AILSA CHANG, HOST:
From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Ailsa Chang in Culver City, California.
MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
I'm Mary Louise Kelly in Washington. And it's been the kind of day where I am half scared to pick up my phone or turn up the headlines because they just keep coming. This weekend brought a deadly shooting at Brown University. It saw U.S. service members and an American interpreter killed in an attack in Syria. Then came word of a massacre at a Hanukkah event at Bondi Beach in Australia and disturbing news from LA that legendary director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele, had been found dead. You barely have time to process what has happened in one place before the next thing hits.
Well, we are here trying to figure it all out, in real time, along with you. And because even on a day like today - perhaps especially on a day like today - it feels important to save space for hope and maybe even joy, on the show today we are marking that this weekend also brought a new world record set here in D.C. for most couples kissing under mistletoe. Well done. With that, we're going to get you up to date on developments in a couple of the big stories today, and let's start with the latest on the Reiner investigation.
CHANG: That's right. Thank you, Mary Louise. The police department here in Los Angeles has arrested Nick Reiner. That's the son of Rob and Michele Reiner. He is being held without bail. And for the latest on this case, we're going to turn now to Steve Futterman in Los Angeles. Hi, Steve.
STEVE FUTTERMAN: Hi, Ailsa.
CHANG: So can you just tell us what are the latest updates at this point in the investigation?
FUTTERMAN: Well, the key development today was the announcement that Nick Reiner, the 32-year-old son of Michele and Rob Reiner, has been arrested. Police said they believe he is the one responsible for their deaths. LA Police Chief Jim McDonnell announced this during an appearance at an FBI event.
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JIM MCDONNELL: We have our Robbery-Homicide Division handling the investigation. They worked throughout the night on this case and were able to take into custody Nick Reiner. He was subsequently booked for murder.
FUTTERMAN: Now, later today, they did change that to no bail. Also today, police concluded their investigation of the Reiner home. It had been cordoned off. It's now been opened. And throughout the day, we saw friends and acquaintances show up. Occasionally, we would see two people just embrace, and sometimes we saw people actually in tears.
CHANG: It's just so horrible. OK, so the police have identified Nick Reiner as a suspect. What more do we know about Nick Reiner?
FUTTERMAN: Well, we know that Nick Reiner had a long and sometimes difficult journey dealing with mental health issues and substance abuse. He has been quite open about it. For a while, he even lived on the streets. Rob Reiner used his son's experience to direct the 2015 film "Being Charlie." It's loosely based on Nick Reiner's struggles. In fact, it was co-written by father and son. During the promotional tour for the film, Rob Reiner spoke to Scott Simon about working with his son.
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ROB REINER: He was the heart and soul of the film, and anytime I would get an opportunity to work with him, I would do it. But I do understand him wanting to forge his own way. I do know what that's about. I went through it. And, you know, he's brilliant and talented, and he's going to figure out his path.
FUTTERMAN: It obviously is unclear what may have pushed Nick Reiner to allegedly go over the edge and kill his parents. Investigators, though, will certainly want to look at his cellphone and computers and talk to friends and acquaintances to see if they can discover anything.
CHANG: Yeah. Meanwhile, tributes are pouring in left and right from actors, from friends. Rob Reiner, of course, was also known not just for his filmmaking and acting talents but for his activism, which President Trump made a comment about earlier today. What did Trump say exactly?
FUTTERMAN: Well, let's first talk about the positive tributes. Author Stephen King said he was horrified by the killings. Reiner turned a King composition into the hit film "Stand By Me," and King said, rest in peace, Rob - you always stood by me. Comedian Ben Stiller said, Reiner made some of the most formative movies for my generation.
As for President Trump, his comments were far less than laudatory. Now, Reiner was very critical of the president in recent years. President Trump called Rob Reiner tortured and a once very talented movie director. He said Reiner and his wife died, quote, "reportedly due to the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding and incurable affliction with Trump derangement syndrome." That was a bit too much for some Republicans. Thomas Massey of Kentucky called the comments inappropriate and disrespectful about a man who was just brutally murdered.
CHANG: That is Steve Futterman here in Los Angeles. Thank you so much, Steve.
FUTTERMAN: Thank you, Ailsa. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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