Saturday, October 17th

What happened

Katie Zacharia left the White House press secretary role after five days, and the White House described her as “transitioning out.” Her exit followed a debut briefing that lasted about 14 minutes and included questions from three reporters. The scrutiny grew after President Donald Trump’s appointment announcement described Zacharia as an attorney, while past posts identified her as a lawyer. Zacharia has acknowledged failing the California bar exam in 2011 and never retaking it. She defended the lawyer label by citing her law degree, international transactional work and advice she said she received from legal professionals. Trump said the media treated her unfairly. The White House said Zacharia would move into another administration role, but did not name it.

What happened

A 16-year-old Bend resident opened fire at Silver Rail Elementary School, killing three children, ages 5, 8 and 11, and a teacher. A 7-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher were critically injured. The suspect was killed after a community member pursued him inside the school and shot him before police secured the building. Silver Rail serves kindergarten through fifth grade and has more than 400 students. Bend-La Pine Schools canceled Friday classes, activities and athletic events, and arranged reunions at a nearby church. Gov. Tina Kotek expressed grief and thanked the community member who intervened. The shooter’s motive and any connection to the school remain unknown.

What happened

Tesla demonstrated a next-generation Roadster prototype at a SpaceX test site in Texas, where it drove upside down on a curved ramp, launched briefly, flipped over other vehicles and landed. Tesla first announced the second-generation Roadster in 2017 and once targeted production for 2020; Elon Musk now says production is planned for 2028. Musk called it Tesla’s last manually driven car, not necessarily safety-optimized. The driverless demonstration used underbody suction and SpaceX-developed cold-gas thrusters to lift, rotate and land the remote-controlled car. Tesla says the Rocket version is not approved for public roads; the FAA says it is not an aircraft. Tesla has not announced final price, and delivery is not guaranteed.