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.
-
The Trump administration froze funding for a program to upgrade aging low-income housing and make it energy efficient. The move threatens hundreds of projects around the country. -
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development says it is partnering with Homeland Security to help identify immigrants without legal status living in publicly subsidized housing.
-
Most housing discrimination claims are handled by local nonprofits around the country. They say the Trump administration has hobbled them, and are challenging the cuts as unlawful. -
Thousands of newly arrived refugees lost financial support and help with setting up their new lives in America. Aid groups are challenging the freeze in court as they scramble to keep refugees housed. -
Advocates warn that deep cuts at the Department of Housing and Urban Development will make the housing crisis worse. Congressional Democrats want more details on what DOGE has done and what it plans.
-
The Trump administration wants massive staff cuts at the federal housing agency. Employees and others say they could end up making record-high homelessness even worse.
-
Big insurance companies have pulled back from California, forcing thousands to turn to insurers of last resort. Fire victims say the limited policies will make recovery and rebuilding more difficult. -
The first Trump administration tried to scale back who gets food benefits, and allies aim to try again. Food pantries say they're already busier than ever. -
President-elect Trump wants to overhaul how the U.S. manages record-high homelessness. It could shift billions in federal funding away from housing and toward drug addiction programs. (This story first aired on Morning Edition on Jan. 3, 2025.)
-
In New Orleans, it's been several days since the New Year's Day truck attack in the French Quarter. As residents and tourists grapple with what happened, people are also trying to get back to normal.
