NPR News Now - NPR News: 09-16-2025 9PM EDT

Episode Date: September 17, 2025

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Support for NPR comes from NPR member stations and Eric and Wendy Schmidt through the Schmidt Family Foundation, working toward a healthy, resilient, secure world for all. On the web at theshmit.org. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Giles Snyder. Utah prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, the man charged in the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Robinson had his first court, Appearance today, Martha Harris with member station KUER has more. Tyler Robinson appeared virtually from the Utah County Jail. He is being held there without bail. Robinson sat silently in front of a white wall, except when he said his name. In the brief hearing, a Utah judge read Robinson the seven charges against him. Robinson nodded as the judge talked to him, but did not show much emotion.

He has been charged with aggravated murder. Prosecutors have filed their intent to seek the death penalty. The judge said a defense lawyer, will be appointed to represent Robinson because of his financial circumstances. The judge also approved a protective order from Charlie Kirk's widow, Erica Kirk. This prohibits Robinson from contacting her. For NPR news, I'm Martha Harris in Provo, Utah. FBI Director Cash Patel appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee today,

pushing back against questions about his handling of the Charlie Kirk investigation and the firings of veteran FBI officials who claim they were dismissed for political reasons. Safety concerns among lawmakers have grown in the days following the murder of the activist Charlie Kirk. NPR's Barbara Spront and reports that House Republicans are proposing increasing security funding by $30 million to protect against political violence. The $30 million is included in a stopgap bill to fund the government that GOP leaders hope to approve later this week to avoid a government shutdown. There are existing programs for security for members, including one that piloted in July that increases member security. funds from $150 a month to $5,000 a month. But that is expiring at the end of September. The U.S. Capitol Police told NPR its agents are on track to work through roughly 14,000 threat

assessment cases by the end of the year, a significant uptick from years past. Barbara Sprint and P.R. News, the Capitol. A key vaccine advisory panel at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may vote to push the first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine to age four. for most kids. The panel's members were handpicked by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. from KFF Health News. Jackie Fortier reports. For more than 30 years, the CDC has advised that babies get their first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine at birth. The shot protects kids from the incurable virus that can lead to liver cancer. Pushing vaccination to later in a child's life

could backfire, says pediatrician Eric Ball. Every child should get a hepatitis B vaccine at birth. to prevent those cases where a test might be incorrect or a mother might have unknowingly contracted hepatitis B. The vote is expected Thursday during the next meeting of the CDC Vaccine Advisory Panel. Jackie 4GA with KFF Health 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's by passed 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. Georgia's highest court has declined to consider Fulton County District Attorney Fonnie Willis's appeal of her removal from the state's election interference case against President Trump and others. The state Supreme Court voted four to three not to hear the appeal of the ruling by the Georgia Court of Appeals. Filmmakers and film, Lovers mourning the death of actor and director Robert Redford at the age of 89. As NPR's Mandel-Barco reports, he also founded the celebrated Sundance Film Festival. Robert Redford was once Hollywood's handsome golden boy, starring in films like The Way We Were,

All the President's Men, and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. I can't swim! Redford also became an Oscar-winning director, an environmentalist, and in 1978, he created what would become the Sundance Film Festival. In 2017, he reminisced with me about his idea to celebrate independent film. What if we started a film festival, where at least filmmakers could come

and see each other's work and form a community? In a statement, the Sundance Institute says Robert Redford's vision as a space and platform for independent voices launched a movement that redefined cinema around the world. Mandalay Del Barco, NPR News. And I'm Jail Snyder. This is NPR News.

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