{
  "id": 14916977,
  "title": "Trump’s new press secretary Katie Zacharia defends ‘lawyer’ title despite failing bar exam",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/trumps-new-press-secretary-katie-zacharia-defends-lawyer-title",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-16T08:49:18.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Gulf News",
    "slug": "gulf-news",
    "url": "https://gulfnews.com/world/americas/trumps-new-press-secretary-katie-zacharia-defends-lawyer-title-despite-failing-bar-exam-1.500712911"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Washington: White House press secretary Katie Zacharia, appointed by President Donald Trump, faced scrutiny over her legal credentials after questions arose about whether she had passed the bar exam. Despite listing herself as a lawyer on various platforms, there is no evidence that Zacharia, a 41-year-old with a law degree from Pepperdine University, has ever successfully passed the bar exam required to practice law in the United States. When questioned about her legal status, Zacharia acknowledged that she had registered to take the bar exam but claimed she became \"distracted and overwhelmed\" by moving plans to China. She explained that she didn't retake the bar exam upon her return to the U.S. due to the birth of her first child. Zacharia defended her use of the title \"lawyer,\" stating that she was assured by others in the field that she could legally label herself as such. However, the Campaign for Accountability called for an investigation by the California Bar Association, arguing that in California, calling oneself a lawyer without a license constitutes a crime.",
  "summary": "Washington: New White House press secretary Katie Zacharia, under scrutiny over her legal credentials, seemed to acknowledge Thursday that she had failed the bar exam, but argued she was accurate in presenting herself as a lawyer. Appointed by US President Donald Trump, Zacharia has described herself as a lawyer during television appearances and on social media, and listed herself as general…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 8,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Channel News Asia",
        "title": "Trump's new press secretary says China lacked 'proper' toilets",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/trumps-new-press-secretary-says-china-lacked-proper-toilets",
        "published": "2026-10-16T06:30:56.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Trump’s new press secretary says China lacked ‘proper’ toilets",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/trumps-new-press-secretary-says-china-lacked-proper-toilets-14907484",
        "published": "2026-10-16T07:35:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "NDTV",
        "title": "\"Don't Have Proper Toilets\": Trump's New Press Secretary On Her Time In China",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/dont-have-proper-toilets-trumps-new-press-secretary-on-her-time-in",
        "published": "2026-10-16T08:15:45.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Malay Mail",
        "title": "China tells Trump’s press secretary to visit more often after ‘proper toilets’ jibe",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/china-tells-trumps-press-secretary-to-visit-more-often-after-proper",
        "published": "2026-10-16T09:00:14.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "RTE News",
        "title": "New Trump press secretary says she did not pass bar exam",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/new-trump-press-secretary-says-she-did-not-pass-bar-exam",
        "published": "2026-10-16T09:21:09.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "Trump's new press secretary admits failing bar exam",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/trumps-new-press-secretary-admits-failing-bar-exam",
        "published": "2026-10-16T10:12:26.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Punch Nigeria",
        "title": "Trump’s new press secretary admits she failed bar exam",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/16/trumps-new-press-secretary-admits-she-failed-bar-exam",
        "published": "2026-10-16T10:42:54.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}