Advocate NL 10/14/26

Hello and Happy Wednesday, folks!Audience Editor Edgar Ramirez here, back in your inbox with a doozy from the (currently) new White House press secretary.As Christopher Wiggins reported yesterday, Kate Zacharia was already facing blowback for her first press briefing, some going as far as drawing comparisons to Anthony Scaramucci, who was ousted as Trump’s communications director on his 11th day in 2017.Now, Jack Walker reports she's facing additional scrutiny over her apparent claim that she passed the bar exam in China.Zacharia has presented herself as a lawyer on social media, and has been described as a lawyer by in communications from the federal government. But the veracity of Zacharia’s claims remain unclear. Jack has the full story here.We'll wait to see how she answers questions on that and also this late-breaking news story from Christopher on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Perhaps she's planning on taking notes from Chick-fil-A's CEO on how to dodge questions.Until next time!Each day at The Advocate, we’re breaking news about the issues that are important to you — whether we’re celebrating queer joy or holding powerful people accountable for their attacks on LGBTQ+ rights. We’re asking you to help us continue this critical work. Can we count on you to support LGBTQ+ journalism?Pete Hegseth may have to testify under oath about his anti-trans slurs. A federal judge put the DOJ on noticeNew White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia claims to have passed bar in ChinaChick-fil-A CEO Andrew Cathy dodges question on LGBTQ+ equality in new interviewDonald Trump rambles about how much he likes Jon Husted’s “ass” at rallyAs Trumpism wanes, SNL mistakes misogyny and homophobia for comedyTexas school district suddenly cancels production of Little Shop of Horrors over female SeymourWho is ‘obsessed with men playing in women’s sports’? JD Vance says Democrats, but Ohio Republicans can’t get enough.In unsurprising news, anti-trans attacks on