Wednesday morning news: November 16, 2022

For WORLD Radio, I'm Kent Covington. 

Missiles reportedly hit Polish border town » President Biden spoke to the president of Poland on Tuesday, just hours after at least one missile struck a Polish town along the Ukrainian border in NATO territory. He pledged support in investigating the matter.

But this much is now known: It was, in fact, a Russian-made missile that struck the village. Poland’s government confirmed that last night.

Pentagon spokesman, Brigadier General Pat Ryder …

RYDER: When it comes to our security commitments and Article-5, we’ve been crystal clear that we will defend every inch of NATO territory.

Polish President Andrzej Duda spoke with numerous NATO leaders Tuesday. He said all assured him of allied support. It’s unclear how NATO will respond.

The errant missile could mark a major escalation in the war. But Duda said his country does “not yet have unequivocal evidence of who fired the missile."

Poland is putting some military units on high alert.

Russia power grid attacks / Biden asks for $37b in Ukraine aid » Meantime, in Ukraine, a Russian cruise missile soared across the sky above an apartment building … then, a flash of light in the clouds …

AUDIO: [Missile]

… and the missile was gone — shot down by Ukrainian air defenses.

But many other Russian missiles found their marks inside Ukraine.

Russia pounded Ukraine's energy facilities Tuesday with its biggest barrage of missiles yet. It struck targets across the country, triggering widespread blackouts.

ZELENSKYY: [Ukrainian]

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 85 missiles strikes were launched at Ukrainian cities.

ZELENSKYY: [Ukrainian]

He told Ukrainians, I know that the strikes cut off our power supply in many cities. We will restore everything, we will survive everything.

Trump announces » At Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort last night, the 45th president of the United States told supporters that he intends to also be the 47th.

TRUMP: In order to make America great and glorious again, I am announcing my candidacy for president of the United States.

Trump is currently trailing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in several recent polls of likely Republican voters. But the former president said with all the challenges facing America, he is the only man for the job.

TRUMP: This is not a task for a politician or a conventional candidate. This is a task for a great movement.

Pence book » But some Republicans disagree. And among them is Trump’s former vice president, Mike Pence.

On the same day Trump announced his campaign, Pence’s new book, So Help Me God, hit store shelves.

After the Capitol riot last January, Trump would later say that by certifying the 2020 election results, Pence—quote—“didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done."

In an interview this week with ABC, Pence described his reaction.

PENCE: It angered me. But I turned to my daughter who was standing nearby and I said it doesn’t take courage to break the law. It takes courage to uphold the law.

In the book, Pence makes clear that Jan. 6, 2021, was a breaking point.

PENCE: The president’s words were reckless, and his actions were reckless. The president’s words that day at the rally endangered me, my family, and everyone at the Capitol building.

When asked if Trump should be the party’s nominee, Pence said I think there will be better options in the future.

Pence also hinted that he is considering a White House bid of his own.

McCarthy wins speaker nomination » Republican Congressman Kevin McCarthy is one step closer to taking the House speaker gavel from Nancy Pelosi. WORLD’s Kristen Flavin has more.

KRISTEN FLAVIN, REPORTER: McCarthy won the GOP nomination for House speaker by a vote of 188-to-31. New and returning GOP lawmakers cast the ballots.

But McCarthy faces a weeks-long fight to quell objections from the right-flank of the party before a final vote in January.

McCarthy will need to gain support from no fewer than 218 lawmakers from when the new Congress convenes in January, leaving just a few votes to spare.

This all assumes Republicans take control of the House, which still is not official, but remains very likely.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

Kemp testifies » Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp testified before a grand jury in the Atlanta area on Tuesday. A judge had ordered him to give evidence in a probe over whether former President Donald Trump and others illegally tried to interfere with the 2020 election in the state.

Also on Tuesday, a Florida judge said former national security adviser Michael Flynn must testify before the same special grand jury.

GA heartbeat law » A judge has overturned a pro-life law in Georgia. WORLD’s Anna Johansen Brown reports.

ANNA JOHANSEN BROWN, REPORTER: The Georgia heartbeat law protected unborn babies starting around six weeks into a pregnancy. But a judge ruled Tuesday that it violated the U.S. Constitution because it was enacted before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney's ruling took effect immediately statewide. But the attorney general's office said it has appealed the decision. The law had been in effect since July.

The law blocked abortions once a “detectable human heartbeat” was present.

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Anna Johansen Brown.

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

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