Judge: Pardoning Oath Keepers leader for Capitol riot plot would be ‘frightening’

WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal judge who presided over the seditious conspiracy case against Oath Keepers members says it would be “frightening” if the anti-government group’s founder, Stewart Rhodes, is pardoned for orchestrating a violent plot to keep Donald Trump in the White House after he lost the 2020 presidential election. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta criticized the prospect of Rhodes receiving a presidential pardon during a sentencing hearing on Wednesday for a former Oath Keepers member who cooperated with prosecutors. President-elect Donald Trump repeatedly has vowed to pardon rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Rhodes is serving an 18-year prison sentence for his seditious conspiracy conviction.

Utah family of 5 found dead at home and police want to know when and why

(AP) — Police are investigating when and why five members of a Utah family died after their bodies were found in their home southwest of Salt Lake City. A relative who had not heard from them in several days came to the house, and also found a 17-year-old boy in the garage with an apparent gunshot wound. Police believe the crime was isolated to the home. A relative called police Monday night, but officers found no indication of a crime and asked the relative to keep in touch. The relative entered the garage on Tuesday afternoon and found the injured boy. Officers found two adults and three children dead in the house.

Senate passes defense bill that will raise troop pay and aims to counter China’s power

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has passed a defense bill that authorize significant pay raises for junior enlisted service members and boost overall military spending to $895 billion. It also strips coverage of transgender medical treatments for children of military members. The annual defense authorization bill usually gains strong bipartisan support and hasn’t failed to pass Congress in nearly six decades. But the Pentagon policy measure in recent years has become a battleground for cultural issues. Republicans this year sought to tack on priorities for social conservatives to the legislation. Still, all but a handful of Senate Democrats — as well as nearly all Republicans — voted Wednesday for the bill’s final passage, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden.

Health officials say Louisiana patient is first severe bird flu case in US

NEW YORK (AP) — A person in Louisiana has been hospitalized with the first severe illness caused by bird flu in the U.S., health officials said Wednesday. The patient is in critical condition with severe respiratory symptoms. The person had been in contact with sick and dead birds in backyard flocks, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Previous illnesses in the U.S. had been mild and the vast majority had been among farmworkers exposed to sick poultry or dairy cows. The CDC confirmed the Louisiana infection on Friday, but did not announce it until Wednesday. It’s also the first U.S. human case linked to exposure to a backyard flock.