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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At the end of Obama's term, 64 percent of respondents said they were confident in the U.S. president, compared to 22 percent now. Now only two countries' respondents prefer Trump over Obama.
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The uptick in support, especially among U.S. Democrats, comes after the turbulent U.S. presidential race where Donald Trump called NATO "obsolete." He now says it's "no longer obsolete." -
Kenneth Williams was the final inmate executed as the state sped up its schedule to beat the expiration date of its lethal-injection drugs. -
The Department of Justice says it believes this is the first case brought under a federal law that criminalizes the practice, which is widely condemned as a human rights violation.
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At least 15 "mishaps" have resulted in injuries or damage, the Navy says. The new policy bans the devices on ships, submarines, aircraft, boats, craft and heavy equipment. -
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences says there'll be a few new safeguards following the Best Picture flub, including not allowing electronic devices backstage.
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Residents of the Michigan city have been struggling with the lead crisis for the past three years. "This is the first little battle won in this huge overall war," plaintiff Melissa Mays tells NPR. -
The South American polka dot tree frog initially appears unremarkable. But when researchers in Argentina shone an ultraviolet light on the frog, it glowed. -
The city's crisis over lead-laced water dates back to 2014, and the state has paid more than $40 million in credits for the unsafe water in an effort to ease the burden for residents. -
Authorities cut off service to the capital, Santiago, following torrential rains that contaminated the water supply. People are now scrambling to find alternative sources of drinking water.
