'Wilful ignorance': doctor who joined Capitol attack condemned for Covid falsehoods

Experts denounce Simone Gold, charged for participating in riot, who leads conservative group America's Frontline Doctors

A key conservative doctors' group pushing misinformation about Covid-19 vaccines faces growing fire from medical experts about its woeful scientific grounding, while its leader, Dr Simone Gold, was charged early this week for taking part in the 6 January attack on the Capitol.

The development comes as the US faces warnings its pandemic death toll could hit 500,000 next month, in part because conspiracy theories and baseless skepticism - especially from rightwing groups - have hampered efforts to tackle it.