NPR News Now - NPR News: 09-17-2025 2AM EDT

Episode Date: September 17, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Shea Stevens. Former President Barack Obama has weighed in on the public discourse and American democracy following another high-profile act of political violence. Buffalo Toronto Public Media's Ryan Zunner reports on Obama's remarks Tuesday in Erie, Pennsylvania. Conversation from the 44th president at the Long Plan speaking event quickly turned to where the nation is at following the shootings of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk and two Minnesota state lawmakers. Obama condemned those acts as heinous and said the free exchange of ideas and dissent is in

danger. That connected with the 8,000 person crowd, including attendee Lynn Pearson. Just how we need to be able to respect other people's differences and be able to make sure that we recognize people as humans and not just who their political party was. Obama criticized the Trump administration for focusing in on the accused Kirk Shooters possible. ideology, calling it a tool to, quote, silence debate on where we are as a country. For NPR news, I'm Ryan Zunner in Erie, Pennsylvania. FBI director Cash Patel clashed with Democrats during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on his leadership.

Patel defended the firing of career FBI officials and the handling of the Charlie Kirk murder investigation. Before heading to Britain, President Trump was asked if he still has confidence in Patel. Take a look at what he did with respect to this horrible person. that he just captured. He did it in two days. It took other similar cases, four days, five days, four years, if you look at certain shooters. Now, I have confidence in everybody in the administration. The suspect and the murder of Charlie Kirk surrendered to authorities the day after the slaying. Twenty-two-year-old Tyler Robinson is charged with six felonies, including

aggravated murder. UN human rights experts are accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. The UN Secretary General won't go that far, but he is calling for an end to an Israeli campaign. Details from NPR's Michelle Kellerman. As he prepares to host leaders from around the world at the UN General Assembly next week, Secretary General Antonio Gutierrez said it's time for them to get serious and resolve wars in Sudan, Ukraine, and Gaza. He says it's up to a court to decide if Israel is carrying out a genocide. Independently of the names that are given, the truth.

is that this is something that it is morally, politically, and legally intolerable. Guterres says he'd be willing to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu next week, though there are no scheduled talks. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, the State Department. U.S. futures are virtually unchanged in after-hours trading on Wall Street following Tuesday's losses. The Dow fell 125 points. This is NPR. The Vuan Drug Administration is notifying online services to stop selling knockoffs of popular drugs like Wegovi.

Dozens of companies are receiving letters, ordering them to cease making false and misleading statements about their products. The Trump administration has labeled Colombia an unreliable partner in the war on drugs. As John Otis reports, it's a symbolic blow to a nation that had long been Washington's closest ally in South America. President Trump, in a memorandum to Congress, said Colombia had, quote, failed demonstrably to fight drug trafficking. Colombia has seen a steep rise in coca crops, which provide the raw material for cocaine, and remains the world's number one producer of the illegal narcotic. Still, Colombian President Gustavo Petro called the U.S. decision deeply unfair. Petro pointed out that dozens of Colombian police and army troops have been killed in efforts to prevent cocaine from reaching the U.S.

However, citing national security interests, the White House did not impose sanctions against Colombia. This sanctions waiver will preserve U.S. aid and security cooperation. For NPR News, I'm Jan Otis in Bogota, Colombia. Actor, director, and producer Robert Redford Die Tuesday. He was 89 years old. Redford's career spanned nearly six decades, during which he received multiple Academy Award nominations.

Redford won Best Director for the film Ordinary People in 1981 and received a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002. This is NPR News. This message comes from Wise, the app for using money around the globe. When you manage your money with Wise, you'll always get the mid-market exchange rate with no hidden fees. Join millions of customers and visit.

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