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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Understanding the molecular basis of major disorders such as autism, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder could help in developing better treatments. -
The second line of "O Canada," which has said the nation inspires patriotism "in all thy sons," will now read "in all of us." The change has passed the country's Senate. The House approved it in 2016. -
A video showed a confused woman discharged only minimally dressed in cold weather. It prompted an apology from — and an investigation of — the hospital. The family is considering a lawsuit. -
"It's a level of incompetence that's almost incomprehensible," the plaintiff's lawyer tells NPR. The surgical instrument had been causing him abdominal pain for four years before it was discovered. -
A Baltimore hospital has started an investigation after a distressed and confused woman was dropped off outside at night in cold temperatures. A passerby caught the incident on camera.
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It's a turnaround for a government that has cracked down on dissent — and had not even admitted that it held political prisoners. The prime minister said a notorious prison would be closed. -
Advocacy groups say Flint isn't sharing information about efforts to remove lead service lines. They're asking a judge to force the city to comply. -
The health clinic is operating, often by flashlight, out of tents. The island's bleak recovery epitomizes the unevenness of the disaster relief effort in the hurricane-devastated U.S. territory. -
In Vieques, an 81-year-old blind retiree and his family are bathing in brown, foul-smelling water from an improvised well behind the home they are squatting in. -
Even before the hurricane, most of the island's landfills were filled beyond capacity, and nearly half had EPA closure orders. The storm generated millions of cubic yards of waste and debris.
