Paging America

Paging America
  • 4.9 (30)
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Exploring the power, profit & politics shaping American health care with hosts Miles Baker and Dr. Rob Davidson. New episodes every Thursday. www.pagingamerica.org

  1. 4d ago

    Trump Nominates a Zealot to Lead the FDA

    Trump has nominated Dr. Heidi Overton, an outspoken anti-abortion, anti-vaccine ideologue, to run the FDA, one of the most powerful regulatory agencies in the country. Miles and Dr. Rob dig into Overton’s record, including her celebration of the fall of Roe v. Wade and her history of spreading misinformation about medication abortion. We explain why her appointment could signal a coming fight over mifepristone access and we take a look at soon-to-be-former Senator Bill Cassidy’s tepid, wiggle-room “concerns” about the nomination. We take a look at Cassidy’s track record on RFK Jr. and other controversial picks and whether or not he’ll stand in the way of her nomination. From there, we turn to RFK Jr.’s latest vaccine falsehood. He cites new research that supports splitting up the MMR shot. The problem is…. He just made the research up. It doesn’t exist. Plus, we take a look at the Trump administration’s slow and possibly influence-tainted response to a massive cyclospora outbreak, nwhich now tops 27,000 cases. The outbreak has been linked to a Taylor Farms lettuce facility in Mexico that hadn’t been FDA-inspected in seven years. Not to mention the political contributions flowing from Taylor Farms to Donald Trump and his bank accounts. Finally, Miles and Dr. Rob sit down with William Lawrence, the Democratic nominee in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, fresh off a primary win that outside observers called unprecedented for the region. They talk about his grassroots, organizer-driven campaign; the fight against data center development bulldozing small Michigan towns; the impact of a shuttered Planned Parenthood clinic on over 60,000 district residents; and what Democrats should prioritize in the next two years to set the stage for real healthcare reform in 2029. LINKS * The Hill: Rubio calls RFK Jr’s meat and sauerkraut menu ‘a crazy diet’ * USA Today: RFK Jr. says ‘boxes and boxes’ of McDonald’s travel with Trump * The Washington Post: Trump selects Heidi Overton, White House aide, to lead FDA * Senate Democrats: TRANSCRIPT: President Trump Signs an Executive Order on Vaccination Schedules, 8.10.26 * VIDEO: Trump childhood vaccine Executive Order signing * America First Policy Institute: SCOTUS Statements on Roe v. Wade * America First Policy Institute: Who Are the Real Abortion Radicals? A Comparative Perspective * America First Policy Institute: Risking Two lives—The Dangerous Rise of Chemical abortion * Bill Cassidy clutches his pearls about Heidi Overton on X * The Washington Post: Cassidy on Trump’s vaccine overhaul: ‘Crazy, stupid thing’ * RFK Jr. cites non-existent study * FactCheck.org: RFK Jr. Falsely Claims New Evidence Supports Splitting MMR Vaccine * The Commonwealth Fund: What Americans Want Fixed in Health Care — and Who They Think Should Do It * CDC: Surveillance of Cyclosporiasis * CBS News: Farm linked to cyclosporiasis outbreak hadn’t been inspected in 7 years as FDA lags on foreign inspection targets * The Hill: Warren presses RFK Jr. on Trump ties to lettuce distributor * Sen. Warren: Warren Investigates Trump Admin’s Failed Response to Cyclospora Outbreak, Raises Questions About Corruption and Influence-Peddling * Sen. Warren’s letter to RFK Jr. about the cyclosporiasis response * The New York Times: Trump Officials Falsely Connect Covid Vaccines to Miscarriage * FactCheck.org: Republicans Revive False Miscarriage Statistic, Twist Fauci’s Texts About COVID-19 Shots * Will Lawrence’s campaign website: WeWill2026.com * Will Lawrence on Instagram * Will Lawrence on Facebook * Will Lawrence on X * Will Lawrence on BlueSky * Will Lawrence on TikTok Join the fight at committeetoprotect.org. Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@pagingamerica Subscribe, share, and leave a rating to help more people find Paging America. Have thoughts, questions, or your own health care story? Email us at feedback@pagingamerica.org. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.pagingamerica.org/subscribe

    Trump Nominates a Zealot to Lead the FDA

  2. Aug 13

    CDC in a Death Spiral

    Miles Baker and Dr. Rob Davidson break down the week in health politics: surprise primary results across Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota show healthcare access becoming a defining issue for Democratic candidates even as national narratives miss what’s actually happening on the ground. Then, eight red states move to skip a federal grace period and impose harsher Medicaid work-reporting requirements, despite data showing most recipients already work. We explain how this seems to be more about paperwork and reporting requirements rather than WORK requirements Plus: Trump’s former personal lawyer Todd Blanche is confirmed as Attorney General with the help of Senator Bill Cassidy, and the FDA approves flavored nicotine pouches like “Rich Berry” amid new scrutiny over tobacco industry political donations. For our interview, we welcome back Yolanda Jacobs, president of AFGE Local 2883, which is the union representing workers at the CDC. She returns to give an unflinching, on-the-ground account of what CDC employees have endured over the past year. It was one year ago that the agency endured a shooting that killed officer David Rose. Jacobs shares her thoughts on RFK Jr.’s first campus visit since the tragedy, the widespread reductions in force, denied disability accommodations, and a workforce she describes as being in a “death spiral.” LINKS * Dr. Abdul El-Sayed’s Medicare for All webpage * William Lawrence speaking the day after he won his primary * Will Lawrence’s platform webpage * Francesca Hong’s policy webpage * David Crowley’s positions webpage * Peggy Flanagan’s priorities webpage * POLITICO: The Trump admin offered sick Medicaid patients a 1-year lifeline. These red states are rejecting it. * Foundation for Government Accountability: How CMS Can Block States From Abusing Exemptions To Medicaid Work Requirements * KFF Health News: Understanding the Intersection of Medicaid and Work: An Update * Center for Reproductive Rights: Senate Confirms Anti-Abortion Extremist for Attorney General * The Guardian: Judge reprimands Trump lawyer but holds off on gag order ruling * Justice Connection: Fact Sheet on Todd Blanche’s Devastating Leadership at the Justice Department * New York City Bar: Opposition to Todd Blanche Nomination for U.S. Attorney General * The Hill: FDA approves some flavored vapes after reports of Trump pressure * The Hill: FDA authorizes 4 flavored nicotine pouches * NPR: Nicotine pouches can be marketed as ‘lower risk’ than cigarettes. Is that dangerous? * STAT: Senate inquiry suggests Trump administration softened kratom and tobacco policies in quid pro quo * AFGE Local 2883 on Instagram * MedPage Today: I Thought the CDC Shooting Was Rock Bottom. We’re Still Sinking. * CNN: One year after shooting, CDC workers say they still feel like targets Join the fight at committeetoprotect.org. Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@pagingamerica Subscribe, share, and leave a rating to help more people find Paging America. Have thoughts, questions, or your own health care story? Email us at feedback@pagingamerica.org. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.pagingamerica.org/subscribe

    CDC in a Death Spiral

  3. Aug 6

    Fauci in Contempt, Kennedy Off the Rails

    It’s been a chaotic week in health politics. The Senate Homeland Security Committee votes along party lines to hold Dr. Fauci in contempt, a move Rob and Miles call political theater with ugly historical echoes. The passage of the resolution clears the way for a criminal referral to the Justice Department, where Todd Blanche could be waiting for retribution. We also dig into what healthcare affordability is doing to the Michigan and Wisconsin primaries, and why flipping Wisconsin’s state legislature could finally deliver Medicaid expansion, along with other healthcare victories, after 15 years of gridlock. Elsewhere: the Senate confirms Erica Schwartz as CDC’s first permanent director in over a year despite her dodging questions on standing up to RFK Jr and Nebraska has fast-tracked their plan of kicking people off Medicaid under new work-reporting requirements. Finally, in HHS updates, new polling shows independents souring hard on Kennedy’s handling of vaccines; and RFK Jr. has a widely-mocked, shouting meltdown in an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash PLUS we dissect the debut of his new cooking show and float the idea of…. Liver Burgers? LINKS * POLITICO: Senate panel votes to hold Fauci in contempt * Wisconsin Examiner: Legislative primaries to watch in upcoming August elections * NOTUS: Wisconsin Democrats Doubt a Progressive’s Prospects After Michigan Results * PBS Wisconsin: Wisconsin’s 2026 primary for governor hits the home stretch * CIDRAP: Senate committee grills CDC director nominee Erica Schwartz * Inside Medicine: She blew it. CDC Director nominee tanks in Senate hearing. * Clip of Sen. Maggie Hassan questioning Schwartz is HERE * NBC News: New CDC director is confirmed, giving agency its first permanent leader in a year * AXIOS: Medicaid’s work requirement crunch arrives * NPR: In Nebraska, Americans begin to lose Medicaid under Trump’s work rules * Nebraska Examiner: Health advocates raise alarms about Nebraska’s ‘rushed’ implementation of Medicaid work requirements * KFF Health News: Doctors ‘Cringe’ at Possibility of Documenting Which Medicaid Enrollees Too Sick To Work * WP Intelligence: Health Brief: Reaction to Medicaid work reporting requirements * Healthcare Dive: Judge rejects states’ bid to pause Medicaid work requirements * Fierce Healthcare Court rejects states’ bid to delay Medicaid work requirements rollout * RealClear Health: Independents Are Turning on RFK Jr. And His Party Should Worry * Taxpayers Protection Alliance: New Poll: Voters Reject Kennedy’s Vaccine Overhaul as Independents Sour on Public Health Leadership * CNN’s Dana Bash RFK Jr. interview * CNN: Healthcare workers react to RFK Jr.’s ICU claims * FactCheck.org: RFK Jr.’s Falsehood-Filled CNN Interview * The Hill: Kennedy to host cooking show with focus on inexpensive meals * Mandatory: RFK Jr. Admits He Has No ‘Gag Reflex’ While Plugging New Show * The Hill: RFK Jr. suggests buying liver or ‘cheap cuts’ instead of steak Join the fight at committeetoprotect.org. Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@pagingamerica Subscribe, share, and leave a rating to help more people find Paging America. Have thoughts, questions, or your own health care story? Email us at feedback@pagingamerica.org. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.pagingamerica.org/subscribe

    Fauci in Contempt, Kennedy Off the Rails

  4. Jul 30

    The Yips: Trump’s Frustration with RFK Jr.

    This week on Paging America, Miles Baker and Dr. Rob Davidson break down Dr. Fauci’s contentious Senate hearing. We take a look at Sen. Bernie Moreno’s viral, expletive-laden questioning and what it reveals about political theater overtaking public health oversight. Plus, a bombshell Wall Street Journal report suggests that Trump, NOT just RFK Jr, may be driving the administration’s escalating attacks on vaccines. We also unpack two grim public health milestones: the worst U.S. measles outbreak in 35 years and a record-breaking cyclospora outbreak tied to contaminated lettuce. With the continued gutting of our health agencies, it’s only going to get worse. In the second half, they’re joined by Dr Demetre Daskalakis, former Director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, for a candid conversation on Fauci’s legacy, the CDC’s ongoing leadership vacuum, and what it will really take to rebuild and reimagine American public health after this administration. LINKS * The Washington Post: Rand Paul threatens to hold Fauci in contempt after he declines to answer questions * POLITICO: Paul says Fauci will face ‘repercussions’ for taking the Fifth. That could get complicated. * C-SPAN: Dr. Anthony Fauci Testifies on the COVID-19 Pandemic * Tweet from RFK Jr. revealing himself as the source of Fauci’s diaries and other correspondence is HERE * The Hill: Paul says Senate panel to vote on holding Fauci in contempt * The Wall Street Journal: Trump Turns Up the Heat on RFK Jr. to Cut Back Childhood Vaccines * Bloomberg: From TV Doctor to Power Broker: Dr. Oz Thrives on Trump’s Team * The New York Times: Trump Will End Subsidies for Medicare Drug Premiums * The Hill: Trump administration ending Medicare premium subsidy program * KFF: Medicare Part D Enrollment, Premiums, and Cost Sharing in 2026 * The Washington Post: The EPA halted a study on gas stoves and asthma. But even partial results were striking. * The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: Asthma Control Before and After Changing Gas Stoves to Electric Stoves * MedPage Today: U.S. Measles Case Count Breaks Record * The New York Times: Cyclosporiasis Cases in the United States Hit Record High * CDC: Surveillance of Cyclosporiasis * The Hill: Another cyclospora outbreak not linked to lettuce under investigation: FDA * FDA: Investigation of 9-State Outbreak of Cyclospora Illnesses: Iceberg Lettuce (July 2026) * NBC News: RFK Jr. says cyclosporiasis outbreak is ‘under control’ as Mexico casts doubt on link to Taylor Farms facility * Dr. Daskalakis on X: https://x.com/dr_demetre * Dr. Daskalakis on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drdemetre/ * Dr. Daskalakis on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/drdemetre.bsky.social * Dr. Daskalakis on LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/demetre-c-daskalakis-2060aa11b Join the fight at committeetoprotect.org. Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@pagingamerica Subscribe, share, and leave a rating to help more people find Paging America. Have thoughts, questions, or your own health care story? Email us at feedback@pagingamerica.org. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.pagingamerica.org/subscribe

    The Yips: Trump’s Frustration with RFK Jr.

  5. Jul 23

    Pete Hegseth's Weird Experiments on the Troops

    This week, Miles Baker and Dr. Rob Davidson tackle the cyclospora outbreak. With over 7,000 suspected cases and 200+ hospitalizations nationwide, with CDC numbers lagging far behind what state health departments are reporting. A Taylor Farms lettuce facility was initially flagged as the source, then quietly cleared after the company’s CEO visited the White House. It isn’t hard to connect the dots to RFK Jr.’s decision last year to suspend mandatory parasite tracking, which may have made this outbreak harder to trace. Next, Kansas Senator Roger Marshall, an OB-GYN, invoked “the doctor in me” to defend continued involvement in Iran, days after American service members were killed. Miles and Rob point out that Kansas has more rural hospitals at risk of closure than any other state, and Marshall voted for Medicaid cuts that make that worse. We also cover new reporting that RFK Jr. floated spending $5 billion (10% of the NIH’s budget) investigating a disproven vaccine-autism link, a plan reportedly shelved after internal pushback. Meanwhile, HHS has quietly canceled dozens of active health studies on telehealth, nutrition, antibiotic resistance, and long COVID, despite funding already committed and researchers hired. Finally, they dig into Pete Hegseth’s new policy mandating annual testosterone testing for troops 30 and older. Miles and Rob explain why medical experts say testosterone treatment should be based on symptoms, not a number, and why mass screening carries real risks like infertility and heart problems. Just another story highlighting this administration’s fixation on masculinity and virility. LINKS * MDHHS Cyclosporiasis Outbreak webpage * CDC Surveillance of Cyclosporiasis webpage (with interactive map) * NBC News: RFK Jr. says cyclosporiasis outbreak is ‘under control’ as Mexico casts doubt on link to Taylor Farms facility * The Washington Post: Mexico says no evidence yet it was source of outbreak, despite U.S. finding * NC Health News: Parasitic infections likely linked to farming practices, not restaurants * Local 3 News: “It’s cut business in half”: self-serve salad restaurant owners says possible closure amid Cyclospora outbreak * The Hill: Ossoff slams RFK Jr. for terminating FoodNet, drawing link to cyclospora outbreak * Aaran Rupar’s tweet with video of Sen. Marshall defending Trump’s war * Reuters: Inside RFK Jr.’s push to dismantle decades of U.S. vaccine policy * Roll Call: HHS research agency ends funding for dozens of health studies * Hegseth’s X announcement * FactCheck.org: RFK Jr.’s Flawed Claims About Sperm Count and Fertility * The Hill: Hegseth’s testosterone mandate carries risks, raises questions * Reuters: Doctors question evidence behind Pentagon plan for testosterone screening * TIME: What Urologists Think of the Military’s New Testosterone Testing Policy * American Urology Association’s “Evaluation and Management of Testosterone Deficiency” guidelines * BBC: US military to start screening for testosterone deficiency, Hegseth says * The Guardian: Pete Hegseth wants testosterone for his soldiers. Finally, some gender-affirming care * Courthouse News Service: ‘Sounds like gender-affirming care’: Lawmakers react to Pentagon’s testosterone treatments for troops Join the fight at committeetoprotect.org. Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@pagingamerica Subscribe, share, and leave a rating to help more people find Paging America. Have thoughts, questions, or your own health care story? Email us at feedback@pagingamerica.org. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.pagingamerica.org/subscribe

    Pete Hegseth's Weird Experiments on the Troops

  6. Jul 17

    How Can Americans Survive the "Explosive Diarrhea" Parasite, Climate Change and MAGA?

    Thank you Chris Resists, Laura A. Drury, Stuart Cohen, Cathy Stein, Annette Dejesus, and many others for tuning into my live video with THE LEFT HOOK with Wajahat Ali! Join me for my next live video in the app. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.pagingamerica.org/subscribe

    How Can Americans Survive the "Explosive Diarrhea" Parasite, Climate Change and MAGA?

  7. Jul 16

    The Great MAHA Betrayal Continues

    This week on Paging America, Miles Baker and Dr. Rob Davidson break down the growing cyclospora outbreak spreading across 34 states and the CDC’s alarmingly slow, under-resourced response. They also trace the widening rift between the “Make America Healthy Again” movement and the Trump administration, from the EPA’s rollback of truck emissions standards to its redefinition of PFAS “forever chemicals,” moves environmental and health advocates say directly contradict MAHA’s stated goals.MAHA and MAGA could be heading towards an ugly breakup. Plus: a wave of troubling news out of HHS: RFK Jr.’s push to catalog alleged COVID vaccine injuries, his targeting of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, and a proposed move to shift special education oversight from the Department of Education into HHS. The latter is a change disability advocates warn could reframe students as patients. And more than half of CDC’s centers are without permanent leadership, a troubling rise in parents skipping newborn vitamin K shots, and new data showing ACA premiums are set for another round of double-digit increases in 2026. Finally, we talk to Andrew Perez of Zeteo News to unpack a new poll on Medicare for All. The data shows broad support for more government involvement in healthcare, but that support drops once people are asked to give up private insurance, which reveals a public that’s fed up with the system but split on the fix. Perez and host Miles Baker discuss that contradiction, the coming wave of ACA and Medicaid coverage losses, and what it’ll take to actually build a universal healthcare movement. LINKS * WBALTV: Map: Cyclospora outbreaks reported across more than half of U.S. states. See how many cases are in each state * PBS News: The EPA promised a MAHA agenda. It has yet to materialize, frustrating activists * CBT News: EPA looks to relax emissions rules for heavy-duty trucks, buses * CNN: PFAS pesticides approved after EPA adopts new toxicity definition * STAT: RFK Jr. plans to create list of injuries caused by Covid-19 vaccines * Scientific American: RFK, Jr. is turning his attention to the U.S. Preventive Services Taskforce * The Hill: RFK Jr.’s focus on preventive health panel provokes new fears * NPR: In private call, Education Dept. tried, but failed, to reassure disability advocates * The Arc: Moving Special Education and Civil Rights Out of Education Department Risks a Patchwork of Rights for Students With Disabilities * Video of RFK Jr. talking about kids with autism is HERE * MedPage Today: More Than Half of CDC Centers Lack Permanent Leadership * The Hill: Senate Democrat requests investigation into whether RFK Jr. broke Hatch Act * The New York Times: As Parents Reject Vitamin K Shots, Some Babies Develop Devastating Bleeding * ProPublica: Lawmakers Call for CDC to Track Vitamin K Shot Refusals, Cite ProPublica Report * KFF Health News: Affordable Care Act Insurers Want More Premium Increases as Enrollment Sags * AP (via STAT): Obamacare rolls shrank dramatically in many states over the past year, new federal data shows * Zeteo: ‘A First-of-Its-Kind’ Poll About Medicare for All * Find Zeteo News online HERE * Andrew Perez on X Join the fight at committeetoprotect.org. Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@pagingamerica Subscribe, share, and leave a rating to help more people find Paging America. Have thoughts, questions, or your own health care story? Email us at feedback@pagingamerica.org. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.pagingamerica.org/subscribe

    The Great MAHA Betrayal Continues

  8. Jul 9

    Trump Dementia Diagnosis Amid MAHA Divorce

    Could we be witnessing the public divorce of the MAHA and MAGA movements? We dig into a devastating new piece from Rolling Stone that explores the cracks forming between the two alliances. And Democrats are sharpening their healthcare attacks ahead of the 2026 midterms. WIth healthcare being one of the biggest issues facing Americans today, Democrats are sending the message that Republicans are the ones responsible for healthcare cuts and premium increases. Plus, new KFF data on who’s most vulnerable to medical misinformation and an update on a preventable death tied to the Pentagon’s flu vaccine policy. Then, psychologist Dr. John Gartner joins the show to make the case for speaking openly about the president’s mental fitness. He lays out exactly why he believes Trump is suffering from dementia and why we should all be talking about it! Dr. Gartner also teases his upcoming book called A Dose of Enlightenment, which examines the practicality and uses for psilocybin therapy. We finally have a possible answer to the question: What would happen if Donald Trump took psychedelic mushrooms??? LINKS * The Washington Post: Democrats invoke ‘big, beautiful bill’ far more than Republicans as midterms near * POLITICO: Why a bitter health care fight is at the center of a high-stakes House battle * The Guardian: ‘Tip of the iceberg’: nearly 500,000 New Yorkers lose health insurance due to Trump cuts * KFF Health News: Affordable Healthcare Emerges as a Voter Priority in Purple Nevada * The Hill: Democrats weaponize Big Beautiful Bill * British Medical Journal: Health costs of the UK-US trade deal on pharmaceuticals * Rolling Stone: Are MAGA and MAHA Heading for Divorce? * KFF: Poll: People Without a Trusted Health Care Provider Are More Likely to Endorse Vaccine Myths, As Are Those Who Often Use Social Media or AI for Health Information * Brown Alumni Magazine: The Primary Care Crisis – Why many Americans can’t find a doctor and what to do about it. * KSAT: US Rep. Castro connects Air Force trainee death to flu outbreak at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland * Dr. John Gartner’s website: johngartner.com * Dr. John Gartner on X * Dr. John Gartner’s “Shrinking Trump” podcast series * Dr. John Gartner’s recent interview about Trump’s cognitive health * Dr. John Gartner’s Wikipedia page * Pre-order Dr. John Gartner’s forthcoming book, A Dose of Enlightenment: The Psilocybin Therapy Revolution in Mental Health Treatment, HERE Join the fight at committeetoprotect.org. Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@pagingamerica Subscribe, share, and leave a rating to help more people find Paging America. Have thoughts, questions, or your own health care story? Email us at feedback@pagingamerica.org. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.pagingamerica.org/subscribe

    Trump Dementia Diagnosis Amid MAHA Divorce
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About

Exploring the power, profit & politics shaping American health care with hosts Miles Baker and Dr. Rob Davidson. New episodes every Thursday. www.pagingamerica.org

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  • Creator
    Paging America
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    82
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Paging America
  • Show Website
    Paging America

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