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Lando Norris dethrones Max Verstappen as F1 champion
Lando Norris is on top of the world.
Norris finished in third place at Formula 1’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday night, but managed to do enough to hang on to the Drivers’ World Championship. He finished two points ahead of Max Verstappen and 13 points ahead of fellow McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri.
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Norris was in tears as he credited his family and his McLaren team on helping him get through a "long journey."
"It feels amazing. I now know what Max feels like a little bit," Norris said. "… I’ve enjoyed it. It’s been a long year, but we did it. I’m so proud of everyone."
He’s the 35th driver to win an F1 World Championship. The standings got real tight down the end of the season. Norris won the first race of the season, but Piastri captured four wins in the next five races. Verstappen, then, won his second race before Norris did.
Norris and Piastri would do most of the winning in the middle of the season before Verstappen ended his eight-race drought without being on top of the podium. The Red Bull driver would heat up following his victory at the Italian Grand Prix.
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Verstappen won six of the last nine races and made a surge to the top of the leaderboard. Norris and Piastri unintentionally made the race to the World Championship interesting when they were both disqualified from the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Verstappen and Piastri would need Norris to really slip up to have a better chance at winning the championship, but the British superstar driver held it together and claimed the first F1 title of his career.
Norris ends Verstappen’s reign as world champion. The Red Bull star won the last four World Championships. Lewis Hamilton was the last driver not named Verstappen to pick up an F1 title, but he had a stranglehold on the sport from 2014 to 2020 with the only year he didn’t win was in 2016 (Nico Rosberg).
Norris is the first McLaren driver to win since Hamilton did it in 2008.
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Trump takes swipe at Jimmy Kimmel's talent while honoring Kennedy Center recipients in Oval Office
President Donald Trump once again swiped at late-night host Jimmy Kimmel on Saturday as he honored the Kennedy Center honors recipients in the Oval Office on Saturday.
"I’m sure they’ll give me great reviews, right? You know? They’ll say, 'He was horrible, he was terrible. It was a horrible situation,'" Trump told reporters on Saturday ahead of the Sunday gala, which Trump is set to host. "No, I think we’ll do fine. I’ve watched some of the people that host. Jimmy Kimmel was horrible. Some of these people, if I can’t beat out Jimmy Kimmel in terms of talent, then I don’t think I should be president."
Kimmel's show was briefly suspended by ABC and parent company Disney in September after his remarks suggesting the suspected killer of Charlie Kirk was part of the MAGA crowd, although Kimmel said he was misinterpreted.
According to the Kennedy Center, the Kennedy Center Honors has raised a record $23 million for its 48th annual celebration. It marks the largest fundraising haul in the history of the Honors, which was launched in 1978 as the institution’s highest recognition of lifetime artistic achievement. Among this year's recipients are Sylvester Stallone, Gloria Gaynor and the rock band Kiss.
While Kennedy Center honorees have visited the Oval Office privately in past years, Trump on Saturday hosted the first official, on-camera ceremony recognizing the recipients there, introducing each honoree ahead of Sunday night’s gala.
Kimmel has never officially hosted the Kennedy Center Honors, though he appeared at the honors during a tribute to fellow late-night host David Letterman in 2012. Kimmel has previously hosted the Academy Awards and the Emmys.
The liberal late-night host called out the president during his monologue on Thursday for making him one of the top trending people on Google, joking it was thanks to Trump's constant attention.
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"None of this would’ve ever happened without the support of loyal viewers like President Trump, who has done so much this year to raise awareness for our show," he said. Kimmel noted he was ranked third behind musician "d4vd" and rapper Kendrick Lamar, who took the first and second spots, respectively.
Kimmel added, "Thank you, Mr. President, for making me number three in the world."
The late-night host mocked Trump for the attention, noting that the president has repeatedly criticized him on social media this year — calling Kimmel "untalented" and demanding that he be taken off the air.
Fox News' Gabriel Hays and Ashley Hume contributed to this report.
Martha Moxley case: Kennedy cousin breaks silence on troubled upbringing, arrest warrant in murder mystery
Five decades after Martha Moxley, the daughter of an affluent Connecticut family, was found murdered outside her home, the Kennedy cousin formerly at the center of the case is speaking out for the first time.
Michael Skakel, cousin of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., spent 11 years behind bars for the 1975 murder of Moxley. Despite being released from prison in 2013 and later having his conviction vacated, Skakel is still looking to assert his innocence in a case that has captivated the nation.
In the new NBC News podcast titled, "Dead Certain: The Martha Moxley Murder," Skakel spoke publicly at length for the first time since his conviction was overturned to recount his upbringing and explain his side of the murder case.
Moxley was only 15 when she was beaten and stabbed to death with a golf club in the yard of her family’s suburban Greenwich home on Oct. 30, 1975. She was last seen hanging out with friends on "Mischief Night," an annual evening in which children partake in neighborhood pranks on the night before Halloween.
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An autopsy later revealed Moxley had been killed with the golf club, which was ultimately traced to the Skakel family’s home.
Investigators initially began looking into Thomas Skakel, Michael’s older brother, and the family’s live-in tutor, Kenneth Littleton, before ultimately turning their attention to Michael, who was 15 at the time of Moxley’s death.
For decades, Skakel had remained largely silent. However, he is now speaking out to tell his side of the story, while recounting painful details about his traumatic childhood.
Skakel detailed how his family’s Catholic religion played a large part in his upbringing, while recalling how he was hit over taking Playboy magazines when he was a child.
He went on to discuss how his parents primarily showed affection toward his brother, Tommy, when the brothers were growing up. Skakel also pointed to how his parents hardly visited him after he was hospitalized with a broken neck when he jumped off a desk in his childhood home.
When Skakel’s mother was dying from cancer, the young boy was told her hair was falling out due to her shampoo – not the treatment – and was ultimately blamed for her illness by his father, he said.
Skakel recalled a time in which his father, whom he had not seen in weeks, told him, "You make me sick. If you only did better in school, your mother wouldn't have to be in the hospital."
"I just wanted to die," Skakel said in the episode, as he recalled how his father barely addressed his mother’s death.
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As his mother struggled with her illness, Skakel began drinking when he was just a teenager. On the day she died, he finished off an entire bottle of Smirnoff on his family’s lawn, he said.
"His alcoholic, abusive father tortured him physically and psychologically throughout his boyhood, including beating him and telling him he was responsible for killing his mother," Dr. Carole Lieberman, a forensic psychiatrist, told Fox News Digital.
Lieberman pointed to how the psychological damage inflicted on Skakel likely impacted him in his adult life as his drinking eventually escalated. In 1978, he borrowed his brother’s car and, while driving with a few friends, smashed into a telephone pole.
In exchange for not being charged with a DUI, the family’s lawyer concocted a deal in which Skakel was sent to the controversial Élan School in Maine in an effort to correct his unruly behavior.
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Individuals from the boarding school traveled to Connecticut to pick him up, with Skakel recalling how he "was dragged out of there like an animal," before being loaded onto a plane where he was thrown into "a world of utter insanity."
The Élan School had roughly 300 live-in students who were often subjected to harsh physical punishments, prolonged screaming and occasionally wearing dunce caps, according to the podcast. Headcounts were carried out every 15 minutes to keep residents from escaping, which Skakel attempted multiple times.
In an emotional recounting, Skakel described how he was subjected to various punishments, including the "general meeting" and "boxing ring" where students would face forms of physical brutality.
"They sent maybe 10 guys upstairs to get me," Skakel said, as he recalled a failed escape attempt. "And they literally picked me up over their heads and carried me down the stairs like I was a crash test dummy. And when I was probably 10 feet from the stage, they threw me and I thought I broke my back on the stage."
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After Skakel left the school, he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and spent a month at a residential care facility in California.
He got married in 1991 and established a skiing career. However, his new life in Hobe Sound, Florida, came crashing down in 2000, when authorities issued a warrant for his arrest in Moxley’s murder.
"My Uncle Tommy rented me a private jet the next morning," Skakel said. "And I flew from [the] Jupiter jet port, the private jet port, to Teterboro, and I'm looking on the news the next morning and it's all over every station."
Skakel did not immediately return Fox News Digital's request for comment.
On Jan. 19, 2000, Skakel turned himself in to authorities after police issued a warrant for his arrest, 25 years after Moxley was killed. Skakel, who was 39 at the time, was initially arraigned as a juvenile, with the case later ending up in regular court.
He was convicted of murder by a panel of 12 jurors in Norwalk Superior Court on June 7, 2002, and later sentenced to 20 years in prison.
In 2013, following multiple failed attempts to appeal his conviction, Skakel was granted a new trial after a judge ruled his attorney, Michael Sherman, did not adequately defend him in his original case.
Skakel’s conviction was ultimately vacated by the Connecticut Supreme Court on May 4, 2018, with prosecutors later deciding to not seek a second trial for Skakel on the murder charge.
"Michael Skakel should never have spent one day in prison because there was no way to determine that he was guilty beyond reasonable doubt," Lieberman said. "Many threads were left hanging. From a questionable police investigation to a questionable attorney who didn’t bring the alibi witness in to testify, to media sensationalism and no forensic evidence."
"Michael was a victim of torture throughout his life, from his childhood to the court system," Lieberman said, adding Skakel "has continued to unconsciously play out this victim role until today."
While the mystery surrounding who killed Moxley continues to loom over the case, Skakel’s bid to assert his innocence in the podcast adds a new voice to a story that has been marred by decades of silence.
Cosmetic fillers can cause deadly complication, experts warn — but new tech exposes it
Each year, more than five million cosmetic filler procedures are performed in the U.S. — but these injectables can potentially block key blood vessels, putting patients at risk for serious harm.
In a study presented this week at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) in Chicago, doctors found that ultrasound technology can spot these dangerous blockages early enough to guide treatment and help prevent lasting injury.
The researchers looked at data from 100 patients from six different locations who experienced vascular complications after hyaluronic acid filler injections. All data were collected between May 2022 and April 2025, according to a press release.
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They found that ultrasounds successfully detected vascular occlusion, which is a blockage in a blood vessel that stops normal blood flow.
If this condition goes untreated, it can cause pain, skin damage and scarring — and, in severe cases, vision loss or stroke.
"Doppler ultrasound helps doctors see exactly where the filler is, how the blood is flowing in real time, and whether blood vessels may have been affected after a cosmetic procedure," lead researcher Rosa Maria Silveira Sigrist, M.D., attending radiologist at the University of São Paulo in Brazil, told Fox News Digital.
"The physical exam continues to be very important, but the ultrasound adds extra information that makes the evaluation safer and the treatment more precise."
In the study, more than 40% of patients had blockages in the perforator vessels, which are small connecting blood vessels, while 35% had major facial arteries that showed no blood flow.
The nasal region was identified as the highest-risk area, as the lateral nasal artery runs along the side of the nose and supplies blood to larger arteries that lead toward the eye and the brain.
"Vascular occlusion after filler injections can lead to devastating outcomes, including skin necrosis, tissue loss, and — in the worst cases — blindness and even stroke," Dr. Anthony Berlet, a board-certified plastic surgeon in New Jersey, who was not involved in the research, told Fox News Digital.
"Once a critical artery — for example, one feeding the retina or skin — is occluded by filler or embolus, the damage may be irreversible."
In the hands of an experienced, licensed professional using proper techniques, the risk of a vascular occlusion should be less than 1%, according to Dr. Samuel Golpanian, a double board-certified plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills.
"But if fillers are done by someone untrained or using the wrong needles or methods, the complication rate can be much higher — 10% to 20%, which is completely unacceptable," Golpanian, who also did not work on the study, told Fox News Digital.
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Ultrasound helped doctors pinpoint the locations of the blockages, allowing them to place a dissolving enzyme (hyaluronidase) right where it was needed and avoid using large, guesswork doses.
The researchers suggested that using ultrasound during the injection itself could help to prevent blood-vessel injuries and enable faster, more precise treatment if blockages occur.
"Ideally, ultrasound should be integrated into care in a way that supports timely decision-making — either as an immediate point-of-care tool in trained hands, or to confirm and optimize management once initial rescue therapy has begun," Dr. Asif Pirani, a board-certified cosmetic plastic surgeon in Toronto, Canada, told Fox News Digital.
To minimize dangerous complications, Pirano — another outside expert not involved in the study — emphasized that injectable treatments should be performed by board-certified specialists with formal training in facial anatomy and complication protocols.
Some limitations of the study were noted, including its relatively small sample size (100 adults) and the fact that it has not yet been peer-reviewed.
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"Another limitation we noticed is that the Doppler exam is performed differently even among very experienced specialists," the lead researcher told Fox News Digital. "This shows how important it is to create clear, standardized guidelines, so the exam can be done in a more consistent way."
Also, all study participants experienced significant complications, which means the findings may not apply to those with milder cases or different filler types.
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There could also be some degree of geographic bias, as the research was conducted in Brazil, where training standards may differ from the U.S.
Future studies are needed to follow more patients over longer time periods and track their recovery after ultrasound-guided treatment, the study noted.
Pastor who’s witnessed to 2,000 celebrities reveals surprising reaction from Ozzy Osbourne before his death
For the past decade, Tennessee youth pastor Dylan Novak has made it his mission to share the Gospel with some of the world's most recognizable celebrities — from presidents and rock legends to A-list movie stars— one personalized Bible at a time.
What started as a hobby visiting Comic Con events as a teenager and striking up conversations about faith with his favorite actors has grown into a full-fledged ministry. Novak estimates he has evangelized to more than 2,000 well-known figures, including President Donald Trump, Ozzy Osbourne, Tom Cruise, Keanu Reeves, Sydney Sweeney and others.
Novak said he first realized there was a need to reach famous people with the Gospel at age 13 after reading an interview with "Superman" actress Margot Kidder, who identified as an atheist.
"Reality hit me one day that these celebrities, these people that we admire, these people that have brought us so much joy through the years with their entertainment work, their souls, just like you, just like me, who are on their way to heaven or hell," he told Fox News Digital.
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Around 2015, Novak, who is a youth pastor at Henard's Chapel Missionary Baptist Church in Rogersville, Tennessee, said a church member encouraged him to share the Gospel with musician James Taylor after Novak discovered an old interview in which Taylor said he was open to hearing about Jesus. Novak initially hesitated, but said the encounter ended up being foundational to what would become his ministry.
"I was joyful because I was doing what the Lord had asked me to do," he said. "But I was also burdened because I thought, wow, this is a forgotten mission field. These people are so known in the world, but they’re forgotten."
Novak takes a highly personal approach when meeting celebrities. He brings a gift bag that includes a Bible embossed with their name and a handwritten letter addressing comments the individual has made in interviews about their beliefs, questions or doubts. He often includes apologetics resources such as Lee Strobel’s "Case for Christ" series, aiming to provide scientific, historical or philosophical evidence for Christianity.
"I try to always have a letter for each celebrity… so somebody can reach out to me if they have questions, which we have seen a lot of recently," he said. Novak says he assures each person in the letter that he will respect their privacy and that nothing they say or ask in confidence will be repeated.
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On social media, Novak shares photos and short captions after meeting someone and asks his tens of thousands of followers to pray for them.
"I write [my posts] with the intent that this person is going to see it, because I don’t want them to feel like I’m exploiting them," he added.
One of his favorite stories involves meeting Ozzy Osbourne and his family at a fan event outside Philadelphia in 2023, where he presented the rock legend with a New Believer’s Bible personalized with his name.
Novak said he referenced Osbourne’s comments to GQ in 2020, in which he said he struggled to understand the Bible because of its language. Novak chose a modern translation he believed would be easier for Osbourne to read.
Ozzy immediately flipped to the Gospels, smiled and told him, "I can actually understand this." Weeks later, at another event, Novak says Jack Osbourne approached him to share how deeply the gift had touched his father.
According to Novak, Jack said Ozzy spent the following day asking for the Bible, reading it, discussing it with his family and keeping it on his nightstand to show visitors.
"We don’t always know this side of heaven how that ended up," Novak said. "I pray Ozzy made a decision to accept and follow Christ. As a result of God’s perfect timing, so many people were praying for Ozzy leading up to his passing. So many people came to know Christ as a result."
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He said after Osbourne's passing in July, his ministry received hundreds of emails.
"We had, no exaggeration, hundreds of people emailing us asking us for gospel information, saying, 'Can you send me some of the material that you gave to Ozzy? I'm an old rocker, I rejected Christ years ago. But if Ozzy was willing to look at it, I'm willing to look at it.' People saying, ‘I want to be saved' and that is just so beautiful to see."
Another meaningful moment for Novak came in his encounter with rock ’n’ roll legend Jerry Lee Lewis in the final years of his life. Although Lewis was raised in a Christian home, he said in a 2015 interview with The Guardian that he feared where he'd end up in the afterlife. Novak prayed for an opportunity to speak with him and eventually met him at an airport following what became Lewis’s final concert.
Novak used a personal connection – photos of his grandfather who had served in the Korean War with one of Lewis’ close friends – to start a conversation and share Christian materials.
"I said, ‘Mr. Lewis, it doesn’t matter that we’re here in the terminal of the Greenville, South Carolina, airport,'" Novak recalled. "You can make that decision and follow Jesus today… Jesus will meet you right where you’re at.’"
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Two days later, Novak said he received a handwritten note from Lewis — which he shared with Fox News Digital — that read, "Don’t worry, Jesus is my personal savior." Shortly after, Lewis announced he was recording a Gospel album. He passed away a few years later.
"It’s a testament to us as Christians," Novak said. "Here’s a man in his 80s who gave his life to Christ. It’s never too late for anybody."
In many stories he shares on his Instagram account, @CelebrityEvangelist, Novak says celebrities are often surprised that he has researched their past comments about faith. He regularly posts accounts of actors and musicians telling him they appreciate someone taking the time to talk with them about spiritual matters.
Even when an encounter does not unfold as hoped, Novak believes God uses each interaction to reach someone.
"We are seeing thousands of people praying for these souls," he said. "Just today, a gentleman messaged me and said he’s trying to share the Gospel with a celebrity friend and asked for advice, and it turns out my wife and I will be seeing that same person in 72 hours."
"It just shows how what some people might say is pointless… God is orchestrating something beautiful behind the scenes," he said.
Fox News Digital reached out to Jack Osbourne's publicist for comment.
Sydney Sweeney channels vixens Marilyn Monroe, Pamela Anderson as American Eagle stock soars
Sydney Sweeney channeled Hollywood icons Marilyn Monroe and Pamela Anderson as she stepped out at the premiere of her upcoming film "The Housemaid."
Sweeney's white-hot look comes as reports American Eagle's stock has soared following the "Euphoria" star's summer jeans campaign. Sweeney's ad boosted the company's shares by 10%, according to data from Brokerchooser. The controversial ad campaign, titled "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans," added roughly $400 million in market value and amplified the brand's web traffic by 100%.
While Monroe and Anderson were each unique cultural icons, Sweeney represents something larger, according to branding expert Doug Eldridge.
"Monroe was a one-off, in terms of her beauty and pin-up appeal," Eldridge, founder of Achilles PR, told Fox News Digital. "In many ways, Sweeney is the same for the youth of today, but unlike Monroe, Sweeney has also been selective in her roles (so as to avoid being typecast); her marketing and endorsements (to further show her range and commercial appeal); and she has even made a political statement of sorts, by refusing to cower to the woke mob, who vilified the AE tagline and demanded that Sweeney personally issue an apology."
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Though Sweeney draws inevitable comparisons to Monroe, her allure feels less like a reflection of the past and more like a reinvention of it.
"Sweeney has the superficial beauty of Monroe, but she also exhibits a sense of stoic depth that the late-Monroe never demonstrated," he added. "Sweeney has proven that she can increase share prices for brands, but more importantly, she's proving that in 2025 she isn't the second coming of anyone — she's the first Sydney Sweeney."
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Sweeney's collaboration with American Eagle for its fall clothing campaign sparked mixed reactions. In one version of the ad, Sweeney stated: "Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality and even eye color. My jeans are blue."
While some dubbed the campaign as "tone-deaf" due to the alleged racial undertones, others praised the actress for killing "woke" advertising. According to Salon, the term "great genes" was historically used to "celebrate whiteness, thinness and attractiveness."
American Eagle defended Sweeney amid the backlash but removed the controversial video from the brand's social media accounts. "'Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans' is and always was about the jeans," the statement said. "Her Jeans. Her Story. We'll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way."
Sweeney even received support from President Donald Trump.
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Sweeney herself spoke about the controversy in a statement to People on Dec. 5, saying, "I was honestly surprised by the reaction. I did it because I love the jeans and love the brand. I don’t support the views some people chose to connect to the campaign. Many have assigned motives and labels to me that just aren’t true."
She continued, "Anyone who knows me knows that I’m always trying to bring people together. I’m against hate and divisiveness. In the past my stance has been to never respond to negative or positive press but recently I have come to realize that my silence regarding this issue has only widened the divide, not closed it. So I hope this new year brings more focus on what connects us instead of what divides us."
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While Monroe and Anderson embodied past cultural archetypes of beauty and sex appeal, Sweeney represents the modern evolution of that image.
"By contrast, Sweeney has demonstrated theatrical range, commercial appeal and a quiet confidence that is rare to find in the era of gratuitous, tongue-dragging mea culpas," Eldridge told Fox News Digital.
"As long as Sweeney continues to follow her current roadmap, the only limitations placed on her will be the ones she places on herself. Otherwise, the sky is the limit."
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Being compared to the pop culture legend is enough to help elevate Sweeney's career, even if she never achieves the same recognition as Monroe, branding expert Steve Honig told Fox News Digital.
"Marilyn Monroe is an iconic figure in this country’s history; she is a pop culture legend," the founder of The Honig Company explained. "I think it is highly unlikely that Sydney Sweeney, as popular as she is or will become, can come close to reaching the status of a Marilyn Monroe. That said, the fact that people are comparing her to Marilyn Monroe can only help her career.
"Oftentimes, the success of a star is based as much on their offscreen image as it is on their performances," he continued. "She is very much in today's pop culture conversation and the fact that people are even putting her in the same sentence as Marilyn Monroe is good for her image and career."
Brittany Mahomes backs Patrick Mahomes as Kevin Durant slams Chiefs star’s critics
Brittany Mahomes has often been vocal about her support for her husband, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
While the Chiefs quarterback remains largely viewed as one of the NFL’s premier talents, Kansas City’s uneven performances this season have raised questions about the team’s postseason viability.
The Chiefs have advanced to four of the past five Super Bowls but carry a 6-6 record into a critical Week 14 matchup with the Houston Texans. A loss Sunday night could deal a major blow to the Chiefs’ playoff hopes.
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However, if the Chiefs manage to defeat the Texans, it would significantly bolster their playoff odds.
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The uncertainty surrounding the normally perennial playoff team has also sparked some chatter about Mahomes’ performance so far in 2025. However, two-time NBA Finals champion Kevin Durant fired back at anyone who may decide to direct criticism at Mahomes’ football prowess.
"What kind of a question is that? That makes no sense at all. If anybody is questioning Pat Mahomes legacy from a one-off year, he can miss the playoffs for the rest of his career, I don’t give a damn," Durant said during a recent appearance on "Up & Adams."
"This man is Patrick Mahomes. When he coming out there, how many championships he got? Three? Like, come on now. Are we going to question Pat Mahomes, Chris Jones, Travis Kelce? He’s still an all-time great, potentially the greatest of all time."
A clip of Durant’s comments was later shared to the show’s Instagram account and prompted a comment from Brittany. "Let them know," she wrote.
C.J. Stroud returned to the Texans' lineup for a Week 13 win over the Indianapolis Colts.
The Chiefs-Texans game kicks off at 8:20 p.m. ET.
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Ex-SJSU trans athlete makes disputed claims about female teammate's eating disorder and academic setback
EXCLUSIVE: Prominent transgender athlete Blaire Fleming has made allegations about former teammate Brooke Slusser's lifestyle and academics. Slusser has disputed the allegations.
Last Sunday, on the one-year anniversary of their final college volleyball game together for San Jose State, a conference championship loss, Slusser told Fox News Digital she developed an eating disorder, which led to anorexia and the loss of her menstrual cycle.
Slusser said the ailments stemmed from the emotional distress suffered during her final season with Fleming in 2024. Slusser waged multiple lawsuits after discovering Fleming was transgender and that the two had shared changing spaces and bedrooms during their first season together in 2023.
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Slusser also fled the San Jose State campus and later dropped her classes in her final semester this past spring. She said constant in-person harassment by students who opposed her stance made her feel "unsafe" there. She and her family said she is still working on finishing her degree.
Fleming responded to Fox News Digital's social media inquiry for a response to Slusser's revelations.
"She’s been anorexic and struggled with food since I’ve known her[,] aka since 2023. She literally would weigh herself 2-3x a day and keep track of it on her whiteboard in her room…. So I really don’t care or feel bad for her. And she didn’t drop her classes[,] she failed out[,] hope that helps!" Fleming wrote. "Now please stop hitting me up."
Slusser has provided a statement to Fox News Digital disputing Fleming's allegations.
"These statements are just not true. I have always lived a very healthy lifestyle. Before these events took place[,] I was very disciplined in fueling myself for athletics and [kept] track to make sure I was where I need to be[,] to be the best athlete. It wasn’t until all the craziness started that my healthy lifestyle turned very unhealthy into not eating the amount I should," Slusser said.
"As for school[,] I decided to stay home after fall 2024 to better myself and heal. So no[,] I did not return to San Jose and enroll myself in more courses at an institution that didn’t have my best interest."
Fox News Digital's initial inquiry to Fleming began with a reference to Slusser's response to Fleming's claim of being "suicidal" during the 2024 season, reported in a New York Times Magazine profile in April. The outlet also reported that Fleming cried "almost every night," during the scandal.
Slusser said of Fleming's suicidal thoughts, "If that's what [Fleming] was going through, that's terrible."
Fleming previously said that Slusser "needs to get a life." That statement came in response to claims by former SJSU assistant volleyball coach Melissa Batie-Smoose about Fleming getting special treatment by head coach Todd Kress.
"Brooke Slusser and Melissa need to get a life," Fleming told Fox News Digital on Oct. 1.
Slusser responded, "I have a great life."
Fleming, a biological male, was born in 2002 at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, just south of Omaha, per the athlete's SJSU Athletics profile. But Fleming grew up in Virginia.
According to The New York Times, Fleming discovered transgenderism in the 8th grade. Then, at 14 years old, Fleming reportedly worked with a doctor and therapist to "socially and medically" transition.
Fleming played girls' volleyball at John Champe High School. At a listed height of 6-foot-1, Fleming is two inches taller than the average women's college volleyball recruit of 5-foot-9, according to NCSA College Recruiting.
In November 2018, Fleming posted a highlight reel for college recruiters on the high school sports social media site Hudl. Most of the clips show the same type of play over and over again — Fleming leaping high above the net and slamming the ball down, as trap music blared in the background.
As a senior, Fleming led John Champe to a historic 19-win season in 2019, was named first-team all-district and set the school's single-season record for kills in a season, per Fleming's SJSU profile page.
Fleming's college career began at Coastal Carolina during the COVID-affected 2020 season.
After a 9-1 regular season, Coastal Carolina reached the Sun Belt Conference championship game against Texas State, but lost in five sets.
Fleming transferred to SJSU ahead of the 2022 season.
Slusser transferred to SJSU for the 2023 season – one year after Fleming did. Slusser has alleged in her lawsuits against the NCAA and Mountain West Conference that she was never told Fleming's birth sex, and that the two regularly shared hotel rooms on away trips.
Slusser and Batie-Smoose, who is leading her own lawsuit against the university, have told Fox News Digital that Fleming allegedly requested to be roomed with Slusser, and was allegedly granted that request by team leadership.
"Blaire wanted to room with Brooke Slusser, and that's who Blaire felt comfortable with, so Blaire gets what Blaire wants," Batie-Smoose said.
Fox News Digital has previously reached out to Fleming and SJSU for a response to these allegations.
Slusser has alleged in her lawsuits against the NCAA and Mountain West that Fleming confessed to being transgender during a conversation over ice cream with another teammate in April 2024.
Slusser then joined Riley Gaines' lawsuit against the NCAA in September 2024. What followed was a series of forfeits by opposing teams. Each forfeit compounded growing attention in an election-season media cycle, putting SJSU's volleyball players and their opponents under a massive political spotlight.
President Donald Trump even mentioned the scandal on his campaign trail in October of that year, during a Fox News Channel all-woman town hall event.
Police protection was assigned to the team on a regular basis.
Slusser has alleged in her lawsuit against the Mountain West, which was filed in November, that she was allegedly informed by teammates of an alleged conversation Fleming had with an opposing player, discussing a plan to have Slusser spiked in the face during a match. Batie-Smoose reported those same allegations in a Title IX complaint against the school, and was later suspended and did not have her contract renewed in January.
The Mountain West commissioned a third-party investigation into the allegations against Fleming, and determined that sufficient evidence could not be found to assign discipline.
Fox News Digital has reported extensively on the conditions of that investigation and its handling, prompting critical responses by the White House, U.S. Department of Justice and members of congress.
In the waning weeks of the 2024 regular season, Slusser and 10 other plaintiffs in her lawsuit against the Mountain West filed a request for preliminary injunction to have Fleming be ruled ineligible to continue playing, and to have the forfeits to SJSU reversed. Federal judge Kato Crews, appointed by former President Joe Biden, denied the request, keeping Slusser and Fleming on the court together for practice and games.
Slusser and Fleming were ultimately named to the Mountain West all-conference team, as SJSU's only honorees.
They finished the season with a 14-7 record, aided by six conference forfeits, then advanced to the Mountain West championship game after Boise State forfeited in the divisional round.
But they lost in the title game to Colorado State, three sets to one. The loss ensured that the Spartans wouldn't take their scandal into the NCAA tournament.
Slusser left campus shortly after that at the insistence of her parents. According to The New York Times, Fleming also resumed classes remotely the following semester from Virginia.
Slusser said she came close to returning to play NCAA beach volleyball this past spring, and even had discussions with coaches at other schools about recruitment. But she ultimately decided not to, and moved to North Carolina, where she has served as a youth volleyball coach.
Slusser and her family say she has recovered from her anorexia, and is working on finishing her degree. She aspires to start her own business in dietetics.
Fleming appeared to celebrate graduation from SJSU in a post on her Instagram Stories in May.
The U.S. Department of Education is currently investigating the university for potential Title IX violations.
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American Culture Quiz: Test yourself on holiday havens and airport appetites
The American Culture Quiz is a weekly test of our unique national traits, trends, history and people, including current events and the sights and sounds of the United States.
This week's quiz highlights holiday haven, airport appetites and much more.
Can you get all 8 questions right?
Give it a try and see how you do!
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Christian pastors, influencers join 1,000-strong Israel mission backing Jewish state, fighting antisemitism
A delegation of 1,000 U.S. Christian pastors and influencers — the largest group of American Christian leaders to visit Israel since its founding — arrived last Tuesday as part of a Friends of Zion initiative.
The trip, organized in partnership with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is designed to provide training and prepare participants to serve as unofficial ambassadors for Israel in their communities.
Dr. Mike Evans, founder of the Friends of Zion Heritage Center in Jerusalem and a confidant of President Donald Trump, said most Evangelical Bible believers are Zionists, making them a key ally in efforts to counter antisemitism.
"These devils that hate Jews hate Christians just as much. What is being said against the state of Israel is one hundred times worse than what the Nazis said on their party platform in 1920, and everyone is ignoring it. They don’t realize how dangerous this is," Evans told Fox News Digital.
"The new wars of the 21st century are media wars, ideological wars, economic wars and proxy wars. And while Israel has never fought an ideological war, its enemies have," he added.
Evans said members of the visiting delegation were vetted to ensure no hidden agendas and signed a pledge committing to stand in solidarity with the Jewish people. "We had over 2,000 apply; we chose those best suited for this first trip. These 1,000 pastors represent tens of millions of Americans and have major media and social media influence," he said.
The initiative was approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom Evans has known for 45 years.
"When we were on Mount Herzl, one widow was there sharing her story. Her daughter no longer has a daddy. Thinking that my little girl might not have her dad broke my heart. I connected on a deep personal level," Tamryn Foley, a member of the National Faith Advisory Board's executive team, told Fox News Digital.
The board is the largest coalition backing and advocating for people of faith, led by Pastor Paula White-Cain. Its mission is built on four pillars — protecting religious freedom, promoting a strong America, defending life at all stages and honoring family values — and it identifies the U.S.-Israel alliance as central to that agenda.
"I stand with Israel very strongly, and so does the group of pastors I work with. I don’t think we realized how big this event would be. We wanted to show support, and since we’ve been here, it’s been so much more than we thought," said Foley, who lives in Florida.
"I am going back home with a fire to make sure young people in my country know the truth. It’s one thing to understand something intellectually, and another to come here, meet people who have been affected, and connect with them on a heart level," she continued.
MIKE PENCE: NO PLACE FOR ANTISEMITISM IN AMERICA TODAY, TOMORROW OR EVER
"There is so much negative propaganda in our country. It’s loud, and we need to do a better job of educating young people. They’re capable of seeing through the nonsense and lies — I don’t think we give them enough credit. We need to present them with the truth and plant the seed for lifelong support for Israel," Foley said.
One objective of the training, he explained, is to reach young people — claiming countries like Qatar have turned against Israel by investing millions of dollars to spread antisemitic content through universities and digital platforms.
Evans said the Muslim Brotherhood, for example, has waged ideological warfare, describing it as a "powerful demon because it doesn’t clear customs, and you can’t kill it with a bullet.
"More than half of the Palestinian population embraces Hamas’ ideology of radical Islam," he claimed, "which isn’t based on land for peace but on establishing an Islamic state and eradicating the Jewish state."
AMERICAN-ISRAELI HELD HOSTAGE IN GAZA FOR OVER 580 DAYS SENDS MESSAGE TO HAMAS: 'I’LL GIVE YOU HELL'
Evans noted that the Evangelical movement, representing 9.7% of the global population, has significantly influenced U.S. foreign policy through its belief that the biblical land belongs to the Jewish people.
"The president loves us and knows how we feel about Israel," he said. "We believe the president respects us and that we have his confidence and ear. We would not have had the hostages back without him. He will stand with us and will not cave in to Jew-haters’ intentions regarding Judea and Samaria or a Palestinian state. He will try everything he can to help Israel," Evans added.
On Wednesday, the delegation met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and visited the site of Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre at the Supernova music festival, accompanied by former hostages Emily Damari, Tal Shoham, Moran Stella Yanai, and Aviva and Keith Siegel, who received the "Here Am I" Award for their advocacy work.
"We are seeking to unify — and demonstrate that unity — between evangelical Christian leaders in America, Israel and the Jewish people, and to counter any perception that this community is divided on the issue, because it is not," Pastor Mike Atkins, a member of the delegation, told Fox News Digital.
"The antisemitism that erupted had long been simmering beneath the surface on university campuses and in major European cities. This is an open stand against the lies, and a declaration of our commitment to truth," he said.
Atkins explained that the delegation has been exposed "at the highest levels" to firsthand insights — visiting the site of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, massacre, listening to victims and seeing the realities on the ground in Israel. Delegates, he said, have also received extensive information through symposium speakers on how to combat antisemitic deception and will continue to do so as they coalesce into a coalition.
"To the youth, I say: join the movement. Commit to never again allowing the poisonous deception of antisemitism to penetrate our culture. Take a stand, speak up and do not remain silent," he said.
"The best medicine for Jewish Derangement Syndrome, an acute form of bigotry and antisemitism, is for people to come to Israel and see and hear for themselves. These American spiritual leaders are committed to using their pulpits and influence to provide truth," Huckabee told Fox News Digital.
"Truth is the best antibiotic to combat the conspiracy theories and falsehoods said about the United States, its partnership with Israel and the Jewish people," he added.