NPR News Now - NPR News: 09-16-2025 6PM EDT

Episode Date: September 16, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Giles Snyder. The first court hearing from the man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk wrapped up a short time ago. 22-year-old Tyler Robinson appeared virtually from a county jail where he will remain without bail. The county judge read the seven charges against him. They include aggravated murder, a charge that carries a death penalty. FBI director Cash Patel was on Capitol Hill today. He faced sharp criticism from Democratic lawmakers on the Senate, Judiciary Committee, as NPR's Ryan Lucas reports.

Over the more than four-hour hearing, Democrats accused Patel of politicizing the Bureau and pressed him on his firing of FBI agents, including some of the most senior and lauded agents at the Bureau. Here's New Jersey Democrat, Cory Booker. I believe you're failing as a leader, and that your failure does have serious implications for the safety and security of Americans and our families. Patel, with the support of Republicans on the committee, defended his leadership, He said that the FBI has helped bring down violent crime since he's been in charge, and Patel denied that anyone has been fired from the FBI for improper reasons.

Ryan Lucas NPR News, Washington. Overseas, a UN panel of experts accusing Israeli leaders of inciting genocide in Gaza. Israel dismissing the report, which comes as Israel began as ground offensive in Gaza City. Today, here's NPR's Michelle Kellerman. The head of the Commission of Inquiry, which was set up by the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, laid out a long list of atrocities in Gaza. And Navi Pili said the killings, the aid blockages, and forced displacement amount to genocide. The commission concluded that Israel has committed genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza

and that it is continuing with that genocide. Israel called the report libelists and accused Pili and the other investigators of being proxies of Hamas. She says she wished the Israelis would cooperate. or at least tell the commission where the report was wrong on the facts. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, the State Department. A legendary actor Robert Redford has died. He was 89 years old. His decades-long career included unforgettable performances in films such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and out of Africa.

NPR's Netta Ullaby reports. Robert Redford was way more than one of the most handsome men in history. Here he is, melting Barbara Streisand in the film The Way We Were from 1973. Can I ask you a personal question? Sure. Do you smile all the time? No. No.

No. As an actor, Redford was more understated than his good looks would suggest. He transformed Hollywood's independent film scene with his Sundance Institute and Festival. And Robert Redford was a producer, director, an ardent environmentalist. Netta Ulippi, NPR News. And you're listening to NPR News. President Trump is giving the popular social media app TikTok time to complete a deal that would keep it available in the U.S. He has formally extended the deadline to December 16th.

The fourth time he has bypassed a federal law requiring the app's Chinese owner to sell TikTok assets to an American company or face a ban. Yesterday, Trump said he and Chinese President Xi Jinping would discuss TikTok on Friday. The Georgia prosecutor who brought criminal charges against President Trump and 18 other. has been permanently barred from continuing the case. Sam Greenglass, member station W-A-B-E reports from Atlanta. The ruling from the Georgia Supreme Court makes it even less likely that Trump will ever face trial in Georgia for attempting to undermine the 2020 election. In a 4-3 decision, the Georgia Supreme Court declined to hear Fulton County District Attorney

Fawney Willis' appeal of a lower court ruling disqualifying her. The Georgia Court of Appeals found Willis had to be removed from the prosecution because her relationship with a special prosecutor she hired created an appearance of impropriety. Now it'll be up to the director of the prosecuting attorney's counsel of Georgia to find another prosecutor. Willis says she hopes that person will have the courage to do with the evidence and the law demand. Trump called it a great decision and said Willis should be jailed. Her case against him was spurred in part by Trump asking Georgia's Secretary of State to find him votes after his 2020 loss. For NPR News, I'm Sam Gringlass.

in Atlanta. Dallas Wingstar Paige Beckers is the WNBA's rookie of the year. The vote from sports writers and broadcasters overwhelmingly in her favor. The league said today she won 70 of 72 ballots. This is MPA.