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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The Labor Department reports consumer prices data. The White House hosts a virtual global summit to discuss ransomware. The FDA allows a brand of e-cigarettes to stay on the market.
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The surge pushed Americans further behind. Las Vegas Raiders coach resigns after reports he used derogatory language. Ex-Navy engineer and his wife are accused of trying to sell submarine secrets.
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The FDA will review booster data from Moderna and J&J. A preview of what to expect from the FDA this week, and how vaccines are still holding up despite waning immunity.
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It's expected to be a big week for COVID-19 vaccines and boosters. Ballots are being counted in Iraq's parliamentary elections. China and Taiwan used a weekend occasion to heat up their rhetoric.
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Texas' abortion law is temporarily blocked. Congress appears closer to a deal that keeps the government paying its bills. A study estimates more than 140,00 children have lost a caregiver to COVID-19.
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The CDC director endorses booster shots for at-risk workers. The House panel probing the Jan. 6 attack issues subpoenas to four ex-Trump officials. The U.S. hosts a summit that will talk about China.
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The Food and Drug Administration gave the OK for a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine booster for anyone 65 or older or at high risk for severe disease. People whose work puts them at risk will also be eligible.
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The FDA OKs a Pfizer booster for people 65+ or at high risk for severe COVID-19. Some Haitian migrants have been released into the U.S. The U.N. says people in an area of Ethiopia face severe hunger.
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The delta variant may have peaked in the U.S. Photos of U.S. agents herding Haitian migrants at the border are hard to look at. Probe finds Entergy New Orleans fought efforts to ready for disasters.
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Johnson & Johnson says a booster six months after the first shot increases antibodies 12-fold, indicating a second shot would provide added protection.