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Construction workers with heavy machinery have started work on Poland’s border with Belarus on a $394 million wall to stop migrants pushed across by Belarus in what the European Union calls a “hybrid attack.” Reporters were allowed Thursday to see the work in the village of Tolcza, near the closed border crossing of Kuznica in eastern Poland. Border guards and the military patrolled as excavators and cranes prepared the ground for the metal wall that Poland’s right-wing government says will serve the interests of all of the EU. Bloc member Poland is opposed to taking in large numbers of migrants. “The Belarusian side is ready to do anything when it comes to provocations, so we have to be ready for any kind of event,” said Maj. Arkadiusz Tomaszewski, deputy commander of the Border Guard in Kuźnica, where clashes with migrants and Belarusian security officers took place last year. The 5.5-meter (18-foot) high metal wall topped with barbed wire will run more than 180 … [Read more...] about Poland starts building metal wall on border with Belarus

Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene had to endure a stinging rebuke over her election fraud claims on a radio show from a disgruntled caller—and it shows that U.S. democracy "stands a chance," according to CNN 's Jim Acosta . The network's anchor and correspondent appeared to relish the "earful" that the Republican congresswoman got during a phone in on the Georgia station UCTV. In a segment on Friday , Acosta played a clip of Greene pursing her lips as one caller called her "an embarrassment to the state of Georgia." Another caller lambasted her on air for her support of the baseless claim that the 2020 election that ex-President Donald Trump lost had been marred by fraud. The unnamed woman took Greene to task saying that "you all refuse to accept Biden," and that "maybe we didn't like Trump, but he won." "You will not accept the fact that Joe Biden won," the caller continued as Greene sat quietly, "and that is the whole thing. You're not gonna accept … [Read more...] about CNN’s Jim Acosta relishes Marjorie Taylor Greene being told Trump lost

With the filing of nominations for the Goa Assembly election concluding on January 28, all parties are gearing up for the final sprint before the coastal State goes to the polls on February 14. The ruling BJP’s strategy for the election has been marked by cold pragmatism. From keeping up a sustained ‘charm offensive’ to dissuade stalwart Congressman Pratapsingh Rane from contesting the Poriem seat to denying Utpal Parrikar a ticket, ‘winnability’ has been the saffron party’s watchword to fulfil its stated objective of “winning 22 plus seats (in the 40-seat Assembly) in the 2022 election.” As effusive tributes from the Congress – and BJP leaders – poured in across Goa’s political spectrum for Mr. Rane on the occasion of his 83rd birthday on Friday, it was a bittersweet moment for the Congress, given that the former Chief Minister – who has been the coastal State’s longest-serving Chief Minister (serving no less than six terms) – has backed out from contesting from Poriem, a … [Read more...] about News Analysis | BJP’s ‘winnability’ strategy will be put to test in Goa Assembly election

Use of Pegasus spyware on Opposition leaders, Supreme Court judges, and other civilians is an “act of treason” the Congress said on January 29, reacting to the latest revelations in New York Times , which claims that in July 2017, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel , the sale of a package of sophisticated weapons and intelligence gear worth $2 billion with Pegasus as its centerpiece was agreed on. Explained | Pegasus, the spyware that came in via WhatsApp “The buck stops at the Prime Minister’s door. The BJP duped Parliament and misled the Supreme Court. They used public money to spy and snoop upon their own people. They hijacked the democracy in the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha election. This is an act of treason,” Mr. Surjewala said. In Parliament, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had said that the reports of India’s Pegasus use was “baseless” and “highly sensational”. The Ministry of Home Affairs also denied the purchase of Pegasus to an RTI query. … [Read more...] about NYT report on Pegasus | This is an act of treason, says Congress

Republicans are pushing President Biden Joe Biden Former chairman of Wisconsin GOP party signals he will comply with Jan. 6 committee subpoena Romney tests positive for coronavirus Pelosi sidesteps progressives' March 1 deadline for Build Back Better MORE to be tougher on Russia over its aggression toward Ukraine, but their isolationist far-right flank is denying them unity on the issue. Some of former President Trump Donald Trump Former chairman of Wisconsin GOP party signals he will comply with Jan. 6 committee subpoena Overnight Defense & National Security — Pentagon tells Russia to stand down Billionaire GOP donor maxed out to Manchin following his Build Back Better opposition MORE ’s closest allies have questioned why the U.S. would side with Kyiv over Moscow at all and expressed skepticism that it’s worth pouring American resources into the conflict. Top GOP leaders espousing the party’s traditional hawkish views have urged … [Read more...] about GOP faces divisions over siding with Ukraine against Russia

Presented by Facebook To view past editions of The Hill's 12:30 Report, click here: https://bit.ly/30ARS1U To receive The Hill's 12:30 Report in your inbox, please sign up here: http://bit.ly/2UoupvN --> A midday take on what's happening in politics and how to have a sense of humor about it.* *Ha. Haha. Hahah. Sniff. Haha. Sniff. Ha--breaks down crying hysterically. HAPPENING TODAY *Looks around* well, that was a creepy coincidence: via GIPHY President Biden Joe Biden Former chairman of Wisconsin GOP party signals he will comply with Jan. 6 committee subpoena Romney tests positive for coronavirus Pelosi sidesteps progressives' March 1 deadline for Build Back Better MORE just landed in Pittsburgh, where he is scheduled to deliver remarks on his $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure law. Well, earlier this morning, a snow-covered bridge in Pittsburgh collapsed (!) Photo of the collapsed bridge : … [Read more...] about The Hill’s 12:30 Report – Presented by Facebook – Actor John Krasinski films outside White House

The incoming director at a law and research organization at Georgetown University apologized on Friday for his tweets criticizing President Biden Joe Biden Former chairman of Wisconsin GOP party signals he will comply with Jan. 6 committee subpoena Romney tests positive for coronavirus Pelosi sidesteps progressives' March 1 deadline for Build Back Better MORE 's commitment to selecting the first Black woman to the Supreme Court. Ilya Shapiro , the current vice president and director at the Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies at the Cato Institute who is set to assume the role of executive director for the Georgetown Center for the Constitution on Feb. 1, said the appointment could wind up being "a lesser black woman" in a tweet on Wednesday. The tweet drew widespread rebuke. ADVERTISEMENT "I apologize. I meant no offense, but it was an inartful tweet. I have taken it down," he tweeted . After news broke that Justice Stephen Breyer … [Read more...] about Incoming Georgetown Law administrator apologizes after backlash over Supreme Court tweets

There's no rain in sight for Northern California. UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain posted to Twitter on Thursday that the Global Ensemble Forecast System , a weather model that generates long-term weather predictions based on 21 separate forecasts, is showing what he says is the the single driest precipitation forecast he has personally ever seen during peak California wet season. "This suggests that virtually every individual GFS ensemble member is completely dry in NorCal for next 16 days," wrote Swain on Thursday, noting that each of the separate forecasts shows dry conditions. Saving this snapshot for posterity, since I think it's the single driest ensemble mean precip prediction I've ever seen during peak of California wet season. This suggests that virtually every individual GFS ensemble member is completely dry in NorCal for next 16 days. #CAwx pic.twitter.com/mW8ZZr6iaH — Daniel Swain (@Weather_West) January 28, 2022 No doubt, California has been … [Read more...] about Long-term forecast shows no rain in Northern California for at least 14 days

While power has been restored for millions of Texans who had been without in the bitter cold, the nightmare of the devastating winter storm isn't over. Millions don't have safe water at home, and residents looking for groceries or bottled water said they arrived to stores with bare shelves and long lines. The latest on the storm: President Joe Biden said Friday that he expects to sign federal disaster aid for Texas once the governor's request reaches his desk and that he planned to visit Texas next week if it was not "a burden." The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which oversees about 90 percent of the state's energy production, said that emergency conditions were expected to end later Friday after no more outages had been needed Thursday night. By Friday morning, more than half a million people in the United States did not have electricity — Texas topped the list with less than 200,000 power outages, according to tracking website poweroutage.us . In … [Read more...] about Power comes back for most in Texas, but other problems pile up

Firefighters near San Antonio had to truck in water Thursday to battle a blaze that devastated an apartment building because hydrants were frozen, a fire chief said. No one was injured in the fire, which broke out about 1 p.m. between the flooring of an apartment building off TPC Parkway just outside the city, Bexar Bulverde Volunteer Fire Department Chief Jerry Bialick said. More than 80 people were displaced, a Red Cross spokesman said. When crews arrived, the fire hydrant in front of the building, and others around it, were unusable because of the freezing weather and severe winter conditions in San Antonio and the rest of the state. You can now see cars on fire. The majority of the building has now collapsed however fire crews are still battling the fire bringing in water from every nearby source. pic.twitter.com/Cwm4vt4uSJ — Alejandra Guzman (@AlejandraG_TV) February 19, 2021 "Our problem is we get a little bit ahead and then the water runs out," Bialick … [Read more...] about Frozen hydrants challenge Texas firefighters battling blaze at San Antonio-area apartment building