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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Jacobs beat his personal best time and put his star solidly on the map in the blazing fast race. The U.S.'s Fred Kerley, who is 26 and from San Antonio, took silver. -
Lee flipped and twisted from bar to bar in a sparkly blue leotard. She smiled and looked confident as she walked off the mat, and seemed a little surprised at her score. -
Skinner was tapped to compete in the vault individual final after Simone Biles, the greatest gymnast in the world, withdrew from the competition to focus on her mental health. -
Saunders said she's been open about her mental health struggles so others don't feel alone. It's also why she wears her identities so proudly as a gay Black woman. -
Elaine Thompson-Herah of Jamaica has won the fastest women's track race at the Tokyo Games in Olympic record time. She was the defending gold medalist in this event. Jamaica swept the final. -
French judo athlete Teddy Riner, a 6-foot-8, two-time gold medalist known as "Big Ted," has dominated his sport for a decade. It was a shock when he lost in a quarterfinal fight. -
This means they'll head to the semifinal. The U.S. is trying to become the first reigning Women's World Cup champion to win Olympic gold. -
The Serbian star was beaten in the men's tennis semifinal by Germany's Alexander Zverev. It means Djokovic can't make history by winning all four major tournaments and Olympic gold in a single year. -
Fields, who took gold in BMX racing at the 2016 Olympic Games, came down wrong from a jump and suffered a horrific crash. A Team USA doctor says Fields is stable and awaiting further evaluation. -
This competition was initially defined by who wasn't competing. U.S. star Simone Biles, the greatest gymnast of all time and the heavy favorite to win, pulled out to take care of her mental health.
