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.
-
An experimental antiviral drug shows promise fighting COVID-19. Also a next-generation Coronavirus test raises hopes and concerns. And, the Navy imposes strict rules on a branch of civilian mariners.
-
Mark Green talks to NPR about what it's like leaving during a global health crisis — and what the future may hold for the agency. -
Even though Vinton County, Ohio, hasn't had high infection rates of the coronavirus, social restrictions have made it harder to keep drug users and their children safe, says Trecia Kimes-Brown. -
What does Congress need to do to prepare for reopening the country? Georgia's dine-in restaurants and theaters are allowed to open. And, COVID-19 may change basic human interactions like handshakes.
-
President Trump will give guidance to governors on reopening states. First-time claims for jobless benefits will be announced. And in India, fears contact-tracing has crossed into discrimination.
-
The U.S. coronavirus curve rises while China's flattens. The pandemic opens a new front in the abortion battle. And, Bloomberg staffers say they were promised jobs through November, some are suing.
-
Jobless claims hit 6.6 million in today's report, doubling the grim milestone reached last week. The numbers are released weekly by the U.S. Department of Labor.
-
President Trump says he's considering restricting some domestic travel. Florida orders residents to stay at home. And, the coronavirus nearly bumps the presidential campaign from news headlines.
-
New orders, production and employment were all down.These are just some of the ways the coronavirus pandemic and the government's effort to address it are slamming the brakes on the U.S. economy.
-
To fight the coronavirus, social distancing guidelines are extended for 30 more days. New models predict how the virus may play out in the U.S. And in New York, more than 1,000 have died of COVID-19.
