NPR News Now - NPR News: 09-17-2025 5AM EDT

Episode Date: September 17, 2025

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Live from NPR News in Washington. I'm Dave Mattingley. Prosecutors in Utah say they will seek the death penalty against the 22-year-old man charged with killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk. NPR's Bobby Allen says the suspect made his first court appearance yesterday virtually. Tyler Robinson showed no emotion during his virtual appearance from a Utah County jail. He wore a suicide prevention smock, and the only words he uttered were his name. He now faced. his aggravated murder and other charges. His next court date is later this month. Before the hearing, Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray read text messages investigators obtained between Robinson and his roommate. Robinson, why did I do it? Roommate, yeah. Robinson, I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can't be negotiated out. If I am able to grab my rifle unseen, I will have left no evidence. Authorities obtained DNA left on the trigger of the alleged murder weapon and video footage of his escape. According to court papers, Robinson's mother said his political views started to lean

more to the left recently, especially on gay and trans rights issues. Bobby Allen, NPR News. President Trump is in Britain for his second state visit to the U.K. The president is scheduled to meet with King Charles today at Windsor Castle near London. Tomorrow, Trump holds talks with British Prime Minister Keir Starrmer. The two are expected to hold a joint news conference. The former Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is scheduled to testify today before a Senate committee. Susan Menares is expected to tell senators she was pressured to back new vaccine recommendations from a CDC advisory panel before reviewing the scientific evidence. In prepared testimony obtained by the Associated Press, Benares says she was told to endorse

the panel's recommendations or be fired by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Menares was fired weeks into the job. Despite what the Food and Drug Administration advises, health officials in Wisconsin say they plan to continue recommending annual COVID shots for those six months and older. Sarah Lear with Wisconsin Public Radio reports. Wisconsin's recommendation stands in contrast to recent FDA action. That agency recommended the new COVID vaccine only for Americans 65 and older

or those with certain medical conditions. Dr. Wyand Westergard is an infectious disease specialist with the state health department. In the past several months, leaders at federal agencies have made policy decisions and issued recommendations that aren't supported by or directly contradict scientific consensus. Multiple states, including Wisconsin, have now issued standing orders for the new COVID vaccine. The goal of those orders is to ensure that people over six months old can get the vaccine without a prescription. For NPR News, I'm Sarah Lear.

in Madison. This is NPR News from Washington. Later today, the Federal Reserve is expected to announce its first cut in interest rates in nine months. NPR's Scott Horsley says despite elevated inflation in the U.S. economy, the central bank is concerned about a slowdown in hiring. Investors are betting the Fed will lower its benchmark rate by a quarter percentage point. That would make it slightly cheaper to get a car loan, bankroll of business expansion, or carry a balance on your credit card. Policymakers will also update their forecast of how many more rate cuts we might expect before the end of the year. The central bank has held rate steady since December, partly out of concern that President Trump's tariffs will rekindle inflation.

Consumer prices in August were up 2.9 percent from a year ago. That worry is likely outweighed now, though, by the sharp slowdown in hiring, by cutting interest rates, the Fed hopes to keep a lid on unemployment. Scott Horsley and Pierre News, Washington. The Federal Reserve's decision on interest rates will come a day after the Commerce Department reported a jump in retail sales in the U.S. for the month of August. It rose six-tenths of one percent. It followed two consecutive months of declines in spending.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is investigating reports of problems with door handles on certain Tesla's. NHTSA says it's received four reports of parents having to break windows to remove a child from a back seat because a rear door handle would not work. The model being investigated is the 2021 Tesla Model Y SUV. NHTSA says it's looking into whether low battery voltage may be to blame. I'm Dave Mattingly in Washington.