Merrit Kennedy
Merrit Kennedy is a reporter for NPR's News Desk. She covers a broad range of issues, from the latest developments out of the Middle East to science research news.
Kennedy joined NPR in Washington, D.C., in December 2015, after seven years living and working in Egypt. She started her journalism career at the beginning of the Egyptian uprising in 2011 and chronicled the ousting of two presidents, eight rounds of elections, and numerous major outbreaks of violence for NPR and other news outlets. She has also worked as a reporter and television producer in Cairo for The Associated Press, covering Egypt, Yemen, Libya, and Sudan.
She grew up in Los Angeles, the Middle East, and places in between, and holds a bachelor's degree in international relations from Stanford University and a master's degree in international human rights law from The American University in Cairo.
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The Trump Administration says the policy change will help law enforcement apprehend criminal suspects. Rights advocates describe it as a serious breach of privacy against vulnerable populations. -
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blasted the decision, calling it a "breathtaking action by an unaccountable political institution." Human rights groups are applauding the move. -
New images show the scale of the destruction in the rebel stronghold of Idlib, where the United Nations says nearly a million people have been displaced in the last three months. -
The court said the party's leader violated election law because he gave the new party about $6 million – far more than Thai law allows for political donations. He insists the money was a loan. -
Clouds of the insects can stretch for miles, devouring vegetation and destroying crops. Locust experts say time is running out to get the swarms under control because they multiply so quickly. -
Three companies have announced that they are acquiring the retailer aimed at teens and young people, and plan to continue to operate its U.S. and international stores. -
The Department of Justice is accusing the Chinese telecom giant of racketeering and conspiracy to steal trade secrets from U.S. companies. The Trump administration has security concerns about Huawei. -
The apology seemed to be an attempt to turn the page for the embattled team amid criticism that the punishment meted out by the league was too light given the scale and longevity of the cheating. -
Modern genomes from Nigeria and Sierra Leone show signals that scientists call "ghost" DNA — from an unknown human ancestor. That means that prehistoric humans likely procreated with an unknown group. -
Holden Matthews has stated that he committed the crimes in an attempt to break into the "black metal" music scene. He set three historically black churches on fire during a 10-day period.
