Jennifer Ludden
Jennifer Ludden helps edit energy and environment stories for NPR's National Desk, working with NPR staffers and a team of public radio reporters across the country. They track the shift to clean energy, state and federal policy moves, and how people and communities are coping with the mounting impacts of climate change.
Previously, Ludden was an NPR correspondent covering family life and social issues, including the changing economics of marriage, the changing role of dads, and the ethical challenges of reproductive technology. She's also covered immigration and national security.
Ludden started reporting with NPR while based overseas in West Africa, Europe and the Middle East. She shared in two awards (Overseas Press Club and Society of Professional Journalists) for NPR's coverage of the Kosovo war in 1999, and won the Robert F. Kennedy Award for her coverage of the overthrow of Mobutu Sese Seko in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. When not navigating war zones, Ludden reported on cultural trends, including the dying tradition of storytellers in Syria, the emergence of Persian pop music in Iran, and the rise of a new form of urban polygamy in Africa.
Ludden has also reported from Canada and at public radio stations in Boston and Maine. She's a graduate of Syracuse University with degrees in television, radio, and film production and in English.
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Millions of people are struggling with the record high costs of renting or buying a home. That's made housing a top concern for voters.
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The conservative Cicero Institute is working with states to ban street camps, and shift money away from housing to addiction treatment. Homelessness advocates says such moves are counterproductive. -
Four states so far have passed laws prohibiting the use of public money for no-strings cash aid. Advocates for basic income say the backlash is being fueled by a conservative think tank. -
Lower courts ruled it's "cruel and unusual" to fine or jail people on public land if no shelter is available. An Oregon city says that's hamstrung efforts to keep public spaces safe and open to all. -
Last year, hundreds of Palestinian citizens of Israel were arrested for questioning the war in Gaza. But after six months of fighting, they are starting to hold antiwar rallies.
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Israel's Ultra-Orthodox Jews have broad exemption from military duty. But the expanded war on Hamas has intensified pressure to change that.
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The pilot program chose people on the city's long waitlist for housing vouchers to test how much direct cash payments can help. HUD, the federal housing agency, is interested in the possibility. -
Flint, Mich., aims to be a model for wiping out deep poverty during a crucial time for child development. The new benefits start during pregnancy to encourage prenatal care. -
The idea got a boost from the pandemic, when an array of cash relief helped cut child poverty and keep people housed. Researchers are studying how much money, for how long, may have lasting impact. -
Lower courts have said it's unconstitutional to punish people for sleeping outside if no shelter is available. Cities say these rulings have paralyzed their efforts to manage growing tent encampments.
