Michele Kelemen
Michele Kelemen has been with NPR for two decades, starting as NPR's Moscow bureau chief and now covering the State Department and Washington's diplomatic corps. Her reports can be heard on all NPR News programs, including Morning Edition and All Things Considered.
As Diplomatic Correspondent, Kelemen has traveled with Secretaries of State from Colin Powell to Mike Pompeo and everyone in between. She reports on the Trump administration's "America First" foreign policy and before that the Obama and Bush administration's diplomatic agendas. She was part of the NPR team that won the 2007 Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia University Award for coverage of the war in Iraq.
As NPR's Moscow bureau chief, Kelemen chronicled the end of the Yeltsin era and Vladimir Putin's consolidation of power. She recounted the terrible toll of the latest war in Chechnya, while also reporting on a lighter side of Russia, with stories about modern day Russian literature and sports.
Kelemen came to NPR in September 1998, after eight years working for the Voice of America. There, she learned the ropes as a news writer, newscaster and show host.
Michele earned her Bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master's degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies in Russian and East European Affairs and International Economics.
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The U.S. ordered non-essential personnel to leave its diplomatic missions in Baghdad and Erbil on Wednesday. The Trump administration says Iran poses a threat to U.S. interests in the region.
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The Trump administration is considering putting the Muslim Brotherhood, a mainstream movement in some Middle Eastern countries and in the U.S., on the State Department's terrorism list.
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The Trump administration is calling on Russia to support Venezuela instead of President Nicolás Maduro. Russia says the U.S. is meddling in Venezuela and violating international law.
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Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told CNN on Tuesday Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro was on the tarmac ready to leave, but Russians insisted he stay.
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The number of political prisoners is on the rise in Vladimir Putin's Russia. Activists say it is time for the U.S. to step up the pressure with targeted sanctions to reverse this trend.
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Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday announces an end to sanctions waivers it has granted countries that import Iranian oil, such as Japan and Turkey.
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Nearly a decade after WikiLeaks published thousands of diplomatic cables, one former ambassador describes it as "the toxic gift that keeps on giving." Diplomats spent years rebuilding trust with other governments.
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More than three years ago, the Egyptian military, using U.S.-made helicopters, mistakenly attacked a group of tourists — killing 12 people and wounding an American woman.
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The Trump administration's point man on Venezuela was convicted of misleading Congress during the Iran-Contra affair. Abrams' past came up during a House hearing on Venezuela's political crisis.
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President Trump addressed the Defeat ISIS coalition at the State Department on Wednesday, reassuring them the U.S. remains committed to the fight despite his decision to withdraw troops from Syria.