Kirk's suspected killer's texts revealed, FBI chief clashes with Congress: Unbiased Updates, Sept. 17, 2025

The death penalty now in play for the man accused of gunning down Charlie Kirk

This morning, the text messages that point to a confession. Plus, TikTok gets a reprieve, a U.S.-China deal that even Trump is backing

And the end of an era for Ben and Jerry's, why one half of the iconic duo is calling it quits

The stories that matter, clear and credible, from across the country to around the world

These are your unbiased updates from Straight Arrow News. Good morning, I'm Craig DeGrelli

This morning, the man accused of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk is now facing seven felony charges

and prosecutors are pursuing the death penalty. 22-year-old Tyler Robinson appeared in court by video Tuesday

saying little as a judge in Utah read the charges, including aggravated murder, witness tampering, and obstruction of justice

Prosecutors say Robinson fired a bolt-action rifle from a rooftop, striking Kirk in the neck as he spoke to students at Utah Valley University

They say DNA on the rifle trigger matches Robinson, and he left a chilling note under his keyboard that read, quote

I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk, and I'm going to take it

According to court documents, Robinson and his roommate were in a romantic relationship

Now we're seeing their text exchange from the day of the shooting. Let's take a look together and I'll narrate

Tyler texts, drop what you're doing. Look under my keyboard. What? You're joking, right

The roommate responded. Tyler said, I am still okay, my love, but I'm stuck in Orem for a little while longer yet

Shouldn't be long until I can come home, but I got to grab my rifle still

To be honest, I had hoped to keep this secret till I died of old age

I am sorry to involve you. The roommate asked, you weren't the one who did it, right

I am. I'm sorry, Robinson said. The roommate replied, I thought they caught the person

Robinson, no. They grabbed some crazy old dude, then interrogated someone in similar clothing

I had planned to grab my rifle from my drop point shortly after, but most of that side of town got locked down

It's quiet, almost enough to get out, but there's one vehicle lingering

Why? The roommate asked. Why did I do it? Yeah. Robinson then texted

Prosecutors say Robinson planned the attack for more than a week and urged his partner to delete their texts

He was arrested days later near his hometown of St. George, Utah

He stood back in court September 29th. In Washington, FBI Director Cash Patel is set

to testify before the House Judiciary Committee this morning, facing questions about his handling

of the Charlie Kirk assassination investigation and his overall leadership at the Bureau It comes after a fiery four Senate hearing yesterday where Patel clashed with Democrats repeatedly In his opening statement ranking member Dick Durbin condemned Patel

for spreading, quote, mass confusion after he posted on X that Kirk's killer had been caught hours after the shooting

a claim that turned out to be false. Patel stood by the post

Could I have been more careful in my verbiage included a subject instead of subject

Sure, in the heat of the moment, but I was doing the best I could. Without all candor, I don't quite get that

because if we have our man, that would suggest to the public that everybody can rest and relax

and not then continue to provide information to the local law enforcement and to you

So that was a mistake. I don't see it as a mistake. I see it as something working with the public

to identify that there was a subject in custody. Patel was also pressed on whether 22-year-old Tyler Robinson

acted alone. He said the case is, quote, very much ongoing and that the FBI is investigating

more than 20 Discord users from a chat room where Robinson allegedly took responsibility for the

shooting. But Kirk's case was just one flashpoint. Patel faced heavy scrutiny over his handling of

the Epstein files, including the decision to move Jelaine Maxwell to a minimum security prison

in Texas after her interview with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. That's when tensions boiled

over and insults flew. The Bureau of Prisons decided on their own, without any consultation

with Blanche or anyone else, that they were going to suddenly, after this interview

completely unrelated to this interview, completely unrelated to anything she's said, move her to a prison not suitable for a sex offender. You want the American people

to believe that? Do you think they're stupid? No, I think the American people believe the truth

that I'm not in the weeds on the everyday movements of inmates. What I am doing is protecting this country, providing historic reform

and combating the weaponization of intelligence by the likes of you. You are a political buffoon at best

Well, you can take an internet troll. Take it to the bank that the FBI is protecting this country

and the state and citizens of California. We are bringing historic reform

Internet. Next Patel got into a shouting match with Senator Cory Booker, who ripped him over

the Kirk case, the Epstein files and the removal of FBI agents. Watch. I think you're not going to

be around long. I think this might be your last oversight hearing, because as much as you supplicate

yourself to the will of Donald Trump and not the Constitution of the United States of America

Donald Trump has shown us in his first term and in this term, he is not loyal to people like you

He will cut you loose. That rant of false information does not bring this country together

If you want to work on bringing this country, it's my time, not yours. My God

My God. If you want to talk about fighting this country I follow you on your social media posts that tear this country apart It is my time to address your falsehoods You can try all you want to not take responsibility for what you have said Sir you making a mockery of this committee

Sir, you don't tell me my time is over. Today's hearing in the House begins at 10 a.m. Eastern

Senator Ted Cruz yesterday called the Senate session political theater. We'll see if today brings more of the same

The director, who was ousted from the CDC just weeks after her Senate confirmation

is set to testify this morning on Capitol Hill. CBS News has obtained the prepared testimony of Susan Menares

She's set to tell the Senate Health Committee today that she was fired

after refusing to pre-approve vaccine recommendations regardless of scientific evidence and declining to fire career CDC scientists

One quote reads, Secretary Kennedy demanded two things of me that were inconsistent with my oath of office

and the ethics required of a public official. He directed me to commit in advance to approving

every ACIP recommendation, regardless of the scientific evidence. He also directed me to

dismiss career officials responsible for vaccine policy without cause. He said if I was unwilling

to do both, I should resign. Menara says she refused and was fired. HHS denies her claims

calling her insubordinate and accusing her of undermining the Trump administration's agenda

President Trump and First Lady Melania are in the UK this morning

welcomed Tuesday by dignitaries and members of the Royal Air Force as their state visit began

You see them there. Later today, they will be honored guests of King Charles and Queen Camilla

at Windsor Castle. The welcome ceremony includes a carriage procession, a military flyover

and a banquet at St. George's Hall, complete with speeches and toasts

The trip began with the major announcement, a new technology pact between the United States and Britain

Big names like Google, Microsoft and NVIDIA have committed tens of millions of dollars

to develop AI, quantum computing and nuclear energy. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called it a deal that will shape the future

for millions on both sides of the Atlantic. But the visit to Windsor Castle took an unexpected turn Tuesday night

Police arrested four people after images of Trump and convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein were projected onto Windsor Castle

The projections included photos of Trump and Epstein together and a lewd birthday message Trump allegedly sent Epstein in 2003

TikTok may have just dodged another ban after a breakthrough deal between the United States and China

Treasury Secretary Scott Besson met face-to-face with Chinese officials in Madrid this week

finalizing what both sides are calling a framework agreement that would overhaul

TikTok's U.S. operations. The Wall Street Journal reports that under the deal

TikTok's American business would shift to a new U.S.-based entity with a group of big-name

investors including Oracle Silver Lake and Andreessen Horowitz owning 80 percent of the company TikTok algorithm developed in China would be licensed but run by U engineers Oracle would keep handling Americans user data

President Trump announced the arrangement to reporters outside the White House on Tuesday

Well, we have a deal on TikTok. I've reached a deal with China. I'm going to speak to President

Xi on Friday to confirm everything up. We made a very good trade deal, and I hope good for both

countries, but a very different deal than they've made in the past. We have a group of very big

companies that want to buy it. And, you know, the kids wanted it so badly. I had parents calling me

up. They don't want it for themselves. They want it for their kids. They say, if I don't get it

done, they're in big trouble with their kids. Trump has pushed the official ban deadline to

December 16th. If this deal holds, it could finally end the years long battle over TikTok

and keep the app online for its 170 million American users. Finally this morning, the next time you reach for that favorite tub of Ben and Jerry's

it'll be just Ben. Not officially, but for the first time, Jerry Greenfield is out

Jerry's departure was announced by Ben Cohen himself, who posted his longtime partner's resignation letter online

In it, Greenfield calls it one of the hardest decisions of his life, saying standing up for the values of justice, equity, and our shared humanity has never been more important

And yet Ben & Jerry's has been silenced, sidelined for fear of upsetting those in power

He's talking about a long-running feud with Unilever, the megacore that brought back Ben & Jerry's in 2000

Ben & Jerry's built their brand on more than ice cream, taking stands on climate change, police reform

Trump policies, and most recently, Israel's war in Gaza. Greenfield says that social mission is now being muzzled

and the independent voice they were promised in the sale agreement has melted away

So what's Ben and Jerry's without Jerry? Well, hopefully tasty for its supporters and customers

By the way, in pre-reading the story, that reminded me, I never made it to DQ for ice cream this summer

I'm a big Dairy Queen fan, big presence here in Omaha, Nebraska. I usually like the large chocolate and vanilla mixed together with a cherry shell

I never stopped in. That bums me out. I guess, you know, trying to eliminate sweets and eat healthy, not all that fun sometimes

All right, before we head out, here's what we're tracking today. The former CDC director heads to the Hill this morning with Susan Menara set to testify after her controversial ouster over vaccine policy

Also at 10, President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump participate in a St. George's Chapel visit and re-playing at the tomb of Queen Elizabeth II

Then at 2.30, all eyes on the Fed, with a rate cut likely as Jerome Powell gives a press conference

And at 4, Vice President J.D. Vance hits the trail again, visiting a Michigan manufacturer as he promotes President Trump's agenda

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Go to san.com slash newsletters. Those are your Unbiased Updates for this Wednesday

We'll see you back here tomorrow. For all of us here at Straight Arrow News, I'm Craig DeGrelli. Have a great day