(NEW YORK) — Nearly half of COVID-19 survivors may have symptoms of long COVID months after they were first infected, a new study suggests.
Researchers from across Scotland looked at more than 33,000 patients over the age of 16 with a confirmed PCR test for COVID-19 in the past and tracked their symptoms.
Results, published in the journal Nature Communications Wednesday, found that six months later, of the more than 31,000 patients who had had symptomatic COVID, 6% reported not having recovered at all. An additional 42% felt they were only partially recovered.
Patients who reported no recovery were more likely to be women, to have been hospitalized when they had COVID, and to have multiple underlying conditions.
When the team looked at symptoms, they found the most common was tiredness, followed by headache, muscles aches, joint pain and difficulty breathing, respectively.
Patients with an asymptomatic infection were not at increased risk of experiencing symptoms months later.
What’s more, having received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine prior to infection reduced the risk of some symptoms including change in taste and/or smell, poor appetite, confusion and difficulty concentrating.
“Our study is important because it adds to our understanding of long-COVID in the general population, not just in those people who need to be admitted to hospital with COVID-19,” lead author Jill Pell, a professor of public health at the University of Glasgow, said in a statement.
“By comparing symptoms with those uninfected, we were able to distinguish between health problems that are due to COVID-19 and health problems that would have happened anyway,” the statement continued.
Long COVID occurs when patients who have cleared the active infection still have symptoms lasting more than four weeks after recovering. In some cases, these symptoms can persist for months or even years.
Patients can experience a variety of lingering symptoms including fatigue, difficulty breathing, headaches, brain fog, joint and muscle pain, and continued loss of taste and smell, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The authors mentioned some limitations including that most of the participants were white because the study was conducted in Scotland, which has a 96% white population.
“Therefore, it is important that ethnic-specific outcomes are reported by other long-COVID studies with more ethnically diverse populations,” the authors wrote.
Additionally, some of the common symptoms were also reported among a control group who had never tested positive for COVID. The symptoms that were most strongly associated with COVID infection were breathlessness, chest pain, palpitations and loss of taste and smell.
(RALEIGH, N.C.) — At least five people were killed, including an off-duty police officer, and two others were injured in a shooting along a nature trail in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Thursday night, authorities said.
The suspect, who police said is a white male juvenile, has been taken into custody. There is no active, ongoing threat, according to Lt. Jason Borneo of the Raleigh Police Department, who told reporters that a motive will be determined over the coming days.
An injured officer has been released from the hospital and a second person remains in critical condition, Borneo said. A K-9 officer who has non-life-threatening injuries is among those injured, according to Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin.
“When we lose one of our own, it is a tragic, heartbreaking day for all of us,” Borneo told reporters.
“We must stop this mindless violence in America and we must address gun violence,” Baldwin added.
At least three people were transported to WakeMed Health and Hospitals’ trauma center in connection with the incident, a hospital official told ABC News. There was no word on their current condition, and the hospital official did not know if others were injured in the shooting.
The shooting took place in the area of the Neuse River Greenway Trail near Osprey Cove and Bay Harbor drives, according to police.
“Residents in that area are advised to remain in their homes,” the Raleigh Police Department said in a post on Twitter.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said he has instructed state law enforcement to “provide assistance responding to the active shooter in East Raleigh.”
“State and local officers are on the ground and working to stop the shooter and keep people safe,” he said on Twitter.
“Tonight terror has reached our doorstep. The nightmare of every community has come to Raleigh,” Cooper said during a second press conference Thursday night. “This is a senseless, horrific and infuriating act of violence that has been committed.”
North Carolina Department of Public Safety Secretary Eddie Buffaloe, Jr. also confirmed the department has made state resources available and is “working with local law enforcement to stop this shooter.”
North Carolina State Highway Patrol, North Carolina State Capitol Police and North Carolina Alcohol Law Enforcement are assisting the Raleigh Police Department with the incident.
(WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.) — A Purdue University student accused of stabbing his roommate to death in their dorm room has been ordered held without bond before he goes on trial.
Ji “Jimmy” Min Sha, 22, was formally charged with murder on Thursday in the killing of Varun Manish Chheda, 20, in what police called an unprovoked attack. Prosecutors allege that Sha “did knowingly or intentionally kill” Chheda, charging documents state.
Chheda was found dead in his room at McCutcheon Hall, a residence building on the school’s campus in West Lafayette, Indiana, after midnight on Oct. 5.
Sha had called 911 and told police “he had just killed his roommate with a knife,” according to the probable cause affidavit.
Responding officers found “apparent blood spatter on the wall, a pool of blood on the floor and a folding knife on the floor,” the affidavit said.
Sha “admitted he used the knife to kill Chheda while he was sitting in the chair where police found him,” according to the affidavit.
Chheda died from”multiple sharp force traumatic injuries,” according to the Tippecanoe County Coroner’s Office.
Sha, an international student from South Korea, is scheduled to appear for a hearing on Dec. 2 in Tippecanoe Circuit Court. A trial date has yet to be scheduled.
ABC News did not immediately receive a response to an email seeking comment from Sha’s attorney.
As he walked into court for his first appearance before a judge last week, Sha told reporters “I am very sorry” when asked if he had a message to the victim’s family.
Sha also said “I was blackmailed,” though did not elaborate.
Police have not outlined a motive in the case.
“I believe this was unprovoked and senseless,” Purdue University Chief of Police Lesley Weite told reporters last week.
Chheda, who grew up in Indianapolis, was a senior majoring in data science. The university held a vigil for him on Wednesday, a week after his death.
“This is as tragic an event as we can imagine happening on our campus and our hearts and thoughts go out to all of those affected by this terrible event,” Purdue University President Mitch Daniels said in a statement last week.
ABC News’ Emily Shapiro contributed to this report.
(DALLAS) — A gun accidentally discharged inside a Texas elementary school cafeteria on Thursday after a child allegedly brought the firearm to school, according to the Dallas Independent School District.
The incident occurred before classes began as breakfast was served at John W Carpenter Elementary School in Dallas, a Dallas ISD official told ABC News.
The district official said no one was injured.
“I didn’t know what to think, what to feel… Just came over immediately,” parent Brandy Fields told ABC News Dallas affiliate WFAA. “She’s safe, so [deep breath].”
Fields told the station her daughter went directly to her class, but another student told her daughter a child was showing off a gun inside the cafeteria before it fired.
“My friend told me she almost got shot today,” Fields’ daughter, 5th-grade student Abbey told WFAA. “I was so confused. She told me someone brung [sic] a gun, and they were showing it to everybody. And while they was playing with it, it went off.”
Following the massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, where an 18-year-old suspect fatally shot 19 students and two teachers, Dallas ISD decided to require sixth to 12th-grade students to wear clear or mesh backpacks.
“By being able to easily see the items in the backpacks as students enter the school, campus personnel will be able to ensure that prohibited items are not included among the students’ belongings,” Dallas ISD wrote on its website. “Clear or mesh backpacks will also speed up students entering the school at the beginning of the day because opening and inspecting every backpack may not be necessary.”
The Dallas Police Department is investigating the incident.
(SAVANNAH, Ga.) — Police in Savannah, Georgia, said they believe the toddler who mysteriously vanished one week ago is dead, and they’ve named the boy’s mother as the primary suspect.
Chatham County police on Wednesday brought search dogs to the home of the 20-month-old Quinton Simon, who has been missing since Oct. 5.
Police later on Wednesday named Quinton’s mother, Leilani Simon, as the prime suspect in his disappearance and death.
No one else is considered a suspect, Chatham County Police Chief Jeff Hadley said at a news conference Thursday.
Quinton’s body has not been found.
Quinton was last seen at his Savannah home around 6 a.m. on Oct. 5 by his mother’s boyfriend, the chief said. After Quinton’s mother woke up, she reported him missing around 9:40 a.m., he said.
Police said last week that the case didn’t appear to involve a custody dispute.
Hadley added Monday that police have had contact with Quinton’s biological father and said he’s not a suspect.
Chatham County police requested FBI assistance the day Quinton was reported missing and over 40 FBI agents joined the case.
“To the Chatham County community: Our heart breaks, along with yours, in trying to comprehend what we believe happened here,” the FBI’s Will Clarke said Thursday.
(NEW YORK) — Federal agents on Tuesday discovered some $400,000 worth of liquid methamphetamine hidden in 136 condoms in four pumpkins while inspecting a vehicle at the southern border, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The agency said in a news release that CBP officers at the Eagle Pass International Bridge in Texas found the 44 pounds of narcotics while searching an SUV coming in from Mexico.
“Our frontline CBP officers have seen just about everything and this Tuesday was no exception as they encountered liquid methamphetamine hidden within pumpkins,” the acting port director at Eagle Pass, Elizabeth Garduno, said in a statement.
Garduno said the border agents “utilized their training, experience, interviewing skills and uncovered a rather novel narcotics smuggling method in the process.”
CBP said the unidentified driver and passenger were placed into the custody of the Maverick County Sheriff’s Office “for further investigation.”
So far in fiscal year 2022, CBP has seized 161,000 pounds of methamphetamine. In the previous fiscal year, the agency seized 192,000 pounds of meth.
Separately, in Arizona, CBP officials wrote on Twitter that on Wednesday they found about 2,100 fentanyl pills hidden in tamales in an ice chest.
(RALEIGH, N.C.) — Police in Raleigh, North Carolina, said they are responding to an “active shooting” near a trail Thursday evening.
At least three people were transported to WakeMed Health and Hospitals’ trauma center in connection with the incident, a hospital official confirmed to ABC News. There is no word on their condition currently. The hospital official does not know if others were injured in the shooting.
The scene of the shooting is in the area of the Neuse River Greenway Trail near Osprey Cove and Bay Harbor drives, police said.
“Residents in that area are advised to remain in their homes,” the Raleigh Police Department tweeted.
ABC News’ Will Gretsky contributed to this report.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(BRISTOL, Conn.) — Two police officers were shot and killed and a third was injured after a gunman allegedly ambushed them at a Bristol, Connecticut, home, according to sources.
The Bristol police officers were shot while responding to a 911 call reporting a possible domestic violence incident between two siblings Wednesday night, according to Connecticut State Police.
According to police sources, the gunman then carried out an apparent ambush on the officers with an AR-15-style rifle.
It appears the 911 call was to lure police to the scene, according to state police.
The suspect, Nicholas Brutcher, was shot and died at the scene, state police said.
The suspect’s brother was also shot and has been hospitalized in unknown condition, according to police.
“Our community has been rocked,” Bristol police chief Brian Gould said at a news conference.
Killed in the gunfire were Bristol police Sgt. Dustin DeMonte, 35, and officer Alex Hamzy, 34, Gould said.
DeMonte is survived by his wife and two children with a third child on the way, the chief said.
DeMonte “was assigned to our patrol division and was a school resource officer,” the chief said. “He was also an adviser for the Bristol police explorer cadet program. Throughout his career he has received several awards, including the Silver Star, officer of the month and co-recipient for Officer of the Year in 2019.”
Hamzy, a Bristol native, is survived by his wife, Gould said.
“Throughout his career, he received numerous letters of commendation and recognition. He was assigned to our central region Emergency Response Team and was also one of our cadet advisers,” Gould said.
The injured officer, 26-year-old Alec Iurato, underwent surgery for a severe gunshot wound, Gould said.
Iurato was released from a Hartford hospital Thursday morning and was greeted by a sea of officer support and applause.
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont called the slayings a “senseless tragedy.”
“This is a devastating reminder of the dangers that police officers face every day to protect our families and neighbors from all kinds of situations. These officers are heroes,” the governor said.
Lamont ordered flags in Connecticut to be lowered to half-staff.
Chief State’s Attorney Patrick Griffin said in a statement, “I join with New Britain State’s Attorney Christian M. Watson and the entire Division of Criminal Justice in expressing our deepest sympathies to the families and friends of Bristol Police Sgt. Dustin Demonte and Officer Alex Hamzy who were tragically killed in the line of duty on Wednesday night. We are praying and hopeful that Officer Alec Iurato is able to fully recover from injuries he suffered in the tragedy.”
“There is an ever-present danger in being a member of law enforcement, yet every day the men and women in uniform go out into the community to ensure that the citizens of Connecticut are safe,” he said.
As of Sept. 27, there have been 49 officers killed in the United States this year — which is lower than the record last year (73), but higher than the complete year totals for 2020 and 2019, according to data from the FBI.
(WASHINGTON) — The House Jan. 6 committee on Thursday, after a months-long hiatus, held its ninth public hearing since June, and possibly its last in its investigation into the U.S. Capitol attack.
The panel focused on the role of former President Donald Trump before, alleging he was front and center of a plot to overturn the 2020 election and in a historic development, voted unanimously to subpoena Trump to testify.
Oct 13, 5:35 PM EDT
Trump responds to Jan. 6 subpoena vote
Former President Donald Trump responded to the committee’s action for the first time on Thursday afternoon in a post to Truth Social, his conservative social media platform.
“Why didn’t the Unselect Committee ask me to testify months ago?” he wrote, calling the committee a “total BUST.”
“Why did they wait until the very end, the final moments of their last meeting?” he asked again.
Oct 13, 4:41 PM EDT
Thompson: Panel will not issue subpoena for Pence testimony
House Jan. 6 committee chair BennieThompson told reporters right after the hearing that the panel would not issue a subpoena for former Vice President Mike Pence.
The committee had been debating how to manifest a meeting with the former vice president, but Thompson’s comments indicate members will not force him to make an appearance.
When asked if he thinks Trump will honor the subpoena for his testimony, Thompson responded “ask Donald Trump.” Thompson did not answer when asked if the committee would vote to hold Trump in contempt of Congress if he chooses not to comply.
Oct 13, 3:41 PM EDT
In historic, unanimous vote, Jan. 6 committee subpoenas Trump
To close out their 10th hearing overall — the ninth since June — the House Jan. 6 committee unanimously voted to subpoena Trump.
Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., offered the historic resolution and requested a voice vote. Each of the nine members, including seven Democrats and two Republicans, voted yes.
“It is our obligation to seek Donald Trump’s testimony,” chair Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said about the subpoena.
Oct 13, 3:39 PM EDT
Cheney cites need for Trump subpoena
Cheney said a subpoena for Trump is necessary since several witnesses pleaded their Fifth Amendment right when pressed about their conversations with the former president surrounding the 2020 election and the insurrection.
“Mr. Chairman, our committee now has sufficient information to answer many of the critical questions posed by Congress at the outset. We have sufficient information to consider criminal referrals for multiple individuals and to recommend a range of legislative proposals to guard against another January 6. But a key task remains. We must seek the testimony, under oath, of January 6’s central plater,” she said.
“More than 30 witnesses in our investigation have invoked their 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination, and several of those did so specifically in response to questions about their dealings with Donald Trump directly.”
Cheney conceded that the Justice Department could reveal more information but indicated that time is of the essence.
“Mr. Chairman, at some point, the Department of Justice may well unearth the fact that these and other witnesses are concealing. But our duty today is to our country and our children and our Constitution. We are obligated to seek answers directly from the man who set this all in motion, and every American is entitled to those answers so we can act now to protect our republic,” she said.
Oct 13, 3:31 PM EDT
Thompson on subpoenaing Trump: ‘We want to hear from him’
Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said the committee needs to hear from the person they say is at the center of the story of what happened on Jan. 6: Trump.
“We want to hear from him,” Thompson said. “The committee needs to do everything in our power to tell the most complete story possible and provide recommendations to help ensure nothing like Jan. 6 ever happens again.”
Thompson said speaking with Trump goes beyond the committee’s “fact-finding” and is a question about accountability to the American people.
“He is required to answer for his actions,” he said.
Thompson said the committee recognizes subpoenaing a former president is an extraordinary step, which is why the panel will “take this step in full view of the American people.”
Oct 13, 3:30 PM EDT
Secret Service worried for Pence after Trump tweet
The committee presented evidence the Secret Service voiced worry for Pence after Trump bashed him in a tweet for not blocking certification of the Electoral College results.
“POTUS just tweeted about Pence, probably not going to be good for Pence,” one agent said in a chat with a colleague released by the committee Thursday.
“POTUS said he lacked courage. Over 24K likes in under 2mins,” the colleague responded.
Former Twitter employee Anika Collier Navaroli, in testimony featured Thursday, said that rioters “were literally calling for [Pence’s] execution,” partially “in response to this tweet.”
Oct 13, 3:27 PM EDT
As the insurrection is ongoing, Pelosi speaks to Pence in new footage
The committee played new footage of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaking to former Vice President Mike Pence as Trump supporters were in the middle of storming the Capitol. The contents of that footage is below, as the two discussed how they would ultimately certify the 2020 election results.
At 4:22 p.m. Pelosi was videotaped saying:
“We’re trying to figure out how we can get this job done today. We talked to Mitch [McConnell] about it earlier. He’s not in the room right now but he was with us earlier and said, “Yeah, we want to expedite this.” And hopefully they could confine it to just one complaint, Arizona. And then we could vote and that would be you know, then just move forward with the rest of the states.
“The overriding wish is to do it at the Capitol,” said Pelosi, as the committee displayed a photo of Pence presumably on the phone with her while watching news footage on a separate cellphone.
“What we are being told very directly is it’s gonna take days for the Capitol to be OK again. We’ve gotten a very bad report about the condition of the House floor. Defecation and all that kind of thing as well. I don’t think that that’s hard to clean up. But I do think it is more from a security standpoint of making sure everybody is out of the building and how long will that take?”
At 4:30 p.m. Pelosi said:
“I just got off the phone with the Vice President and I got off with the Vice President-elect,” Pelosi said after her call with Pence and supposedly Kamala Harris.
“So I’ll tell you what she said, yeah. But what we left the conversation with cause he said, he had the impression from Mitch [McConnell] that Mitch wants to get everybody back to do it there,” Pelosi said.
Oct 13, 3:15 PM EDT
Videos shows Nancy Pelosi reacting to the Capitol attack
In never-before seen footage, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is seen reacting to the events of Jan. 6 in real time. Pelosi spoke to or called various officials, including Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam and then-acting Attorney General Jeff Rosen.
“We’ve got … to finish the proceedings or else they will have a complete victory,” Pelosi is heard saying as she is leaving the Capitol complex while rioters gather outside.
Later, Pelosi was informed that lawmakers still on the floor were putting on tear gas masks in anticipation of a breach.
“Can you believe this?” Pelosi responded.
Oct 13, 3:03 PM EDT
Committee reviewing ‘potential obstruction’ regarding alleged SUV altercation
Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., reiterated testimony from former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson about an alleged altercation between Trump and his security detail in the presidential SUV on Jan. 6.
Hutchinson said she was told by Tony Ornato, a senior Secret Service official who was at the time White House deputy chief of staff for operations, that Trump was so angry he couldn’t join supporters at the Capitol after his speech at the Ellipse that he tried to grab the steering wheel and lunged at agent Bobby Engel, who was driving the vehicle.
Aguilar said the altercation was “so widely known” that one former White House employee with national security responsibilities explained the information was “water cooler talk” around the White House complex.
“That professional also testified that they were specifically informed of the president’s irate behavior in the SUV by Mr. Ornato in Mr. Ornato’s office,” Aguilar said.
Aguilar said the committee is reviewing testimony about “potential obstruction” surrounding this testimony about the alleged SUV incident.
“We will address this matter in our report,” Aguilar said.
Oct 13, 2:40 PM EDT
Secret Service sounded alarm about threat of violence before, during insurrection
The committee revealed new evidence it said showed the Secret Service was aware of threats of violence prior to the insurrection, worrying over social media posts prior to Jan. 6 and what it viewed the day of the attack on the Capitol.
One tip received by the agency said that the Proud Boys, a far-right white chauvinist group, “think[s] that they will have a large enough group to march into D.C. armed and will outnumber the police so they can’t be stopped.”
“Their plan is to literally kill people. Please please take this tip seriously and investigate further,” the tip read.
“Right wing groups responding across the nation and establishing ‘quick reaction forces’ in Virginia,” one Jan. 5, 2021, Secret Service email the panel said it uncovered read.
On the day of the attack, just before the pro-Trump mob moved toward the Capitol, agents voiced growing concern over the number of weapons seized or seen.
“With so many weapons so far, you wonder how many are unknown. Could be sporty after dark,” one agent wrote in a message to a colleague.
“No doubt. The people at the Ellipse said they are moving to the Capitol after the POTUS speech,” a second agent responded.
Oct 13, 2:24 PM EDT
Jan. 6 committee will vote on subpoenaing Trump
The committee plans to hold a vote on subpoenaing former President Trump during today’s hearing, sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News.
Speaker Pelosi was given a heads up about the committee’s decision to vote on the matter, sources familiar with the matter say.
The move comes as the committee has debated for months how to handle a request for his cooperation.
Thompson told me earlier today that a subpoena was not off the table.
It’s not clear whether the committee will formally request former Vice President Mike Pence’s testimony, but committee investigators have been privately negotiating with his counsel for months.
Oct 13, 2:18 PM EDT
Trump was advised Pence didn’t have the right to overturn election
An email exchange dated Jan. 6, 2021, between Pence aide Greg Jacob and attorney John Eastman showed Trump had already been advised that former Vice President Mike Pence could not overturn the 2020 election results.
“Did you advise the President that in your professional judgment the Vice President DOES NOT have the power to decide things unilaterally?” Jacob sent to Eastman.
“He’s been so advised,” Eastman replied.
Oct 13, 2:07 PM EDT
Secret Service message: ‘POTUS is pissed’
A Secret Service message unveiled during the hearing said that Trump was “livid” after the Supreme Court declined to hear a case challenging the election results.
“POTUS is pissed,” the message read. “Supreme Court denied his lawsuit. He is livid now.”
Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, also recounted how frustrated Trump was following the news.
“The president was fired up about the Supreme Court decision,” she told the committee. “The president just raging about the decision and how it’s wrong and ‘why didn’t we make more calls’ and his typical anger outburst at this decision.”
“He said something to the effect of, ‘I don’t want people to know we lost, Mark. This is embarrassing. Figure it out,'” she said.
Oct 13, 2:05 PM EDT
Committee repeats highlights of previous hearings
As it wraps up its investigation, with a final report on findings and recommendations expected by the end of this year, the House committee on Thursday spent significant time rehashing points from their previous hearings.
One such finding was Trump’s knowledge ahead of Election Day that mail-in ballots would favor Joe Biden and his plan ahead of time to declare victory that night.
Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., focused partly on the failed efforts by Trump to litigate his loss in court — a major focus of the June 13 hearing.
“In the past hearings we said the committee identified 62 election lawsuits filed by the Trump campaign and allies between Nov. 4, 2020 and Jan. 6, 2021,” Kinzinger said on Thursday. “Those cases resulted in 61 losses and only a single victory, which did not affect the outcome for any candidate.”
Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va., in her remarks about Trump’s direct efforts to overturn the election, replayed previously seen deposition from former Attorney General Bill Barr. Barr told the committee that Trump’s false allegations about voting machines was “crazy stuff” — footage first aired in a June hearing.
Oct 13, 1:48 PM EDT
Stone on claiming victory: ‘Possession is nine-tenths of the law’
Roger Stone, a political provocateur and longtime Trump adviser, voiced support for Trump declaring victory the night of the election regardless of whether he was in the lead.
“Let’s just hope we’re celebrating. I suspect it’ll be, I really do suspect it will still be up in the air. When that happens, the key thing to do is to claim victory. Possession is nine-tenths of the law.
‘No, we won,’ Stone said in footage from a Danish documentarian featured in Thursday’s hearing.
“I said, ‘f*** the voting, let’s get right to the violence,'” Stone said in a separate clip. “We’ll have to start smashing pumpkins, if you know what I mean.”
During testimony for the committee, Stone invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination when asked if he had any role in planning for the violence the day of the insurrection.
Oct 13, 1:44 PM EDT
Steve Bannon video indicates intimate knowledge of Jan. 6
The Jan. 6 committee showed video of President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager, Steve Bannon, which indicates that he had advance knowledge of the former president’s intention to falsely declare victory election night, but also that Bannon knew about the events of Jan. 6 ahead of their occurrence.
Here’s what Bannon said on Jan. 5, the day before the insurrection:
“All hell is going to break loose tomorrow. All converging and now we’re on as they say the point of attack, right the point of attack tomorrow. I’ll tell you this,” Bannon began.
“It’s not going to happen like you think it’s going to happen. Okay, it’s going to be quite extraordinarily different … tomorrow it’s game day. So strap in. Let’s get ready.”
Mr. Bannon refused to testify for the ongoing Jan. 6 investigation, for which he’s been indicted by a federal grand jury on two counts of contempt of Congress.
The committee also played audio that had previously leaked, of Bannon telling a group of associates on Oct. 31, 2020, of Trump’s plan to declare his own victory on election night, regardless of the actual outcome.
“He’s going to declare victory,” Bannon said.
Oct 13, 1:39 PM EDT
Memo shows drafted statement for Trump declaring ‘I won’
Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., showed a new memo the committee received from the National Archives showing plans for Trump to declare victory on Election Day regardless of the outcome.
The memo — dated Oct. 31, 2020 — was sent by Tom Fitton, a political activist and head of the conservative group Judicial Watch, to members of Trump’s team.
“We had an Election today — and I won,” the memo read.
“The ballots counted by the Election Day deadline show the American people have bestowed on me the great honor of reelection to President of the United States.”
Lofgren also said Brad Parscale, Trump’s former campaign manager, told the committee Trump planned as early as July to say he won even though he lost.
Oct 13, 1:29 PM EDT
Cheney: Can Jan. 6 occur again?
In her opening statement, Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, the committee’s vice chair, said a key component of the committee’s investigation looks at the vulnerability of American democracy.
“Why would Americans assume that our Constitution and our institutions and our Republic are invulnerable to another attack? Why would we assume that those institutions will not falter next time?” she asked.
Cheney, who has been at the forefront of the Jan. 6 investigation at the expense of her own political future, said the American institutions “only hold” when “men and women of good faith make them hold regardless of the political cost.”
“We have no guarantee that these men and women will be in place next time,” she added.
Oct 13, 1:23 PM EDT
Cheney: Panel will focus on Trump’s ‘state of mind,’ motivations
Rep. Liz Cheney, the Republican vice chair of the committee, said today’s focus will be Trump’s behavior and actions during the time leading up to and during the U.S. Capitol attack.
“Today we will focus on President Trump’s state of mind, his intent, his motivations and how he spurred others to do his bidding and how another Jan. 6 could happen again if we do not take necessary action to prevent it,” Cheney said in her opening statement.
One of the Republican Party’s harshest critics of Trump, Cheney placed the blame squarely on the former president for the violence that unfolded.
“The vast weight of evidence presented so far has shown us the central cause of Jan. 6 was one man: Donald Trump,” she said in her opening remarks.
Oct 13, 1:16 PM EDT
Thompson opens door to vote on ‘further investigative action’ Thursday
Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., hinted that the panel could vote on further efforts by the committee beyond Thursday’s proceedings.
“We are convened today not as a hearing but as a formal committee business meeting so that in addition to presenting evidence, we can potentially hold a committee vote on further investigative action based on that evidence,” Thompson said in his opening statement.
Thompson said earlier in the day that the House committee has not ruled out subpoenaing former President Donald Trump. The panel is also considering possible paths to obtaining testimony from further Vice President Mike Pence.
Oct 13, 1:12 PM EDT
Thompson emphasizes evidence has been ‘almost entirely from Republicans’
Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., gaveled in the hearing just after 1:00 p.m. on Thursday.
In his opening statement, Thompson once again outlined what the committee called a “multi-part plan” by Trump to contest his election loss — one Thompson said has come into focus in large part because of witness testimony.
“The most striking fact is that all this evidence comes almost entirely from Republicans,” Thompson said. “The evidence that has emerged did not come from Democrats or opponents of Donald Trump.”
Thompson continued, “Instead, look at who’s written and testified and produced evidence. Who has that been? Aides who’ve worked loyally for Trump for years, Republican state officials and legislatures, Republican electors, the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee.”
Bombshell testimonials so far have come from former Attorney General Bill Barr, former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner and others.
Thompson said the committee Thursday will play new testimony from additional Republicans that served in the Trump administration, as well as never-before-seen footage of congressional leaders on Jan. 6.
Oct 13, 1:03 PM EDT
Committee hasn’t ruled out a Trump subpoena, Thompson says
Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., told ABC News ahead of the hearing that the committee hasn’t ruled out issuing a subpoena to Trump.
The panel has yet to ask Trump for his testimony, but has centered their hearings on what they described as his “sophisticated” plan to carry out an attempted coup.
Thompson also said that “there’s always a possibility” the committee asks for former Vice President Mike Pence’s testimony. But then Thompson said that after this hearing, the committee is unlikely to call any new witnesses they haven’t already spoken with.
–ABC News’ Katherine Faulders and Will Steakin
Oct 13, 12:08 PM EDT
Will Trump, Pence be asked to testify before the investigation ends?
Committee aides, during a background call with reporters on Wednesday, wouldn’t shed any light on whether and when they would call Trump or former Vice President Mike Pence to formally testify before the panel before their investigation is wrapped.
Pence this summer said he would “consider” testifying if invited by the committee but expressed constitutional concerns about such a scenario, citing his “unique role” as the then-vice president.
Vice chair Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., told ABC News’ Jonathan Karl in August that she hopes Pence will appear before the committee but declined to weigh in on whether they would ask Trump to testify.
“I don’t want to get in front of committee deliberations about that,” Cheney said. “I do think it’s very important, as I said in the first hearing or the second hearing, you know, his interactions with our committee will be under oath.”
–ABC News’ Katherine Faulders
Oct 13, 10:45 AM EDT
Trump’s ‘state of mind’ to be a key focus, aides say
Lawmakers will focus on Trump’s “state of mind” leading up to, during and after the insurrection during Thursday’s session, committee aides told reporters.
“What you’re going to see is a synthesis of some evidence we’ve already presented with that new, never-before-seen information to, let’s say, illustrate Donald Trump’s centrality from the time prior to the election,” an aide said.
While there won’t be any live witnesses in the hearing room, the panel’s expected to air new documentary evidence and video footage depicting efforts to respond as the violence broke out on Jan. 6, 2021.
(PARKLAND, Fla.) — Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz has been spared the death penalty and sentenced to life in prison by a Florida jury for carrying out the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that claimed 17 lives.
Cruz pleaded guilty last year to 17 counts of first-degree murder and 17 counts of attempted first-degree murder in connection to the Feb. 14, 2018, killing of 14 students and three staff members at his former school. Among the victims were 15-year-old Peter Wang, an Army Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps cadet who died while helping classmates escape, and 35-year-old Scott Beigel, a geography teacher who was shot dead while shepherding students to safety in his classroom.
This penalty phase trial was to determine if Cruz would be sentenced to death or life in prison for the massacre he committed at age 19. The jury’s decision must be unanimous for the death penalty.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Oct 13, 5:28 PM EDT
Juror describes ‘very tense’ experience in letter to judge
One of the jurors who voted not to sentence Nikolas Cruz to death detailed some of her experience in a handwritten letter to the judge.
She wrote the letter in an effort to dispel alleged rumors that she always intended to vote against the death penalty.
“[Another juror] heard jurors who voted for the death penalty stating that I had already made up my mind on voting for life before the trial started,” she wrote. “This allegation is untrue and I maintained my oath to the court that I would be fair and unbiased.”
The letter goes on to describe the jury deliberations as “very tense,” with the juror adding that “some jurors became extremely unhappy once I mentioned that I would vote for life.”
Oct 13, 5:17 PM EDT
Jury foreman ‘not happy with how it worked out’
Jury foreman Benjamin Thomas told ABC Miami affiliate WPLG that he didn’t vote for the life sentence and is “not happy with how it worked out.”
“But everybody has the right to decide for themselves — it is a moral decision on their own,” Thomas said. “Some of the jurors just felt that was the appropriate sentence.”
Thomas told other local media outlets that one juror felt Nikolas Cruz was mentally ill and therefore should not be sentenced to death.
One juror was a “hard no” when it came to the death penalty, and two more jurors “ended up voting the same way,” Thomas told reporters.
Oct 13, 5:13 PM EDT
Dad says sentence sends bad message to killers
Manuel Oliver, whose 17-year-old son, Joaquin, was among the victims, told ABC News Live he had hoped for the death penalty.
“Even the death penalty was not enough for me,” he said. “The way that Joaquin died … the amount of suffering and pain, the shooter will have never received that punishment.”
“But now I have to deal with the fact that this guy … is going to have a chance to have a hobby, and enjoy three meals and, you know, read every single day. I don’t like that. I hope that justice appears in any way at some point.”
Oliver chose not to attend the trial alongside his wife. He has not decided if he’ll go to court on Nov. 1 when victims are given the opportunity to read statements.
“I might need to do that, but I don’t know,” he said. “I don’t want to spend more time thinking about this horrendous person, this monster.”
Oliver wrote on Twitter that the sentence sends a bad message to killers.
“It’s a very bad precedent for the whole nation,” he added to ABC News.
His wife, Patricia Oliver, told ABC News she feels enraged, and said her son did not get justice.
To jury members who voted against the death penalty, she said, “They have to live with that in their conscience. Life is about karma. They will remember what they did when the time comes.”
Oct 13, 3:20 PM EDT
’This result makes them suffer even more’
Chen Wang, cousin of 15-year-old victim Peter Wang, said her aunt, Peter’s mother, suffers from PTSD and “has changed forever.”
“She cannot function normally. She cannot sleep,” she said.
Victims’ families “are suffering,” she said, and “this result [from the jury] makes them suffer even more.”
“We have been quiet. We’ve been trying to follow, believing the system would help us, but it didn’t today,” she said.
Oct 13, 2:20 PM EDT
Prosecutor hopes decision brings ‘some measure of finality’
Broward State Attorney Harold Pryor said that during the trial prosecutors didn’t shy “away from telling all of the horror, all of the loss, all of the devastation, all of the pain, all of the facts, all of the truth.”
“We hope that, while there is no such thing as closure, this will bring some measure of finality and justice to this terrible chapter,” Pryor said.
“The parents and families of the schoolchildren and the staff members who were massacred lost so much and our hearts are with them,” Pryor said. “We hope they know that all of us lost 17 wonderful people that day and that our world is a poorer and sadder place without them. To the survivors, please know that you are not forgotten in this and that we respect and salute your courage in all that you have endured.”
Oct 13, 1:12 PM EDT
Fred Guttenberg: ‘Jury failed our families’
Fred Guttenberg, whose 14-year-old daughter, Jaime, was killed in the massacre, said after court, “I’m not often stunned, but I am stunned by this verdict today.”
“I could not be more disappointed,” he said.
“I don’t know how this jury came to the conclusions that they did,” he said.
“This decision today only makes it more likely that the next mass shooting will be attempted,” he said.
Guttenberg said he thinks the next mass shooter is planning his attack now, and “that person now believes that they can get away with it.”
“There are 17 victims that did not receive justice today,” Guttenberg said. “This jury failed our families today. But I will tell you: The monster is gonna go to prison, and in prison, I hope and pray, he receives the kind of mercy from prisoners that he showed to my daughter and the 16 others. … He will die in prison, and I will be waiting to read that news on that.”
Oct 13, 12:38 PM EDT
Victim’s dad: Cruz ‘did not deserve compassion’
Tony Montalto, whose 14-year-old daughter, Gina, was killed, called the jury’s decision a “gut punch.”
“Pressing the barrel of his weapon to my daughter’s chest. That doesn’t outweigh [that Nikolas Cruz] had a tough upbringing?” Montalto said.
“Society has to really look and reexamine who and what is a victim. Not everyone’s a victim. My beautiful Gina. the other sons, daughters, spouses and fathers — they were the victims here. Our justice system should have been used to punish this shooter to the fullest extent of the law,” he said. “Not as an act of revenge, but to protect our nation’s schools.”
“I think that it puts all school children in jeopardy. It certainly sends the wrong message,” he continued. “This shooter did not deserve compassion.”
Oct 13, 12:22 PM EDT
Dad of slain 14-year-old: Cruz ‘got everything he wanted’
Max Schachter, whose 14-year-old son Alex was killed, tweeted that Nikolas Cruz “got everything he wanted” with the life sentence verdict.
“Prior to the shooting the Parkland murderer said he wanted to kill 20 people. He stopped after killing 17 including my sweet little boy Alex. Afterwards he didn’t want to die,” Schachter tweeted.
Meanwhile, “Our loved ones are in the cemetery.”
Oct 13, 12:17 PM EDT
Parents of 14-year-old victim: ‘I pray that animal suffers’
Ilan Alhadeff, whose 14-year-old daughter Alyssa was killed, was disappointed by the life sentence.
He told reporters after the verdict that Nikolas Cruz is “not a human being — he’s an animal.”
“I pray that animal suffers every day of his life in jail. And that he has a short life,” he said.
When asked if he was relieved he didn’t have to see Cruz in court anymore, he responded, “It doesn’t matter. We still have to go to the cemetery to see our daughter.”
Alyssa’s mother, Lori Alhadeff, added, “What is the death penalty for if not for the killing of 17 people?”
Oct 13, 11:09 AM EDT
Judge reads verdict forms
Judge Elizabeth Scherer read the 17 documents, one for each slain victim, aloud to the court on Thursday morning as prosecutors, Nikolas Cruz and his attorneys, and the victims’ families looked on.
The jurors weighed aggravating factors and mitigating factors.
The murder of each victim needs to be found to be “cold, calculated and premeditated” to be eligible for the death penalty.
Oct 13, 9:54 AM EDT
Victims’ parents share emotional statements with jury
Victims’ parents took the stand during the trial to read emotional victim impact statements.
Fred Guttenberg, who lost 14-year-old daughter Jaime, said on the stand, “I couldn’t wait to teach her drive. … I couldn’t wait to see her graduate. I couldn’t wait to see her achieve her dream of getting into the University of Florida and rooming with her cousin and living her best life. I couldn’t wait to see her graduate and ultimately become a pediatric physical therapist, working her dream job.”
“Jaime imagined she’d be married by 25. I used to think every day about that moment and walking my daughter down the aisle. Becoming a grandparent to the two kids she already decided she was gonna have,” he said.
“What if Jaime wasn’t murdered? What would these moments end up being like?” Fred Guttenberg said. “Not a day goes by where the constant image of Jaime walking down the aisle is not still a part of my daily imagination. Along with that image of what should have been her future, our future together.”
Oct 13, 9:47 AM EDT
Defense says Cruz suffered lifelong developmental delays, prosecution says he planned ‘systematic massacre’
Cruz’s defense attorneys had urged the jury to sentence him to life in prison. The defense admitted Cruz was responsible for his actions and planned the school shooting, but argued Cruz suffered lifelong developmental delays that traced back to fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.
“Sentencing Nikolas to death will change absolutely nothing,” defense attorney Melisa McNeill said in closing arguments. “It will not bring back those 17 innocent victims that he viciously murdered.”
The prosecution, arguing for the death penalty, told jurors that Cruz researched previous mass shootings and planned a “systematic massacre.”
“Some of the remarks the defendant wrote on his YouTube were: ‘No mercy, no questions, double tap. I’m going to … murder children. … I’d love to see the families suffer,'” prosecutor Michael Satz said in closing arguments.
“He’s thinking ahead,” Satz said, by “not only looking to inflict pain” on the victims, but also “anticipating how that pain, fear and death … is gonna affect the families.”
