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Today's top stories
Utah state prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, who was charged yesterday with aggravated murder in the shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Authorities also charged Robinson with firearm counts and multiple obstruction-of-justice charges. The suspect is accused of trying to dispose of the clothes he allegedly wore during the shooting, telling his roommate to delete incriminating messages and not cooperate with investigators working on the case.
- 🎧 Before his parents convinced him to turn himself in, Robinson implied to them that he'd rather take his own life than go to jail, according to prosecutors. Robinson wore a suicide prevention smock to his first court appearance since he was taken into custody, which he attended remotely. NPR's Tovia Smith tells Up First that the suspect showed no emotion as the judge read the charges against him. A text exchange between Robinson and his roommate appears to show the accused confessing to the deadly shooting. The roommate doesn't appear to have any advance knowledge of the shooting. Prosecutors say Robinson's parents reported that their son recently shifted politically to the left and began focusing on trans rights after he started dating his roommate, who authorities say is a biological male transitioning to female.
- ➡️ Are politically motivated attacks posing a bigger threat in the U.S.? Experts analyzing gun violence unpack the data and trends.
President Trump is in the U.K. for his second state visit to the country. He is the first U.S. president to receive the honor of a second large ceremonial visit. The trip will include two parts: spending time with the royal family and working on foreign policy. Trump is expected today to take a carriage ride around the Windsor Castle grounds and attend a banquet with the king and queen.
- 🎧 Tomorrow, the policy-focused portion of the trip will begin with a meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The meeting isn't completely separate from today's list of events, says NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben. A U.K. foreign policy expert informed Kurtzleben that the idea is to use Trump's love of the monarchy to leverage the president on other issues, including U.S. companies investing in the U.K. Starmer and Trump could also talk about how European leaders want the president to give more support to Ukraine in the war against Russia.
FBI Director Kash Patel will face questioning today from the House Judiciary Committee. This comes a day after a combative hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, during which Patel defended his leadership of the nation's premier law enforcement agency. Patel is facing criticism for the usage of his social media account to announce inaccurate information about Kirk's murder, his handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case and for the firings of veteran agents.
- 🎧 The Senate hearing lasted more than four hours and had "two starkly different messages," according to NPR's Elena Moore. Democrats spoke on reasons why they feel Patel isn't fit for the job, pointing to his missteps. Republicans mostly stayed in Patel's corner and focused on the issue of political violence. GOP lawmakers alleged that the far left is inciting a broader culture of political violence. However, Democrats opposed the narrative as they have also been targets in recent acts.
Picture show
Temperatures in Europe are increasing at twice the average global rate, speeding up glacial melts and threatening the continent's largest rivers. The glaciers in the Swiss Alps have already lost nearly two-thirds of their ice over the past century. If the current climate continues, it is possible that by 2100 you "wouldn't find any ice anymore," says Swiss glaciologist Daniel Farinotti. The water that glaciers have stored for centuries flows down to Europe's biggest rivers during the hot and dry summer months, replacing rainwater and snowmelt from the spring. A glacier in the Swiss Alps is the source for several rivers, including the Rhône, the Rhine, the Danube and the Po. Without those masses of ice, the rivers will be forever altered. See photos and read more about the important work being done to track the rapid melt.
From our hosts
by Steve Inskeep, Morning Edition and Up First host
Trump on Monday said he intended to send National Guard troops to Memphis as part of what he says is an attack on crime. Trump added that he still hopes to send troops to Chicago, though it's unclear how he can legally do so. The news gives fresh relevance to our recent interview with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who has declined to ask for the military.
This interview with Pritzker was an opportunity to see him respond to an immigration enforcement surge in Chicago — and to hear from one of the governors who is thinking of a run for president.
Democrats have talked of Pritzker as a possible candidate since at least 2022-2023, when he was seen as a possible alternative to President Joe Biden, should Biden drop out. Pritzker was a governor of a big state and a billionaire, which would make it possible for him to jump-start the financing for a campaign.
"Oh, I had no aim or desire. I didn't take it seriously, other than I'm flattered," he told me. When Biden at last did drop out in 2024, it was too late for a primary and Pritzker supported Kamala Harris, the president's choice.
Will the 2028 campaign be different? Pritzker hasn't said, but indicated that he feels ready. "There are things that governors will learn in their executive functions and things that I came into office understanding, having executive positions in the private sector, that are very helpful in running any kind of organization, especially the largest organization that exists in the United States."
He's one of several governors — along with California's Gavin Newsom, Michigan's Gretchen Whitmer, and Kentucky's Andy Beshear — who may see an opening. Democrats and Republicans alike will be scanning interviews like ours for relevant information.
3 things to know before you go
- Have you ever wanted your coffee drinking experience to be a little more special? NPR's Word of the Week, "zarf," could help. They are devices dating back to the Ottoman Empire that people used to hold the hot drinks.
- Movie star and film visionary Robert Redford died at his home in Utah yesterday at 89. He was renowned for his roles in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting and All The President's Men.
- The Trump administration has continued to ramp up ICE operations throughout the country. NPR wants to hear from people whose lives have been altered by the change. Fill out this form, and your experience could be featured in Morning Edition.
This newsletter was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.
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