2000 to 2001. He was also head of parliament (stortingspresident) from 2005 to 2009.
However, Jagland’s association with Epstein is linked to his time as secretary-general of the Council of Europe, formed to protect human rights on the continent, and his simultaneous leadership of the Nobel Committee.
He joined the Norwegian Nobel Committee as chairman in 2009. He was later demoted to ordinary member in 2015 after the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Chinese rights activist Liu Xiaobo, prompting outrage from China. His demotion was seen as a peace offering to Beijing.
During this time, Jagland was also serving as head of the Council of Europe – he completed two terms from 2009 to 2019. His critics at the time alleged he did not do enough to fight corruption and that he was overly friendly towards Russian President Vladimir Putin.
On Thursday this week, Norwegian police said it is investigating whether Jagland received gifts, loans and travel benefits while serving in those positions after emails between him and Epstein emerged in the released documents last Friday.
Authorities did not provide details as to whether Epstein or people in his network offered those benefits, but Pal K Lonseth, head of a special police economic crimes unit, Okokrim, told reporters that what was revealed in the files “provides a basis for investigating whether these are criminal offences”.
Several Norwegian publications have reported that the new files revealed plans Jagland made for a family visit to Epstein’s private Caribbean island in 2014, but say the trip was later cancelled.
Speaking to Norwegian state broadcaster NRK, Jagland’s lawyer Anders Brosveet denied the claims and said there was “no question” as to whether the politician received any benefits.
“Based on the information we have found so far, we believe it is quite simple to clarify that this is not a transfer of benefits,” he said.
Following the release of the Epstein files, Jagland stated via his lawyers that his contact with Epstein had been “unwise” and that he “never” related to Epstein around his private life or his “dealings with young girls”.
While Jagland enjoys immunity from criminal prosecution as a former Council of Europe head, the Norwegian police have asked the institution to revoke his protections.
US President Donald Trump gestures as he stands next to the President and CEO of the World Economic Forum Borge Brende, during the 56th annual World Economic Forum (WEF), in Davos, Switzerland, January 21, 2026 [Jonathan Ernst/Reuters]
Who is Borge Brende, and what do the Epstein files reveal about him?
Borge Brende, who was Norway’s foreign minister from 2013 to 2017, had several business dinners with Epstein and communicated with him via email and text message, according to evidence in these files.
Brende, 60, is the head of the World Economic Forum (WEF), which organises the annual business summit of the same name in Davos. He is part of Norway’s opposition Conservative Party.
The WEF said in a statement after last week’s revelations that a risk committee would probe communications between Brende and Epstein.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Brende said he had only ever had limited contact with Epstein and that he had been unaware of his past or crimes.
He said he met Epstein in 2018 at a dinner and that the financier had been presented to him as an “American investor”.
“This gathering included several other leaders,” he said. “The following year, I attended two similar dinners with Epstein, alongside other diplomats and business leaders. These dinners, and a few mails and SMS messages, were the extent of my interactions with him,” he said.
Brende also said he regretted not doing more to look into Epstein’s history.
“I remain committed to learning from this experience and welcome the upcoming independent review, which I indeed requested,” he added.
What has the response been in Norway?
The revelations have prompted demands for further probes in parliament, which Jagland’s Labour Party dominates.
Foreign Affairs Minister Espen Barth Eide, also from Labour, said in a statement on Thursday that he had acted on a request from the police and reached out to the Council of Europe to remove Jagland’s immunity.
However, opposition parties, including the Conservative Party, which is the main opposition, are demanding that the government set up an independent investigation committee to probe the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“What everyone is questioning now is whether this is the tip of the iceberg. Whether this is a culture that exists at the top of Norwegian politics and the foreign service,” Sylvi Listhaug, head of the opposition Progress Party, said in parliament on Thursday, according to the NRK broadcaster.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, of the Labour Party, who has backed the police investigation, has, however, responded to the demand, saying an investigative committee is not “the right instrument to shed light on the matter”, NRK reported.
Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon, Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Princess Ingrid Alexandra attend the Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony at Oslo City Hall in Oslo, Norway, December 10, 2025 [Ole Berg-Rusten/NTB/via Reuters]
How is Crown Princess Mette-Marit linked to Epstein?
Meanwhile, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, 52, is also in the spotlight over her alleged close relationship with Epstein as documented by emails included in the files released by the US Justice Department.
Her friendship with Epstein was already known. The latest tranche of documents, however, provides a much clearer picture of the nature of her relationship with him, with hundreds of messages sent over several years.
They included a 2012 email from Mette-Marit to Epstein in which she asked him: “Is it inappropriate for a mother to suggest two naked women carrying a surfboard for my I5 yr old sons wallpaper?”
Epstein then replied, “Let them decide,” and advised that the mother should “stay out of it.”
In a separate email, Epstein told Mette-Marit he was in Paris “on my wife hunt” but that “i prefer Scandinavians.”
In response, Mette-Marit said Paris was “good for adultery” but that “Scandis” were “better wife material”.
In a statement following the documents’ release, the crown princess said she felt “deep sympathy and solidarity” with the girls abused by Epstein.
She said she took responsibility for “not having investigated Epstein’s background more thoroughly” and also expressed regret for “having had any contact with Epstein at all. It is simply embarrassing.”
Separately, Mette-Marit’s eldest son, Marius Borg Hoiby, 29, whom she had referred to in her emails to Epstein, appeared in court this week on multiple charges, including rape and domestic violence.
He denied charges of rape and filming people without their consent in court on Wednesday, but admitted to transporting drugs and speeding while driving.
Hoiby was first arrested in August 2024 on suspicion of assault. His trial will continue until March.
Amongst the evidence against him, police say, are incriminating videos stored on his phone, including one that allegedly shows him assaulting a woman who was incapacitated at his parents’ Skaugum estate, west of Oslo, in December 2018. He is alleged to have raped four women.
Hoiby holds no royal title. He was born when Mette-Marit, a non-royal, was in a relationship before her 2001 marriage to the heir, Prince Haakon. He has previously spoken about mental health issues and a struggle with substance abuse.
Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and PDP President Mehbooba Mufti has welcomed the decision of the Union Railway Minister to stop the three proposed railway projects in the Kashmir Valley. He called it a much-needed relief for lakhs of farmer families whose livelihood was in danger. Also, advocated for people-centric and environment-friendly railway projects in the future. Mufti also urged the Center to increase railway connectivity to Chenab Valley and Pir Panjal regions.
In a letter to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav, Mehbooba Mufti said, “Agriculture and horticulture are the backbone of Kashmir’s economy, which directly or indirectly supports about two-thirds of the population. Cultivable land in the valley is only a small part of the total geographical area and has already reduced significantly due to highway, bypass and ring road projects.
‘Relief to farmers from temporary suspension of railway projects’
“Although the temporary suspension of these railway projects has provided some temporary relief, the uncertainty over their future is troubling farmer families and putting their long-term investments at risk,” he said.
Protection of fertile land is a matter of public interest – Mehbooba Mufti
Mehbooba Mufti stressed that like the rest of India, Kashmir too lives in its villages, where most of the farmers are small landholders and have no alternative source of income. He said that large-scale unemployment among the educated youth has further increased the dependence on agriculture, due to which the protection of fertile land has become a matter of great public interest.
Urge to re-plan railway projects
The PDP chief urged the Railway Ministry to cancel these projects in their existing alignment and re-plan them in a way that precious fertile land is protected. He said that by doing this, not only will the current worry be removed, but the livelihood of about one and a half million families will also be secure.
Strong advocacy for dedicated fruit corridor
Making it clear that farmers were not against railway connectivity, Mehbooba Mufti strongly pitched for a dedicated fruit corridor through a reliable rail network, especially in view of the frequent blockages on the national highway. However, he stressed that there should be a balance between development and sustainability and priority should be given to the utilization of barren and unproductive lands rather than destroying scarce agricultural land.
Mehbooba Mufti also urged the Central Government to increase railway connectivity to Chenab Valley and Pir Panjal regions of Jammu and Kashmir. He said these resource-rich and strategically important areas have long suffered from unreliable road connectivity, severely limiting their economic and developmental potential.
He said, “Even after more than seven decades of independence, lack of reliable rail links continues to hinder the development of Chenab Valley and Pir Panjal. When it comes to connecting such neglected areas with the national railway network, no challenge should be considered too big.” He expressed hope that their concerns and requests will be considered sympathetically in the larger public interest and immediate action will be taken.
EXCLUSIVE: Federal transportation officials nabbed hundreds of truckers found not to be proficient in English, as otherwise routine stops at weigh stations led to thousands of violations amid a three-day national crackdown.
The latest iteration of Operation SafeDRIVE (Distracted, Reckless, Impaired, Visibility Enforcement) ran from Jan. 13–15 on trucking corridors in 26 states and the District of Columbia and removed nearly 2,000 unqualified truckers and other drivers from the road, USDOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) told Fox News Digital.
The news comes just days after a Kyrgyz national caused a deadly wreck after he failed to brake for stopped traffic on a state road in Jay County, Indiana, crossed the median and slammed into oncoming traffic.
Bekzhan Beishekeev illegally used the Mayorkas-era CBP-1 app to enter the U.S. in 2023 and was later issued a CDL by PennDOT – leading DHS officials to lambast Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who in turn blamed Secretary Kristi Noem’s federal database management.
Operation SafeDRIVE cracks down on illegal immigrant truckers(US Dept of Transportation)
USDOT Secretary Sean Duffy told Fox News Digital that Operation SafeDRIVE saw the FMCSA partner with state law enforcement in a high-visibility enforcement and education effort, addressing unsafe drivers of all types on the nation’s highways.
Operation SafeDRIVE conducted more than 8,200 inspections that led to 704 drivers being taken off the road and out of service.
About 500 of those truckers were penalized for violating English proficiency standards.
There were 1,231 total vehicles stripped of their roadworthiness and 56 people were arrested, including several for DUI/DWI and illegal presence in the United States.
“Operation SafeDRIVE shows what happens when we work together with our law enforcement partners to pull unqualified drivers and vehicles off American roads,” Duffy told Fox News Digital.
“We need a whole-of-government approach to ensure the Trump Administration’s strong standards of safety are in place to protect American families and reduce road accidents.”
Operation SafeDRIVE cracks down on illegal immigrant truckers(US Dept of Transportation)
FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs added that the operation’s main goal was public safety.
“When drivers ignore the rules, operate without proper qualifications, or get behind the wheel impaired, they put all of our lives at risk,” Barrs said.
“Operation SafeDRIVE demonstrates the value of focused enforcement and strong partnerships in removing these drivers and vehicles from our roads.”
Operation SafeDRIVE cracks down on illegal immigrant truckers(US Dept of Transportation)
In other recent cases of illegally-present or English-nonproficient drivers causing deadly or dangerous situations, an Indian national was arrested after passing through a weigh station in Oklahoma and found to be illegally present in the country.
His commercial driver’s license, issued by New York State, listed him as “NO NAME.” His identity was later confirmed to be Anmol Anmol, and he had illegally entered the U.S. in 2023 and was handed over to federal authorities under Oklahoma’s 287(g) cooperation agreement with I.C.E.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said Anmol is indicative of the kind of people issued licenses under Albany’s widescale noncooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
“New York is not only failing to check if applicants applying to drive 18-wheelers are U.S. citizens but even failing to obtain the full legal names of individuals they are issuing commercial drivers’ licenses to,” she said.
After an Uzbek national wanted in Tashkent on terrorism charges was nabbed in Oklahoma — also wielding a PennDOT driver’s license — a similar dynamic ensued between Harrisburg and Washington, with both Shapiro and Noem blaming each other for the problem.
Fox News Digital obtained a letter from Shapiro cabinet officials to Pennsylvania legislative leaders — as Democrats hold the House and Republicans the Senate — rejecting some of the claims about the situation.
The letter, written by PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll, a Luzerne Democrat, and Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt, a Philadelphia Republican, called out “misstatements and ill-informed speculation” from critics. Schmidt and Carroll said the administration’s policy is not to allow illegal immigrants to receive licenses.
“Allnon-citizens who apply for driver’s licenses… must provide PennDOT with proof of identity and must have their legal presence in this country verified through the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database,” they said, citing the DHS database flagged by Shapiro and PennDOT spokeswoman Alexis Campbell in prior communications with Fox News Digital.
A Noem spokesperson said at the time that the Uzbek illegal immigrant — Akhror Bozorov — was unwisely issued a work authorization by the Biden administration, but that did not mean Harrisburg should have let him drive a bobtail — with the spokesperson dubbing Shapiro a “sanctuary politician.”
The situation first came to prominence after Indian national Harjinder Singh made an illegal U-turn on Florida’s Turnpike in St. Lucie County and a sedan slammed into the rig, killing all occupants.
Singh had been given a CDL by California.
Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.
He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant.
Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital.
Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to charles.creitz@fox.com.
The growing tension between America and Iran is not showing any sign of stopping. Meanwhile, Iran has taken such a tough step, which can provoke America to take a big decision even before the talks mediated by Oman.
In fact, Iran’s government news channel Press TV shared the information that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has deployed ballistic missile Khorramshahr-4 at one of its military bases on Friday (February 6, 2026).
Missile demonstrated to send message to US: Javani
Regarding the deployment of Khorramshahr-4 ballistic missile on the Iranian military base, IRGC Deputy Commander for Political Affairs Brigadier General Yadollah Javani said that this ballistic missile has been demonstrated to send a message to America and that message is that Iran does not intend to retreat from its defense capabilities.
He said that Iran will never back down from its stand and does not want war, but if the enemy takes any wrong step, it will be given a strong response.
Khorramshahr-4 missile can cause devastation up to a range of 2,000 km
Khorramshahr-4 ballistic missile has the capability to cause destruction with accurate attack up to a range of 2,000 kilometers. Along with this, it is also capable of carrying a warhead weighing up to 1,500 kg. In such a situation, it is said to be very dangerous.
According to the report, this dangerous ballistic missile has been displayed during the inauguration of a new military site operated by the IRGC Aerospace Force. The deployment of its missile is being considered a sign of its formal inclusion in Iran’s defense policy.
Iran’s diplomats will hold meeting with full confidence: Javani
Brigadier General Yadollah Javani, deputy commander for political affairs of the IRGC, said that Iranian diplomats will join the Oman-led talks with the US with full confidence.
A British supermarket says staff will undergo further training after a store manager ejected the wrong man when facial recognition technology triggered an alert.
Warren Rajah was approached by a store manager at Sainsbury’s in London’s Elephant and Castle and instructed to leave after the store’s Facewatch system alerted staff to a match.
Sainsbury’s told The Register that its Facewatch system correctly identified a man on its offenders’ database, and alerted store managers who manually review each flag. However, in responding to the alert, the manager approached the wrong person, Rajah, and escorted him out of the store.
A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said: “We have been in contact with Mr Rajah to sincerely apologise for his experience in our Elephant and Castle store. This was not an issue with the facial recognition technology in use but a case of the wrong person being approached in store.”
Facewatch technology is currently operating in six Sainsbury’s stores in the UK, five of which are in Greater London.
The facial recognition tech was first trialled in September 2025 in Sydenham and Bath Oldfield Park, before being rolled out to Dalston, Elephant and Castle, Ladbroke Grove, Camden, and Whitechapel earlier this year.
The technology has a reported 99.98 percent accuracy rate, we’re told, and has led to a 46 percent reduction in logged incidents of theft, harm, aggression, and antisocial behavior.
The majority of offenders (92 percent) do not return to stores with Facewatch running, and this is the first time a store manager has misidentified a customer after the system issued a alert.
Rajah, who works in sales at tech reseller CDW, told the BBC: “Am I supposed to walk around fearful that I might be misidentified as a criminal?
“Imagine how mentally debilitating this could be to someone vulnerable, after that kind of public humiliation.”
He reported being approached by three store managers holding smartphones. They looked at the phone, then at him, and told him to leave the store, pointing to posters near the entrance informing shoppers that facial recognition tech was in operation.
Rajah had to submit a copy of his passport and head shot to Facewatch so the company could verify he was not on the offenders’ database.
A Facewatch spokesperson said: “We’re sorry to hear about Mr Rajah’s experience and understand why it would have been upsetting. This incident arose from a case of human error in-store, where a member of staff approached the wrong customer.
“Our data protection team followed the usual lawfully required process to confirm his identity and verified that he was not on our database and had not been subject to any alerts generated by Facewatch.”
Facewatch is currently rolled out across other retailers in the UK including B&M, Budgens, Costcutter, Southern Co-op, Spar, and Sports Direct.
Other supermarkets such as Iceland began trialing the tech last year.
Digital rights group Big Brother Watch branded the frozen food purveyor’s trial “Orwellian” and “dystopian,” and said the company’s technology also led to the ejection of a woman in a Home Bargains store after she was wrongfully accused of theft.
Jake Hurfurt, head of research and investigations at Big Brother Watch, said at the time: “Iceland’s decision to deploy dystopian facial recognition technology to monitor its customers is disproportionate and chilling.
“Thousands of people will have their privacy rights violated just to buy basic necessities, and Iceland will turn its shoppers into suspects, making them submit to a biometric identity check as part of their daily lives.”
Big Brother Watch is campaigning against the use of live facial recognition in the UK, especially by London’s Metropolitan Police.
Jasleen Chaggar, Legal & Policy Officer at Big Brother Watch, said: “The idea that we are all just one facial recognition mistake away from being falsely accused of a crime or ejected from a store without any explanation is deeply chilling.
“To add insult to injury, innocent people seeking remedy must jump through hoops and hand over even more personal data just to discover what they’re accused of. In the vast majority of cases, they are offered little more than an apology when companies are finally forced to admit the tech got it wrong.
“This isn’t an isolated incident – Big Brother Watch regularly hears from members of the public who are left traumatised after being wrongly caught in this net of privatised biometric surveillance.
“The government’s promise to regulate this invasive technology will be payment to lip service unless it reins in the unchecked expansion of facial recognition by retailers.”
Big Brother Watch is currently spearheading a legal challenge against the technology, arguing that it is incompatible with human rights laws. ®
Right before the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games, relay participants passed the torch for the final few times in central Milan. The flame began its journey across Italy in December, starting in Rome and travelling through all 110 Italian provinces.
