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.
-
President Trump says Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is wasting his time negotiating with North Korea. Tillerson says he's keeping open channels for now, mostly to talk about humanitarian concerns.
-
The State Department will pull out all nonessential staff, citing mysterious attacks on diplomats that have caused symptoms including dizziness and hearing problems. The U.S. Embassy will remain open.
-
President Trump makes his United Nations debut this week and he's making a big push to cut the U.N.'s budget. The State Department plans to have a smaller footprint as part of this effort.
-
The security council voted unanimously on a new sanctions resolution Monday that U.S. ambassador Nikki Haley says is meant to starve North Korea of money needed to support its nuclear program.
-
University of Virginia historians say tumult isn't unexpected in the first year of a new administration. But there are questions about whether the Trump administration is prepared to handle crises. -
Residents of Charlottesville, Va., are still reeling from the white nationalist rally that left one counterprotester dead. The city held a town hall meeting Sunday to try to find ways to move forward.
-
Sixteen U.S. diplomats and family members were injured by "incidents" in Cuba that required medical treatment. The injuries included hearing loss and mild traumatic brain injury, according to reports. Some suspect sonic attacks.
-
A day after President Trump outlined his strategy for the war in Afghanistan, his secretary of state took questions about the potential for diplomacy. Rex Tillerson has downgraded the office dealing with the conflict.
-
When Syrian Mansour al-Omari left prison, he smuggled out pieces of fabric with the names of other inmates written in blood. He's hopes experts at the Holocaust Memorial Museum can help recover them.
-
The Trump administration says it is redoubling efforts to free American citizens detained in Iran. Iran seems to be hinting it wants another prisoner swap, as the Obama administration negotiated.
