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Patrick G. Eddington

@pgeddington.bsky.social
2.4K followers 665 following 4K posts

Out now: The Triumph of Fear: Domestic Surveillance and Political Repression from McKinley through Eisenhower. Order direct from GU Press & use code TGUF to get 30% off: press.georgetown.edu/Book/The-Trium… Views mine alone.

PostsRepliesMedia
Patrick G. Eddington @pgeddington.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
How very J. Edgar Hoover of them.
wired.com
ICE Has Been Dumping Protester Photos Into a Palantir Database
DHS agents not only tracked and intimidated people observing ICE activity in Maine, but stored information about them in a Palantir-built database, newly unsealed court filings say.
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Patrick G. Eddington @pgeddington.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
The author is a good friend who has spent a lot of time on harm reduction research.
reason.com
Smoking is bad for you. Nicotine isn't—but politicians keep trying to ban it.
Nicotine is not responsible for the cancers or lung disease caused by combustible tobacco.
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Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
America today is a country where regulators won't allow private companies to air interviews of the opposition on TV, but declare that taxpayer funded propaganda is fine.
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Julian Sanchez @normative.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Just took the lovely Maeve out for an afternoon. She gets agitated by other dogs, but is otherwise the biggest sweetheart you will ever meet. If you’re in the DC area you can adopt her here: bvspca.org/dc
Adorable Rottweiler Maeve
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Patrick G. Eddington @pgeddington.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The #DOGE scam was always about getting access to information on each of us, but when GAO tried to get info on DOGE staff given access to our data, GAO got stiff-armed frequently.
gao.gov
U.S. GAO - DOGE: Congress and the Public Lack Assurance That Systems and Data Were Protected at Multiple Agencies
An executive order required federal agencies to establish Department of Government Efficiency teams to implement the administration's goals. We...
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Election Truth Alliance @electiontruthalliance.org · 24/09/2026
This is deeply concerning. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has sent observers to monitor every U.S. federal election for the past two decades. Governors need to pick up the phone and find out if an invitation extended by leaders of states can fill that federal gap.
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Patrick G. Eddington @pgeddington.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
#ICE with the ability to monitor 1 million people in real/near-real time. I mean what could possibly go wrong? Great work by @lindseywilkinson.bsky.social of @fedscoop.bsky.social
fedscoop.com
ICE awards contested, controversial surveillance contract to Thomson Reuters
Documents shared exclusively with FedScoop offer insight into the initial contract awarded six years ago that acted as a critical building block in DHS’s current surveillance apparatus.
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Patrick G. Eddington @pgeddington.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Once my ballot actually got to me--during the injunction--I decided not to take any chances: I drove to the FFX County government center & deposited my ballot in the provided drop box. I just got the confirmation text that it's been counted. Trump's election threats are why these options matter.
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Patrick G. Eddington @pgeddington.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
I worry about the soon-to-be former Trump regime officials who will likewise attempt to rehabilitate their image via media campaigns, "apology" book tours, etc. & that they will find outlets willing to help them try to bury their past roles in facilitating attacks on the foundations of the Republic.
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Patrick G. Eddington @pgeddington.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
His desperation is palpable.
nytimes.com
From 15,000 to 185 to Zero: Trump’s Claims of Illegal Voting in Nevada Fizzle
It was the Trump administration’s latest stumble in its effort to find proof of widespread noncitizen voting, despite decades of evidence that it is extremely rare.
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Chris Geidner @chrisgeidner.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
NEW: After reporters were denied access this morning, plaintiffs are requesting an immediate hearing. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
ABLE NEWS NETWORK, INC., MS NO
ABLE, LLC, POLITICO LLC, ET AL
Plaintiffs,
V.
DONALD J. TRUMP, ET AL.,
Case No. 1:26-cv-03287-TJK
REQUEST FOR IMMEDIATE HEARING
Defendants.
REQUEST FOR IMMEDIATE HEARING
Early this morning the Court issued a Temporary Restraining Order directing "that Defendants (except for President Trump) and their agents, representatives, and all persons or entities acting in concert with them shall immediately return, reinstate, and restore the White House "hard pass' press credentials held by employees of CNN, MS NOW, and POLITICO that were revoked on or about September 18, 2026." Dkt. 24 (the "Order"). This morning journalists from each of CNN, MS NOW, and POLITICO attempted to enter the White House and were turned away, and Secret Service agents confiscated the hard pass of journalists whose hard passes
had not previously been confiscated. And when Plaintiff Betsy Klein, whose hard pass was confiscated on Saturday, September 19, requested to have her hard pass returned, her request was denied and she was refused access to the White House complex. And time is of the essence CNN is scheduled to be the television pool this evening for President Xi Jinping's visit to the White House.
Counsel for Plaintiffs reached out to counsel for Defendants this morning and requested to
call the Court together. Counsel for Defendants has not responded.
Case 1:26-CV-03287-TJK Document 25 Filed 09/24/26 Page 2 of 2
Defendants have already repeatedly violated the Court's Order. Plaintiffs respectfully request that the Court set a hearing by videoconference or teleconference as soon as possible this morning.
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Patrick G. Eddington @pgeddington.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Why am I not the least bit surprised that this anti-First Amendment crap happened in my hometown? "Queen City of the Ozarks" <cue them to "Deliverance">
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404 Media @404media.co · 23/09/2026
Citizens showed up to the city council meeting with plans to let city leaders know how they felt about the city’s use of Flock. But Springfield mayor Jeff Schrag moved to prevent public comment on Flock. Then, arrests happened, @mjgault.bsky.social reports. Story: www.404media.co/woman-arrest...
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Adam Steinbaugh @adamsteinbaugh.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
BREAKING: An Iowa state court dismisses President Donald Trump’s frivolous lawsuit against veteran pollster J. Ann Selzer (represented by @thefireorg.bsky.social) and the Des Moines Register newspaper, a victory for First Amendment rights. Opinion here: www.fire.org/research-lea...
This case sets a President, a member of Congress, and a former state senator against a pollster and a newspaper, and it arises out of an election. A case of that kind invites the reader to look for a political result. The Court’s role is narrower. It is to sit as an impartial arbiter, to apply the law without passion or prejudice, and to rule without regard to the politics of the day. As such, the only question before the Court is whether the Petition states a claim the law recognizes. At its core, the Plaintiffs’ Petition seeks to stretch both Iowa statutory and common law beyond their current bounds, turning speech that enjoys the highest category of First Amendment protection into a liability. After considering the parties’ arguments, the Court must conclude that the protection is too great and the reach is too far. The case must therefore be dismissed.
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CREW @citizensforethics.org · 23/09/2026
A top DOJ official reportedly told managers in a conference call that federal prosecutors who decline to pursue investigations of alleged voter fraud could be terminated. This is yet another indication that Trump is trying to bend the DOJ to his will.
ms.now
Top DOJ official warned that prosecutors would be fired for not pursuing alleged voter fraud, according to sources
In a conference call among senior officials came a directive to prosecutors: Go after election fraud cases presented to them or risk termination. The Justice Department denies a threat was made.
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Andy Craig @andycraig.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
A residential program housing 16 year olds and 22 year olds together sounds like an extremely bad idea in extremely obvious ways.
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Patrick G. Eddington @pgeddington.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Another example of why #ICE should be abolished.
thehill.com
ICE leaves US citizen injured on ground in mistaken identity incident
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) left a U.S. citizen from Evanston, Ill., injured on the ground after he was detained in an incident of mistaken identity on Sunday, according to local poli…
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Patrick G. Eddington @pgeddington.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
So #Dallas residents get taxed to pay for the trash trucks that now spy on them so they can be de facto taxed a second time via fines.
dallasexpress.com
Dallas Issues Citations From AI Code Enforcement Cameras On Sanitation Trucks
Dallas has issued its first citations stemming from potential code violations detected by AI-powered cameras mounted on city trash trucks.
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David J. Bier @davidjbier.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Did you know that DHS is authorized by Congress to intentionally defame private individuals all day, every day and it cannot be sued for defamation? Now that you know that, does it make you more or less likely to believe anything it says? (Oh, he didn't illegally enter)
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Patrick G. Eddington @pgeddington.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Now that Cato has exposed the FBI's targeting of the institute, they want to keep their database names secret--something that would make our surveillance dystopia even worse. My latest, out now. cc: @cjciaramella.bsky.social @mvtopic.bsky.social @radleybalko.bsky.social @fedscoop.bsky.social
cato.org
Its Spying on Cato Exposed, the FBI Wants Its Database Names Kept Secret—That’s How Rights Violations Start and Endure
A FOIA exemption meant to protect unique, perishable law enforcement tradecraft should not become the tool that keeps the public from knowing even the names of the systems being run in its name and po...
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Patrick G. Eddington @pgeddington.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
We'll know soon enough whether he's a one-off or a trend setter, but this has political "Smell the fear" vibes big time.
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Patrick G. Eddington @pgeddington.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
If DoJ goes after @404media.co for source information, that will certainly be one form of independent confirmation that the hack is real.
404media.co
‘We Hacked the FBI:’ Hackers Say They Have Data on All FBI Employees
A sample of 5,000 alleged agents seen by 404 Media includes names, addresses, phone numbers, and details on FBI employees' spouses.
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Michelle Chappell she/her @michellechap76.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
DC folks, call your CM and ask them to oppose the FILTER Act, they are voting on it today!
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Patrick G. Eddington @pgeddington.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Now that Cato has exposed the FBI's targeting of the institute, they want to keep their database names secret--something that would make our surveillance dystopia even worse. My latest, out now. cc: @cjciaramella.bsky.social @mvtopic.bsky.social @radleybalko.bsky.social @fedscoop.bsky.social
cato.org
Its Spying on Cato Exposed, the FBI Wants Its Database Names Kept Secret—That’s How Rights Violations Start and Endure
A FOIA exemption meant to protect unique, perishable law enforcement tradecraft should not become the tool that keeps the public from knowing even the names of the systems being run in its name and po...
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Patrick G. Eddington @pgeddington.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Nothing says "DC: Under Permanent Military Occupation" like a vanity arch complete with drones and snipers.
npr.org
Trump says his D.C. arch will serve as 'military complex' with snipers and drones
President Trump has claimed that military operations are needed at his proposed triumphal arch in Washington D.C., in order to protect national security. A federal court is weighing the arch's legality.
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Patrick G. Eddington @pgeddington.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
During the Argentine junta's "dirty war" from 1976-1982, they did more than just abduct and imprison people--they permanently "disappeared" them via regime security forces murdering them....but physically "disappearing" them was the first step.
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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
NEW: @apnews.com confirms that ICE has begun electronically "disappearing" people in the agency's custody who have final orders of removal. As of last week, anyone jailed by ICE with a final order of removal will NOT appear in the ICE Online Detainee Locator System, making them effectively vanish.
apnews.com
AP Exclusive: ICE hides locations of thousands of detainees with final removal orders
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has stopped publicly revealing where it is holding most detainees who are subject to final deportation orders, in a move that has made it harder for lawyers an...
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Patrick G. Eddington @pgeddington.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
The background music for this is 😘
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Patrick G. Eddington @pgeddington.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Probably People's Exhibit A for going REAL slow on #AI use in a national security context.
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Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
PabloReports: Donald Trump keeps saying we are in a golden age. Do you agree? Massie: You need gold to buy diesel now, so maybe it is the golden age.
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Axios @axios.com · 14/09/2026
A Russian oligarch close to Vladimir Putin provided hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of funding for Donald Trump Jr.'s May wedding in the Bahamas, according to a ProPublica investigation.
axios.com
What we know about the Putin ally who allegedly funded Donald Trump Jr.'s wedding
The relationship between Trump Jr. and Kremlev had not been previously reported.
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Patrick G. Eddington @pgeddington.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Maybe I’m missing something but maybe Congress should come back in session & hold immediate hearings to determine whether more than warnings are needed to deal with this. www.politico.com/news/2026/09...
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Spectrum News NY1 @spectrumnewsny1.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
The last speaker at the 9/11 remembrance ceremony lost his father to the attacks.
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Patrick G. Eddington @pgeddington.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Politicization of intelligence is nothing new. This is the greatest book about it ever written, by the man who's example led me to become a CIA whistleblower. Just like him.
steerforth.com
War of Numbers
In the fall of 1967, political and military leaders in Washington said the Vietnam War was approaching &ldquo;the crossover point&rdquo;: More Vietcong soldiers were dying in battle each week than cou...
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Patrick G. Eddington @pgeddington.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Our national failure to punish presidents who violate their oath to preserve, protect, & defend the Constitution has become the pattern that's led us to what I call the constitutional accountability abyss...and it intensified post-9/11. My latest, out now.
original.antiwar.com
9/11’s Aftereffect: The Constitutional Accountability Abyss
Over the last several weeks in the lead up to the 25th anniversary of al Qaeda's attack on the U.S., I've had American and foreign journalists ask me the same question: how did 9/11 change America? My...
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Maurizio Guerrero @mauriziogro.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
The US is measurably less free than 25 years ago. DHS surveillance apparatus is chilling the freedom of speech and association of immigrants and any critic of the Trump administration. There's tons of evidence. @mapthepower.bsky.social @pgeddington.bsky.social prismreports.org/2026/09/10/9...
prismreports.org
Reversing post-9/11 surveillance won’t be easy, advocates say
Twenty-five years after the U.S. government launched the war on terror, the “terrorist” profile is widening
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Patrick G. Eddington @pgeddington.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Our national failure to punish presidents who violate their oath to preserve, protect, & defend the Constitution has become the pattern that's led us to what I call the constitutional accountability abyss...and it intensified post-9/11. My latest, out now.
original.antiwar.com
9/11’s Aftereffect: The Constitutional Accountability Abyss
Over the last several weeks in the lead up to the 25th anniversary of al Qaeda's attack on the U.S., I've had American and foreign journalists ask me the same question: how did 9/11 change America? My...
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Patrick G. Eddington @pgeddington.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
I was born & raised in Springfield, MO. Got my undergrad degree at (S)MSU. If Trump is politically underwater in my birth state, that's pretty much a seismic shift because this place--especially SW MO, which is where I'm from--is solidly GOP & has been pretty much my entire life.
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Project Salt Box @projectsaltbox.com · 10/09/2026
Today, we filed a FOIA request with DHS concerning an AI-generated image the @DHSgov X account posted this morning. The image depicts a Transformer facing a South Asian man, over a caption telling "Mr. Singh" to self-deport and get off American roads. We want the prompt.
AI-generated image posted by the DHS account on X, styled as a movie poster. A blue and red robot with the Department of Homeland Security seal on its chest faces a bearded South Asian man in a blue bandana and a monogrammed shirt. A city skyline sits between them at sunset. Text between the two faces reads "SELF-DEPORT OR FIND OUT." Below, in the Transformers logo and typeface, "TRANSFORMERS: AMERICA FOR AMERICANS," and beneath that, "GET OFF OUR ROADS, YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO DRIVE MR. SINGH." A garbled credit block runs along the bottom.First page of a Project Salt Box FOIA request to the DHS Privacy Office, dated September 9, 2026, addressed to the Office of Public Affairs. It seeks records about the use of generative AI to produce public-facing imagery published by DHS, and describes the image posted to the @DHSgov account that morning.
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Aaron Ross Powell @aaronrosspowell.com · 10/09/2026
I once got a phone call from Nat Hentoff because I had written something about him and he wanted to thank me. He was genuinely lovely and humble and funny, and I treasure that conversation.
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Andrew Donaldson @four4thefire.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
"Your money is on the dresser" politics is someone telling you what they really think about you Believe them
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Patrick G. Eddington @pgeddington.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
A guy who did time for kidnapping now has masked goons backing him up publicly. Except this is the UK, not the US. Haven't seen this kind of bigoted paramilitary garbage since the British Union of Fascists.
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Patrick G. Eddington @pgeddington.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
I see a return to a conventional watch is likely after my existing Apple watch reaches paperweight status.
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unraveled @unraveledpress.com · 09/09/2026
Last month we pieced together dozens of violent incidents from the ICE agents seen in viral videos out of Northern Virginia. Their apparent supervisor, Martin Lagunas, has not been spotted in the field since he was identified.
unraveledpress.com
Chicago ICE team seen threatening drivers has roamed from Illinois to Minnesota to Virginia
A federal agent from Chicago identified by community members as 40-year-old Martin Lagunas was recorded pointing his gun in a Virginia woman&#8217;s face on Monday. His team of ICE agents has been doc...
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Patrick G. Eddington @pgeddington.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
This particular paragraph re: AI superintelligence actualization really does have a Cyberdyne Systems quality to it. paulfchristiano.substack.com/p/personal-s...
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Patrick G. Eddington @pgeddington.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
When a young Georgia National Guard soldier points his loaded weapon at a fellow soldier & claims it was all a joke, it's clear evidence of a breakdown of good order & discipline. It also means he gets charged with two felonies under DC law. Breaking news & my latest: www.cato.org/blog/georgia...
cato.org
Georgia National Guard Member Faces DC Felony Firearm Charges
Such behavior represents a breakdown of good order and discipline in this particular episode, and it only highlights the continuing dangers of these unnecessary and politically toxic National Guard de...
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Raider @iwillnotbesilenced.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
7 faith leaders & clergy arrested after blockading the ICE surveillance center in Williston, Vermont.
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Patrick G. Eddington @pgeddington.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Very grateful to Christopher Coyne of @georgemasonu.bsky.social and the Independent Institute for this incredible review.
independent.org
Book Review: The Triumph of Fear: Domestic Surveillance and Political Repression from McKinley to Eisenhower, Patrick G. Eddington
Unchecked state surveillance is as American as apple pie. That would be my one-sentence summary of Patrick Eddington’s important book, The Triumph of
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Caleb O. Brown @cob.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
“American higher education would be impoverished if students from abroad were not guaranteed the freedom to speak and write as they please on American campuses.” thepienews.com/rubios-stude...
thepienews.com
Rubio’s student visa revocations ruled "retaliatory"
Stanford University’s student newspaper has won a legal challenge over the US State Department, whose F-1 visa revocations and deportations of students expressing pro-Palestine views have been ruled i...
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Jeff Abbott @palabrasdeabajo.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
ICE detention camps across Texas hold 25% of immigrants detained in the Trump administration's heavy-handed crackdown on immigration. Here is my story looking at the numbers, why so many are held here, and how ICE detention in El Paso has changed over the last decade.
elpasotimes.com
Why Texas is at the heart of Trump's mass detention strategy
Over a quarter of all immigrants detained by the Trump administration are held in Texas. Why is this?
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