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Today’s top stories

Charlie Kirk, a Trump ally and right-wing activist, has died at 31 after being shot while speaking at Utah Valley University. President Trump announced his death and praised his political impact, condemning the left and the media for “demonizing” those they disagree with. Authorities, however, have not released any information about the shooter or their motive. Kirk launched Turning Point USA, an organization for young conservatives, at the age of 18. Federal and state authorities are searching for the shooter. Police released two people taken into custody after the shooting yesterday.

• 🎧 “It’s impossible to overstate the importance of Kirk to an entire generation of young conservatives,” NPR’s Stephen Fowler tells Up First. Fowler describes him as an “influencer, grassroots organizer … and all-around avatar for politically active online and offline Gen Z Americans.” Turning Point USA has grown into an integral part of the Republican party, and Fowler says it has a “big seat at the table” when it comes to shaping discussions about policy. Kirk was killed on the first of 15 planned “American Comeback Tour” events at college campuses. Kirk was hosting one of his signature events, where he would host big outdoor debates to face off against people who were ideologically and morally opposed to his views, which were often provocative and inflammatory.

Today marks 24 years since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. Nearly a quarter-century later, the men accused of planning the attacks have still not faced trial. Many lawyers involved in the case doubt they ever will. The defendants, including alleged ringleader Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, were tortured in secret CIA prisons, resulting in unresolved legal fights over what evidence is admissible. Thousands of 9/11 family members wait for a resolution as the case remains in limbo and the defendants are held at the U.S. military prison in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Brett Eagleson and Elizabeth Miller both lost their fathers in the attack. Though they are bound by their loss, they’re split on how they want to resolve the case.

• ➡️ New York City officials announced last month that they identified the remains of three more victims who died during the attacks at the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan. But 40% of the victims are still unidentified today. Take a look inside the lab that’s working to identify remaining victims.

Polish and NATO officials say they’re awaiting the results of a military assessment to decide on a response after Poland said NATO shot down several Russian attack drones that violated Polish airspace during attacks on neighboring Ukraine. It was the first time in the history of NATO that alliance fighter jets engaged enemy targets in allied airspace. Polish authorities say they found the wreckage of at least nine Shahed-style attack drones, which Russia uses in its attacks. A spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office in Lublin, a city near the border with Ukraine, says that all of the drones found so far were unarmed so-called “dummy” drones, which are used by Russia to fool Ukrainian air defenses.

• 🎧 NPR’s Rob Schmitz says the mood in Poland is tense. He describes a lot of history and a fair amount of bad blood between Poland and Russia that continues to this day. In recent years, Stein says Russia has launched a variety of hybrid attacks on Poland, including weaponizing migrants and busing them to the Belarus-Polish border. Poland has spent a billion dollars on building a new fence on that border and spends nearly 5% of its GDP on its military — more than any other NATO member.

Deep dive

In this photo illustration, Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 (L) and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines fill their syringes at Borinquen Health Care Center on May 29, 2025 in Miami, Florida.

Photo illustration by Joe Raedle/Getty Image

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Cold and flu season is upon us once again, and this year, there’s a lot of confusion around who can and can’t get the updated COVID-19 vaccine. The Trump administration claims that at this point in the pandemic, existing immunity removes the need for continued boosters. The new vaccines have only been approved for people 65 or older and young people who have other health issues that would make getting COVID especially risky. An advisory group for the CDC is expected to meet later this month and will issue formal recommendations for how the COVID vaccine can be prescribed. Here’s what you need to know in the meantime: 💉 The number of people testing positive for COVID and showing up to the ER for treatment rose steadily throughout July and August, but has now started to drop.

• 💉 People age 65 and older are the group driving deaths and hospitalizations from COVID.
• 💉 An estimated 30-60% of Americans have a preexisting condition, including obesity, asthma and diabetes, that could be complicated by COVID, based on the FDA’s previous parameters. It’s unclear whether the CDC advisory board will ratify these conditions.
• 💉 You could get a prescription for a COVID vaccine, but the pharmacist would still have to accept the prescription for you to get the booster.

Hear more answers to your COVID vaccine questions on this episode of Consider This from NPR.

Life advice

Deagreez/Getty Images; belterz/Getty Images; NPR

For many college freshmen, it can be overwhelming to be financially self responsible. You are finally managing your own budget, but you may have thousands of dollars in student loans. Financial educator Yanely Espinal says it’s crucial to set some rules and systems to set yourself up for success. On NPR’s Life Kit, she shares her advice for making sure you have enough money to spend at school without graduating with more debt than you need.

• 💰The general rule of thumb for student loans is that your total debt when you graduate should not be more than your expected annual salary at your first job out of school.
• 💰 Opening up about money with your new college friends can make you feel less alone or ashamed about your situation — and even generate creative financial solutions.
• 💰Before opening a credit card, shop around for the best interest rates and rewards. Try not to put things on your card that you can’t pay off in full by the due date.
• 💰 Create a written roommate agreement outlining financial obligations for shared costs.
• 💰 Apply to scholarships, even once you’re in college.
• 💰 If you can, start making payments toward the interest on your loans while you’re still in school.
• 💰 Consider getting a job near campus.

Get more money tips from Life Advice here. Subscribe to the Life Kit newsletter for expert advice on love, money, relationships and more.

3 things to know before you go

Mateo Arambula waits for his mother, Marisshia Sigala, to collect his things in March 2024 as she picks him up from Koala Children’s Academy after a day of work in Albuquerque, N.M., on Wednesday, March 20, 2024.

Susan Montoya Bryan/AP

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• New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced plans this week to remove income eligibility requirements from her state’s child care assistance program, making universal child care free for all families. (via KUNM)
• A Martian rock sample collected by the Perseverance rover could show potential signs of ancient life, according to NASA, which published its recent findings in the journal Nature.
• Sabrina Carpenter’s newest album, Man’s Best Friend, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, and all 12 of its songs are on the Hot 100’s top 40.

This newsletter was edited by Obed Manuel.

Good morning. You’re reading the Up First newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day.

Today’s top stories

The Supreme Court lifted a temporary restraining order that barred federal immigration agents from conducting “roving patrols” and racially profiling people in the Los Angeles area. The decision, issued Monday, cleared the way for ICE and Border Patrol agents to restart aggressive immigration sweeps that began in June, sparking protests and leading President Trump to send National Guard troops into the city. The raids halted after the ACLU sued, saying that agents were targeting people based on skin color, accents or the type of work they did.

• 🎧 The brief, unsigned order from the Supreme Court didn’t give any legal reasoning for the decision, NPR’s Adrian Florido tells Up First. In a concurrence, Justice Brett Kavanaugh said that demographic realities in LA and factors like race and work sites could be relevant to whether someone is residing in the country illegally. Florido says this emergency ruling is not the final word on the underlying lawsuit challenging racial profiling in ICE arrests. A court hearing is scheduled in LA later this month, and the case could eventually find its way back up to the high court.
• ➡️ Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security announced it’s launching an immigration enforcement operation in Illinois. It’s the latest escalation of federal action on Democrat-led U.S. cities and states.

The House Oversight Committee has released some documents given to it by Jeffrey Epstein’s estate. The records include more than 200 pages from a book made for the late convicted sex offender’s 50th birthday. The pages include a lewd drawing and letter that appears to be signed by Trump.

• 🎧 There’s been very little daylight between Republican stances and Trump’s often-changing views on many topics — including Epstein, NPR’s Stephen Fowler says. Vice President Vance once agreed with Trump that the files must be released, then agreed with the president that there were no files, then agreed that the letter didn’t exist, and now agrees with Trump’s claim that it’s a hoax from Democrats. Trump campaigned in 2024 on releasing the files and exposing powerful people who hide the truth from the public. Many voters now see him as one of those powerful people and feel he’s broken his promise. Fowler says this topic is one of the few places where Democrats have leverage against Trump’s “otherwise complete control of the narrative in Washington.”

New scores from the National Assessment of Education Progress, known as the Nation’s Report Card, show a drop in 8th-grade science scores since 2019 and 12th-grade math and reading scores in the same time period. Matthew Soldner, the acting director of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), said scores from the “lowest performing students are at historic lows — continued declines that began more than a decade ago.” The IES is charged with measuring student achievement. These latest scores are from tests administered between January and March 2024, before Trump was elected president. Since then, the Trump administration has made cuts to the U.S. Education Department, including laying off more than half of the employees at the IES. Here’s what these test scores mean for students.

Today’s listen

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer’s badge and weapon are seen as ICE conducts a vehicle checkpoint on Georgia Ave. on August 30 in Washington, D.C.

Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images North America

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When Trump sent the National Guard and federal agents into Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., some critics warned that racial profiling would lead to U.S. citizens getting caught up in the efforts to ramp up deportations. NPR spoke with a naturalized citizen in Washington who claims it happened to her just over a week ago. Chilo, who asked to go by her nickname because she fears repercussions for speaking out, moved to the U.S. after she was adopted from Nicaragua at 9 years old. She’s now 53, married and has a high school-aged daughter. She says two men in camouflaged masks stopped her and told her she did not “look like a citizen.” Cheelo says she believes this happened to her because she has brown skin and black hair. She tells Morning Edition’s Michel Martin that the experience left her scared that she would be taken away and feeling like she doesn’t “belong here.” Listen to their conversation here.

Picture show

Pastor Billiance Chondwe has known 9-year-old Diana Lungu since she was born. He helped her mother through a rough pregnancy and during Diana’s early years. Diana’s mother died of AIDS when Diana was nearing her third birthday.

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In April, NPR asked 12 HIV-positive Zambians to share their stories following the Trump administration’s cuts to foreign aid. When Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued the memo calling for stop-work orders on all existing foreign aid awards, Pastor Billiance Chondwe — affectionately known as Pastor Billy — watched with horror and hopelessness as many U.S.-funded HIV clinics shut their doors. Today, he says that actions from the Zambian government have filled him with more determination and hope, despite a future that is far from certain. Check in with the people NPR spoke with in April, and see photos of how they’re doing now.

3 things to know before you go

1. For its seventh year, NPR’s Student Podcast Challenge received more than 2,000 entries from 45 states and the District of Columbia. Before we reveal the winner, check out the 11 middle school and 10 high school finalists, as well as the honorable mentions.
2. Since June, a slew of musicians — many of them independent — have pulled their music from Spotify to protest the CEO’s ties to Helsing, an artificial intelligence defense company. Some artists are now moving to a music ownership model that can balance their principles with making money, but it’s not an easy task.
3. Media titan Rupert Murdoch and his son and intended heir, Lachlan, have struck a deal to buy out the shares of Lachlan’s three eldest siblings. The move will ensure that the 94-year-old’s vast corporate empire, which includes Fox News, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Post, will retain its conservative identity after his death.

This newsletter was edited by Obed Manuel.