Tag: Border Wall

Pelosi and Schumer Side with Illegal Aliens Over 38.6 Million Food Stamp Recipients to Block the Wall

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At the end of the month, food stamp benefits will run out for 38.6 million recipients on account of the partial government shutdown. Right now, the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program is being funded with previously appropriated dollars, but in February that will change as the Department of Agriculture remains unfunded for Fiscal Year 2019. It could be resolved in five minutes. But it won’t be because House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) are siding with illegal aliens to block funding for the southern border wall. Would they keep the border wide open so that drugs can be smuggled and gangs and human trafficking can run rampant rather than help needy families keep their children’s bellies full? Really? Much of the crime brought on by illegal immigration disproportionately winds up in the very poorer communities that depend on food stamps. We’re talking about 19.4 million households including 38.6 million individual recipients who receive $4.7 billion of SNAP benefits monthly. There are also hundreds of thousands of federal workers who are going without pay for the duration of the shutdown. They have bills to pay, too. Are Pelosi and Schumer willing to sacrifice them all on…

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Commentary: Battle Over Border Is About More Than A Wall

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by Rick Manning   The battle over securing the southern border is bigger than any wall. It is about whether our nation will actually defend its borders against an unconventional invasion — one designed to play on our heartstrings through the inclusion of women and children — but also fundamentally transform our nation from a constitutional republic to a permanent socialist majority. This isn’t just about a wall or fence line, it is about the basic right of the United States to have borders. It has already been established that those who enter our nation illegally our costing the country approximately $338 billion annually according to a just released study by the Center for Immigration Studies. These costs will only increase as Medicare, Social Security, welfare, health care, housing, food stamp and education budgets get further strained by the thousands who flow across the border illegally each month. That is the backdrop for the current fight in Washington, D.C. over whether funding should be provided to build a wall and provide for other key security measures along the border. And the funding fight is relatively isolated with the Department of Defense already fully funded, along with the Veteran’s Administration, Labor…

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Top Debates To Watch For In New Congress

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by Rachel del Guidice   Democrats took control of the House of Representatives Thursday, starting a new era of divided government. Here are four things to watch as the 116th Congress begins amid a government shutdown. 1. Tension Between Progressives and Other Democrats Democrats are set to vote Thursday on a rules package. While it’s supported by incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, it’s already causing waves of opposition among other House Democrats. The rules package would allow people to keep their religious headwear on in the House chamber as well as prohibit discrimination in regards to gender identity and sexual orientation. It also contains a “pay-as-you-go” provision. Pay-go “requires that any new legislation that increases deficits (whether through an increase in mandatory spending or decrease in revenues) must be fully offset by other increases in revenues or decreases in mandatory spending so that the new legislation does not add to the budget deficit,” according to the Peter G. Peterson Foundation. Both Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., have said they would vote against the rules package because of the pay-go element. “I will be voting NO on the Rules package with #PayGo,” Khanna tweeted Wednesday. “It is…

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Democrats Pushing to Match Your Tax Dollars to Small Campaign Contributions at an Astonishing Rate

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by Evie Fordham   House Democrats are expected to unveil legislation Friday that uses taxpayer money to match small-dollar campaign donations at the astonishing rate of 6-to-1, a policy that would likely benefit Democrats much more than Republicans. “When you do something that looks like a political stunt, it makes you look worse, not better, in the eyes of the public,” Zach Wamp, a Republican former congressman and co-chair of nonpartisan organization Issue One, told The Wall Street Journal. Republicans are especially wary of the small-dollar donation matching policy, which would turn a $20 donation into more than $100 for a candidate. Democrats consistently rake in more small-dollar donations than Republicans, according to a WSJ review of Federal Election Commission reports. For example, freshman Nevada Sen. Jacky Rosen, a Democrat, unseated incumbent Dean Heller after outraising him by amassing small-dollar donations, reported the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Roughly 32 percent of her funds came from small individual contributions, while only 9 percent of Heller’s came from small-time donors, according to the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP). And Democrat Beto O’Rourke, who unsuccessfully challenged Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018, was the fourth most-popular congressional candidate for small dollar donations, according…

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GatewayPundit’s Jim Hoft Teams Up with Missouri’s St. Louis Tea Party to Announce a Rally for Trump’s Border Wall

Anthony Gockowski

The St. Louis Tea Party is organizing a rally for Saturday in support of President Donald Trump as he continues to fight for the border wall. According to a press release, the rally was organized by the St. Louis Tea Party and the Gateway Pundit, Jim Hoft. “Our president needs our support. Our president needs to know we stand with him,” Hoft said in a statement, encouraging St. Louis residents to attend the Saturday rally in Clayton, Missouri. “Let’s show our support for President Trump as he holds the line, and demand funding for the wall,” the St. Louis Tea Party said on Facebook. The news comes amid a contentious government shutdown over funding for Trump’s border wall, which now Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer are unwilling to budge on after multiple conversations with the president. On Thursday, Trump made a surprise appearance in the White House briefing room (his first) and was accompanied by members of ICE and Border Patrol. Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council, told the White House press corps that if they “interview Border Patrol agents, they will tell you that walls work.” “Anywhere that you…

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House Dems Release Plan to End Shutdown – No Wall Included

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by Henry Rodgers   House Democrats are putting together a plan to end the partial government shutdown, which does not include any additional funding for President Donald Trump’s border wall. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who vehemently opposed the border wall, calling it “immoral, ineffective and expensive,” and her Democratic colleagues reportedly put together legislation that would reopen the government and allocate $1.3 billion to border security, however, none of that would be allowed to go to a border wall. The Democrats plan to introduce the legislation on the House floor Thursday, when they regain control, according to Fox News. Republican North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows, chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, previously said he does not believe Trump will agree to the Democrats’ counteroffer of $1.3 billion that could be used for the border wall, stating he does not think the amount is “reasonable.” The government will remain shut down until a compromise can be worked out among the two parties. “The time to stand up for the American people and fight for wall funding is now. The time to act is now. That’s why we were elected and it’s time we follow through,” Meadows told the The Daily…

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President Trump Tells Reporters the Government Will Stay Shut Down Unless Wall is Built

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by Henry Rodgers   President Donald Trump said the federal government will remain shut down unless there is an agreement on some type of border wall or fence. “I can’t tell you when the government is going to reopen … [Not until] we have a wall, a fence, whatever they’d like to call it. I’ll call it whatever they want. But it’s all the same thing. It’s a barrier from people pouring into our country,” Trump said when talking to reporters on Christmas Day. Trump’s comments come as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Republicans need to “abandon” border wall funding if they want the government to reopen, just less than 24 hours into the partial shutdown. Trump has not budged on the issue, despite Schumer’s comments, adding that it’s a barrier from dangers like drug smuggling. “It’s a barrier from drugs. There is a problem in this world today called human trafficking … We are not going to let that take place. We are working so hard to catch these traffickers. They are bad people. We can’t do it without a barrier, we can’t do it without a wall,” Trump continued. Incoming acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney warned it is “very possible” the partial…

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Minnesota Lawmakers Respond Feverishly to Border Wall Shutdown

Anthony Gockowski

It was a wild week in Washington, which gave Minnesota’s politicians ample opportunity to attack President Donald Trump. In a Friday appearance on The Dan Obeidallah Show, Rep.-elect Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) said Trump’s border wall “is deeply rooted in xenophobia.” “If Trump shuts down the government: 420,000 Americans will be forced to work without pay over the holidays. 380,000 will be furloughed. 30 million small businesses will lose access to loans,” she later wrote on Twitter. “All of this, over a wall that Americans don’t want. A wast of billions of dollars.” If Trump shuts down the government: 420,000 Americans will be forced to work without pay over the holidays. 380,000 will be furloughed. 30 million small businesses will lose access to loans. All of this, over a wall that Americans don’t want. A waste of billions of dollars. — Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) December 21, 2018 “Hey GOP, your incompetency is mind numbing, three shutdowns in one year. For the sake of the American people, get it together or get out of the way,” Omar wrote on Saturday. Hey @GOP, your incompetency is mind numbing, three #shutdowns in one year. For the sake of the American people, get it together…

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President Trump Shut Down Government In ‘Contrived Fight’ Over Border Wall, Corker Says

Jason M. Reynolds

Retiring U.S. Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) set off a Twitter fight with President Donald Trump after saying he shut the government down to pick a fight “to look like he’s fighting” over the border wall. Corker made the remark Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” with host Jake Tapper. The video is available to watch here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_urlv_UoC8Q “This is a purposely contrived fight, over … at the end of the day, even no matter who wins, our borders are still going to be insecure,” Corker said. He mentioned that in 2013, he and U.S. Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) created a $46 billion border security bill that passed the Senate with 69 votes that called for more border security, including fencing, as well as create a path to grant green cards to illegal immigrants. (The International Business Times said the vote was 67-27.) Corker also said Trump could have received $25 billion for border security a few months ago and resolve the “Dreamer” issue. “Now, the government is shut down over what ultimately is going to be $2 billion.” Corker also mentioned he had promised to only serve two terms and criticized the administration’s decisions to pull troops from Syria…

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Listen to The Tennessee Star Report Exclusive Interview with Vet Who Has Raised Over $10 Million Using GoFundMe to Help Trump ‘Build the Wall’

Julie Carr

On Thursday’s Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Steve and Mike spoke exclusively with Air Force veteran Brian Kolfage, a triple amputee and recipient of the Purple Heart, about his GoFundMe account in which, at the time of the interview (7:15 am central time) had raised over $4 million the four days since its launch to help “build the wall.” As the morning conversation continued, a donor made a contribution in the amount of $10,000 which was then the largest single donation so far. Later on Thursday, an anonymous donor topped that with a $50,000 donation. As of 10 p.m. central Thursday night, contributions had grown to over $10 million. You can see the current status of the GoFundMe account here. You can read the full transcript here: Leahy: We are joined now by Brian Kolfage who has a verified blue check Facebook page as a public figure, he’s a purple heart recipient, a triple amputee veteran.  He put up this page, GoFundMe account just a couple days ago and already has three point one million dollars to…

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EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Lamar Alexander Tells The Tennessee Star Report He Believes ‘Right Now . . . Nancy Pelosi Doesn’t Have the Votes to Be Elected Speaker’

Julie Carr

On Wednesday’s Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy spoke with Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) about his decision not to run for re-election in 2020, who he thinks may run to succeed him, Nancy Pelosi’s chance of securing the needed votes to become Speaker of the House, and whether he would support the allocation of military construction funds to build the border wall. When asked about Pelosi’s chances of becoming Speaker, Alexander said, “I think the problem right now is that Nancy Pelosi doesn’t have the votes to be elected Speaker.” Alexander added he thinks that she is not willing to make any agreement until after she is elected. You can read the full transcript here: Gill: And Senator Lamar Alexander a good friend of the show and long time friend of the Gill family on our Newsmakers line to tell us a little bit about his decision and what’s next and, Lamar good to have you with us. Alexander: Good morning Steve, how are you today? Gill: I’m good. I have to…

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Commentary: Democrats’ Disgusting Hypocrisy on the Wall and Border Security

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After meeting with President Trump to try to resolve the details of the final spending bill of the 115th Congress, soon-to-be Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi of California stated, “Democrats will stand fast against the immoral, ineffective border wall.” Likewise, Democratic Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer of New York threatened to shut down the government if funding for a border wall is part of the legislative package. But back in 2006, 80 U.S. Senators, including Senator Schumer himself, along with Senators Obama, Biden, Clinton, Bill Nelson, Debbie Stabenow, and many others supported a bill that authorized 700 miles of fencing on our southern border. In the House, 64 Democrats also voted for the 700 miles of border fencing. Hillary Clinton, who was critical of President Trump’s plan during the 2016 presidential campaign, also supported fencing along the border and bragged as recently as November 2015 about her previous votes as a senator on the issue. At a campaign event in New Hampshire, a woman asked Clinton about securing the border from illegal immigrants, Clinton said: “Well, look I voted numerous times when I was a Senator to spend money to build a barrier to try to prevent illegal immigrants from coming in…

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Commentary: Trump Picks the Right Fight With Pelosi and Schumer

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by George Rasley   Yesterday, President Trump surprised White House reporters by calling them into the Oval Office conversation with Democrats that was originally designated as closed to the press. During the debate, both House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer protested that it was taking place on camera. “Let’s debate in private,” said the Senate’s Democratic Minority Leader Senator Charles Schumer of New York after President Trump opened his meeting on border security to the media. “We came in here in good faith and we’re entering into this kind of a discussion in the public view,” said a very unhappy soon-to-be Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi of California. “I don’t think you should have a debate in front of the press,” she said. “But it’s not bad, Nancy. It’s called transparency,” said a very happy President Donald J. Trump. Yesterday’s meeting between President Trump, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi was an awesome display of how Trump can win the battle for the Wall, simply by sticking to his guns. Naturally, the establishment media would like to convince you and the rest of America that Trump is being unreasonable, but…

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US Supreme Court Turns Away Challenge to Trump’s Border Wall

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The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rebuffed a challenge by three conservation groups to the authority of President Donald Trump’s administration to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, a victory for Trump who has made the wall a centerpiece of his hard-line immigration policies. The justices’ declined to hear the groups’ appeal of a ruling by a federal judge in California rejecting their claims that the administration had pursued border wall projects without complying with applicable environmental laws. The groups are the Center for Biological Diversity, the Animal Legal Defense Fund and Defenders of Wildlife. Their lawsuits said construction operations would harm plants, rare wildlife habitats, threatened coastal birds like the snowy plover and California gnatcatcher, and other species such as fairy shrimp and the Quino checkerspot butterfly. Trump has clashed with U.S. lawmakers, particularly Democrats, over his plans for an extensive and costly border wall that he has called necessary to combat illegal immigration and drug smuggling. Congress, controlled by the president’s fellow Republicans, has not yet provided him the amount of money he wants. The president has threatened a government shutdown unless lawmakers provide $5 billion in funding. On Saturday, Trump said congressional leaders sought a two-week…

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Jim Jordan Lobbies Lame Duck Congress to Fund Trump’s Border Wall

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by Nick Givas   Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio said the GOP has failed to keep its campaign promises and told Congress to fund President Donald Trump’s border wall on Fox & Friends Wednesday. “What was the single biggest promise we made the American people in 2016 that we have not got done yet? Building the border security wall and securing the border,” Jordan said. “We should be focused on that one main thing over the next several weeks as we still have a few weeks left while Republicans control all of government. We should focus on the biggest promise we made them and what they sent us here to do. Plain and simple.” “Why did we lose in the fist place? I mean two years ago the American people elected President Trump to come to this town to shake it up and he has done just that. But I don’t think they’ve seen this same intensity from House Republicans,” he added. Jordan said Republicans would have won more midterm races and could have retained the House if they had stuck to the agenda that propelled Trump to the White House. “Did we replace Obamacare? Did we reform welfare?…

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Bredesen 100 Percent Wrong on Illegal Immigrant Army, Blackburn Says

Jason M. Reynolds

Democratic Senate candidate Phil Bredesen on Wednesday dismissed the illegal alien army approaching America’s southern border. When asked about the army Bredesen laughed, saying, “A few thousand very poor people coming to our border is not a threat to our, is not a threat to our security.” Bredesen’s opponent, U.S. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN-07) released a campaign video Friday calling him out. The video is available here. According to Blackburn, Bredesen also: Gave driving certificates to illegal aliens as governor in 2004 and made Tennessee a magnet for illegal aliens. Said the border wall is more “political theater” than practical policy. Doesn’t support President Trump’s travel ban. (The Tennessee Star reported in June that he ducked the issue.) Blackburn’s campaign said, “Phil Bredesen is dangerously wrong on immigration and out of touch with Tennesseans. Marsha Blackburn is 100% supportive of securing our border. As our Senator, she will work with President Trump to build the wall and stop the caravan.” The Washington Examiner confirmed the migrant army is composed of criminals from various nations: The Department of Homeland Security on Thursday defended claims by President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence that violent criminals are a component of the Honduran caravan…

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Kevin McCarthy Rolls Out Bill to Fully Fund Trump’s Border Wall, Cut Off Sanctuary Cities

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by Will Racke   House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy formally introduced Friday a bill that would set aside more than $23 billion to build President Donald Trump’s proposed border wall, drawing attention to a key concern of Republican voters ahead of the November midterm elections. The proposal, known as the Build the Wall, Enforce the Law Act of 2018, would appropriate $16.6 billion for a “border wall system” along the U.S.-Mexico frontier consisting of physical barriers and intrusion detection systems. It adds another $6.8 billion for security infrastructure, including border surveillance technology and additional detention space for illegal immigrant families. McCarthy tied the bill’s border security provisions to the ongoing family migration crisis at the southwest border, which the Trump administration says is caused by laws that encourage illegal immigration. “For decades, America’s inability to secure our borders and stop illegal immigration has encouraged millions to undertake a dangerous journey to come here in violation of our laws and created huge loopholes in the legal channels we use to welcome immigrants to our country,” the California Republican said in a statement. “President Trump’s election was a wakeup call to Washington. The American People want us to build the Wall and…

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Marsha Blackburn: “I Will Always Support Policies That Keep Americans Safe”

Jason M. Reynolds
Marsha Blackburn

Congress should build President Donald Trump’s wall on the Mexican border and punish officials who create sanctuary cities, U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn said. Blackburn (R-TN-07) made her case on immigration in an editorial Monday in The Hill. She is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Bob Corker, who is retiring. Her Democratic opponent is former Gov. Phil Bredesen. Here is an excerpt of her editorial: “Every state is a border state and every town is a border town. That is what many believe to be happening due to the illegal entry taking place on our nation’s southern border. What we as Tennesseans have watched happen over the past decade is a problem that has spiraled out of control for local law enforcement and elected officials. It is due to the federal government not doing its job to enforce existing federal immigration law. The Obama administration pushed open-border policies, backed away from securing the border and pushed sanctuary city policies that have made us less safe. … “Tennesseans ask me every day what we should do to get the issues that come from illegal immigration into our country under control. The first steps we should take are to…

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Randy Boyd Calls Diane Black ‘D.C. Diane’ And Questions Her Record On Immigration In Flyer, Website

Jason M. Reynolds
anto-Black mailer

Republican gubernatorial candidate Randy Boyd fired a salvo this week at opponent Diane Black by calling her “D.C. Diane” and questioning her past stances on immigration as a congresswoman and former state senator. Boyd’s campaign mailed a flyer which said, in part, “The Real D.C. Diane Black: A typical 20-year career politician who says one thing in Tennessee, but does another in D.C.” The flyer said: “D.C. Diane mocked President Trump’s border wall. In an interview with liberal reporter Katie Couric, D.C. Diane Black openly mocked and laughed at President Trump’s plan to build a border wall saying: ‘First of all, you can’t build a wall. That won’t work. It can’t be done.’ “Voted against funding for border security. D.C. Diane voted against a bill that provided $1.6 billion to fund the border wall, even though most Republicans and President Trump supported it. “Voted to give Tennessee drivers licenses to illegal immigrants. Diane Black voted for a bill at the urging of Democrat Governor Phil Bredesen to give drivers licenses to illegal immigrants. “Voted to give Obama a blank check for his amnesty. The conservative Heritage Foundation slammed a bill D.C. Diane supported that funded Obama’s executive amnesty for illegal…

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Homeland Security Announces Border Wall Prototype Finalists

Tennessee Star Staff

The Department of Homeland Security announced Thursday the contractors that will build prototypes for President Donald Trump’s proposed border wall, jump-starting a process that has run into numerous delays over the last four months. Ron Vitiello, the acting deputy commissioner of Customs and Border Protection (CBP), said construction will begin in San Diego after CBP officials…

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Procedural Victory Moves Administration Closer to Green Light on Trump’s Wall

Tennessee Star Staff

House Democrats failed in a last-minute attempt Friday to prohibit funds allocated to the Defense Department’s $696 billion budget from going toward the construction of the border wall President Donald Trump repeatedly promised to build. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-N.M.), chairwoman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, led the Democratic charge to reinstate language that House GOP…

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