WEBVTT - US Report with Rod Smith - Fri 13 Jun, 2025

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<v Speaker 1>Oh Jesus, we'll go to the one and only Lonnie Smith.

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<v Speaker 2>We catch up with right on a Friday morning as

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<v Speaker 2>part of Australia Overnight Rode.

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<v Speaker 3>Good morning, so a very good morning to you, Tony.

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<v Speaker 2>Happy birthday, Thank you sir, very kind of you, very

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<v Speaker 2>sweet of you to say so. Just watching these pictures

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<v Speaker 2>come in, you know, mate, these big national stories that

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<v Speaker 2>come in unimaginable. Really, two hundred ninety people that have

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<v Speaker 2>been killed in this Air India crash. It is dreadful

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<v Speaker 2>and they're only in the air for sixty plus seconds

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<v Speaker 2>and then all hell, all let's loose.

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<v Speaker 4>It's just so tragically, tragically sad.

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<v Speaker 3>But the astonishing story there, Tony. One survivor, a survivor

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<v Speaker 3>and he's still holding his boarding path.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, which is just a great There'll be more on

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<v Speaker 2>that one than no death throughout the day. Let me

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<v Speaker 2>ask you this before you start to further The rights

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<v Speaker 2>are where you are the riots in LA Are you

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<v Speaker 2>walking around and you shown yourself at We're not that

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<v Speaker 2>far away.

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<v Speaker 4>We're going to be really careful. Does it feel horrid

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<v Speaker 4>or not?

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<v Speaker 3>No? Look down here pretty safe. About an hour and

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<v Speaker 3>a half south of Los Angeles, which is good, a

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<v Speaker 3>good way to be, especially when that's going on. Look

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<v Speaker 3>the images of cars set ablaze, protesters tossing rocks at police,

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<v Speaker 3>and an office inspiring non lethal rounds and tear gas

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<v Speaker 3>at protest as well several days of unrest in Los

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<v Speaker 3>Angeles of protests over immigration enforcement. Is far different in

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<v Speaker 3>a scale from the nineteen ninety two riots. Now, after

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<v Speaker 3>the current protests that began what Friday, Donald Trump ordered

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<v Speaker 3>the deployment of National Guards and seven hundred marines. But

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<v Speaker 3>you know, there is a curfew in place. It covers

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<v Speaker 3>two point five kilometers square of downtown Los Angeles from

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<v Speaker 3>eight pm to six am and is expected to last

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<v Speaker 3>for several days, as they say. But the part that

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<v Speaker 3>you would have seen on TV and a lot of

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<v Speaker 3>people in Australia and around the world when nine journalists

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<v Speaker 3>Lauren Tamasi reporting on the LA riots, was shot by

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<v Speaker 3>a rubber bullet fire by an LA police officer. And look,

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<v Speaker 3>when you're reporting stuff like that, really it can get

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<v Speaker 3>pretty dangerous. So you know, she's okay, which is great.

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<v Speaker 4>Does anybody have found out why he chose to shoot

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<v Speaker 4>what was clearly a working journalist?

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<v Speaker 3>I think in the background Tony to if you watch

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<v Speaker 3>the video to her, probably he right, there was someone

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<v Speaker 3>else close by, so he more than likely saw her

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<v Speaker 3>in that vicinity, but there was someone coming up or

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<v Speaker 3>whatever like that, but he wasn't a good shot because

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<v Speaker 3>he shot her, so, which was very sad.

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<v Speaker 2>On this program yesterday in the two o'clock hour, something

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<v Speaker 2>took my fancy and we were just meandering through some

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<v Speaker 2>of the great songs from the Beach Boys. Coincidentally, one

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<v Speaker 2>of the big couple of the big ones were actually

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<v Speaker 2>at anniversary of the recording going back to about sixty

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<v Speaker 2>four or sixty five, and I said, what are those

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<v Speaker 2>great Beach Boys songs? So we had lots of callers

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<v Speaker 2>talking about memories of the Beach Boys. So this is

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<v Speaker 2>in the two o'clock hour. The news came up at

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<v Speaker 2>three o'clock yesterday. Then as the news finished, I saw

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<v Speaker 2>it flick up on my phone, Brian Wilson dead, and

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<v Speaker 2>I thought, oh, I know it must be different. Brian

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<v Speaker 2>Wilson couldn't be surely anyway, it turns out clearly was.

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<v Speaker 2>I've been thinking about that all day for the last

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<v Speaker 2>twenty four plus hours now, thinking how weird and odd

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<v Speaker 2>that made me feel. I mean, I was really taken

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<v Speaker 2>back by it that we had been spent nearly an

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<v Speaker 2>hour talking about songs associated with the Beach Boys and

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<v Speaker 2>Brian Wilson and then that news came through.

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<v Speaker 3>Look, well, Brian was the heart of the Beach Boys.

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<v Speaker 3>He was the soul of the Beach Boy sound, gifted

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<v Speaker 3>with you know, like dreaming up melodies where he poured

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<v Speaker 3>emotions into every note. And Mike Love from the Beach

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<v Speaker 3>Boys paid tribute to his cousin on the journey together

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<v Speaker 3>that was filled with moments of brilliance, heartbreak, laughter, perplexity,

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<v Speaker 3>and most of all love. Although Love and Wilson were

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<v Speaker 3>successful collaborators, you know, the two occasionally buttered heads over

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<v Speaker 3>the course of the band's direction, and Wilson wanted to

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<v Speaker 3>really continue to move into more experimental material while Love

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<v Speaker 3>wanted to take the band's focus on the commercial side.

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<v Speaker 3>And the Beach Boys really helped to make the world

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<v Speaker 3>believe in sunshine, surfing and teenage dreams. And as the

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<v Speaker 3>news of Brian Wilson's passing, it reverberated around the world

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<v Speaker 3>and especially in the music world, you know, and it's

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<v Speaker 3>heartening to know Tony that his contributions are celebrated by

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<v Speaker 3>young and old, and even Paul McCartney, one of Wilson's

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<v Speaker 3>biggest admirers, has said the Beach Boys song God Only

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<v Speaker 3>Knows is the greatest song ever written. Now that's from

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<v Speaker 3>Paul McCartney's lips. Now, McCartney has said it means so

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<v Speaker 3>much to him. It's one of few songs that reduces

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<v Speaker 3>him to tears every time he hears it.

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<v Speaker 4>Yeah, I agree.

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<v Speaker 3>It's a beautiful genius of Brian Wilson. Countless music luminaries

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<v Speaker 3>Bob Dylan, Mick Fleetwood, Geryl King, Elton, John Ronnie Wood

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<v Speaker 3>among the many who are playing tribute to Brian passing

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<v Speaker 3>away at eighty two. You know like he did have

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<v Speaker 3>his health.

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<v Speaker 2>Issues, Yeah, drug issues of these which were well documented

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<v Speaker 2>as well. Rod state, they will come back in just

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<v Speaker 2>a moment on this day in music, and a sorry

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<v Speaker 2>about Don McLean of all people that's next to Strada Overnight,

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<v Speaker 2>we love it. Nice to every company. We're halfway through,

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<v Speaker 2>more than halfway through. Really we run out a time

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<v Speaker 2>that we're doing with this half hour's just completely gone.

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<v Speaker 2>Rod Smith, Don MacLean, the great Don McLean. Wouldn't you

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<v Speaker 2>have liked to have written back in all those years ago,

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<v Speaker 2>American Pie.

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<v Speaker 3>Well, yeah, and look the parody of American Pie. Don

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<v Speaker 3>McLean has said that it's better than the original. You

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<v Speaker 3>know of weird Al because he's amassed countless fans over

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<v Speaker 3>the decades, including some of the artists he has spoofed.

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<v Speaker 3>So look the folk rock legend. Don McLean praised the

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<v Speaker 3>saga Begins Now Yankevic's take on American Pie, in which

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<v Speaker 3>he hilariously describes the plot of Star Wars Episode one,

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<v Speaker 3>the Phantom Menace. When MacLean heard the version, he thought

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<v Speaker 3>it was better than the original. And weird Ol has

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<v Speaker 3>been the king of parodies for a number of decades,

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<v Speaker 3>with songs like eBay, like a Surgeon, Armish.

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<v Speaker 4>Paradise, He's eat it, eat it. Yeah.

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<v Speaker 3>Look, so he's still touring. Would you believe he's got

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<v Speaker 3>his bigger and weirder twenty twenty five tour happening right now.

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<v Speaker 2>Just to wrap up, and this is such an important

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<v Speaker 2>story which we had a bit more time. But it's

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<v Speaker 2>about the reading to children, which is certainly lacking because

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<v Speaker 2>of the genre's parenting.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, look that they aren't reading to their kids as

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<v Speaker 3>often as other generations because they feel it isn't funny

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<v Speaker 3>anymore tony. It raises concerns about the lack of early

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<v Speaker 3>exposure to books for kids, and the recent study found

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<v Speaker 3>that the attitude towards reading is seemingly being passed on

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<v Speaker 3>to their children. So if they're not going to help

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<v Speaker 3>the kids read, well, the kids aren't going to read either.

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<v Speaker 3>So very sad and you know it's really going to

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<v Speaker 3>turn out like how many kids are going to read?

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<v Speaker 3>Is ai going to take a.

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<v Speaker 4>Well, maybe that'll take care of it.

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<v Speaker 2>But the idea of sitting down and reading to children,

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<v Speaker 2>of specting to lots of people, lots of teachers and

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<v Speaker 2>families over the years, and the real clever people still

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<v Speaker 2>read to their children.

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<v Speaker 4>It is so important at a very early age. It

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<v Speaker 4>is it is mate, We're going to run at a time.

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<v Speaker 2>I know we wanted to talk about the Beach Boys again,

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<v Speaker 2>which will do that? That song you write is such

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<v Speaker 2>a beautiful song. Listen to it a few times yesterday.

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<v Speaker 2>Lots of the reports featured that God only knows it

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<v Speaker 2>is such a beautiful.

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<v Speaker 3>Track, and it was the B side of Wouldn't It

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<v Speaker 3>Be Nice?

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<v Speaker 2>It was a two which are two beautiful, fabulous songs.

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<v Speaker 4>You have a great one and we'll talk again next week.

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<v Speaker 2>Thank you for the one and only.

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<v Speaker 3>Have a great birthday, Tony.

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<v Speaker 2>See you mate. Talking about all those things coming out

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<v Speaker 2>of the United States, the Beatles, Supremes, beach Boys. We

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<v Speaker 2>might look at that coming up the next hour cereal time.

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<v Speaker 4>It is all part of a strainer overnight. Good morning,