-- STUDENT PROTESTS IN BELARUS - BELSAT: https://belsat.eu/pl/news/bialoruscy-studenci-rozpoczeli-rok-akademicki-od-demonstracji-zdjecia/ -- POMPEO ON US DEMAND FOR IMMEDIATE HALT TO VIOLENCE IN BELARUS: https://belsat.eu/pl/news/pompeo-zadamy-natychmiastowego-zakonczenia-przemocy-wobec-bialorusinow/ -- NITRAS ON SCHETYNA'S AMBITIONS, SASIN ON COUNTERING NEPOTHISM, SIEMONIAK ON NOT WANTING CONFLICT - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2020/09/03/ -- JACEK KARNOWSKI ON TRANSFERS FROM TVN TO TVP - THE RIGHT-WING GOVERNMENT IS NOT AN EPISODE, IT ATTRACTS, CO-OPTS, DESPITE BARRAGE FIRE: “What do such transfers tell us? First and foremost, that the current government – with which the current structure of TVP is clearly connected – is perceived as both stable and forward-looking. Forward-looking even beyond the three and a half years remaining until the elections. That a very important shift has occurred or is close to occurring in Poland. The rule of the United Right is not an episode. It attracts, co-opts, and takes over personnel from the other side. Despite the barrage fire, meaning the total opposition and its hysteria. After all, the aim of this hunt, all these accusations of supposedly dictatorial intentions and practices, was to isolate and cordon off the team that took power in 2015.” -- MEDIA REPONIZATION DOES NOT NEED TO HAPPEN THROUGH LAWS DIFFICULT TO IMPLEMENT IN PRACTICE, BUT BY TAKING OVER THE MARKET THROUGH COMPANIES OUTSIDE THE III RP CARTEL - KARNOWSKI CONTINUES: “Such transfers are also a signal that the so-called media repolonization does not have to happen through laws that are very difficult to implement in practice, but by taking over the market by entities that are not part of the III RP cartel. However, this is only possible due to state budget support for TVP, because the deep structures of the advertising market, its operating principles (e.g., audience measurement, content distribution, the politicization of most advertisers – yes, private ones) are what they were. Nothing has changed here.” -- TVP TAKES OVER THE ROLE OF THE COUNTRY'S MEDIA CENTER FROM TVN - KARNOWSKI CONTINUES: “And finally, the last conclusion: TVP, subsidized and propelled by Jacek Kurski, is perceived as the media center that calls the shots in Poland, which is gradually taking over the former role of TVN – the country's media center. As a center where journalists want to work, which can break through precisely planned and orchestrated ostracism. This is a success worth appreciating.” https://wpolityce.pl/media/515990-co-mowia-transfery-z-tvn-do-tvp-bardzo-wazne-przesilenie -- PRESIDENT KACZYŃSKI REFUSES COALITION PARTNERS CERTAINTY OF SEATS ON THE RIGHT-WING LISTS IN 2023 - AGATA KONDZIŃSKA IN GW - NO ONE IS SURE THEY WILL BE ON THE LIST, WHY SHOULD SOLIDARNA POLSKA BE SO SURE?: “PiS leader Jarosław Kaczyński is refusing to guarantee seats on the 2023 election lists in the new coalition agreement for members of Zbigniew Ziobro's Solidarna Polska and Jarosław Gowin's Porozumienie. And he is irritated by the recent offensive from Ziobro's faction. (...) – No one is sure they will be on the list, so why should Porozumienie and Solidarna Polska be? They cannot be the only ones being dragged into parliament on PiS's shoulders. One has to earn a spot on the list – explains one PiS MP. And he adds: – Both of them function thanks to the kindness of President Kaczyński, who put them on the lists. Stories about their independence can be dismissed as fairy tales.” -- KACZYŃSKI BORED BY ZIOBRISTS' CHARGE - KONDZIŃSKA REPORTS OPINIONS FROM NOWOGRODZKA STREET: “In PiS, it is heard that Kaczyński is already bored by the Ziobrists' charge. Signals are coming from Nowogrodzka Street that the constant confrontation weakens the ruling camp and hinders cooperation. – Some say Ziobro is acting as if he is in a frenzy, surrounded by young, eager activists. And in the end, it will all blow over, although this constant dispute with Morawiecki is unbearable – emphasizes our interlocutor from the United Right.” https://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,26262298,ziobro-boksuje-sie-z-pis-kaczynskiemu-sie-to-nie-podoba.html -- THE AGREEMENT WAS SIGNED UNDER THE ADMINISTRATION OF COMMISSIONER KOCHALSKI, BUT THE CZAJKA INVESTMENT WAS CARRIED OUT UNDER HGW'S ADMINISTRATION - KATARZYNA KOJZAR IN OKO.PRESS: “The agreement for the collector project was indeed signed in 2006, during the administration of Warsaw Commissioner Mirosław Kochalski. However, the investment itself was carried out under Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz's administration – it began in 2009 and lasted until 2012. They raced against time fearing the loss of EU funds – if the treatment plant wasn't opened by the end of that year, Warsaw would have to return EU co-financing. What's worse, in the summer, the company building the system under the Vistula River collapsed. The work was formally completed on December 20, 2012, although in practice it continued into 2013. The transmission system is a tunnel dug 10 meters below the bed of the Vistula. Thanks to two collectors placed in it (one is primary, the other is a backup), the central and northern parts of left-bank Warsaw, whose sewage was previously discharged into the river, could be connected to the treatment plant. Along with the modernization, Czajka became the largest sewage treatment plant in Poland.” -- ANOTHER FAILURE IN THE CAPITAL IS FATAL NEWS - HYDROLOGIST QUOTED BY OKO: “Sewage settles on debris, gets trapped in vegetation, undergoes chemical reactions and biodegradation, and does not flow with the speed of water. Additionally, it spreads across the Vistula stream due to so-called dispersion” – he explains, adding that pollution from Warsaw will not reach Płock in the same state and concentration. It will be “filtered” and diluted along the way. “After last year's Czajka failure, no norm violations were recorded in the river in Płock. This time it may be similar. However, all this does not change the fact that another failure in the capital is fatal news” – emphasizes the hydrologist.” https://oko.press/czajka-awaria-kolektora-wylawiamy-fakty-z-brudnej-wody/ -- IT IS ABSURD THAT THE PRESIDENT IS TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR EVERYTHING HAPPENING IN THE CITY, INCLUDING 15 YEARS OF NEGLECT - RAFAŁ TRZASKOWSKI IN AN INTERVIEW WITH TOMASZ ŻÓŁCIAK IN DGP: “If the prosecution were fully independent, I would sleep soundly. As it is, I have no idea what will happen. In the case of PiS scandals, the state does not react. When anything happens on the opposition's side, all possible services are immediately activated. The PiS narrative is that the city mayor is responsible for everything. It was even suggested that a drunken bus driver was also my fault. It is absurd that the president should be personally responsible for everything that happens in the city, including negligence from the last 15 years. But I understand it. Two months ago, in the presidential elections, we managed to convince 10 million Poles. It was a close call, but President Duda could have lost the election, and Jarosław Kaczyński would have had a huge problem implementing his scenario. I am sure that the coming period will be an attempt to blame me for everything. But I will repeat what I said during the campaign. The more they obstruct us and attack me, the stronger we will become.” -- NOT MY RESPONSIBILITY, BUT I BORE THE COSTS - TRZASKOWSKI CONTINUES: “It is not for me to judge. But perhaps let's return to the first Czajka failure. Did it negatively impact my image? I don't know. What I do know is that it was not my responsibility, although I bore the reputational costs. Today, I will not allow unreliable information about Czajka to appear in the media space. I will address every lie or false suggestion on this topic.” -- THE BIGGEST REGRET IS THAT DUE TO THIS FAILURE, I HAD TO POSTPONE THE INAUGURATION OF THE NEW SOLIDARITY MOVEMENT - TRZASKOWSKI CONTINUES IN DGP: “My biggest regret is that due to this failure, I had to postpone the inauguration of the 'New Solidarity' movement.” https://wiadomosci.dziennik.pl/opinie/artykuly/7813156,rafal-trzaskowski-rozmowa-zaniedbania-awaria-czajka.html -- I WAS CONVINCED THAT NO ONE IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD THINK OF BLAMING ME FOR WHAT HAPPENED - RAFAŁ TRZASKOWSKI IN AN INTERVIEW WITH JACEK NIZINKIEWICZ IN RZ: “I would be surprised if he said I was competent. That would be news. Minister Mariusz Błaszczak should remember that I am also cleaning up after his political formation. There is a lot of malice from the government. This time, the government said that the army could build us a bridge, but we have to manage the process ourselves and pay for it. I also hope that the state apparatus will not be used to hinder our work – recently, unfortunately, it has been so – I cannot recall the PiS state apparatus being so zealous in investigating its numerous shortcomings. It is a pity that PiS is politicizing a failure and misfortune. Last year, I made one mistake: I was convinced that no one in their right mind would think of blaming me for what happened. I set about solving the problem without explaining whose specific negligence caused it. If in such a situation the government comes to the aid of the local government, it is not due to the weakness of the mayor, but due to the natural course of events. It is the government that has sappers, necessary services, and the mayor of the city does not have such capabilities. A year ago, party propaganda managed to convince people that the failure was my fault, and the government's help was a testament to the local government's incompetence. That is why this time I am trying to explain it.” -- NIZINKIEWICZ ASKS IF TRZASKOWSKI IS TRYING TO CLAIM HE IS CLEANING UP AFTER LECH KACZYŃSKI: “Not only after him. Wrong decisions started over 20 years ago and concerned all administrations governing Warsaw. It is difficult to say that a person inheriting mistakes is responsible for them. It is a skeleton in the closet that I inherited. The responsibility of cleaning up after many mistakes and omissions of my predecessors fell on my shoulders.” -- I MUST CONTROL THE FAILURE IN WARSAW, UNTIL THE OZONATED SEWAGE IS CONTAINED, I HAVE DECIDED TO SUSPEND THE MOVEMENT'S INAUGURATION - TRZASKOWSKI CONTINUES IN RZ: “I must control the failure in Warsaw at this moment – it is natural that I will focus on this now. I did not want to run for President of Poland because I felt the necessity to deal with the capital. Only the fact of the shortened campaign and changed circumstances led me to run. I will not build a political party. I must focus on Warsaw. I am building a movement that has a long march and a lot of work ahead of it. We want to focus on ideological and programmatic work, finding people, and organic work, because parties always lack time for that. Until the ozonated sewage is contained, I have decided to suspend the movement's inauguration.” -- WE THINK LIKE MARATHON RUNNERS - TRZASKOWSKI CONTINUES: “If I had withdrawn and remained only the Mayor of Warsaw, I would have been criticized for not wanting to take responsibility. We have three years until the elections. We are starting today so as not to waste time, but let's think like marathon runners. Let's not set a high pace at the beginning of the race, because we won't get far.” https://www.rp.pl/Polityka/200909833-Rafal-Trzaskowski-Nowa-Solidarnosc-jest-juz-gotowa.html -- CURRENTLY, UNLIKE IN THE FIRST PERIOD - LIKE OTHER COUNTRIES - WE ARE NOT PUTTING UP A SEALED DAM AGAINST CORONAVIRUS, BUT WE ARE TRYING TO FULLY MANAGE THE RISK - NEW MINISTER OF HEALTH ADAM NIEDZIELSKI: “It is worth noting that using the number of infections does not fully tell us about the pace of the pandemic's development. We have increasing indications from experts, epidemiologists, that the sensitivity of PCR tests is very high and they often indicate positive results for individuals who have already stopped being contagious and whose bodies are in the process of expelling virus remnants. The latest scientific literature also speaks of this. This knowledge allows for slightly bolder decisions in managing the pandemic. Studies show that by the 10th day after a positive test result, the patient is practically no longer contagious and there is no need for further isolation. Currently, unlike in the first period of the pandemic, like other countries, we are not putting up a sealed dam against the coronavirus, but we are trying to fully manage the associated risk.” -- I CANNOT IMAGINE ANOTHER LOCKDOWN - NIEDZIELSKI CONTINUES: “Decisions on restrictions are differentiated. I do not foresee the possibility of a second lockdown. I cannot imagine a scenario where we would experience a renewed closure of the entire country. Of course, there may be regions that will have – as they do now – greater restrictions, but a nationwide lockdown will definitely not happen. All studies show that the evolution of the virus causes it to be less virulent. If we see an increase in infections at the level of 700 cases, while the number of occupied hospital beds increases by 10 or 15, and the number of people on ventilators remains at a stable, low level, this is an argument against a lockdown.” -- NIEDZIELSKI ON THE AVAILABILITY OF SEASONAL FLU VACCINES: “There are three groups guaranteed the right to vaccination: people aged 75 and over, chronically ill individuals, and medical personnel along with pharmacists. Today, the whole world is negotiating increased vaccine purchases. We are too. As of today, we have guaranteed approximately 2 million vaccines. Compared to last year's vaccination rate, this is a pool about half a million larger. But we are still negotiating and talking with manufacturers.” https://wpolityce.pl/polityka/515978-minister-zdrowia-drugiego-lockdownu-kraju-nie-bedzie -- THE CHILD RIGHTS OMBUDSMAN MUST LEAVE NOT BECAUSE HE IS CATHOLIC, BUT BECAUSE HE IS IRRESPONSIBLE - MICHAŁ SZUŁDRZYŃSKI IN RZ: “The problem is that these were complete nonsense, later debunked, and the Minister of National Defence ridiculed not only himself but also Poland. Spokesperson Pawlak is following a similar path today. Interestingly, Mikołaj Pawlak was recommended for the ombudsman position by the United Right, having previously worked in Zbigniew Ziobro's ministry. It is not a coincidence that Ziobro's faction has now launched an ideological offensive, strongly engaging in the dispute with LGBT communities. Pawlak wanted to join this dispute so much that he started telling stories that prevent him from being treated as a serious person any longer and disqualify him as a person holding the position of Child Rights Ombudsman. This is a signal that in his position, he may do more harm than good to the cause he wants to fight for.” https://www.rp.pl/Komentarze/200909827-Michal-Szuldrzynski-Rzecznik-praw-dziecka-szkodzi.html -- BIRTHDAYS: Jacek Karnowski, Michał Karnowski, Izabela Leszczyna.