The Headlines - F.B.I. Faces Growing Scrutiny as Kirk Manhunt Continues, and the Fight Over Nonstick Pans

Episode Date: September 12, 2025

Plus, your Friday news quiz. On Today’s Episode:Investigators Share New Video in Hunt for Charlie Kirk’s Killer, by Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, Devlin Barrett, Tim Arango and Jack HealyScrutiny Mounts of F.B.I. Under Patel as Kirk’s Killer Remains at Large, by Glenn Thrush, Devlin Barrett and Adam GoldmanBolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years in Prison for Plotting Coup in Brazil, by Ana Ionova and Jack NicasNepal’s Young Protesters Find an Unlikely Partner: The Army, by Alex TravelliStates Want to Ban ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Cookware. These Chefs Say Don’t Do It, by Hiroko TabuchiTheir Schools Banned Phones. Out Came the iPods and Cassette Players, by Callie HoltermannTune in every weekend morning, and tell us what you think at: [e-mail]. Unlock full access to New York Times podcasts and explore everything from politics to pop culture. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Also, for more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

From the New York Times, it's the headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford. Today's Friday, September 12th. Here's what we're covering. The tips that have been coming in are what are giving us our next leads and enabling us to continue to further this investigation. Moments ago, state and federal officials stood up to give the latest on the manhunt for the gunmen who assassinated Charlie Kirk.

My colleague, Jack Healy, has been reporting from Utah, where late last night, law enforcement and the state's governor held a press conference to make a plea for more information in the shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, one of the most influential voices in American politics. We're going out in tandem to interview any potential person of interest or suspects, but we need as much help as we can possibly get. They played a video showing the gunmen. jumping down from the building where he appears to have shot Mr. Kirk. It's important to note his black t-shirt, his black pants, and there appears to be some white on the soles of those converse tennis shoes. Those are all identifiable items that we're looking for. But they did not provide much new information

about how he was able to slip off of campus out of the neighborhood. And at this point, we really just don't know much more than we did in the hours right after the shooting, about this gunman's identity, motivation, or where he might be now. We can start healing by finding this perpetrator and holding him accountable, and we need your help to do that. Thank you. Authorities say they've recovered the gun that they believe was used in the shooting, a bolt-action rifle that they found in a wooded area near the college campus where the shooting took place.

The FBI is now offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to the shooter's arrest. At the press conference, the head of the Bureau, Cash Patel, stood flanking other officials but did not speak. Patel flew to Utah to personally oversee the investigation as he's come under intense scrutiny for how he and the agency are handling the case. In the hours after the shooting, Patel made a series of social media posts suggesting that the killer was in custody before he had to walk that back. He'd already been facing questions about his ability to lead the FBI,

with critics citing his life. lack of experience, his obsession with social media, and the purge that he's carried out of some of the FBI's most veteran investigators. After the shooting, some pointed to the fact that the FBI official in charge of the nearest field office, who was a highly regarded counterterrorism agent, was forced to retire earlier this year for reasons that remain unclear. Meanwhile, I'm pleased to announce that I will soon be awarding Charlie Kirk posthumously the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

President Trump said yesterday that he will honor Kirk with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, long considered the highest U.S. civilian honor. He said the date for the ceremony would be announced later. Then I can only guarantee you one thing that we will have a very big crowd, very, very big. For the president, his family, and his close circle, Kirk's killing was deeply personal.

Kirk started working with the Trumps almost a decade ago when he was 22, he was very close with Donald Trump Jr. in particular, and texted regularly with Vice President J.D. Vance. Yesterday, Vance arrived in Utah to escort Kirk's body home to Arizona on the vice presidential plane. Now, two quick updates on international stories we've been following. In Brazil yesterday, the country's Supreme Court convicted former president Jaya Bolsonaro of plotting a failed coup to try and stay in power after he lost the 2022 election there. Bolsonaro, a combative voice in right-wing politics, has been called the Trump of the Tropics.

And my colleague, Anna Yanova, who's based in Brazil, says that he and a close circle of allies spent months planning to overthrow the government. The churches against him encompassed a vast conspiracy that essentially included attempts to overturn the result of the election, so doubt about the country's electoral process, recruit military leaders to help with a coup, and in a particularly alarming element of the plot to potentially assassinate the president to elect his running mate

in a Supreme Court justice. Anna says that during Bolsonaro's trial, troves of damning evidence were brought forward, including records showing that the assassination plot was printed out and brought to the presidential palace. Bolsonaro was sentenced to just over 27 years in prison, though he might stay on house arrest, where he's been closely watched by police who feared he would try to flee the country. His conviction is expected to escalate tensions between Brazil and the U.S. President Trump has been one of Bolsonaro's key allies, and he hit Brazil with steep tariffs to try and pressure prosecutors to drop the case altogether.

Trump called the guilty verdict, quote, very terrible. And in Nepal, the country is on edge, after a dramatic uprising led by young protesters left its capital buildings in smoking ruins and its government without any functioning leadership. Thousands of troops are patrolling the streets. of Kathmandu, and the army has been in negotiations with the so-called Gen Z protesters over the future of the country and who should take power. Nepal's prime minister resigned earlier this week amid the surge in anger over a strict

social media ban, government corruption, and economic inequality. The country's president hasn't been seen in public since Monday. Yesterday, Times reporters talked with some of the Gen Z protesters who were out in the streets, cleaning up debris from the chaos. They said they were worried that the frenzy of arson and vandalism, which seemed to come from other protesters, not the students, would overshadow their political goals. One 18-year-old said, quote,

we wanted a revolution, but they burned down our country. Across the U.S., efforts to ban non-stick cookware because of safety concerns about the chemicals they contain are growing. But the cookware industry is fighting back by recruiting celebrity chefs. The controversy centers around PFAS or Forever Chemicals, which have been linked to an increased risk of some cancers, birth defects, and other health issues. Scientists have warned that PFAS can end up in food when non-stick cookware overheats or gets scratched. The even bigger risk, they say, is in the manufacturing process.

Research shows that's caused significant pollution and contaminated drinking water. The chemicals are so ubiquitous. At this point, they can be found in the blood of almost every American. Now, in California, lawmakers are about to vote on phasing out PFS, but the cookware industry has enlisted Rachel Ray and other prominent chefs to speak up in defense of nonstick pans. They're arguing that they're safe when used responsibly. David Chang, best known for his Momafuku restaurants, wrote in a letter to legislators, the reality is that some foods are extremely difficult to cook well without nonstick pans. All of the chefs, enlisted by the industry, sell or endorse cookware lines.

The California vote could come as soon as today. There's already a ban in Minnesota on Forever Chemicals in cookware, and Colorado, Connecticut, and Maine are moving forward on similar efforts. And finally, to all the cassette players, the Walkmans, and the old iPods out there, lost in a box in the back of a closet under a thick layer of dust, arise. Your time is now. This school year, a growing number of high school students headed back to class facing new cell phone bands. Then I remember my mom gave me an MP3 player.

Girl. So they've been turning to the long-forgotten devices as a substitute. They can't tell me nothing because this isn't Bluetooth, and this doesn't have internet and can't text. Did I just crack the code? The students, looking for a distraction between classes or to listen to music at lunch, have been buying vintage devices off eBay or digging them out of their parents' old stuff. Some are at least staying this century with iPod shuffles, but school administrators say there have been sightings of a Sony disc man and even cassette tapes. A high school junior in New York State told the times, he bought a chief. MP3 player to listen to songs during study hall, calling it a more old school method.

His mother, overhearing that, groaned, saying, quote, Hearing him say old school makes me want to crumble into a pile of dust. Those are the headlines. If you want to play the Friday News Quiz, stick around. It's coming up after the credits. This show is made by Will Jarvis, Jessica Metzker, Jan Stewart, and me, Tracy Mumford. Original theme by Dan Powell. Special thanks to Isabella Anderson.

Larissa Anderson, Jake Lucas, Zoe Murphy, Katie O'Brien, Chloe Shakin, and Paula Schumann. Now, time for the quiz. Every week, we ask you a few questions about stories the Times has been covering. Can you answer them all? First up. Well, it's the end of an era and the start of a new one from one of the world's most powerful families. This week, the Murdoch family announced that the long-running battle for control of its media empire reached an end. Its many newspapers and TV networks, including Fox News, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Post, will stay under the control of Rupert Murdoch's chosen heir, his son Lachlan, who's expected to keep their strong conservative bent. Meanwhile, some of Rupert's other children

are walking away with no power but a billion dollars each. The very public saga had stretched on for years and was so juicy, it even served as the backstaffed, inspiration for a critically acclaimed TV series. Your question? What show was it? I'll give you a little hint here. The answer? I'm the eldest boy! I am the eldest boy! Succession, the HBO drama that went on to win 19 Emmys. One time a reporter actually wrote to Rupert Murdoch to ask, you know, what did he think of the show? And he did write back, it was just a short, quick note, quote, never watched it. Okay, next question. Also, about some long-running, high-profile drama.

After days of feverish speculation, along a whited reunion has taken place. The two have been estranged since 2020. This week, two well-known public figures reunited for their first in-person meeting in more than a year, amid rumors of a deep rift. It was all very closely watched, very highly scrutinized. The question, can you name the pair? The answer? Prince Harry and his father, King Charles, met in London on Wednesday for the first time since February of 2024. Family relations have been rocky since Harry and his wife Megan stepped down from their royal duties a few years ago and moved to California. There's been a lot of tension, including over whether Harry and his family should get ongoing security protection, and over his decision to publish a tell-all memoir,

which at times review called Emotional and Embittered. And last question. A lot of people say fall doesn't really start until the equinox, September But the leaves are beginning to turn, kids are back in school, and in the surest sign yet that the seasons have changed. I've got a pumpkin spice caramel macchiato. Oh, it's so perfect. Pumpkin spice lattes are back on the menu at Starbucks. The company basically gave fall a flavor when it rolled out the drink over 20 years ago. And since then, many, many, many other companies have carved their own niche into the market with pumpkin spice products.

Your question, which of these are actually available for purchase? Pumpkin spice hummus, pumpkin spice dish soap, pumpkin spice deodorant, or pumpkin spice trash can liners? Hummus, dish soap, deodorant, trash can liners. The answer? I'm sorry to say all of them. Experts say the entire category didn't even really exist until Starbucks debuted their latte. But now that cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, clove, all-spice combo has made pumpkin spice products a nearly $800 million annual industry. That is it for the news quiz.

But before we go, I have a confession. I have never actually had a pumpkin spice latte. I've never tried one. But we are changing that right now. Here we go. The scent is thick. Oh, okay. That's...

Yeah, the aftertaste is like strong candle. But that's okay. I guess, a happy fall, all. If you want to tell us how you did on the quiz or what you think about it, you can always email us at the Headlines at NYTimes.com. And yes, we do right back. I'm Tracy Mumford. The headlines will be back on Monday.

Thank you.