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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In total, scientists say there are about 79,000 tons of plastic in this area, which is more than double the size of Texas. -
It happened in the final few seconds of the game, after a referee tossed out a goal from PAOK. Greek authorities have reportedly issued an arrest warrant for the team owner, a wealthy businessman. -
"It is now clear that Mr. Skripal and his daughter were poisoned with a military-grade nerve agent of a type developed by Russia," May told lawmakers in a statement on Monday. -
The American Civil Liberties Union says that U.S. immigration authorities have forcibly separated migrant parents, most of them asylum seekers, from their minor children for no legitimate reason. -
The effort involves tech leaders such as Alibaba, Baidu, eBay, Facebook and Instagram who have pledged to try to reduce trafficking across their platforms by 80 percent by 2020. -
The researchers say the problem is that the animals' primary source of food is moving farther away from places where they can breed. They're likely going to have to swim farther for their dinner. -
Two of those killed were beloved staff members. Chris Hixon and Aaron Feis were both coaches at the school, and they were remembered fondly by colleagues and students.
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Nikolas Cruz, 19, who has been charged with premeditated murder, has confessed to the crime. Officials say the gun used in Wednesday's attack was bought legally by the suspect just under a year ago. -
The unexploded ordnance, described as a 500 kg German bomb by local authorities, has prompted the cancellation of all flights on Monday from the airport. The bomb was found in the River Thames. -
Understanding the molecular basis of major disorders such as autism, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder could help in developing better treatments.
