good evening and welcome to politics nation. tonight, seizing the moment. the verdict is in. and donald trump and his republican allies are raging against it. along with the judge, prosecutor and even the jurors who delivered the 34 count felony conviction, that ended his criminal hush money trial. here in new york, last week and for the last three days, congressional republics have -- republicans have criticized the verdict or attempted to diminish trump's actions, parroting the former president's claim that the verdict was politically motivated and politically motivated takedown, in fact, by president biden, they claimed. in the background, if you can believe it, is an election unveiling in five months and while republicans are closing ranks around trump, president biden has an opportunity to reach out to undecided voters this week, as he lays out his plan on immigration and border security, and proposals of tangible cease-fire plan for israel's were in gaza. all of that tonight on politics nation. joining me now is congressman stephen, a democrat and chair of the congressional black caucus. congressman, thank you for joining us tonight. donald trump has cast himself as the law and order candidate in 2016 and he's carried that message into his 2024 campaign, even as he faces multiple felony criminal trials. one of which, just handed down a 34 count guilty verdict, yet every time the law has been applied to him, he has railed against it, as a rigged or witchhunt, or evidence of a two- tier justice system. now he and his allies are trying to use his felony convictions to endear himself to black voters. take a listen to eric trump this morning. >> he's the victim that often times, some in their communities were and you can see them swaying. look at the african american vote swinging over to donald trump. >> when i hear that, i am offended, and not only because of playing into an unfair stereotype, he has never taken that position in new york. as he is, he in fact the only time he took a position on a case, he called for the death penalty of the central park five, one of them was on the show last night and called for them to have the death penalty. are you offended, and members of the black caucus, that he would appeal to the black community using this stereotype? >> yes, and donald trump is anything but law and order. he is a direct threat to the american people, to black america, specifically. by contrast, president biden and vice president harris are focused on delivering for the american people. sadly, former president trump does not want to accept the results of 12 jurors. these are u.s. citizens, who are doing their duty, to participate in a fair and impartial trial. they are the ones who made this ruling, and who convicted him on the 34 counts, not president biden, not the department of justice. but a jury of his peers. >> and most of the witnesses were people who had worked for donald trump. but let's stay with black voters for a while. you joined president biden and vice president harris last week in philadelphia, at the 2024 campaign event, targeting black voters. the biden campaign has aggressively tried to shore up black support ahead of november and say what they have done for blacks, because a lot of blacks say, what have we got done quite that is what trump is pushing out. his polls have shown trump leading in several swing states, but that support could be vital for biden's success. what would you say, should be the message to black voters or voters in general. i know that you've been doing barbershop town halls. what should the message be to blacks, who are still on the fence about supporting president biden quick >> look, you have a clear contrast between president biden, who cares about you and your family, or former president trump who only cares about himself. under president biden and vice president harris we have seen record unemployment for black america. we have seen the lifting of 50% of children out of poverty, to the child tax credit. the check so many black people talk about receiving, that check was passed by democrats in congress, led by the congressional black caucus. we have seen 16 million new businesses started. a historic number, a number of black owned businesses started in 30 years, the largest number led by black women entrepreneurs. now going forward, it absolutely has to be centered on black economic prosperity and wealth. that is a big part of what i had the opportunity to talk to my constituents about at a barbershop talk in my district. i had about 60 black men, talking about issues that matter to them most. how we improve homeownership, access to capital for black home -- owned businesses. how we approve opportunities through skills training and apprenticeships for young men who are unemployed or out of school. those are the issues black man, particularly want to talk about, how we can build up our community, not just tear them down. how we bring people together, not just tear them apart. that is the message i think will help us win this november. >> and that barbershop discussion, were any of the blackman saying they were for donald trump. >> you know what, in a two-hour conversation with nearly 60 black man donald trump's name was not mentioned once. you know it was mentioned? how we can improve homeownership. right now in black america, 44% of us own homes compared to 72% of white americans. they want to see policies that center improving lives of black america and our stake in it. we understand we have always helped to save our democracy. lack women and black men and we are going to do it again this november, by re-electing vice president harris and president biden. >> president biden is planning to issue an executive order this week, to curb migrant crossings at the u.s./mexico border. after all book one senate republican voted last month to filibuster, albert one voted to filibuster the bipartisan order bill and donald trump's request. so the border crisis would remain a political issue for his campaign, was donald trump's intent. that follows the demise of a border bill that was painstakingly negotiated by senate democrats and republicans earlier this year, which republicans killed before the vote could even beheld. again, at the request of donald trump. your thoughts on this action that biden is taking to deal with the border crisis? >> look, we have a real issue at the border. we have to recognize that. a group of members who joined an organization called democrats for border security, in large part because of the fentanyl crisis. illegal fentanyl drugs coming through the border, not only by migrants, but citizens. this is a serious problem. so i am pleased the president is taking these steps. however, i believe it needs to be a balanced approach that includes work permits, for spouses, from mixed status families, as well as for dreamers, those who have benefited from the doctor program, so they can have protections that they need. but to ignore the problem like republicans in the house of representatives want to do, speaker johnson could have brought the senate bill to the floor, but they don't want to solve the problem. they want to have a political issue and they want to curry favor with donald trump more than solve a problem for the american people. >> they don't even talk about haiti, sedan or any of the other real, real problems around the world, that needs humanitarian aid. but let me go to yesterday, israel's prime minister benjamin netanyahu accepted congressional leaders invitation to address both chambers at the u.s. capitol, no date has been set. at the invite comes as political divisions continue to deepen in the u.s., over israel's war in gaza. on friday, president biden laid out his puzzle for a cease-fire agreement between israel and hamas, including hostage and prisoner released on both sides, and reconstruction of gaza. now i have been openly critical of netanyahu, what i believe is in is to state solution but what is your reaction to netanyahu coming to washington and the president's action on gaza while trump and republicans just talk? >> first, i commend president biden for laying out the three phased approach toward peace in the anne elise and to ensure that first, we get hostages out, that week end and have a permanent cease-fire. that we search -- surge humanitarian aid to innocent palestinians in gaza. those are the steps that will achieve peace. long-lasting peace, so we can work toward that two state solution. but i find it ironic, that speaker johnson found time to invite prime minister netanyahu, when just last week, we had president from kenya. >> -- >> he refused to allow a head of state from africa to address a joint state of congress. that would have been the first in 20 years. he can make time for this but he couldn't make time for an important ally, for us. i support our leadership's decision to bring him, but i hold netanyahu accountable for how we work toward peace. >> he seems he doesn't want to work toward peace because of his legal problems. he is similar to donald trump there. that the president of kenya was hear -- here for four days. we were at a state dinner together and clearly he could have addressed the congress. johnson, really wouldn't back that. he blocked that. >> and this is an important country, on the continent helping us from a national security standpoint, pushing back on china, and russia's influence on the continent. it was a missed opportunity. i commend leader jeffries, as well as president biden for extending the offer for him to address us in other ways. >> thank you, chair of the congressional black caucus, steven horsford. let's bring in my political panel, for your takes on today's top stories. michelle goldberg, msnbc political analyst, and opinion columnist for the "new york times", and matthew dowd, senior msnbc political contributor, and former chief strategist for the bush 2004 campaign. michelle, i know you went to the courthouse for part of michael cohen's testimony, and for closing arguments. so let's start with trump felony convictions. early polling suggests the majority of voters approve of the verdict. but many of trump's most ardent supporters are outraged and the former president seeming to encourage the anger. what could that mean for the country, as we draw closer to the election? >> obviously it is extremely frightening because we have already seen reports of trump supporters trying to dogs jurors, inundating members including the judge and his daughter with threats. but i also think, this is a truism, that every accusation is a confession. so when you see what they are accusing the biden administration of in terms of dubious ideas that this was a political hit job by the biden justice department. actually the biden justice department is about to prosecute joe biden son. but what i think it telegraphs is what they plan to do if they are able to take power. everything they accuse democrats of, it gets a hint of what they have in mind for donald trump if he ever gets his hands on the department of justice. the kind of full-scale political prosecutions that they are already planning. >> matthew, while many republican lawmakers have been criticizing the hush money trial, the judge and even the jury have been criticizing. warmer maryland governor larry hogan who's running for the senate, called on americans to respect the verdict and the process. that earned him immediate condemnation from many of his gop colleagues, including a senior trump advisor, who said hogan just ended his campaign for the senate. hogan is locked in a close race in a heavily democratic state. are republicans more concerned with loyalty to trump, then even winning back the senate? >> i think we saw that in 2022 when they nominated candidates the most everybody knew they couldn't win and ended up all losing in these crazy candidates that they nominated. they seem to be wanting to go down a path of following trump no matter what he does. and i find it unbelievable, that the republicans who support donald trump are criticizing somebody, another republican for saying we should stand by law and order. i think this whole thing creates an immense vulnerability for donald trump and the republicans because what they have done in two major ways is try to undermine two of the most fundamental the bulls of our democracy. obviously trial by jury and the other is the votes that happened in november of 2020. and what they are saying is, we don't care what average citizens, pack sing their civic duty whether it is serving on a jury or voting in a voting booth, we don't care what they want. we don't care what they choose. we don't care what they decide. the only thing that matters is what is good for donald trump, even if it is rejecting every voter across the country and any jurors. so to me, it has created a tremendous vulnerability that i think the biden campaign will take advantage of. that they don't care about what citizens want. >> michelle, what would be your advice to democrats, should they be needling republicans about the trump trial, constantly, or let the verdict speak for excel -- for itself? >> i am not a political strategist but it seems to me as someone who communicates for a living that they should not stop, for a moment -- i don't think needling is the right word but people need to be reminded again and again and again the donald trump is a felon, and also that there is a connection, multiple connections between the crimes he has committed and the threat he poses to democracy. both because this was a felony that was committed in order to influence the 2016 election, but more than that, donald trump tried to steal the 2020 election, he has talked about serving three terms, becoming a dictator on day one. and he has a jail sentence, or prison sentence waiting on the other side of a presidency, then he's not going to leave the white house. so i think, there was already a threat that this is not just an election but a referendum on our entire system of government, and this is further, raising stakes because for donald trump, if he gets into the white house, he's not going to be satisfied with the four year holiday from the criminal justice system. >> matthew, let me ask you. you are a political strategist so what would be your advice to the democrats? >> my advice would be take the verdict and make it part of a broader argument, somewhat along the lines of what michelle said. take the verdict and basically say this guy has no, doesn't care about anything but himself and give all the examples. all of the things he says, all the things he does. but don't ignore the verdict, but don't make an argument on the verdict alone. make the argument about the verdict as a broader case of indictment of donald trump. to me, this is not just a referendum on some low level. this is a referendum not on donald trump or joe biden. this is a referendum on our own values. and what matters most to us. does it matter we live in a constitutional democracy or not, even if the price of something is higher. what matters more to people and fundamentally, november is going to be a question of our own values and how people respond to those and what they stand for. >> matthew, i want to hear your thoughts on republican senator tom cotton of arkansas, who was on meet the press this morning. and he was asked whether he would accept the 2024 election results. take a listen. >> peter, i don't think congress has constitutional authority to reject electors who have been certified by a date. i will accept the results of the election and certify them if it is a fair and free election. who gets to decide if it is fair? but ultimately it is up to the voters. but any candidate of any party has a perfect right to pursue legal remedies if they believe there has been fraud or cheating in an election. >> what is your reaction to senator cotton's response, what does it say about the state of the republican party, that this is news? >> i thought it was a complete word salad. first he starts off and says congress doesn't have the right , it is up to the states to decide and then right after he says that, says but somebody has to decide if the state has free and fair election and congress can make that decision and do what they want. what he is explaining of what a candidate can do is exactly what donald trump did, which is file court cases, do that and he lost them all as we know. then we are supposed to certify the election. that is not what senators including tom cotton did in 2020 when he held up the election process and tried to slow the process down. this, to me, tom cotton, i don't think is necessarily a donald trump accolade but what is disturbing about tom cotton to me, tom cotton is another one of these people, that whatever goes, whatever principles, doesn't matter as long as we get what we want. so he can say as many words as he wants in the course of this and contradict himself but tom cotton is another one who thinks, democracy is okay but a dictatorship is better as long as they are pushing what i won't. >> michelle, how do you respond to cotton's comments? >> first of all, i thought the entire interview was excellent and really how you have to interview maga republicans, to constantly push back on these completely fantastical assumptions and the alternative reality that so many people close to donald trump have managed to spin around him. and so look, i don't think that there is any question, that republicans, if they lose the 2024 election are going to attempt a repeat of 2020. we have seen it at every level. the replacement of election officials at the state level, at the local level. you know, the fact you have the republican party investing so much in quote unquote election integrity, but which is a project in the rnc that is being added up by somebody who has been indicted for their role in trying to steal the last election. so again, like i said, this election is not just a referendum on democrats or republicans. it is a referendum on, do we want to continue to live in a constitutional democracy. >> michelle goldberg and matthew dowd, thank you both for being with us. coming up, pride month is here. i will tell you why we should all celebrate by rising up and mobilizing politically for the rights of the lgbtq community, as well as other american's. a. they want that hollywood white smile. new sensodyne clinical white provides 2 shades whiter teeth and 24/7 sensitivity protection. i think it's a great product. it's going to help a lot of patients. craig here pays too much for verizon wireless. so he sublet half his real estate office... i think it's a great product. [ bird squawks loudly ] to a pet shop. meg's moving company uses t-mobile. so she scaled down her fleet to save money. and don's paying so much for at&t, he's been waiting to update his equipment! there's a smarter way to save. comcast business mobile. you could save up to 70% on your wireless bill. so you don't have to compromise. powering smarter savings. powering possibilities. as we kick off pride month, i want to celebrate and stand in solidarity with the lgbtq community. it is through the work of many activists that more voices are heard and people are seen for who they are. the country has evolved, and is becoming more inclusive, but more work needs to be done. as president of national action network, fighting injustice in and all of its forms is our mission and purpose. this is not about being gayé or straight, it is about ensuring rights for all americans. we have made progress but cannot turn a blind eye to the continued struggle the lgbtq community is facing. limiting the civil rights of any american, weakens the civil rights of every american. and that is simply unacceptable. there are some on the right to want to turn back the clock to a time when people had to hide their identity and live in the shadows. gop presumptive nominee donald trump is targeting trans people as well as their ability to play in sports. trumps rhetoric only scratches the surface of what the heritage foundation, a conservative think tank plans to do during the second trump term, such as reinstating the transgender military ban, limiting lgbtq workplace discrimination protections, and resending health care protections for transgender people. the blueprint also outlines a push to give congress to define gender as male or female. additionally, same government officials should only record nice marriages between a man and a woman. just as clarence thomas said that the supreme court should reconsider past rulings, codifying rights to same-sex relationships and same-sex marriage. is pride month, there will be parties, parades and festivities, but let's not forget the real threat a second trump term poses. especially to the lgbtq community. no matter who you are, or how you love, or your choice of your own reproductive health, everyone's rights should be protected. if trump is elected, we could see more justices appointed to the high court bench altering our way of life for generations. but there's something we can all do, while there is still time. we can rise up, register to vote and cast your ballot this november. your rights depend on it. happy pride. we will be right back. ♪♪ imagine a future where plastic is not wasted... but instead remade over and over... into the things that keep our food fresher, our families safer, and our planet cleaner. to help us get there, america's plastic makers are investing billions of dollars to create innovative products and new recycling technologies for sustainable change. because when you push for smarter solutions, big things can happen. when you put in the effort, but it starts to frizz... you skipped a step. tresemmé silk serum. use before styling for three days of weightlessly smooth hair that frizz can't beat. new tresemmé keratin smooth collection. welcome to the wayborhood. with wayfair, finding your style is fun. 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but they might. i don't know the judge is going to consider that donald trump has irritated the judge by number one violating the gag orders in the past, number two, speaking out against him. these are factors that don't normally come into play with your average defendant that no one has ever heard of. even if the defendant is out there on social media saying this trial is a sham. the judge may never find out about it but they sure the prosecution. it is donald trump therefore everything he says, everyone here is a and even if the judge doesn't hear it first hand, someone is telling him about it. those are factors that could weigh in favor of incarceration but i think there are more factors that weigh against incarceration. that is why i believe that donald trump should not be sentenced to incarceration when sentencing comes up. i will tell you quickly if i may. here are what i think are objective points. number one, no guns. two, no drugs. three, no violence. four, the age of the offender. he's over 70 years old. statistics show people in his age bracket are highly likely to reoffend, which kind of makes offense. and in addition he has no prior criminal history. then i'm going to get into factors i think reasonable minds disagree and i will give a pause so that you can dump on me when you disagree with me on this one. it is that i don't believe there are traditional victims and traditional loss. >> not the traditional domes or loss? >> right. >> i won't dump but i disagree. >> thank you. you can make an argument, the victims are the people of the united states, the voters. who are deprived of a fair election. you can also -- >> deprived of the information about him on the access hollywood tate. >> yes, and you can argue there is loss in the same vein, that voters lost the right to a free election. i would agree with all of that. however that is not what normally sentencing considers both victims and loss. so for example, a traditional victim is someone deprived fraud, of money, and that loss is usually a tangible dollar amount. i had someone suggest, what about stormy daniels. is she evict them? i would say no, because i've never had a case where a victim made $130,000. i wouldn't think of stormy daniels or michael cohen as victims but what i'm saying is, i am thinking of words the way they are traditionally defined under for example, the united states sentencing guidelines or sentencing guidelines in states. we think of victims and loss traditionally as either people who lost money due to fraud or could be the government, saying he defrauded the government out of welfare benefits. that is a victim and that is a loss. so while i agree that there are victims in a sense that people and voters were deprived of a fair information that would help them vote. i just don't think that fits the category of traditional victims and loss as we use them in sentencing guidelines. >> i won't dump them. the supreme court is expected to decide this summer, whether trumps d.c. election interference trial is scheduled before the november election. and his election interference case in georgia will almost certainly push into 2025 as the trial judge awaits an appeals court ruling of weather fulton downey district attorney fani willis should be allowed to stay on the case. when and if the cases move forward, will the group the -- guilty verdict have any impact? >> what is significant about this, is donald trump in this case, the new york case is a first-time offender. he's got other criminal cases pending which in theory the judge could consider but i don't believe he well. now, once someone is convicted and specifically once they are sentenced, then they now have a prior record score and all sentencing or most sentencing are a function of the gravity of this particular offense, and the persons prior history. prior criminal history. >> which then would be a prior history of 34 felonies. exactly right and that could or will boost his criminal history score especially in the federal case. for example in the federal case, he has pending cases and when he is sentenced, because that is how they measure it, when he's actually sentenced in his new york case, that will add to his criminal history. they use a matrix in the federal system and he has two federal cases. you are in a totally separate category when you have a criminal history. your best to sentences and guideline ranges are for those that have no prior criminal history. no big surprise. but the major drivers in federal sentencing are, what is your history and how serious is the crime of conviction? how many criminal history in federal court is not a good place to be but on the other side of the coin is that if donald trump is elected, and inaugurated and federal criminal cases are pending, you can wave them big bye-bye because he will want the attorney general to dismiss them. >> a lot of my civil-rights workers are working in criminal justice and i can honestly say that i have few people i have stood for that i felt were treated unfairly that had 34 felonies. that is a whole lot of felonies to be convicted of. despite his guilty conviction, trump can run and potentially serve as president because as a candidate for federal office, trump is restricted only by requirements in the u.s. constitution. is it legally plausible to serve the presidency out of a jail cell, or on probation, or even in the middle of an appeals process x how would that play out, danny? >> i love that question, rev. and i can tell you with authority that the answer is, we don't know. constitutionally we don't know. i can tell you what i think. i think the answer is that the supremacy clause of the constitution adds to a state conviction and incarceration requires the jail cell doors to open as soon as donald trump becomes the president if he becomes the president. the analysis is slightly different. it might be a separation of powers analysis under federal law, under a federal conviction and incarceration. but the bottom line is this. reasonable legal and regular folks minds can disagree on the constitutionality of imprisoning a president and allowing him to run the country from a prison cell. some very smart legal scholars believe yes, he will and can run the country from a jail cell. i don't know how that looks. do they will in the facts machine? i don't know what that would look like. a telephone. i just happen to be one of those folks that thinks that would not work under the constitution. you can find brilliant legal scholars who say he can be incarcerated and be the president. >> 1c a sentence, say the judge gives him probation. he would be on probation, even running for president. >> absolutely and the constitution, as you correctly pointed out creates three qualifications and none of those disqualify a candidate for having either a criminal record , for being under indictment or being on probation or technically being in a jail cell. so none of those are disqualifiers. the candidate can move on, run for president and even win. >> but he's got to report to his parole officer. >> yes, his po. >> every time he stops on the campaign, has the parole officer approved you coming here. danny ceballos, thank you for being with us. major league baseball has taken a step to inclusivity. counting the contributions of his -- of hundreds of black players into the historical record. my next guest joins me to discuss what this may mean for the future of the sport. sport. say hello to your fairy godmother alice, and long-lasting gain scent beads. part of the irresistible scent collection from gain. 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(knock on the door) are you using all the old spice? oops. ♪ (old spice mnemonic) ♪ welcome back to politics nation. this week, major league baseball incorporated negro leauge statistics into their historical record. the long-overdue step recognizes the contributions, made to the sport by roughly 2300 black athletes. including players like josh gibson, who now leads the league in several career batting categories. eclipsing records set by legends, like babe ruth and ty cobb. joining me now to talk about it, is national sports contributor for forbes.com, terrence moore, author of the real hank aaron. thank you for joining us. for some of our viewers, who are less familiar, can you talk a little bit about the role the leagues played in professional baseball, and why it is such a significant step forward for the sport to have the statistics from that era, officially integrated into the records. >> for the first part, the reason the leagues existed from 1920 until roughly 1960 was because major-league baseball ran a racist operation. they did not want african americans in the game, because they thought they would be too dominant and overshadow the white players. and that has been the case for decades and just forever more, that is another story. and that is why for forbes.com, i think we made way too much of a big deal about this as far as praising major-league baseball. here's what i mean by this. it is wonderful they are including the statistics. that era from 1923 1960s, but it is absolutely disgusting, the timing of this thing. because he go back to 1969 and back then, major-league baseball, you had the american league and nationally, which you still do. they decided on the 100th anniversary of professional baseball to include all of these other leaks from years gone by. they included four other leaks back then, all white but did not include the knee drove -- the negro-leagues. >> this was 1969. they would not include the negro leauge when they included other leagues. and as you know, that was five years after the civil-rights act , which tells you how racist this thing was. and the reason i find it so just ridiculous. >> let me hold you right there. because documenting the negro- leagues have been a massive undertaking. archivists have spent decades coming through box scores and newspaper reports and the process continues because information is incomplete. the research is teaching us not only about baseball but the racial history of our country. >> it tells you that a lot of this was done on purpose. i was close to hank aaron, hank and i used to talk about it all the time, about how it used to get him upset along with myself, that a lot of people misunderstand what happened on april 15th, 1947. they always say jackie robinson proved to the brooklyn dodgers that blacks could take -- could play baseball. -- blacks could play baseball. it was a fear factor for officials, that they could play and they would overshadow the white players. like babe ruth and ty cobb, and look what happened reverend al. with the inclusion of the stats, instantaneously, josh gibson becomes the all-time career batting average lead over ty cobb, the white icon and josh gibson becomes top babe ruth in slugging categories. >> the leagues -- negro-leagues went into decline when jackie robinson broke the color barrier in 1947. by the 1970s, this struck me. roughly 20% of major-league baseball players were black. by 1971, the pittsburgh pirates , were the first team to put in an all-black lineup on the field. but today, only 6% of major- league players are black. the lowest level, since the '50s. why do you think that is, and do you believe this renewed interest in the history of the negro-leagues can reduce the trend? >> reverend al, i can tell you what i know. in 1982 when i worked for san francisco examiner, i did something that had never been done before or since. i did a detailed study on this. 1982, there were 18% african americans in baseball. the all-time high was the mid- '70s at 27%. from talking to black players, white players, executives, all on the record, there were people who told me, again on the record, that there was a quota system in major- league baseball that was purposely phasing out african americans. that's how i became close with hank aaron in 1982. the consensus was by the turn- of-the-century, the 21st century that the numbers would be below 10%, which they are right now. matter of fact, the smoking gun reverend al, at a white scout gave me a computerized report for major-league baseball in 1982 with a flat race. they were keeping track of how many african americans were in the game. with the national football league with the scouting report, the nba, the scouting report back then, they did not have race on forms, only major- league baseball. >> that is 32, 33 years ago that you sounded the trumpet. author and journalist terrence moore, thank you for being with us. thank you again. up next, my final thoughts. stay with us. with us. not flossing well? 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