Katie Zacharia is facing another wave of scrutiny just days after her brief, five-day stint as White House press secretary ended, this time over photographs with Donald Trump that may have revealed details considered sensitive.

Zacharia assumed the press secretary position on Monday, but by Friday she had been asked to step down. Her departure followed a widely criticized first press briefing, along with reports that she had not passed the bar exam despite referring to herself as an attorney.

On the day she left the administration, Zacharia posted an enthusiastic tribute to Trump on social media. One image showed her beside the president at his desk in the Oval Office.

A map on the desk had been noticeably blurred. In a separate photograph shared Saturday, Zacharia appeared with her family and Trump—but the map was no longer visible, leading viewers to suspect it had been digitally removed.

The altered images quickly prompted online speculation. While the blurred map raised questions on its own, its apparent removal from the second photograph intensified debate over what it showed and why it had been concealed.

Some observers said the outline visible through the blur appeared to match East Potomac Park in Washington, DC. The site has drawn attention as part of Trump’s broader interest in changing federal properties and prominent landmarks in the nation’s capital.

In late June, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he wanted to renovate East Potomac Park’s “dilapidated, worn out, and very dangerous and outdated Golf Course.” The proposal is now facing a legal challenge from the DC Preservation League.

The administration has maintained that no final golf course design has been approved. Critics, however, argue that the map seen on Trump’s desk could suggest that more detailed renovation plans already exist.

Save East Po, an advocacy group opposing the proposed renovation, reposted Zacharia’s image Friday. “FYI to anyone paying attention – that blurred out map on the PRESIDENT’S DESK is East Potomac Park,” the group wrote.

In a second post featuring the edited photograph, the organization added: “Nothing says ‘we have no plan’ like a photo of plan-shaped map on the President’s desk, followed by a second photo where that map has been digitally removed.”

Alex Rosen, founder of Save East Po, told The Washington Post that features visible in the blurred image appeared similar to elements in renovation renderings that had previously circulated.

The controversy comes as the legal battle over the park continues. Earlier this week, US District Judge Ana Reyes ordered the National Park Service to stop removing additional trees from East Potomac Park after hundreds had already been cut down.

Attorneys for the Trump administration have argued that the tree removal was unrelated to the president’s proposed golf course renovation. Instead, they said, the work was connected to a 2019 effort to restore the course to its original layout.

Reyes, who is overseeing the lawsuit challenging the project, appeared unconvinced by that explanation in a memorandum issued Tuesday.

“It is a coincidence, the Government seems to suggest, that DOI cut down hundreds of trees at the Course weeks after the President asked DOI to cut down trees at the Course, and not, say, any other time in the last seven years,” the judge wrote.

Opponents of the East Potomac Park project view the blurred map as possible evidence that the administration intends to continue pursuing the renovation despite the court proceedings and public controversy.

White House Communications Director Steven Cheung scoffed at those concerns in a statement to the Washington Post that said the outlet was ‘breathlessly obsessing over an innocuous photo’ and suffering from ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome.’ 

Zacharia similarly told the Daily Mail: ‘It is only fitting that the Daily Mail would turn a very sweet picture into something controversial.’ 

Trump addressed his goal to renovate East Potomac Park in a Truth Social post on Sunday morning. It is unclear whether the announcement was related to the scrutiny surrounding Zacharia’s posts. 

‘Doug Burgum, and the United States Department of the Interior, is very excited about the new Development of a Great Golf Course at the site of the old East Potomac Golf Links. We would like to thank Tom Fazio for his initial conceptual design and ideas, coupled with those of others from within the Golf World and the Department of the Interior,’ the president wrote. 

‘Any variance or changes will be made, depending on site conditions, by the Experts in Parks and Recreation, whose experience and knowledge in Seawalls, Landscaping, and Design are second to none.’

Critics have pointed to Trump’s history of pushing through major changes to Washington DC without oversight and have said they are concerned that the park is just the latest example. 

The president demolished the White House East Wing to build a ballroom without Congressional approval, advanced plans for a 250-foot arch on Columbia Island without final approval from the National Capital Planning Commission and added his name to the Kennedy Center. 

All of those initiatives faced legal challenges. The Supreme Court ruled that construction of the White House ballroom can temporarily move forward, but the other two plans are currently in limbo.

The Daily Mail has reached out to the White House for comment.  

President Donald Trump endorsed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday, throwing his support behind the longtime leader just days before Israel’s elections.

With Netanyahu’s party facing a closely contested race, Trump portrayed him as the strongest partner for the United States in confronting Iran. He also urged Israeli voters to turn out and back the prime minister.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump described Netanyahu as a “Great Warrior Prime Minister” and a strong partner in the fight against the Islamic Republic of Iran. He pointed to Iran’s long-standing slogan, “Death to Israel, Death to America,” and said the country had threatened both Israel and the United States.

Trump argued that no country could safely ignore rhetoric of that kind, warning that such threats could eventually become actions. He said Iran had been systematically weakened militarily and financially, adding that the United States would soon “finish the job” unless Tehran rapidly changed course.

CONTINUE READING: US Air Force Service Member Dies in Tragic Accident at Football Game

Trump said that if Israel chose any leader other than Netanyahu, the United States would have to handle the confrontation with Iran itself—an undertaking he said he was not inclined to pursue. He praised Netanyahu as “Strong, Brave, and Brilliant” for withstanding intense opposition, including criticism from within Israel.

The former president said Netanyahu had grown stronger under pressure rather than backing down. He called that resilience the kind of leadership the United States expects from Israel, a country he said America has supported extensively, and issued his “Complete and Total Endorsement” of Netanyahu’s campaign for re-election as prime minister. Trump concluded: “BIBI NETANYAHU WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

A convicted drug trafficker with alleged mafia connections may have helped O.J. Simpson conceal evidence after the 1994 killings of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman, according to a New York Times investigation based on newly uncovered federal records and disputed allegations that the man returned from the crime scene with blood on his hands.

Joseph “Joey” Ippolito, a mob-linked associate of Simpson and his longtime friend Al Cowlings, allegedly returned to a Los Angeles apartment around midnight on June 12, 1994, carrying a bag with what appeared to be a heavy object inside. His brother, Sam Ippolito, told the Times that account, though it has since faced serious questions.

The investigation also found previously sealed federal court records indicating that Ippolito gave authorities information about Simpson’s alleged disposal of the murder weapon, which was never recovered.

Sam Ippolito said his brother appeared to have blood on his hands after leaving the apartment hours earlier to help a friend. According to Sam, Joey put his clothes into the bag and told him to get rid of it while he took a shower.

Sam Ippolito told the newspaper that he threw the bag into a dumpster near a construction site on Los Angeles’ Doheny Drive.

He also said he overheard Joey tell Cowlings by phone that he had been “helping” Simpson that night.

Ippolito, a convicted drug trafficker who escaped from a Florida prison in May 1994, became a federal informant after his arrest in August 1995, as Simpson’s nationally televised murder trial was approaching its conclusion.

A federal prosecution memorandum from December 1996, recently unsealed at the Times’ request, identified Ippolito as a valuable source with information about Simpson’s alleged efforts to dispose of the murder weapon and flee from authorities.

David Kelley, the federal prosecutor at the time, called Ippolito a “remarkable source of information” in the memorandum and said his cooperation had helped investigators. However, Kelley recently told the Times that he did not believe Ippolito took part in the killings.

The Times reported that information supplied by Ippolito was shared with Los Angeles prosecutors during Simpson’s murder trial, although he was never called as a witness.

Former prosecutor Marcia Clark told the Times that she had never heard of Ippolito and said she would have known if he had offered credible, relevant evidence.

Questions have also emerged about the reliability of Sam Ippolito’s account.

After repeating his allegations for months, Sam reportedly asked the Times for compensation and later tried to withdraw his statements, saying he could no longer tell what was real and what was not.

Friends and relatives of Joey Ippolito, who died in 2006, have likewise rejected suggestions that he was involved in the murders.

Cowlings had not responded to the newspaper’s request for comment when the Times published its report.

The newly revealed records and allegations have renewed questions about whether Simpson had assistance after Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman were stabbed to death outside her Los Angeles home.

Simpson was acquitted of the murders in 1995 but was later found liable for the deaths in a civil trial. He died in April 2024 at age 76.

The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed to the Times that the decades-old double-murder case remains an open investigation.

An Air Force service member has died after suffering critical injuries in a fall of more than 150 feet from the Alamodome rafters during a pregame demonstration Saturday night, Air Force officials confirmed.

The service member’s identity has not been released. He was among four Airmen rappelling from the stadium ceiling before the Navy-University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) football game when he slipped down the rope and struck the field at high speed.

He was taken to a hospital, where he later died, according to Nellis Air Force Base Public Affairs. The circumstances surrounding the fall remain under investigation.

The death was first reported by Task and Purpose, a publication covering military affairs. The Airman was assigned to the 6th Combat Training Squadron, which provides advanced skills training for special warfare Airmen.

Video recorded from several angles showed the Airman hit the field as thousands of spectators watched in shock. Alamodome medical personnel immediately ran to his aid.

He was removed from the field and transported to a nearby hospital, according to early reporting by the San Antonio Express-News.

‘Everybody was quiet, the band stopped performing. Everybody was dead silent,’ witness Adrian Corey told KSAT.

Adrian’s mother, Siomara, recalled the uncertainty that followed the accident.

‘There was no updates after that other than asking for prayers, but it did not look good,’ she told KSAT.

A similar rappelling demonstration took place without incident before a 2025 Army-UTSA game at the Alamodome.

The football game began after a 10-minute delay. UTSA eventually defeated Navy 38-34, and players from both teams joined in a group prayer after the game for the injured Airman.

‘I know we said a prayer postgame, but they’ll continue being in our thoughts and prayers, and really thinking about them,’ Roadrunners quarterback Owen McCown told reporters.

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The American Conference, home to both Navy and UTSA, issued a statement Saturday before the Airman’s death was announced.

‘The American Conference is deeply saddened by tonight’s pregame incident at the Alamodome,’ the statement said. ‘Our thoughts are with the individual involved, their family and colleagues, and everyone who witnessed or was affected by it.’

‘We consulted with representatives of both participating member institutions, Alamodome management, local authorities and a working group to review the information available,’ the statement continued. ‘We respect the family’s privacy and will coordinate any further updates with the appropriate authorities. We are also working with our member institutions to help connect those affected with available support resources.’

In a statement to the Daily Mail, a UTSA spokesperson said: ‘We are deeply saddened by the incident that occurred at the start of tonight’s football game. Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the service member who was affected, his family and his military colleagues.’

‘We recognize that members of our campus community may be emotionally affected by this incident and are activating wellbeing services to support our faculty, staff and students.’

The school has offered counselling services to students in need of assistance. 

The viral X user known as Freddy was at the game and later shared a post about the incident before news of the Airman’s death had been publicized.

‘Another college game done,’ the semi-anonymous social media influencer and minor World Cup celebrity wrote on X amid his prolonged tour of the United States. ‘UTSA got the win against Navy! Thank you to all the nice people that we met today.

‘Unfortunately,’ he continued, ‘there was a serious accident before the game, which is why I stopped updating on here. Our thoughts are with the service member and his family.’

After the game, UTSA coach Jeff Traylor described the situation he faced in the locker room as his anxious team looked to take the field. 

‘The only information I had was there had been an incident, and the game was going to be delayed, and we didn’t expand upon it any further than that,’ Traylor said, as quoted by the Express-News. ‘I didn’t know if I did the right thing or not. I didn’t know anything. I didn’t know what to tell them, so that’s how I handled it.

‘What I heard that happened is heartbreaking, but I want to give the family time,’ Traylor added. ‘They’re in our prayers. It’s tragic.’