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Year: 2023

Poland says Russian missile briefly entered its airspace

Poland says Russian missile briefly entered its airspace

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg says organisation is ‘monitoring the situation’ as Poland says it has confirmed incident. Polish military authorities have said that a Russian missile briefly passed through the country’s airspace before leaving, prompting concern from the country that borders Ukraine on the day Russia carried out attacks across several Ukrainian cities killing at least 30 people. Poland, a member of the NATO military alliance, says that the object entered from the direction of Ukraine on Friday morning, entering about 40 kilometers (24 miles) before leaving after about three minutes. “Everything indicates that a Russian missile intruded in Poland’s airspace,” said Poland’s defence chief, General Wieslaw Kukula. “It was monitored by us on radars and left the airspace. We have confirmation of this on radars and from [NATO] allies.” Russian officials have yet to comment on the incident, which comes at a time of high tensions between Russia and European nations located near Ukraine, which Russia invaded in February 2022. Spoke with President @AndrzejDuda about the missile incident in #Poland. #NATO stands in solidarity with our valued Ally, is monitoring the situation & we will remain in contact as the facts are established. NATO remains vigilant. — Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) December 29, 2023 Polish officials say they are working to further verify their findings and rule out the possibility of a technical malfunction. In a social media post on Friday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the security alliance is monitoring the situation and communicating with Polish officials. “I spoke with President Andrzej Duda about the missile incident in Poland. NATO stands in solidarity with our valued ally, is monitoring the situation and we will remain in contact as the facts are established. NATO remains vigilant,” Stoltenberg said. Operational commander of the Polish army Maciej Klisz said that the country’s air defence network had been on high alert due to recent Russian missile and drone attacks in Ukraine and that fighter jets were sent to intercept the missile before it left Polish territory. The military also said that a ground search was being carried out in the area where the missile disappeared off the radar. The White House on Friday said that US President Joe Biden was closely following the development in Poland. White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan “expressed the United States’ solidarity with Poland, our close NATO ally” and pledged technical assistance as needed in a call with Polish Secretary of State Jacek Siewiera, according to a statement from the White House. The incident is not the first time that the war in Ukraine has threatened to spill over into Polish territory. In November 2022, an errant Ukrainian air defence missile killed two civilians when it landed in the border village of Przewodow. Poland’s newly elected Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who won the election with a bloc of pro-EU and pro-Ukraine parties that overthrew the country’s far-right government after eight years in power, has promised full support for Ukraine in its war against Russia. That war has ground on for nearly two years, with little end in sight as Ukraine fights to expel Russian forces that have established strong defences along the captured territory. While Ukraine still has substantial support from many Western governments, schisms have started to emerge over the provision of further military assistance, including in the US, which has provided more support than any other country. On Friday, the British defence ministry said that it would send 200 air defence missiles to Ukraine, which is currently under heavy bombardment from Russian forces. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday that he visited Avdiivka, an eastern town near the front line that has seen heavy fighting. “This is one of the most difficult areas of the front line,” he wrote on Telegram along with a video of him in front of a sign with the name of the town, giving medals to soldiers. “I thank all those who are at the first line [of fire] for their service, for this year during which the entire country survived thanks to its soldiers,” he said. Adblock test (Why?)

Border numbers for December break monthly record, as Biden admin talks amnesty with Mexico

Border numbers for December break monthly record, as Biden admin talks amnesty with Mexico

Migrant numbers at the southern border in December have broken the record for monthly encounters, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) sources tell Fox News — just as U.S. and Mexico officials met this week and discussed the benefits of “regularizing” those in the country illegally. Sources say there have been more than 276,000 migrant encounters in December so far, already making it the highest month on record.  The previous record was set in September when officials saw 269,735 encounters. The number includes illegal immigrants encountered between ports of entry and migrants entering at ports of entry via the CBP One app.  US-MEXICO MIGRATION TALKS INCLUDED BENEFITS OF ‘REGULARIZING’ ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS LIVING IN US  It means that since the new fiscal year began on Oct. 1st, there have been more than 760,000 migrant encounters at the southern border, making the first quarter of FY 24 the highest quarter on record. It caps a year at the southern border where multiple records have been repeatedly smashed, and where Border Patrol have consistently been overwhelmed by the numbers they are seeing. Republicans have blamed the surge on the policies of the administration, including the ending of Trump-era policies, while the administration says it is dealing with a hemisphere-wide challenge and needs more funding and immigration reform legislation from Congress.  LIBERAL MAYORS PUSH BIDEN FOR EMERGENCY DECLARATION, ADDITIONAL FUNDING TO DEAL WITH MIGRANT CRISIS It has adopted a strategy of expanding “lawful” pathways for migration, cracking down on smugglers and increasing what it says are consequences for illegal entry. A DHS official told Fox this month that there have been 400,000 removals between May and the end of November — nearly the number of removals in all of FY19. However, officials have also told lawmakers that they are releasing 5,000 illegal immigrants a day into the U.S., and that doesn’t include those being paroled in at ports of entry.  Currently the White House is requesting $14 billion in border funding as part of the emergency supplemental funding request, but that has stalled as Republicans demand additional restrictions on asylum and the government’s use of parole to stop the interior releases. This week Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas were part of a U.S. delegation to Mexico City where they met with President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. In the joint statement, the countries affirmed their commitments to “orderly, humane and regular migration” and stressed their efforts to tackle “root causes” of migration, disrupt human smuggling and promote private investment while also investing in “ambitious development programs” in the region. But the statement also said that officials discussed the “benefits” of granting some form of legal status for illegal immigrants already in the U.S., including those protected by the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) — an executive order signed by President Barack Obama, which shielded some illegal immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as minors. “The delegations also discussed the benefits of regularizing the situation of Hispanic migrants who have been undocumented for several years and the DACA beneficiaries, who are a vital part of the US economy and society,” the joint statement said, adding that the delegations will meet again in January. That immediately drew criticism from Republicans, who warned that such moves would only exacerbate the crisis. MIGRANT CRISIS INCREASING STRAIN ON BORDER OFFICIALS, IMMIGRATION COURTS WITH MASSIVE NUMBERS  “At a time when America is experiencing the worst border crisis in our nation’s history, it is unconscionable to hear the Biden Administration’s announcement that Secretaries Mayorkas and Blinken discussed with the President of Mexico amnesty for illegal immigrants,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said. “The United States must focus on policies that deter — not attract — people attempting to come here illegally, and the smugglers who profit from the catastrophe at our border.”  “This development further demonstrates the Administration has no real intention of solving the humanitarian disaster and immediate national security crisis their policies have created. President Biden needs to stop vacationing and take immediate steps to stop the flow of illegal immigration into our country. Our nation’s security and sovereignty depend upon it, and the American people demand it,” he said. Fox News’ Bill Melugin contributed to this report.

Chinese spy craft communicated with China via US internet provider: report

Chinese spy craft communicated with China via US internet provider: report

A new report revealed that the Chinese spy craft that flew over the U.S. at the beginning of this year was communicating with mainland China via an American internet provider. Two current and one former Biden administration officials told NBC News in a Thursday report that the craft used a U.S. internet provider to receive mainly navigational communications. NBC News did not name the internet provider in the report. The company denied that the Chinese spy craft used its services and had come to that conclusion via its own investigation as well as talking to U.S. officials. BIDEN ADMIN’S TOP OFFICIALS ATTEMPTED TO ‘CONCEAL’ CHINESE SPY BALLOON FROM PUBLIC, CONGRESS EXPOSED: REPORT One official said the spy craft, which was shot down by the U.S. military off the coast of South Carolina on Feb. 4, used high-bandwidth data collections known as burst transmissions to send information. The report also said the Biden administration asked the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court for a highly secretive order to collect intelligence on the craft as it flew over several states. The officials said that order would have allowed the government to monitor the spy craft’s communications during its journey. Several officials said in the report that, in the past, China has secretly used commercial internet providers in different nations as backup communications networks. Encrypted networks are often sought out for their security. Chinese embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu claimed to NBC News that the craft was a weather balloon that had drifted off-course. “As we had made it clear before, the airship, used for meteorological research, unintentionally drifted into U.S. because of the westerlies and its limited self-steering capability,” Liu said. “The facts are clear.” The office of the Director of National Intelligence declined to comment to Fox News Digital. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and Chinese Embassy for comment. Despite Biden administration officials assuring the American public that the Chinese spy balloon did not collect and transmit data, a previously unreported phone call paints a different picture of top officials hiding information about the balloon. According to NBC News, a Jan. 27 phone call between President Biden’s top military adviser, Gen. Mark Milley, and NORAD chief Gen. Glen VanHerck sheds new light on China’s surveillance balloon. The network also reported that the administration initially hoped to keep the balloon’s existence a secret from Congress and the public, citing multiple former and current administration and congressional officials. “Before it was spotted publicly, there was the intention to study it and let it pass over and not ever tell anyone about it,” one former senior U.S. official told NBC. A senior Biden administration official denied allegations of an attempt to conceal the incident, saying decisions were made to protect sensitive intelligence capabilities. Fox News Digital’s Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.

Arkansas group advocating for paper ballots resubmits proposal to state attorney general

Arkansas group advocating for paper ballots resubmits proposal to state attorney general

A group that wants Arkansas elections to be conducted with paper ballots — and also to put greater restrictions on absentee voting — has resubmitted proposed constitutional amendments to the state attorney general. The group Restore Election Integrity resubmitted the pair of proposed amendments to Attorney General Tim Griffin, KARK reported. It is the group’s latest attempt to try to get the proposals before voters. ARKANSAS MAN ARRESTED FOR ALLEGEDLY HAVING 6 HOMEMADE BOMBS; HELD ON $1 MILLION BOND The attorney general’s office previously rejected the proposed amendments for having vague or conflicting language. If the ballot language is approved, Restore Election Integrity would need to collect 54,422 signatures from 50 counties. ARKANSAS JUDGE THREATENS TO DROP STATE AG’S LAWSUIT AGAINST CORRECTIONS BOARD This would ensure the measure appears on the 2024 general election ballot.

House Democrat from Maine rips state’s decision to take Trump off ballot

House Democrat from Maine rips state’s decision to take Trump off ballot

A Democratic House lawmaker from Maine is criticizing his state’s decision to remove former President Donald Trump from the 2024 Republican primary ballot. “I voted to impeach Donald Trump for his role in the January 6th insurrection. I do not believe he should be re-elected as President of the United States,” Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, began on Thursday night. “However, we are a nation of laws, therefore until he is actually found guilty of the crime of insurrection, he should be allowed on the ballot.” POLL SHOWS BIDEN HITTING RECORD LOW APPROVALS, FALLING BEHIND AGAINST TRUMP IN 2024 MATCHUP In a shock decision issued Thursday evening, Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows said that Trump was ineligible for the state’s 2024 primary ballot. She cited a clause in the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution that bars people who have “engaged in insurrection” from running for elected office without two-thirds congressional approval. The clause was originally meant to bar former Confederate soldiers and officers from holding positions in the U.S. government or military. It was also referenced by Colorado’s highest court in a 4-3 ruling last week similarly barring Trump from that state’s primary ballot. The decision was challenged by the Colorado GOP, setting up a battle before the U.S. Supreme Court. FBI, DENVER POLICE INVESTIGATING THREATS AGAINST COLORADO JUDGES WHO BARRED TRUMP FOR STATE’S BALLOTS Bellows’ Thursday night decision has unified the Republican Party around Trump, including his allies and rivals. While most national Democrats remained silent on the matter, some did applaud Trump’s removal from the Maine primary ballot. “The text of the Fourteenth Amendment is clear. No person who engaged in an insurrection against the government can ever again serve in elected office,” Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, wrote online. WILL ELECTIONS FINALLY BE SECURE AND HONEST IN 2024? “On January 6, 2021, Donald Trump incited a violent mob to block Congress from certifying the Electoral College [and] overturn the 2020 presidential election. Our Constitution is the very bedrock of America and our laws and it appears Trump’s actions are prohibited by the Constitution.” Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-N.J., similarly said on X, “Donald Trump incited a violent riot to overthrow American democracy. Of course he should be banned from the presidency forever.”