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Increased Volatility Could Be Looming For 2024 Election — Here’s One Way Investors Are Looking To Hedge

Benzinga

By Faith Ashmore, Benzinga As we come up on an election year, investors and politicians alike are interested in how it will affect the economy. The stock market generally can experience increased volatility during election years due to the introduction of uncertainty. This may leave investors grappling with the potential outcomes and policy changes that may occur as a result of the election. The campaign period often fuels market fluctuations as investors and companies react to political rhetoric, policy proposals and potential shifts in government leadership. Those looking for less volatility and more stability may want to look at necessity-based commercial real estate. This asset class tends to be largely insulated from the daily swings of the market, and by extension, the volatility that traditionally occurs in election years. Unlike other types of real estate and the traditional stock market, necessity-based (properties that are essential for everyday living — including sectors such as healthcare facilities, grocery stores, multifamily housing and more) properties tend to have consistent demand. This relative stability can help mitigate the risks associated with market fluctuations — and it seems like the current administration will seek to keep interest rates relatively steady through the end of 2024, according to necessity-based real estate firm First National Realty Partners (FNRP). FNRP is a renowned necessity-based real estate firm that has established itself as the leader of the specific industry. The company was the #1 privately-held acquirer of grocery-anchored retail real estate in 2022. With a track record of success, FNRP has established itself as the go-to investment firm for those seeking to navigate the ever-changing market and achieve long-term wealth preservation. With over $2 billion in assets under management, FNRP has consistently demonstrated its ability to deliver results for investors. Their portfolio boasts an impressive 60 current assets held, showcasing their expertise in identifying and acquiring high-quality properties that align with their investment strategy. Since its inception, FNRP has distributed over $100 million to its valued investors – a testament to their commitment to generating returns. Their successful growth is evidenced by the acquisition of over 11.5 million square feet of gross leasable area (GLA) across 23 states, solidifying their nationwide presence and extending their reach to diverse markets. Commercial real estate investments are known for their ability to provide stable cash flows, appreciation potential and risk mitigation through diversification across different properties and tenants — particularly for investors interested in grocery store-anchored properties. Grocery-anchored properties are known for their stability, as these types of properties typically have high occupancy rates and provide regular income from stable tenants. Grocery stores are considered to be a recession-resistant asset class, making them a potentially valuable option for investors who seek the relative stability and safety of income-generating properties. As the election year approaches, we may see the market shift and uncertainty increase. FNRP's strategy of investing in necessity-based, grocery-anchored shopping centers might be a good fit for investors trying to combat potential market volatility. Learn more about FNRP’s upcoming deals here. This post contains sponsored content. This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be investing advice. Contact Details Benzinga +1 877-440-9464 info@benzinga.com Company Website http://www.benzinga.com

October 02, 2023 09:15 AM Eastern Daylight Time

With 800,000 Customers And Over 26,000 5-Star Reviews On Trust Pilot, Splash Wines Is Reinventing D2C In The Wine Industry

Benzinga

By Faith Ashmore, Benzinga Join Splash Wines on its mission bringing wine to every door by investing in them here! While the e-commerce market has been strong for decades, COVID-19 propelled the direct-to-consumer (D2C) model to the forefront of business’s minds. Consumers have increasingly turned to online shopping for convenience and safety. Brands like BarkBox (NYSE: BARK), Blue Apron (NASDAQ: APRN), and Harry’s are all prime examples. The global subscription e-commerce market is projected to reach $904.2 billion by 2026, with an increase from $72.91 billion in 2021 to $120.04 billion in 2022. With social distancing measures still being followed around the country and consumer behaviors shifting, the ability to have products delivered regularly to the doorstep and tailored to specific preferences or interests has gained significant appeal. While D2C models have seen significant success in various industries, the wine market has been relatively slower to adopt this trend – leaving a considerable amount of untapped potential and white space. Traditionally, purchasing wine has involved visiting physical stores or relying on restaurants and bars for selection. However, by embracing direct-to-consumer models, wine producers and retailers can tap into the vast market of wine lovers who yearn for the convenience, personalization and curated experiences that D2C services and subscription boxes provide. Splash Wines is shedding new light on the luxury market by reimagining D2C in the wine industry. Founded in 2014, Splash Wines is a family business with three generations of experience in the wine industry. They have been at the forefront of the internet wine industry for the past 15 years, which has allowed them to establish themselves as a prominent player in the D2C space. By directly selling to consumers, the company is able to eliminate the need for middlemen and offer wines at competitive prices. With top TrustPilot ratings and a customer base of over 800,000, Splash Wines has been shown to prioritize customer satisfaction and loyalty. The company focuses on exceptional customer service – it does not rely on chatbots or automated messages when talking to customers. The company has also experienced notable growth over the past few years, achieving three times revenue growth in just three years. In 2022, their revenue reached $30 million, and they have set the ambitious goal to reach $50 million by 2025. What sets Splash Wines apart is its agile approach and its focus on offering wines priced below $10. By delivering affordable wines to customers, they cater to a broad consumer base and have the opportunity to diversify their product offerings further. With their expertise in digital retail capabilities, the company is well-positioned to take advantage of the growing e-commerce market. As a D2C leader, Splash Wines capitalizes on the growing trend of consumers purchasing wine directly from producers and bypassing traditional distribution channels. This approach allows them to build direct relationships with customers and create personalized experiences, resulting in increased customer satisfaction and loyalty. The company is currently holding a raise on StartEngine to continue to expand its business. Click here to invest in Splash Wines and be a part of their growth journey bringing wine directly to the doorstep! This post contains sponsored content. This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be investing advice. Contact Details Benzinga +1 877-440-9464 info@benzinga.com Company Website http://www.benzinga.com

October 02, 2023 09:15 AM Eastern Daylight Time

News Direct Commemorates International Podcast Day ™

News Direct

Today, September 30 th, is International Podcast Day ™, which News Direct is excited to celebrate, as it has recently entered into the exploding podcast space. The company views podcasting as integral to its continuing evolution as a multi-tiered, diversified content distribution and amplification platform. It was only 12 days ago, on September 18 th, that the firm announced the News Direct Podcast Channel, an innovative new product that harnesses the growing popularity and messaging impact of podcasts while leveraging the substantial SEO power of the newsdirect.com site. International Podcast Day™ represents a celebration of the power of podcasting, and News Direct is marking the day with a blog about this not-so-new (the first podcast was in 2004), but suddenly hot communications format, titled The PR Podcast Comes of Age. Gregg Castano, News Direct CEO and Founder, noted, “Podcasting has been around for 19 years, so its recent surge in popularity has been a surprising, but welcome, development as it relates to the Public Relations industry. This makes podcasting a natural next step in the evolution of our business model from an ultramodern newswire into a multichannel communications platform. International Podcast Day™ provides us with an ideal opportunity to highlight this newest addition to our product suite.” News Direct is a technology-driven content distribution and amplification platform for PR, IR, corporate communications and marketing professionals. Our automated platform delivers a completely reimagined, modernized user experience for newswire users that has reshaped the industry landscape. Additionally, the company has expanded its offerings to include an array of technology-enhanced message amplification tools ranging from sponsored content to podcasting products, all from one online destination. Contact Details News Direct Gregg Castano gregg.castano@newsdirect.com Company Website http://www.newsdirect.com

September 30, 2023 01:29 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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Cyberattack Explosions Are Driving Customers To Sekur, Which Saw 650% Increase In Website Traffic In 2 Weeks And 100% Rise In VPN Sales Month-Over-Month

Benzinga

By Meg Flippin, Benzinga Cyberattacks are on the rise, with cyberattacks increasing by 38% in 2022 as bad actors steal identities and wipe out bank accounts at alarming rates. But consumers and businesses are becoming wise to the risk, which is in turn driving sales for providers of virtual private networks (VPNs). One good example is Sekur Private Data Ltd. (OTCMKTS: SWISF), a Swiss-hosted secure and private communications platform provider. It seems to be seeing explosive growth, with subscriber sign-ups for its Swiss-hosted privacy VPN, SekurVPN, up more than 100% month-over-month in September. Given the sheer number of attacks committed online and on mobile devices, that might not come as much of a surprise. According to a Clark School of Engineering Study, a hacker attack occurs every 39 seconds. And, in 2022, the potential total loss from cyber attacks was more than $10.2 billion, up almost 50% from $6.9 billion in 2021, according to the FBI’s Internet Crime Report for 2022. Identity theft collectively costs consumers billions of dollars and untold hours repairing damaged credit. So consumers and businesses are turning to VPNs to protect them online – and Sekur’s sales are soaring because of it. According to Forbes, two-thirds of surveyed U.S. internet users use a VPN to help protect personal data, one-third use a VPN to mask their internet activity and 80% use a VPN for increased cybersecurity. Only The Beginning? For Sekur, 100% subscriber growth could just be the beginning. The company expects exponential growth over the long term as it adds more enterprise features to its offering and upgrades to the next-generation Internet Protocol standard IPv6. A new ad campaign slated for October or early November should create more buzz as well. Plus, Sekur plans to sell its VPN products through resellers later this year. All of those initiatives should position the company well in the years to come. “Our prime directive is to provide private and secure communications for everyone,” said CEO Alain Ghiai when announcing the subscriber growth. “The results also do not reflect yet the full scale launch as we have just completed a prelaunch and are testing the waters. We expect this to be a big success once we launch it on social media and digital paid media.” Organic Search Booming The strong demand isn’t only for its VPN. Sekur.com is seeing a surge in traffic, too – up about 100% in the past month and 650% in the last two weeks. Importantly, the surge has been driven by organic searches. The more people that find Sekur.com on their own, the less the company spends to acquire customers. Currently, about 5% of organic website visitors become customers – a number Sekur expects to grow, lowering overall acquisition costs. The company is also going after the small and medium business market, of which there are over 30 million in the U.S. – which will further lower customer acquisition costs. SMBs often tend to have multiple users, and a single customer win can result in several subscribers. On top of all that, Sekur expects to launch a complete communication suite in the first quarter of 2024, adding encrypted voice calling tool SekurVoice and encrypted video conferencing solution SekurPro to its offerings. Those new products could drive sales as well. Privacy Matters The internet can be a scary place for many and consumers and businesses are becoming increasingly conscious of the risks presented by it. They connect with VPNs before they do their banking, shopping and socializing online. As the threats grow, so should sales of VPNs. Sekur seems well-positioned to capitalize on this demand. It uses the latest encryption technology through a proprietary infrastructure and doesn't rely on any big tech hosting providers. Plus, the company only offers Swiss IPs. Swiss privacy laws are considered among the strongest in the world for many reasons – for example, in 2010 the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland found that IP addresses are personal information and that under Swiss privacy laws, they may not be used to track Internet usage without the knowledge of the individuals involved. Sekur’s offerings are geared toward those who value privacy and want their personal information to be safe online. In today’s increasingly connected world, that could — or maybe should — be all of us. This post contains sponsored content. This content is for informational purposes only and not intended to be investing advice. Contact Details Benzinga +1 877-440-9464 info@benzinga.com Company Website http://www.benzinga.com

September 29, 2023 09:15 AM Eastern Daylight Time

Is The Time Right for M&A In The Mining Sector? Silvercorp Metals’ Acquisition Of OreCorp Adds Timely Growth With A Promising Project

Benzinga

By Faith Ashmore, Benzinga Companies in the junior mining sector are currently operating in a challenging capital-raising environment. The mining industry is highly cyclical, making it susceptible to fluctuations in commodity prices and other macroeconomic headwinds, making investors cautious about funding new exploration and development projects as potential returns may be uncertain. Against this backdrop, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) has emerged as a cost-effective avenue for well-capitalized companies to pursue disciplined growth and diversification. By leveraging their financial resources, technical expertise, and market presence, these established companies can effectively mitigate development and operating risks while unlocking the true value of quality projects. A study conducted by EY highlights that M&A deals in the mining sector have shown an upward trend, and Silvercorp’s recent acquisition might be a testament to the acceleration of this industry trend. Silvercorp Metals Inc. ( NYSE AMERICAN: SVM; TSX: SVM ) is an established Canadian mining company boasting a strong balance sheet, combining a track record of profitability along with growth opportunities, including fully-funded ‘organic’ growth within its existing low-cost mines, as well as ongoing strategic M&A efforts — has one recent example which could prove to be a home run. On August 6, Silvercorp and OreCorp Limited announced the signing of a binding agreement that will result in Silvercorp acquiring all the outstanding shares of OreCorp. The deal enhances Silvercorp’s asset base by adding a largely de-risked, low-cost gold project, while preserving the company’s cash for mine development. Under the agreement, OreCorp shareholders will receive AUD $0.15 in cash and 0.0967 of a Silvercorp common share for each OreCorp share, representing a total consideration of approximately AUD $240 million. Existing OreCorp shareholders will own 17.8% of Silvercorp's common shares after the deal is completed. The primary objectives of the acquisition are to create in Silvercorp a diversified and highly profitable precious metals company, provide a re-rating opportunity through the successful development of OreCorp's Nyanzaga Gold Project in Tanzania, and enable Silvercorp and OreCorp investors to be part of a company with greater access to capital, higher liquidity, increased scale and enhanced capital markets relevance. With its financial strength and the technical team's track record and expertise, Silvercorp is well-positioned to build, optimize, and further explore Nyanzaga, as well as pursue additional M&A opportunities. As part of the agreement, Silvercorp provided OreCorp with approximately AUD $28 million in funding through an equity placement to advance the project development, including resettlement activities and early project works, laying the groundwork for imminent full-scale construction. The board of OreCorp has unanimously recommended that shareholders vote in favor of the transaction, which is subject to various closing conditions, including shareholder and court approvals. Silvercorp has also committed to seeking a listing on the Australian Securities Exchange. Silvercorp looks to stand out in the mining industry by prioritizing cash flow generation, actively pursuing diverse avenues for growth, and upholding responsible mining practices. The company's strategic initiatives may have the potential to propel Silvercorp to a new level, while also highlighting enduring dedication to enhancing shareholder value. Readers interested in the latest updates on Silvercorp's growth strategies can find additional information at silvercorpmetals.com/welcome. This post contains sponsored content. This content is for informational purposes only and not intended to be investing advice. Contact Details Benzinga +1 877-440-9464 info@benzinga.com Company Website http://www.benzinga.com

September 29, 2023 09:15 AM Eastern Daylight Time

News Direct Hires Respected Industry Veteran Kim Deonanan to Lead Its UK and European Sales Efforts

News Direct

News Direct today announced the addition of newswire industry veteran Kim Deonanan to its sales team as European Regional Sales Manager. Kim previously spent more than 18 years with Business Wire, where she served successfully in roles ranging from UK Sales Manager to Group Vice President, Europe. She will be responsible for business development in the United Kingdom and throughout Western Europe. Kim brings a wealth of industry experience and significant professional relationships to News Direct and has earned a deep level of respect within the newswire space with colleagues, clients and competitors alike. “I was partly responsible for bringing Kim on board at Business Wire and I came to trust her immensely and admire her greatly for her dedication, professionalism and talent”, stated Gregg Castano, Founder and CEO of News Direct and former Business Wire president. “She is one of the most knowledgeable people I can think of when it comes to the newswire industry. We are extremely pleased and fortunate to be able to bring someone of her caliber to our team and we're very excited to have her spread the News Direct gospel throughout the UK and Europe.” News Direct is a technology-driven content distribution and amplification platform for PR, IR, corporate communications and marketing professionals. Our automated platform delivers a completely reimagined, modernized user experience for newswire users that has reshaped the industry landscape. Additionally, the company has expanded its offerings to include an array of technology-enhanced message amplification tools ranging from sponsored content to podcasting products, all from one online destination. Contact Details News Direct Gregg Castano gregg.castano@newsdirect.com Company Website http://www.newsdirect.com

September 28, 2023 09:36 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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Digitalbox CEO upbeat on outlook for 2024 despite challenging first half

Digitalbox PLC

Digitalbox PLC (AIM:DBOX) CEO James Carter speaks to Thomas Warner from Proactive after the digital media company published its interim results for the six months to 30 June 2023. Carter discusses the challenges faced by the business during the first half of the year, noting that despite forecasting a tough period, the company did finish ahead of its internal budget. Two primary issues were highlighted: the reduced traffic from major platforms like Google and Facebook and the risks of algorithm changes and content strikes. Carter cited an instance where Entertainment Daily was blocked from Google's Discover feed, resulting in a significant drop in traffic. Another challenge was a 95% reduction in page reach on Facebook for a post about a Netflix show. To address these challenges, he says Digitalbox has optimised its website performance and is pivoting towards on-platform video content distribution. The company also acquired assets from Social Chain during the post-period, boosting their social media following. Carter expresses optimism about the global ad market's recovery and hints at potential future acquisitions for Digitalbox. Contact Details Proactive UK Ltd +44 20 7989 0813 uk@proactiveinvestors.com

September 28, 2023 09:26 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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After Achieving 100% Cancer Remission Rates In Preclinical Studies, Starpax Magnetodrones Head For Human Trials

Benzinga

By Rachael Green, Benzinga Starpax Biopharma is preparing to start clinical trials this year with its patented Starpax cancer treatment platform across six unmet needs, including pancreatic, breast, colorectal, head & neck, uterus and prostate cancer. Solid cancers like the ones Starpax will focus on in the upcoming trials account for 89% of all cancer deaths – that’s largely due to the fact that solid tumors are so difficult to treat. But Micheal Gareau, Founder and President of Starpax Biopharma, is on both a public and personal mission to change that after the disease claimed the lives of two brothers and his father and his third brother and sister are presently under treatment for cancer. And he has an impressive team with deep expertise in the space around him to help achieve this goal. The non-exhaustive roster includes such notable names as André Monette, former President at Johnson & Johnson France, Dr. Lisa Matar, former President of Eli Lilly (Canada) and John Helou, former president of Pfizer (Canada), Dr. Jacques Jolivet, holder of the King Georges V Silver Jubilee Medal in Oncology, and Berthe Latreille, who recently retired as COO of JP Morgan Investment Bank in London, all active on the board of directors. Here’s how this never-seen-before cancer treatment platform works. Why Solid Cancers Are Harder To Treat Anticancer drugs are usually injected in the blood network. The drug needs to circulate in 60,000 miles of blood vessels hoping to reach the tumor. Unfortunately studies have demonstrated that just 0.7% of the cancer drug dose actually reaches the tumor while nearly 99% of this toxic agent continues to circulate in the rest of the patient’s body causing unwanted side effects. The second difficulty, after the drug reaches the tumor, is to be able to distribute the drug throughout its entire volume. As the tumor continues to grow, the blood vessels become chaotic, malfunctioning or collapse, creating hypoxic zones (low level of oxygen areas) and making it difficult to diffuse the drug throughout the whole volume of the tumor. Several studies around the world have demonstrated that 90% of the tumor volume receives little or no drug at all creating a major resistance to treatment that systemic chemotherapy or immunotherapy have never been able to solve. The Starpax technology has been conceived specifically to solve this resistance problem to treatment. How The Starpax Platform Is Aiming To Overcome Those Challenges Starpax combines the power of four scientific disciplines: microbiology, biochemistry, electromagnetism engineering and AI into a two-part platform – the Magnetodrones and the Polartrak – that work together to deliver cancer drugs directly into tumors, trap them inside the tumors and ensure the spread into every part of them. Starpax Magnetodrones are self-propelled bacteria that are injected directly into a tumor. The non-pathogenic bacteria can swim between tumor cells without the need of blood vessels and are capable of carrying a variety of different cancer drugs. They die about 30 minutes to an hour after injection. In order to ensure they are distributed in the entire volume of the tumor rather than just sitting near the injection site, Starpax uses magneto-aerotactic bacteria. That means they’re sensitive to very specific magnetic fields, and they naturally accumulate in low-oxygen environments. Their sensitivity to magnetic fields comes into play with the PolarTrak, a device inside which the patient is positioned, that creates unique magnetic fields. Instead of leaving the Magnetodrones free-floating throughout the patient’s body, the Polartrak creates a magnetic sphere around the tumor that contains the Magnetodrones and forces them to distribute throughout the tumor’s whole volume without circulating in blood vessels. The combined result of the PolarTrak and Magnetodrones is a platform that can deliver powerful cancer-fighting drugs directly into a tumor and ensure that they are spread throughout its entire volume. Results of preclinical trials, report 100% of the dose reached the tumor delivering 50 times more drug in the tumor with 800 less toxic molecules in the patient’s body, a major improvement over current systemic chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Subjects also reported a 100% remission rate with no significant side effects. Building on those groundbreaking preclinical results, Starpax is preparing to start clinical trials this year to test the patented cancer treatment platform in humans. During those trials, a cancer drug that has already been approved by the FDA and has been in use by humans for over 20 years will be attached to the surface of Magnetodrones. The company is planning to seek fast-track designation from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help get this new technology to the patients who need it as soon as possible. This post contains sponsored content. This content is for informational purposes only and not intended to be investing advice. Contact Details Benzinga +1 877-440-9464 info@benzinga.com Company Website http://www.benzinga.com

September 28, 2023 09:15 AM Eastern Daylight Time

This Company Is Using AI To Establish Trust In A Digitally Connected World

Benzinga

By Faith Ashmore, Benzinga In today's increasingly digital world, the prevalence of fraud is a growing concern. The rapid advancement of technology and the widespread use of the internet have created new opportunities for unscrupulous individuals to exploit unsuspecting individuals and organizations. With the convenience and anonymity offered by the digital space, scammers can carry out illegal activities from anywhere in the world with greater ease than ever before. From online identity theft to phishing scams, digital fraud has become more sophisticated, making it harder for people to detect and protect themselves. The sheer volume of personal and financial information being shared online also increases the risk of data breaches and unauthorized access. Trust Stamp (NASDAQ: IDAI) is a company looking to revolutionize digital security and increase its penetration. The company is a global provider of AI-powered, privacy-first trust and identity services used across multiple sectors – such as banking and finance, real estate, communications, regulatory compliance and government. Trust Stamp offers a range of innovative services. Their biometric capture and analysis technology enables secure and convenient identity verification, allowing businesses to streamline onboarding processes. By integrating advanced document verification, Trust Stamp helps verify the authenticity of important documents, reducing the risk of fraud. In the face of increasing threats, Trust Stamp also provides cryptocurrency security and compliance solutions. Their expertise in this area assists businesses in safeguarding their digital assets, ensuring compliance with regulatory frameworks and protecting against unauthorized access or misuse. By facilitating accurate and reliable identity verification, Trust Stamp helps build trust between parties engaging in digital transactions, fostering secure interactions in a digital world. Unlike other companies that may enable AI to make complex decisions regarding users' authentication and identification, Trust Stamp has constructed a process that uses ML and various metric and statistical methods to audit the AI system. Their AI is used to extract information needed for identity verification but does not make the final decision, which helps to ensure that all decisions made using their systems are transparent and auditable. While Trust Stamp’s mission is similar to companies like Mitek (NASDAQ: MITK) and Nuance Communications (NASDAQ: NUAN), Trust Stamp has developed a proprietary process for tokenizing identity using an irreversible transformation via a convolutional neural network, creating an identity token known as IT2. The IT2 is generated by these AI processes, and data is removed and destroyed, making the token safe to store and reuse in the future. This process allows Trust Stamp to offer two unique value propositions to its customers: reauthentication and deduplication. Reauthentication enables users to reauthenticate using biometrics with ease, and deduplication allows for deduplication at scale to prevent synthetic identity fraud. Additionally, Trust Stamp is utilizing AI to improve the capture process and enhance users' experience. Its work focuses on using AI and language models to dynamically instruct users on how to take a quality picture, guiding them on the necessary changes to phone position, lighting and head position, among other parameters. This technology not only makes facial matching accessible to those with special needs but also vastly reduces bias in outcomes from AI-powered decision processes. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, Trust Stamp's emphasis on privacy and data protection is aimed at ensuring that users’ personal information is safeguarded at all times. By providing secure and trusted identity services, Trust Stamp positions itself as a crucial ally in the ongoing battle against fraud and identity-related issues, supporting a safer and more secure digital environment for all stakeholders. This post contains sponsored content. This content is for informational purposes only and not intended to be investing advice. Contact Details Benzinga +1 877-440-9464 info@benzinga.com Company Website http://www.benzinga.com

September 28, 2023 09:15 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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