COVID-19

Convoy Picks Up Cars, Anti-Ukraine Talking Points Ahead of Washington Arrival

The convoy, organized on pro-Trump and anti-vaccine channels on Telegram, has picked up hundreds of cars and several trucks since the group left a rural parking lot in Adelanto, California, on Feb. 22

Demonstrators protesting COVID-19 mask and vaccine mandates greet a 'Freedom and Accountability' caravan heading to Washington, D.C., on March 3, 2022, in Pataskala, Ohio.
Cheney Orr/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The American offshoot of the “Freedom Convoy” that brought chaos to Canada’s capital is promising to stop traffic outside of Washington, D.C., on Saturday, but exact plans remained vague Friday as the group hit its last pit stop in Maryland.

The convoy, which was organized on pro-Trump and anti-vaccine channels on the Telegram messaging app, has picked up hundreds of cars and several trucks since the group left a rural parking lot in Adelanto, California, on Feb. 22.

According to extremism researchers following the movement, the convoy now consists of several dozen tractor-trailer trucks and hundreds of cars. The group is staging in Hagerstown, Maryland, on Friday and ramping up for its final protest somewhere in Washington, D.C., on Saturday.

Livestreamers from within the convoy have repeatedly referred to “blocking the Beltway,” the 64-mile highway that surrounds Washington, but specific plans have been kept secret by group leaders.

Read more at NBCNews.com.

Russia has "troll farms" dedicated to spreading disinformation and propaganda on social media, says Emerson T. Brooking of the Atlantic Council. Brooking explains how Russia invested heavily in online campaigns and is now using the web to influence opinions about the invasion of Ukraine.
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