IDF releases footage of pilot downing Iranian jet to ‘Star Wars’ theme
The Israel Defense Forces on Thursday released a video it said shows the moment an Israeli F-35I “Adir” stealth fighter jet shot down an Iranian air force Yak-130 over Tehran, marking the first time the advanced aircraft has downed a manned fighter in combat.
“Completed. Target down. The target is down,” the pilot can be heard saying in the footage set to “Star Wars” theme music.
Israel’s military said Wednesday that the shoot down over the Iranian capital was a key milestone for its F-35 fleet.
Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar, commander of the Israeli air force, commended the pilots who carried out the mission as part of Operation Roaring Lion.
“The historic shoot down over the Tehran skies is a testament to the strength of the Israeli Air Force and to your personal determination,” Bar said. “The war continues – return home safely. Get some rest. 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.
Israel became the first country to select the aircraft through the U.S. government’s Foreign Military Sales process in 2010 and received its first jet in June 2016.
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The Israeli air force gave the aircraft the Hebrew name “Adir,” meaning “Mighty One.”
The Yak-130, by contrast, is a Russian-made, two-seat combat training aircraft designed by the Yakovlev Design Bureau and manufactured by United Aircraft Corporation.
It first flew in 1996 and remains in active production.
Iran received its first Yak-130 aircraft in September 2023, according to Press TV, Iran’s state-run English-language broadcaster, as part of a broader effort to modernize its air force.
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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 additional Yak-130 trainers to join the country’s armed forces.
Iran previously acquired MiG-29 fighter jets from Russia in the 1990s.
Navy SEAL-turned-senator tackles ‘unhinged’ protester during chaotic hearing
Chaos erupted during a Senate hearing Wednesday when Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., jumped in to help Capitol Police remove a protester — an encounter that may have left the man injured.
Video of the incident showed Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL, stepping in as officers struggled to remove Brian McGinnis, a Marine Corps veteran running as a Green Party candidate for Senate in North Carolina.
Sheehy said in a statement that “Capitol Police were attempting to remove an unhinged protester from the Armed Services hearing.”
“He was fighting back. I decided to help out and deescalate the situation,” he said. “This gentleman came to the Capitol looking for a confrontation, and he got one. I hope he gets the help he needs without causing further violence.”
Before the scuffle, McGinnis stood up during a Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on the Current Readiness of the Joint Force hearing and shouted, “America does not want to send its sons and daughters to war for Israel.”
Police immediately moved to remove him from the hearing room, with two officers attempting to corral McGinnis. After a struggle, they got him to the exit. That’s where Sheehy stepped in.
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McGinnis grabbed the door and held on, wedging his arm between the door and its frame. As officers and Sheehy pushed to get him to let go, a loud cracking sound could be heard in the video. It was not immediately clear whether his arm was broken during the struggle.
Capitol Police said in a statement that “an unruly man who started to illegally protest during a hearing put everyone in a dangerous position by violently resisting and fighting our officers’ attempts to remove him from the room.”
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Police said three officers were treated for injuries after working to remove McGinnis. They added that he “got his own arm stuck in a door to resist our officers and force his way back into the hearing room” and was also treated.
McGinnis faces three counts of assault on a police officer, three counts of resisting arrest, and a charge of crowding, obstructing and incommoding related to the unlawful demonstration.
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“Protests are not allowed inside the congressional buildings,” Capitol Police said. “There are plenty of other spots on Capitol Grounds, outside, where demonstrations are allowed.”
Austin’s liberal DA makes major announcement about cops who shot suspected terrorist
Bodycam video from the Austin mass shooting, which is being investigated as a terrorist attack, will be released on Thursday as the county’s liberal district attorney announced he would take no action against the three officers who killed the suspect.
In a news release on Wednesday, Travis County District Attorney José Garza announced no action would be taken against the three police officers who killed 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne. Diagne shot and killed three people and left more than a dozen other people injured on Sunday outside a bar in Austin, Texas.
“Today, the Travis County District Attorney’s Office notified the Austin Police Department that it has formally concluded its review of the mass shooting on 6th Street and will take no action against the three officers who stopped the shooting,” the news release stated.
Under a 2021 policy by Garza’s office, all officer-involved shooting cases were to be presented to a grand jury.
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Austin Police Association President Michael Bullock told Fox News Digital he wishes Garza would have made the decision to not convene a grand jury much earlier, and said police officers are under constant fear of being targeted by the liberal district attorney.
“The reality is APD officers are more afraid of the DA targeting them than a gunman shooting at them,” Bullock told Fox News Digital.
Bullock said it’s the first time Garza hasn’t presented an officer-involved shooting to a grand jury since implementing the policy.
Doug O’Connell, a criminal defense attorney representing the Austin police officers, told Fox News the 2021 policy was instituted at the direction of the Wren Collective, which is a criminal-justice reform group providing financial support to progressive prosecutors.
“When our current district attorney came into office about six years ago, he instituted this policy at the direction of the Wren Collective, and it’s been in place since that time. Every officer-involved shooting has been presented to the grand jury,” O’Connell said. “It’s not required by law. It is simply a policy decision that he’s instituted at the direction of Wren Collective.”
Bullock said the Wren Collective has recently pushed “to increase the number of indictments against officers which can only be done through grand jury.”
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National Police Association spokesperson Sgt. Betsy Brantner Smith told Fox News Digital that investigations into officer-involved shootings should be internal.
“A grand jury is basically a secret process and is controlled by the prosecutor. These officers cannot have a defense attorney or a union representative in the grand jury,” Smith said. “He is well known as one of the most anti-police district attorneys in the nation.”
Garza previously called the officers that killed Diagne “heroes.” The shooting happened at Austin’s Buford’s Backyard Beer garden shortly before 2 a.m. on Sunday.
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FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Alex Doran said during a press conference on Sunday that while investigators are still looking for a possible motive, there were “indicators that on the subject and in his vehicle that indicate potential nexus to terrorism.”
Law enforcement sources told Fox News that the shooter was wearing a sweatshirt that read “Property of Allah“ as well as an undershirt with an Iranian flag. The sources said a Quran was also found in Diagne’s car. According to CBS News, Diagne had pictures of Iranian leaders at his home as well as an Iranian flag.
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Savitha Shan, 21, Ryder Harrington, 19 and Jorge Pederson, 30, were killed in the shooting, authorities said during a Monday press conference.
Diagne initially entered the United States in 2000 on a B-2 tourist visa, according to the Department of Homeland Security, becoming a lawful permanent resident in 2006 after marrying a U.S. citizen.
On April 5, 2013, Diagne became a naturalized U.S. citizen.
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Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said Diagne “put his flashers on, rolled down his window and began using a pistol shooting out of his car windows, striking patrons of the bar that were on the patio and that were in front of the bar.”
Davis said the suspect exited his vehicle and shot at individuals, but didn’t enter the bar.
Congressman admits affair with staffer who set herself on fire amid ethics probe
Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, admitted to having an affair with a former staffer for the first time on Wednesday.
Gonzales made the confession during an appearance on a conservative talk radio show, just one day after he advanced to a runoff election in his congressional district’s GOP primary. The House Ethics Committee also launched an investigation into Gonzales on Wednesday.
“I made a mistake, and I had a lapse in judgment, and there was a lack of faith, and I take full responsibility for those actions,” he said on “The Joe Pags Show” Wednesday night. “Since then, I’ve reconciled with my wife, Angel. I’ve asked God to forgive me, which he has, and my faith is as strong as ever.”
“When you make mistakes like this, it’s never easy. It humbles you,” he added.
The Ethics Committee is investigating whether Gonzales, a married father of six, engaged in sexual misconduct with a female member of his staff and whether he doled out special favors or privileges as a result.
Gonzales has said he has no plan to step down in the face of the accusations, saying last month that there are more details to be released regarding the situation.
“What you’ve seen is not all the facts,” Gonzales told reporters in late February.
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The three-term congressman argued at the time that he was being “blackmailed” in connection with the case. Controversy first arose after the San Antonio Express-News reported they obtained text messages in which the former staffer, Regina Ann Santos-Aviles, wrote to a colleague that she had an affair with the lawmaker.
Santos-Aviles later died after setting herself on fire.
Gonzales denied having anything to do with her death during his radio appearance.
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“I hadn’t spoken with Miss Santos since June of 2024. She passed September of 2025… I had absolutely nothing to do with her tragic passing. And in fact, I was shocked just as much as everyone else,” Gonzales said.
Gonzales took to social media last month and accused Santos-Aviles’ husband of “blackmail,” sharing a partial screenshot of an email from the widower and claiming he was seeking money.
“I WILL NOT BE BLACKMAILED,” Gonzales wrote in a Feb. 19 post on X. “Disgusting to see people profit politically and financially off a tragic death.”
In the email posted by Gonzales, attorney Robert Barrera discussed a possible lawsuit against the lawmaker and a potential settlement with a nondisclosure agreement. The email says that the maximum recoverable amount is $300,000.
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Barrera denied he was trying to blackmail Gonzales.
“It is a desperate attempt to make him look again like a political victim,” Barrera told The Associated Press last month. “There’s no blackmail here. I mean, it’s just ridiculous allegations.”
Man accused of Trump assassination plot tells jury Iran forced his hand
A Pakistani businessman accused of trying to hire hit men to kill political targets, including President Donald Trump, insisted that Iran forced his actions as he testified to jurors in New York on Wednesday.
Asif Merchant, 47, said Trump wasn’t the only potential target of the 2024 assassination scheme, telling jurors the list included then-President Joe Biden and former presidential candidate and ex-U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley. He claimed that he only took part in the plot because Iran’s powerful paramilitary Revolutionary Guard threatened his family.
“My family was under threat, and I had to do this,” Merchant testified through an Urdu interpreter. “I was not wanting to do this so willingly.”
Merchant said he had anticipated getting arrested before anyone was killed, intended to cooperate with the U.S. government and had hoped that would help him get a green card.
Merchant was indicted in July 2024 after he was recorded on camera outlining a plot on a napkin to kill an unnamed politician with a person who turned out to be an informant. Merchant allegedly also tried to hire two hit men and pay them $5,000, but the men were FBI agents posing as assassins.
Merchant was arrested as he was attempting to leave the country, before he could take any concrete steps to carry out a murder plan. Authorities, at the time, said he appeared to be acting at the behest of Iran.
The Iranian government has denied plotting to kill Trump or other U.S. officials.
Merchant said his handler initially directed him to recruit U.S. residents willing to work for Iran — then escalated the assignment to finding a criminal to organize protests, commit theft, launder money and “maybe have somebody murdered.”
“He did not tell me exactly who it is, but he told me — he named three people: Donald Trump, Joe Biden and Nikki Haley,” he said.
Prosecutors argued that even after U.S. immigration agents stopped him at Houston’s airport in April 2024, searched his belongings and questioned him about trips to Iran, Merchant continued with the alleged plot. He researched Trump rally locations, drafted plans for a shooting at a political event, lined up supposed hit men and scraped together $5,000 from a cousin as a “token of appreciation.”
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Merchant said he reported back to his Revolutionary Guard contact, sending what he now claims were fabricated updates hidden inside a book shipped to Iran through intermediaries.
He testified that he felt he had “no other option” but to cooperate because the handler indicated he knew where Merchant’s relatives in Iran lived.
Prosecutors, however, noted in a court filing this week that Merchant never contacted law enforcement before his arrest and failed during FBI interviews to mention details supporting a claim that he acted under duress.
If convicted, Merchant faces a maximum penalty of life in prison.
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Merchant’s trial comes against the backdrop of Trump launching a major combat operation in coordination with Israel against Iran, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a strike.
Americans from across the country bid farewell to hotel-casino in fiery demolition
A Las Vegas hotel-casino was demolished on Thursday morning after the establishment closed during the COVID-19 pandemic and never reopened.
Eastside Cannery Hotel-Casino opened on the Boulder Strip in 2008, replacing the older Nevada Palace casino. It catered to locals rather than tourists, offering value-oriented gaming, dining and stays away from the crowded Las Vegas Strip.
The nearby Longhorn Casino hosted a demolition party to give guests a front-row seat to the implosion, selling parking spots for $25 and rooms for $250, FOX5 Las Vegas reported.
Las Vegas locals and people from across the country showed up at 2 a.m. to bid an explosive farewell to the building.
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“I’m from San Diego, and this is one of my favorite casinos,” Gus Biner told FOX5. “It’s just I have never seen a building come down live, you always see it on the news but never live.”
“I want to watch it, I want to feel it,” Mark Carson told the outlet. “I’m a retired carpenter. I spent all my career building them. This will be the first time I watch it in real life, bring ’em down.”
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The Cannery closed in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns in Nevada.
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Boyd Gaming, which acquired the hotel-casino in 2016 as part of its purchase of Cannery Casino Resorts, said it remained shuttered after most other casinos reopened due to insufficient market demand after more than five years of closure.
Keith Olbermann calls legendary coach Lou Holtz ‘scumbag’ on day of his death
Former ESPN broadcaster Keith Olbermann once again incited backlash on social media Wednesday after he called late legendary college football coach Lou Holtz a “legendary scumbag” in an X post on the day Holtz was announced dead.
“Legendary scumbag, yes,” Olbermann wrote in response to a clip of Holtz criticizing former President Joe Biden in 2020 for supporting abortion rights.
Olbermann received scathing criticism in response to his post on X.
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“You’re a scumbag that needs mental help,” one X user wrote to Olbermann.
One user echoed that sentiment, writing to Olbermann, “You’re the real scumbag here. Lou Holtz had more class, integrity, and genuine decency in his pinky finger than you’ll ever show in your lifetime.”
Another user wrote, “You’re a grumpy, lonely, Godless man. All the things Lou Holtz was not.”
Olbermann has made it a pattern of sharing politically charged far-left statements that are often combative and ridiculed on social media, typically resulting in immense backlash.
After the U.S. men’s hockey team’s gold medal win, Olbermann heavily criticized the team for accepting an invitation from President Trump to the State of the Union address. Olbermann wrote on X that any members of the men’s team who attended the event were “declaring their indelible stupidity and misogyny,” while praising the women’s team for declining the invitation.
In January, Olbermann attacked former University of Kentucky women’s swimmer Kaitlynn Wheeler for celebrating a women’s rights rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court during oral arguments for two cases focused on the legality of biological male trans athletes in women’s sports.
“It’s still about you trying to find an excuse for a lifetime wasted trying to succeed in sports without talent,” Olbermann wrote in response to Wheeler’s post.
In 2025, Olbermann faced significant backlash after posting (and later deleting) a message on X aimed at CNN contributor Scott Jennings, that said, “You’re next motherf—–,” shortly after the assassination of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk.
Holtz was a stern supporter of President Donald Trump, even saying in February 2024 that Trump needed to “coach America back to greatness!”
Near the end of Trump’s first term, shortly after former President Joe Biden defeated him in the 2020 election, Trump awarded Holtz with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award of the United States.
After Holtz’s death was announced Wednesday, several top GOP figures paid tribute to the coach on social media.
Those GOP lawmakers included senators Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala.; Todd Young, R-Ind.; Tom Cotton, R-Ark.; and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.; representatives Greg Murphy, R-N.C.; David Rouzer, R-N.C.; Erin Houchin, R-Ind.; and Steve Womack, R-Ark.; and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis; Indiana Gov. Mike Braun; U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon; and Rudy Giuliani.
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At the time of publication, prominent Democrat leaders have appeared silent on Holtz’s passing, including prominent Democrats with a football background.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who worked as an assistant high school football coach; Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., who was a recruiting target for Holtz in 1986 as a college prospect; Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas, who played in the NFL; and Rep. Kam Buckner, D-Ill., who played football for the University of Illinois, have not posted acknowledging Holtz’s death.
Olympic gold medalist Alysa Liu details terrifying experience after arriving at airport
Olympic gold medalist Alysa Liu shared a terrifying experience she had at an airport on social media early Thursday.
Liu wrote on her Instagram Stories that she was mobbed by people with cameras and for things to sign before someone “chased” her to her car. She asked fans to refrain from doing that.
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“So I land at the airport, & there’s a crowd waiting at the exit with cameras & things for me to sign,” she wrote. “All up in my personal space. Someone chased me to my car bruh.
“Please do not do that to me.”
Liu, 20, went from Olympic hopeful to gold medalist within the span of a few months as she won the women’s singles figure skating competition at the Milan Cortina Games. Liu’s electric performance dazzled the crowd in Italy and had Americans back home raving about her.
It was the second of two gold medals she received during the Games. She was a part of the team figure skating competition that won gold early in the Olympics.
She is far from the only professional athlete who has had to deal with raving fans at the airport. Most notably, pro wrestlers have been outspoken about similar issues.
WWE star Rhea Ripley detailed a tense airport situation in March 2023.
Ripley explained the situation to USA Network when she bumped into one fan in particular at the airport, and after declining to sign anything, she was followed, and it caused others to join in.
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“I don’t think people understand how threatening that is,” she said at the time. “Especially because you don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t know these people.”
Savannah Guthrie returns to ‘Today’ show studio for first time since mom went missing
Savannah Guthrie returned to the ‘Today’ show studio on Thursday morning for the first time since her mother, Nancy Guthrie, went missing in a suspected abduction.
“Savannah Guthrie stopped by the studio this morning to be with and thank her TODAY colleagues. While she plans to return to the show on air, she remains focused right now supporting her family and working to help bring Nancy home,” a ‘Today’ show spokesperson told Fox News Digital.
Video obtained by TMZ showed an emotional Savannah Guthrie hugging colleagues while visiting the morning show set.
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An emotional TODAY host Jenna Bush Hager told viewers Thursday that, “She said that she has the intention to return to the show. Even though it feels like the hardest thing to do, it’s also her home and where she feels so loved.”
“Whenever [she is] ready, we are here,” co-host Sheinelle Jones said.
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