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‘Peace Cross’ memorial at center of landmark Supreme Court fight over religious displays

BLADENSBURG, Md. -- The war memorial has seen better days. Sitting in a traffic circle in the Washington suburbs, the Bladensburg Peace Cross as it is known has large cracks in its tan concrete and pink granite. Water damage has stained the 40-foot structure, covered partially by a tarp to prevent more decay.

But this worn-down, century-old monument is now at the center of a fiery Supreme Court fight – one where the newest justice, Brett Kavanaugh, once again could play a decisive role.

SUPREME COURT SAYS VOTE OF DEAD ‘PROGRESSIVE ICON’ JUDGE DOES NOT COUNT

The memorial’s supporters say the structure was erected solely to honor those who died in battle during World War I – and, despite its shape, is secular in nature. Opponents call it an impermissible overlap of church and state, since the Latin cross design sits on public land.

"There is an unfairness of suggesting that a cross could represent all veterans when clearly not all veterans are Christians," said Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the American Humanist Association, which opposes the cross on public land.

Justices Wednesday will hold 70 minutes of oral arguments and hear from both sides over an issue that has divided the courts and the public for decades. It presents another opportunity for consistent, clear markers to be created on when such "passive" religious displays and speech, if ever, can occur the public arena.

Hundreds of similar cross-shaped war memorials across the country, as well as other religious displays, could be affected. Those include permanent Ten Commandments monuments and seasonal Nativity scenes in local parks.

The Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty and the American Jewish Committee are among those backing the memorial's removal. But 109 members of Congress and 28 states are among those filing briefs in support of the veterans.

SUPREME COURT TO DECIDE IF WORLD WAR I MEMORIAL 'PEACE CROSS' CAN STAND

“The Supreme Court should honor the way Gold-Star mothers chose to remember the service and sacrifice of their sons who died defending our freedom,” said Kelly Shackelford, president of First Liberty Institute, which is leading the legal fight to preserve the cross. “If this gravestone is bulldozed to the ground, it’s only a matter of time before the wrecking ball turns on Arlington National Cemetery and the hundreds of memorials like this one across the country.”

The Trump administration also will be given argument time before the justices to make its case for the memorial.

Honoring the Fallen

Fundraising for the Peace Cross began soon after the "war to end all wars" concluded. Spearheaded by Gold Star mothers of Prince George's County, Md., who lost their sons to battle, it honors 49 men, including four African-American soldiers and a Medal of Honor recipient. It was completed in 1925, built by members of local American Legion posts with private donations. It was later rededicated as a memorial to honor all American veterans.

Inscribed at the base of the monument are four words: Valor, Endurance, Courage, and Devotion. There are no written references to God, Christianity, or religion.

Complicating matters, however, a Maryland parks commission in 1961 gained control of the cross and land around the busy intersection. The government now pays for maintenance and upkeep, though veterans groups regularly hold memorial services there. The structure includes the embedded symbol of the American Legion.

Among the names listed is Pvt. Thomas Notley Fenwick, who died of pneumonia in 1918 after being gassed while on the French front. His niece Mary Ann Fenwick Laquay grew up hearing stories about her uncle and regularly visits the memorial.

"I know he's not buried there but I feel like he is, it's like going to the cemetery," the 80-year-old said. "It needs to stay right where it is. It's not hurting anybody ... Why are [those opposed] so determined to destroy something that means so much to so many people?"

Similar cross displays on federal land to honor war dead can be found at nearby Arlington National Cemetery. A simple cross dedicated to World War I veterans was located for decades in California's Mojave National Preserve, but was transferred in 2012 to private hands in a land swap, with the Supreme Court's blessing.

In Bladensburg, three area residents and the American Humanist Association filed suit in 2014, saying in court papers the memorial sends a "callous message to non-Christians."

"I think it was intended to be a Christian symbol from the beginning," Roy Speckhardt, the group’s executive director, told Fox News. "Unfortunately the cross can't be a symbol for all. It doesn't represent our veterans who've served honorably who are Muslim, Buddhist, and Jewish. And of course those of no faith at all."

AHA and other groups point out the original contributors to the memorial signed a pledge, stating, "With our motto, ‘One God, one Country and one Flag,’ we contribute to this memorial cross commemorating the memory of those who have not died in vain."

The association has suggested the memorial either be moved to private property or redesigned.

A divided federal appeals court in 2017 agreed, ruling the Bladensburg memorial cross was a "core symbol of Christianity” and concluded "the purported war memorial breaches the wall of separation between Church and State."

"The sectarian elements easily overwhelm the secular ones," Judge Stephanie Thacker wrote for the 2-1 majority.

In lower court arguments, one judge said the dispute could be resolved by replacing the memorial. Another suggested stripping the horizontal arms from the cross, something its supporters liken to desecration.

Faith Fractures

The Supreme Court has a mixed record on disputes concerning religious freedom and the separation of church and state, with the justices often using a case-by-case determination.

The high court has allowed some religious-themed displays on public property, while banning others. In 1971, the court established its three-prong "Lemon" test, named for one of the parties in the case, for the relationship between church and state.

Under those standards, the government can assist a religious interest only if the primary purpose of the assistance is secular, the assistance neither promotes nor inhibits religion, and there is no excessive entanglement between church and state.

But the approach has had its critics. The late Justice Antonin Scalia in 1993 tweaked his colleagues for their "wavering" application of precedent.

"Like some ghoul in a late-night horror movie that repeatedly sits up in its grave and shuffles abroad, after being repeatedly killed and buried, Lemon stalks our Establishment Clause jurisprudence once again," he wrote. "It is there to scare us (and our audience) when we wish it to do so, but we can command it to return to the tomb at will."

Justice Clarence Thomas was more succinct in 2011, saying the court's jurisprudence on the matter was "anyone's guess."

Yet a court majority in recent years has sought a more nuanced position, recognizing perhaps how divisive the issue has become. In his narrowly drawn 2018 majority opinion, just weeks before announcing his retirement, Justice Anthony Kennedy was in the 7-2 majority favoring a Colorado baker who refused to create a customized cake for a gay couple's union, claiming a sincere faith-based exemption to the state's anti-discrimination law.

With Kennedy now replaced by Kavanaugh on the court, some observers believe the 5-4 conservative majority will be more sympathetic to religious liberty claims. And Kavanaugh could prove the decisive vote in the current fight, where history and context of the Bladensburg memorial are sure to be presented at argument.

‘We can't back down’

The American Legion's Colmar Manor Post 131 is less than a mile from the Bladensburg Peace Cross. Nearby are other smaller monuments to those lost from other American conflicts and the 9/11 terror attacks. The group sponsors the annual Memorial Day ceremony of remembrance on the site, and is one of the case litigants.

On a recent Friday, three local Vietnam-era veterans gathered to talk about their service, and support for the Peace Cross.

"The 49 men over there, we don't know what religion they are," said Stan Shaw. "Because the military never asked them that, when they were over there fighting."

"When I came of age, 13 years old, my father took me by the Peace Cross, and said, 'Son, this is what the people of this county think of military service,'" said Mike Moore. "Having that memorial torn down, defaced, or bulldozed, I can't conceive of it. It would be an insult to all those who served."

"We can't back down, we have got to win this," added Phillip Holdcraft. "We can't desecrate all these memorials across the United States. They're not for Christians, they're for the veterans."

But some Jewish and Muslim veterans groups are among those opposing the memorial's design, saying it is not inclusive or respectful of their faiths.

"Veterans of all stripes are united by their love of country, but they are not united by the cross," the Jewish War Veterans of the United States of America, Inc., told the high court in a brief. "It does a disservice to both Jewish veterans and Christian veterans to suggest otherwise."

A ruling is expected by late June.

Fox News’ Caleb Parke contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News Politics

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EU welcomes Azerbaijan's amnesty for 400 political activists

The European Union has welcomed Azerbaijan's decision to give amnesty to a number of political activists and journalists.

European Commission spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic said the amnesty for over 400 people included representatives of political parties, non-government organizations, bloggers and journalists, calling it "a welcome step."

Kocijancic said "the European Union expects that further similar steps will follow in future in line with Azerbaijan's international commitments." She added the EU will "continue its engagement with Azerbaijan to step up the cooperation, including on human rights, which constitutes an essential element of our relationship."

Azerbaijan has maintained close ties with the West, helping protect its energy and security interests in the Caspian Sea. At the same time it has long faced criticism in the West for alleged human rights abuses and the suppression of dissent.

Source: Fox News World

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AP Interview: Ukraine minister claims Russia on its knees

With President Petro Poroshenko slipping in the polls a week ahead of elections, Ukraine's government is trying to put a brave face on his achievements, insisting it is well on its way to delivering on the demands of the Maidan protest movement that drove the previous Russia-backed president from power in 2014.

In an interview with The Associated Press on Friday, Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin insists that Ukraine has Russia on its knees, and that his country is making good progress toward taking its place among Western European democracies.

He says: "Ukraine is already part of the trans-Atlantic community. It should formally become part of this trans-Atlantic community."

Ukrainians will vote for a new president on March 31, with a likely second round in April.

Source: Fox News World

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Rep. Doug Collins on Lisa Page transcripts: This shows a 'two-tiered system'

Rep. Doug Collins, the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, made a bold vow Tuesday to show the American people the extent of corruption within the Justice Department with its handling of the investigations involving former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Trump.

“The president has been unfairly attacked from the moment he was elected in November 2016 on many fronts and now we’re beginning just to see the vast scope of what most of us knew, that Ms. Clinton was treated completely differently than what we ended up seeing Trump being treated, and that’s just wrong,” Collins, R-Ga., said on “Hannity.”

Collins was reacting to a release of transcripts Tuesday by House Judiciary Republicans from a closed-door interview with former FBI attorney Lisa Page in July 2018.

“When you have the... corrupt triumvirate of [former FBI Agent Peter] Strzok, [former FBI Deputy Director Andrew] McCabe and Page, when they have been involved from day one from the email controversy, through the original Russia investigation, through the appointment of [Special Counsel Robert] Mueller, this just shows that there is a two-tiered system,” Collins said. “And, we’re going to say, we’re going to get this out and we’re going to put it in ways that people can easily understand, not a large dump, we’re going to take it methodically as we go, as we get them cleared, and we’re going to get them out to the American people.”

LISA PAGE 'COOPERATIVE,' 'CREDIBLE,' LAWMAKERS SAY AFTER 5-HOURS CLOSED-DOOR SESSION

Page and Strzok, who were investigating Russian meddling and possible collusion involving Trump, exchanged numerous anti-Trump text messages in December 2017 including one in particular that mentioned an “insurance policy,” apparently stemming from a meeting in McCabe's office. McCabe has said he could not recall such a meeting taking place.

During Page’s interview with the Judiciary Committee, she essentially confirmed the texts referred to the Russia investigation and said the FBI “knew so little” when the investigation began.

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Hannity asked if Collins there would be accountability for the revelations released in the transcripts.

“There will be,” Collins told Sean Hannity. “I think this is what we’re finding, I think... the new attorney general [William Barr] has understood this.”

Fox News' Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News Politics

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U.S. agency submits auto tariff report probe to White House

FILE PHOTO: Toyota trucks are shown on a car carrier for delivery after arriving in the United States in National City, California
FILE PHOTO: Toyota trucks are shown on a car carrier for delivery after arriving in the United States in National City, California, U.S. June 27, 2018. REUTERS/Mike Blake

February 18, 2019

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Commerce Department sent a report to U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday that could unleash steep tariffs on imported cars and auto parts, provoking a sharp backlash from the industry even before its contents are revealed.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. Commerce Department said late Sunday the agency would not disclose any details of the “Section 232” national security report.

Trump has 90 days to decide whether to act upon the recommendations, which auto industry officials expect to include at least some tariffs on fully assembled vehicles or on technologies and components related to electric, automated, connected and shared vehicles.

(Reporting by David Shepardson and David Lawder; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

Source: OANN

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California governor makes new proposals to fight wildfires, PG&E shares rise

FILE PHOTO: Governor of U.S. state of California Gavin Newsom visits the premises of a migrant assistance office in San Salvador
FILE PHOTO: Governor of U.S. state of California Gavin Newsom visits the premises of a migrant assistance office in San Salvador, El Salvador April 8, 2019. REUTERS/Jessica Orellana

April 12, 2019

(Reuters) – California Governor Gavin Newsom released a report on Friday calling for the creation of funds to fight wildfires and proposed that state law should be reformed to reduce liability of utilities, sending PG&E Corp up nearly 12 percent.

Newsom’s report calls for changing liability for wildfire damage to a fault-based system. The current system, known as inverse condemnation, exposes the state’s utilities to liabilities from wildfires regardless of their negligence, as long as their equipment is involved.

The current system pushed PG&E to seek bankruptcy protection in January, as it faced liabilities in excess of $30 billion related to the deadliest wildfires in California’s history.

“Under the status quo, all parties lose – wildfire survivors, energy consumers and Californians committed to addressing climate change. The imperative now is on action,” Newsom said.

The report proposed creating two funds to help utilities pay for wildfire damage claims and spread the cost more widely among stakeholders.

Shares of Edison International also rose 7 percent at $66.8.

Edison International is the parent company of the utility Southern California Edison Co. Earlier in March, investigators found that the devastating Thomas Fire in northwest of Los Angeles was sparked by power lines owned by SoCal.

(Reporting by Aishwarya Venugopal and Shanti Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta)

Source: OANN

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Georgia girl, 9, hit by speeding car while playing in yard as family demands answers

A 9-year-old girl from Georgia was hit by a speeding car while playing in her own front yard on Friday, and now her parents are looking for help identifying the driver.

LaDerihanna Holmes was captured on surveillance footage playing with her friend in the yard of her home in Lithonia, a city around 20 miles east of Atlanta, around 7 p.m., her parents said.

In the footage, which was released by Holmes' family, the two children were seen hanging out on the front sidewalk and lawn.

MURDERED SOUTH CAROLINA STUDENT'S CAUSE OF DEATH REVEALED

Suddenly, the car appeared to speed through a stop sign, crossing the street onto the property — and hitting Holmes, pushing her into the house.

Her mother, Charlette Bolton, told The Associated Press that when the car crashed into the house, it felt like an earthquake. She said she screamed for her daughter and ran outside, where she said she saw the girl on the ground, appearing lifeless.

This undated photo provided by attorney Chris Stewart shows LaDerihanna Holmes.

This undated photo provided by attorney Chris Stewart shows LaDerihanna Holmes. (Chris Stewart via AP)

Bolton's 12-year-old son and a man started performing CPR on LaDerihanna, and her mother felt a heartbeat. Holmes' father, Derryl, picked her up and drove her to the hospital.

Her family said she suffered a fractured skull and her pelvic bone was broken in three places. The right valve of her heart was leaking blood, among other injuries, her family said.

"She's so tiny. She's only 45 to 50 pounds," Bolton said. "I just don't know how she made it."

An officer with the DeKalb County Police Department reportedly contacted the car's owner, who said her boyfriend had the vehicle while she was at work.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Stewart Trial Attorneys, which has been working on behalf of the family, created a GoFundMe page for Holmes' medical bills which had raised more than $7,500 as of Monday evening. Lawyer Chris Stewart said police claimed they had leads in the case.

Bolton said her daughter — despite her injuries — has been talking and laughing, and was scheduled to start physical therapy on Monday. Speaking to the driver of the car, she said: "Y'all thought my baby was dead. Y'all didn't look down at my baby one time, and I want you to turn yourselves in."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News National

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Logo of the Exxon Mobil Corp is seen at the Rio Oil and Gas Expo and Conference in Rio de Janeiro
FILE PHOTO: A logo of the Exxon Mobil Corp is seen at the Rio Oil and Gas Expo and Conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil September 24, 2018. REUTERS/Sergio Moraes

April 26, 2019

(Reuters) – Exxon Mobil Corp on Friday reported first-quarter profit fell sharply on lower oil and gas prices and weakness in its refining and chemicals businesses that offset modest production gains.

The largest U.S. oil producer’s first quarter earnings fell to $2.35 billion, or 55 cents a share, from $4.65 billion, or $1.09 a share, a year ago.

Analysts had expected Exxon to earn 70 cents per share, according to Refinitiv Eikon estimates.

Shares were trading down about 2.7 percent in premarket trading on Friday.

Exxon’s oil equivalent production rose 2 percent to 4 million barrels per day, up from 3.9 million bpd in the same period the year prior. The company said its output in the Permian Basin, the largest U.S. shale basin, rose 140 percent over a year ago.

(Reporting by Jennifer Hiller; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

Source: OANN

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A Baha’i advocacy group has expressed concerns over the fate of minority Baha’is at the hands of Yemen’s Houthi rebels ahead of the appeals hearing for one of the community leaders sentenced to death.

The Baha’i International Community said in a statement Friday that the hearing for Hamed bin Haydara, detained in 2013 and sentenced to death last year on espionage and apostasy charges, is due on Tuesday.

The statement quotes Bani Dugal, the Baha’i community representative at the United Nations, as saying the prosecution hasn’t addressed Haydara’s appeal but is instead making “absurd, wide-ranging accusations.”

International rights groups have decried the prosecution of Yemeni Baha’is by the Iran-backed Houthis.

Iran has banned the Baha’i religion, which was founded in 1844 by a Persian nobleman considered a prophet by followers.

Source: Fox News World

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Afghan President Ashraf Ghani speaks during the inauguration of the newly-elected parliament in Kabul
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani speaks during the inauguration of the newly-elected parliament in Kabul, Afghanistan April 26, 2019. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani

April 26, 2019

By Rupam Jain and Hameed Farzad

KABUL (Reuters) – Afghan President Ashraf Ghani encouraged newly-elected lawmakers to participate in the peace process with the Taliban as he opened on Friday the first session of parliament since a controversial election.

Ghani has invited thousands of politicians, religious scholars and rights activists to an assembly known as a loya jirga next week to discuss ways to end the 17-year war.

Several opposition leaders have said they will boycott the four-day assembly in Kabul, saying it was pulled together without their input and is being used by Ghani as he seeks a second term in a September presidential election.

“We have presented the peace plan on a regular basis and we are committed to it,” Ghani said in the first session since parliamentary elections marred by technical problems, militant attacks and accusations of voting fraud last year.

“Based on this plan, there will be no peace deal and negotiation that does not have the green card of the parliament,” he added.

Officials from the United States and the Taliban have held several rounds of talks to end the Afghan war.

U.S. negotiator, Zalmay Khalilzad, has reported some progress toward an accord on a U.S. troop withdrawal and on how the Taliban would prevent extremists from using Afghanistan to launch attacks as al Qaeda did on Sept. 11, 2001.

The insurgents have so far rejected U.S. demands for a ceasefire and talks on the country’s political future that would include Afghan government officials.

The loya jirga, a centuries-old institution used to build consensus among competing tribes, factions and ethnic groups, is an attempt by Ghani to influence the peace talks and cement his position for a second term, Afghan politicians and Western diplomats say.

Amid growing political divisions in Kabul, opposition politicians have demanded that Ghani step down when his mandate ends next month, and give way to an interim government to oversee peace talks with the Taliban. Ghani has ruled that out.

The country’s top court said last week Ghani can stay in office until the presidential election in September.

(Reporting by Hameed Farzad, Rupam Jain, Editing by Darren Schuettler)

Source: OANN

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Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein Thursday defended special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation while slamming former President Barack Obama’s administration for being slow to take action on Russian interference in U.S. elections and ex-FBI Director James Comey for telling Congress the agency was investigating collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.

“Our nation is safer, elections are more secure, and citizens are better informed about covert foreign influence schemes,” Rosenstein said in a speech to the Armenian Bar Association, marking his first public remarks after the Mueller report was released, reports CBS News.

He also pointed out that the investigation revealed a pattern of computer hacking and the use of social media to undermine elections as “only the tip of the iceberg of a comprehensive Russian strategy to influence elections, promote social discord, and undermine America, just like they do in many other countries,” reports The Wall Street Journal.

The Obama administration also made “critical decisions,” including choosing not to publicize the full story about Russian hackers and social media trolling, “and how they relate to a broader strategy to undermine America,” said Rosenstein.

He noted that the Mueller probe began after Comey disclosed during a hearing before Congress that President Donald Trump “pressured him to close the investigation and the president denied that the conversation occurred.”

Rosenstein said two years ago, when he was confirmed, he was told by a Republican senator that he would be in charge of the probe and that he’d report the results to the American people.

However, he said he didn’t promise to do that, because it is “not our job to render conclusive factual findings. We just decide whether it is appropriate to file criminal charges.”

Source: NewsMax Politics

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FILE PHOTO: The Huawei logo is pictured outside its Huawei's factory campus in Dongguan, Guangdong province
FILE PHOTO: The Huawei logo is pictured outside its Huawei’s factory campus in Dongguan, Guangdong province, China, March 25, 2019. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo

April 26, 2019

By Ben Blanchard

BEIJING (Reuters) – Britain must get to the bottom of the leak of confidential discussions during a top-level security meeting about the role of China’s Huawei Technologies in 5G network supply chains, British finance minister Philip Hammond said on Friday.

News that Britain’s National Security Council, attended by senior ministers and spy chiefs, had agreed on Tuesday to bar Huawei from all core parts of the country’s 5G network and restrict its access to non-core elements was leaked to a national newspaper.

The leak of secret discussions has sparked anger in parliament and amongst Britain’s intelligence community. Britain’s most senior civil servant Mark Sedwill has launched an inquiry and written to ministers who were at the meeting.

“My understanding from London (is) that an investigation has been announced into apparent leaks from the NSC meeting earlier this week,” said Hammond, speaking on the sidelines of a summit on China’s Belt and Road initiative in Beijing.

“To my knowledge there has never been a leak from a National Security Council meeting before and therefore I think it is very important that we get to the bottom of what happened here,” he told Reuters in a pooled interview.

British culture minister Jeremy Wright said on Thursday he could not rule out a criminal investigation. The majority of the ministers at the NSC meeting have said they were not involved, according to media reports.

Hammond said he was unaware of any previous leak from a meeting of the NSC.

“It’s not about the substance of what was apparently leaked. It’s not earth-shattering information. But it is important that we protect the principle that nothing that goes on in national security council meetings must ever be repeated outside the room.”

Allowing Huawei a reduced role in building its 5G network puts Britain at odds with the United States which has told allies not to use its technology at all because of fears it could be a vehicle for Chinese spying. Huawei has categorically denied this.

There have been concerns that the NSC’s conclusion, which sources confirmed to Reuters, could upset other allies in the world’s leading intelligence-sharing network – the Five Eyes alliance of the United States, Britain, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

However, British ministers and intelligence officials have said any final decision on 5G would not put critical national infrastructure at risk. Ciaran Martin, head of the cyber center of Britain’s main eavesdropping agency, GCHQ, played down any threat of a rift in the Five Eyes alliance.

(Writing by Michael Holden; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Source: OANN

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