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 White House is said to be nominating State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert as the next U.N. ambassador. She joined the State Department after working at Fox News as a reporter and host.
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From Fox & Friends to the State Department, and now possibly to the United Nations. President Trump says he will nominate the former journalist to be America's next U.N. ambassador.
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Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says many of the multilateral agreements and organizations built by the U.S. and its allies after WWII are failing, and the Trump administration is charting a new course for American leadership.
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A month ago U.S. officials called for a cease-fire in Yemen — a country on the brink of famine under a Saudi-led offensive. But that call doesn't appear as strong, as Saudis try to take more ground.
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Former UNICEF official Baquer Namazi was detained in Iran nearly three years ago. His son is urging Tehran to let his 82-year-old father leave the country for medical treatment.
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Eritrea was once dubbed the North Korea of Africa. Now, the United Nations is lifting sanctions on it following a peace deal between Ethiopia and Eritrea.
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The talks with North Korean officials Thursday were for planning the next summit, but the meeting was postponed over scheduling conflicts. President Trump now says he's in no rush.
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The Trump administration says it will be relentless with its sanctions against Iran until it's a "normal country," but still giving major importers of Iranian oil a chance to continue business without penalties.
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The Trump administration insists it is not pushing for regime change in Iran, just a change in behavior. But the State Department's messaging is clearly aimed at encouraging protesters in the country.
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The United Nations is warning of a famine in Yemen, where Saudi Arabia and its allies are fighting Iranian-backed rebels.
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Furious about a migrant caravan, President Trump has threatened to cut aid to countries that allowed their citizens to head north. But some members of Congress say cutting aid won't help.
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President Trump acknowledged that the journalist was probably dead. The administration's reaction to his disappearance has swung from condemnation, to a rogue killer theory, to withholding judgment.