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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The nine people who died in the shooting early Sunday in Dayton, Ohio, range in age from 22 to 57. They include four women and five men. -
Because Puerto Rico's Senate has not approved Pedro Pierluisi yet, legal challenges are expected. Protesters gathered outside the governor's mansion Friday to see his disgraced predecessor leave. -
President Trump, who has repeatedly attacked the Maryland Democrat in recent days, tweeted about the incident, saying, "Really bad news! The Baltimore house of Elijah Cummings was robbed." -
Scientists have found that turtle embryos can play a role in determining their own sex, which could help their species guard against climate change.
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In many turtle species, sex is determined by temperature in the egg. That makes turtles particularly vulnerable to climate change. But scientists say the animals may have a way to shield themselves. -
InterContinental Hotels Group says its hotels use some 200 million little toiletries every year. It plans to switch from tiny plastic sample sizes to bulk-sized bathroom amenities by the end of 2021. -
"The pink lady is changing her trademark to an orange jumpsuit," a North Carolina sheriff said. She got her nickname because she often wore a hot pink purse. A suspected accomplice was also arrested. -
The militant group has been waging an insurgency in Nigeria and surrounding countries for a decade, killing tens of thousands of people and displacing about 2.4 million others. -
As some 800 Marines gathered in formation at Camp Pendleton in California, 16 people were pulled out and put under arrest. An NCIS spokesperson said a total of 18 Marines have been apprehended. -
Bipartisan lawmakers have criticized Saudi Arabia's actions in the Yemen conflict where thousands of civilians have died, and Saudi Arabia's role in the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. -
"The Justice Department upholds the rule of law — and we owe it to the victims and their families to carry forward the sentence imposed by our justice system," Attorney General William Barr said. -
Evidence that arose after Meek's trial is "of such a strong nature and character that a different verdict will likely result at a retrial," a three-judge panel in Pennsylvania says.
