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 Pentagon is expected to replace Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez as the top U.S. commander in Iraq. President Bush called Sanchez "exemplary," and officials say his transfer is part of a long-planned reorganization. Nevertheless, the move leaves the impression in some quarters that the administration is not satisfied with Sanchez's performance in Iraq. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports.
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Pentagon officials confirm that Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq, will give up his command this summer. But officials deny the move is linked to allegations that Sanchez knew about abuses at the Abu Ghraib prison. Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the Army's second-ranking general, will replace Sanchez. Hear NPR's Steve Inskeep and NPR's Michele Kelemen.
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The Pentagon severs funding to Ahmed Chalabi's Iraqi National Congress. Chalabi's home and offices were raided Thursday by Iraqi police backed by U.S. forces. was previously promoted by the Bush administration as a possible choice to lead Iraq. He now stands accused of corruption and of A prominent Iraqi exile, Chalabi providing U.S. intelligence to Iran. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports.
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An Islamic militant Web site posts video purporting to show the beheading of U.S. civilian Nick Berg, 26, at the hands of masked men in Iraq. Berg had been missing since April 9; his decapitated body was found Saturday. A voice on the tape tied the killing to abuses at the Abu Ghraib prison; it also invoked the name of al Qaeda ally Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Hear NPR's Michele Kelemen.
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President George Bush makes a rare trip to the Pentagon to give support to his beleaguered secretary of defense, Donald Rumsfeld. As several prominent Democrats call for Rumsfeld's resignation over the Iraq prison abuse scandal, there is also some discontent among uniformed officials over Rumsfeld's policies and leadership style. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports.
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Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld denies that he kept Congress and the American public in the dark about the abuse of Iraqi inmates under U.S. control at Abu Ghraib prison. Rumsfeld vowed to take all steps necessary to bring those who committed the abuses to justice, and a review into the prison's chain of command is under way. Hear NPR's Michele Norris, NPR's Michele Kelemen and NPR's Jackie Northam.
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Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi travels to Europe for the first time in 15 years, meeting with European Union officials in Brussels. The session, seen as a reward for Gadhafi's decision to renounce weapons of mass destruction, comes as Libya remains under fire by human rights groups who say the country suppresses dissent. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports.
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British Prime Minister Tony Blair meets with President Bush Friday. British officials say Blair hopes to flesh out a role for the United Nations in Iraq's transition. Blair has faced criticism at home for having little influence when it comes to Iraq -- despite Britain's 10,000 troops there. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports.
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In a joint news conference at the White House Friday, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and President Bush reaffirm their commitment to "stay the course" in Iraq. Bush affirms that he will invite the United Nations take the lead in guiding Iraq's transition to self-rule, scheduled to begin June 30. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports.
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President George Bush strongly supports Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to keep control of some settlements as Israel pulls out of Gaza and parts of the West Bank, setting a new tone in U.S. Mideast policy. Previous U.S.-brokered peace deals have required the removal of all settlements. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports. Hear NPR's Robert Siegel and Samuel Lewis, former ambassador to Israel.