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 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.
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Russia withdrew from a deal that allowed Ukraine to export its goods to world markets despite the war. The U.S. and Europe have been working on alternative routes, though the options are limited.
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Nobel laureates from Ukraine, Belarus and Russia are in Washington to talk about their work and the war in Ukraine.
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The U.S. Marine veteran was freed from Russian prison in a prisoner swap last year. Now he has sustained an injury while fighting in Ukraine, the State Department said. -
The United Nations says Russian strikes on Ukrainian ports pose a threat to the global food market. The U.S. is seeking to safeguard Ukrainian grain shipments.
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The United Nations Security Council is set to vote soon to extend the work in Haiti. The council has yet to to decide whether to sent international troops. Gangs have taken over much of the country.
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Secretary of State Antony Blinken has raised concerns about China's military and intelligence activities in Cuba, where it allegedly has spy bases and a possible military training bass.
