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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New laws aim to change the power imbalance in rent court, where tenants with no lawyer are more likely to lose. But some cities have a shortage of attorneys or no set way to pair them with renters. -
Despite more attention and money to reduce homelessness, the numbers in many U.S. cities keep going up. Experts say a key reason is the persistent lack of affordable housing.
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When people are facing eviction, a "rent court" judge has the final say. But there can be a big power imbalance. More than a dozen cities now say tenants have a right to legal counsel.
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A group called Patriotic Millionaires has failed to get Congress to raise their taxes or boost the minimum wage. Now they're taking their concerns about inequality to swing-state voters. -
We take a look at what the debt deal means for Americans in two key sectors: Social safety net programs, as well as energy and climate.
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The debt-ceiling deal that Congress is considering adds work requirements for some people on food stamps. Researchers say the bigger issue is that the requirements don't actually help many find work.
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A major point of contention in debt-ceiling negotiations is tougher work requirements for safety-net programs.
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Businesses like Cook Medical in Indiana say the housing shortage makes it harder to recruit and keep middle-income workers. Now, more companies are building places for employees to rent or even buy. -
Compensation for descendants of enslaved people is broadly controversial, and especially so among whites and Republicans. Researchers say one reason may be misperceptions about the racial wealth gap. -
Pulitzer winner for Evicted Matthew Desmond examines why the U.S. has more poverty than other rich nations. He finds it spends big on social programs, but gives the most to those who need it least.
