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U.S. NEWS Friday 14 OctOber 2022
Trial: Trump tweet about 'wild' protest energized extremists

By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN They are the first Capitol
Associated Press riot defendants to be tried
WASHINGTON (AP) — on seditious conspiracy
Members of the far-right charges for what prosecu-
Oath Keepers were ec- tors said was a plot to stop
static when then-President the lawful transfer of presi-
Donald Trump invited sup- dential power. The Civil
porters to a "wild" protest in War-era charge carries a
Washington on Jan. 6, 2021, maximum sentence of 20
when Congress would be years in prison.
certifying the results of the As testimony continued
2020 election, according to Thursday, the House Jan.
messages shown Thursday 6 committee played a re-
during the seditious con- cording at its public hear-
spiracy trial for the militia ing of Watkins saying, "It
group's founder and four has spread like wildfire
associates. that (Vice President Mike)
During an FBI agent's tes- Pence has betrayed us"
timony, jurors saw a string and "100 percent" of the
of online posts that Oath crowd would be going to
Keepers members in Florida the Capitol right after a
exchanged after Trump's Trump tweet that had criti-
tweet on Dec. 19, 2020, cized Pence, as the Sen-
about a "big protest" at Members of the Oath Keepers on the East Front of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. ate's presiding officer, for
the upcoming joint session Associated Press not delaying or rejecting
of Congress on Jan. 6. "Be rally near the White House, Oath Keepers founder and Keepers founder believed the certification of the Elec-
there, will be wild!" Trump a mob stormed the Capi- national leader Stewart Trump was going to invoke toral College vote by Con-
said. tol and disrupted Congress Rhodes responded on Dec. the Insurrection Act, which gress.
"He wants us to make it from certifying Democrat 25, 2020, that he disagreed gives the president broad Defense lawyers have ac-
WILD," Kelly Meggs, an Joe Biden's victory over the with that assessment. authority to call up the cused prosecutors of cher-
Oath Keepers leader from Republican incumbent. "Trump needs to know we military and decide what ry-picking messages and
Dunnellon, Florida, wrote in "These will be flying Jan. 6 in support him in using the shape that force will take. have said there is no evi-
a message to other group front of the Capitol," Meggs Insurrection Act," Rhodes Trump did float that kind of dence the Oath Keepers
members. "He called us all wrote in a post that includ- wrote. "And he needs to action at other points in his had a plan to attack the
to the Capitol and wants us ed the image of an Oath know that if he fails to act, presidency. Capitol.
to make it wild!!! Sir Yes Sir!!!" Keepers flag. then we will." Meggs and Rhodes, who's The trial started last Mon-
Trump's words appeared Graydon Young, an Oath Rhodes added that he be- from Granbury, Texas, day and is expected to last
to energize Oath Keepers Keepers member from Flor- lieved the Secret Service are on trial with Thomas more than a month.
members. They used an ida who has pleaded guilty would be "happy to have Caldwell of Berryville, Vir- Trump's Dec. 19 tweet also
encrypted messaging app to a conspiracy charge, us out there" if Trump "calls ginia; Kenneth Harrelson of was a focus of a July hear-
to discuss their plans to be said he was going to Wash- us up as militia." Titusville, Florida; and Jes- ing by the House commit-
in the nation's capital on ington even though it A key argument for Rhodes' sica Watkins of Woodstock, tee investigating the Jan. 6
Jan. 6, when, after a Trump "feels like a fool's errand." lawyers is that the Oath Ohio. insurrection. q

Biden administration extends COVID public health emergency

By AMANDA SEITZ changed how health ser- emergency. President Joe
Associated Press vices are delivered. Biden, meanwhile, has
WASHINGTON (AP) — The declaration enabled urged Congress to provide
The Biden administration the emergency authoriza- billions more in aid to pay
said Thursday that the tion of COVID vaccines, for COVID-19 vaccines
COVID-19 public health testing and treatments for and testing. The federal
emergency will continue free. It expanded Medic- government ceased send-
through Jan. 11 as officials aid coverage to millions ing free COVID-19 tests in
brace for a spike in cases of people, many of whom the mail last month, saying
this winter. who will risk losing that it had run out of money.
The decision comes as the coverage once the emer- Public health officials are
pandemic has faded from gency ends. It temporarily urging people age 5 and
the forefront of many peo- opened up telehealth ac- older to get an updated
ple’s minds. Daily deaths cess for Medicare recipi- COVID-19 booster along-
and infections are drop- ents, enabling doctors to side a flu vaccine this fall
ping and people many of collect the same rates for before a predicted winter
them maskless are return- those visits and encour- coronavirus surge and a
ing to schools, work and aging health networks to nasty flu season. White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Ashish Jha
grocery stores as normal. adopt telehealth technol- As of last weekend, about speaks during the daily briefing at the White House in
The public health emer- ogy. 13 million people had got- Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022.
gency, first declared in Since the beginning of this ten the updated booster, Associated Press
January 2020 and re- year, Republicans have which targets the omi- coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha. 60 days notice before it
newed every 90 days pressed the administration cron variant, according The administration has ends the public health
since, has dramatically to end the public health to White House COVID-19 said it would provide emergency.q