Iran’s Yak-130 jet shot down as Israeli pilot claims milestone in Tehran skies
Israel’s military said Wednesday that one of its F-35I “Adir” stealth fighter jets shot down an Iranian Air Force Yak-130, marking the first time the advanced aircraft has downed a manned fighter in combat.
“The historic shootdown over the Tehran skies is a testament to the strength of the Israeli Air Force and to your personal determination,” said Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar, the commander of the Israeli air force.
“The war continues – return home safely. Get some rest,” he told the pilots. “The next mission is already waiting for you.”
The F-35I is Israel’s customized version of the U.S.-made F-35 Lightning II, a fifth-generation stealth fighter that anchors the country’s air fleet.
According to the F-35 program’s official website, Israel became the first country to select the aircraft through the U.S. government’s Foreign Military Sales process, signing a letter of agreement in October 2010.
The site says the Israeli air force gave the jet the Hebrew name “Adir,” meaning “Mighty One,” and received its first F-35 on June 22, 2016.
The Yak-130 is a Russian-made, two-seat combat training aircraft designed by the Yakovlev Design Bureau, according to United Aircraft Corporation, the state-owned Russian aerospace company that manufactures the jet.
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It made its maiden flight in 1996 and is currently in active production.
Iran’s air force received its first Yak-130 training aircraft in September 2023, according to Press TV, Iran’s state-run English-language broadcaster.
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In November 2023, Brig. Gen. Mahdi Farahi, Iran’s deputy defense minister, told Tasnim, a semi-official Iranian news agency, that plans had been finalized for Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets, Mil Mi-28 attack helicopters and Yak-130 trainers to join the country’s armed forces.
Tasnim reported that Iran previously acquired MiG-29 fighter jets from Russia in the 1990s.
Hegseth says leader behind effort to assassinate Trump has been hunted down, killed
War Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that an Iranian leader behind a unit that attempted to assassinate President Trump has been killed in Iran amid Operation Epic Fury.
“The leader of the unit that attempted to assassinate Trump has been hunted down and killed,” Hegseth said during a press conference Wednesday morning.
“Iran tried to kill President Trump and President Trump got the last laugh,” Hegseth continued. “Now, this is not a ‘mission accomplished’ situation. This is simply a reality check.”
In 2024, Iran-linked actors attempted to arrange an assassination plot to take out the president. Iran has previously threatened to assassinate Trump following the 2020 killing of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani.
In 2022, an Iranian video depicted an assassination attempt on Trump while he played golf.
U.S. officials confirmed earlier this week that strikes on Iran, which began Saturday, killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Trump reflected on Khamenei’s death in a call to ABC News’ Jonathan Karl earlier this week, saying: “I got him before he got me.”
“They tried twice,” Trump continued, referring to Iran’s previous attempts on his life. “Well, I got him first.”
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Meanwhile, Hegseth, on Wednesday said the combination of U.S. and Israeli intelligence and combat power “will control Iran and will control it soon.”
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“America is winning decisively, devastatingly and without mercy,” Hegseth said.
Rising star topples Crockett in high-stakes Texas Senate Democratic primary
AUSTIN, TEXAS – James Talarico, a Democratic state lawmaker from Texas with a surging national profile, defeated Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a nationally known politician, progressive firebrand, and vocal critic and foil of President Donald Trump, to win the Democratic Senate primary in Texas, according to The Associated Press.
Talarico, 36, will now try to become the first Democrat in nearly four decades to win a Senate election in Texas, as he faces off against the winner of a bruising Republican primary runoff between longtime incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
This year’s Senate showdown in Texas is one of a handful across the country that could determine if Republicans hold their majority in the chamber in the midterm elections. The GOP currently controls the chamber 53-47.
“Tonight our campaign is shocking the nation. We are still waiting for an official call, but we are confident in this movement we’ve built together. Every vote must be counted. Every voice must be heard,” Talarico told supporters in a not-quite victory speech late Tuesday night, at his primary night event in Austin, Texas.
The Associated Press, a couple of hours later, early on Wednesday morning, called the race for Talarico.
In a statement Wednesday morning, Crockett conceded and said she had called Talarico to congratulate him on his victory.
“Texas is primed to turn blue and we must remain united because this is bigger than any one person,” Crockett urged.
Hours earlier, Crockett, pointing to a legal dispute over extending voting hours in Dallas, her home base, told supporters not to expect final results on primary night.
Voting issues in Dallas and in Talarico’s home base of Williamson County north of Austin led to confusion and voters being turned away from polling locations.
CROCKETT SUGGESTS REPUBLICANS RIGGED DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY IN TEXAS
“We don’t have any of the results because there was a lot of confusion today,” Crockett told her supporters gathered at an election watch party in Dallas. “I won’t be back tonight because I have no idea of when we’re going to get results. And I fully anticipate it won’t be until tomorrow.”
Crockett blamed Republicans and charged, “that people have been disenfranchised.”
“Unfortunately, this is what Republicans like to do. And, so, they specifically targeted Dallas County, and I think we all know why,” she claimed.
Crockett’s claims came after the Texas Supreme Court knocked down a lower judge’s ruling earlier in the evening to keep polling places open longer in Dallas and Williamson counties. The Texas high court mandated that any votes cast after the initial closing time be separated. Democrats had pushed for polling locations to be open longer amid polling location restrictions that resulted from Republicans and Democrats not holding joint primaries.
Voters ran into confusion on Tuesday amid the decision of certain counties — including heavily populated Dallas — to separate out the locations where voters could cast ballots for Republican and Democrat primaries.
Talarico also spoke out against what he claimed was “voter suppression.”
“Every vote must be counted. Every voice must be heard. The voter suppression in my home county and in Congresswoman Crockett’s home county underscores the gravity of this moment,” he argued.
IT’S SHOWDOWN DAY IN TEXAS AS COMBUSTIBLE BATTLES FOR THE DEMOCRATIC AND GOP SENATE NOMINATIONS COME TO A HEAD
In the final weeks leading up to Tuesday’s Democratic primary, race became a key factor in the showdown between Talarico, a former middle school teacher and Presbyterian seminarian who is considered a rising star among Democrats, and Crockett, a civil rights attorney first elected to Congress in 2022.
Talarico, who is White, was accused a month ago by an influencer of calling former Rep. Colin Allred, a former rival for the 2026 Senate nomination, a “mediocre Black man.”
Allred, the 2024 Democratic Senate nominee, was making a second straight run after losing two years ago to Republican Sen. Ted Cruz by eight points.
He ended his Senate campaign late last year, just before Crockett announced her candidacy. Allred, a former college football star who played professionally in the NFL and later became a civil rights attorney, is now running for his old House seat.
QUITE GOP ‘ASTROTURF’ CAMPAIGN CONVINCED CROCKETT TO JUMP INTO SENATE RACE
Morgan Thompson, the influencer who goes by the username @morga_tt on TikTok, in a social media post claimed Talarico told her in a private conversation that he had “signed up to run against a mediocre Black man, not a formidable, intelligent, Black woman.”
Pushing back against Thompson’s characterization of their conversation, Talarico said in a statement, “In my praise of Congresswoman Crockett, I described Congressman Allred’s method of campaigning as mediocre — but his life and service are not. I would never attack him on the basis of race.”
Allred, responding in a social media video on Monday, said: “James, if you want to compliment Black women, just do it. Just do it. Don’t do it while also tearing down a Black man.”
TEXAS DEMOCRATIC SENATE CANDIDATES SIDESTEP ISLAMIC TERRORISM CONCERNS FOLLOWING DEADLY AUSTIN ATTACK
The 44-year-old Crockett, who is Black, said in a statement that Allred “drew a line in the sand.”
“He made it clear that he did not take allegations of an attack on him as simply another day in the neighborhood, but more importantly, his post wasn’t about himself,” Crockett, who was endorsed by Allred, said. “It was a moment that he decided to stand for all people who have been targeted and talked about in a demeaning way as our country continues to be divided.”
A couple of weeks later, Crockett claimed that a Talarico-aligned super PAC had darkened her skin tone in an ad and said it was “straight up racist.”
She also argued late last month that talk that she wasn’t electable statewide was a “dog whistle” that was “tearing down a Black woman,” and that she was the “most qualified” candidate.
CARDI B ENDORSES JASMINE CROCKETT FOR TEXAS SENATE, DECLARING ‘VOTE FOR MY SISTER’
Talarico, who was first elected to the Texas House in 2018 by flipping a red district in northeast Austin and surrounding suburbs, highlighted his ability to win over Republican voters. He campaigned across the state, including in areas where Democratic candidates don’t often show up. And he questioned whether Crockett could run a competitive general election campaign.
While dramatically outraising and outspending Crockett the past two months, Talarico cast himself as the underdog in the primary battle against the better-known congresswoman.
The two-term Crockett, who represents primarily Black and Hispanic majority neighborhoods in Dallas and surrounding inner suburbs south of the city, has grabbed plenty of attention for her clashes with Republicans on the high-profile House Oversight Committee, including one with then-Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia in 2024 that went viral.
She also made headlines last year for calling longtime Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas “Governor Hot Wheels.”
Talarico, who speaks openly about his faith and how it shapes his progressive policy agenda, last year started garnering national attention through a slew of social media appearances that went viral. Also boosting his profile were his TikTok videos, which have grabbed millions of views, and his appearance last July on Joe Rogan’s top-rated podcast.
Rogan suggested during the interview that Talarico should run for president.
A month later, Talarico was a regular on the cable news networks, conducting dozens of national media interviews, as he and dozens of his fellow Democrats in the Texas House fled the state for weeks, to delay the eventual Trump-led redistricting push in Texas to create up to five more right-leaning congressional seats
Talarico launched his Senate campaign a month later, in September.
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Last month, Talarcio grabbed even more national attention when his appearance on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” was bumped off broadcast TV and instead appeared on YouTube. Colbert accused his network, CBS, of blocking the interview by citing guidelines from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
The controversy appeared to boost Talarico, with his campaign saying they hauled in $2.5 million in fundraising in the 24 hours “following his censored” interview.
Republicans didn’t wait for the official call in the Democratic Senate primary to start taking aim at Talarico.
“James Talarico is an open borders, Trump-hating radical who can never be allowed to set foot in the U.S. Senate,” National Republican Senatorial Committee Communications Director Joanna Rodriguez charged in a statement Tuesday evening.
Paxton, in a primary night speech in Dallas, claimed that Talarico is a “far-left radical who wants to abolish ICE. Says God is non-binary. I’m not even sure I know what that means and thinks Christians are commanded to put boys in girls sports. He will do nothing more than be a puppet for Chuck Schumer and the national Democrats.”
And Cornyn, in a Fox News Digital interview on Sunday, argued that both Talarico and Crockett “should be running for the Senate in California, not in Texas. They’re way out of the mainstream in Texas.”
Meanwhile, Talarico was earning praise from both the center and left of the Democratic Party.
“Talarico’s victory shows that voters are hungry for Democrats to fight boldly for workers, corporate accountability, and increased quality of life — not just run against Donald Trump. Talking to voters, it’s clear they are both inspired by Talarico’s economic populist message and believe it can win in the general election,” Progressive Change Campaign Committee co-founder Adam Green said.
And Adam Jentleson, president of the center-left Searchlight Institute, said Talarico’s victory “was a refreshing break with the past of running on division and polarization, and an embrace of candidates who can unite broad swaths of Americans behind the big tent, supermajority coalition we need.”
Navy SEAL congressman ousted by Trump loyalist after airport dustup with Ted Cruz
Four-term Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, lost his Republican primary battle on Tuesday to Steve Toth, a state representative and businessman, following years of turmoil between Crenshaw and the MAGA faction of the Republican Party that questioned Crenshaw’s loyalty to Trump.
The 2nd Congressional District primary that ended Tuesday with Toth beating out Crenshaw drew a sharp line within the Republican Party. Crenshaw was not formally endorsed by President Donald Trump or Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, endorsed Toth after he reportedly got into a tiff with Crenshaw at the airport over whether the senator was working against the representative’s re-election.
Ahead of the Tuesday primary, Toth positioned himself as the more loyal conservative, comparing Crenshaw to a “version of Liz Cheney,” who, when in Congress, found herself frequently at odds with Trump before exiting public office.
Toth, a Texas State Representative since 2019 who also owns a residential and commercial pool management company, received endorsements from the House Freedom Caucus, Turning Point USA, Sen. Cruz, Texas Right to Life, 21 Republican colleagues from the Texas state legislature and some high-profile local conservatives.
Meanwhile, Crenshaw received endorsements from Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, leader of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., the National Border Patrol Council and the National Rifle Association, among others. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise also told media ahead of the primary that he “supported” Crenshaw, and that “hopefully he pulls it out.”
Crenshaw, a former Navy SEAL who lost his eye in combat and currently sits on the powerful House intelligence committee, fought back against the label that he was an insufficiently loyal MAGA Republican ahead of the primary.
“My relationship with Trump is good,” Crenshaw told the Houston Chronicle, which also endorsed the incumbent congressman, in advance of Tuesday’s primary. “I work very closely with his administration. I’m close with Pete Hegseth and John Ratcliffe and Kash Patel, because this is all within my scope too on the [House] Intelligence Committee. We work very closely together with the White House. You’d have to not pay attention to any of that to think I’m not ‘Trump’ enough.”
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In 2020, Crenshaw ran unopposed, then won about two-thirds of the vote in the following 2022 primary, according to Ballotpedia. But, in 2024, according to the database, Crenshaw’s popularity dipped significantly to around just 60% in the primary.
Just days ahead of Tuesday’s primary, reports surfaced of Crenshaw and Cruz getting into a tense exchange at the airport, during which Crenshaw allegedly accused Cruz of working against him in the House primary. According to reporting, Cruz responded: “If I’m working against you, you’re gonna know it.”
Days later, he dropped his Toth endorsement, followed by a paid ad to get the word out.
“You deserve an unwavering fighter, a Republican who walks the walk,” Cruz says in the ad, which does not refer to Crenshaw.
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Crenshaw had a substantial fundraising advantage over his opponents, but also faced redistricting changes in his district that drew parts of Toth’s home district into the race.
Toth will take on Democratic nominee and investment banker Shaun Finnie, who ran unopposed in the primary, during November’s general election to be the next Representative of Texas’s 2nd Congressional District covering parts of the greater Houston and surrounding areas.
Devoted father, Minnesota K-9 officer dies less than a day after sudden diagnosis
A Minnesota police sergeant and father of two died less than 24 hours after doctors diagnosed him with a brain infection, leaving behind a young family and a stunned community.
Sgt. Cody Siebert, a K-9 officer with the East Range Police Department, died Feb. 27, the department announced. He was remembered as a devoted father, loyal colleague and a fixture in the small northern Minnesota community he served.
Siebert helped launch the K-9 program in Babbitt, Minnesota, alongside his police dog, Taconite, before later joining the East Range Police Department.
“Sgt. Siebert was well known for his happy-go lucky personality,” the department wrote in a Facebook tribute. “It was best said that if you couldn’t get along with Cody, it was your fault.”
“The hole left by Sgt. Siebert’s passing will be impossible to fill,” the department added.
A GoFundMe page launched by Siebert’s family has raised more than $107,000 as of Tuesday evening. He is survived by his life partner, Karen Blais, and their two sons, ages 1 and 2.
“To know Cody was to have a friend. He had a rare gift for connection — if you crossed paths with him, you knew you were in for a genuine conversation. He truly enjoyed people, and his absence leaves a void in our community that will be felt by many,” his family wrote on the fundraising page.
DELAWARE TROOPER’S FINAL ACT OF HEROISM HIGHLIGHTED AS TUNNEL TO TOWERS RALLIES SUPPORT FOR HIS YOUNG FAMILY
Blais told The Minnesota Star Tribune that Siebert woke up last week suffering from a headache that had begun the day before. He was hospitalized, and doctors determined that an infection in his nasal passage had spread to his brain, according to the newspaper.
“He loved people — being in that position and being able to help people in general,” his brother, Brandon Siebert, told the outlet. “Not just getting the bad guys, going to the school, checking in with people.”
The tragedy comes just months after another loss in the extended family. According to the Star Tribune, Siebert’s sister-in-law, Alyssa Siebert, died last October from a brain aneurysm.
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“We’re in a déjà vu of an unusual situation,” said his other sister-in-law, Ashley Siebert. “They both helped others the whole time. They were both great people. They’ve done more than most 30-year-olds have accomplished in their lives.”
Like his sister-in-law, Siebert donated his organs, the newspaper reported.
Mesabi East Schools also paid tribute, remembering Siebert as someone who saw the potential in every student.
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“The impact he had on our students and staff cannot be measured. He wasn’t just our K9 officer, he was a mentor, a role model, a friend, and a steady, positive presence in our Giants community,” the school district wrote.
House Democrat Henry Cuellar crushes primary after Trump’s pardon
Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, easily defeated a primary challenger Tuesday in Texas’ 28th Congressional District, securing his party’s renomination in the southern border seat he has long represented.
The win sets up a November matchup with President Donald Trump-endorsed South Texas Judge Tano Tijerina.
Cuellar, one of the last remaining “blue dog” conservative Democrats in the House, beat challenger Ricardo Villarreal with 58.1% of the vote to 36.9% — a margin of more than 21 percentage points with 97% of ballots counted, according to The Associated Press. Andrew Vantine was in third place with 5%.
Cuellar’s primary challenge came amid renewed scrutiny over his federal indictment last year and continued tensions within his party over border policy, though he ultimately secured renomination by a comfortable margin.
He had been highly critical of the Biden administration’s handling of immigration and border security. He was later indicted by the Justice Department on federal bribery charges, which he denied.
Cuellar and his allies have characterized the case as politically motivated. He later received an unconditional pardon from Trump, who also said the charges were politically driven. Speculation swirled that Cuellar might switch parties after the pardon, but he dismissed those rumors and said he would remain a Democrat.
Cuellar served in the Texas House from 1987 to 2001 and briefly as Texas secretary of state in 2001, making him the most recent Democrat to hold statewide office in Texas. He was first elected to Congress in 2004 after defeating incumbent Ciro Rodriguez in a primary and is known as one of the House’s more conservative Democrats. He has since won re-election comfortably, though he has faced competitive primaries in recent cycles.
Trump, meanwhile, endorsed Tijerina in the GOP race and criticized Cuellar ahead of the primary for running.
Tijerina went on to win the Republican nomination, setting up a November matchup to represent a district that stretches from San Antonio to the Rio Grande Valley.
The judge, who switched to the Republican Party in December 2024, saying the Democratic Party no longer aligned with his values, won the GOP primary with 74.3% of the vote to Eileen Day’s 25.7%, according to the AP.
Tijerina’s win was decisive, with a margin of nearly 49 percentage points after 91% of ballots were counted.
He responded to the outpouring of congratulations on social media shortly after the race was called.
“Amen! Let’s work,” he wrote in response to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.
In a separate post responding to Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters — who had congratulated him and shared a message from House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La. — Tijerina wrote: “It’s our win!”
Tijerina has promised to buck Democrats and embrace what he calls a “new generation” of political leadership in South Texas.
He told Fox News Digital on the campaign trail that, despite the district long being considered a Democratic stronghold, the Biden administration’s handling of the southern border and focus on diversity initiatives shifted voters’ views.
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“Being a Democrat after so many years, I’m just sick and tired of seeing all the social issues that the Democrats are [promoting]. And I’m not the only one,” Tijerina said. “That’s why Webb County, that’s why South Texas, voted for Trump plus 10 numbers.”
“We have always been conservative, everybody knows it,” he continued. “Down here in South Texas, the only thing that we care about is good-paying jobs [and] making sure that we’re getting protected.”
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Republicans currently hold a razor-thin majority in the House of Representatives and the race is expected to be closely watched.
Canada’s whiskey snub sends US exports plunging nearly 70% amid Trump trade fight
EXCLUSIVE: LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A year after Canadian provinces yanked American whiskey from store shelves in a trade clash triggered by President Donald Trump’s tariffs, U.S. spirits exports have collapsed by nearly 70%, gutting what had been one of the industry’s most important overseas markets.
In 2025, Canada slid from the second-largest destination for American spirits to sixth, as exports declined two-thirds to $89 million, according to data compiled by the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS).
Before the dispute, the market had generated roughly $250 million annually for American distillers.
The drop was immediate and relentless. From March through December, exports fell from $203 million in 2024 to just $60 million in 2025 — a roughly $143 million wipeout.
FROM BOURBON TO BORDEAUX: TRUMP’S TARIFFS SPILL INTO GLOBAL BOOZE MARKETS
Despite the lifting of some tariffs, most Canadian provinces continue to shut American alcohol out of retail stores.
“Our industry thrives in a zero-for-zero tariff environment,” Chris Swonger, DISCUS president and CEO, told Fox News Digital.
The export downturn comes as Trump continues to use tariffs as economic leverage — a strategy his administration argues is designed to strengthen U.S. manufacturing and reduce trade imbalances.
While Swonger said the industry recognizes the Trump administration’s efforts to reduce trade imbalances, he noted that the loss of Canadian shelf space has had a significant impact on exports.
“Since Liberation Day, it’s unfortunate to report that our industry has lost over 70% of our exports to Canada because many provinces have decided not to carry American spirits,” Swonger said.
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Nowhere is the fallout felt more acutely than in Kentucky, the epicenter of America’s bourbon business.
The Bluegrass State is bourbon’s beating heart, producing 95% of the world’s supply, employing more than 23,000 workers and generating a cool $9 billion annually, according to figures provided by the Kentucky Distillers’ Association.
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For distillers on the ground, the trade dispute doesn’t end at the border.
Owen Martin, master distiller at Angel’s Envy, said the consequences reach into the bourbon-making process itself.
“There are the tariffs on finished goods and on us shipping abroad, but I’m even thinking a step below that,” Martin said.
He pointed to barrels as one example. By law, bourbon must be aged in new American oak barrels, which can only be used once for bourbon production. But port casks — used to finish Angel’s Envy bourbon — can be reused multiple times.
“Those are the sorts of things, as a maker, that I have to be aware of in any given year,” Martin said. “You have different opportunities and different challenges.”
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Beyond supply chain pressures, the export downturn is largely tied to provincial retail bans in Canada. The majority of provinces have yet to restore American alcohol to government-run retail stores.
Swonger said the dispute has produced a striking irony between two whiskey-loving nations.
“American consumers love Canadian whisky, and Canadians love Kentucky bourbon,” he said. “We’re hoping this gets resolved.”
SCOTUS to determine SJSU volleyball scandal outcome after judge’s shocking ruling
EXCLUSIVE: The lawsuit led by former San Jose State University women’s volleyball co-captain Brooke Slusser after her experience with a transgender teammate appears set to be directly influenced by the decisions in an ongoing Supreme Court case on trans athletes.
Slusser filed the lawsuit against representatives of her school and the Mountain West Conference in fall 2024 after she allegedly was made to share bedrooms and changing spaces with trans teammate Blaire Fleming for a whole season without being informed that Fleming is a biological male.
A federal judge made a ruling in the Slusser v. Mountain West case’s motion to dismiss on Tuesday. Colorado District Judge Kato Crews dismissed all the plaintiffs’ charges against the Mountain West Conference, but did not dismiss charges of Title IX violations against representatives of SJSU and the California State University (CSU) system.
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Crews deferred his ruling on whether to dismiss those charges to after the decision in the ongoing B.P.J. v West Virginia Supreme Court case, which is expected to come in June.
“The Motion to Strike Class Allegations is denied,” Crews wrote in his decision. “What remains of the Amended Complaint is Plaintiffs’ Title IX claims for damages against the CSU Board… So the Court defers ruling on the Title IX damages claims until after the Supreme Court has issued its ruling in B.P.J.
The CSU provided a statement to Fox News Digital in response to Crews’ ruling.
“CSU is pleased with the court’s ruling. SJSU has complied with Title IX and all applicable law, and it will continue to do so,” the statement read.
Slusser’s attorney, Bill Bock of the Independent Council on Women’s Sports, expects a Supreme Court ruling in favor of the legal defense representing West Virginia, thus helping his case.
“We’re looking forward to the case going forward,” Bock told Fox News Digital.
“I believe that the court is going to find that Title IX operates on the basis of biological sex, without regard to an assumed or professed gender, and so just like the congress and the members of congress that passed Title IX in 1972, allowed this specifically provided for in the regulations that there had to be separate men’s and women’s teams based on biological sex, I think the court is going to see that is the original meaning of the statute and apply it in that way, and I think it’s going to be a big win in women’s sports.”
The Supreme Court’s conservative majority appeared prepared to rule in favor of West Virginia after oral arguments on Jan. 13.
Slusser spoke on the steps of the Supreme Court on Jan. 13 while oral arguments took place inside, sharing her experience with a divided crowd of opposing protesters.
Bock also said it is “likely” that his team will appeal the dismissal of charges against the Mountain West.
“There’s a real flaw in the dismissal of the Mountain West conference,” Bock said. “I think an appeal is very likely.”
The Mountain West has responded in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.
“We appreciate the Court’s thorough review of the allegations. We are pleased the Court granted the Mountain West’s and Commissioner Nevarez’s motions to dismiss in their entirety. We remain focused on supporting our member institutions and student‑athletes,” the statement read.
The judge, Crews, was appointed by former President Joe Biden in January 2024.
EX-SJSU VOLLEYBALL COACH REACTS AFTER TRUMP ADMIN RULES SCHOOL VIOLATED TITLE IX WITH TRANS ATHLETE HANDLING
Crews previously ruled to allow SJSU’s trans athlete, Blaire Fleming, to continue playing college volleyball in the Mountain West tournament after Slusser and her co-plaintiffs made a request for a preliminary injunction to have Fleming ruled ineligible, in November 2024.
“I simply have a disagreement with him regarding what the law is, and particularly with respect to Title IX,” Bock said of Crews.
With Fleming on its roster, SJSU reached the 2024 conference final by virtue of a forfeit by Boise State in the semifinal round. SJSU lost in the final to Colorado State.
Slusser went on to develop an eating disorder due to the anxiety and trauma from the scandal and dropped out of her classes the following semester. The eating disorder became so severe, that Slusser said she lost her menstrual cycle for nine months. Her decision to drop her classes resulted in the loss of her scholarship, and her parents said they had to foot the bill out of pocket for an unfinished final semester of college.
President Donald Trump’s Department of Education determined in January that SJSU violated Title IX in its handling of the situation involving Fleming, and has given the university an ultimatum to agree to a series of resolutions or face a referral to the Department of Justice.
Among the department’s findings, it determined that a female athlete discovered that the trans student allegedly conspired to have a member of an opposing team spike her in the face during a match. ED claims that “SJSU did not investigate the conspiracy, but later subjected the female athlete to a Title IX complaint for ‘misgendering’ the male athlete in online videos and interviews.”
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SJSU Athletic Director Jeff Konya told Fox News Digital in a July interview that he was satisfied with how the university handled the situation involving Fleming.
“I think everybody acted in the best possible way they could, given the circumstances,” Konya said.