The 22-year-old man who was arrested last week and accused of assassinating the prominent right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk in Utah was formally charged today with aggravated murder. Prosecutors said they would seek the death penalty. You can read the charges here.
Just before this newsletter arrived in your inbox, the suspect, Tyler Robinson, appeared in court to hear the charges against him. He nodded when the judge addressed him, and said his name when asked, but otherwise did not react. Follow along for the latest updates.
Court documents filed along with the charges shed more light on Robinson’s possible motive. In a series of messages exchanged with his romantic partner after the shooting, he said he had killed Kirk because he “had enough of his hatred.”
After the shooting, Robinson texted his partner with instructions to look under his keyboard, according to the court documents. There, his partner found a note that said, “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it.”
The key break in the investigation appeared to come from the suspect’s own mother. A day after the shooting, she saw a photograph of the gunman on the news, thought it resembled her son, and showed the photo to her husband. They called him and persuaded him to head home before he turned himself in.
Robinson’s mother told the police that her son had moved to the left politically over the last year, specifically on gay and transgender rights, according to court documents.
Israeli troops pushed into Gaza City
The Israeli military announced today that it had launched its much-anticipated ground offensive to take control of Gaza City, which it calls a Hamas stronghold. Palestinians trying to flee clogged the roads heading south. Here’s the latest.
Locals described scenes of panic as Israeli strikes pounded the area. The ground operation and intensifying Israeli bombardment were deepening the humanitarian disaster. “We are all terrified,” said Montaser Bahja, a former schoolteacher sheltering in Gaza City. “Death would be more merciful than what we’re living through.”
In related news, a U.N. commission investigating the war said that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza.
Look from above: Satellite images showed Israel’s buildup around Gaza City.
Trump left a tense America for a brief retreat to Britain
The president and his wife, Melania Trump, arrived this afternoon in Britain for a state visit hosted by King Charles and Queen Camilla.
Trump is the only elected leader to be accorded a second British state visit, showing the lengths to which Britain is willing to go to stay on Trump’s good side. In the video above, Mark Landler, our London bureau chief, describes what Britain hopes to get in return. Here’s what else to know.
In other Trump administration news:
Kash Patel, the F.B.I. director, traded barbs with Democratic senators during a hearing. Earlier, agents he has fired spoke out about turmoil at the bureau.
The administration ordered a Civil War-era war image of a formerly enslaved man with scars on his back removed from a National Park site in Georgia.
Attorney General Pam Bondi provoked a broad backlash after announcing she would target protesters who engaged in “hate speech.”
What exactly are A.I. companies building?
Just a handful of tech giants — Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Meta and OpenAI — plan to spend at least $325 billion by the end of the year in a race to develop advanced artificial intelligence. That’s an unfathomable amount of money, and it’s not always clear what exactly the companies are aiming for.
So, our A.I. reporters Cade Metz and Karen Weise came up with a guide to help you understand the frenzy.
For more: Wall Street’s A.I. bets are driving interest in parking lots.
More top news
Luigi Mangione: The judge overseeing his case in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare’s chief executive dismissed state terrorism charges against him.
Fed: A court blocked a last-minute attempt to remove Lisa Cook from the Fed board before a meeting to set interest rates. The White House readied an appeal to the Supreme Court.
Health: An influential C.D.C. vaccine committee will revisit recommendations concerning the hepatitis B shot on Thursday. Here’s what to know.
Georgia: The state Supreme Court ruled that Fani T. Willis, the Fulton County district attorney, could not continue her election interference case against Trump.
Politics: Tim Walz said he would run for a third term as governor of Minnesota.
Russia: War crime investigators at Yale said the secretive program of re-education and military and police training for Ukrainian children is far larger than previously thought.
Siberia: New research explains why the Siberian tundra is exploding.
Scam: A colorful house in the New York borough of Queens has a dark secret.
Manhattan: After he bought the penthouse, residents of the Pierre hoped that Howard Lutnick would help fix up the building. Now they’re blaming him for a takeover attempt.
Scotland: The World Stone Skimming Championships was infiltrated by cheaters whose stones were found to be “a little too perfect.”
TIME TO UNWIND
Remembering Robert Redford
Robert Redford, who died today at 89, was one of Hollywood’s preferred leading men for decades, a sun-kissed matinee idol who took risks in films about grief and political corruption. He went on to direct hit movies that often helped America make sense of itself.
Away from Hollywood, Redford championed environmental causes and created the Sundance independent film festival, which nurtured the dreams of filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino, Ryan Coogler and Ava DuVernay.
For more: Here are some memorable snapshots from Redford’s life and career, and 15 movies that will help you remember the star as he was.
The mystery man behind a jazz masterpiece
More than 50 years ago, a saxophonist named Shamek Farrah released his debut album, “First Impressions.” Its rough-hewed, exploratory sound was overlooked at the time, but it is now considered by many to be an underappreciated spiritual jazz classic. Still, even Farrah’s most ardent admirers know little about him.
It turns out that he is living in Kingsland, Ga., a few miles from the Florida border, where he is known as the Rev. Anthony Domacase. In a rare interview, he told his story.
Dinner table topics
Giorgio Armani: The legacy of the Italian designer, who died this month at 91, was on display on the runways at Fashion Week.
Nobu founder: My colleague interviewed the restaurateur Drew Nieporent about his not-so-humble life story.
Zealous audiences: The star of “Squid Game” explained why Korean fandom is so intense.
Too slow: This New Yorker has gained a following by calling out bad walkers.
WHAT TO DO TONIGHT
Cook: As fall arrives, find time to enjoy these apple cider doughnuts.
Read: In “The Wilderness,” Angela Flournoy inhabits a quartet of shifting perspectives with wit.
Plan: Check out this architectural guide to Stockholm.
Wear: Take inspiration from our fashion photographer’s look of the week.
Exercise: Here’s what Pilates does for your body.
Consider: Stop charging your phone to 100 percent.
Learn: Dylan Kelly’s TikTok videos explain fashion one minute at a time.
Play: Here are today’s Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all our games here.
ONE LAST THING
A cookbook author with a tip for happy living
Several years ago, Samin Nosrat, the chef and food writer who won a James Beard Award for her cookbook “Salt Fat Acid Heat,” was feeling sad and alone. Then, her friend invited her over for dinner, inadvertently beginning a weekly routine that has continued ever since.
“Four years in, this ritual and the community that sustains it are at the heart of my life,” Nosrat explained. In an excerpt from her new book, she offered tips (and recipes) for starting a similar tradition with your friends and family.
Have a cherished evening.
Thanks for reading. I’ll be back tomorrow. — Matthew
Philip Pacheco was our photo editor.
We welcome your feedback. Write to us at evening@nytimes.com.