
Rachel Martin
Rachel Martin is a host of Morning Edition, as well as NPR's morning news podcast Up First.
Before taking on this role in December 2016, Martin was the host of Weekend Edition Sunday for four years. Martin also served as National Security Correspondent for NPR, where she covered both defense and intelligence issues. She traveled regularly to Iraq and Afghanistan with the Secretary of Defense, reporting on the U.S. wars and the effectiveness of the Pentagon's counterinsurgency strategy. Martin also reported extensively on the changing demographic of the U.S. military – from the debate over whether to allow women to fight in combat units – to the repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell. Her reporting on how the military is changing also took her to a U.S. Air Force base in New Mexico for a rare look at how the military trains drone pilots.
Martin was part of the team that launched NPR's experimental morning news show, The Bryant Park Project, based in New York — a two-hour daily multimedia program that she co-hosted with Alison Stewart and Mike Pesca.
In 2006-2007, Martin served as NPR's religion correspondent. Her piece on Islam in America was awarded "Best Radio Feature" by the Religion News Writers Association in 2007. As one of NPR's reporters assigned to cover the Virginia Tech massacre that same year, she was on the school's campus within hours of the shooting and on the ground in Blacksburg, Va., covering the investigation and emotional aftermath in the following days.
Based in Berlin, Germany, Martin worked as a NPR foreign correspondent from 2005-2006. During her time in Europe, she covered the London terrorist attacks, the federal elections in Germany, the 2006 World Cup and issues surrounding immigration and shifting cultural identities in Europe.
Her foreign reporting experience extends beyond Europe. Martin has also worked extensively in Afghanistan. She began reporting from there as a freelancer during the summer of 2003, covering the reconstruction effort in the wake of the U.S. invasion. In fall 2004, Martin returned for several months to cover Afghanistan's first democratic presidential election. She has reported widely on women's issues in Afghanistan, the fledgling political and governance system and the U.S.-NATO fight against the insurgency. She has also reported from Iraq, where she covered U.S. military operations and the strategic alliance between Sunni sheiks and the U.S. military in Anbar province.
Martin started her career at public radio station KQED in San Francisco, as a producer and reporter.
She holds an undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington, and a Master's degree in International Affairs from Columbia University.
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Our medical bill of the month for April highlights how auto insurance may not always cover all the medical expenses you might have when you are involved in an accident.
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Biden will announce steps his administration plans to take on gun violence. Brazil marks a deadly milestone in the coronavirus pandemic. The prosecution continues its case in the Derek Chauvin trial.
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Lawmakers consider President Biden's $2 trillion infrastructure proposal. More police officers in Minneapolis testify against Derek Chauvin. Vaccine hesitancy may compromise herd immunity.
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The president announces a $2 trillion infrastructure plan. Johnson & Johnson reports a vaccine batch was ruined at a factory. Fewer immigrants are being locked up, but ICE still pays for empty beds.
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Biden to unveil a $2 trillion infrastructure plan. Witnesses continue to testify in trial of ex-officer Derek Chauvin charged with murdering George Floyd. COVID-19 cases surge in India and Pakistan.
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WHO believes wildlife farms were the likely source of the pandemic. Prosecutors build a case against the ex-officer charged with George Floyd's murder. Historic Amazon union vote count begins Tuesday.
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President Biden holds his first solo news conference Thursday. AstraZeneca releases new data on the efficacy of its COVID-19 vaccine. Post shooting, Colorado Democrats consider assault weapons ban.
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Colorado gunman faces ten murder charges. After that shooting, Biden urged immediate action from the Senate on gun bills. Education Department releases data on remote learning and school reopenings.
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It's been a year since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic. The number of unaccompanied minors arriving at the U.S. border rises. Another woman accuses N.Y. Gov. Cuomo of inappropriate sexual conduct.
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The House is expected to approve the COVID-19 relief bill. Texans are no longer required to wear masks in public. Biden is expected to hire two critics of big tech for roles in his administration.