MailChimp to write correct path to the Featured Image

Hello I am trying to get MailChimp to recognize the Featured Image. When I added the |*RSSITEM:IMAGE*| merge code. It shows a broken link in the MailChimp preview window. When I look at the code in Firebug it shows the img tag populating like this:

<img class=”mc-rss-item-img” src=”https://d2q0qd5iz04n9u.cloudfront.net/_ssl/proxy.php/http/i0.wp.com/whatthenwhynow.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/lots3.jpg%3Ffit%3D604%252C350&#8243; height=”auto” width=”100%” style=”height: auto;width: 100%;”>

This path is correct: whatthenwhynow.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/lots3.jpg

I apologize I do not know where MailChimp begins and you end (with the code being generated? I am using WordPress 4.4.2.

Thank you for any help you can give!! (I noticed in one post answer, you said to not use the |*RSSITEM:IMAGE*| merge code. Did I miss the new suggestion?)

https://www.ads-software.com/plugins/featured-images-for-rss-feeds/