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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Seven years after surviving a car crash that took her legs and nearly took her life, singer Merry Clayton is releasing a new album, Beautiful Scars.
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The release of the band's 10th album, and a world tour in support of it, had to be put on hold thanks to you-know-what. But there's only so long folks can wait before needing some release.
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Though best known for his disco days, the last living Gibb brother is a lifelong country fan. His new album reimagines the Bee Gees' catalog as duets with some of Nashville's biggest stars.
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Country singer Brandy Clark wrote her new song, "Remember Me Beautiful," for the Morning Edition Song Project after a writing session with friends who had lost relatives during the pandemic.
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Rachel Martin speaks with the celebrated writer about Looking to Get Lost, an essay collection based on his interviews with legends of early rock and roll, blues and country.
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Known as Yusuf since becoming a Muslim in the late '70s, the man who was Cat Stevens discusses Tea for the Tillerman 2, a reimagining of his now-50-year-old masterpiece.
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In 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.
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The documentary A Thousand Cuts focuses on how Ressa and her Rappler news organization navigate Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's attacks on the press. It will be released in the U.S. Aug. 8.
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Dr. Deborah Birx says COVID-19 has entered a new phase. Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden is close to naming a running mate. What the successful SpaceX landing means for space exploration.
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Even in financial uncertainty, some firms turn a profit. Major glitches reported in a federal government database for hospital data. And, the Census Bureau's door-knocking program will end early.
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Public schools in Gwinnett County will move online this fall. The district's superintendent said most everyone will have the Internet but he "can't guarantee" reliable access for all.
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Elliott created the blue-eyes/brown-eyes classroom exercise in 1968 to teach students about racism. Today, she says, it's still playing out as the U.S. reckons with racial injustice.