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Saturday, February 29, 2020

Republicans Walk Out of Coronavirus Briefing After Democrats Play Politics With the Crisis

Several House Republicans walked out of a closed-door briefing on the coronavirus by Trump administration health officials after a Democratic chairman railed against the White House response to the crisis.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, the leading House health appropriator, kicked off the briefing by criticizing the administration for being disorganized and lacking urgency in its response. Several GOP members started to boo before most Republicans got up and walked out.

"If I wanted to hear the politics of it, I'd read Politico or something, let's be serious," said Rep. Paul Mitchell of Michigan. Even Democrats were uncomfortable with DeLauro's tirade.

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EXCLUSIVE: 1,155 Chinese Nationals Apprehended After Illegally Entering U.S. in FY2020

U.S. Border Patrol agents apprehended 1,155 Chinese migrants this fiscal year after they illegally entered from Mexico, Canada, or coastal boundaries. More than 95 percent came over the southwestern border between October 1, 2019, and January 31, 2020.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials responded to an inquiry from Breitbart Texas and reported that Border Patrol agents apprehended 1,155 Chinese nationals who illegally crossed into the United States. Of those, 1,114 were apprehended after crossing between ports of entry in the nine Border Patrol sectors making up the southwestern border with Mexico. Of the remaining, 17 were apprehended after illegally crossing the Canadian border and 24 were apprehended along coastal boundaries.

Breitbart Texas investigated the matter after Border Patrol agents in the Rio Grande Valley, Laredo, and Del Rio Sectors commented on the increasing numbers of Chinese migrants appearing in their sectors.

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Gingrich: Asking the right questions about coronavirus

After listening to the Democrats attack President Trump and smear Vice President Mike Pence over the coronavirus, it hit me that it is vital for Republicans to focus on the virus – specifically its challenges to human health, jobs, and the economy.

There is a real temptation to descend to the level of the left’s dishonest, false, and often vicious attacks about the Trump administration’s response to the potential pandemic. However, that would be exactly the wrong reaction.

Just as the contrast between Trump in India and the pathetic South Carolina debate emphasized the stature difference between the president as a world leader and a group of noisy, desperate politicians, there is an opportunity for the Trump administration and congressional Republicans to demonstrate patriotism, seriousness and focusing on solving real problems for real people.

The contrast between bitterly partisan, negative, and divisive Democrats such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and the serious, focused effort of Trump and Pence is important. It can go a long way toward convincing the country that there is a serious, problem-solving Republican Party and a petty, divisive Democrat Party.

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https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/newt-gingrich-asking-the-right-questions-about-coronavirus

US and Taliban sign peace deal that will send ALL American troops home in 14 months and pave way to end of 18-year Afghanistan war

The United States and the Taliban have signed a peace agreement aimed at ending the 18-year war in Afghanistan, potentially helping President Donald Trump fulfill a key campaign promise to extract America from its 'endless wars.'

The deal was signed on Saturday in the Qatari capital Doha by U.S. special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was on hand to witness the ceremony.

Under the agreement, the U.S. will begin withdrawing thousands of troops in exchange for Taliban commitments to prevent Afghanistan from being a launchpad for terrorist attacks.

If the Taliban meet their commitments, all U.S. troops would leave in 14 months.

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Trump Tells CPAC He's Delivering the 'Hope and Change' Liberals Promised 'And It’s Driving Them Crazy'

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD — Near the conclusion of the four-day Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), President Donald Trump spoke. The 45th president was scheduled to hit the stage at 3 p.m., but conservative activists of all different ages, races, and both genders waited in the Potomac Ballroom of the Gaylord National Resort and Conference Center for hours to hear him speak.

The president ran a little late, but the audience was treated to highlight videos about Trump and his history with CPAC, and the efforts of the American Conservative Union launching CPACs in other regions of the country, as well as around the world in Australia, Japan, and elsewhere.

Matt Schlapp, the chairman of the American Conservative Union, went on stage first to introduce President Trump. Schlapp said that he believes Nancy Pelosi would love to rip up the speech that Trump would soon be giving, but said of Pelosi, “You can’t rip up the spirit of the American people, and those yearning for freedom across the globe.”

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Fears for 50 staff and residents at nursing facility after they are confirmed with coronavirus symptoms - two miles from Washington hospital where man, 50, becomes the first to die from the virus in the US and Donald Trump urges public not to panic

Fears are mounting for 50 staff and residents at a nursing facility in Washington state after they have shown coronavirus symptoms, on the same day that the US has its first confirmed coronavirus death and Donald Trump continued to urge the public not to panic.

More than 50 staff and residents of the nursing facility where two new coronavirus cases have been confirmed are now showing symptoms of the disease, health officials said during a teleconference with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

At the Life Care nursing facility in Kirkland, Washington state, around 27 of the 108 residents and 25 of the 180 staff have some symptoms, including some cases where the individuals have contracted pneumonia.

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Houses frozen over near Lake Erie in New York due to cold temps

HAMBURG, N.Y. — Cold temperatures, gale-force winds, and 18-foot waves from Lake Erie created an ice spectacle at Hoover Beach in Hamburg.

Homeowners on South Shore Drive woke to the ice completely covering their doors and windows. In some cases, their homes were dark because of how thick the ice was.

Ed Mis, resident and homeowner in Hoover Beach, says he's never seen conditions this bad before. The front of his home is completely covered in ice that is likely one to three feet thick.

"I actually had to go out a secondary door and then chisel my way back into the house by breaking the ice," he told 2 On Your Side's Karys Belger.

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'A lot of cocktails': Pompeo mocks John Kerry for 'fancy' trips to foreign countries

NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo mocked one of his predecessors for what he described as a lavish lifestyle, including trips to foreign countries funded by American taxpayers.

"You should know that different secretaries kind of roll different. I’m not in it, I'm not in it for the fancy dinners in Paris or Switzerland or Vienna," Pompeo said during a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday.

"One of my predecessors went 62 times," he added, referencing former Secretary of State John Kerry.


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Trump to renominate John Ratcliffe for director of national intelligence

President Trump is renominating Texas Rep. John Ratcliffe to become the next director of national intelligence.

"I am pleased to announce the nomination of @RepRatcliffe (Congressman John Ratcliffe) to be Director of National Intelligence (DNI)," the president tweeted on Friday. "Would have completed process earlier, but John wanted to wait until after IG Report was finished. John is an outstanding man of great talent!"

Trump had previously nominated the Texas Republican to replace Dan Coats as the director last summer, but Ratcliffe was forced to withdraw, blaming what he described as a partisan nomination process after senators, including Republicans, questioned his credentials. He was also accused of overstating his professional record regarding the prosecution of Hamas terrorists.

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Lee proposes constitutional carry legislation

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee on Thursday proposed constitutional carry gun legislation that would permit law-abiding residents who are at least 21 years old to carry a handgun without a permit, except in certain restricted areas.

Constitutional carry applies to both open carry and concealed carry. Current state law requires a permit for both.

“The Second Amendment is clear and concise and secures the freedoms of law-abiding citizens to keep and bear arms,” Lee said in his announcement. “I am pleased to announce constitutional carry legislation today that will protect the Second Amendment rights of Tennesseans, while also stiffening penalties on criminals who steal or illegally possess firearms. I appreciate Lt. Governor [Randy] McNally and Speaker [Cameron] Sexton for helping to lead the way on this important issue.”

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Dr. Seigel slams 'bunch of alarmists' at World Health Organization

Fox News medical correspondent Dr. Marc Seigel criticized the World Health Organization (WHO) as “a bunch of alarmists” Friday for raising their assessment of the global coronavirus risk from “high” to “very high.”

A “very high” global risk assessment is the most serious assessment in the WHO's new four-stage alert system. The head of the organization, Dr. Tedros Adhanom, cited the "continued increase in the number of cases and the number of affected countries" in raising the risk level.

“They always overstate the problem and they always make it seem like the world is going to end,” Seigel told “The Five," noting that the WHO is part of the United Nations.

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https://www.foxnews.com/media/dr-marc-seigel-who-alarmists-coronavirus

'Dems called it VERY wrong!': Trump defends coronavirus response after Bloomberg calls him 'incapable'

President Trump slammed Democrats for casting doubts about his response to the coronavirus threat after Michael Bloomberg questioned his leadership capabilities.

The late-night Twitter barrage from the White House began with the president chiding Bloomberg for his first two debate performances in the Democratic primary contest.

"Word is that Mini Mike Bloomberg performed so poorly in the two debates, that he is thinking about dropping out of the Democrat Primary," Trump said late Thursday. "The fact is, he was not true to himself, and the public was able to quickly figure him out. Not a good experience for Mini Mike!”

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Pollak: 5 Reasons to Stop Freaking Out About Coronavirus

Coronavirus is an “info-demic,” a panic caused by the spread of partial and often misleading information about a health risk, sometimes deliberately.

The virus is real, and a small number of people have been infected. But it is going to pass.

It is an unpleasant respiratory illness, but it is not an organ-destroying horror like Ebola. Precautions are being taken, a vaccine will emerge, and life will continue as usual.

Here are five specific reasons to chill out.

1. Coronavirus is a familiar illness, and not as bad as others.

Federal appeals court blocks Trump policy ordering asylum-seekers to stay in Mexico

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against President Trump’s policy which required asylum-seekers from Central America to stay in Mexico while waiting for a ruling.

On Friday, a three-judge panel in San Francisco ruled that the administration could not require asylum-seekers to await their approval south of the border. The “Remain in Mexico” policy was implemented in late 2018 as the country’s southern border was being overwhelmed by caravans of migrants seeking asylum in the United States.

Lawyers representing the American Civil Liberties Union and several other advocacy groups in opposing Trump’s policy argued that the president broke federal law, which requires the protection of asylum-seekers fleeing persecution, by forcing migrants to remain in tent encampments in Mexico which have experienced an uptick in violent kidnappings by the criminal cartels in Mexico.

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House Democrats go full nanny state and pass overkill vape flavor ban

Nanny-state politicians in Washington already raised the legal age to purchase tobacco and vaping products to 21. Now, as if they’re determined to make things worse, the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives just passed a bill to outright ban flavored e-cigarette products.

The bill, the “Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act of 2019,” was sponsored by Rep. Frank Pallone, a Democrat from New Jersey. It bans the online sale of vaping products and generally prohibits the sale and use of flavored e-cigarettes. With 124 Democratic co-sponsors, the bill has the broad backing of the Democratic Party.

But two House Republicans, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick and Rep. Peter King, have backed the bill as well. So much for individual liberty and free markets, huh?

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California: Twice-Deported Illegal Alien Arrested for Triple Homicide

A twice-deported illegal alien, accused of murdering three men in the sanctuary state of California, has been arrested by law enforcement officials.

Jose Luis Torres Garcia, a 33-year-old illegal alien from Mexico, was identified this week by Riverside County Sheriff’s Office in Southern California for allegedly murdering three men execution-style, as Breitbart News reported. The victims include 50-year-old Jaime Covarrubias Espindola, 38-year-old Jose Maria Aguilar-Espejel, and 28-year-old Rodrigo Aguilar-Esepjel.

Garcia had been on the run, fleeing to Cheyenne, Wyoming, but was arrested by local authorities there when he was pulled over for a traffic stop. During his arrest, police found 15 pounds of marijuana in his vehicle.

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Black supporters cheer Trump as former NFL player anoints him 'first black president'

Former NFL player Jack Brewer declared that President Trump, not President Barack Obama, was the first black president.

"Mr. President, I got to interrupt," Brewer said Thursday during a roundtable event to celebrate Black History Month. "But I've got to say this because this is Black History Month: Man, you the first black president."

The former NFL player's comment elicited a round of applause from the other black supporters of the president at the table.

"Still president of the United States, absolutely," Diamond and Silk chimed in.

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‘Sex Change’ Isn’t Surgically Possible, My Surgeon Testified in Court

Many people wonder why I’m so outspoken about the madness of prescribing cross-sex hormones and genital mutilation surgery for patients who suffer from the desire to be the opposite sex, known clinically as gender dysphoria.

I speak out because I consulted the “gender experts” when I had gender confusion, and they told me sex change was the only way to get relief.

But they were wrong. I didn’t need sex change—I needed effective psychotherapy to resolve childhood issues.

“Sex change” is pure balderdash. No one can change his or her sex. I have the document saying so.

Here’s how it came about.

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'Not true': White House denies it cut funding for CDC to fight infectious diseases

White House officials hit back at allegations that cuts to infectious disease budgets were putting people at risk from a coronavirus outbreak in the latest effort to ease public concern.

The Trump administration has been under growing scrutiny for claims it had cut funding at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, making it more difficult to respond to an epidemic.

Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget Russ Vought said in a White House briefing that the headlines were untrue. He said savings were made through trimming waste and unnecessary programs rather than cutting anything connected to fighting infectious disease.

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'White supremacists have done it': AOC compares religious liberty advocates to racists using Bible 'to justify bigotry'

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said religious liberty advocates are "weaponizing" the Bible to "justify bigotry," much like "those who justified slavery did."

During a Thursday House Oversight Committee hearing about the Trump administration's "religious liberty assault on LGBTQ rights," Ocasio-Cortez said people using religious exemptions to exclude gay and transgender citizens remind her of those who "weaponized" Scripture to enable slavery, white supremacy, and racism.

"It's very difficult to sit here and listen to arguments in the long history of this country of using Scripture and weaponizing and abusing Scripture to justify bigotry," the New York Democrat said to the panelists present at the committee hearing. "White supremacists have done it. Those who justified slavery did it. Those who fought against integration did it, and we're seeing it today."

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Maryland bill strives to limit minors’ access to firearms

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — A bill in the Maryland General Assembly changes the language of existing law in prohibiting an individual from storing a firearm — loaded or unloaded — in a location where an unsupervised minor “could” gain access to it.

Under current law, “a person may not store or leave a loaded firearm in a location where the person knew or should have known that an unsupervised child would gain access to the firearm,” according to a legislative analysis.

The proposal comes as a result of accidents where minors have gained access to a family member’s, friend’s or parent’s firearms and either accidentally shot themselves or others, committed suicide or committed a school shooting, the legislation’s lead sponsor, Delegate Dana Stein, D-Baltimore County, said at the bill’s hearing on Feb. 19.

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How ‘White Fragility’ Theory Turns Classrooms Into Race-Charged Power Struggles

On Feb. 28, 2020, Dr. Robin DiAngelo delivers the keynote speech at the annual meeting of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education in Atlanta, Georgia. DiAngelo has become “perhaps the country’s most visible expert in anti-bias training.” She is also the author of a best-selling book on “why it’s so hard for white people to talk about racism.”

The answer, she says, is “white fragility,” defined as “a state in which even a minimum amount of racial stress becomes intolerable, triggering a range of defensive moves.” This “racial stress” is the direct result of “implicit bias,” which runs so strong in white people that it is a core reason racism persists in America. This claim is based on a worldview, advanced by an increasingly influential field called Whiteness Studies, that racism is inseparable from the reign of Whiteness.

Whiteness is seen as a central pillar of society. What is Whiteness? It is hard to say, but the basic idea is that all the institutions of society are “white”—made by white people, ruled by white people, and kept in place by white people to make sure that white people continue to benefit from “white privilege.” These institutions are infected by white supremacy, a result of the long arc of racism in American history. Whiteness works through implicit bias, which refers to a whole range of unconscious behaviors, speech, and beliefs that keep white supremacy in place.

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Court Rejects Appeal In Undercover Drug Buy Case

OCEAN CITY — In essentially what boiled down to a possession versus distribution issue, a state appeals court this week denied a request for a mistrial in a case involving an illegal drug sale to an undercover police officer on the Boardwalk.

On June 15, 2018, Dashawn Coward, now 21, of Pottsville, Pa., and Sean Dotson, 19, of Pottsville, approached an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) undercover narcotics detective on the Boardwalk and asked the officer if he was interested in buying cocaine. OCPD undercover detectives agreed and followed Coward and Dotson off the Boardwalk to complete the sale.

According to the accepted facts in the case, Coward reached into his pants and produced two vials of cocaine, which he handed to Dotson. Dotson then handed to vials of cocaine to the undercover detective in exchange for the agreed-upon $80. Coward was arrested later that night and was charged with possession and distribution of cocaine.

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'Whipping us with wet noodles': Trump has driven coronavirus response 'for weeks,' Cuccinelli says

Acting Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Ken Cuccinelli urged calm over fears of a coronavirus epidemic, crediting President Trump with a preemptive response to the global outbreak.

The president has been “whipping us with wet noodles for weeks now” to stay ahead of the spread of coronavirus, Cuccinelli said Friday at the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Maryland. "There's a reason the threat is low in the United States as of now."

Cuccinelli stressed that while the president spoke about the risks of the outbreak for the first time this week, he has been "very aggressive" in wrangling a behind-the-scenes countervirus response.

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Sen. Mike Braun: ‘Schumer Trying to Weaponize Coronavirus Politically’

Indiana Sen. Mike Braun (R) affirmed that the United States is “in as good a shape” and “as prepared” as any nation to manage the coronavirus, given the infrastructure the country has, while Democrats like Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) are trying to “weaponize” the infection to win political points.

In an interview with Breitbart News Thursday, Braun said he was in the “behind closed door meeting” on Tuesday and concluded as a result that, given the infrastructure the country has, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the U.S. is ready to manage a spread of infection.

Braun stressed this coronavirus that causes the COVID-19 infection “should be an eye-opener for all of the world” and that the U.S. must remain “vigilant”

The senator suggests American companies will likely begin to scrutinize their relationships with China.

“Many companies are going to start looking at their supply chain,” he said. “You know, how deep it is in China, and probably get an eye-opener about what to do about that down the road.”

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4K cases in jeopardy following questions into former MSP firearms expert

BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. —There are 4,000 criminal cases across Maryland are now under review after new questions about the credibility of a former Maryland State Police firearms expert.

Joseph Kopera testified at thousands of trials. He retired and took his own life in 2007 when it was revealed he lied about his academic credentials. Now investigators are looking into whether he also forged initials of other employees to cover his work.

For Maryland prosecutors, public defenders and state police this has been a "here we go again" type of situation, and a man who is serving life without parole is hoping this investigation will help overturn his conviction.

Jeffrey Ebb Sr. was convicted of two counts of felony murder and other charges in the November 1992 triple shooting and attempted robbery at Brodie's Barbershop in Catonsville. James Brodie and a shop patron were killed, while a third man was wounded.

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Yes, Women and Minorities Should Own Firearms

The next time a criminal tries to steal a woman’s purse or assault a seemingly defenseless female walking back to her apartment, he’s more likely to be staring down the barrel of a handgun. And she’s probably well trained on how to use that weapon. It’s the age of the firearm feminist, and it’s driving the Left crazy.

Igor Volsky, executive director of Guns Down America and former vice president of the Center for American Progress, recently complained that “gun makers are softening their image” in order to appeal to “women, children, and members of minority groups.”

But that’s good news, Igor.

Women and minorities should take advantage of their right to self-defense and learn how to protect themselves, especially in leftist-dominated urban centers where Rule of Law takes a backseat to “social justice.” And if children grow up knowing why the Second Amendment is important, they’ll learn how to become responsible gun owners themselves.

“People like Igor Volsky make a good living making a boogeyman out of the firearms industry,” writes Gabriella Hoffman at The Resurgent. “If he placed the same energy on criminals who are solely responsible for gun crimes rather than innocent law-abiding gun owners, perhaps he would be a more effective advocate of true gun safety.”

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I have the coronavirus. So far, it isn't that bad.

I have the coronavirus. And it hasn't been that bad.

I am in my late 60s, and the sickest I've ever been was when I had bronchitis several years ago. That laid me out on my back for a few days. This has been much easier: no chills, no body aches. I breathe easily, and I don't have a stuffy nose. My chest feels tight, and I have coughing spells. If I were at home with similar symptoms, I probably would have gone to work as usual.

I caught the virus on the Diamond Princess, the cruise ship that was quarantined outside Yokohama for 14 days, at the end of a 16-day cruise I took with my wife, Jeri. When I left the ship a couple of weeks ago, I felt fine. We checked our temperatures throughout our quarantine. Jeri and I got a swab test for the virus. Our temperatures were normal; they'd get the swab results back in 48 hours. Our test results had not arrived before we boarded buses for the airport, where two U.S. government planes waited for us.

As we took off from Tokyo, I had a bit of a cough, but I chalked it up to the dry air in the cabin. I felt pretty tired - but who wouldn't, in our situation? I dozed off.

When I woke up, I had a fever. I made my way to the back of the cargo plane, where the Air Force had set up a quarantine area cordoned off with sheets of plastic. They took my temperature. It was over 103 degrees. So I took a seat in the quarantine area and fell back asleep until we touched down in California, at Travis Air Force Base.

Officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention came onto the plane and said that three of us who had been cordoned off would fly to Omaha (with our spouses, if they wanted to come along). The CDC had a quarantine location at the University of Nebraska's hospital. We arrived on Feb. 17, greeted by a fleet of ambulances and police cars. Officials put me on a stretcher and wheeled me into a van, which made for a very dramatic scene. I easily could have walked despite my exhaustion.

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