Liz Baker Liz Baker is a producer on NPR's National Desk based in Los Angeles.
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Liz Baker

Liz Baker

Producer, National Desk

Liz Baker is a producer on NPR's National Desk based in Los Angeles, and is often on the road producing coverage of domestic breaking news stories.

Since joining NPR as an Arts Desk intern in 2010, Baker has worked on each of NPR's newsmagazine programs and dozens of hours of special coverage, including every election night and inauguration special since President Obama's second term. She has covered natural and man-made disasters, including Hurricanes Maria, Ida, and Ian, the catastrophic 2019-2020 wildfire seasons in California, Oregon, and Australia, and the Surfside condo collapse in Florida. She also covered mass shootings in Buffalo, NY, Uvalde, TX, and Monterey Park, CA, and high-profile court cases such as the hate crime and murder trial against Ahmaud Arbery's killers in Brunswick, GA, Harvey Weinstein's sexual assault trial in Los Angeles, and Britney Spears' conservatorship hearing.

In 2020, Baker produced on-the-ground coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the summer of racial justice protests following the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. She reported extensively on the protests in her hometown of Rochester, NY, which were sparked by police body camera video of Daniel Prude's death and contributed to renewed conversations about policing reform and mental illness.

From 2015 to 2019, Baker produced and directed Weekend All Things Considered; working closely with host Michel Martin to revitalize the program after its move to Washington, D.C. following a 2-year run in Los Angeles.

In her spare time, she enjoys climbing, camping, and clomping around the Santa Monica mountains with a too-heavy pack, always ready to lend first aid and snacks to others on the trail.

Story Archive

Thursday

Monday

Trial against Harvey Weinstein begins with graphic descriptions of violent assaults

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Thursday

Alva Sulaty points to the damage in her home in North Port, Fla., on Wednesday, after Hurricane Ian flooded her neighborhood. Carlos Osorio for NPR hide caption

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Carlos Osorio for NPR

North Port residents start sorting through the wreckage of Hurricane Ian

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Tuesday

Debbie Lewis and Diana Bisson, partners of 43 years, stand in the kitchen of what remains of their home in the Flamingo Bay neighborhood on Pine Island, Fla., on Monday. They are planning to leave the island as soon as the road out is passable. Carlos Osorio for NPR hide caption

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Carlos Osorio for NPR

Ian cut off residents of Florida's Pine Island. They are just now taking stock

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Wednesday

Hurricane Ian — a major category 4 storm — has made landfall in Florida

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Thursday

Friday

LeCandice Durham, Lenny Lane and their children stand by the Tops parking lot entrance in Buffalo, N.Y., on Friday to welcome back customers and employees on opening day after the supermarket was closed after May's mass shooting. Liz Baker hide caption

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Liz Baker

Tops grocery store in Buffalo reopens to mixed reactions after mass shooting

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Saturday

Protesters hold up signs during an abortion rights demonstration Saturday in New York City. Jeenah Moon/AP hide caption

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Jeenah Moon/AP

Reproductive rights supporters rally across the country

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Tuesday

Friday

About 100 voting bills have now been introduced in the Arizona legislature, many are seen as limiting or restricting access to the ballot box. Kirk Siegler/NPR hide caption

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Kirk Siegler/NPR

Arizona Republicans continue pushing voting restrictions, risking backfire

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Thursday

Tuesday

Friday

Greg McMichael, center, listens to his attorney during his 2021 state murder trial. McMichael, his son Travis McMichael, and neighbor William "Roddie" Bryan are now on trial for committing federal hate crimes against Ahmaud Arbery. Stephen B. Morton-Pool/Getty Images hide caption

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Stephen B. Morton-Pool/Getty Images

Wednesday

Travis McMichael (left) speaks with attorney Jason B. Sheffield during his sentencing in state court last month for the 2020 murder of Ahmaud Arbery. Stephen B. Morton/Pool/AP hide caption

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Stephen B. Morton/Pool/AP

Monday

Insurrectionists loyal to then-President Donald Trump are seen swarming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C. Americans remain bitterly divided over the events that led to the siege on the Capitol that day, according to a new NPR/Ipsos poll. John Minchillo/AP hide caption

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John Minchillo/AP

6 in 10 Americans say U.S. democracy is in crisis as the 'Big Lie' takes root

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Thursday

Saturday

Sunday

Marvin Weeks in front of his mural of Ahmaud Arbrery. Debbie Elliott/NPR hide caption

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Debbie Elliott/NPR

Ahmaud Arbery muralist turns to Brunswick history

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Saturday

Outside of the Glynn County Courthouse, Ahmaud Arbery's aunt, Thea Brooks, joins a group during a demonstration calling for the conviction of the three men who face charges in the death of Ahmaud Arbery and other county officials they say were complicit in his death. Riley Bunch/Georgia Public Broadcasting hide caption

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Riley Bunch/Georgia Public Broadcasting

Tuesday

A man works on the roof of a storm-damaged house on Sept. 4 after Hurricane Ida swept through Grand Isle, La. A new poll finds that two-thirds of Americans say if their home is hit by an extreme weather event they'd rather rebuild than relocate. Sean Rayford/Getty Images hide caption

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Sean Rayford/Getty Images

Friday

The Death Toll From Ida's Severe Weather Continues To Rise

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Thursday

Tuesday

16 Years After Hurricane Katrina, News Orleans Is Forced To Deal With Ida

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Monday