Counterpoint with Scott Harris

Scott Harris
  • 5.0 (4)
  • Politics
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Each week, host Scott Harris conducts interviews on a wide range of political, economic and social topics with individuals and representatives of organizations not ordinarily accessible in the mainstream media. This show airs weekly on WPKN (wpkn.org) and streams here in podcast form.

  1. 2d ago

    Counterpoint 09-28-26 w Scott Harris discusses: Trump ban on 3 media outlets latest attack on 1st Amendment; Yemen's Houthis upend US war on Iran; Erik Prince's mercenary army bringing death to Haiti; Trump attempting to consolidate US fascist state

    COUNTERPOINT RADIO, hosted by Scott Harris, is heard every Monday night on WPKN 89.5 FM, Bridgeport, CT between 8:00 – 9:30 pm ET. Webstreaming and audio archive at http://wpkn.org Some segments featured on Counterpoint are edited for re-broadcast on the syndicated Between The Lines radio news magazine. Visit their web site at http://www.btlonline.org for free subscriptions to mp3 - podcast audio files, program summaries and interview transcripts. An archive of current and past Counterpoint interviews are accessible for free at our Counterpoint Radio web site: http://counterpointradio.org The full 1.5 hour unedited program can be accessed for a 2 week period after the show, at the WPKN Radio archives: http://archives.wpkn.org/bookmarks/search/counterpoint   1) White House Ban of Three Media Outlets, Only the Latest Trump Attack on the Constitution's First Amendment Victor Pickard, the C. Edwin Baker professor of Media Policy and Political Economy at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, discusses Donald Trump's decision to ban journalists from CNN, MS-NOW, and Politico from the White House grounds, revoking their press credentials and triggering a major constitutional showdown over press freedom. He'll focus on this recent issue in the context of the many other instances of Trump regime attacks on journalists, media outlets and the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of the press.   2) Yemen's Houthi's Playing an increasingly Pivotal Role in the U.S. War on Iran Nicolas J. S. Davies is an independent journalist, a researcher with CODEPINK, and the author of "Blood On Our Hands: the American Invasion and Destruction of Iraq." He'll discuss his recent column co-written with Medea Benjamin, "The Urgency of Recognizing the Ansar Allah Government in Yemen," and issues related to the current situation in Yemen, Trump's war on Iran, and conflict's impact on the flow of Middle East oil.   3) Erik Prince, founder of the Blackwater Mercenary Army, is now Operating in Haiti & linked to Civilian Deaths Kim Ives, a journalist and editor at the weekly newspaper Haïti Liberté, talks about the issues he's covering in Haiti, news of ongoing violence, the role of Erik Prince, founder of the private military contractor Blackwater, the UN adjacent Gang Suppression Force, and the Trump regime's decision to revoke TPS status for some 350k Haitians in the U.S., with the threat of mass deportation.   4) Trump's March to Consolidate U.S. Fascist State Can Only be Stopped by Mass Civil Society Uprising Paul Street is an independent radical-democratic policy researcher, journalist, historian and author of "This Happened Here: Amerikaners, Neoliberals, and the Trumping of America." He'll discuss his column, "It’s Only Wednesday, For Fascist’s Sakes!" a compendium of Donald Trump's crimes against democracy from less than one recent week.

  2. Sep 22

    Counterpoint 09-21-26 w Scott Harris discusses: Nation rejects Trump's authoritarian onslaught; Trump's instability creates risk of catastrophe; Growing recognition of AI danger provokes calls for regulation; Pro-Palestinian protest at Ed Sheeran concer

    COUNTERPOINT RADIO, hosted by Scott Harris, is heard every Monday night on WPKN 89.5 FM, Bridgeport, CT between 8:00 – 9:30 pm ET. Webstreaming and audio archive at http://wpkn.orgSome segments featured on Counterpoint are edited for re-broadcast on the syndicated Between The Lines radio news magazine. Visit their web site at http://www.btlonline.org for free subscriptions to mp3 - podcast audio files, program summaries and interview transcripts. An archive of current and past Counterpoint interviews are accessible for free at our Counterpoint Radio web site: http://counterpointradio.org The full 1.5 hour unedited program can be accessed for a 2 week period after the show, at the WPKN Radio archives: http://archives.wpkn.org/bookmarks/search/counterpoint   1) Trump's Authoritarian Onslaught is Designed to Overwhelm a Nation that Rejects his Tyranny Sarah Kendzior is a journalist, anthropologist, and researcher, who's the bestselling author of several books including her latest, "They Knew" and "The Last American Road Trip," and is the former co-host of the popular podcast Gaslit Nation. She'll discuss her views on the Trump regime's looming threat to subvert the outcome of the midterm election by a multi-pronged set of seditious tactics -- and the enormous challenge of reconstructing our broken nation's democratic institutions.   2) Trump's Mental Instability and Unilateral Presidential Powers Creates Risk of Global Catastrophe  Dr. Bandy Lee, a forensic and social psychiatrist, co-founder and president of the World Mental Health Coalition, and is editor of the bestselling book, "The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump," which analyzed the mental fitness of President Donald Trump. Dr. Lee, whose latest book is titled, "The Psychology of Trump Contagion: An Existential Danger to American Democracy and All Humankind," will explain why she believes that Trump's mental instability and unfettered presidential powers create an extreme, unprecedented risk of global catastrophe.   3) Growing Recognition AI Danger Provokes Calls for Development Slow Down and Regulation  Miranda Bogen, Director of the Center for Democracy & Technology’s AI Governance Lab & Chief Technologist talks about the important work her group has been doing to educate the public on the dangers of unregulated artificial intelligence, while calling for new AI regulatory legislation at both the U.S. federal level and internationally. This conversation follows a week when news coverage of AI erupted after high-profile researchers warned that increasingly powerful AI systems may be advancing faster than scientists can reliably control them, and reports of six cases of unauthorized AI behavior, including AI agents concealing mistakes and circumventing human direction.   4) Pro Palestinian Protest at Philadelphia Venue of Ed Sheeran's First Concert After Removal of Rapper Macklemore From 42-City Tour Shayna, a critical care nurse, anti-imperialist organizer and spokesperson for organizers of this past Saturday’s demonstration where hundreds gathered outside of Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field ahead of Ed Sheeran’s first concert after rapper Macklemore was dropped as an opening act because of several stadium owner’s objections to his earlier pro-Palestinian remarks.  Following Macklemore's exit, all of Sheeran's opening acts, and his own Beoga band members, protested by withdrawing from his 42-city Loop Tour in 15 countries, including Finneas, Lukas Graham, and Aaron Row. Protesters at the Philadelphia concert venue demanded a free Palestine, an end to the ongoing genocide in Gaza, while condemning the blatant silencing of artists who express solidarity with the Palestinian people.

  3. Sep 15

    Counterpoint 09-14-26 w Scott Harris discusses: Cost of US wars 25 years after 9/11; Trump's "Stupid" US-Canada Trade War; Billionaire funding campaigns to make Democrats more business friendly; 1 million+ refugees w TPS status revoked face deportation

    COUNTERPOINT RADIO, hosted by Scott Harris, is heard every Monday night on WPKN 89.5 FM, Bridgeport, CT between 8:00 – 9:30 pm ET. Webstreaming and audio archive at http://wpkn.org Some segments featured on Counterpoint are edited for re-broadcast on the syndicated Between The Lines radio news magazine. Visit their web site at http://www.btlonline.org for free subscriptions to mp3 - podcast audio files, program summaries and interview transcripts. An archive of current and past Counterpoint interviews are accessible for free at our Counterpoint Radio web site: http://counterpointradio.org The full 1.5 hour unedited program can be accessed for a 2 week period after the show, at the WPKN Radio archives: http://archives.wpkn.org/bookmarks/search/counterpoint   1) 25 Years Later U.S. Post-9/11 Wars Cost $8 Trillion and Caused More Than 4.5 Million Deaths Worldwide Elizabeth Miller, Project Director September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, discusses the important work her group has been doing since the 9/11 terrorist attack, advocating nonviolent options and actions in the pursuit of justice. Stephanie Savell Co-director of the Costs of War Project at Brown University's Watson Institute, talks about her group's research on the cost of U.S. wars launched after the 9/11 attacks -- and the impact that's had on our nation's security, foreign policy and civil liberties 25 years later.   2)  U.S.–Canada Trade War: "The Most Stupid Trade Fight in History" Lori Wallach, Director of the Rethink Trade program at American Economic Liberties Project, and senior Advisor to the Citizens Trade Campaign, the U.S. national trade justice coalition of unions and environmental, consumer, faith, family farm and other groups.  She'll discuss the causes and consequences of the trade war initiated by Donald Trump, after bilateral trade negotiations collapsed, leading the U.S. to impose 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian goods in August 2026, which Canada matched with dollar-for-dollar retaliatory tariffs on $20 billion of U.S. exports earlier this month.   3) Hedge Fund Billionaire Stephen Mandel Funds Campaigns to Make the Democratic Party More Business Friendly Katya Schwenk, an investigative journalist covering private interests and corporate power at The Lever, talks about her article co-written with Luke Goldstein, titled, "How A Hedge Fund Billionaire Became The Democrats’ New Kingmaker," about Stephen Mandel who's bankrolling a new political apparatus built to “redefine” the Democratic Party.   4) More Than 1 Million Refugees Who Held U.S. TPS Revoked by Trump Now Face Potential Deportation Dulce Guzmán, Executive Director at Alianza Americas, discuss her group's work focusing public attention on the plight of hundreds of thousands of refugees from more than a dozen countries who have had their TPS status revoked by the Trump administration --  and the uncertainty that nationals from El Salvador who reside in the U.S. are now living with because Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin has not announced any decision on their future status.

  4. Sep 8

    Counterpoint 09-07-26 w Scott Harris discusses: Trump's Iran war catastrophe; Venezuela oil agreement made at gun point; As ICE terrorizes Danbury, community resists; Decades of war triggered by nations' fight to control oil & pipelines

    COUNTERPOINT RADIO, hosted by Scott Harris, is heard every Monday night on WPKN 89.5 FM, Bridgeport, CT between 8:00 – 9:30 pm ET. Webstreaming and audio archive at http://wpkn.org Some segments featured on Counterpoint are edited for re-broadcast on the syndicated Between The Lines radio news magazine. Visit their web site at http://www.btlonline.org for free subscriptions to mp3 - podcast audio files, program summaries and interview transcripts. An archive of current and past Counterpoint interviews are accessible for free at our Counterpoint Radio web site: http://counterpointradio.org The full 1.5 hour unedited program can be accessed for a 2 week period after the show, at the WPKN Radio archives: http://archives.wpkn.org/bookmarks/search/counterpoint   1) Trump's Iran War is a Catastrophe, HIs Sec. of War a Dangerous Failure Retired U.S. Army Colonel Lawrence B. Wilkerson, who served a 31-year career in the U.S. military, was chief of staff to U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell from 2002 to 2005, and is now a Senior Fellow at the Eisenhower Media Network discusses his views on growing public concern about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's unprecedented purge of top military leadership, political interference in officer promotions, as well as charges of mismanagement and incompetence in the U.S. war on Iran.   2) U.S.-Venezuela 100 Year "Oil Agreement" Made at the Point of Trump's Gun Steve Ellner is associate managing editor of Latin American Perspectives, a retired professor of Venezuela's Universidad de Oriente where he lived for over 40 years, and is author of more than a dozen books. Professor Ellner will discuss his views on the recently announced oil deal between the Trump administration and Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez -- focusing on the local response to the agreement by the people of Venezuela, political activists on the right and left -- and an examination of who will benefit from the oil agreement.   3) As ICE Mass Deportation Raids Terrorize Danbury, CT Community Resists Tabitha Sookdeo, Executive Director of the youth-led organization, Connecticut Students for a Dream, talks about the recent ICE raids in Danbury, CT over the past week where at least 62 individuals were abducted by ICE agents, which led to a major protest march and rally as well as community organizing to resist the Trump regime's violent and cruel mass deportation campaign.   4) Decades of War Triggered by Nation's Fight to Control Oil and Pipelines Charlotte Dennett, author of “Follow the Pipelines Uncovering the Mystery of a Lost Spy and the Deadly Politics of the Great Game for Oil,” discusses what’s really behind Trump’s six months of war in Iran, and  the role of Big Oil in fomenting endless wars in the Middle East -- and U.S. designs on oil and other natural resources in Venezuela, Ukraine, Greenland and Canada.

  5. Sep 1

    Counterpoint 08-31-26 w Scott Harris discusses: U.S. Troops Seeking Exit Over Trump’s Wars; Trump's 19 Schemes to Subvert the Midterm Election; ICE Raids Detain 60+ in Danbury CT, Sparking Anger &Protests; Nuclear Power: False Solution to Climate Cris

    COUNTERPOINT RADIO, hosted by Scott Harris, is heard every Monday night on WPKN 89.5 FM, Bridgeport, CT between 8:00 – 9:30 pm ET. Webstreaming and audio archive at http://wpkn.org Some segments featured on Counterpoint are edited for re-broadcast on the syndicated Between The Lines radio news magazine. Visit their web site at http://www.btlonline.org for free subscriptions to mp3 - podcast audio files, program summaries and interview transcripts. An archive of current and past Counterpoint interviews are accessible for free at our Counterpoint Radio web site: http://counterpointradio.org The full 1.5 hour unedited program can be accessed for a 2 week period after the show, at the WPKN Radio archives: http://archives.wpkn.org/bookmarks/search/counterpoint    1) Rising Number of U.S. Troops Seek Exit Over Trump’s Wars, Concern Over International Law Violations Steve Woolford, a Resource Counselor with Quaker House in Fayetteville, North Carolina and the GI Rights Hotline, where he provides free and confidential support to military service members, talks about assisting service members who are seeking advice on how to apply for conscientious objector status, and the troubling issues these men and women are confronting in their deployment in the U.S. war on Iran.   2) Trump's 19 Schemes to Subvert the Midterm Election  Justin Glawe, an independent journalist and editor of the American Doom newsletter, discusses his recent columns for Zeteo in their ‘Start The Steal’ series, covering the many actions Trump and his regime have launched to interfere with and manipulate the outcome of this November's midterm election.   3) ICE Raids Detain 60+ in Danbury CT, Sparking Anger and Protests Carolina Bortolleto, a spokesperson for the group Danbury Unites for Immigrants talks about the recent ICE raids in Danbury over the past week where at least 62 individuals were abducted by ICE agents, and a march and rally being organized in response, that will take place in Danbury this Weds. Sept. 2nd 5:00 pm at the city’s Library Plaza.   4) Nuclear Power is a Destructive, False Solution to the Climate Crisis  Linda Pentz Gunter, founder and executive director of Beyond Nuclear, editor of the news site Beyond Nuclear International, and author of "No To Nuclear: Why Nuclear Power Destroys Lives, Derails Climate Progress and Provokes War.”  She'll discuss her work advocating for a phase-out of nuclear power, and to educate the public about the links between nuclear power generation and nuclear weapons.   Ms. Gunter will be speaking about her book at the Unitarian Church in Hamden, CT on Friday, Sept. 11th.

  6. Aug 25

    Counterpoint 08-24-26 w Scott Harris discusses: Veteran Lawmakers Warn US About Trump's “Rolling Coup;” Trump Regime Spies on Anti-ICE Activists; Push for Proportional Representation in U.S. House; SCOTUS Gives Trump Interim win to Restrict Mail-In

    COUNTERPOINT RADIO, hosted by Scott Harris, is heard every Monday night on WPKN 89.5 FM, Bridgeport, CT between 8:00 – 9:30 pm ET. Webstreaming and audio archive at http://wpkn.org Some segments featured on Counterpoint are edited for re-broadcast on the syndicated Between The Lines radio news magazine. Visit their web site at http://www.btlonline.org for free subscriptions to mp3 - podcast audio files, program summaries and interview transcripts. An archive of current and past Counterpoint interviews are accessible for free at our Counterpoint Radio web site: http://counterpointradio.org The full 1.5 hour unedited program can be accessed for a 2 week period after the show, at the WPKN Radio archives: http://archives.wpkn.org/bookmarks/search/counterpoint 1) Veteran Lawmakers Warn That America is the Middle of Trump's “Rolling Coup” Sasha Abramsky is a journalist and author of books, including "The American Way of Poverty," "Chaos Comes Calling: The Battle Against the Far-Right Takeover of Small-Town America," and "American Carnage: How Trump, Musk, and DOGE Butchered the US Government." He'll discuss his recent columns in The Nation covering the Trump regime's open planning for a coup to manipulate the outcome of this November's midterm Congressional election, that most polls say Republicans will likely decisively lose.   2) Trump Regime Spies on Anti-ICE Activists in Echo of Cold War Era Attack on Free Speech Gerry Condon, a Vietnam-era veteran and war resister, former president and current national board member of Veterans For Peace discusses VFP's condemnation of the Trump regime's spying on anti-ICE activists in Minneapolis/St. Paul against the backdrop of President Trump's criminal prosecution of his perceived political enemies and labeling Americans who oppose his agenda as 'domestic terrorists.'   3) To Fix our Broken Political System Advocates Push for Proportional Representation in U.S. House Dustin Wahl, executive director of Fix Our House, who talks about his group's "education and advocacy campaign promoting proportional representation as an urgently-needed reform to pull politics out of its doom loop of polarization and dysfunction, sideline the anti-democratic forces threatening our democracy, and offer America’s diverse electorate full and fair representation in the House of Representatives."   4) Supreme Court Gives Trump an Interim Win in his Scheme to Restrict Mail-In VotingGreg Palast, who’s been reporting on voter suppression for over 20 years, is an award-winning investigative journalist, best-selling author of "The Best Democracy Money Can Buy," whose investigations were featured in the documentary film, “Vigilante: Georgia’s Vote Suppression Hitman."  He'll talk about the U.S. Supreme Court's interim ruling in a case involving Donald Trump's effort to have the federal government take control of mail-in voting in a scheme to manipulate the outcome of the midterm election that will determine which party controls Congress.

  7. Aug 18

    Counterpoint 08-17-26 w Scott Harris discusses: Sleep Walking into Donald Trump's 2026 Midterm Coup; Trump's Latest Anti-Science Executive Order on Childhood Vaccines; Anti-Data Center Movement Surges Nationwide; Trump Targets Pro-Palestine Academics

    COUNTERPOINT RADIO, hosted by Scott Harris, is heard every Monday night on WPKN 89.5 FM, Bridgeport, CT between 8:00 – 9:30 pm ET. Webstreaming and audio archive at http://wpkn.org  Some segments featured on Counterpoint are edited for re-broadcast on the syndicated Between The Lines radio news magazine. Visit their web site at http://www.btlonline.org for free subscriptions to mp3 - podcast audio files, program summaries and interview transcripts. An archive of current and past Counterpoint interviews are accessible for free at our Counterpoint Radio web site: http://counterpointradio.org The full 1.5 hour unedited program can be accessed for a 2 week period after the show, at the WPKN Radio archives: http://archives.wpkn.org/bookmarks/search/counterpoint   1) Is the U.S. Sleep Walking into Donald Trump's Planned 2026 Midterm Coup? Michael Sozan, a senior fellow at American Progress, talks about his recent article written with Ben Olinsky, their critically important and comprehensive report: "The Trump Administration Is Interfering in the 2026 Midterm Elections To Entrench the Imperial Presidency," that lays out the existential threat posed to democracy this November, that isn't getting the attention it so desperately deserves right now.   2) Trump's Latest Anti-Science Executive Order on Childhood Vaccines Endangers the Nation's Children and Families. Dr. Jake Scott, a clinical associate professor of infectious diseases at Stanford University School of Medicine, and a coauthor of "Updated evidence for COVID-19, RSV, and Influenza Vaccines for 2025-2026" in the New England Journal of Medicine.  Dr. Scott discusses his 8/11/26 commentary, "What the vaccine executive order gets wrong, and what it will cost us," which examines the consequences of President Trump's August 10th executive order that decreases the number of universally recommended vaccines for children, calls for splitting up the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) shot, maintaining that each vaccination should occur at a separate medical visit.   3) Broad (AI) Anti-Data Center Movement Surges Coast-to-Coast Thomas Meyer, Deputy Political Director of Food & Water Watch and Food & Water Action, discusses his group's important work opposing the construction of data centers nationwide, where public opposition is on the rise to the rapid construction of artificial intelligence and cloud computing data centers, driven by bipartisan concerns over massive energy consumption, strained local water supplies, noise pollution, and rising residential utility bills.   4) Unions Fight Trump Regime's McCarthyite Targeting of Pro-Palestinian Academics Sam Carliner, a freelance journalist covering U.S. foreign policy, immigration policy, and social movements, talks about his recent article, "Pro-Palestine Academics Have Been Fighting the New McCarthyism," which recounts how in recent years hundreds of academics have been fired, censored, threatened, or otherwise punished for their research and advocacy. The movement for Palestine has been one of the Trump administration’s main targets, and provides an important example of how those facing repression are fighting back.

  8. Aug 11

    Counterpoint 08-10-26 w Scott Harris discusses: Iran Takes Initiative in Trump's Destabilizing War, Progressive Democrats on Primary Winning Streak; Primary Eve Intvws w CT Gov. Lamont & Challenger Rep. Elliott; S. Carolina Protests Israeli Arms Maker

    COUNTERPOINT RADIO, hosted by Scott Harris, is heard every Monday night on WPKN 89.5 FM, Bridgeport, CT between 8:00 – 9:30 pm ET. Webstreaming and audio archive at http://wpkn.org Some segments featured on Counterpoint are edited for re-broadcast on the syndicated Between The Lines radio news magazine. Visit their web site at http://www.btlonline.org for free subscriptions to mp3 - podcast audio files, program summaries and interview transcripts. An archive of current and past Counterpoint interviews are accessible for free at our Counterpoint Radio web site: http://counterpointradio.org The full 1.5 hour unedited program can be accessed for a 2 week period after the show, at the WPKN Radio archives: http://archives.wpkn.org/bookmarks/search/counterpoint   1) Trump Flounders as Iran Takes Initiative in his Reckless and Destabilizing War Jennifer Loewenstein, former associate director of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, discusses her views on the current status of Trump's war on Iran, how the conflict has spread dangerously throughout the region, and the future of the Strait of Hormuz where Iran and Oman are engaged in talks to manage the disputed waterway.   2) Progressive Democrats on Primary Election Winning Streak as Party's Corporate Establishment Fears for Their Future Branko Marcetic, a Jacobin staff writer and the author of "Yesterday’s Man: The Case Against Joe Biden," assesses recent Democratic Party primary victories by progressive candidates and members of the Democratic Socialists of America, the millions of dollars spent by AIPAC and centrist Democrats to defeat them, and efforts to unify the party before the November Midterm election.   3)  CT Governor Ned Lamont & Challenger Rep. Josh Elliott Discuss Voter's Priority Issues on Eve of State's August 11th Primary  Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont and State Rep. Josh Elliott are interviewed about their candidacies on the eve of the Tuesday, August 11 Democratic Party Primary election for Governor. They discuss their positions on voter's top issues including, skyrocketing health care costs, taxing the rich, the high cost of electricity and the urgent need to build affordable housing.   4) South Carolina Coalition Protests Israeli Arms Maker, Local Activists Oppose Genocide and Costly State Tax Breaks Autumn Waddell an activist with the Elbit Out of South Carolina coalition, discusses the recent arrests of three protesters picketing outside the Elbit Systems of America factory in Ladson, South Carolina -- and issues related to Israel's genocide in Gaza, violations of free speech surrounding dissenting views on the U.S. relationship with Israel, and the international campaign against Elbit Systems, which in Britain, under the name Palestine Action, has been banned under the Terrorism Act, designating it as a proscribed "terrorist" organization.

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About

Each week, host Scott Harris conducts interviews on a wide range of political, economic and social topics with individuals and representatives of organizations not ordinarily accessible in the mainstream media. This show airs weekly on WPKN (wpkn.org) and streams here in podcast form.

Information

  • Creator
    Scott Harris
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    110
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2024 Squeaky Wheel Productions, Inc.
  • Show Website
    Counterpoint with Scott Harris

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