Brakkton Booker
Brakkton Booker is a National Desk reporter based in Washington, DC.
He covers a wide range of topics including issues related to federal social safety net programs and news around the mid-Atlantic region of the United States.
His reporting takes him across the country covering natural disasters, like hurricanes and flooding, as well as tracking trends in regional politics and in state governments, particularly on issues of race.
Following the 2018 mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, Booker's reporting broadened to include a focus on young activists pushing for changes to federal and state gun laws, including the March For Our Lives rally and national school walkouts.
Prior to joining NPR's national desk, Booker spent five years as a producer/reporter for NPR's political unit. He spent most to the 2016 presidential campaign cycle covering the contest for the GOP nomination and was the lead producer from the Trump campaign headquarters on election night. Booker served in a similar capacity from the Louisville campaign headquarters of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in 2014. During the 2012 presidential campaign, he produced pieces and filed dispatches from the Republican and Democratic National conventions, as well as from President Obama's reelection site in Chicago.
In the summer of 2014, Booker took a break from politics to report on the unrest in Ferguson, Missouri.
Booker started his career as a show producer working on nearly all of NPR's magazine programs, including Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and former news and talk show Tell Me More, where he produced the program's signature Barbershop segment.
He earned a bachelor's degree from Howard University and was a 2015 Kiplinger Fellow. When he's not on the road, Booker enjoys discovering new brands of whiskey and working on his golf game.
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NewsPolice shot and killed Walter Wallace, a 27-year-old Black man, in a confrontation Monday. National Guard troops will be deployed, at the county's request, amid protests following the shooting. -
NewsThe judge said he was "left with no choice" but to impose a countywide curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. He noted El Paso County has seen a 160% increase in its positivity rate in the last three weeks. -
NewsWaukegan's mayor said the release of the video is expected before Thursday. An unnamed officer who shot and killed Marcellis Stinnette and injured Tafara Williams has been terminated. -
NewsTulsa officials said at least 12 coffins were discovered over four days of digging in the city-owned Oaklawn Cemetery. More tests need to be conducted to determine if remains are massacre victims. -
Illinois State Police are investigating the police shooting of Marcellis Stinnette in Waukegan, Ill., north of Chicago. At a rally Thursday, protesters say they want police accountability. -
NewsPat Chambers resigned after the university said it investigated new allegations of inappropriate conduct. In July, a Black former player said Chambers referenced "noose" around the player's neck. -
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was captured on cellphone video kneeling on Floyd's neck for several minutes, still faces a higher charge of second-degree murder. -
NewsTaylor's killing, along with that of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery, sparked national protests calling for an end to systemic racism and police brutality. Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly denied he is racist. -
NewsThe public health order does not apply to varsity sports such as the football team, which plays University of Minnesota on the road Saturday. The two-week order was prompted by surging virus cases. -
Justice Department officials unveiled a new initiative Tuesday to establish a grant program and national center to help with defining policies and training officers.
