PBS News Hour - Full Show - September 12, 2025 – PBS News Hour full episode

Episode Date: September 12, 2025

Friday on the News Hour, a 22-year-old suspect is arrested and charged with the murder of Charlie Kirk. Violent images of Kirk’s death present difficulties for kids. Tensions rise in Europe after Russia’s drone incursion into Poland. An imprisoned Hong Kong newspaper editor’s son describes Beijing’s crackdown on speech. Plus, a retired accountant realizes his dreams by joining a marching band. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

Good evening. I'm Amna Nawaz. And I'm Jeff Bennett. On the news hour tonight, a 22-year-old is arrested and charged with the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kerr, as law enforcement officials piece together evidence of a possible motive. Tensions rise in Europe after Russia's drone incursion into Poland, prompting France and others to dispatch fighter jets and the EU to extend sanctions. And the son of an imprisoned Hong Kong newspaper editor describes the Chinese government's crackdown on speech. He stayed and defend his principles and defend his colleagues. And I'm so proud to call this man my father and I'm so proud to be able to fight for him to fight for his freedom. Welcome to the NewsHour. The man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk is now in custody. The arrest came after an extensive search. The FBI had called on the public for help,

posting surveillance photos and videos, and issuing a $100,000 reward. As Stephanie Sye reports, it was information from the suspect's own family members that ultimately led to his arrest. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. We got him. After a massive manhunt, police have the young man they believe killed Charlie Kirk. Tyler Robinson is a 22-year-old Utah resident. The state's governor described how the tip came in. A family member of Tyler Robinson reached out to a family friend who contacted the Washington County Sheriff's Office with information that Robinson had confessed to them or implied that he had committed the incident. He was arrested today and is being held on initial charges including aggravated murder. Robinson's family members told

authorities that he had become more political lately. Robinson mentioned Charlie Kirk was coming to UVU. They talked about why they didn't like him and the viewpoints that he had. The family member also stated Kirk was full of hate and spreading hate. Kirk was shot by a sniper on Wednesday on the campus of Utah Valley University. A crowd of thousands had gathered for the kickoff of his so-called American comeback tour. Later, the FBI released this surveillance video that they say shows the shooter escaping the crime scene. They collected evidence from the rooftop.

Inscriptions on the three unfired casings read, hey, fascist, exclamation point, catch exclamation point. Cox said investigators have also discovered messages between Robinson and a roommate that corroborated the details of the weapon and engraved casings. In 33 hours, we have made. historic progress for Charlie. FBI director Cash Patel, who early in the search, released conflicting information about a possible suspect, said the investigation would continue. This would not have been possible without you, the media, and you the public. That's why we went so public, so fast, and we're so transparent, and we're committed to that

transparency. After giving the latest on the investigation, Governor Cox addressed the moment in broader terms. I don't want to get too preachy, but I think it's important that we, with eyes wide open, understand what's happening in our country today. The Republican called out the political nature of the violence, which he is called an assassination. It is also much bigger than an attack on an individual. It is an attack on all of us. It is an attack on the American experiment. He spoke to Kirk's followers and a population.

opponents, many of them young people. You are inheriting a country where politics feels like rage. It feels like rage is the only option. Your generation has an opportunity to build a culture that is very different than what we are suffering through right now. Not by pretending differences don't matter, but by embracing our differences and having those hard conversations. On Fox News this morning, the president had a different emphasis.

I hope he gets a death penalty. What he did, Charlie Kirk was the finest person that he didn't deserve this. While political violence has claimed victims on both sides of the aisle, President Trump today said the left is more to blame. I'll tell you something that's going to get me in trouble, but I couldn't care less. The radicals on the right, oftentimes they're radical because they don't want to see crime. They don't want to see crime. The radicals on the left are the problem, and they're vicious and they're horrible and they're

politically savvy. So close was he to the Trump administration that last night, Charlie Kirk's body was flown from Utah to Arizona on Air Force 2. Vice President J.D. Vance accompanied Kirk's widow Erica on the trip and described Kirk as a true friend. Kirk founded the campus activist group, Turning Point USA at 18. His influence is credited with helping Trump win, and he became a close confidant to many in the White House. While his views earned him a loyal following, they also made him a target. He was often engaging in debates on college campuses, which is where last night students across the country gathered to mourn.

All we can do is pray and look to the Lord for guidance. I think that this really will be the turning point that Charlie's been preaching and been doing since he started. Turning point next year and even this year is going to be bigger. than ever. We're going to keep his message alive. Turning Point USA says it has more than 850 chapters on U.S. campuses. For the PBS News Hour, I'm Stephanie Sy. had tried to avoid arrest by driving his car into officers. Authorities say the incident took place in the Franklin Park suburb about 18 miles west of Chicago. One officer was hit by the

vehicle, was taken to a hospital, and is now in stable condition. DHS says the suspect was in the country illegally and had a history of reckless driving. The shooting comes amid a broader federal immigration crackdown in the Chicago area. Meantime, President Trump says he's sending National Guard troops to Memphis to address crime there. On Fox News this morning, the president said the state's Republican governor and the city's Democratic mayor are, in his words, happy about the plan. Later at a news conference, Mayor Paul Young confirmed his commitment, but made clear he doesn't necessarily agree with the approach. I did not ask for the National Guard, and I don't think it's the way to drive down crime. However, that decision has been made. My commitment

is to make sure that we work strategically to ensure that this happens in a way that truly benefits and strengthens our community. Other Tennessee officials are more critical. The mayor of Shelby County, which includes Memphis, criticized the move in a social media post, saying, no one here is happy, not happy at all with the occupation, armored vehicles, semi-automatic weapons, and military personnel in fatigues. This week, Memphis police reported a decrease across all major crime. categories in the first eight months of 2025 compared to previous years. Missouri's Senate passed

a redistricting plan today that could help Republicans pick up an additional seat in Congress. Once signed by the governor, it would make Missouri the third state to change its maps ahead of next year's midterm elections. Texas has already passed a measure that would help Republicans pick up five seats. California countered with a similar plan to aid Democrats, though it still needs voter approval. Opponents of Missouri's measure are trying to push back. though, they've launched a petition effort to try to force a statewide referendum on the new map. The Environmental Protection Agency moved today to stop the collection of emissions data from some 8,000 U.S. facilities. The proposal, which still needs to be finalized, would end a program that

requires coal-burning power plants and other industrial facilities to report their greenhouse gas emissions. Since 2010, the government has used this data to assess the environmental impact of those sites. Administrator Lee Zeldin said the requirement is, quote, nothing more than bureaucratic red tape that does nothing to improve air quality. Critics say the proposal could hurt efforts to fight climate change. Many of the nation's universities are on heightened alert heading into the weekend after a series of fake threats led schools to cancel classes and even send students home. At least six historically black colleges and universities have been the targets of such threats in recent days.

A similar incident happened at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. At the U.S. Naval Academy in Maryland, a midshipman and law enforcement officer were injured after a false report of an active shooter caused confusion on that campus. Both are now in stable condition. The threats come amid heightened tensions following the murder of Charlie Kirk on a campus in Utah, though the FBI says there have been no credible threats so far. The U.N. General Assembly says it's endorsing what it calls tangible and irreversible steps for a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians.

Today's declaration was boycotted by the U.S. and Israel. It comes ahead of a gathering by world leaders at the U.N. later this month, where Britain, France, and others are expected to formally recognize a Palestinian state. Ahead of that, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is heading to Israel next week to reaffirm the U.S. commitment to Israeli security. Meantime, in Gaza today. Health officials say Israeli strikes killed at least 40 people, most of them in Gaza City. Residents say they are caught in the crossfire.

People are in the streets. Where are they supposed to go? Please look, where are the people going? We are exhausted. We are unarmed. We belong to no one. We are civilians. The latest Gaza strikes come amid ongoing anger among Arab nations over Israel strike this week, targeting Hamas leaders in Doha. Qatar's prime minister was in Washington today, meeting with top U.S. officials to discuss the strike. He's also set to meet with President Trump in New York.

Qatar will host an emergency summit of Arab leaders on Sunday. Nepal has a new interim prime minister following that country's worst upheaval in years. Former Supreme Court Justice Sushela Karki took her oath on live television today. She's the first woman ever to head that nation's government. Karki takes the helm after violent protests over a short-lived social media ban forced her predecessor to resign. Protesters torched government buildings and clashed with police. Officials now say at least 51 people were killed. On Wall Street today, stocks ended mixed to close out what was an otherwise strong week. The Dow Jones Industrial average fell more than 270 points on the day.

The NASDAQ added nearly 100 points. The S&P 500 slipped back slightly from its all-time high. to come on the News Hour. The viral images surrounding Charlie Kirk's murder present difficulties for parents and their kids. David Brooks and Jonathan Capehart weigh in on the week's political headlines. And a 66-year-old retired accountant realizes his dreams by joining a university marching band. This is the PBS News Hour from the David M. Rubinstein studio at W.E.T.A. in Washington, and in the west from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University.

Today, NATO launched a new plan to improve its defenses along its eastern flank with Russia after Russia's unprecedented incursion of drones into NATO member Poland earlier this week. Also today, the Trump administration presented to Europe a new package of economic punishments against Russia designed to be imposed by both the U.S. and Europe. Nick Schiffin's been following this all today, and joins me now. So, Nick, let's start with NATO's new plan. What did the alliance announce today? It's called Eastern Century, and it's designed to extend from the far north up to the top of Finland, all the way down to Bulgaria on the Black Sea. The idea is to have more

integrated air defense, better information sharing, and new assets. France is sending transport planes, including one that landed in Poland tonight, as well as fighter jets. Denmark and Germany will also send jets, and this will all be under the control of NATO. And its top commitment, American General Alexis Grinkevich, who spoke today in Brussels. The key to this is an entirely new defense design. This is going to be a comprehensive and integrated approach, and with additional resources, we'll be able to plug gaps in the line, we'll be able to concentrate forces where we need to defend

at a moment of a particular threat, and we'll have much better communication across the entire eastern flank. Now, a lot of this has existed before Omna, but Grinkevich acknowledged that NATO still needs to learn lessons that they should learn from Ukraine, from the war in Ukraine, how Ukraine and Russia are fighting, especially trying to create a new way to shoot down relatively cheap drones with a new version of a drone wall or something like that, rather than using billion-dollar jets in order to shoot down drones. But the fact is, Polish authorities say 19 Russian drones

cross from Belarus and Russia into Poland over seven hours. And that is a sign that the alliance as a whole politically has failed to convince Russia that it would pay any price for this kind of incursion. R.U.'s Heather Connolly of the American Enterprise Institute. I think it was a success that multiple NATO countries met the test, but the fact that Russia even tried this means our deterrence in some ways failed. And we needed, NATO needed to have they needed to have this early century, Eastern century, two and a half years ago when the first debris fell on Polish territory. Conley and others on this see this as a major purposeful Russian incursion to test NATO planning and resolve.

Even within the alliance, there does seem to be some disagreement about Russia's intentions here. What should we know about that? Yeah, absolutely. Polish authorities have insisted that this was purposeful, citing those facts about the incursion that I said before. President Trump said yesterday the drones could have been fired at Ukraine and then somehow diverted because of jamming. Could have been a mistake. Could have been a mistake. I hear that what happened, as you know, where they were taken down and they went a little berserk. But regardless, yes, I would I would condemn even for being near that line. I don't like it. I'm not happy about it. A senior U.S. and senior NATO official tonight tells me, Omna, that there is no definitive proof that Russia intentionally flew the drones.

into Poland. But there is also simultaneously no proof that they thought it was a mistake. And so, bottom line, the polls are convinced, though. Donald Tusk, the Prime Minister of Poland, double down today on X, writing, quote, we would also wish that the drone attack on Poland was a mistake, but it was not, and we know it. We also noted, Nick, this new package of economic punishments to be imposed by both the U.S. and Europe against Russia. What is that? So this is a meeting that happened today between Treasury Secretary Scott Besson and his counterparts from the G7, the seven leading industrialized economies in the world. And G7 officials tell me that there's a U.S. proposal to try and punish Russia with the U.S. and the rest of the world. That is that the G7 must

immediately impose a 50 to 100 percent tariff, secondary tariff on China and India for their purchases of Russian crude oil, use hundreds of billions of dollars of Russian frozen assets to finance Ukraine, sanctioned Russian energy giant Rosnev, Russian banks, and a so-called shadow fleet of ships that Russia uses to move oil and gas, and to more quickly end the import of Russian energy imports into Europe. Earlier today, President Trump appeared in Fox News' studio and was asked his vision for how to punish Putin. Does your patience run out with Putin? Yeah, it's sort of running out and running out fast, but it does take two to tango. Putin is a question mark, but we're going to have to come down very, very strong.

What is clamping down on Vladimir Putin's? Well, it would be hitting very hard on, with sanctions to banks and having to do with oil and tariffs also. Here's the problem. President Trump has threatened these tariffs before and not followed through, and crucially, there is no sign the U.S. is willing to impose the penalty on China, specifically that is asking the rest of the world to actually take. And so a senior European official tells me that that,

That is their read as well, that U.S. isn't willing to take that step on China, and so this official sees this more as negotiating tactics than the final U.S. demand on Europe. All right. Nick Schifrin. Thank you very much. Thank you. Let's turn now to real questions about how to talk about this political violence and the concerns around graphic and violent images tied to Charlie Kirk's murder that kids of all ages may have seen in the past couple of days.

During this morning's press conference, Utah Governor Spencer Cox said he was concerned about what people were exposed to already. We are not wired as human beings, biologically, historically, historically, we have not evolved in a way that we are capable of processing those types of violent imagery. this is not good for us. It is not good to consume. Social media is a cancer on our society right now. And I would encourage, again, I would encourage people to log off, turn off, touch grass, hug a family member, go out and do good in your community. Within hours of Kirk's death, videos of the shooting had been seen over 40 million times combined on TikTok, Instagram, and X. Parents and caregivers have been grappling with how to talk to their kids about all of this.

We spoke today with some parents and teens about those concerns. Here's some of what they told us. I'm no damn to. I am a high school senior from Portland, Oregon. I've got to see the video, but the close-up video without like any warning or anything. So it wasn't the most horrifying thing I've ever seen in my life. The gunshot like kind of came in and just seeing that the blood pour out was really horrifying. And yeah, I did not expect. I wasn't warned on like the graphic, the graphic nature of the video.

So it was a really surprising and a really horrifying to see. We saw it from many different angles. It's very graphic and it's disturbing, you know, even for me being almost 60 years old. It was just really hard to go online without seeing it. And I think I'm kind of desensitized to some things like that already just because of how many times we read about things like school shootings and rudders and stuff. My name's Keith Hanson. I live in Montana. I'm 59 years old. And this is my daughter, Sarah. She's 18. I feel like I have to step away from social media for a little bit if it's going to keep showing me that video.

I still want to be able to have feelings, you know, seeing something like that happens in somebody. And it's a little disturbance to me how I don't feel anything anymore when I see that video. I'm Quillen Musgrave. I'm the parent of two kids age 14 and 17. and we live in Richmond, Virginia. These kids, they have seen so much. And the things that they've seen happening and unfolding live or seeing the aftermath of events that have happened. I don't know that this video again is the one thing that's triggering the most harm. I just, I feel like it's a culmination of this over time. I'm Carla Spears. I'm the mom of a 17-year-old and 16-year-old here in Midland, Michigan. Definitely they feel fear. They worry that they worry that they're

own opinions will make them targets, even if it's just bullying among their peers. I know that it makes them hesitant to really share as a parent. I feel worried about the world that my kids are getting ready to be adults in. They're thinking of college, thinking of jobs, and I do worry about them. To help get perspective on how to deal with this, we're joined now by Tori Cordiano. a clinical psychologist specializing in children and adolescents. Welcome back to the NewsHour. We're grateful to have you with us. Thank you for having me.

So when children and teens are exposed to a graphic video like this, what's the first thing a parent should do in response? Well, assuming that your child or teenager has actually shared with you that they saw it, it gives you an opening to provide some validation for how they're feeling and some support. So you can start with checking in about how it felt to see. that, what thoughts they had, how they're doing now. Keeping in mind that most kids and teenagers don't want to spend too much time in that conversation. But what we're doing there is opening the door to let them know that this is a safe place to be talking about what they experienced.

How would a parent know if a child has seen the video if that child doesn't bring it up directly? I think with this specific incident, if you have an older teenager, you can assume that there is a decent possibility that they have seen it or at least seen part of it. That's not going to be true for every teenager, but this spread very quickly in the images are very graphic. So checking in with your teenager, especially your older teenager, about if they had heard or seen anything about this, because some kids, especially slightly younger kids, may have seen it without realizing what they were looking at at first, without searching it out, and then be holding on to this feeling that they have done something wrong by seeing it or by stumbling into this. So we want to make sure

that kids know of any age, if they see anything disturbing online, that parents are the people that they should be coming to to talk about that. Well, what are effective ways to help children process disturbing or frightening content they might have seen online or on TV? So the first thing that we can think about is to validate whatever emotional reaction they're having to this. So some kids can feel a sense of shock. Some kids don't have a clear sense of what they've seen if what they've seen is actually real, if it's AI, if they can trust what they have seen. This particular video is so graphic that I have heard from some kids that it almost, it felt hard to even know what they were looking at. So that can result in an immediate feeling of shock. It can result in

worry. It can result in fear. It can result in a delayed emotional reaction. And a little of numbness at first. So just to know that however they are experiencing it, if it's sticking with them in a big way, if they were able to see it and then move on, there is no one way that we expect kids to act when they viewed something like this. And so we want to convey that to them, that however they're feeling is understandable and okay. What do we know about the psychological effects on children of witnessing violent imagery, even through a screen? It's very difficult to to talk about it in terms of one specific outcome, kids are very different. It depends on their developmental stage. It depends on their age. It depends on how much of it they've taken in

and their previous history with any sort of trauma, violence, anxiety, things like that that can make it harder for them to experience that. What we do know is that viewing that sort of violence for anybody, especially for kids and teenagers, it creates an emotional reaction in us. And again, that can look a lot of different ways, but we assume that especially in the short term, that kids will be affected by viewing that kind of content online. For older kids who are active on social media, is there any practical way to limit their exposure to graphic or violent content, knowing that filters don't always catch everything? Yeah, I think honest conversations with kids about, you know, that they may not always be able to predict when a video like this will come

up in their feed or when somebody tips their phone toward them and tells them to take a look at this thing that they're viewing. So they can't always keep themselves protected from that. That's important to say because sometimes kids can feel a sense of a sense of guilt or responsibility for having seen this even if they hadn't meant to. Beyond that, checking in with kids about how they're feeling afterward can give them good guidance about how to move forward. So for example, if they had a strong reaction to this, reminding them that not seeking this out more, not taking in more of this content, although they may feel a curiosity or some desire to do so, that we know that them taking steps to limit it. And that might mean taking breaks from their

app. It might mean blocking certain sites or certain places where this can come up and turning more to conversations that they can have in real time. That can be with parents. It can be with their friends. I know this is happening in a lot of classrooms in high schools this week, where we're creating space for actual conversation about what has happened. And lastly, what are some signs that a child might be struggling in the days or weeks after seeing this video or, frankly, just living in this fraught moment? So things we would be looking for are any disruptions to their normal routines, their normal way of going about life? So if you are seeing that they are having more difficulty falling asleep at night,

if they are complaining of more difficulty concentrating or focusing, certainly if they are expressing, that this is sticking with them, but kids, especially younger kids, might not be able to put that into words. Anything that tells you that their anxiety is heightened in a more ongoing way. For younger kids and even middle schoolers that can look like difficulty separating or wanting to stay closer to home, more seeking reassurance, and again, those disruptions to the routines that would let us know that this is still on their mind in a more disruptive way. Tori Cordiano, this is most helpful. We're deeply appreciative. Thank you. Any day now. Any day now, a Hong Kong court is set to deliver a verdict for Jimmy Lye.

He's the 77-year-old democracy activist and media magnate who's been detained now for five years. He's accused of sedition and collusion with foreign forces, but his supporters call upon the trial a sham, and say the only thing Lai is guilty of committing is journalism. Nick Schifrin recently sat down with Lai's son. Jimmy Lai has been detained by Hong Kong authorities in solitary confinement for 1,700 straight days. He's become a symbol of the death of personal freedoms in Hong Kong. Jimmy Lai arrived in Hong Kong at the age of 12, stowed away on a fishing boat. He worked his way up to become a media tycoon and a leading pro-democracy advocate.

In the summer of 2020, he became a young, the most prominent person arrested under a national security law that punish people not only for what they did, but also what they said. Anyone who, quote, provoked the hatred of Beijing, who called for Hong Kong separation from mainland China, who received support from a foreign country as judged by Beijing-backed courts, could be sentenced to life in prison. And now, after a two-year trial and five years of detention, Jimmy Lai's health is deteriorating, posing a grave risk to his physical and mental health and to his life. To discuss this, I'm joined by Sebastian Lai, Jimmy Lai's son.

Sebastian Lai, thanks very much. Welcome back. Thanks for having me. To the News Hour. As best as you can tell, how's your father doing? Not very well, unfortunately. As you outlined these conditions that he's in, it's absolutely horrible. And this is a man who's 77, turning 78, at the end of this year.

He recently was too sick to go to court because he had hot palpitations, and they had to hook him up to a hot monitor. You know, we're very worried that something happens to him and it just doesn't get dealt with fast enough and then he passes away. You and I sat here in these exact same seats a year ago. Yeah. And you told me that you were worried your father might die in detention a year ago. Yeah. What's changed, if anything, or are you just more worried than you were back then? So his trial is still ongoing.

There were times when he could express, you know, his principles. in court. And it was those little beautiful moments of this man who is, you know, through his courage, through his belief in freedom, Staten and defended these principles. And you can still see that mentally and spiritually. He's still very strong. But physically, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, is promoter democracy, those are the principles that your father has lived in all his life. And this month, you've submitted a new request to the UN to try and raise your father's case with Hong Kong authorities, with Beijing. What are you hoping the UN does and what do you think they might accomplish?

So the UN could put pressure on both Hong Kong and the Chinese government to treat my father better. But, you know, actually, the wider picture there is he shouldn't be in jail in the first place. Your father's being tried for sedition and conspiracy to collude with foreign agents. Do you believe there is any chance that this court will find him not guilty? There's no chance of him ever getting a fair trial. The evidence is incredibly thin, you know, and my father's, my father has come out incredibly clean throughout all of this. and, you know, to the sense where he has really been shown to be this moral figure, this person who always stood for what is right,

who campaigned for democracy peacefully, who advocated for Hong Kong to be democratic under the joint declaration and did not call for Hong Kong independence, who did all of this because he believed it was the right thing, you know, financially and personally for it, and in the end, decided to stay in Hong Kong, even after the passing of the national security law, to defend his journalists and to defend his principles.

And many people around the world do not think that a man who's done all of that, who's so courageous, deserves to die in prison. One difference between today and the last time you and I talked a year ago is, of course, President Trump is in office. And last month, President Trump talked to Fox News and he said this. I've already brought it up, and I'm going to do everything I can to save him. I'm going to do everything. You know, he's a respected guy.

He's a good guy. I mean, you could also understand President Xi would not be exactly thrilled by doing it. What do you hope that President Trump can do to try and save your father? I mean, we're so incredibly grateful that the president said that, you know, I thank him from the bottom of my heart. This is a man who has freed so many people from all over the world. The hope is that he frees my father, but at this point in time. It's saving his life. And so I really hope he saves my father's life.

As you know, I interviewed your father in August 2020. And this is my last question to him. You are, as we talked about earlier, accused of colluding with a foreign power. Are you resigned on a personal level to being found guilty and spending a long time, even perhaps the rest of your life in prison? I don't think about this because I don't want to put the psychological burden on myself. until the time comes. You know, I'm not worried, just because my life is about myself, it would be meaningness. Only when I detach from myself and thinking of my life is about something bigger and not about myself,

that my life becomes meaningful. And that makes me going every day. When life is not about myself, but about something bigger, that's when my life. my life becomes meaningful. What's your response to watching that? It's, yeah, it's obviously very emotional. Because anybody that knows him, it's a man who had, he could have left at any point.

But I think at his age, he realized that he has so much more to defend, so much more to lose, but so much more to defend, so much more to protect. And he knew that despite obviously the danger to his life, that he had something that mattered more. And so he stayed in. and defend his principles and defend his colleagues. And I'm so proud to call this a man my father

and so proud to be able to fight for him, to fight for his freedom. Sebastian Lai, thank you very much. Thank you, and thank you so much for having me. are still grappling with the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, which raised tough questions about the political environment in this country. For that and more, we turn now to the analysis of Brooks and K. Prucks and David Brooks and Jonathan Kepart of MSNBC. Great to see you both. So let's just start with the fact that Charlie Kirk was an undeniable political force,

right? Had incredible influence over a new generation of young conservative men in particular. His death, you've probably both seen. I mean, former presidents have weighed in. It is being reported on overseas. I was watching BBC today. It was wall-to-wall about coverage of his killing and the arrest of the alleged gunman here. There's a sense, David, that this marks something different and notable in our nation. Do you believe that? Yeah, I do. Another step. You know, in the hours after Crook was killed, I started getting emails and texts from my friends who are supporters of the president. And a couple of them said, independently, this is our George Floyd

and they didn't mean that literally but in terms of emotional reaction into how gutted they were and they just felt just something really terrible has happened another emailed me that this is there's no coming back from this

and I think what they meant by that and I had a later conversation they see in their own lives as I think we all do 23 year old young men who have turned nihilist who just don't, they're lonely, their whole life is on discord or whatever, and they've turned, believe in nothing, nothing to lose, hatred.

I would recommend a book to capture the moment. It just came out a week ago, and obviously it was written before the killing. By the guy named Bill Gouldston, has probably been on the show multiple times, who works at the work institution. And it came out just a week ago. It's called Anger Fear and Hatred, or End domination, Anger Fear and Domination. And it's about the dark passions. we all need to be motivated by something.

In good leaders, we're motivated by what you might call the bright passions, hope, aspiration, a vision of a better life. But people have discovered that it's more powerful to motivate people with the dark passions, like anger, hatred, resentment, and the urge to dominate. And this has been true of politicians in both parties. I had a very poignant conversation a decade ago now with a Democratic admaker who said, I want to elect Democrats. But every ad I make is about anger and fear and hatred. And so I feel like I'm part of the problem. And the thing about the dark passions, they're imperialistic. They're like cancer.

Once they get in you and in the body politic, they tend to spread. And it's super hard to turn that around. Jonathan. This has been a tough week. Yeah. The killing of someone that prominent should shock the sense. of everyone. I think Governor Cox of Utah has been superb

in speaking to our better angels in trying to lower the temperature of the rhetoric, of trying to remind us of who we are as a nation and who we are as a people, and trying to get us back to being able to disagree without being, not only without being disagreeable, but without being murderous. But I don't know if this is going to be the inflection point that a lot of people wonder that it will be, because it was so, it's so heinous, the video that a lot of people got to see, whether they wanted to or not,

makes this unlike anything we've seen in a long time. but I remember being on set of an MSNBC show in December of 2012, what I'm thinking of, of Sandy Hook. And what was so jarring about Sandy Hook was that we saw a story of not just a school shooting, but a school shooting in an elementary school with young children. We all thought, as a nation, that this is the moment that something will happen on this particular issue, gun violence, and yet nothing happened.

Nothing's changed. And here we are, yet again, in a situation where we're talking about an incident of gun violence, but because of who the victim was, just in terms of our politics, but also who he was in terms of the president in this administration. This is one thing that I have to factor in to my thinking about all this when I look at the reaction from the president and his administration, that this wasn't just the murder of someone who was a like-minded person. This was family to them. And I try to keep that in mind as I watch the reaction. But I have to tell you, I am very concerned about what that reaction is going to be in the day. days and weeks and months ahead.

Well, let's talk about that for just a second. In terms of the reaction from the president, David, you've seen the president first say that his supporters should respond with nonviolence. He said that's what Charlie would have wanted. The next moment, he's blaming the radical left political violence. There's people around him now even suggesting that they should be deporting people who, you know, are critical of Charlie Kirk after his killing. But in the context of the country they're speaking to, just take a little.

look at this poll we pulled up from April of 2025, PRRI, asked people if true American patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save our country. Basically, what's your view of political violence? 81 percent, the overwhelming majority of Americans, 81 percent said no. They disagreed with that sentiment. Slightly more Republicans, 18 percent, would agree with it than Democrats at 11 percent. But that is the environment we're in right now. What does that say to you about whether or not we'll see more political violence ahead?

Yeah, it only takes a few, right? It only takes a few young men like the young man who tried to kill Trump, the person who killed the Minnesota Speaker, and the guy who killed Charlie Kirk. But the reaction I have to say, I've been appalled by some of the reactions, a few, including the presidents. But I have to say, I've been sort of impressed, on the whole. I think a lot of people in various political stripes who really disagreed with Charlie Kirk have been pretty noble about this, about seeing past politics into a human life,

into a Christian, into a family man, like just seeing this is a boat we're all in. And I've seen that across the political divide. And when I've looked at the Republican reaction, the overwhelming majority has been, you know, he was talking to people. He was talking to people he disagreed. with. And that's instructive to us. There's a moment, Thomas Hobbes, the philosopher, said,

fear can sometimes be used for good. When you become so afraid that your society is slipping into chaos, then you're jolted out of your bad habits. And maybe this will be a moment for this. It really takes an act of heroism. To get out of the dark passion, doom loop, there has to be a moment of interruption where you say, no, I'm stopping this. I'm not partaking. I will respond to hatred with love. And of course, the ultimate example of this is the Civil Rights Movement, where they, Martin Luther King preached a gospel of love and in an aggressive way that was going to force the sins of society

into the faces of people and make them see, is this who we are? And so I don't know if this will be a turning point where people will make that interruption and halt the cycle. But so far, I felt it's been a moment, with a few exceptions of coming together. Can I just say that in your example, David, with the Civil Rights Movement and Dr. King and all those marchers, they had an ally in the president who was there to break the passions

and to lead. And here, when it comes to what you were just saying, I am not convinced that our current president is the one who's going to be able to do that. And even though we don't have kings in this country, we have always looked at our, look to our presidents as moral exemplars, especially in moments like these, in moments of national trauma. And right now, I'm not sure President Trump is capable or willing to show that kind of leadership. fair point in a minute or so we have left then Jonathan I'll just follow up if not from the president himself because we've seen mixed messages even in this last two days or so where does the message have to come from what has to happen to reach this inflection point you've both noted is necessary in this country we need more governor Coxes we need more people like him in high positions especially in high positions of leadership executive leadership who step out and and do what Governor Cox has done. If we haven't seen it fully and consistently from the president,

then we need to see it from governors. We need to see it from mayors. We need to see it from members of Congress. We need to see it from the Speaker, the majority leader of the Senate. We need to see it from and hear it from leaders up and down the chain on both sides of the aisle just to finally say, okay, look, we can't keep going down this right. Because if we do, the slide that a lot of people feel that we're on will be inexorable. And I'm not, I, as fearful as I am, I am praying, praying that leaders will lead. Here's to that prayer and hopefully better days ahead. Jonathan Capehart, David Brooks.

Thank you so much. Thanks, so. At 66 years old, Kent Broussard has proven it's never too late to chase a dream. Tomorrow, he'll be marching on to the field again with Louisiana State University's famed Tiger Band, sousaphone in hand. Last weekend, he became the oldest member in its history. It's a dream that started decades ago when Kent was just a boy watching from the sidelines. After retiring from a long career in accounting, he enrolled at LSU as a full-time student with one goal in mind to finally earn his place in the band. Now, with his dream realized, Kent's story is striking a chord far beyond Baton Rouge, reminding people everywhere that passion and persistence can rewrite the script at any age.

I spoke with him earlier this week about his journey, the discipline it requires, and what it feels like to finally march to the beat of his long-held dream. Kemp Roussard, welcome to the NewsHour. Thank you for having me. Good to be here. We should say you graduated already from southeastern Louisiana, with two degrees, you had a full career in accounting. What made you decide at 66 years old that you were going to enroll at LSU and try to join the marching band? You know, it goes back really to really 1968, 1969, when I first started going to LSU games way back in the day. the sound of the band obviously tiger stadium is is one of the great football stadiums in america from a college perspective and i loved all the games and have just numerous memories about football

games but the sound of the band is is what always caught my attention and had always put in the back of my mind that i wanted to do that somewhere down the line i always had that plan even though it really didn't hatch until really about 30 years ago when I, when I started contemplating retirement. And when I, when I started contemplating in retirement, I said one of the things I want to do when I retire is just not sit on the sofa and watch Netflix all day or just be sedentary. That's just not me. So I said to myself, I think I'm going to enroll in LSU and try out for the band. And that was 30 years ago. So as you get older, the time starts to go by faster. And you start to realize that, hey, retirement is coming.

And what I did was five years ago in a conversation I had with my family at one of the dinners we had, I told them that my plan was to enroll in LSU and try it for the band. At the time, I don't think they thought I was serious. And I was really serious because I kept talking about it during that dinner. And it came to pass that they realized that I was really serious. and I really wanted to do this. I have to tell you, I used to play the tuba in the marching band, and I know that marching in formation can be tough for 18-year-olds, 19-year-olds.

What has been the biggest adjustment physically for you? Well, I'll say this. Back when I was marching high school and in college, we didn't do much marching. We would basically march out, stop, turn around, play, and then march back. That's not what LSU does. LSU is a true marching band. And so basically, in essence, I've been marching for two weeks. And I'm taking a crash course on marching.

And the entire section, the section leaders helped me not only from marching perspective, but also musically before I went through this whole process to get to where I am, showed me how to march LSU style. And that helped a lot. Every day during the fall semester, we're outside practicing for an hour and a half. So I had to be ready for that. and I had to be ready to carry an almost 30-pound sousaphone. You were in physical training before your audition, is that right?

I was. I've been jogging for about 16 years. I've been jogging since I've been 50. So I put in about 20 to 25 miles a week. Second thing, I needed something from a weight perspective. So I bought a weighted vest. The most important thing I did was walk around the neighborhood for about three and a half to four miles, about once every two or three days.

Just take at the weight of what it would feel like on my shoulder for an extended period of time. What did it feel like the first time you performed in Tiger Stadium? And then this past weekend, when you saw yourself on the big screen? You know, it was the combination of really from 1968. I had always looked from the outside in. It was a lot different looking from the inside out. But I will say this, looking at it, marching down the hill and really concentrating on what I need to do

and the task at hand was most important. And then when I saw myself on the screen, I'm saying, oh my God, that's me. And I didn't see myself at least initially. And I have a good time in the stands. You know, I'm there to enjoy the music. I'm there to enjoy the band. I'm trying to enjoy the football game.

And I was just dancing along, and there I am on the screen. And it was, as I said, it's a bit overwhelming. And I'm just very humble because of all the things. attention. And how has your family reacted to all of this? You mentioned that when you raised this idea some years ago, they weren't entirely convinced or didn't think that you were entirely serious? Yeah, I would say this. Not only were they were not entirely convinced, they were laughing, right? After I picked them up off the floor, and I explained it to them, and I kept talking about it, they all said, well, I guess he is serious. So I've had nothing but support from my direct

family on all sides, plus indirect family, family, friends, everyone, the students at school, administration, it's been, like I said, the word I keep using is overwhelming. And the family's 100% behind me in this endeavor. Well, now that you've realized this post-retirement goal, are you in this for the long haul? Are you going to get a degree or is this day by day? Well, actually, you know what? This is a, this is the whole day-by-day thing. I already have two degrees from Southeastern. I don't need another degree. and we've got to see where it goes. I would say this to one other thing.

This is just not about me. This is about the band. This is about the color guard, the Golden Girls, and the band. Because without all of us, none of this would be possible for me and none of it would be possible for everyone else. That's an important piece of the Golden Band

from Tiger Land about what they stand for and the culture that they have over the years. It's one big family. And we all pull each other together. Kent Broussard, among the newest members of the LSU, band. Thanks again for your time. We appreciate it. Great. Thank you. And good to talk with you.

now, and we speak with show creator Julian Fellows about why the historical drama is so beloved. I suppose, if I'm honest, there is a kind of longing for order, really. I don't know that I long for a Victorian way of life and all of that stuff. I don't think I do, but I do long for a world of order and good manners and where people are pleasant to each other. And everyone stops getting so angry about everything. That's coming up Saturday on PBS News Weekend. And that is the News Hour for tonight. I'm Amna Nawaz. And I'm Jeff Bennett. For all of us here at the News Hour, thanks for spending part of your evening with us and have a great weekend.