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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With a new school year underway, we're wondering what goals you might be setting for yourselves. NPR poet-in-residence Kwame Alexander asks you to write about one of your goals in the form of a poem.
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Voters in Florida head to the polls Tuesday. Ukrainian workers man a nuclear power plant under the eyes of occupying Russian soldiers. More states are poised to enact abortion trigger bans this week.
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Three law enforcement officers in Arkansas have been suspended over what appeared to be the beating of a suspect that was caught on video.
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Have the primaries given hints about the upcoming midterms? Terrorism charges are filed against Pakistan's ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan. A car bomb near Moscow killed the daughter of a key Putin ally.
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As the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan last year, Marine Corps veteran Elliot Ackerman was frantically rebuilding a network of old allies to help desperate Afghans escape.
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Morning Edition asked readers to submit poems in the form of letters, addressed to anyone. NPR poet-in-residence Kwame Alexander drew from the more than 600 responses to create a community poem.
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A wrap up of the latest House Jan. 6 committee hearing. The U.N. appears close to a deal to get needed grain out of Ukraine to the rest of the world. President Biden is being treated for COVID-19.
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As the heat wave in southern Europe shows some signs of abating, temperatures in northern Europe are soaring. Record highs are expected in the U.K. where officials have declared a national emergency.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin travels to Iran. Northern Europe is bracing for unusually high temperatures this week. And for the first time since 2015, the ATF has a permanent director.
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A Texas House report issues blame for failures in Uvalde. Steve Bannon goes on trial Monday for refusing to comply with a subpoena from the Jan. 6 panel. Ukraine's president fires two top officials.