Re-arrange the following parts of a sentence in their correct sequence to form a meaningful sentence.
(A) the decision was announced publicly
(B) after weeks of speculation and media reports
(C) by the government officials
(D) during a press conference
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:
Despite facing criticism, she decided to take the bull by the horns and defend her decision. What does the idiom take the bull by the horns mean?