GOP leaders, Newsom express shock at Charlie Kirk shooting

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration and the conservative movement were stunned Wednesday by the shooting of Charlie Kirk, a disruptive leader in GOP politics who accomplished what was once thought a pipe dream, expanding Republican ranks among America’s youth.

Inside the White House, senior officials that had worked closely alongside Kirk throughout much of their careers reacted with shock. It was a moment of political violence reminiscent of the repeated attempts on Donald Trump’s life during the 2024 presidential campaign, one official told The Times.

“We must all pray for Charlie Kirk, who has been shot,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social. “A great guy from top to bottom. GOD BLESS HIM!”

Kirk, a founder of Turning Point USA, was instrumental in recruiting young Americans on college campuses to GOP voter rolls, making himself an indispensable part of Republican campaigns down ballot across the country.

—Los Angeles Times

Despite improvement, California again has highest poverty rate in US

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California continued to have the highest poverty rate in the nation last year at 17.7%, tied only with Louisiana, according to new data released this week by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The state’s supplemental poverty measure, or SPM, declined from 2023, when it stood at 18.9%. Still, the 2024 figure means that nearly 7 million Californians were unable to afford basic necessities like food, housing and medical care.

Laura Pryor, the research director for the California Budget & Policy Center, noted that the state’s poverty rate dropped to a historic low of 11% after federal policies were implemented to help Americans weather the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now, she said, “millions of people have been pushed back into poverty as policymakers allowed these effective policies to expire.” Pryor said that the situation is particularly dire for California seniors and children, especially kids living in a household where relatives have mixed immigration or citizenship statuses.

—The Sacramento Bee

NYC stiffing 9/11 widows and orphans of critical medical payments, unions say

NEW YORK — For nearly a year, the city has failed to provide funds for critical medical payments to widows and children of first responders who died on 9/11 and other city employees killed in the line of duty, the New York Daily News has learned.

Since November, the city’s Office of Labor Relations hasn’t made the $850,000 in quarterly payments that go to widows and children of fallen employees through the Health Insurance Stabilization Fund. The money goes to the city’s unions, which use the money to offset prescription drug, eye, and dental exam costs for families of city employees who died on the job.

The payments stopped after the Fund’s balance dropped to zero last year, and the Office of Labor Relations scrambled to bargain with vendors and restructure its debts.

Municipal unions are picking up the tab to make sure that the widows and children aren’t out of pocket, said Vincent Vallelong, the president of the NYPD’s Sergeants Benevolent Association. The union is currently supporting 165 widows and families of sergeants who have died in the line of duty.

—New York Daily News

Poland seeks NATO consultations after downing Russian drones

Poland sought a consultation of NATO powers after shooting down drones that crossed into its territory during Russia’s latest massive air strike on Ukraine, calling the incursion an “act of aggression.”

Prime Minister Donald Tusk said the airspace violation in the early hours of Wednesday amounted to an intentional provocation from Moscow, forcing the NATO and European Union member state to close its airspace and order citizens in the eastern part of the country to stay indoors.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization Secretary General Mark Rutte denounced “Russia’s reckless behavior” and confirmed that the alliance discussed the incident after Poland invoked Article 4 of the alliance treaty, which triggers consultations and can open a path to coordinated action among allies.

“There is no reason to claim that we are currently at war,” Tusk told a session of parliament in Warsaw. “However, there is no doubt that this provocation exceeds previous limits and is incomparably more dangerous for Poland than all previous ones.” Polish authorities registered 19 airspace violations, with a “significant” number of drones originating from Belarusian territory, Tusk said.

—Bloomberg News