烏克蘭？普亭更大擔憂或在波蘭

Tomasz Czescik, a Polish archaeologist and television journalist, walks his dog each morning through a forest near his home here on NATO’s eastern flank, wandering along the edge of a green chain-link fence topped with razor wire.

波蘭考古學者兼電視記者澤思齊的家就在北大西洋公約組織東側，他每天早上都帶著他的狗，穿過他家附近一座森林，在一片覆有刺鋼絲的綠鐵絲網柵欄邊漫步。

He enjoys the fresh air and morning quiet — until loudspeakers on the other side of the fence, strung with “Keep Out” signs in Polish, English, German and Russian, start blasting “The Star-Spangled Banner” at high volume.

他享受清新空氣和早晨的寧靜，直到懸掛著波蘭文、英文、德文和俄文標語「勿入」的圍籬另一邊，擴音器開始大聲播放「星條旗之歌」為止。

“I don’t know anyone who has ever been inside there,” Czescik said, pointing across the fence toward a cluster of haze-shrouded buildings in the distance.

澤思齊指著圍籬另一側遠方一群霧氣籠罩的建物說，「我不知道有誰進去過」。

The fence is the outer perimeter, guarded by Polish soldiers, of a highly sensitive U.S. military installation, expected to be operational this year, which Washington insists will help defend Europe and the United States from ballistic missiles fired by rogue states like Iran.

這道圍籬是波蘭軍人戍守的高度敏感美軍設施外圍。這個設施預計今年啟用，華府堅稱能用來保護歐洲和美國不被伊朗等流氓國家發射的彈道飛彈擊中。

But for President Vladimir Putin of Russia, the military base in Poland and another in Romania are evidence of what he sees as the threat posed by NATO’s eastward expansion — and part of his justification for his military encirclement of Ukraine.

The Pentagon describes the two sites as defensive and unrelated to Russia, but the Kremlin believes they could be used to shoot down Russian rockets or to fire offensive cruise missiles at Moscow.

不過對俄國總統普亭來說，這個位在波蘭和另一個位在羅馬尼亞的軍事基地，證明了他眼中北約東擴構成的威脅，也是他派兵包圍烏克蘭的部分理由。美國五角大廈說，這兩處屬於防衛性質，且與俄國無關，不過克里姆林宮認為，這兩處可能用於擊落俄國火箭，或向莫斯科發射攻擊性巡弋飛彈。

As he threatens Ukraine, Putin has demanded that NATO reduce its military footprint in Eastern and Central Europe — which Washington and European leaders have refused to do. Putin has been fuming about U.S. missiles near Russia’s border since the Romanian site went into operation in 2016, but the Polish facility, located near the village of Redzikowo, is only about 100 miles from Russian territory and barely 800 miles from Moscow itself.

普亭威脅烏克蘭之際，還要求北約減少在中東歐的軍事駐防，被華府和歐洲領袖拒絕。自從羅馬尼亞軍事基地2016年啟用之後，普亭一直對美國在俄國邊界附近部署飛彈耿耿於懷，而這個位在波蘭雷齊科沃村附近的軍事設施，離俄國本土僅約100哩（約160公里），距莫斯科不到800哩（約1300公里）。

“Are we deploying missiles near the U.S. border? No, we are not. It is the United States that has come to our home with its missiles and is already standing at our doorstep,” Putin said in December at his annual news conference.

普亭去年12月在他的年度記者會上說：「我們有在美國邊界附近部署飛彈嗎？沒有，我們沒有。是美國帶著飛彈來到我們家，而且已經站在門口。」

Beata Jurys, the elected head of Redzikowo, said she had never been inside the facility, installed on the grounds of a former Polish air force base and a shuttered civilian airport. But the finger-pointing by Moscow and Washington has made her village a potential target in the event of war.

雷齊科沃民選村長貝塔．朱利斯說，她從沒進過這個設在波蘭前空軍基地和廢棄民用機場的設施。不過莫斯科和華府相互指責，已讓她的村落成為萬一戰爭爆發時的可能目標。

“If something happens," she said, "we will be the first to know, unfortunately.”

她說：「如果有事發生，倒楣的是，我們會最先知道。」

億萬富豪和鉅額捐款形塑美期中選舉

Billionaires cut giant checks to super PACs. Small donors gave online in mass quantities. And both political parties announced record-setting hauls in 2021.

億萬富豪開立鉅額支票給超級政治行動委員會，眾多小額捐款者在線上給錢，而兩黨皆宣布，2021年累計金額創新紀錄。

The 2022 midterm elections were awash in political money even before the year began, according to new Federal Election Commission campaign disclosures.

根據聯邦選舉委員會新公布的競選活動資訊，在這一年還沒開始之前，2022年期中選舉已充斥政治獻金。

With control of both chambers up for grabs, the two parties were almost equally matched when it came to fundraising last year. The Democratic and Republican national committees, as well as the main House and Senate committees, pulled in nearly identical sums — about $400 million each.

兩黨除了競爭掌控國會參眾兩院，去年募款金額也幾乎不分軒輊。民主黨和共和黨的全國委員會以及參眾兩院的主要委員會，獲得捐款幾近相等，各約4億美元。

On the Republican side, several primary contests in the coming months will pit the Trump wing of the party against more traditional Republicans.

共和黨方面，川普在黨內的派系與較傳統派共和黨人，未來幾個月將在數場初選較勁。

Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, the only Republican up for reelection in 2022 to have voted for former President Donald Trump’s impeachment, faces a right-wing challenge from Kelly Tshibaka, a Trump-endorsed rival.

曾在前總統川普彈劾案投下贊成票的共和黨參議員中，唯一一個在2022年競選連任的是阿拉斯加州參議員莉莎．穆考斯基，她面臨右翼對手、川普支持的凱莉．奇巴卡挑戰。

Among Murkowski’s donors in December was George W. Bush, who listed his occupation as “former president.” Overall, Murkowski raised nearly $1.4 million and reported entering 2022 with $4.2 million cash on hand. Tshibaka raised $602,000 and had $634,000 cash on hand.

穆考斯基去年12月的捐款者中出現布希，他在職業欄寫著「前總統」。穆考斯基共募得近140萬美元，在時序進入2022年時申報可用現金為420萬美元。奇貝卡募得60萬2000美元，可用現金為63萬4000美元。

Bush made one other symbolic donation: the legal maximum of $5,800 to Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, one of the most outspoken anti-Trump Republicans in Congress.

布希另有一筆具象徵意義的捐款，捐給懷俄明州眾議員莉茲．錢尼法定上限5800美元，她是國會內最敢言的反川普共和黨人。

Like Murkowski, Cheney outraised her Trump-backed challenger, Harriet Hageman, collecting $2 million to Hageman’s $443,000 last quarter.

如同穆考斯基，錢尼募得款項比川普支持的對手哈麗特．海吉曼多，上一季錢尼獲得200萬美元捐款，海吉曼募得44萬3000美元。

The battleground contests expected to determine which party is in the Senate majority are shaping up to be especially expensive. In Georgia, Sen. Raphael Warnock, a Democrat, was the top 2022 Senate fundraiser, collecting $9.8 million in the fourth quarter. Warnock had nearly $23 million at the end of the year.

一些將決定哪一黨掌握參院多數的決勝競爭，顯得格外昂貴。在喬治亞州，民主黨參議員沃諾克是2022參院選戰募款最多者，第四季獲980萬美元。沃諾克去年底累計募得近2300萬美元。

His likely Republican opponent, former football player Herschel Walker, was urged to run by Trump. Walker has emerged as one of the strongest new Republican fundraisers, raising $5.4 million, with $5.4 million in the bank.

他的共和黨可能對手前美式足球員沃克，在川普勸進下參選。沃克已成為共和黨最強的新進募款者之一，募得540萬美元，銀行裡還有540萬美元。

Big money flowed, in particular, to super PACs focused on control of Congress.

大筆金錢特別流向掌控國會的超級政治行動委員會。

In the House, the leading Republican super PAC and linked nonprofit announced raising twice as much money as the equivalent House Democratic groups, $110 million compared with $55 million last year.

在眾院，共和黨主要的超級政治行動委員會和相關非營利組織宣布，募得款項是對手民主黨團體兩倍，去年分別募得1億1000萬和5500萬美元。