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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They are the highest-ranking officials to date to face charges in connection to the August explosion that killed at least 200 people and devastated large portions of Lebanon's capital. -
The president, who is being treated for COVID-19, has been downplaying the severity of the disease. He said falsely that, compared with the flu, COVID-19 is "in most populations far less lethal." -
One hundred large fires are burning in 12 states across the West — but just five of them have been contained, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. -
In May, mining giant Rio Tinto blasted through two ancient rock shelters in Western Australia in order to mine iron ore. The company has been under rising pressure to hold executives accountable. -
Prosecutors say those charged attempted to steal more than $175 million from the Paycheck Protection Program, which is meant to provide relief to small businesses impacted by the pandemic.
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The fire erupts at a warehouse storing oil and tires in the port's duty-free zone, sending waves of fear through the devastated city. By early Thursday evening, the fire was reportedly under control. -
The university says Jessica A. Krug has quit, effective immediately, after a blog post published under her name said she had assumed various Black identities even though she is a white woman.
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Robert Hadden has been arrested in connection with the abuse of dozens of female patients, including minors. He has been accused of abuse in the past but avoided jail time in a previous case. -
Gen. Frank McKenzie, who is responsible for U.S. forces in the Middle East, says the U.S. presence will drop from 5,200 to 3,000 troops in a move he says shows confidence in Iraqi army. -
The probe will focus on whether the recent tragedies "may be symptomatic of underlying leadership, discipline, and morale deficiencies throughout the chain-of-command."
