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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President Bush praises Ukraine's Orange Revolution as a model for democratic reforms around the world, but U.S. officials still are waiting to see what President Viktor Yushchenko can deliver. Yushchenko visits Chicago after meeting with President Bush Monday in Washington. He will address a joint meeting of Congress Wednesday.
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United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan proposes major changes to the world body. The reforms would expand the Security Council and keep countries that violate human rights off the Human Rights Commission.
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Former White House adviser Karen Hughes is appointed as undersecretary of state for public diplomacy, where she will be charged with remaking the United States' image abroad.
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Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice meets in Mexico with President Vicente Fox, hoping to smooth relations ahead of a planned visit by Fox to Texas. Mexico and the U.S. have been at odds over border security issues and immigration policy.
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U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan plans to take disciplinary action against current and former officials involved in the oil-for-food program for Iraq. Mismanagement of the program -- designed to help Iraqis under U.N. sanctions during Saddam Hussein's rule -- has tarnished the U.N.'s reputation.
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Newly installed Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was on the job Thursday, and received a warm welcome from State Department employees. She enters the job after a testy confirmation process during which Democrats focused on Iraq policy.
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Secretary of state nominee Condoleezza Rice addresses tough questions from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about the justification for the war in Iraq and an exit strategy. She returned Wednesday to the Capitol for a second round of questioning.
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A new report commissioned by U.N Secretary General Kofi Annan calls for the expansion of the Security Council. The report also sets out criteria for the use of force, and encourages the Security Council to consider preventive action to deal with latent threats. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports.
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The president plans to nominate one of his closest aides to serve as the next Secretary of State. Condoleezza Rice would replace Colin Powell, who announced his departure Monday. Rice's deputy, Stephen Hadley, would become the national security advisor. Hear NPR's Michele Kelemen.
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President Bush meets with British Prime Minister Tony Blair Thursday. But the first international visitor the president hosted was the head of NATO. The Bush administration appears to be signaling a desire to repair relations with Europe. But few analysts expect any quick fixes or major foreign policy changes. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports.