LightNews
michelekelemen.bsky.social
Michele Kelemen
@michelekelemen.bsky.social
8K followers 1.9K following 130 posts
Covering diplomacy for NPR
Posts Media Videos Starter Packs
michelekelemen.bsky.social
Michele Kelemen @michelekelemen.bsky.social · 22h
Great piece by the radio pooler!

www.bbc.com/news/article...
24 hours with Trump on diplomatic tornado through Middle East
The US president's single-day tour was a victory lap rather than an exercise in setting out detail, writes the BBC's Tom Bateman.
www.bbc.com
1
michelekelemen.bsky.social
Michele Kelemen @michelekelemen.bsky.social · 1d
And another www.npr.org/2025/10/13/n...
Crowds cheer in Gaza, Ramallah as Israel releases Palestinian prisoners
As part of the ceasefire deal, Israel released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners on Monday. The majority were detainees and prisoners arrested in Gaza and returned there to a huge celebratory crowd.
www.npr.org
1 3
michelekelemen.bsky.social
Michele Kelemen @michelekelemen.bsky.social · 1d
Great work by my colleagues in the field today. Here’s one example: www.npr.org/2025/10/13/n...
What the freed Israeli hostages' first few days of freedom will look like
All 20 surviving Israeli hostages have been freed by Hamas after spending more than two years in captivity in Gaza.
www.npr.org
1 1 5
michelekelemen.bsky.social
Michele Kelemen @michelekelemen.bsky.social · 2d
www.npr.org/2025/10/12/n...
Who are the 20 hostages who have been released from Gaza?
After more than two years in captivity, the last 20 hostages abducted during Hamas's Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, have been released.
www.npr.org
1 2
michelekelemen.bsky.social
Michele Kelemen @michelekelemen.bsky.social · 5d
Interesting perspective on the diplomacy surrounding the hostage/ceasefire deal. www.npr.org/2025/10/10/n...
Can U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas deliver lasting peace?
NPR's Leila Fadel speaks with veteran hostage negotiator Gershon Baskin about the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and President Trump's involvement in the agreement.
www.npr.org
michelekelemen.bsky.social
Michele Kelemen @michelekelemen.bsky.social · 8d
And this with reporting from Gaza www.npr.org/2025/10/07/n...
Two years after the Gaza war began, one Palestinian family shares their story of loss
Over 67,000 Palestinians have been killed, a third of them children, in Israeli attacks since the war began two years ago. One Palestinian family shares their story of loss.
www.npr.org
1
michelekelemen.bsky.social
Michele Kelemen @michelekelemen.bsky.social · 8d
Some powerful stories on NPR this morning marking the anniversary of the Hamas-led attack on Israel.

www.npr.org/2025/10/07/n...
Held hostage in Gaza for 491 days, an Israeli man recalls how he survived in new book
Eli Sharabi survived 491 days in Hamas captivity in Gaza following the Oct. 7, 2023 attack. Sharabi speaks with NPR's Leila Fadel about his book, "Hostage."
www.npr.org
1 1 1
michelekelemen.bsky.social
Michele Kelemen @michelekelemen.bsky.social · 8d
A well deserved honor for our colleague in Gaza.

www.academyofdiplomacy.org/news/press-r...
Press Release | The Academy’s 2025 Ross Media Award Winners Announced | American Academy of Diplomacy
In a statement issued on October 6, 2025, the American Academy of Diplomacy announced that the winners of the 2025 Ross Media Award for Reporting and Commentary on the Practice of American Diplomacy a...
www.academyofdiplomacy.org
1 2 5
michelekelemen.bsky.social
Michele Kelemen @michelekelemen.bsky.social · 11d
www.npr.org/2025/10/04/n...
Retired U.S. diplomat George Kent talks about his cross-country cycling for Ukraine
Following his retirement, former U.S. Ambassador George Kent cycled across the U.S. to raise awareness and money for the Ukrainian war effort. NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Kent about his journey.
www.npr.org
Reposted by Michele Kelemen
kairyssdal.bsky.social
Kai Ryssdal @kairyssdal.bsky.social · 12d
I mean come the hell on…

The request for a gift for King Charles came from a State Department liaison who used the email address “giftgirl2025” and initially told the museum that they were looking for “like a sword or something,”

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/a...
After Declining to Give Trump a Sword for King Charles, a Museum Leader Is Out
www.nytimes.com
140 790 2.7K
Reposted by Michele Kelemen
npr.org
NPR @npr.org · 14d
Today marks the first day in public media’s history without federal funding. And we’re not going anywhere.

Listeners like you keep our mission alive. Protect one of the last places where America comes together to hear itself.

Stand with us today. Donate at this link: n.pr/46wamAj
690 9.7K 31K
Reposted by Michele Kelemen
bloomberg.com
Bloomberg News @bloomberg.com · Sep 14
US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau expressed regret on Sunday over the recent detention of hundreds of South Korean workers in Georgia and said those who returned home will face no disadvantage when re-entering the US
US Official Offers Regrets Over Detention of South Koreans
US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau on Sunday expressed regret over the recent detention of hundreds of South Korean workers in Georgia.
bloom.bg
1K 320 1.2K
michelekelemen.bsky.social
Michele Kelemen @michelekelemen.bsky.social · Sep 12
NPR Music is trying something new today- a live Tiny Desk concert! Tune in at noon. www.npr.org/2025/09/09/g...
Today: Ed Sheeran performs live at the Tiny Desk
We knew that when the time was right, Ed Sheeran would step behind the real Desk and that time is now. Watch a livestream of Sheeran's Tiny Desk today at noon ET.
www.npr.org
2
michelekelemen.bsky.social
Michele Kelemen @michelekelemen.bsky.social · Sep 9
Here’s my conversation with Thant Myint-U about his new book:

www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2...
'Peacemaker': U Thant's son tells his story in new book
In the early 1960s, U Thant, a practicing Buddhist from a remote town in Burma, became the first non-Western secretary-general of the United Nations.
www.wbur.org
2 3
Reposted by Michele Kelemen
cgrisales.bsky.social
Claudia Grisales @cgrisales.bsky.social · Sep 9
A source tells me in a tense meeting this morning, Pentagon officials briefed Senate national security and leadership staff on last week’s U.S. strike on a Venezuelan boat. However, they provided little answers, and legal justification for the strike...
7 37 140
michelekelemen.bsky.social
Michele Kelemen @michelekelemen.bsky.social · Sep 7
“The Russians now are able to basically control the information environment in Moldova in a way that they could only have dreamed a year ago,” said Thomas O. Melia

Russia Steps Up Disinformation Efforts as Trump Abandons Resistance www.nytimes.com/2025/09/07/b...
Russia Steps Up Disinformation Efforts as Trump Abandons Resistance
www.nytimes.com
1 5
michelekelemen.bsky.social
Michele Kelemen @michelekelemen.bsky.social · Aug 29
Remembering Fletcher for the person he was, an 8 year old who loved fishing and “any sport he was allowed to play” Devastated for these families.

www.npr.org/2025/08/29/n...
Jesse Merkel remembers his son, Fletcher, killed at the Minneapolis shooting
Relatives and friends remember the two children who died in the Minnesota church shooting at a vigil on Thursday evening.
www.npr.org
2
Reposted by Michele Kelemen
yasharali.bsky.social
Yashar Ali 🐘 @yasharali.bsky.social · Aug 19
The human-rights situation in Iran has gotten so much worse over the past month….most people outside of Iran don’t understand how bad it’s become.
20 27 200
michelekelemen.bsky.social
Michele Kelemen @michelekelemen.bsky.social · Aug 16
A lovely tribute to my mentor, Ted Clark. May his memory be a blessing. www.npr.org/2025/08/16/n...
Opinion: Remembering Ted Clark, great colleague — better friend
Scott Simon remembers former longtime NPR colleague Ted Clark, who passed away last week at the age of 79.
www.npr.org
4
michelekelemen.bsky.social
Michele Kelemen @michelekelemen.bsky.social · Aug 12
www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
Kari Lake’s Attempt to Deport Her Own Employees
“Their time here is up,” she said of J-1 visa holders who worked for Voice of America.
www.theatlantic.com
2 4
michelekelemen.bsky.social
Michele Kelemen @michelekelemen.bsky.social · Aug 12
www.npr.org/2025/08/12/g...
Alaska was once a full-fledged Russian colony. Now it's hosting a U.S.-Russia summit
Russia lost a war in Crimea in the 1850s. To pay off war debts, Russia sold Alaska to the U.S. Now presidents Trump and Putin will meet Friday in Alaska to discuss another war involving Crimea.
www.npr.org
1
michelekelemen.bsky.social
Michele Kelemen @michelekelemen.bsky.social · Jul 20
www.npr.org/2025/07/20/n...
Cuts to public media will smash budgets of some local radio stations
Congress voted to claw back federal funding to public media. Some of those hit hardest include community radio stations in areas that voted for the president.
www.npr.org
2 4
michelekelemen.bsky.social
Michele Kelemen @michelekelemen.bsky.social · Jul 20
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/19/w...
A Kite Surfer, Navy SEAL and Makeup Artist: Freed in a U.S.-Venezuela Swap
www.nytimes.com
2 3
michelekelemen.bsky.social
Michele Kelemen @michelekelemen.bsky.social · Jul 19
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
State Dept. layoffs led by team of outsiders willing to ‘break stuff’
Interviews with more than 60 people detail a frenetic, arbitrary process underpinning the Trump administration’s far-reaching overhaul of the State Department.
www.washingtonpost.com
1 2 4
Reposted by Michele Kelemen
npr.org
NPR @npr.org · Jul 19
Last week, President Trump ramped up pressure on wavering GOP lawmakers, posting, "Any Republican that votes to allow this monstrosity to continue broadcasting will not have my support or Endorsement."
How bipartisan support for public media unraveled in the Trump era
"It will test every single shred of creativity we have to continue to try to serve our mission," says one public media executive, as Congress ends federal funding for public broadcasting.
n.pr
35 140 410