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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In Vladimir Putin’s Russia, writing about the war in Ukraine, the church or LGBTQ+ life could land you in jail. A new organization helps authors publish books in Russian they couldn't back home. -
The Wall Street Journal reporter and the former U.S. Marine have been released by Russia in exchange for Russian prisoners held in the U.S. and Europe, in what the U.S. calls a historic prisoner swap. -
Russia has announced that Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich will face trial for espionage charges. The State Department condemns the decision.
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The council voted 14-0 to support President Biden’s step-by-step plan for a cease-fire, an exchange of hostages and prisoners and an end to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. -
President Biden called it outrageous that the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court is seeking arrest warrants for Israel's prime minister and defense minister and three Hamas leaders.
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Secretary of State Antony Blinken ended his trip to Ukraine by promising U.S. help to push Russian troops out. But the lengthy debates in Washington over aid to Ukraine has impacted the battleground.
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It has been a whiplash day in Gaza. Hamas accepted a ceasefire proposal with Israel, but the Israeli cabinet has vowed to continue operation in Rafah.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that his government voted unanimously to shut down the local offices of Qatar-owned broadcaster Al Jazeera. -
Palestinians in the West Bank are following the protests on US campuses and say this movement is giving them hope.
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Israeli settlers tried to block a new aid route into Gaza. The incident was a setback for Blinken, who was trying to highlight progress in getting Palestinians food and supplies to stave off famine.
