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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The question of what fully vaccinated means might be changing as booster shots are becoming more important. More data, and new policies, are emerging in the U.S. and around the world.
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The CDC says a test to get out of COVID isolation is not needed. Amateur sleuths help to track down Jan. 6 rioters. Elizabeth Holmes' fraud conviction wouldn't have happened without whistleblowers.
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Colorado is investigating the cause of last week's wildfire. The state, however, doesn't have a very good track record when it comes to determining the cause of those fires.
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Elizabeth Holmes, the former CEO of blood testing startup Theranos, has been convicted of wire fraud and conspiracy. She faces a potential prison sentence of 20 years.
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Ex-Theranos CEO found guilty on four counts in fraud trial. In Philadelphia, students, teachers and bus drivers have COVID. The Marines are probing what went wrong with an amphibious assault vehicle.
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The U.S. is now averaging between 300,000 and 400,000 new cases of COVID-19 each day. That's leading to difficult questions over cancelling events and having students back in the classroom.
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The omicron variant hasn't slowed in the U.S. A poll shows Americans are deeply pessimistic about the future of democracy. The Capitol Police chief is to testify before a Senate panel this week.
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Thousands of people lost their homes and businesses in the tornadoes across Kentucky. Now, residents are sorting out how to move forward and whether or not to rebuild.
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A D.C. official is suing two extremist groups for the attack on the U.S. Capitol. The U.S. marks another sobering pandemic milestone. President Biden heads to Kentucky to survey tornado damage.
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The coronavirus has now killed more than 800,000 people in the U.S., more deaths than any other country has reported. The U.S. also leads the world in diagnosed cases with more than 50 million.
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Scientists in South Africa have found that the effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infections has dropped to about 30% for the omicron variant.
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Hundreds of victims of ex-USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar reached a $380 million settlement with the organization and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, ending a five-year legal battle.