President Andrzej Duda will meet with President Donald Trump in Washington today at 18:00 Polish time. The delegations' talks will begin 35 minutes later, and the presidents' press conference is scheduled for 20:10 Polish time. A reception hosted by the American First Couple will commence at 23:00.

A three-day Sejm session will begin at 10:00, which will likely be shortened, with the main proceedings concluding tomorrow. The session will open with the swearing-in of new MPs, replacing those who won mandates in the European Parliament elections. Following this, the Sejm will elect Małgorzata Gosiewska as Deputy Speaker of the Sejm.

Also today, the Sejm will address the draft amendment to the electricity bill, which was recently expedited and reviewed by the BAS, as we reported on 300POLITYKA. First readings of two PiS draft bills will take place at 8:30 in the Sejm's Committee on Energy and State Treasury. The second readings are scheduled for 17:00. The vote will occur either tomorrow evening or Friday morning (depending on whether the session is further shortened).

At 16:15, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki will hold a press conference concerning the minimum wage. During yesterday's session, while discussing the state budget assumptions for 2020, the government proposed the minimum wage for 2020 to be 2450 PLN and the minimum hourly rate to be 16 PLN.

At noon, Maciej Młodzikowski will appear before the Amber Gold parliamentary inquiry committee. The President of the Bundesrat will be visiting Poland and will meet with the Marshal of the Senate (10:40), the Marshal of the Sejm (11:45), the Polish-German Parliamentary Group (12:20), and Deputy Marshal Borusewicz (14:20).

At 14:00 - as confirmed by Ryszard Terlecki in an interview with Polish Radio - a meeting of the PiS executive committee will take place. A meeting of the Political Committee is planned for tomorrow.

As 300POLITYKA has learned, Barbara Nowacka's grouping, Inicjatywa Polska, has been formally registered with the National Electoral Commission (PKW) as a political party. This is a significant move in the context of building a coalition for the autumn parliamentary elections, as only registered parties were included in the European Coalition.

“As a verification committee, we are continuously analyzing the issues related to the great pathology that concerned reprivatization in Warsaw, and we are also constantly conducting various analyses that will allow the public to become acquainted with the full picture of whether the issue of reprivatization may have significance for our economic life, state treasury assets, and various issues related to tenant rights protection in the future. We are working calmly and analyzing all the time. Regardless of the direction the decisions concerning reprivatization will take, as the Ministry of Justice, we will certainly be ready to propose various solutions” – said Deputy Minister Sebastian Kaleta in an interview with Piotr Gociek in “Sygnały dnia” on Jedynka radio.

„My mandate as a member of the [verification] committee expired in connection with my appointment as chairman. For the committee to efficiently resume its work, and I hope this will happen next week, the Sejm should appoint a new member to the committee. I hope that if it does not happen during this Sejm session, it will happen at the next one. As members of the committee, as the team supporting the committee, we count on the Sejm providing us with this member, and from next week we will be able to return to issuing administrative decisions,” said Deputy Minister Sebastian Kaleta in an interview with Piotr Gociek on “Sygnały dnia” on Polish Radio Channel 1.

- This is a question for public opinion, a question about specifics [whether ordering the wiretapping of political rivals would compromise the formation behind it], but of course any action contrary to the law, and I understand you will soon refer to a less theoretical matter, any action contrary to the law is incriminating. One must always take circumstances into account, however, inspiring illegal actions certainly does not build the authority of any camp, only that, judging by the testimonies of those waiters, and I admit I don't follow this matter with bated breath, I remember from a few years ago that they testified that for no political reasons and not inspired by any politicians, regardless of which camp, it was only Mr. Falenta who was wiretapping his business competitors or business partners, whom he suspected of this and that - stated Jarosław Gowin in an interview with Konrad Piasecki on TVN24's "Rozmowa Piaseckiego". - This matter does not raise particular interest, let alone concern, within the United Right camp. Because we believe that if it's Marek Falenta, then let him put it on the table - he emphasized. - If evidence were to be found that someone inspired his actions, then it is incriminating for that person. Is it incriminating for the entire party, let alone the entire political camp? Well, that would truly require more detailed aspects. Did this potential interlocutor of Marek Falenta inform his superiors about it, did he help in any way, or did he merely passively benefit from the illegal actions of Mr. Falenta? There are many question marks here - added the Deputy Prime Minister.

- I believe in the honesty and professionalism of the Polish state, because that's how one should look at it. For now, I see no reason to appoint a parliamentary inquiry committee - stated Jarosław Gowin in an interview with Konrad Piasecki on TVN24's "Rozmowa Piaseckiego".

- Minister Szefernaker very astutely noted that suggesting we first inspired the creation of the recordings, that we had knowledge of what was on the recordings, and then subsequently made a supposed negative protagonist of those recordings the Prime Minister, it doesn't hold water very well – stated Jarosław Gowin in a conversation with Konrad Piasecki on TVN24's "Rozmowa Piaseckiego".

- I give you my word of honor, if that means anything to you, that Minister Czerwińska discussed her departure from this ministry [Ministry of Finance] with me many months before the presentation of what you call Kaczyński's 'five'. There are different areas for professional development, for development in public service. Minister Czerwińska believed that the area of activities for which she was responsible as Minister of Finance had already been accomplished – stated Jarosław Gowin in an interview with Konrad Piasecki on TVN24's "Rozmowa Piaseckiego".

- I have never said a bad word about Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz - Jarosław Gowin stated in an interview with Konrad Piasecki on TVN24's "Rozmowa Piaseckiego".

- There is no offer for Konfederacja [from the United Right] because that party toyed with antisemitism. That is something exceptionally disgusting and harmful to Poland. As for the Kukiz'15 movement, for 3.5 years, consistently, regardless of some turbulence in our personal relations with Paweł Kukiz, I have said that they are the closest ideologically potential partners for me. Regarding the PSL - I have written this: on Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz's and other PSL leaders' behalf, I would not rule out cooperation with the United Right - the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized.

- Of course, [Kukiz'15 on joint lists] is a variant that should be taken into account, although there is another variant. For example, a coalition or a joint list of Kukiz and PSL, Kukiz and independents. For us, it is important that the United Right has an independent majority after the elections, without prejudging that we will win at all - he added. He noted that if it turned out that a partner was needed, Kukiz'15 and, secondarily, PSL would not be a bad option for Poland.

The question is whether it's true. Recently, Falenta was very credible to PiS politicians. Now he is not credible, and a certain panic is also visible. I would very much like the prosecutor's office to try and clarify this matter, because it is very disturbing. Did Falenta really have contacts with PiS politicians, did he really do something on their orders, is there any truth or a lot of truth in these letters? We should clarify that - stated Rafał Trzaskowski in an interview with Beata Lubecka on Radio Zet.

- Falenta's behavior clearly indicated that he felt immune. That he was convinced until the very end that nothing would happen to him. That even when he was in Spain, he was very surprised that an extradition occurred. He behaved as if he was certain someone would come to his aid. The facts that have now come to light are perplexing. Of course, I am not in a position to determine whether they are true or not. However, it would be good for the prosecution, now that new threads have emerged, to try and clarify this matter - stated Rafał Trzaskowski in an interview with Beata Lubecka on Radio Zet.

- I remember when some absurd reports surfaced that there were allegedly sex tapes from a town I had never been to in my life. At that time, PiS got terribly excited about how plausible it was and how credible Falenta was then. And today, the same Ms. Mazurek states that the man is completely credible. I'm not able to fully assess whether this is solely an attempt at defense, a kind of panicked reaction, or if there's actually something to it – stated Rafał Trzaskowski in an interview with Beata Lubecka on Radio Zet.

- What is happening today [around Marek Falenta] will probably not [harm PiS], but if new facts and tapes were to emerge, then it might happen – added the Mayor of Warsaw.

- I don't regret [the decision to patronize the Equality Parade], because if I wanted to constantly consider how TVP-PiS's propaganda machine would spin what I do, I would have to stop making decisions. Because it was clear that every decision I made would later be manipulated by PiS's television - stated Rafał Trzaskowski in an interview with Beata Lubecka on Radio Zet.

"There will certainly be infrastructure investments and, on the other hand, an increase in American troops. This must be considered in this context. It may not be like the classic way things were done before, like the Ramstein bases in Germany, because that time has passed. But it's a more modern hybrid" - said presidential minister Andrzej Dera in an interview with Wojciech Dąbrowski on Polsat News.

Michał Mazowiecki will take over the parliamentary seat vacated by Ewa Kopacz, who has secured a seat as a Member of the European Parliament and will join the farmers' parliamentary club – we hear from within the PSL club. Meanwhile, Andżelika Możdżanowska – who ran on the PSL ticket only to switch to PiS during her term – will be replaced in the Sejm by Piotr Walkowski. Consequently, as a result of the European elections, the PSL-UED club will be expanded by two MPs. The swearing-in ceremony will take place at the beginning of the Sejm session at 10:00 AM.

„Every convicted person in Poland has the right to write to the President with a request for a pardon, and Mr. Falenta has already submitted another request. These are prepared by the Chancellery's employees, and in the final stage, they land on the President's desk. The President personally familiarizes himself with each request and the decision is made solely by the President. The President did not exercise the right of mercy in Mr. Falenta's case. He forwarded it through the normal procedure, which is that when the President does not make such a decision, he forwards the request to the court, and then it goes to the prosecutor's office. Surely, the [letter] impressed the President, because it was one of the most bizarre applications received by the Chancellery” - said presidential minister Andrzej Dera in an interview with Wojciech Dąbrowski on Polsat News.

As we hear within the PSL club, Jacek Protasiewicz is returning from the Modern (Nowoczesna) club to the PSL-UED. The parliamentarian has just been elected first deputy chairman. Thus – in addition to two new MPs – the Peasants (ludowcy) are also gaining a third parliamentarian.

The 82nd session of the Sejm began with the taking of parliamentary oaths. The changes in the parliamentary benches are a consequence of the recent European Parliament elections. The Polish team that will work in Brussels and Strasbourg includes 18 MPs. Additionally, one MP will take up a mandate after Great Britain leaves the European Union.

On Wednesday, June 12th, 16 new MPs will take their oaths: Maciej Badora (replacing MP Anna Zalewska), Krzysztof Ciebiada (replacing MP Witold Waszczykowski), Lucjan Cichosz (replacing MP Beata Mazurek), Katarzyna Dutkiewicz (replacing MP Izabela Kloc), Krzysztof Kozik (replacing MP Beata Szydło), Zofia Ławrynowicz (replacing MP Bartosz Arłukowicz), Michał Mazowiecki (replacing MP Ewa Kopacz), Rafał Mucha (replacing MP Joachim Brudziński), Jerzy Naszkiewicz (replacing MP Patryk Jaki), Maria Nowak (replacing MP Grzegorz Tobiszowski), Elżbieta Płonka (replacing MP Elżbieta Rafalska), Roman Sasin (replacing MP Joanna Kopcińska), Agnieszka Soin (replacing MP Beata Kempa), Adam Śnieżek (replacing MP Bogdan Rzońca), Piotr Walkowski (replacing MP Andżelika Możdżanowska), and Henryk Wnorowski (replacing MP Krzysztof Jurgiel).

In the morning voting session, the Sejm elected Małgorzata Gosiewska, nominated by PiS, to the position of Deputy Speaker of the Sejm. The MP will replace Beata Mazurek, who won a mandate as a Member of the European Parliament in the recent elections.

Sejm authorities have postponed Friday's votes to Thursday evening/Thursday night – the block of voting will commence at 8:00 PM and, as planned, conclude at 11:00 PM. This is another such situation – voting blocks have been moved to Thursday evenings for some time now. While the session will continue until Friday, some MPs will already have the day off. This week's session is the only one this month.

https://twitter.com/RzecznikPiS/status/1138746076578684929

- As of today, this is how it looks [that the PSL will not run with Civic Platform in the autumn elections], the final decision will be made on June 29th at the Main Council, but all indications point to us running under our own banner, PSL-Polish Coalition. There is no question of [trading] - stated Piotr Zgorzelski in Onet Opinie.

- The [verification] committee will consistently investigate the pathologies of reprivatization, and by the end of September, the committee will develop a detailed report which we will present to the Marshal of the Sejm. This report, if the Sejm Presidium so wills, can also be presented in parliament, where we will showcase and summarize a significant portion of the investigative actions - stated Sebastian Kaleta at a press conference at the Ministry of Justice.

- I wish to confirm that the committee currently has vacancies for two positions – a committee member and a deputy chairman. We are awaiting the Sejm's decision regarding the filling of these vacancies. According to the information provided by Minister Mosiński, at this very session, I will propose Minister Lisiecki's candidacy for the position of deputy chairman of the committee - Kaleta noted.

“Today, a parliamentary bill will be considered by the committee, which is the implementation of the government's promise regarding pay rises for teachers. We are keeping our word, implementing pay rises for teachers. This is very important. Due to the fact that this change requires amendments to several regulations, we want this bill to be considered during the current Sejm session. I am pleased and very grateful that the MPs have taken the initiative, that this is a parliamentary bill, and that we will be able to fulfill the promises we made to teachers” – said Deputy Minister Marzena Machałek at a press conference in the Sejm.

“I appeal to the opposition not to be total, to allow the bill that enables teachers to receive almost a 10% pay rise from September 1st to be passed” - she added.

“We have always been in favour of increasing the American military presence in Poland. Decisions in this area were made between 2008-2012 and concerned the anti-missile shield near Słupsk. Since 2012, American aviators have been present in Poland, and since 2014, following the annexation of Crimea, American ground forces arrived in this part of Europe in response to this serious crisis. However, we are concerned that the ruling camp wants to use propaganda to mask these necessary decisions regarding an additional thousand soldiers increasing the American presence, portraying it as an event on par with joining NATO, a historic breakthrough, and wants to conceal with these decisions the fact that after nearly 4 years in government, the army is in a dire state, modernization has disappeared, has been halted, and that the Polish defence industry has never been in a worse situation than it is right now” – stated PO Vice-Chairman Tomasz Siemoniak at a press conference in the Sejm. 

- On March 12th, we submitted a motion for a special session of the National Defence Committee. This session took place today. It had been previously disrupted and cancelled three times. The PiS government did not want the public to have access to this information. Today, another attempt was made to prevent this. Antoni Macierewicz submitted a motion to keep this committee session secret. However, the opposition MPs rejected this motion. Today, the National Defence Committee decided that the Minister of Defence, as well as the chairman of the [Smolensk] subcommittee, Antoni Macierewicz, must disclose the current state of work on the Smolensk disaster investigation - stated Czesław Mroczek at a press conference in the Sejm.

- Both presidents [of Poland and the USA] have accepted the negotiated text of the agreement regarding the increased American presence in Poland. Therefore, we are now formally preparing for the signing of this document and its adoption by the presidents today - stated Krzysztof Szczerski at a briefing in the USA.

- This political agreement, which concerns American troops in Poland, will also be accompanied by other agreements that are being signed in parallel in Washington. They will concern energy issues and cooperation in internal affairs. These are also very important other agreements that will accompany the president's visit. All details will be announced today at the White House - he noted.

The full list is being published on Twitter by Krzysztof Sobolewski, head of the PiS Executive Committee.

https://twitter.com/AC_Sobol/status/1138806727141449728

https://twitter.com/AC_Sobol/status/1138807163391008770

https://twitter.com/AC_Sobol/status/1138807414067793920

https://twitter.com/AC_Sobol/status/1138807761599442944

https://twitter.com/AC_Sobol/status/1138807991652761600

"Building a partnership with the world's greatest superpower is certainly beneficial for the country, and I have no doubts about it, especially as there are increasing threads connecting us in terms of military security, where the United States constitutes the most important element of the global security architecture. Today, there are United States soldiers present in Poland, which was not the case just a few years ago. Something President Lech Kaczyński dreamed of is a reality today. I hope this presence will increase, while we still have very important economic issues that we want to develop," said President Andrzej Duda before his meeting with President Donald Trump.

- In response to the resolution of the Modern National Council, the Modern Parliamentary Club today passed a resolution concerning the merger of the .N Parliamentary Club with the PO-KO Parliamentary Club - Modernoczesna announced on Twitter.

The decision was made unanimously, with the quorum present. The implementation of the resolution has been entrusted to the club's presidium.

https://twitter.com/nowoczesna/status/1138838645677469699?s=12

The head of government visited the "Staropolanka" mineral water production plant in Polanica Zdrój. - Through our economic policy, we want to serve all employee groups - emphasized Mateusz Morawiecki.

The Prime Minister recalled that the Council of Ministers proposed an increase in the minimum wage in 2020 by PLN 200 - from PLN 2250 to PLN 2450. - I want the minimum wage in Poland to be as dignified as possible and for people to earn - within a few, a dozen years - at a European level - stressed the head of government.

As Mateusz Morawiecki pointed out, the minimum wage has increased by PLN 700 in 4 years. - This is our unannounced '700+', which we are also proud of - he said.

- I don't care about the state of democracy in Poland. I know Poles, these people, the leaders of Poland. Poland is doing excellently and will continue to do so in the future. Likewise, the economy, just like the USA, we have never had such an excellent time [translation by TVP Info] - stated Donald Trump during a meeting with President Andrzej Duda.

- I don't want to prejudge yet whether it will be a permanent or temporary presence - said US President Donald Trump regarding the presence of US troops in Poland.

- We are talking about two thousand soldiers who could be transferred from Germany, or from elsewhere. We will not be relocating additional soldiers to Europe - he emphasized.

https://twitter.com/AFP/status/1138847327786033154

The Republic of Poland (Poland) and the United States of America (United States) are bound by a history of friendship built on mutual efforts, shared values, and respect. We have fought side-by-side around the world, including in Iraq and Afghanistan, to ensure peace and security for our nations and the world. This friendship forms the basis for increasingly close strategic and defense relations, focused on threats to the security, peace, and prosperity of both nations and the area covered by the North Atlantic Treaty.

Poland and the United States reaffirm their commitments to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), including the obligations arising from Articles 3 and 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, as the foundation of our mutual defense relations. Poland and the United States are convinced that the presence of United States military personnel in Poland strengthens NATO deterrence efforts and the defense of Poland, the United States, and the Alliance, and therefore the United States plans to increase its military presence in Poland.

We share fundamental common values, including a strong commitment to democracy, freedom, individual rights, free markets, and mutual respect for the independence and sovereignty of each of our nations.

I. The United States plans to increase its current military presence in Poland, which consists of approximately 4,500 rotating military personnel. This enduring presence will grow in the near future by approximately 1,000 additional soldiers and will focus on providing Poland with enhanced defense and deterrence capabilities.

II. Recognizing jointly that maintaining an increased U.S. military presence in Poland is possible with support from Poland, Poland plans to provide and maintain jointly agreed infrastructure intended for an initial package of additional projects listed below, at no cost to the United States, and taking into account the planned level of utilization by the U.S. Armed Forces. Poland also plans to provide additional support to the U.S. Armed Forces, exceeding the current NATO standard for host nation support.

A. Establishment of a U.S. Army Division Headquarters Forward Command in Poland.

B. Establishment and joint use by the United States Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland of a Combat Training Center (CTC) in Drawsko Pomorskie and, ultimately, in several other locations in Poland. The United States intends to continue supporting the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland in establishing the CTC by providing the presence of American advisors.

C. Establishment in Poland of a U.S. Air Force MQ-9 unmanned aircraft systems squadron for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations. The United States intends to share information obtained from the operations of this squadron with Poland, as circumstances permit, to support our defense objectives.

D. Establishment of a logistics air base to support troop movements for exercises or in the event of a crisis.

E. Establishment of a Theater Support Group to secure current and future U.S. Armed Forces presence in Poland.

F. Establishment of U.S. special operations forces capabilities in Poland to support air, land, and maritime operations.

G. Establishment of infrastructure supporting the presence of an armored rotational brigade combat team, an aviation rotational brigade combat team, and a sustainment brigade in Poland.

III. Both nations strive to conclude international agreements and other arrangements necessary for the realization of a shared vision of enhanced defense cooperation, including improving the functioning of the U.S. Armed Forces in Poland. Poland and the United States will hold regular consultations to discuss and plan potential changes in force posture and the corresponding infrastructure requirements for the U.S. Armed Forces deployed in Poland.

We look forward to deepening and expanding our defense cooperation in the coming years.

- In Poland, a two-party system is clearly taking shape, and I will tell you one thing. I hope these words do not come true, but if a two-party system emerges in Poland, based on proportional representation, meaning one where only parties can nominate who will be in the Sejm, then sooner or later bloodshed will occur in Poland. This is because there will be such polarization between one side and the other, just as you see in competing media. Some show one Poland, other media show another Poland. They stir up all the people with this, against each other. If this bipolarity on the political scene remains and continues to grow, tragedy could befall Poland - stated Paweł Kukiz in an interview with Piotr Witwicki on the program "Wydarzenia i opinie" on Polsat News.

"This is a significant strengthening of Polish security. We can compare it to a visit many years ago, in 2007, of the late President Lech Kaczyński to Washington, when the decision was made to begin the construction of the first permanent American base in Poland, the anti-missile shield. All of this adds up to a very positive picture where we are strengthening our security, and Americans are helping us" - stated MEP Witold Waszczykowski from PiS in an interview with Piotr Witwicki on "Wydarzenia i opinie" on Polsat News.

We became friends earlier. We hosted the Presidential Summit in September, and we are very pleased to see you here again. Since our last meeting, the ties between Poland and the United States have become even closer. 100 years have passed since Poland and the US established diplomatic relations. Our alliance is stronger than ever. Earlier, we signed a joint declaration confirming cooperation in the military sphere. The declaration clearly states that Poland and the United States are not only bound by a strategic partnership, but also by shared values, goals, as well as a very strong friendship. Our nations are connected by history and civilization. We respect law, values, human rights, individuals” - said President Donald Trump at a press conference.

"As stated in the declaration, the United States and Poland will make further efforts to cooperate in the field of security. Poland will soon provide the infrastructure to support the presence of an additional thousand American soldiers. The Polish government will create the infrastructure without additional costs for the American government. These costs will be borne by Poland. Thank you to President Duda and the Polish nation for the partnership with Poland for common security" - said President Donald Trump at a press conference.

„I also congratulate Poland on its progress regarding the criteria for lifting the visa requirement. Our countries have signed an agreement to combat serious crime and to take further steps towards Poland joining this visa-waiver program. Some steps still need to be taken. We want Poland to join the visa-waiver program as soon as possible. It would be very important” - said President Donald Trump at a press conference.

- We all hope that the President will visit us in Poland in September, and together we will be able to commemorate all those who fell and died during World War II, which began in Poland on September 1, 1939, with the attack of Nazi Germany on our country, and unfortunately, it soon disappeared from the map of Europe after the attack of the Soviet Union on Poland as well, jointly with Nazi Germany - stated President Andrzej Duda during a joint press conference with Donald Trump.

“Thank you, Mr. President, for this extraordinary kindness towards Poland and the remarkable understanding of Polish affairs that you showed us in 2017 during your visit to Poland, during your memorable speech at the Warsaw Uprising Monument” – stated President Andrzej Duda during a joint press conference with Donald Trump.

- As the President mentioned, there will be more American soldiers in Poland. This will be strengthened cooperation, a lasting presence that will gradually – I hope – develop in terms of both the number of soldiers and infrastructure. This is very important. I am also grateful for this decision to establish a division command in Poland. This has great significance, not only for Poland but also for our part of Europe, for Central Europe, the Baltic states, all those for whom the strengthened presence of the USA and other NATO countries on the Alliance's eastern flank has truly been established. I am immensely grateful for this - stated President Andrzej Duda during a joint press conference with Donald Trump.

"The Świętokrzyskie Mountains said there wouldn't be a second round" – Aleksander Kwaśniewski cheerfully (and prophetically) began his remark to the then-Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek in the government box during a ceremony at the Grand Theatre. This was in the summer of 1999, about fifteen months before the presidential elections. Today, Andrzej Duda could joke the same to Grzegorz Schetyna.

On that same June day, two weeks after another record electoral result, the Prime Minister announces a minimum wage increase of 700 PLN over 4 years, and the President is received with honors at the White House, where America's strategic presence in Poland is announced. It's hard to paint a fuller picture of the triumph of "good change." Perhaps it is indeed true, as one of the leading opposition politicians told us, that "now is PiS's time," and today's opposition is like the British Tories were during the optimistic era of Blair (even a comparison is made of Schetyna to the former leader of the Conservative Party, Michael Howard, who was described as having "something of the night" about him).

In the absence of other polls, even those showing Andrzej Duda at 46% in the first round of a hypothetical race against Donald Tusk's 31%, like the one for DGP/RMF, paint the situation of the incumbent president as Aleksander Kwaśniewski's was in 2000. And this "Tusk, you must" was supposed to be the opposition's ultimate Wunderwaffe.

On the day of the presidential couple's visit, even TVN24's reports look like Andrzej Duda's campaign spots. And when statements are made on Fakty about Poland being an American anchor in Europe, it's hard not to reflect that such a policy between the USA and Poland might capture voters' imaginations more than visits like Barack Obama's for the 15th anniversary of transformations. Good business has replaced symbolism. It's hard to interpret it otherwise. The malicious might add that during the PO's tenure, the USA announced on September 17th that there would be no missile shield, while during PiS's tenure, on September 1st, the American president is to visit Westerplatte.

Before our eyes, PiS's last and greatest weakness – the accusation of ineptly managing international interests – is falling away. The Polish Prime Minister talks by phone with the German Chancellor every couple of weeks and lingers in the corridors with the French President after every European Council. The Polish presidential couple waves from the South Lawn of the White House with the presidential couple at passing fighter jets. The Polish Minister of Defence, who incidentally was supposed to be the most "embarrassing" on the international stage, flies in economy class to an American base. These are not the images that offer solace to the opposition today.

“This is a very complicated matter, and it is difficult to answer this question because many people in Western Europe and the United States do not fully understand this problem, as they did not grow up or were not raised in a country like mine. I was born in 1972 in Poland, which was in the Soviet sphere of influence, where one could only make a career if they joined the communist party and obediently listened to the people's authorities, which were the sole oracle. This is how it happened for many years, although social protest emerged, Solidarity grew” – said President Andrzej Duda at the White House. “Not long ago, I discovered with astonishment that in the Polish Supreme Court there is an entire group of judges who served as judges belonging to the communist party, who even adjudicated during martial law, sentencing people to prison based on the communist martial law legislation. When I was asked if the Supreme Court needed reform, I answered 'yes.' If Poland is to be truly democratic, free, and sovereign, and is to be the country we want it to be for our children, for the generation born after 1989, then – for God's sake – these people must retire. And that is what we did. In fact, everything we did was aimed at sending these individuals into retirement. But, as it turns out, despite the passage of 30 years, their influence, built after 1989, when they rebranded themselves as the elite of the new state, is still considerable” – he added.

-- OPPOSITION IN THE SHADOW OF THE GOOD CHANGE OPTIMISM. IF ELECTIONS WERE HELD TODAY - PAD WOULD WIN IN THE FIRST ROUND - A PICTURE FROM ONE JUNE DAY ON 300POLITYKA: "The Świętokrzyskie Mountains spoke, there will be no second round," Aleksander Kwaśniewski jokingly (and prophetically) greeted the then-Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek in the government box during a ceremony at the Grand Theatre. This was in the summer of 1999, a dozen or so months before the presidential elections. Today, Andrzej Duda could joke the same to Grzegorz Schetyna. https://300polityka.pl/news/2019/06/12/opozycja-w-cieniu-optymizmu-dobrej-zmiany-gdyby-wybory-byly-dzis-pad-wygralby-w-pierwszej-turze-obrazek-jednego-czerwcowego-dnia/ -- 300POLITYKA LIVEBLOG: PAD to Trump: We hope you will visit us in Poland in September, Mr. President, and together we can commemorate those who fell and died during World War II. Trump: It has been 100 years since Poland and the USA established diplomatic relations. Our alliance is even stronger than ever. USA is considering sending 2,000 soldiers to Poland - announces Trump. Trump: I am not concerned about the state of democracy in Poland. I know Poles and their leaders. Poland is doing excellently and will continue to do so in the future. PMM: In four years, the minimum wage has increased by PLN 700. This is our unannounced "700+" PAD before meeting Trump: Building a partnership with the world's greatest superpower is certainly beneficial for the country, and I have no doubts about it. PJK appointed Dworczyk and Piecha, among others, as PiS district plenipotentiaries. https://300polityka.pl/live/2019/06/12/ ***** POLSAT EVENTS -- AMERICA'S FIRST COUPLE HOSTS POLAND'S FIRST COUPLE AT THE WHITE HOUSE - announcement. -- THIS IS ALREADY THE SECOND VISIT OF THE POLISH PRESIDENT TO THE WHITE HOUSE IN NINE MONTHS - Magda Sakowska. -- THIS TIME IT WAS CLEARLY ANNOUNCED THAT IT WOULD END WITH CONCRETE RESULTS - Sakowska continues. -- AMERICAN SOLDIERS IN POLAND, WHICH THE PRESIDENTS DISCUSSED TODAY, SIGNIFY DETERRENCE OF POTENTIAL AGGRESSORS AND THE TIGHTENING OF THE POLITICAL ALLIANCE WITH WASHINGTON - Sakowska. -- POLAND HAS LONG SOUGHT AN INCREASE IN AMERICAN MILITARY PRESENCE - Sakowska continues. -- THE POLISH ARMY IS ENTERING THE ELITE CLUB OF OWNERS OF SUPER-MODERN AMERICAN F35 FIGHTERS. -- PLATFORMA DEMANDS AN INVESTIGATIVE COMMISSION - announcement. -- BY DECISION OF THE INSTITUTION'S DIRECTOR, MAREK FALENTA IS ONE OF THE MOST SECURELY GUARDED PRISONERS TODAY - Dariusz Ociepa: The cell is monitored 24 hours a day, including the toilet. -- BEFORE THIS, FALENTA DEFENDED HIMSELF TO THE VERY END, BY ALL MEANS - Ociepa continues. -- FOR THE OPPOSITION, [MAREK FALENTA'S] LETTER TO JAROSŁAW KACZYŃSKI IS ANOTHER PIECE OF EVIDENCE INDICATING THE INVOLVEMENT OF PIS POLITICIANS IN THE BUGGING SCANDAL - Ociepa. -- PLATFORMA HAS TO PREPARE A MOTION FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN INVESTIGATIVE COMMISSION BY THE END OF THE WEEK - Ociepa continues. ***** TVN FACTS -- OUR ALLIANCE AND FRIENDSHIP MUST BE CLEAR TO ALL, INCLUDING IN THE EAST: "There is an agreement and it will open a new chapter," says President Duda in Washington and begins an official meeting with Donald Trump. This visit is not only about the military, but also about energy, visas, and a stronger alliance. It is not yet known whether this means building Fort Trump in Poland, but it is known that President Trump and his wife have prepared a surprise for the Polish presidential couple. -- TRUMP SUGGESTED HE WOULD APPEAR IN POLAND AGAIN SOON, THIS IS THE SECOND VISIT OF THE POLISH PRESIDENTIAL COUPLE TO THE WHITE HOUSE IN 10 MONTHS - Marcin Wrona. -- THE TIME FOR CONCRETE RESULTS HAS COME - Wrona. -- THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENTS OF INCREASING POLAND'S SECURITY - Wrona. -- WARSAW AND WASHINGTON ARE CONNECTED BY MORE AND MORE, POLAND WAS THE FIRST COUNTRY IN THE REGION THAT TRUMP VISITED, THE NUMBER OF TRADE AND DEFENSE AGREEMENTS IS GROWING - Wrona. -- AN AMERICAN BASE WAS NOT EVEN A PLAN BACK THEN: Poland in NATO was once a dream. An American base in Poland was not even a plan back then. And today, seeing such strong friendship between Poland and America, it is worth remembering how long its history is and how long the road has led to it. -- IT WAS DIFFICULT TO IMAGINE THIS A DOZEN OR SO YEARS AGO - Katarzyna Sławińska. -- FALENTA, BUGGING, AND THE PRESIDENT: Falenta, bugging, services, and the president. "Gazeta Wyborcza" reveals another letter, this time to Jarosław Kaczyński. Marek Falenta writes about his patriotic stance and a meeting at PiS headquarters. And in this whole puzzle, this is a reason for further questions. One answer is very clear - there will be no investigative commission. -- ANYONE CAN WRITE A LETTER TO ANYONE, DOES ANYTHING COME OF IT? - Ryszard Terlecki. -- IF PIS IS NOT AFRAID OF THIS MATTER, THEN BY ALL MEANS: INVESTIGATIVE COMMISSION - Borys Budka. -- I FEEL LIKE A PIS OFFICIAL - Marcin Kierwiński. -- THEY HELPED HIM OUT - Krzysztof Brejza. -- WHEN PLATFORMA'S HANDS ARE DROPPING, PSL'S WINGS ARE GROWING: New MPs at the swearing-in and a surprise at the start. The son of Prime Minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki, instead of Platforma, chose the PSL and Union of European Democrats club. When Platforma's hands are dropping, PSL's wings are growing. The "Peasants" are seriously thinking about their own coalition and further transfers. -- KKZ ON MAZOWIECKI'S RESERVATIONS ABOUT PO: Michał Mazowiecki, son of the first non-communist Prime Minister Tadeusz Mazowiecki, held the constitution in his hand during the swearing-in. The one his father co-created. He surprised immediately. Despite running on the Civic Platform list in 2015, he became an MP for the PSL and Union of European Democrats club. - (PSL-UED Club - editor's note) represents what was once in the Freedom Union, Democratic Union - Michał Mazowiecki explained today. From these words, it follows that Michał Mazowiecki's decision is a tribute to his father, who was once the chairman of both the Freedom Union and the Democratic Union. However, the new MP also has reservations about PO. -- MICHAŁ MAZOWIECKI: The path of Mr. Chairman Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, what he represents, and what the PSL's views are... Well, I couldn't imagine joining PO, from which I ran, at the moment. -- WKK: This is touching. On the one hand, (Władysław Teofil; ran for EP this year on the KE list, did not win a mandate - editor's note) Bartoszewski, son of (Władysław - editor's note) Bartoszewski, on the other hand, the son of Mazowiecki. -- PSL IS STRENGTHENING ITS CONVICTION ABOUT A SEPARATE COALITION - KKZ: There is stress, however, because thanks to Mazowiecki, PSL is strengthening its conviction that building a political bloc separate from the European Coalition, based on conservative values, makes sense. The "Peasants" know that scenes like the mock mass at the last equality parade in Warsaw discourage not only their traditional electorate. They discourage voters with more conservative views. -- Even the Civic Platform's distancing itself from the "mass" at the equality parade does not convince the "Peasants". They are increasingly convinced that they will build a new Christian Democratic bloc. Decisions like Michał Mazowiecki's reinforce their belief that it might succeed. -- The "Peasants" are sounding out whether people like Bogdan Zdrojewski, Ireneusz Raś, or Marek Biernacki - who have so far been associated with Civic Platform but are critical of it - would not want to join the PSL lists. -- MICHAŁ KAMIŃSKI: The lesson to be learned from the defeat in the European elections is not to dismantle the coalition, which is the only chance to ever achieve success. ***** TVP NEWS -- HISTORY IS HAPPENING BEFORE OUR EYES - Danuta Holecka: Fort Trump, the permanent presence of American soldiers in Poland, is becoming a reality. -- CONVERSATIONS BETWEEN THE POLISH PRESIDENTIAL COUPLE AND DONALD TRUMP AND MELANIA TRUMP AT THE WHITE HOUSE - Holecka continues. -- THE JOINT DECLARATION STATES THAT THE NUMBER OF AMERICAN SOLDIERS STATIONED IN POLAND WILL INCREASE FROM 4.5 TO A MINIMUM OF 5.5 THOUSAND SOLDIERS AND WILL BE A PERMANENT PRESENCE - Zuzanna Falzmann. -- THE AGREEMENT PROVIDES FOR THE CREATION OF A SPECIAL TRAINING CENTER - Falzmann. -- TRUMP'S STATEMENT ON THE RULE OF LAW IN POLAND. -- WE HAVE NOT HAD SUCH GOOD RELATIONS WITH THE UNITED STATES FOR MANY LONG YEARS. THIS CONCERNS NOT ONLY MILITARY COOPERATION BUT ALSO OTHER AREAS - Michał Adamczyk from Washington. -- TRUMP POINTED TO POLAND AS AN EXAMPLE OF A COUNTRY DEVELOPING AT A PACE THAT OTHERS CAN ENVY US - Adamczyk continues. -- THE CHILDREN'S RIGHTS OMBUDSMAN DEFENDS PARENTS' RIGHT TO RAISE THEIR OWN CHILDREN - THIS IS A REACTION TO THE RPO'S LETTER, WHO BELIEVES THAT SEX EDUCATION CLASSES SHOULD BE MANDATORY - announcement. -- PIS STRONGLY OPPOSES SEXUALIZATION IN SCHOOLS - Jan Korab. -- MAREK FALENTA WRITES A LETTER TO JAROSŁAW KACZYŃSKI. FALENTA IS DOING EVERYTHING TO AVOID PRISON, AND THE ISSUE IS BEING FUELED BY OPPOSITION POLITICIANS. SCHETYNA ANNOUNCES A MOTION FOR A PARLIAMENTARY INVESTIGATIVE COMMISSION - announcement. -- THIS WAS TO BE ANOTHER ALLEGED SCANDAL REVEALED BY GAZETA WYBORCZA - Dominik Cierpioł. -- ALTHOUGH 500+ HAS BEEN FUNCTIONING FOR SEVERAL YEARS, OPPOSITION POLITICIANS STILL DO NOT HAVE A CLEAR POSITION ON IT. PO AND NOWOCZESNA POLITICIANS HAVE A PROBLEM - announcement: They declare they are "for it", but Katarzyna Lubnauer publicly declares something different from what is written in her party's program. -- EVEN THE MOST SYMPATHETIC MEDIA TO THIS FORMATION HAVE PROBLEMS UNDERSTANDING NOWOCZESNA'S POSITION ON PROGRAMS LIKE 500+ - Maksymilian Maszenda. -- NOWOCZESNA'S PROGRAM DIRECTLY SPEAKS OF CHANGES AND LIMITATIONS TO THE 500+ PROGRAM - Maszenda. -- THE CHAIRMAN OF PO ALSO HAS SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH A CLEAR POSITION - Maszenda. -- PO POLITICIANS TERRIFIED BEFORE THE 2015 ELECTIONS AND TERRIFIED WHEN PIS QUICKLY BEGAN TO IMPLEMENT ITS PROGRAM - Maszenda. -- NOWOCZESNA AND PO CLUBS ARE MERGING - Maszenda.

I want to assure you of one thing. Freedom of speech is absolutely respected in Poland. All constitutional standards are absolutely respected in Poland, such as in the USA, the right to assembly, the right to freedom of speech. There is free media in Poland. Everything that functions in a normal democracy exists. One is free to voice their views, to demonstrate, to gather. Here, people are not attacked during demonstrations, as in other countries in Western Europe. Police are not unleashed on them with tear gas or batons. People are allowed to speak out, to express their dissatisfaction. In a democracy, they have the right to do so. Please ask Polish journalists when was the last time any clashes occurred at any demonstration in Poland. They did not occur because we respect the right to demonstrate and express dissatisfaction in Poland, as we consider it one of the cornerstones of democracy in Poland. Absolutely free and fair elections are held in Poland. All standards are observed, and I kindly ask you to visit Poland and see it with your own eyes. Do not replicate certain stereotypes that are being perpetuated in the West – stated President Andrzej Duda during a joint press conference with Donald Trump. - Of course, Poland has a fairly conservative government today, which has its own standards of operation, with which not everyone agrees, especially people with more left-wing views, but it is the nature of democracy that one side of the political scene governs at one time, and after some time, people make a different choice, and another side of the political scene governs. And there is nothing extraordinary about that. Such changes also occur in Poland. But when someone wins an election, they have the right to implement the program they ran on. Please forgive me, but voicing, implementing one's view, which was presented to voters during the campaign, is not only a right but, in my opinion, a duty of a politician, and this is precisely what is happening in Poland – added PAD.