Thursday morning news: November 17, 2022

For WORLD Radio, I'm Kristen Flavin. 

Ukraine–Poland » Western allies are clashing with Russia over who’s to blame for a deadly missile strike in a Polish border town on Tuesday.

State Dept. spokesman Vedant Patel:

PATEL: Ultimately, the party responsible for this tragic incident is Russia. We are having this conversation because of Russia’s barbaric assault on Ukrainian territorial integrity and sovereignty.

The Polish government declared Tuesday that the missile was Russian-made, but it could not confirm who fired it or from where.

On Wednesday, NATO officials said it appears that Ukraine’s forces fired the errant missile as it tried to shoot down an incoming Russian rocket.

Moscow’s forces fired as many as a hundred missiles into Ukraine on Tuesday, aimed at taking out the country’s power grid.

Same-sex marriage Senate » Lawmakers in the Senate are set to repeal the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act.

The effort to legislatively protect same-sex marriages cleared a major Senate hurdle Wednesday. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said same-sex couples…

SCHUMER: Want nothing more than to live their lives without the fear of discrimination.

But many said the bill would not protect many Christians from discrimination or anyone who believes marriage is the union of a man and a woman.

The bill advanced only after an amendment passed to address those concerns. But critics say that amendment doesn’t go far enough.

Twelve Republicans voted with all Democrats to move forward on the bill. A final vote could come as soon as this week.

Arkansas “gender-affirming” ruling » A federal appeals court said Wednesday it won’t reconsider its ruling temporarily blocking Arkansas from enforcing its ban on performing so-called “gender-affirming” procedures on children.

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied the state’s request for the full court to hear its appeal.

The state says the law provides important protections. Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge:

RUTLEDGE: Imagine a 9-year-old making a decision whether to be a male or a female for the rest of his or her life. That’s why this law was important - was to protect those children.

Arkansas’ law prohibits cross-sex hormones, puberty blockers, and surgeries for children.

A landmark trial over whether to uphold or strike down the law is set to resume later this month.

McConnell reelected as leader » Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell will remain the Senate’s top Republican.

He won reelection as leader on Wednesday, quashing a challenge from Sen. Rick Scott by a vote of 37-10. It was the first-ever attempt to oust him after many years as GOP leader. But McConnell said it didn’t bother him a bit.

MCCONNELL: I’m not in any way offended by having an opponent or having a few votes in opposition.

McConnell is poised to become the Senate's longest-serving leader when the new Congress convenes next year. He took over as the party’s Senate leader in 2007.

Title 42 » Border Patrol officials say a ruling from a federal judge this week lifting Title 42 restrictions could spell even bigger trouble for the border crisis.

Title 42 allows the government to more easily remove migrants who cross the border amid an epidemic or pandemic.

U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan on Tuesday ordered the lifting of removal procedures that have been in place since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Biden administration sued to lift them.

National Border Patrol Council spokesman Art Del Cueto:

DEL CUETO: The floodgates had already been opened, but with this, you’ve pretty much handed the keys over to our border to the criminal cartels and the smuggling organizations.

Traffic at the southern border has already surpassed record levels. Border officials reported more than 2 million migrant encounters over the past year.

Philly migrant buses » Meantime, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney is blasting Texas Gov. Greg Abbott for sending a charter bus full of migrants from the southern border to Philadelphia.

Texas and other Republican-led states are continuing to transport migrants to self-proclaimed sanctuary cities. Kenney accused Abbott of using them as political pawns.

But he also said his city would welcome the newcomers with open arms.

KENNEY: It is possible for government and local communities to work together to strengthen systems of support for newcomers.

Texas officials say that’s easy for Kenney to say, as his city receives dozens or hundreds of migrants, while well over a million migrants have crossed the border into Texas over the past year.

I’m Kristen Flavin. For more news, features, and analysis, visit us at wng.org.

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