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A nonprofit leader who supports at-risk New Orleans youth. A social worker who fosters animals. A postdoctoral researcher. They are among the roughly 1,540 people whose sentences were commuted or who were pardoned by President Joe Biden on Thursday in what was the largest single-day act of clemency in modern history. But not everyone was pleased by Biden’s decisions. A Republican state senator said a commutation for a woman who stole $54 million from a small town in Illinois was “a slap in the face” to residents. The Democratic governor of Pennsylvania said Biden "got it absolutely wrong” when he commuted the sentence of a judge who orchestrated a scheme to send children to for-profit jails in exchange for kickbacks. Here are some of their stories: Fulton was pardoned after pleading guilty to participating in a payroll fraud scheme while serving as a New Orleans middle school teacher in the early 2000s. She was convicted of a felony and sentenced to three years of probation in 2008. Fulton, who has two children and works as an elementary school teacher, said that for years she had lived with “a sense of embarrassment and shame” about the felony conviction. Even though she completed a master’s degree in educational leadership in 2017, Fulton felt that her criminal record disqualified her from applying for principal positions she felt she could handle. “The conviction has served as a mental barrier for me, limiting my ability to live a full life,” Fulton said. Nearly a decade after she first applied for a presidential pardon, Fulton this week received a phone call informing her that it had been granted. “It was astonishing for me, I wasn’t expecting a call,” Fulton said, adding that the pardon will enable her to explore more career opportunities. A White House news release commended Fulton as “someone who goes above and beyond for her community.” For years, Fulton has helped lead a nonprofit supporting at-risk New Orleans youth with hot meals, clothing and shelter and mental health referrals. Doyle applied for a pardon six years ago. It had been so long that she had all but forgotten about it — until Wednesday. “I was in shock,” Doyle said of the call she received from a Justice Department pardon attorney. “And honored.” Doyle, who was once addicted to meth, had pleaded guilty to drug possession and check forging charges when she was 24. She served more than two years in state and federal prison. Released in 2006, Doyle resolved to stay clean. She started a family, earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees and now works as a social worker with a behavioral health center. Doyle applied for a pardon in 2018 and heard nothing until 2020, when the FBI reached out — and the vetting began. “They talked to my boss, my boss’ boss, they talked to my mother’s boss, they called my doctors," Doyle said. “Just pretty much anybody that had any type of relationship with me in the past 20 years they contacted.” After the vetting was over, she would have to wait some more: four years, it turned out. “I just want people to know that are in the throes of addiction, or families to know that when they have somebody in their family that is addicted, that there is hope,” Doyle said Thursday. “This has just brought so much joy to me and my family and is just the continuation of my recovery.” She has five children and three grandchildren, volunteers in her community, fosters animals and competes in roller derby. Crundwell was sentenced to more than 19 years in prison in 2013 for stealing about $54 million over two decades when she was in charge of finances for Dixon, Illinois. She was released to a halfway house program in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic before moving to home confinement. Biden’s commutation releases Crundwell from any restrictions. Paul Gaziano, a lawyer who represented Crundwell in federal court, declined to comment Thursday. Dixon Mayor Glen Hughes said he believes most of the town is probably stunned, and maybe even angry, that Biden would provide clemency to Crundwell. Republican state Sen. Andrew Chesney called Biden’s act “nothing short of a slap in the face to the people of Dixon.” Dixon, best known as the childhood home of President Ronald Reagan, sued auditors and a bank after Crundwell’s theft was revealed and recovered $40 million in settlements. Crundwell, who was a horse breeder, told a judge in 2020 that more than $15 million was repaid from the sale of her horses and other assets. “I am going to do everything possible to make up for my mistakes," she told the judge in a handwritten letter that described various health problems. “I have taken responsibility for my actions since the first day.” Conahan was sentenced to 17 years in prison for helping orchestrate one of the worst judicial scandals in U.S. history: a scheme to send children to for-profit jails in exchange for kickbacks . Biden’s decision to commute his sentence angered many in northeastern Pennsylvania, from the governor to the families whose children were victimized by the disgraced former judge. Conahan had already served the vast majority of his sentence, which was handed down in 2011. “I do feel strongly that President Biden got it absolutely wrong and created a lot of pain here in northeastern Pennsylvania,” Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, said Friday. A message seeking comment was sent to an attorney who recently represented Conahan, the former judge of the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas. In what came to be known as the kids-for-cash scandal, Conahan and Judge Mark Ciavarella shut down a county-run juvenile detention center and accepted $2.8 million in illegal payments from a friend of Conahan’s who built and co-owned two for-profit lockups. Sandy Fonzo, whose son killed himself at age 23 after Ciavarella locked him up as a teen, called Conahan’s commutation an “injustice.” “I am shocked and I am hurt,” Fonzo said in a statement provided to The Citizens’ Voice of Wilkes-Barre. “Conahan‘s actions destroyed families, including mine, and my son‘s death is a tragic reminder of the consequences of his abuse of power." The Juvenile Law Center, which represented plaintiffs in a $200 million civil judgment against Conahan and Ciavarella, said it “supported President Biden’s actions” but wants to see the “same kind of compassion and mercy” extended to juvenile defendants around the country. When he pleaded guilty in 2010, Conahan apologized to the youths he had hurt. “The system is not corrupt,” Conahan said at the time. “I was corrupt.” Becklin was 21 when she got into trouble, which she said was due to trying to get money to support her drug addiction. She pleaded guilty to a nonviolent felony charge for failing to provide information to police about a 2007 bank robbery. She served four months in a halfway house, four months of home confinement and three years of probation. She found out she was pregnant after she’d been out of custody for about a year. She said she had her “aha moment” when her son was 1 year old. “And I was living at home with my parents. I had, like, no job, no education, no future,” Becklin said. “Had a felony on my record. I had substance use history, you know, all these things. And he was 1. And I just remember, like looking at him and realizing that his whole life was, like, really dependent on what I did with mine.” Within days, she said, she enrolled at a community college. She recently earned her doctoral degree in comparative molecular biosciences at the University of Minnesota. For her doctorate, she used stem cell biology and genetic engineering to better understand how pediatric cancers grow and develop. She’s still working in the cell and gene therapy space, now as a postdoctoral researcher at the university. The White House noted in its announcement that Becklin also mentors currently and previously incarcerated people who are seeking to pursue higher education. She said she does it as part of a program called Prison to Professionals. They help guide people on the unique issues they’ll face in higher education and provide them with a support network. She said she still doesn’t know exactly how being pardoned and having her record cleared will affect her future. “I think there was a point in my life where it really mattered if I, like, had a certain career path or if I did that. But I have found that, kind of wherever I am, I find my purpose and my need there. And, you know, it’s kind of a beautiful way to live,” she said. Associated Press writers Jack Brook in New Orleans, Ed White in Detroit, Mead Gruver in Cheyenne, Wyo., Michael Rubinkam in Pennsylvania; Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis; and Lisa Baumann in Bellingham, Wash., contributed to this report.Major investment banks and research firms project offshore yuan to weaken to an average 7.51 per dollar through the end of 2025, according to CNBC's calculation of forecasts from 13 institutions. That would mark the currency's weakest level on record, according to LSEG data going back to 2004. Chinese authorities are facing a tough call of protecting the yuan from falling too much while also striving to get the economy back on track. Chinese authorities are contending with a weakening yuan as global investment banks forecast the currency to hit record lows, in anticipation of U.S. president-elect Donald Trump following through with his tariff threats. Major investment banks and research firms project offshore yuan to weaken to an average 7.51 per dollar through the end of 2025, according to CNBC's calculation of forecasts from 13 institutions. That would mark the currency's weakest level on record, according to LSEG data going back to 2004. Trump on Monday said he would impose an additional 10% tariff on all Chinese goods coming into the U.S., according to a post on his social media platform Truth Social. Trump had already pledged 60% or higher tariffs on Chinese goods during his election campaign. "U.S. tariffs would, other things equal, lead to an appreciation of the dollar ... currencies of economies with close trade links to the U.S. would see the largest currency adjustments," said Jonas Goltermann, deputy chief markets economist at Capital Economics. The yuan would need to move to a level of 8.42 against the dollar to fully factor in 60% tariffs on all Chinese goods, according to the projection of Mitul Kotecha, Barclays' head of FX & EM macro strategy of Asia. The offshore yuan has lost over 2% since the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 5, and last traded at 7.2514 on Thursday. During the initial round of U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods under Trump's first term as president in 2018, the yuan depreciated by about 5%, according to Reuters , and weakened another 1.5% the following year when trade tensions intensified. China has maintained a tight control over the yuan's value onshore by setting a daily price with the currency allowed to trade within a 2% band around that price. Offshore trading is more market-driven. "The uncertainty is a lot higher this time" than during Trump's first term in office, given the size of tariff threat and magnitude of trade imbalance between China and the U.S., said Ju Wang, head of Greater China FX & rates strategy at BNP Paribas. "Any perceived lack of consistency in the new US administration's policy statements would also add to the uncertainty," Wang added, who expects the PBOC to take "counter-cyclical measures to prevent its currency from overshooting the topside." Chinese authorities are facing a tough call of protecting the yuan from falling too much while striving to get the economy back on track. Any drastic depreciation of yuan could risk exacerbating capital outflows and sending shocks to the financial markets, economists said. "The CNY is already close to the 7.3 per USD level that authorities have been trying to defend," said Cedric Chehab, chief economist at BMI," a push through this level would increase volatility for Chinese financial markets, which the PBOC would want to avoid." But the challenge is that the central bank may not want to raise interest rates to contain yuan's decline, as that would weigh on growth of an already faltering economy, Chehab added. The PBOC has been supporting the value of onshore yuan by capping the daily reference rate at 7.20 on the dollar this year. This month, the central bank also kept several major policy rates unchanged as it seeks to stabilize the currency. The exchange rate will be maintained "basically stable at an adaptive and balanced level," a central bank official said in a statement last week. The stabilizing efforts will arrest some depreciation expectation and support broader Asian FX stability, said Wei Liang Chang, global FX and credit strategist at DBS Bank, who is hopeful that "a recovery is on the cards when U.S. rates soften further." The U.S. dollar index has pared its gains after Trump announced the nomination of Scott Bessent as the next U.S. Treasury secretary, coming off from a two-year peak of 108.09 last Friday. While Bessent, a hedge fund manager, has supported Trump's tariffs, he has advocated a "layered in" approach . "Such policy positions should help contain trade risks, create room for negotiations, and ultimately curb excessive RMB outflows," Chang added.
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Conor McGregor loses sexual assault caseCanada 'Freedom Convoy' leader found guilty over trucker protest roleThere's certainly been no shortage of joy in the lives of Ashanti and Nelly this year. Following months of rampant pregnancy rumors, the two artists welcomed their first child together back in August. Before that, the two of them revealed that they got married in 2023. They've been providing their supporters with fun updates here and there, but now, they may have one of the most exciting ones yet on the way. According to sources who recently spoke with The Jasmine Brand , Ashanti could allegedly be pregnant with a second little one. This is unconfirmed at the time of writing, but regardless, their supporters couldn't be more thrilled for the happy couple. "That’s how you do it. Don’t waste your time. She waited 20 years for true love," one fan writes on Instagram. "Love that for them," another says. While many commenters are shocked at how early Ashanti allegedly got pregnant again, others saw this coming. After all, the lovebirds have appeared the happiest they've ever been in recent months. Read More: Ashanti Calls Nelly Her "Soulmate" While Gushing Uncontrollably Over Their Relationship During an interview with ET a few weeks ago, for example, Ashanti couldn't help but shower her husband with compliments. She called Nelly her "soulmate," and when she described them both as "strong-willed," the interviewer dubbed them a power couple. They've also been known to share fun clips and photos on social media from their various celebrations. Just this month, Nelly turned 50, and Ashanti helped him celebrate by joining him in serenading their party guests with an impressive duet. The month prior, Nelly posted an adorable montage of Ashanti's birthday festivities alongside a heartfelt message. "Happy Bday To the most beautiful woman in the world," he wrote. "Putting Smiles on your face is something i wake thinking about and the thing I love doing the most... grateful to have someone who loves and appreciate me as much as I do them ... love you mama ." Read More: Ashanti Helps Nelly Celebrate His 50th Birthday With Adorable “Baby” Duet
fans are having a field day after noticing an adorable slip-up made by her boyfriend, tight end , during a recent episode of the . Travis' 'New Heights' fumble While discussing a movie review of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Travis and his brother, Jason Kelce, reflected on one of their first film analyses, a choice suggested by Swift's fans. But as Travis attempted to recall the review, he inadvertently mixed up the title with one of Swift's recent albums. Travis began, before pausing and correcting himself with a quick laugh. Despite quickly moving on, fans were quick to catch the mistake and took to social media, with many calling it a heartwarming sign of Travis's devotion to . one fan posted on X, while another exclaimed, Many fans found the moment touching, with one commenting, Another declared, A few others joked, Swift about to end massive Eras Tour This lighthearted moment comes as continues to dominate headlines. Recently, Billboard ranked her as the second greatest pop star of the 21st century, just behind . Swift's latest album, , has also made waves, breaking records with over 300 million streams on Spotify in a single day. The pop star is also on the verge of ending her record-breaking , which wraps up next week with a last run of shows in . As the world tunes into Swift and Kelce's relationship, fans can't get enough of these charming glimpses into their personal lives.Mysterious googly eyes go viral after appearing on public art in OregonNone
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George has a bone bruise on his left knee and will miss two games, the team said Thursday. The 76ers said George did not suffer any structural damage when he injured the same knee that he hyperextended during the preseason in Wednesday night's loss at Memphis. The game marked the first time this season the All-Star trio of George, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey started a game together. George will miss home games Friday against Brooklyn and Sunday against the Los Angeles Clippers, his former team. A nine-time All-Star, the 34-year-old George will be evaluated again on Monday. Wednesday's 117-111 loss to the Grizzlies dropped the Sixers to 2-12, the worst record in the NBA headed into Thursday night's games. George signed a four-year, $212 million contract with Philadelphia after five seasons with the Clippers. He has averaged 14.9 points in eight games this season. Embiid has been out with injuries, load management rest and a suspension, while Maxey was sidelined with a hamstring injury. An expected contender in the Eastern Conference, the Sixers haven't won since an overtime victory against Charlotte on Nov. 10. AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nbaJessica Hamilton, a clinical psychologist at University of Kansas Health System, said people concerned about bitter political arguments during Thanksgiving gatherings could opt out of those conversations. She said holiday dinner hosts could set boundaries for guests to forbid quarrels about the November election. (Kansas Reflector screen capture from KU Health System YouTube channel) TOPEKA — Personal political agendas, social-media inflamed partisanship and tough-to-swallow outcomes in the 2024 election are likely to simmer as families with divergent perspectives gather around dinner tables for annual Thanksgiving meals. Instead of settling whether it was acceptable to substitute lasagna for turkey as the main course, folks were likely to argue about attributes and shortcomings of Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. Rather than consider whether the menu should include fried apples, braised collard greens, macaroni and cheese or roasted broccoli, relatives could slide into debate on the potential of tariffs igniting inflation. In lieu of conversation about whether pecan pie should be displaced by English toffee for dessert, diners might bicker about implications of Republicans simultaneously controlling the U.S. House and U.S. Senate. Clinical psychologists Greg Nawalanic and Jessica Hamilton, of the University of Kansas Health System, said supper-time strife could be reduced by taking a healthy approach to political differences. They recommended families and friends strive to set boundaries, be courteous, actively listen to others, express curiosity and focus on the big picture of a holiday associated with counting blessings. “If you are on the winning side, then that’s great for you. Have those feelings. Celebrate it. Maybe keep it inside of you. Talk to like-minded people about that,” Nawalanic said. “But when you have friends or family who were opposing, try to be gracious about it. Remember, they were just as invested as you were ... but now are very disappointed.” He said that during the two weeks after the Nov. 5 election about 90% of his counseling sessions were tied to ballot-box results. Hamilton said some of her patients were suffering anticipatory anxiety because they understood their personal political ideas didn’t align with others in the family. Some clients, she said, were experiencing political grief because a majority of voters didn’t see national, state or local candidates in the same way or took a contrary position on taxation, gambling or abortion questions. She said the desire of people to stand up for personal values made it difficult to accept the political opinions of rivals. One option on Thanksgiving was to not participate in political dialogue at the dinner table, she said. Those who do ought to take a deep breath before commenting to avoid escalating a rhetorical quarrel, she said. “If you want to engage, I would say engage in a way that is true to the kind of person that you want to be,” Hamilton said. “Are you wanting to be ‘right’ as far as politics go? Or, do you want to be understanding and recognize that there is a difference and be respectful?” She suggested individuals direct conversations toward poignant or humorous family stories and histories rather than squabble about political events capable of driving people apart. Hamilton said it would be acceptable for a Thanksgiving host to set ground rules in advance that precluded back-and-forth friction on political topics. Adults and children might be well-served by looking at election results through the lens of good sportsmanship, she said. “We teach our kids this,” she said. “Why aren’t we displaying that as adults? How can we be good sports and appreciate one another?” Nawalanic said the environment of some Thanksgiving gatherings could be compared to a visit to a dentist. It might not be pleasant, he said, but the agony was of limited duration. He said individuals consumed political news in different ways with some remaining glued to social media and others taking passive interest until Election Day. He said social media amplified discord during the 2024 elections. In the end, he said, technology played a larger role in this election because messaging left little room to calmly consider the range of candidates and issues. “We have to understand that when we go into these conversations there’s been an echo chamber that is so reinforced and impregnable,” Nawalanic said. “If you try to talk or communicate at your dinner table the way you’re doing it online — if you’re one of those little snipers who wants to nail you — let’s not do that.” He advised people to resist the temptation to sever family relationships based on results of November’s voting. Perhaps it would be best to explore more substantive reasons for contemplating closure of those doors, he said. “If you’re considering ending a relationship because of politics, it’s probably less about the politics and more about personality attributes in the way they’ve gone about it,” Nawalanic said. Nawalanic said it could be useful to snack before arriving for the big Thanksgiving meal, because hunger could trigger what he referred to episodes of “hanger” when controversial topics were broached. He said consumption of alcoholic beverages ought to be minimized at dinners where discord could arise because “wine is not adaptive coping.” He said it was important to remember this year’s snapshot of people around the dinner table was certain to change by next year. “Do you want to look back on this Thanksgiving and think, ‘It was such a nice, lovely family time together and a great meal,'” Nawalanic said. “Or, do you want to remember, ‘I burned her with that comment. When I said that, she felt it.'”
Benchmark indices on Wall Street scaled new peaks on Wednesday after comments from Fed Chair Jerome Powell ahead of the policy announcement on December 18. Share Market View All Nifty Gainers View All Company Value Change %Change The Dow Jones closed above the mark of 45,000 for the first time, the S&P 500 added 0.6% to close near 6,100, while the Nasdaq Composite outperformed, gaining 1.3%. The tech-heavy index is now 1.3% away from the 20,000 mark. All seven big-tech stocks ended higher, sending a Magnificent Seven-linked ETF to gains of 62% so far for the year. The Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund also ended at an all-time high, a first since July. Stocks surged after Fed Chair Jerome Powell said that the US economy is in "remarkably good shape." Powell also said officials can afford to be cautious as they lower rates toward a neutral level — one that neither stimulates nor holds back the economy. He spoke at the New York Times DealBook Summit in New York. “We view this as slightly hawkish — but stopping well short of challenging the market’s growing confidence that a December cut is the base case, which has been our view all along,” said Krishna Guha at Evercore. One of Powell’s favorite barometers of the economy — the Beige Book — showed economic activity increased slightly in November, and businesses grew more upbeat about demand prospects. Treasury 10-year yields declined four basis points to 4.18%. French bond futures held onto earlier gains after far-right leader Marine Le Pen joined a left-wing coalition to topple the government, setting the stage for further political wrangling that has weighed on the nation’s assets for months. “The current market environment is clearly ‘risk-on’,” said Steve Sosnick at Interactive Brokers. “Yet the evidence shows that someone has been buying insurance against a 10% correction in the S&P 500, even though — or perhaps because — we haven’t seen one in months.” “We remain tactically bullish into year-end given the positive macro environment, earnings growth, and a Fed that remains supportive of markets,” wrote JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s Market Intelligence Team led by Andrew Tyler. “It is sensible to play the market’s momentum and see low pullback potential until mid-January,” they said. A Bank of America Corp. indicator that tracks sell-side strategists’ average recommendations remains at its highest level since early 2022, in neutral territory, but much closer to a contrarian “sell” signal than a “buy.” In commodities, West Texas Intermediate fell 2% Wednesday as tepid US economic data undercut OPEC+’s progress on a deal to keep output constrained. Gold was little changed early Thursday after two daily advances. (With Inputs From Agencies.)Pete Hegseth's mother says The New York Times made 'threats' by asking her to comment on a storyInside mess that sealed Aussie’s early F1 debut... and why he can silence axe rumour for good
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — CNN wants a court to dismiss a defamation lawsuit filed by North Carolina Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson that attacks its report that he made explicit posts on a pornography website’s message board. The network says Robinson presented no evidence that the network believed its story was false or aired it recklessly. The September report says Robinson, who ran unsuccessfully for governor this month, left statements over a decade ago on the message board in which, in part, he referred to himself as a “black NAZI" and said he enjoyed transgender pornography. The report also says he preferred Adolf Hitler to then-President Barack Obama and slammed the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. as “worse than a maggot.” Robinson, who was seeking to become the state's first Black governor, said he didn’t write those posts and sued in October, just before early in-person voting was to begin. While filing a dismissal motion Thursday in Raleigh federal court, attorneys for CNN said Robinson’s arguments suggesting he was the likely victim of a computer hacking operation that created fake messages would require a series of events that is not just “implausible, it is ridiculous.” Generally speaking, a public official claiming defamation must show a defendant knew a statement it made was false or did so with reckless disregard for the truth. “Robinson did not and cannot plausibly allege facts that show that CNN published the Article with actual malice,” attorney Mark Nebrig wrote in a memo backing the dismissal motion, adding that the lawsuit “does not include a single allegation demonstrating that CNN doubted the veracity of its reporting.” For Robinson, who already had a history of inflammatory comments about topics like abortion and LGBTQ+ rights , the CNN story nearly led to the collapse of his campaign. After the report's airing, most of his top campaign staff quit, advertising from the Republican Governors Association stopped and fellow Republicans distanced themselves from him, including President-elect Donald Trump. Robinson lost to Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein by nearly 15 points and will leave office at year-end. Robinson's lawsuit was initially filed in state court. It says, in part, that CNN chose to run its report based on data from the website NudeAfrica, which had been hacked several years ago and ran on vulnerable, outdated software. His suit claims the network did nothing to verify the posts. He's seeking monetary damages. Thursday's memo highlights the network's story, including a section where the CNN journalists showed how they connected Robinson to a username on the NudeAfrica site. As the CNN story said previously, the memo says the network matched details of the account on the message board to other online accounts held by Robinson by comparing usernames, an email address and his full name. The details discussed by the account holder matched Robinson’s length of marriage, where he lived at the time, and that both Robinson and the account holder had mothers who worked at a historically Black university, the memo says. CNN also said it found matches of figures of speech used by both the NudeAfrica account holder and in Robinson’s social media posts. “This is hardly a case where, as Robinson alleges, CNN ‘disregarded or deliberately avoided the truth’ rather than investigate,” Nebrig said, adding later that the network “had no reason to seriously doubt that Robinson was the author” of the posts. Robinson's attorneys didn't immediately respond to an email Friday seeking comment. The lawsuit says anyone could have used Robinson's breached data to create accounts on the internet. His state lawsuit also sued Louis Love Money, a former porn shop worker who alleged in a music video and a media interview that for several years starting in the 1990s, Robinson frequented a porn shop where Money was working and that Robinson purchased porn videos from him. Robinson said that was untrue. Money filed his own dismissal motion in the state lawsuit. But since then, CNN moved the lawsuit to federal court, saying that it's the proper venue for a North Carolina resident like Robinson and a Georgia-based company like CNN and that the claims against Money are unrelated. Gary D. Robertson, The Associated Press
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