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Leila Fadel Leila Fadel is a host of Morning Edition, as well as NPR's morning news podcast Up First.
Leila Fadel, photographed for NPR, 2 May 2022, in Washington DC. Photo by Mike Morgan for NPR.
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Leila Fadel

Thursday

Africa

Impatient With Change, Libyans Begin To Leave

With Libya between chaos and the emergence of a new state, many Libyans are fleeing to other countries. An executive and a revolutionary activist in Tripoli explain their fears and why they may leave.

Impatient With Change, Libyans Begin To Leave

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Wednesday

Outmanned And Outgunned, Libya Struggles To Fix Its Broken Army

Soldiers march during a graduation ceremony for recruits of the Libyan army in Tripoli, the capital, on Jan. 16. The military, gutted by years under Moammar Gadhafi and by NATO attacks, faces multiple challenges as it tries to rebuild. Ismail Zitouny/Reuters/Landov hide caption

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Ismail Zitouny/Reuters/Landov

Parallels

Outmanned And Outgunned, Libya Struggles To Fix Its Broken Army

In post-Gadhafi Libya, the militias, not the military, provide security — what little there is of it. Even as world powers lend help, rebuilding the gutted army is proceeding at a glacial pace.

Outmanned And Outgunned, Libya Struggles To Fix Its Broken Army

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Thursday

Middle East

With Egyptian Press On Trial, Space For Dissent Is In Question

Thursday marks the opening day of a Cairo trial for Al-Jazeera journalists, who have been jailed on terrorism charges. The case is a sign of the dangerous conditions for the press in Egypt.

With Egyptian Press On Trial, Space For Dissent Is In Question

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Middle East

Journalists On Trial In Egypt On Terrorism-Related Charges

Journalists from Al Jazeera face the opening day of their trial on aiding a terrorist organization. The charges were apparently prompted by efforts to interview members of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Journalists On Trial In Egypt On Terrorism-Related Charges

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Sunday

Looking Back On Libya: 'We Were Naive' About The Challenges

A child from the town of Tawargha holds a toy gun at a refugee camp in Benghazi on Jan. 12. His town was cleared by militiamen who accused residents of allying with Moammar Gadhafi. AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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AFP/Getty Images

Parallels

Looking Back On Libya: 'We Were Naive' About The Challenges

The first fissures witnessed in 2011 have blown wide open, and the country has morphed into the Wild West. One activist who returned to Libya to support the revolution, says the dreams of a new Libya are at risk.

Saturday

Middle East

Libya's Slow And Bloody Path Toward Stability

The Libyan uprising against Moammar Gadhafi was launched three years ago this month. The post-revolutionary situation has gone from bad to worse, with militias overrunning the government in some Libyan cities.

Libya's Slow And Bloody Path Toward Stability

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Monday

Egypt's Crackdown Widens, But Insurgency Still Burns

Supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood (background) clash with supporters of Egypt's army chief Abdel-Fatah el-Sissi in Cairo on Jan. 24. Khaled Kamel/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Khaled Kamel/AFP/Getty Images

Parallels

Egypt's Crackdown Widens, But Insurgency Still Burns

The Egyptian security forces have targeted the Muslim Brotherhood, which is now classified as a terrorist group. But the crackdown has gone well beyond the one Islamist organization and now encompasses most everyone voicing dissent.

Egypt's Crackdown Widens, But Insurgency Still Burns

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Wednesday

Detention Of Al-Jazeera Journalists Strains Free Speech In Egypt

Mohammed Badr, a cameraman for Al-Jazeera, appears at a court in Cairo, on Dec. 4, 2013. He is among the journalists referred to the Egyptian criminal court Wednesday. Ahmed Omar/AP hide caption

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Ahmed Omar/AP

The Two-Way

Detention Of Al-Jazeera Journalists Strains Free Speech In Egypt

Canadian-Egyptian journalist Mohamed Fadel Fahmy has been accused of running a terrorist cell with the help of four foreigners; allegations the news agency calls "baseless and false." The case has shown just how far Egypt has backslid on the goals of an uprising that began three years ago this week.

Tuesday

Middle East

The Coup Goes To Court: Ousted Pres. Morsi On Trial In Cairo

Ousted Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi was in a Cairo courtroom on Tuesday, seen and heard for only the second time since he was thrust from office in a military coup last July. Morsi and other members of the Muslim Brotherhood are facing charges of collusion with Hamas and Hezbollah during the 2011 uprising against the Mubarak regime.

The Coup Goes To Court: Ousted Pres. Morsi On Trial In Cairo

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Monday

Mental Health

No Surprises: Egyptian Military Endorses Its Chief For President

Out of Cairo on Monday came new indications that Egypt's military chief, General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, will run for president in an election expected within the next three months. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, Egypt's highest military body, disseminated a message praising Sisi and endorsing him for a presidential bid.

No Surprises: Egyptian Military Endorses Its Chief For President

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Middle East

Deaths, Arrests Mark 3rd Anniversary Of Egypt's Uprising

The third anniversary of Egypt's revolution was marked with violent clashes across the country between pro and anti-government demonstrators. By Sunday morning at least 49 people had been killed and more than 1,000 arrested.

Deaths, Arrests Mark 3rd Anniversary Of Egypt's Uprising

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Saturday

Three Years Later, Tahrir Protesters Drained And Defeated

Egyptian security forces close Tahrir Square to disperse protesters in December. Ahmed Abd El Latif/AP hide caption

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Ahmed Abd El Latif/AP

Middle East

Three Years Later, Tahrir Protesters Drained And Defeated

On Jan. 25, 2011, millions of Egyptians took to the streets of Cairo to demand President Hosni Mubarak step down. Now those who led the revolution have all but disappeared, and iconic Tahrir Square is a bitter place for many — a reminder of a momentary high in a battle they say they have lost.

Three Years Later, Tahrir Protesters Drained And Defeated

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Friday

Middle East

Deadly Explosions Rattle Cairo

There have been three deadly explosions in Cairo on Friday. First, a car bomb targeted Egypt police headquarters in the heart of Cairo. The bombings come on the eve of the anniversary of the start of the 2011 uprising.

Deadly Explosions Rattle Cairo

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Tuesday

Middle East

Egyptian Military Clamps Down On Freedom Of Speech

Mohamed Fahmy is a producer with Al Jazeera English and his job has landed him in jail. His crime: speaking to Muslim Brotherhood members. Since the ouster of President Morsi, opposition channels have been shuttered, and according to the committee to protect journalists, security forces have been given free rein to target anyone viewed as sympathetic to the Brotherhood.

Egyptian Military Clamps Down On Freedom Of Speech

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Tuesday

Middle East

Doubt And Insecurity Loom As Egypt Goes To The Polls

Beginning Tuesday, Egyptians are going to the polls in a two-day referendum on a draft constitution. The Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist groups are boycotting the vote, and fears of violence have meant heavy security at polling centers.

Doubt And Insecurity Loom As Egypt Goes To The Polls

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