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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In California, President Trump is pressed on climate change. Gulf Coast communities brace for Hurricane Sally. And, Israel is set to sign deals opening formal relations with two Arab nations.
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News Brief: Wildfires, Woodward's 'Rage,' Voters In Pa. County Speak OutWildfires burn millions of acres in California, Oregon and Washington. Bob Woodward addresses criticism that he should've detailed Trump comments earlier. And, we hear from voters in Erie County, Pa.
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Wildfires burn in every region of Oregon. New book says President Trump downplayed seriousness of COVID-19. And, whistleblower says Homeland Security told him to stop reporting on Russia threat.
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President Trump and Joe Biden hit the campaign trail. Germany says Novichok was used to poison Russian opposition head. And, family shares police video of Black man's death in New York.
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Daniel Prude's Death Ruled A Homicide. He Was Restrained By PoliceThere's outraged over the death of Daniel Prude in Rochester, N.Y., which happened in March. Body camera footage from his encounter with police was released Wednesday.
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Facebook and Twitter remove Russia-backed accounts targeting some voters. An ex-DHS official says the White House failed to take far-right extremism seriously. And, there's a new ban on evictions.
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President Trump travels to Kenosha, Wis., on Tuesday. Teachers in New York City schools move closer to a strike. And, India is emerging as the new global epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic.
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Ben Crump, who represents the family of Jacob Blake, and Philonise Floyd, the brother of George Floyd, share their views on what a March on Washington means in 2020. -
News Brief: Laura Roars Ashore, Kenosha Protests, Republican ConventionHurricane Laura has made landfall on the Gulf Coast. Protests over the police shooting of Jacob Blake continued for a 4th night in Wisconsin. And, highlights of the third night of the GOP convention.
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Summer Of Racial ReckoningIn a new three-part special, NPR examines how George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery became part of a rallying cry that has led the U.S. to confront the racism of its past and present.
