Police investigate possible hate crime after car crashes into Chabad Lubavitch HQ

A driver was taken into custody on Wednesday night after police say the individual intentionally and repeatedly rammed a vehicle into the Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters in New York City, damaging some of the Jewish site’s doors.

NYPD and Chabad Lubavitch spokesperson Motti Seligson said there were no apparent injuries.

The vehicle was inspected by the NYPD bomb squad, and no explosives were found. The driver shouted to bystanders that “it slipped” and said something to police about attempting to park.

RABBI ATTACKED ON NYC STREET ON INTERNATIONAL HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the crash was being investigated as a hate crime.

The U.S. Justice Department also announced it opened a civil rights investigation into the incident.

“I have instructed our criminal prosecutors in @CivilRights to open a civil rights investigation into this violent attack,” Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon said on X.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said the incident was “deeply alarming” and that “antisemitism has no place in our city.”

“I am at 770 Chabad World Headquarters in Crown Heights, where a man intentionally, and repeatedly, crashed his car into the building. I am relieved that no one was injured in this horrifying incident,” the mayor wrote on X.

ANTI-ISRAEL AGITATOR ACCUSED OF VIOLENTLY ATTACKING JEWISH PROTESTERS LEARNS HIS FATE

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“This is deeply alarming, especially given the deep meaning and history of the institution to so many in New York and around the world,” he continued. “Any threat to a Jewish institution or place of worship must be taken seriously. Antisemitism has no place in our city, and violence or intimidation against Jewish New Yorkers is unacceptable.”

Mamdani added: “I stand in solidarity with the Crown Heights Jewish community, and I am grateful to our first responders for taking swift action. I will keep New Yorkers updated as we learn more about the incident.”

Canada caught red-handed in Olympic qualifying sabotage against American athlete

An investigation by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) has found that Team Canada manipulated the outcome of the North American Cup in Lake Placid, New York earlier this month. 

Canada’s actions denied American Olympian Katie Uhlaender a chance to earn enough points to qualify for the upcoming Milan Cortina Winter Games. 

After Team Canada withdrew four athletes from the North America Cup, it reduced the amount of points the competition could award. The reduction made it mathematically impossible for Uhlaender to earn enough points to qualify. Uhlaender, a five-time Olympian, was hoping to qualify for her sixth Winter Games, but lost the chance before competition even began in Lake Placid, due to Canada’s withdrawals. 

The IBSF has now found that “the action of the Canadians was intentional and directed to reducing the points available to athletes who slid at the final Lake Placid NAC,” it announced in a release obtained by Fox News Digital on Wednesday. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton (BCS) originally said the decision to withdraw the athletes was made “after careful evaluation of the program’s needs and in consultation with the IBSF” and “careful consideration of athlete health, safety, and long-term development.”

“It was determined that continuing to race these athletes was not in their best interests, nor in the best interests of the program,” it added.

However, one of the Canadian athletes said the coaches said the reason for the withdrawal was due to “the best interest for the way points had worked.” 

“They had come over and explained to us that it would be in the best interest for the way points had worked for Jane, so that we as a team can qualify two spots to the Olympics,” Canadian skeleton racer Madeline Parra told The Canadian Press.

Now, the IBSF has found evidence that Canada made a conscious decision to withdraw athletes to manipulate the potential points at stake. 

“Although Canada subsequently attributed its decision to order four athletes not to slide in Official Training to concerns about the athletes involved, substantial evidence supports Ms. Uhlaender’s contention that the move was a deliberate effort by Canada to reduce the points available at the final Lake Placid NAC so as to protect its own Olympic quotas,” the announcement said.

NHL STAR DISAPPOINTED TO BE LEFT OFF TEAM USA’S OLYMPIC ROSTER: ‘THOUGHT MY PLAY THIS YEAR WAS WORTHY’

However, the IBSF also is not taking any action to penalize Canada or change the outcome of the event to award Uhlaender a shot at qualifying for the Olympics. 

“Although the disqualification of an athlete and cancellation of results may have collateral impacts (other participants moving up in official finishes, for example) the Olympic Movement Code does not set out standards or means by which event records can be changed other than through sanctions,” the announcement read. 

Uhlaender addressed the announcement in a statement to Fox News Digital. 

“Today’s decision by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) Appeals Tribunal reinforces what I, and many other athletes,  have known all along. The actions of Canadian coach Joe Cecchini and Bobsleigh Canada Skeleton were intentional and deliberately aimed at reducing the points available. This was blatant competition manipulation, yet there have been no consequences for the coach involved,” she said. 

“I am fighting for what is right. I am fighting for my rightful Olympic opportunity. But more importantly, I am fighting for every athlete who has been harmed by competition manipulation. I am far from the only athlete affected by these actions.”

Uhlaender is still leading an international protest to gain qualification for the upcoming Olympics. 

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) has sent a letter to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) petitioning to have Uhlaender granted a spot. Fourteen other countries have joined in on that petition. 

The Olympic committees of Malta, Israel, the Virgin Islands, South Korea, Belgium, Brazil, Jamaica, Denmark, Netherlands, Ghana, Nigeria, Trinidad, Columbia and Latvia have signed their support for Uhlaender, either in their own letters, or signing USOPC’s letter to the IOC advocating for the American to be granted qualification.

“The support I have received from the international bobsleigh and skeleton community has been overwhelming. That support has given me the strength to keep pushing forward, for integrity, accountability, and a sport that truly upholds the values that brought us together to compete. The passion to compete and pursue what we are capable of rises above borders and politics,” Uhlaender added. 

“I will continue to fight for what is right and will pursue this further with my legal counsel to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. And with the support of my community.”

The IOC has since responded to the USOPC’s letter advocating for Uhlaender.

“This matter relates to the application of the IBSF’s rules and procedures in connection with an IBSF organized event. The IOC understands that IBSF has already responded to Ms Uhlaender on this matter,” the IOC said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.

Vice President JD Vance will lead the U.S. Presidential Delegation to the Milan Cortina Olympics next month. Uhlaender hopes the vice president will advocate for her participation.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“As U.S. Vice President JD Vance is scheduled to meet with the leadership of the International Olympic Committee, I respectfully ask that he stand with me as an Olympian that has represented the United States of America and our values, the USOPC, and the many affected nations in supporting our request to IOC President Kirsty Coventry to use her authority to uphold fairness in Olympic sport by granting a wildcard entry,” Uhlaender said.

“Doing so would protect the integrity of competition and prevent further harm. Such action would send a powerful message to young athletes everywhere: that standing up for ethics and integrity may be difficult, but it matters.”

UK reverses course on territory handover after fierce criticism from Trump

Talks between the U.K. and the U.S. over the future of the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean have reportedly reopened after President Donald Trump’s comments cast doubt over an agreement that would see Britain hand sovereignty of the strategically vital archipelago to Mauritius.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed Wednesday that the U.K. had reopened discussions after the president had panned the deal and branded it an “act of great stupidity,” GB News reported.

“Shockingly, our ‘brilliant’ NATO Ally, the United Kingdom, is currently planning to give away the Island of Diego Garcia, the site of a vital U.S. Military Base, to Mauritius, and to do so FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER,” Trump had posted on Truth Social. “There is no doubt that China and Russia have noticed this act of total weakness.”

He added: “The UK giving away extremely important land is an act of GREAT STUPIDITY, and is another in a very long line of National Security reasons why Greenland has to be acquired.”

TRUMP WARNS US CAN NO LONGER THINK ‘PURELY OF PEACE’ AS HE PUSHES FOR GREENLAND CONTROL

The Chagos Islands were separated from Mauritius during Britain’s decolonization process, a move the International Court of Justice ruled unlawful in 2019. 

The U.K. later agreed to transfer sovereignty while leasing Diego Garcia back for at least 99 years at a cost of at least $160 million annually.

Diego Garcia is a hub for long-range bombers, logistics and power projection across the Middle East, the Indo-Pacific and Africa. 

Around 2,500 military and civilian personnel, mostly American, are stationed there. The base serves as a critical operation point for the U.S. and plays a central role in intelligence gathering and securing military communications.

Speaking aboard a flight to China, Starmer said he had “discussed Chagos with Donald Trump a number of times,” but declined to confirm whether the issue had been raised during a phone call between the two leaders on Sunday, The Financial Times reported.

TRUMP’S ‘SMALL ASK’ FOR GREENLAND WOULD BE THE REAL ESTATE DEAL OF A LIFETIME

Starmer also said the matter “has been raised with the White House at the tail end of last week, over the weekend and into the early part of this week.”

Starmer also added that when the Trump administration took office, the U.K. paused the agreement for three months to allow the U.S. time to assess the deal at the agency level.

“Once they’d done that, they were very clear in the pronouncements about the fact that they supported the deal, and there were announcements made,” he said.

A Downing Street spokesperson also confirmed London was working to “allay any concerns” in Washington, according to GB News.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“We will continue to engage with the U.S. on this important matter and the importance of the deal to secure U.S. and U.K. interests and allay any concerns, as we’ve done throughout the process,” the spokesperson said.

Trump’s comments on the Chagos deal had been welcomed by Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who wrote on X: “Thank goodness Trump has vetoed the surrender of the Chagos islands.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House and Downing Street for comment.

School principal accused of shoplifting $1K at Walmart, using ‘stacking’ trick at checkout

An assistant principal at a Georgia elementary school was arrested last Monday after being linked to a series of Walmart shoplifting incidents, where roughly $1,000 worth of merchandise was taken using a discreet “stacking” method at self-checkout kiosks, according to Fox 5 Atlanta. 

Courtney Janell Shaw, 47, was reportedly caught on camera placing multiple items on top of one another and scanning only one before exiting the store. She was booked into the Cherokee County jail, charged with one felony count of shoplifting, and released later that day on a $4,875 bond, local outlet Cherokee Tribune said.

Authorities reportedly said Shaw stole 98 items, totaling $943.97, between November and December of last year.

Free Home Elementary School in Cherokee County said the two-decade veteran educator and mother of one was placed on administrative leave.

2 MEN CLAIMING TO BE POLICE SHOT, KILLED BY HOMEOWNER, AUTHORITIES SAY

“Immediately upon these allegations being reported, the employee was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of internal and law enforcement investigations,” the district told Fox 5. 

“Maintaining the safety and security of our students and staff is our top priority and inappropriate conduct will never be tolerated.”

MASKED THIEVES IN SOUTH AMERICAN CRIME RING LOOT AMERICAN HOMES IN COORDINATED PATTERN, POLICE WARN

Her alleged shoplifting spree was first reported on Jan. 12 when a Walmart employee provided police surveillance footage of Shaw appearing to steal the products, according to the outlet, citing the incident report.  

Two days later, investigators reportedly matched Shaw to the thefts using a driver’s license database.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Authorities reportedly said the two suspicious vehicles they noted in the surveillance footage, a 2018 Ford F-150 and a 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee, were registered to Shaw and later found at her residence.

According to the school’s website, Shaw joined Free Home Elementary in 2024 as the assistant principal. Her education career spans more than two decades and includes previous leadership roles as an assistant principal at two other elementary schools.

Major retailer axes 800 jobs as it mandates five-day office return policy

Home Depot announced Wednesday it was eliminating 800 jobs tied to its Atlanta store support center.

The company also said it would require its corporate employees to return to the office full-time, five days a week.

“We’re simplifying our corporate operations to better support our stores and our customers,” Home Depot said in a statement to FOX Business. “These changes include a reduction in roles associated with our store support center and a transition to a five-day in-office schedule for our corporate staff.“

The company said its goal is to “drive greater agility and position the company to move faster and stay even more closely connected with our frontline associates.”

MIKE ROWE WARNS AI WILL HIT WHITE-COLLAR WORKERS HARDEST — WELDERS ARE SAFE FOR NOW

While the home-improvement retailer called the layoffs a “difficult decision,” it said it would offer affected employees separation packages, transitional benefits and job placement support.

Home Depot is projecting a sharp drop in fiscal 2025 profit in its latest quarterly earnings, according to Reuters.

THESE ARE THE TOP 10 JOBS IN THE US FOR 2026, ACCORDING TO INDEED

The retailer’s personnel change came as numerous companies announced job cuts.

Amazon said Wednesday it will cut roughly 16,000 roles across the company as part of an organizational overhaul aimed at “reducing layers, increasing ownership, and removing bureaucracy.”

The United Parcel Service said Tuesday it is aiming to slash up to 30,000 operational roles this year as part of its transformation strategy.

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

Earlier this week, Nike said it plans on cutting nearly 800 jobs amid an automation push at the footwear and apparel giant’s distribution centers.

Mayor unharmed in apparent RPG attack; police kill three suspects after pursuit

A Filipino mayor escaped unharmed after an apparent rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) attack on his convoy in broad daylight Sunday in the southern province of Maguindanao del Sur, authorities said. 

The Philippine News Agency (PNA), the country’s state-run news outlet, reported that Mayor Akmad Ampatuan was inside a bulletproof vehicle when the attack occurred at around 6:30 a.m.

Video of the incident shows two men stepping out of a white van, one holding what appears to be an RPG and another carrying a gun.

One of the men then lowers the launcher and aims it down the street.

GUNFIRE, ARSON AND VANDALISM: TRACKING POLITICAL VIOLENCE IN AMERICA

He fires the weapon before jumping back into the vehicle, moments before a black SUV turns onto the road and is struck by the blast.

PNA reported that the mayor’s backup vehicle, a pickup, was also hit by gunfire during the attack.

Police and military forces later killed three suspected attackers in a pursuit.

MEXICAN MAYOR WHO TOOK HARD LINE AGAINST DRUG GANGS SHOT AND KILLED AT DAY OF THE DEAD EVENT

The motive for the attack was not immediately known.

“The mayor is safe,” Anwar Kuit Emblawa, the mayor’s executive assistant, told the PNA.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Two members of Ampatuan’s security detail were injured, though their wounds were not life-threatening.

The outlet said the mayor has survived two previous assassination attempts in the past five years.

Obama’s forgotten warning about illegal immigration comes back to haunt Dems

A clip of President Barack Obama in 2010 warning that halting deportations would trigger a surge in illegal immigration is going viral.

The post, made on the social media platform X, fueled sharp divisions over ICE deportation raids launched since President Donald Trump returned to the White House.

While some critics condemn the deportation of otherwise law-abiding illegal immigrants, others are argue such “mass deportations” were not only Trump’s flagship promise, but also a norm among past Democratic administrations. 

Obama was criticized by activists and media outlets during his presidency for deporting illegal immigrants who had little or no serious criminal history beyond crossing the border illegally. earning him the nickname “deporter in chief” among some critics.

BIDEN SPEAKS OUT AGAINST IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN IN MINNESOTA, SAYS IT GOES AGAINST AMERICAN VALUES

The video, which has 30.1 million views, features a portion of Obama’s remarks on “Comprehensive Immigration Reform,” delivered at the American University School of International Service in Washington, D.C., in 2010. 

“President Obama shoots down the whole ‘stop deportations and just let the illegal immigrants be’ argument that the Democrat party is currently pushing,” the account, @mazemoore, wrote. 

In the speech, Obama spoke on immigrants’ rights and status.

“There are those in the immigrants’ rights community who have argued, passionately, that we should simply provide those who are [here] illegally with legal status or at least ignore the laws on the books and put an end to deportation until we have better laws,” Obama said. 

“And often this argument is framed in moral terms: Why should we punish people who are just trying to earn a living?

OBAMA-ERA CNN SEGMENT RESURFACES SHOWING DIFFERENT ICE COVERAGE COMPARED TO TRUMP YEARS

“I recognize the sense of compassion that drives this argument, but I believe such an indiscriminate approach would be both unwise and unfair,” Obama continued. 

“It would suggest to those thinking about coming here illegally that there will be no repercussions for such a decision, and this could lead to a surge in more illegal immigration.  And it would also ignore the millions of people around the world who are waiting in line to come here legally.

“Ultimately, our nation, like all nations, has the right and obligation to control its borders and set laws for residency and citizenship,” Obama said. “And no matter how decent they are, no matter their reasons, the 11 million who broke these laws should be held accountable.”

This portion of the speech took place shortly after Obama criticized an “ill-conceived” immigration law in Arizona, arguing that the U.S. should not be a patchwork of places with different levels of enforcement and that there should be one federal standard of immigration law that works for everyone.

Among voices resharing the post included Tesla founder Elon Musk, saying, “What he said.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas commented as well, saying, “Who is this guy and why isn’t he our spokesperson for border security and the moral need for lawful deportations? What a perfectly delivered argument for holding people accountable for breaking the law and also recognizing the millions of law-abiding immigrants waiting in line around the world.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE

Football writer reveals why he left Patriots legend Bill Belichick off Hall of Fame ballot

One of the first known voters who didn’t choose Bill Belichick as a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer has explained his choice. 

The Kansas City Star’s Vahe Gregorian wrote a column Wednesday revealing he was one of at least 11 Hall of Fame voters who didn’t vote for Belichick, which shocked the football world when the news surfaced Tuesday. 

While that report stated Belichick’s involvement in scandals with the New England Patriots like Spygate and Deflategate, Gregorian, who has been covering the league for nearly 40 years, said that wasn’t his reason for leaving the coach off his ballot.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Gregorian said the “curious selection dynamics” from the Hall led to him to cast his votes elsewhere.

Belichick was a part of a five-person pool separate from the 15-man modern-era ballot, in which each voter is tasked with selecting just three members to enter the Hall. Among those are three senior candidates, a contributor and a coach. 

TOM BRADY PERPLEXED OVER BILL BELICHICK FAILING TO MAKE HALL OF FAME ON FIRST BALLOT

Belichick was the coach on this year’s ballot, while, coincidentally, Patriots owner Robert Kraft was the contributor nominee. 

But Gregorian explained why he chose to cast his three votes for the three senior members — Ken Anderson, Roger Craig and L.C. Greenwood — all of whom he believed deserved a spot in Canton.

Gregorian said he felt “duty-bound” to cast his votes for the senior candidates, believing they were looking at possibly their last chances to get into the Hall. 

“All three have been long deserving of induction in the Hall,” he wrote in his column. “All three have been, well, snubbed for decades.”

Gregorian said Belichick would inevitably get in, but once he saw that he didn’t procure the necessary 80% of votes on his first ballot, the veteran writer understood the vitriol and backlash that was received once news broke.

“At the risk of contradicting my own vote, really, [Belichick] shouldn’t even have to wait,” Gregorian’s column said. “I understand why people are offended that he isn’t going in the first moment he can. 

“I felt more compelled by what I perceive to be last chances and looming lost causes within the system as we have it — a system I hope the Hall will see fit to change now.”

Kraft called Belichick the “greatest coach of all time,” while Tom Brady said he couldn’t fathom why his old mentor in Foxborough, Massachusetts, isn’t heading to Canton, Ohio, this summer. 

Many others, including Patrick Mahomes, J.J. Watt, Ryan Clark and Pat McAfee all shared their disbelief after reading the news.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Belichick has the second-most wins by a head coach all time behind only the great Don Shula. Belichick won six Super Bowls in New England and two while a defensive coordinator with the New York Giants. 

While Gregorian was brave enough to face the backlash, it’s unknown whether the other writers who didn’t vote for Belichick will reveal themselves. 

Major European nation legalizes up to 500,000 undocumented migrants, sparking backlash

As the United States experiences negative net migration due to President Donald Trump policies, Spain is heading in the opposite direction, announcing plans to grant legal status for up to half a million illegal migrants.

Spain’s Socialist-led government approved a royal decree on Tuesday, allowing unauthorized immigrants who entered the country before the end of 2025 and who have lived there for at least five months and have no criminal record to obtain one-year residency and work permits with possible pathways to citizenship.

While many European governments have moved to tighten immigration policies — some encouraged by the Trump administration’s hardline approach — Spain has taken a different path. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and his ministers have repeatedly highlighted what they describe as the economic benefits of legal migration, particularly for the country’s aging workforce.

WHITE HOUSE ROADMAP SAYS EUROPE MAY BE ‘UNRECOGNIZABLE’ IN 20 YEARS AS MIGRATION RAISES DOUBTS ABOUT US ALLIES

Spain “will not look the other way,” Migration Minister Elma Saiz told reporters at a news conference, saying the government is “dignifying and recognizing people who are already in our country.”

The plan has sparked a fierce political battle, as conservatives and the populist Vox party have condemned what they describe as an amnesty that could fuel irregular migration.

Vox leader Santiago Abascal wrote on social media that the measure “harms all Spaniards,” arguing critics of his party are motivated by fear of Vox’s growing influence. 

“They are not worried about the consequences of Sánchez’s criminal policies,” Abascal wrote. “They are worried that Vox will gain more strength.”

Alan Mendoza, executive director of the Henry Jackson Society, told Fox News Digital that “Spain’s decision appears calculated to increase the lure of Europe as a destination for illegal migrants in general, causing problems for all of its neighbors. 

“If Spain wishes to become a repository for such people, then I’m sure other European countries would appreciate signing agreements to transfer their own illegal migrants there. Absent this, we will all be paying the price for Spanish largesse.”

TRUMP SAYS HUNGARY’S BORDER STANCE KEEPS CRIME DOWN, SAYS EUROPE ‘FLOODING’ WITH MIGRANTS

Ricard Zapata-Barrero, a political science professor at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, told Fox News Digital, “This is not a symbolic gesture. It is a direct challenge to the dominant European approach, which treats irregular migration primarily as a policing issue. Spain, instead, frames it as a governance problem, one that requires institutional capacity, legal pathways and administrative realism rather than more detention centers and externalized borders.”

He said Spain’s immigration system had been showing signs of strain for years.

“When hundreds of thousands of people live in irregularity for years, the issue stops being an individual failure and becomes a structural one,” Zapata-Barrero said. “In this context, regularization is not leniency — it is governability.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“In a Europe closing in on itself, Spain has taken a step that sets it apart — not because it is ‘softer,’ but because it is more pragmatic,” he added. “Whether this becomes a model or a counter-model inside the EU remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: Spain has launched a political experiment that Europe will watch closely.”