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 State Department is also warning Americans to "arrange for immediate return to the United States" or prepare for an indefinite period overseas. -
As of Thursday afternoon, the number of deaths in Italy from the coronavirus disease COVID-19 exceeds 3,400 — passing China's tally of more than 3,200 deaths. -
The closures come after many school districts and dozens of colleges and universities have temporarily closed or switched to virtual classes because of the disease. -
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blasted the decision, calling it a "breathtaking action by an unaccountable political institution." Human rights groups are applauding the move. -
Clouds of the insects can stretch for miles, devouring vegetation and destroying crops. Locust experts say time is running out to get the swarms under control because they multiply so quickly. -
The Department of Justice is accusing the Chinese telecom giant of racketeering and conspiracy to steal trade secrets from U.S. companies. The Trump administration has security concerns about Huawei. -
Shortly after the attack last August, Patrick Wood Crusius allegedly told police he had driven to the store intending to kill "Mexicans." -
Wildlife protection groups are decrying the proposal as an attempt to gut a century-old law that protects birds, while industry groups say they have long been hamstrung by the threat of legal action. -
"The main reason for this declaration is not because of what is happening in China but because of what is happening in other countries," said World Health Organization head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. -
One of the biggest changes is that the Department of Transportation would no longer require airlines to consider emotional support animals as service animals, as they have in the past.
