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Good morning, Hoke County!

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Good morning, North Carolina!

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And good morning, America!

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I'm Professor Dr. Lent C.

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Carr, the Second, coming to you from the Washington,

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D.C. Bureau of the Democracy Independent News Association.

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And America, we have a great deal to talk

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about this morning! Across this nation, voters are making

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their voices heard as the 2026 midterm elections approach.

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What are the early voting numbers telling us?

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What do they reveal about political participation?

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And what might these developments mean for the future

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of American democracy? Today, we're examining the evidence, the

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constitutional implications, the economic
concerns, and the political realities

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shaping this extraordinary election season.

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This is DINA LIVE 24/7.

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Independent in journalism. Uncompromising in truth.

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Accountable to the people.

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Our first distinction is fundamental: participation is not a

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result. An early ballot tells election administrators that a

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voter has participated. It does not tell the public

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which candidate received that voter's support.

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Party registration is a separate record.

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Polling is an estimate from a sample.

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An election result comes from counting ballots under the

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applicable rules. Across the states on our map, the

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voting calendars differ. North
Carolina's in-person early voting ended

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Saturday, October thirty-first. South
Carolina's early voting period

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also ended Saturday. Texas ended in-person early voting Friday,

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October thirtieth. Michigan's
constitutionally required early voting

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period runs through Sunday, November first.

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Iowa allows in-person absentee voting at county auditors' offices

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through Monday, November second.

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Georgia voters should use the Secretary of State's My

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Voter Page for their individual voting information.

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Those different calendars are one reason a single national

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early-vote number needs careful explanation.

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Reports may count applications,
ballots sent, ballots returned, ballots

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accepted, or people voting in person.

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Those categories cannot simply be added together.

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We will identify the source, category and update time

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whenever we put a number on your screen.

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Nor will we declare a record merely because a

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number is large. A fair comparison needs a matching

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point in the voting calendar and a clear denominator.

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A presidential election and a midterm bring different patterns.

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More registered voters can produce more ballots without a

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higher participation rate. Our job is to explain those

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distinctions before drawing conclusions.

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DINA LIVE will return after these messages.

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Now, let's bring this conversation closer to home.

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North Carolina is among
the states receiving significant attention

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during this election cycle.

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We turn to our North Carolina Bureau and our

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Political and Government Affairs
Correspondent, Madeline Grace Whitmore.

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Madeline, good morning!

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Good morning, Professor Carr!

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And good morning to our viewers throughout North Carolina

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and across the nation.

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We're examining the official
participation figures, election administration, and

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the questions families can bring to their candidates.

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The State Board's published
counts file, updated October thirty-first

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at eight forty-one and fifty-one seconds UTC, lists two

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million, five hundred twenty-four
thousand, six hundred nineteen early

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in-person ballots, and eighty-seven
thousand, six hundred thirty mail-category

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ballots statewide. These are
administrative participation counts, not

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votes awarded to any party.

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They are a snapshot before the final early-voting day

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was fully reflected.

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And what does that snapshot show closer to home?

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The matching county file lists nine thousand, nine hundred

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eighty-one early in-person ballots in Hoke County and one

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hundred fourteen across its civilian, military and overseas mail

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categories.

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What should a viewer check before going to the

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polls?

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Election Day is Tuesday, November third.

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North Carolina polls are scheduled to open at six

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thirty in the morning and close at seven thirty

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in the evening, Eastern time.

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A voter in line at the assigned polling place

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at seven thirty may vote.

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Use the State Board's Voter Search to check your

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registration, assigned polling place and sample ballot.

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The regular registration deadline
and the early-voting same-day registration

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period have passed for this Sunday edition.

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Contact election officials about
any circumstances requiring individual guidance.

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Hoke County's official guidance
explains acceptable photo identification and

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the provisional-ballot process for voters unable to show it.

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Check the official instructions rather than assuming that one

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missing document automatically means you cannot vote.

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Healthcare, education, housing and household affordability all

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deserve precise questions. What
services would a candidate change?

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What would those changes cost?

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Which public body actually has authority?

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We have not conducted a representative Hoke County issues

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survey, so we will not assign countywide priorities from

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anecdotes.

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Exactly. We can examine school budgets, public records and

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policy proposals without presenting a scripted exchange as an

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interview with residents. Our
program information links directly to

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the State Board and the Hoke County Board of

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Elections.

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You're watching DINA LIVE 24/7.

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Now, back to our Washington, D.C.

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Bureau.

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Now, The Professor's Analysis.

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Here is the distinction between what the evidence measures

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and how I interpret it.

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The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on October fourteenth

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that consumer prices rose three point seven percent over

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the twelve months ending in September.

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The monthly increase was zero point six percent, seasonally

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adjusted. Food prices were two point five percent higher

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than a year earlier; shelter was up three point

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two percent. Gasoline rose nine point one percent during

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September on a seasonally adjusted basis.

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These are different measures over different periods.

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A national average also does not describe every family's

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bill. Those statistics measure price changes.

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They do not, by themselves, establish which president, party

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or law caused them.

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Energy markets, housing supply, wages, interest rates and

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other forces require separate evidence.

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Nor does a slower increase mean prices have returned

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to an earlier level.

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The legislation commonly called the One Big Beautiful Bill

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became Public Law one hundred nineteen, twenty-one on July

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fourth, twenty twenty-five. It
includes tax provisions and changes

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to nutrition assistance and healthcare policy.

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The IRS describes deductions
for qualified tips, qualified overtime

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and eligible seniors, with limits and eligibility rules.

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A deduction reduces taxable income; its value depends on

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a person's circumstances. There
are also substantial healthcare tradeoffs.

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The Congressional Research Service's
August eighteenth, twenty twenty-five report

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describes Medicaid eligibility
and financing changes, community-engagement

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requirements for certain people, and a rural health program.

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It reports the Congressional Budget Office estimate that the

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law's health coverage provisions
would increase the uninsured population

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by ten million in fiscal twenty thirty-four relative to

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the January twenty twenty-five baseline.

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That is a projection against a baseline, not ten

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million observed losses today.

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The administration's Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid Services presents

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the reforms as strengthening
program integrity, state financing responsibilities

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and connections to work.

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Those are the government's stated purposes.

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Their achievement must be
tested against implementation and outcomes.

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My progressive interpretation is that a policy should be

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judged by who gains, who bears the costs, and

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whether people can obtain food, housing and medical care.

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Tax relief deserves accurate accounting.

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So do coverage losses and administrative barriers.

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That is an argument about priorities, clearly labeled as

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my analysis. Could dissatisfaction hurt Republicans?

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It is a hypothesis to test, not a result

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to announce. We have not cleared a current, methodologically

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documented polling series for this edition.

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We therefore will not put a numerical probability on

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congressional control or claim the election has already been

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decided. Competing possibilities include voters crediting tax

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changes, prioritizing other issues, splitting tickets, or

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turning out differently on Election Day.

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Black political participation deserves
more than a campaign stereotype.

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The Voting Rights Act was signed August sixth, nineteen

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sixty-five after sustained civil
rights organizing and violent resistance

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to voting access. That history helps explain why access,

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administration and equal treatment
remain serious subjects for journalism.

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Likewise, the remarks attributed to Senator Ted Cruz remain

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outside this edition's verified quotation package.

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We have not independently cleared the original recording and

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excerpt rights. No quotation or audio will be presented

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as authenticated. More broadly,
a politician's warning about turnout

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is political rhetoric, not a scientific forecast.

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We will follow the evidence, correct mistakes, and tell

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you what remains unknown.

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From our virtual Washington, D.C.

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Bureau, I'm Professor Dr.

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Lent C. Carr, the Second.

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Thank you to Madeline Grace Whitmore, our North Carolina

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virtual presenter, and thank you for joining DINA.

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Independent in journalism. Uncompromising in truth.

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Accountable to the people.