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.
-
China has seen an uptick of cases of the deadly H7N9 strain of the avian flu virus, and authorities are trying to stop it from spreading further. Some areas are closing live poultry markets. -
"We are facing so many situations of disasters. We badly need a symbol of hope. I strongly believe Cyprus can be the symbol of hope at the beginning of 2017," the U.N. Secretary-General said. -
The sky appears blue at the beginning of the 13-second video, then completely disappears from view in the haze of brown smog. Dozens of Chinese cities are currently under pollution alerts. -
"All too prevalent in this Flint Water Investigation was a priority on balance sheets and finances rather than health and safety of the citizens of Flint," Michigan's attorney general stated. -
Coral in an area in the Atlantic Ocean stretching from Connecticut to Virginia has been protected from deep-sea commercial fishing gear, by a new rule issued this week. -
Before using your food processor for holiday treats in the next few weeks, you might want to make sure the blade hasn't been recalled for dozens of mouth lacerations. -
This vote marks the most serious challenge yet to the rule of President Yahya Jammeh. The president has ruled for 22 years since he led a coup, and has a dismal human rights record. -
The Obama administration has issued a sweeping final rule banning smoking in all public housing units nationwide, extending a smoke-free environment to nearly a million units. -
More than 50,000 people have fled eastern Aleppo in the past four days, according to a monitoring group. This battle for the city could mark a turning point in Syria's war, now in its sixth year. -
"The endeavor of hunting for water has become a dominant activity in some Flint residents' daily lives," the judge wrote. The city continues to navigate a years-long crisis over lead-laced water.
