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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Secretary of State Antony Blinken is back in Israel with a big focus on providing humanitarian aid to Gaza. Israel is still threatening to move on Rafah, in Southern Gaza, despite U.S. opposition.
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Two men were in business together until Oct. 7. The Israeli looks forward to a day when that trade will resume, while the Palestinian hopes he'll survive a war in which he has lost everything.
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Secretary of State Antony Blinken is trying to convince Israelis to consider a future Palestinian state, but many in Israel are more opposed to it than ever.
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The State Department has found that some Israeli units were responsible for gross violations of human rights, but so far has stopped short of restricting U.S. aid to them.
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Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who turned 24 last month while in captivity, has spent more than 200 days in captivity. His left arm was partially blown off by a grenade during the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7. -
Hamas has released a video of one of the Americans held hostage in Gaza, the first such move since the October 7 attack.
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China has told the world that that it is neutral in the Russia-Ukraine war, and that it is not providing weapons to Russia. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected visit to Beijing this month.
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The U.N. Security Council met Thursday to debate and vote on the Palestinian application for full membership in the United Nations, which would allow it to vote during U.N. proceedings. -
UN human rights experts say there are credible allegations that Ukrainian POWs have been tortured by Russian forces. Family members of some spoke to NPR about these cases.
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U.S. government-funded Radio Free Asia is closing its Hong Kong operation after the city enacted a tough new national security law known locally as Article 23.
