{
  "id": 15086229,
  "title": "Anthony Scaramucci Says the Universe Did Katie Zacharia a Favor",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/17/anthony-scaramucci-says-the-universe-did-katie-zacharia-a-favor",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-17T01:00:22.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The New Yorker",
    "slug": "the-new-yorker",
    "url": "https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/anthony-scaramucci-says-the-universe-did-katie-zacharia-a-favor"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Anthony Scaramucci, known as the Mooch, has expressed a newfound fondness for Katie Zacharia, the former White House press secretary who held the record for the shortest tenure at the job. Zacharia, who has no formal legal training, was hired by the Zhong Lun law firm in Beijing, but her background in communications was peppered with controversial statements and misinformation. She once called John Podesta a pedophile and spread false information about COVID-19 vaccine side effects. When Zacharia joined the White House press corps on October 13th, her tenure was brief, lasting only fourteen minutes. She appeared unsteady and received criticism for her scripted delivery and willingness to refer to her husband as \"my president.\" After being outed for overstating her legal credentials and performing poorly in a Fox News interview, Zacharia was dismissed. Scaramucci, who defended her in the early stages of her White House tenure, now appears to be more lenient. He described her appearance as \"basically an SNL skit,\" hinting at a more sympathetic view. Despite their initial rocky relationship, Scaramucci now regards Zacharia's brief tenure as a record-breaking milestone in the annals of White House job duration.",
  "summary": "The former White House communications director reflects on his record for occupational brevity being broken.",
  "key_points": [
    "Anthony Scaramucci now likens Katie Zacharia's White House stint to an SNL skit.",
    "Katie Zacharia held the record for the shortest tenure as White House press secretary.",
    "Zacharia's 14-minute tenure ended due to poor performance and controversial statements."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "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."
}