NPR News Now: September 13, 2025, 11PM EDT

Main Theme:
A concise update on major national and international news, covering legal action in a high-profile shooting, President Trump’s new calls for sanctions, the challenges around Covid booster access, prisoner exchanges between the U.S. and the Taliban, a remembrance of HBCU advocate Earl Richardson, and sports highlights.

1. Utah Shooting of Charlie Kirk – Charges to Be Filed

• [00:20–01:18]
• Utah prosecutors plan to charge Tyler Robinson, 22, with aggravated murder and additional offenses after the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
• Robinson turned himself in; he has been in jail since.
• The Department of Justice is preparing separate federal charges.
• Online speculation surrounds Robinson’s motives and politics; officials have stated only that Robinson was aware of Kirk’s visit to Utah and believed Kirk was “full of hate and spreading hate.”
• A memorial for Kirk is set for later in Arizona.
• Notable Quote:
  • “President Trump has called Kirk’s death a dark moment for America.” — Bobby Allen, 00:58

2. President Trump Urges NATO to Ban Russian Oil Imports

• [01:18–02:16]
• Trump urged NATO member states to implement a collective ban on Russian oil to pressure Moscow and seek an end to the Ukraine war.
• Turkey remains a key trade partner, being the third-largest buyer of Russian oil after China and India.
• Trump also proposed imposing tariffs up to 100% on China as long as Beijing continues to purchase Russian oil.
• This statement comes after a recent incident with Russian drones entering Polish airspace—a move most NATO members found alarming, though Trump dismissed it as “possibly an accident.”
• Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, led by the U.S., are currently stalled.
• Notable Quote:
  • “Trump called for a collective NATO ban on Russian oil, arguing some member states continued purchase of Russian crude was undermining NATO's bargaining power over Moscow.” — Charles Maynes, 01:33

3. Covid Vaccine Access Hurdles in Georgia

• [02:16–03:15]
• New rules have made access to Covid boosters more complicated—particularly for people under 65, like Kathleen Ethier.
• Ethier describes persistent difficulties: her doctor retired, the Minute Clinic was unexpectedly closed twice, and she had to make multiple trips before getting vaccinated.
• Despite her own resources, Ethier worries that such hurdles will deter less privileged people from getting the shot.
• Notable Moments & Quotes:
  • “It took a lot to get it.” — Kathleen Ethier via Ping Huang, 02:59
  • “I had time and insurance, a car, like the ability to go back multiple times.” — Kathleen Ethier via Ping Huang, 03:01

4. U.S.-Taliban Prisoner Exchange Announcement

• [03:15–03:27]
• The Taliban announced a preliminary agreement with the U.S. for a prisoner exchange, framing it as part of normalizing relations.
• No further details or official U.S. comment provided yet.

5. Remembering Earl Richardson, HBCU Champion

• [03:27–04:40]
• Earl Richardson, transformative president of Morgan State University (1994–2010), has died at 81.
• He led a landmark lawsuit spotlighting the underfunding of Maryland’s Black colleges, likened in importance to Brown v. Board of Education.
• The lawsuit lasted 15 years, resulting in Maryland allocating more than $500 million for their HBCUs in 2021.
• Under Richardson, Morgan State’s enrollment doubled, and its campus grew.
• Notable Quote:
  • “The lawsuit in Maryland argued that the state had failed to provide adequate funding to the state's HBCUs and had instead started and boosted competing programs and at nearby majority white schools.” — Joseph Shapiro, 04:11

6. Sports Update: LPGA Golf Championship

• [04:40–05:00]
• Charlie Hull leads over top-ranked Genotypical by one stroke after three rounds in Ohio.
• Hull shot four birdies in her last eight holes, now at 16 under par.
• She was runner-up earlier in Houston.