NPR News: 09-12-2025 5AM EDT

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Noah Rahm.

A $100,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest and the assassination of conservative influencer Charlie Cook at Utah Valley University.

NPR's Sage Miller spoke with a student there.

Isaac Davis skipped class to see Kirk speak.

He says he was about 30 feet away from where Kirk was sitting when a single gunshot rang out.

Probably kind of in a state of shock for a second or two, but once I realized that, I just booked it as fast as I could.

There were some bushes that were right next to it.

It wasn't great cover.

Davis sought shelter at a nearby building where police officers with AR-15s yelled at him to seek cover.

That's when I kind of realized, like, this is no joke.

Like, there's definitely a risk that something could happen.

Utah Valley University has canceled classes for the week.

Once school is back in session, Davis says he looks forward to connecting with his fellow classmates and hearing their responses to what happened.

Sage Miller, NPR News.

Also, on Wednesday, gunfire erupted at Evergreen High School near Denver, Colorado.

Two students were critically injured.

Officials say the suspected shooter, a 16-year-old boy, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Jackie Kelly is the Jefferson County Sheriff's spokeswoman.

She says they believe he had been radicalized by some extremist network.

Looking at his phone, looking at his social media pages, searching his room, searching his backpack, there's just searching his locker.

There's a lot of places to look that we hope will just give give us better information as to what he was attempting to do and maybe the why.

Sometimes we never find out why.

Kelly was interviewed by Denver 7.

Senate Republicans are changing the rules to make it easier to confirm President Trump's nominees.

As NPR's Barbara Sprunt reports, the change will enable the chamber to approve certain nominees in groups rather than by individual vote.

The vote comes after months of Republican lawmakers criticizing their Democratic counterparts for dragging out the confirmation process, one of the few elements of power the minority party has in GOP unified government.

The new rule allows the Senate to consider non-cabinet-level nominees in batches.

The Senate is expected to finalize the rules change next week, which covers sub-cabinet and ambassador nominees, not judicial nominees.

Democrats strongly oppose the change.

Senate Republicans use the rule to advance a package of 48 nominees, which will likely be confirmed next week.

Barbara Sprunt and Peer News, Washington.

The United Nations Security Council is expected to hold an emergency session today to discuss Russia's incursion into Poland's airspace this week.

Poland shot down the drones with the help of NATO allies.

You're listening to NPR News in Washington.

A chartered plane landed in South Korea today, carrying about 300 South Korean workers who had been detained in Georgia since September 4th.

They had been picked up in an immigration raid in a Hyundai auto plant and taken into custody in handcuffs and shackles, to the dismay of South Korea, a key U.S.

ally.

Lawmakers in Missouri want to make it much harder for citizens to amend the state constitution.

St.

Louis Public Radio's Jason Rosenbaum reports this comes after voters approved a slew of progressive ballot items.

Missouri Republicans want to require any constitutional amendment put on the ballot through the initiative petition process to pass in a statewide vote and in all eight congressional districts.

State Senator Brad Hudson says the Constitution is too easy to amend.

Missourians recently passed amendments protecting abortion rights, legalizing marijuana, and expanding Medicaid, which won with support in cities but not rural areas.

I think you should have broad consensus throughout the state of Missouri before you amend the Constitution.

Detractors of the plan say it will make it basically impossible for most amendments to pass.

If lawmakers pass it this week, it will go to the voters for their approval.

For NPR News, I'm Jason Rosenbaum in St.

Louis.

The Federal Trade Commission is looking into the effect of artificial intelligence on young people.

It's ordering several companies to provide information on how they measure and monitor the potential negative effects of the technology on children and teens.

There have been reports that young people have died by suicide after talking with chatbots.

I'm Noor Rahm, NPR News.

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