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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Iran moves several U.S. citizens from prison to house arrest — possibly a step toward their eventual freedom in a prisoner swap.
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The United Nations Security Council meets on Sudan, as a deadly power struggle in the capital continues. More than 4 million people have been uprooted in the conflict, which began in April.
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The U.S. is pushing for a diplomatic resolution in the West African country of Niger, as Secretary Blinken warns that Russian-backed mercenaries Wagner are taking advantage of the instability there.
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Twenty-five years after Al Qaeda bombed the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, State Department officials past and present remember the victims and talk about security at embassies today.
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Saudi Arabia is hosting a conference to discuss ending the war in Ukraine, but Russia is not invited.
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Secretary of State Antony Blinken used a meeting at the security council to call out Russia's attacks on Ukraine's agriculture sector, warning that the rest of the world is paying the price.
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The United States takes over the UN Security Council at a time when the international community is struggling to revive a grain deal with Russia and Ukraine and agree on a security force for Haiti.
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Secretary of State Antony Blinken warns the U.S. partnership with Niger depends on "democratic governance and respect for the rule of law." Niger is vital to U.S. counterterrorism efforts in Africa. -
The U.S. is calling for the president of Niger to be released after soldiers say they have seized power in a coup in the West African country. -
The President of the West African nation of Niger has been removed in a coup. President Mohamed Bazoum has been held hostage by his own guard at his residence since early Wednesday morning.
