Katie Zacharia stood by her debut White House press briefing while acknowledging that she was not fully prepared and may have been better off stepping aside instead of taking questions.

The newly appointed White House press secretary faced harsh criticism after her first appearance before reporters in Washington, DC.

During an interview with Fox News on Thursday evening, Zacharia described the week as a whirlwind. She said she had interviewed for the position only the previous Wednesday and had been in the role for just one day when she faced the press.

“I had been on the job for one day and instead of taking questions, probably should’ve stepped aside,” she told Sean Hannity. Still, Zacharia said she believed she had done everything she could to serve the American people.

In hindsight, she said she might have been better served by offering the press corps only “a brief intro,” pointing out that she had been working for roughly eight hours.

Zacharia also declined to blame her staff for the troubled briefing.

“Given I’d been on the job for less than maybe eight hours, and had a briefing book in the morning, I feel like I did my very best, Sean, to deliver for the American people that day,” she said.

When asked whether she would approach the event differently, Zacharia promised to arrive better prepared for future briefings.

“What I would say is I would absolutely be very well prepared on the briefing,” Zacharia said. She added that she welcomed questions and hoped to build a meaningful relationship with members of the press corps. “I will be very prepared, Sean, and I will step up to the duty that President Trump has asked me to do as press secretary.”

Zacharia also pointed to one piece of news she delivered during the briefing: the resignation of Kimberly Guilfoyle. She said she was “one of the first press secretaries to deliver staff changes.”

She further defended referring to herself as a “lawyer,” despite acknowledging that she never passed the bar exam after failing on her first attempt.

“For background, I graduated Pepperdine, got married in the same week, and we had all intent to move out to China,” she said, explaining the circumstances surrounding the failed exam.

Zacharia said she had already registered for the exam before learning that she would be relocating to China, making the eventual result less important to her at the time.

She confirmed that she never sat for the bar exam a second time.

The 42-year-old press secretary’s first appearance was a difficult one. She stumbled over several words and ended the normally hour-long briefing after just 15 minutes. However, our Elina Shirazi managed to ask one question that confirmed the fate of embattled Greek ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle.

Former Trump White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci was among those who weighed in on Zacharia’s performance. Scaramucci was famously dismissed by the president after only 11 days in the role.

Officially, the White House press shop is calling the performance ‘commanding.’

‘Katie is a fabulous and wonderful addition to the team,’ White House spokesperson Steven Cheung told the Daily Mail when reached for comment. 

‘She is uniquely qualified and whip smart to help inform the American people about all the great things President Trump and his Administration have been doing, and she will do an incredible job as Press Secretary.’ 

Trump himself, asked by reporters later in the day, offered a six-word verdict: ‘I thought she was very good.’

By early Tuesday afternoon, Zacharia was aboard Air Force One, bound for Alaska on her first official trip with the president.

Zacharia’s path to the podium was as abrupt as her exit from it.

Trump plucked her off television after months of watching her defend him on Fox News and Newsmax, making the offer himself in an out-of-the-blue phone call. 

Three days later, her hiring was announced on Truth Social without running it past Wiles.

Zacharia started in politics as a college intern for the Republican National Committee.

She earned her undergraduate degree at Pepperdine’s Seaver College before going on to its Caruso School of Law, then launched a career in corporate and political advocacy.

Her experience also includes working in the White House Office of Political Affairs during the Bush administration and spending three years in China working as an outside counsel for the World Bank.

Her husband Tyler served as a producer on movies like The Irishman, Countdown, The Starling, The Desperate Hour and Homestead, among others.

While Zacharia often flaunts her glamorous endeavors on her Instagram, where she has racked up more than 42,000 followers, she is fiercely private when it comes to her family life and has kept her kids completely off social media.

In addition, she has been outspoken about the backlash she has faced in the past for supporting Trump.

‘Being in the world of politics, whether directly or adjacent, is BRUTAL and I personally take DAILY heat for it,’ Zacharia wrote in an Instagram post in September.

She went on to explain that she tries to ‘keep her family away from the flame,’ but gushed over how ‘proud’ she was of her husband’s work. 

Stephanie Rice has prompted concern among fans after moving to Dubai and embracing evangelical Christianity, with some followers questioning whether the former Olympic champion has been “brainwashed” amid a series of major changes in her life.

The 38-year-old, who won three Olympic gold medals, returned to Instagram this week through a new account after adopting the surname of her pastor husband, Mark Lassey.

In a lengthy post, Rice revealed that she had rejected an opportunity to become a company CEO, despite calling it her dream role, because she believed God was telling her to step down.

The decision left her without a job or savings, but Stephanie said she remained confident that God would guide her towards a prosperous future.

“I was offered to become CEO, my dream position… but God asked me to resign, I obeyed,” she wrote.

Her admission confused some fans, prompting Stephanie to post a video on Friday in which she insisted that her critics simply “don’t get it.”

“There are a lot of people that have been commenting on my posts like, ‘That’s stupid,’” she said. “And I’m like, ‘You don’t get it, you just don’t get it.’”

Rice became emotional while reading from her Bible and discussing the uncertainty surrounding her current situation. She said she looked forward to eventually sharing her success story with her followers.

The video nevertheless triggered another wave of criticism, with some followers asking whether religion had “brainwashed” her.

“The delusion is so amazing babe!” one user wrote sarcastically, while another commented: “Poor brainwashed girl.”

“You’ve lost the plot. Get some help,” another person wrote. A fourth user added: “Mate, you are cooked. Get some help.”

Another follower claimed Rice had been “sucked into a religious cult,” adding that it was sad because she was “obviously a smart woman.”

However, many other users came to Stephanie’s defence.

“I get it babe! God has so many blessings coming your way. He is so faithful,” one supporter wrote.

Another supporter agreed, writing: “How blessed are we that we actually understand it’s beyond our comprehension. So encouraging, amazing.”

A further comment added: “Yeah you tell ’em!! Our God is faithful.”

Stephanie revealed how God had told her to quit her job in a post on Sunday, in which she reflected on the dramatic highs and lows that have shaped her life since retiring from elite sport.

‘Feels like the perfect time to start a fresh account, in my new name, and with a new commitment to sharing the journey God is taking me on,’ she wrote.

In her bio, Stephanie described the account as being for the woman ‘who knows she is capable of more but is tired of starting over’. 

‘I’m rebuilding at 38, but this time, with Jesus at the centre of it all,’ she added.

The new account marks another chapter in Stephanie’s extraordinary reinvention since she left Australia for Dubai in 2023, declaring she had bought a one-way ticket to begin a new life with God at the centre of it.

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The Olympian admitted she was taking a risk by leaving behind her existing Instagram audience to build a new community from scratch.

‘Probably part crazy to be walking away from 140,000 people, but honestly I’d rather start again knowing the people joining now want to be a part of the story God’s writing, not the one that’s already been written, even if that’s just a small amount,’ she wrote.

Stephanie also offered a candid account of how she had come to reassess her relationship with success.

‘I’ve won Olympic gold. Made millions of dollars. Lost everything. Found Jesus,’ she wrote alongside a photograph of herself wearing a purple jacket and gold Dior earrings.

‘And now, at 38, I’m rebuilding my career all over again. On the outside I had it all. Don’t get me wrong. It was incredible. But somewhere along the way, I started tying my value to my success,’ she continued.

‘My confidence went up and down, depending on how I was performing, how much money I was making and what other people thought of me.’

The former swimming star said public scrutiny, hateful comments, legal battles and failed businesses had contributed to some of the most difficult periods of her life.

She credited her Christian faith with helping her through those struggles, writing that she had been exhausted from trying to turn her circumstances around when she found Jesus.

‘I surrendered it all to him and we started the most incredible journey together,’ she said.

Stephanie subsequently sold her possessions, packed up her life in Australia and moved to Dubai without a job, friends or a plan for what would come next.

She later secured a role as a company director, where she said she was earning more than she had in years.

‘Eight months into that role, I was offered to become a CEO, my dream position,’ she revealed, adding: ‘But God asked me to resign. I obeyed.’

The decision has left Stephanie facing another professional reset, despite believing her career would be further along by now.

‘It’s been one of the most testing seasons of my life, but I trust God and I’ve learned I can’t force or speed up his plans or when he opens the next door. But I can control what I do in the meantime,’ she wrote.

Stephanie is now using her new account to promote her business consulting services, with a focus on women who feel they have untapped potential.

She ended her post with a message of encouragement for those who might be experiencing similar setbacks.

‘You don’t lack dreams or desire, you lack the consistency and system to see it through,’ she wrote.

Stephanie first rose to international fame at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where she won three gold medals, including world-record victories in the 200m and 400m individual medley.

She married Lassey, a pastor with the Kingdom Church, in January 2025, four months after he proposed.

The wedding took place at a vineyard in Lassey’s native Perth.

The couple met at the start of 2024 and got engaged in September after seven months of dating.

Mark is a father to three sons – Tyler, Joel and Luke – from a previous relationship.

A community member rushed toward an Oregon elementary school after a teenage gunman opened fire, an intervention authorities say may have prevented an even greater loss of life. The attack left four people dead, including three children.

Oregon Governor Tina Kotek praised the unidentified civilian following the shooting at Silver Rail Elementary School on Thursday afternoon.

“To the community member who heroically intervened, your actions carry a heavy emotional burden, and I want you to know that my thoughts are with you as well,” Kotek said during a press conference.

Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said the civilian pursued and “engaged” the 16-year-old suspect soon after the teenager began shooting, injuring at least six people.

Police said the teen was carrying a pump-action shotgun that had been purchased by his mother. The shooting claimed the lives of three children, ages five, eight and 11, along with a teacher.

Authorities have not released the names of those killed in the Silver Rail Elementary School shooting.

Kotek credited the community member’s intervention with helping to stop the attack before more people could be killed.

“My heart is absolutely broken today. This is a horrible day. No parent should have to have this kind of day,” the governor said.

A seven-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher were also wounded during the attack and taken to hospital in critical condition. Their latest status has not been disclosed.

“This is a terrible tragedy, and we are working hard to investigate this incident,” Krantz said.

According to The Source, the incident began when a man in a red Toyota Tacoma pickup truck saw the teenager carrying a long gun toward the school building.

The driver confronted the teen, who allegedly responded by firing multiple rounds at the man and his truck. The gunfire shattered the vehicle’s rear window and left six large bullet holes in its body.

The suspect then reportedly threw the shotgun over the school fence and climbed after it. The driver called Deschutes County dispatchers at about 12:59 p.m., according to the report.

Police ordered the school into lockdown as officers arrived at the scene within minutes.

The teenager allegedly entered the building by shooting through locked doors. Krantz said dispatchers began receiving “dozens” of emergency calls from inside the school.

The suspect was later found dead after being shot.

‘Officers at the scene located five people who had succumbed to their injuries, including the suspect,’ Krantz said.

The school was placed under lockdown following the shooting, as police officers went room by room to evacuate the building, police spokeswoman Sheila Miller said. The school has a student body of between 400 to 450 pupils and a staff of more than 40.

Officers clad in bullet proof vests and carrying assault rifles were also seen in the aftermath peering into the vehicles parked at the school’s lot, while parents, teachers and children huddled together, embracing and wiping tears from their faces. 

A motive for the shooting remains unclear, and authorities would not confirm on Thursday night whether the suspect knew anybody at the school or if he had attended it when he was younger. 

Bend-La Pine Schools Superintendent Dr Steven Cook held back tears as he thanked emergency responders and the schools staff for their efforts to protect students during the attack. 

‘Today, an unthinkable tragedy happened at Silver Rail Elementary School,’ he began.

‘We are heartbroken. We are horrified. This is the kind of thing you hear about in other places and pray that it never happens here… today it happened to our children, our teachers and our families.’

As Cook uttered words to his community, his voice waivered when he thanked the heroic efforts of the school staff.

‘To our staff who helped our students and protected our kids today, we thank you. You did what no one should ever be asked to do. I am so grateful beyond words for your efforts,’ he said.

‘This is a time to love and care for one another…Please hold your loved ones tight tonight…We are going to rally and care for one another… We will get through this.’

Worried parents rushed to the nearby Journey Church to be reunited with their loved ones as officials evacuated the youngest children first.

As she waited for her nephew, Mindy Corley, the aunt of a fifth-grader at the school, told NBC News how he was left ‘very scared’ in the aftermath of the shooting.

She said he has a cellphone and was able to tell his mother he was OK, but ‘he was clearly very, very scared and wanted to go home.’

Steven and Angela Nuchols also told how they got their eight-year-old daughter, Charlotte, dressed up for picture day earlier on Thursday.

They then had to race to the school just a few hours later.

‘It was crawling with police officers from all over the country,’ Angela said. ‘You’ve got guys in tactical gear, rifles. You’re just scared to death wondering is your child OK? You don’t know.’

The couple was later reunited with their daughter, but Angela said it was ‘like the worst three hours of our lives.’

Meanwhile, Federal agents from the FBI’s Portland Bureau and agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have descended on the scene to aid in the investigation, with FBI Director Kash Patel vowing to ‘make every resource [local law enforcement needs] available.’

The city’s mayor, Melanie Kebler, said that their ‘hearts are broken.’

‘A school should be a safe place where children can learn and feel secure. What happened today should never happen,’ she added.

The school district has canceled all classes, activities and athletic events that were scheduled for Friday.

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After more than 20 years working in the physically demanding building trade, roofer Tommy Alsop assumed he was in reasonably good health.

That confidence changed when he developed a persistent health problem and grew dissatisfied with the limited, symptom-focused care he received. At 41, Alsop realised he had little understanding of what was happening inside his own body, while his treatment had concentrated almost entirely on one injury. He decided to take a much broader look at his health and daily habits.

For the next three years, the father-of-two took a detailed, data-led approach, regularly examining his bloodwork and physical performance. His tracking covered body composition, VO₂ max, recovery, nutrition, stress levels and sleep, alongside blood tests and physical assessments.

‘I started with a complete blood panel, something I’d never had, despite seeing specialists and undergoing two surgeries,’ Alsop told Daily Mail. ‘That one test gave me more useful information than all the appointments I’d previously attended.’

The results became a guide for changing his routine and measuring what worked. ‘I became fascinated by the data and the way small lifestyle changes produced measurable results. Instead of relying on hope, I measured the outcome and adjusted my plan when the numbers changed.’

Years of knee trouble had made even walking on sand difficult. But after adopting a more comprehensive health and training plan, Alsop says he was able to return to deadlifting and squatting within about a month. He now describes himself as being in the strongest condition of his life, crediting a transformation that began beneath the surface.

The Northern Beaches resident is now using that experience to help other Australians take a more informed approach to their wellbeing through his business, Peak Health.

Peak Health provides personalised health management programs informed by each client’s bloodwork. Members begin with a detailed pathology test, with optional physical performance assessments, before receiving a tailored plan developed by a qualified practitioner.

‘The process begins with evidence,’ the Peak Health website explains. ‘Once you understand what is taking place inside your body, you can create a focused, individual plan aimed at the changes that matter most.’

Longevity medicine is frequently associated with Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and wealthy investors rather than a Sydney tradesman. Yet Alsop had seen how physically demanding jobs, combined with a workplace culture of ignoring pain and saying ‘she’ll be right’, could lead people to neglect their health. He created Peak Health for people who maintain their cars meticulously but can go two decades without having a blood panel.

‘Tradies often work in tough conditions every day,’ Alsop said. ‘Some feel that seeing a doctor is a sign of weakness, while others simply believe they cannot spare the time. So they continue pushing themselves.’

Although tradespeople inspired the concept, Peak Health is intended for anyone who wants a clearer picture of their wellbeing through a health program built around personal data.

It may appeal to people living with aches they have repeatedly put off addressing, those whose fitness has stalled in middle age, or already-active individuals seeking to train more intelligently. For all of them, learning what is happening below the surface can provide a more informed alternative to following the latest fitness trend.

‘This isn’t about promising people extra years,’ Peak Health says. ‘It is about being able to carry your grandchild up the stairs at 70, while understanding your health position early enough to do something about it.’ The service aims to help people perform, feel and function better throughout their lives.

The program starts with an advanced pathology panel. A single blood sample is used to assess more than 90 markers, providing a broader picture than a standard health check.

Clients are given a straightforward written overview of their results. When further clinical input is appropriate, cases are directed to an AHPRA-registered doctor or nurse practitioner working within formal clinical governance arrangements.

There are optional in-person, physical diagnostic assessments available too through partner sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane: The DEXA scan measures bone density, muscle mass and visceral fat, flagging fracture risk, and overall strength.

The 90-minute longevity session assesses cardiovascular fitness, strength and balance, including a Clinical-grade VO₂ max test evaluating cardiorespiratory fitness, heart-lung coordination, and endurance capacity, and force plate testing to highlight strength gaps and track injury recovery.

Following assessment, a plan is prepared that is entirely unique to the client, based on their personal data. The plan can include nutrition, training, sleep, recovery and supplementation (where required) programs customised by a qualified Australian clinician. 

The consultations take place via video call, around the client’s schedule – meaning there’s no need to take a day off work to make it to an appointment. The model was designed this way with intention, ‘so a tradie in Dubbo gets the same clinic as one in Dee Why.’

‘Requiring a man to take a day off work is the single biggest reason this workforce never gets tested,’ Peak Health states.

The Peak Health app tracks the patient’s markers and progress over time, and can connect to wearable fitness trackers to monitor results in real time.

Scheduled check-ins with the same practitioner and repeat pathology to assess progress mean adjustments can be made to the program based on data as needed.

To learn more about Peak Health, and take the assessment quiz, visit the website.