-- WASSERMANN-ROSTOWSKI CLASH - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2018/07/18/

-- ONLY 15% IN SE POLL BELIEVE KUCHCIŃSKI SHOULD REMAIN IN OFFICE, 47% THINK HE SHOULD RESIGN: https://www.se.pl/wiadomosci/polityka/kuchcinski-musi-odejsc-aa-Lt5Z-drWm-4tSg.html

-- TRZASKOWSKI FROM THE ELITE, JAKI FROM THE PEOPLE - ADAM LESZCZYŃSKI IN GAETA.PL: “Patryk Jaki - just like the populist right in Europe and the US in general - perfectly senses that in the conflict between those who have and those who don't - and would like to have - the left often sides with the property owners today. Restricting car access to the city center? Urban activists talk about this constantly, often with a palpable sense of superiority and aversion towards fellow citizens forced to drive. I wonder if they ask themselves whom they represent then? They probably think 'ordinary people,' when in reality they represent owners of expensive real estate. It's true that the poet Adam Ważyk once wrote that 'the people will enter the city center,' but even in the PRL times, this was more wishful thinking.”

-- LESZCZYŃSKI APPEALS TO THE CENTER AND LEFT TO COME TO THEIR SENSES AND OFFER MORE PRACTICAL PROPOSALS FOR THE PEOPLE: “We must not fall into the trap and provide fuel for it. Resentment is a powerful force! Patryk Jaki is already joking that he doesn't speak French, mocking an opponent's ill-considered remark about himself. He also points out that his opponent wants to build bicycle bridges over the Vistula instead of proper bridges through which an 'ordinary person' from Wawer or Białołęka can drive. Will this work? Very likely. Dear Left, dear Center: come to your senses, or you will lose. Offer something credible to people outside the city center and the three districts served by the metro. Otherwise, you'll ride off on these bridges - and not by bicycle.” http://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,161770,2368397,leszczynski-trzaskowski-z-elity-i-jaki-z-ludu-glowny-pojedynek.html

-- JACEK GĄDEK: IWULSKI SHOULD RESIGN - writes in Gazeta.pl: “Judge Józef Iwulski, who served as the most senior judge in Poland, has no moral right to do so. He should resign and leave the Supreme Court. In the PRL, he was a 'servile' judge, just as Stanisław Piotrowicz was a prosecutor during martial law. (...) Supreme Court judges and Józef Iwulski himself face a test: are they self-critical enough to tell their uncle he is not a saint? For his part, after nearly 30 years on the Supreme Court bench, Iwulski can only pass this test in one way: take off the robe, put down the chain with the image of an eagle – resign.” http://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,161770,23683378,jacek-gadek-sedzia-jozef-iwulski-do-dymisji-jak-najszybciej.html

-- KAMILA BARANOWSKA ON TUSK FINDING THE KEY TO THE SADISTIC NEEDS OF SOME POLES - in the inaugural article of her collaboration with GAZETA.PL: “Dorn put it this way: 'Before Tusk, parties and politicians were attacked, but their social base, their voters, were never attacked. Meanwhile, Tusk began to say directly that our enemy, meaning PiS, is supported by worse people. In other words: Tusk found the key to the sadistic needs of a significant portion of Poles.'”

-- BARANOWSKA ON THE PATRONIZING TONE OF ELITES: “The liberal-left circles know little about the right and its supporters. They believe in the image they themselves have created. One cannot seriously consider studies, reports, or texts of the 'among the animals' genre, in which authors suddenly discover that PiS voters eat with forks, read books, and sometimes have university degrees. This patronizing tone is irritating and at best leads to the conclusion that the satisfied will never understand the hungry. And if we stop at that conclusion, then what is there to discuss further?” http://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,161770,23680233,baranowska-to-tusk-zaczal-grac-pogarda-jego-polityka-odbierania.html

-- THE GOVERNMENT WILL GIVE TO POOR PENSIONERS - GW's lead story: “According to our information, the idea with the most support in the government is to index pensions and benefits for everyone according to the 'inflation level,' and only for the poorest, according to inflation plus a real wage increase. Such rules will not result in the government allocating less money for indexation and thus saving on pensioners. The pool will remain the same, only divided differently, to the benefit of the poorest. This means the poorest will gain more than the 20% wage increase currently attributed to them.” http://wyborcza.biz/biznes/7,147880,23683595,rzad-konczy-prace-nad-rewolucja-w-zasadach-waloryzacji-emerytur.html

-- ZUZANNA DĄBROWSKA ON ARDANOWSKI BEING SZYSZKO'S ACTUAL HEIR - writes in RZ: “Jan Szyszko can be proud, especially since Krzysztof Ardanowski has become the new Minister of Agriculture, who, at the outset – at the request of rapeseed producers – allowed the use of neonicotinoids, substances deadly to honeybees, which are not used in most other European countries.” http://www.rp.pl/Polityka/307179897-PiS-idzie-tropem--ministra-od-kornikow.html&template=restricted

-- TRUMP CRAWLS BEFORE PUTIN AND PiS PRETENDS NOT TO SEE IT - Adam Leszczyński in Oko: “So, let's summarize: the US president is a man who yields to Russians and is widely suspected of being blackmailed by Putin. It is on him that the PiS government bases its calculations regarding Polish security – primarily security from Russia. This same PiS government has alienated Poland from its closest European allies and currently has no intention of admitting that it backed the wrong horse – which might also turn out to be Putin's agent. Even right-wing media are starting to realize this could be a problem. On the portal 'wPolityce.pl,' Piotr Skwieciński wrote: 'we don't know what happened; it looks unpleasant, but let's not panic.'” https://oko.press/pis-trump-nas-obroni-trump-czolga-sie-przed-putinem-a-pis-udaje-ze-nie-widzi/

-- WIESŁAW JOHANN ON THE FORMER RULING OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL TRIBUNAL STATING THAT RETIREMENT AGE CAN BE CHANGED BY LAW - says SE: “There is a dispute about the age and term limits of Supreme Court judges. Please refer to the Tribunal's ruling, which I signed. According to that provision, the retirement period can be changed by law. The Constitutional Tribunal then provided a full interpretation. Therefore, the retirement age can be changed by ordinary law. There is no doubt about that.” https://www.se.pl/wiadomosci/polityka/byly-sedzia-tk-prawo-laski-to-nie-ulaskawienie-aa-sZrD-fgvB-gyY1.html

-- THE MANAGEMENT OF PFN WAS FURNISHED BY REGULARS OF ANNA BIELECKA'S SALON - Agata Kondzińska and Piotr Żytnicki in GW: ”Now the link between the salon and PFN is to be the new vice-president of the Foundation, Robert Lubański. Until recently, he was an advisor to Przyłębska at the Constitutional Tribunal. He is a former assistant to MEP Zdzisław Krasnodębski, who frequents Wilcza Street, and a good acquaintance of Michał Lorenc, son of composer Michał Lorenca (who composed the music for Antoni Krauze's film 'Smoleńsk'), also a regular at the salon. – We know each other, he's a great professional. We worked together on 'Poland Great Project' – Lorenc junior tells 'Wyborcza.' Bielecka manages the 'Poland Great Project' Congress (she is the president of the Poland Great Project Foundation).” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,23685213,udawal-jelenia-zwalnial-dziennikarzy-kim-jest-nowy-szef-polskiej.html

-- TRZASKOWSKI AT A CROSSROADS - STOŁECZNA CRITICIZES THE PROGRAM - as Jarosław Osowski writes: “The road program presented yesterday by Rafał Trzaskowski, the candidate for Mayor of Warsaw for the Civic Platform and Modern Poland, may cause disappointment. And double disappointment at that, because not only are his plans modest, but they are mainly investments that Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz failed to implement despite promises made over 12 years.”

-- OSOWSKI ON TRZASKOWSKI ENGAGING IN A POPULISM AUCTION: “If one constantly listened to the grumblers, there would be no impressive changes on the narrowed Nowy Świat, Krakowskie Przedmieście, or Świętokrzyska street above the metro. In a populism auction, Patryk Jaki will be hard to match, and one can lose much higher stakes.” http://warszawa.wyborcza.pl/warszawa/7,54420,23685862,jaroslaw-osowski-skromny-program-drogowy-trzaskowskiego.html

-- THE PRESIDENT'S GRACE IS EQUAL TO DIVINE GRACE - title in RZ on the Constitutional Tribunal's ruling.

-- THE TRIBUNAL SUPPORTED THE PRESIDENT - title in Fakt.

-- ANDRZEJ STANKIEWICZ ON THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF JUDGE MUSZYŃSKI'S CONNECTIONS WITH INTELLIGENCE SERVICES: “In practice, however, the Tribunal is led by Mariusz Muszyński, even if – as in this case – he is not formally on the judging panel. It is unofficially known that Muszyński was an intelligence agent in the past. The situation concerning Kamiński became truly bizarre because of this. Muszyński has never clarified his status in the special services. Kamiński did it for him... When Muszyński's intelligence activities came to light in the autumn of 2016, Kamiński, as the head of the special services, issued him a certificate of moral character.” https://wiadomosci.onet.pl/tylko-w-onecie/trybunal-ocalil-skore-kaminskiemu-komentarz/e2tbw8s

-- EWA SIEDLECKA ON PiS'S EXTRAORDINARY CASTE: “PiS's fight to ensure that Mariusz Kamiński does not have a criminal record, which would limit his access to public office, has resulted in opening the door for the creation of an untouchable caste for the judiciary. Since PiS cannot subordinate judges, it is taking away their power over their own people.” https://siedlecka.blog.polityka.pl/2018/07/17/nadzwyczajna-kasta-pis/?nocheck=1

-- LICENSE TO BREAK THE LAW - Wojciech Czuchnowski on the Constitutional Tribunal's ruling - writes in GW: “Such broad and unrestricted powers for the head of state mean a de facto 'license to kill' for people who – like Kamiński and Wąsik – have long since learned that they are impunity. And for their subordinates, who – if they have any scruples today – will break the law without batting an eye after this ruling. As long as Andrzej Duda holds the office of president, they can count on a pardon, and the law will be powerless against them.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,23683227,trybunal-konstytucyjny-zagwarantowal-pis-bezkarnosc.html

-- MICHAŁ SZUŁDRZYŃSKI ON AMBER GOLD AND GET BACK - writes in RZ: “But it's hard to blame the MPs from the investigative committee for this – their role was to expose the pathologies that enabled the P. couple to build a financial pyramid and present appropriate recommendations. However, implementing them is the government's task. If the committee's goal was not merely to politically grill the Civic Platform, but to repair the state, one should expect that lessons from Amber Gold will be learned. Just as from the recent GetBack case. http://www.rp.pl/Amber-Gold/307179893-Szuldrzynski-Wyciagnac-wnioski-a-nie-grillowac.html&template=restricted

-- KRZYSZTOF SZCZERSKI ON A POSSIBLE VISIT TO THE WHITE HOUSE IN SEPTEMBER: “The first possible date is September, but the decision in this matter must be formally announced by the US President's office. Then we will begin very intensive work on formulating the content of the conversation. In accordance with the current rules for such contacts. Undoubtedly, the issue of military contracts and the presence of American troops will be among the topics discussed.”

-- TUSK AND JUNCKER COULD HAVE MADE AN IMPACT AT THE NATO SUMMIT - SZCZERSKI CONTINUES: “There was a moment at the NATO summit when Juncker and Tusk could have made an impact, persuaded the US president to their point of view. But, according to the backstage opinion of diplomats from many countries, they completely wasted this opportunity by not trying to present the EU's arguments. As a result, the European Union as a partner did not make an impression at the summit.” http://www.rp.pl/Rzecz-o-polityce/307179892-Szczerski-Nie-szukamy-w-USA-przyslug-proponujemy-interesy.html&template=restricted

-- THE NEW LEPPER WILL OVERTHROW THE GOVERNMENT - FAKT on the leader of agricultural protests… just like SUPER EXPRESS yesterday: “Orzeżyn near Sieradz. Here, in February, farmer Michał Kołodziejczak slammed his hand on the table and said: Enough! – We are not seeking power, but we want to influence it, because they divide us to rule us. We are resentful of unfulfilled promises – says the man, already called the new Lepper. When he called the disgruntled to the fire station in Orzeżyn, he expected only a handful to show up. Over a hundred people came.” https://www.fakt.pl/wydarzenia/polityka/michal-kolodziejczak-czy-bedzie-nowym-lepperem/f1cl4zt

-- JADWIGA EMILEWICZ ON ANTISEMITISM BEING UNACCEPTABLE, DISCUSSING FRENCH PRESS HEADLINES AFTER NETANYAHU'S VISIT - in an interview with Aleksander Gurgul in GW: “I see heated comments on social media after our visit to Israel, but virtual reality has its own rules. Radical opinions drive popularity, and the intense political discussion of the first half of the year favored simplifications and polarization. I analyzed newspaper headlines in France after Prime Minister Netanyahu's visit to Paris. If similar ones appeared in Poland, I can hardly imagine what we would be accused of. I don't want to compete in measuring the temperature of antisemitism, because both culturally and politically it is unacceptable to me, but it is worth having a 'map' of it before our eyes for cognitive purposes.

-- EMILEWICZ ON THE EXAMPLE OF ISRAEL: “The example of Israel is extremely inspiring. In a short time, it has become the second country in the world after the USA in terms of R&D spending, and innovative products are the driving force of its economy. Many high-tech solutions developed in Israel over the last 10-12 years are now conquering the world. Our support instruments are modeled on the Yozma program, launched in Israel in 1993. Today, we spend 1% of GDP on research in Poland, while Israel spends 8%. We see what kind of race we are in – it's a marathon at sprint pace. But we have solid foundations for this. Our staff – engineers, IT specialists, and developers – have an excellent international reputation.” http://wyborcza.pl/7,75968,23685931,jadwiga-emilewicz-izrael-jest-dla-nas-wzorem.html

-- RADEK SIKORSKI IN AN OP-ED FOR THE WASHINGTON POST ON TRUMP: “But after last week we have to face the reality that we do not know — because even the U.S. State Department, the Pentagon and Trump’s own National Security Council do not know — what Trump would do in a security crisis with Russia. Perhaps he doesn’t know himself”. https://www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/news/theworldpost/wp/2018/07/17/putin/?tid=ss_tw&utm_term=.0329f1096d14&__twitter_impression=true&noredirect=on

-- THE LARGEST POLISH AGREEMENT IN THE HISTORY OF EU GUARANTEE INSTRUMENTS - ANNOUNCED BY THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION: “The largest Polish agreement in the history of EU guarantee instruments – COSME, was signed by Bank Pekao S.A. and the European Investment Fund. Thanks to this, Polish entrepreneurs will gain easier access to new investment and working capital loans worth nearly PLN 1.2 billion. COSME is a framework program for the competitiveness of enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises for the years 2014-2020.”

-- EMILEWICZ ON THE PEKAO S.A. AGREEMENT: “The good condition of the Polish economy depends, among other things, on the good performance of enterprises, especially small and medium-sized ones. That is why all actions that help them develop are so important. Today, companies gain access to PLN 1.2 billion in preferential investment and working capital loans. I congratulate Bank Pekao S.A. and the European Investment Fund on the conclusion of this new agreement. The government supports the implementation of the COSME program, whose assumptions are consistent with the Strategy for Responsible Development.” https://ec.europa.eu/commission/news/juncker-plan-further-eu285-million-small-businesses-poland-2018-jul-12_pl

-- BIRTHDAYS: Jacek Fedorowicz turns 81, Renata Beger, Marek Plura.