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 U.S. "not only has a higher percentage of political ambassadors, but has a higher percentage ... who don't seem to be temperamentally or intellectually suited for the work," says an ex-diplomat. -
The State Department's new listing of Chinese media escalates a tit-for-tat scrap over journalists that kicked off earlier in the year.
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U.S. diplomats are returning to China. Secretary of State has met his Chinese counterpart in Hawaii. But the U.S.-China relations that plummeted during the pandemic are not getting any quick fixes.
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Democrats are investigating if he was removed in retaliation for carrying out his duties. Secretary of State Pompeo says, "He didn't take on the mission of the State Department to make us better."
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Iran has released Michael White — U.S. Navy veteran who had been held there for two years — in the latest of prisoner releases that continue despite the conflict between the two countries.
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Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says that Hong Kong no longer maintains a high degree of autonomy from China. This comes as China's legislature approved a resolution to suppress unrest in Hong Kong.
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House Democrats accused the president of trying to protect Secretary of State Mike Pompeo from investigation by firing the State Department inspector general, Steve Linick.
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The Trump administration says China poses a risk for its lack of transparency about COVID-19. China says the U.S. is trying to shift blame for the Trump administration's failings.
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The Trump administration wants U.N. members to plug loopholes allowing North Korea to evade sanctions. Many others say it is time to ease the restrictions in the face of a global pandemic.
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The U.S. is the largest funder of the World Health Organization. But President Trump says the WHO "blew it" during the pandemic, and some critics say China has too much influence.
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As diplomats call on countries to work together, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has blamed China for the "Wuhan virus," increased sanctions on Iran and accused North Korea of building weapons.
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The U.S. and China have clashed over the handling of the coronavirus outbreak. China is using its soft power to compete with the U.S. for influence during the pandemic.
