NPR News: 09-13-2025 11PM EDT

Summary

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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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.

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Transcript

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[Dale Willman]

Live from NPR News, I'm Dale Willman. State prosecutors in Utah say they plan to file aggravated murder charges against the man who fatally shot conservative activist Charlie Kir. NPR's Bobby Allen reports.

[Bobby Allen]

Utah authorities say 22 year old Tyler Robinson will be facing murder, firearm and other charges as early as Tuesday. Robinson has been detained in a county jail since he turned himself over to authorities in connection with the assassination of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk. The Department of Justice is expected to file separate federal charges against Robinson. President Trump has called Kirk's death a dark moment for America. Speculation has swirled online about Robinson's exact motivation and political ideology, but so far investigators have not elaborated beyond saying Robinson knew Kirk was going to be in Utah and that he thought Kirk was full of hate and spreading hate. A memorial and funeral service for Kirk has been set for later this month in Arizona. Bobby Allen, NPR News, Salt Lake City.

[Dale Willman]

President Trump is calling on NATO member states to collectively stop buying Russian oil exports. In a post to social media, Trump argued such moves could quickly force an end to Russia's war in Ukraine. For from Moscow, NPR's Charles Maintes reports.

[Charles Maynes]

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. NATO member Turkey is the third largest buyer of Russian oil after China and India. Trump also called on alliance members to impose steep tariffs on China, up to 100% so long as Beijing's purchases of Russian petroleum continue to help fund the war. It comes just days after an incursion by Russian drones into Poland's airspace, an incident that alarmed most NATO but Trump dismissed as possibly an accident. It also comes as Trump led peace efforts have stalled with the Kremlin on Friday, saying U S backed negotiations between Russia and Ukraine were now on pause. Charles Maynes, NPR News, Moscow.

[Dale Willman]

Covid vaccines are starting to become available, but because of rule changes this year, they're not so easy for everyone to get. NPR's Ping Huang has the story of what it took to get one in Georgia just this week.

[Ping Huang]

Kathleen Ethier is traveling to California next week, a state in the middle of a Covid surge and she has a spouse who survived cancer.

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I shouldn't be bringing Covid into the House.

[Ping Huang]

Ethier is under 65 years old. So she doesn't automatically qualify for a Covid booster since the FDA approved it with restrictions last month, she couldn't get a prescription from her primary care provider, who retired. Another doctor suggested the CVS Minute Clinic. Ethier went twice, but it was randomly closed. Then she got an online appointment and went back a third time to get the shot. All's well.

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That ended well.

[Ping Huang]

Still, it took a lot to get it.

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I had time and insurance, a car like the ability to go back multiple times.

[Ping Huang]

Ethier worries that the kinds of barriers she encountered will discourage others from getting the vaccine. Ping Huang, NPR News.

[Dale Willman]

I'm Dale Willman, and you're listening to NPR News. The Taliban says it's reached an agreement with the US over an exchange of prisoners. The deal would be part of efforts to normalize relations between the US And Afghanistan. No details about an exchange were provided, and so far the White House has not commented on the meeting in Kabul. A former college president who led a lawsuit that changed historically black colleges and universities has died. Earl Richardson was president of Morgan State University in Baltimore and put a spotlight on funding disparities for HBCUs. NPR's Joseph Shapiro has this remembrance.

[Joseph Shapiro]

Earl Richardson's death at age 81 was announced by Morgan State University. During the time he led the school In Baltimore from 1994 to 2010, student enrollment doubled and the campus expanded. Richardson is known for the lawsuit he helped lead that gets compared to Brown versus the Board of Education. 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. The lawsuit took 15 years. In 2021, Maryland agreed to add more than a half billion dollars for the state's black colleges and universities. Joseph Shapiro, NPR News.

[Dale Willman]

Charlie Hull has taken a one stroke lead over top ranked Genotypical after three rounds in the LPGA Golf Championship underway in Ohio this weekend. She birdied four of her final eight holes to post to 16 under 200. Hull was a runner up earlier this month in a tournament in Houston. I'm Dale Willman, NPR News.

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