Michelle Kellerman
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Secretary Rubio did not answer any questions as he toured the Miraflores Lock at the Panama Canal. He met earlier in the day with Panama's president and, according to a written statement, told him that Trump thinks the status quo is unacceptable. The U.S. has been raising concerns about China's influence and argues that violates a treaty on neutrality.
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Panama's president, José Raúl Molino, told reporters that his country has been auditing Chinese businesses, but he says Panama's sovereignty over the canal is not up for discussion. Trade and migration will dominate much of Rubio's trip, which continues in El Salvador, Guatemala, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, Panama City.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 03-26-2025 6PM EDT
He says he's confident that there was nothing in there that would have put American service members in danger. This won't happen again, Rubio insists, adding, in his words, it can't. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, with the Secretary in Kingston, Jamaica.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 03-26-2025 6PM EDT
Secretary Rubio says the signal chat was set up to coordinate plans, and he only wrote in it twice to name his point person and to congratulate his colleagues on the successful strike against the Houthis in Yemen.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 01-21-2025 8PM EST
If confirmed, she said she would work to counter China's influence at the UN and defend Israel. She even sided with far-right Israeli politicians who claim Israel has a biblical right to the West Bank, the occupied Palestinian territory. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, the State Department.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 01-21-2025 8PM EST
Even before Elise Stefanik appeared at her confirmation hearing, President Trump signed an executive order pulling the U.S. out of the World Health Organization. Stefanik says the Trump administration will review all funding at UN agencies.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 03-19-2025 4PM EDT
In a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, some lawmakers raised concerns about the aid cut to Yale researchers gathering information about Russian war crimes in Ukraine. Ohio Democrat Greg Lanzman tells NPR the database he had been searching disappeared.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 03-19-2025 4PM EDT
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce says the information about abducted children has not been deleted, but is not housed at the State Department. That's NPR's Michelle Kellerman.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 10-29-2024 4AM EDT
Israel has made clear to the world that its response is now complete. And so we again call on Iran. to stop its attacks against Israel and rein in its terrorist proxies.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 12-16-2024 8PM EST
Skywriting planes drew huge ribbons in the skies above Tel Aviv, a reminder that Israelis are still waiting for the return of 100 hostages captured by Hamas over 14 months ago. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to President-elect Donald Trump over the weekend about the efforts to get the hostages home. A source familiar with the negotiations tells NPR... there is momentum. U.S.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 12-16-2024 8PM EST
officials and analysts say Hamas is showing more flexibility too. But Palestinians under bombardment remain skeptical, and some families of the hostages worry that the deal will only bring some of them home. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, Tel Aviv.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 01-13-2025 7PM EST
In a wide-ranging speech at the State Department, President Biden touched briefly on a deal he's tried to reach for months. It would get hostages held by Hamas out of Gaza and much-needed aid to Palestinians, who Biden says have gone through hell.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 01-13-2025 7PM EST
Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and is reaching out to mediators in Qatar and Egypt. An envoy for the incoming Trump administration has been in the region working on this too. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, the State Department.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 03-11-2025 4PM EDT
The talks in Saudi Arabia seem to have gone a long way to overcome a public break between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The Ukrainians are expressing, quote, strong gratitude to President Trump for making possible meaningful progress toward peace. They say they're ready for a 30-day ceasefire, a proposal the U.S.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 03-11-2025 4PM EDT
will now bring to Russia, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. And we hope that they'll say yes, that they'll say yes to peace. The ball is now in their court. The U.S. is now lifting a pause on intelligence sharing with Ukraine. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, the State Department.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 02-11-2025 12PM EST
When the Trump administration came to office, it put most foreign aid on hold, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio has allowed for emergency humanitarian relief to continue. The trouble is, USAID staff around the world have been getting mixed signals, losing access to their emails and being put on administrative leave before a judge temporarily halted that.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 02-11-2025 12PM EST
Now, USAID's inspector general is reporting that the agency has limited ability to oversee what aid is going through. There's food aid at risk of spoilage, according to the report, and a concern that there's not enough staff to vet partners in the Middle East to make sure U.S. taxpayer money is not benefiting terrorist groups. Michelle Killeman, NPR News, the State Department.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 04-01-2025 5PM EDT
Within 48 hours of Friday's earthquake, WFP was delivering emergency food to thousands of people in Myanmar. That's according to spokesperson Melissa Lee Hine, who spoke via video to UN reporters in New York.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 04-01-2025 5PM EDT
The Trump administration is offering up to $2 million in humanitarian assistance. WFP is seeking $20 million in international donations. and says the broader earthquake relief effort will cost much more than that. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, the State Department.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 03-30-2025 5PM EDT
With the help of a federal grant, researchers at Yale University have been tracking tens of thousands of children abducted by Russia. The Trump administration canceled the program, raising fears about the status of the database meant for future war crimes trials. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters traveling with him that the database is secure.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 03-30-2025 5PM EDT
His spokesperson says there will be some more funding for a short period of time so the researchers can properly transfer what she calls critical data. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, the State Department.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 03-29-2025 5PM EDT
The board members fired by Trump are suing the administration. Employees have until early April to turn in their badges and computers. They were notified over private email addresses. since they haven't had access to their official accounts since the Trump administration brought in a new president earlier this month. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, Washington.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 03-29-2025 5PM EDT
Starting late Friday night, the USIP HR department told most employees their jobs have been terminated. The U.S. Institute of Peace is a think tank funded by Congress, but the workers are not federal employees. Though the institute owns its own building and has a large endowment funded in part by private donors, the Trump administration is trying to take it over.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 12-27-2024 8PM EST
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby says that 1,000 North Korean troops have been killed or wounded in the past week alone. He says Russia treats them as expendable. He's also raising doubts about Russian President Vladimir Putin's latest comments about possible peace talks with Ukraine.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 12-27-2024 8PM EST
Kirby says the Biden administration is trying to put Ukraine in a stronger position ahead of any potential peace talks. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, Washington.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 03-15-2025 4PM EDT
The article says that the ambassador told a foreign policy seminar that the Make America Great Again movement is a white supremacist response to demographic shifts in the U.S., Rubio canceled a trip to South Africa earlier this year after Trump and his South African-born advisor, Elon Musk, falsely accused the government there of trying to steal land from white farmers.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 03-15-2025 4PM EDT
Because we know from history, recent history, that a deal... without security arrangements is not something which Putin respects.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 03-15-2025 4PM EDT
In a fiery tweet, Secretary Rubio calls Ambassador Ibrahim Rasool a, quote, race-baiting politician who hates the U.S. president. Rubio says the U.S. has nothing to discuss with Russell, and so he's considered persona non grata. Rubio initially misspelled the ambassador's name, as did an article he posted by the right-wing news organization Breitbart.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 12-14-2024 6PM EST
Blinken huddled with Arab leaders in Jordan to agree on some basic principles for a new Syrian government after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 12-14-2024 6PM EST
Speaking about the war in Gaza, Blinken says U.S. officials are trying to get a ceasefire and hostage deal over the finish line.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 12-14-2024 6PM EST
He says Israel has achieved its core military objectives, degrading Hamas so that it can't repeat the kind of attack it led on Israel on October 7th of last year. Hamas still holds 100 hostages, seven of whom are Americans. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, Tel Aviv.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 03-01-2025 4AM EST
The meeting started fine, but devolved after Vice President J.D. Vance accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of being disrespectful and not thanking President Trump for pushing for peace. Trump picked up on that line of attack.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 03-01-2025 4AM EST
Zelensky called off a public appearance after the showdown, but he's active on social media, writing thank you for your support as world leaders stand with Ukraine. Germany's soon-to-be chancellor called it a testing time, adding, quote, we must never confuse aggressor and victim. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, meanwhile, is praising Trump for, in his words, standing up for America.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 01-31-2025 3PM EST
Secretary Rubio is vowing to make this hemisphere a priority, heading first to Panama, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic. In an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, he says the Trump administration will reward countries that cooperate with the U.S. on trade and migration, but will act quickly to punish those who don't.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 01-31-2025 3PM EST
Rubio pointed to a public spat with Colombia last weekend over military planes for deported migrants. Panama's president says he won't discuss control over the Panama Canal when he meets Secretary Rubio. The secretary, who has raised concerns about Chinese companies along the canal, plans to visit it on Sunday. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, the State Department.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 02-27-2025 8PM EST
It's almost zero, according to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The northern border does see some migrants crossing without legal status, but the flow of hard street drugs like methamphetamines and fentanyl from Canada... It's a tiny fraction of what we see coming in from Mexico.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 02-27-2025 8PM EST
The president was asked about this today, and he argued drugs are flowing across the northern border without being detected. Trump offered no evidence to back up that accusation, and the experts I've interviewed don't think Canada is a factor in the U.S. overdose crisis.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 02-27-2025 8PM EST
Supporters cheered as USAID staffers emerged from the Ronald Reagan building with boxes of posters and other mementos from their service. This man would not give his name because he's still employed and fears retribution.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 02-27-2025 8PM EST
He's been detained, shot at and evacuated several times in his career and has been dismayed by the way the Trump administration talks about an agency that until now had bipartisan support. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, the State Department.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 01-23-2025 7PM EST
The State Department started issuing passports with male, female or X markings in 2022 and said at the time that applicants could self-select their gender. But this week, President Trump issued an executive order banning that, saying the federal government's policy is that there are only two sexes, male and female. According to The Guardian, Secretary of State Marco Rubio followed up.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 01-23-2025 7PM EST
telling his staff to suspend any applications from Americans seeking to change their sex marker or requesting an X on their passport. The order is not retroactive. Current gender-neutral passports remain valid, though Americans who have them may have difficulties when they renew. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, the State Department.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 03-14-2025 3PM EDT
Well, the administration argues its trade policies will boost U.S. manufacturing, and Vice President J.D. Vance brought that message today to Bay City, Michigan, and played down protests outside the gathering.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 03-14-2025 3PM EDT
In other news, a measles outbreak in West Texas continues to rise with 36 more confirmed cases. Here's Texas Public Radio's Gabriela Alcorta-Solorio.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 03-14-2025 3PM EDT
That's Gabriela Cortazolodio reporting. You're listening to NPR News. More severe weather is sweeping across much of the United States today. The National Weather Service is forecasting a multi-day severe weather outbreak in the Mississippi Valley into the lower Ohio Valley this afternoon through tomorrow and through the central Gulf states Saturday.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 03-14-2025 3PM EDT
Significant tornadoes, widespread damaging winds and large hail likely. Strong winds, low relative humidity and dry fuels will bring extremely critical fire weather conditions to the southern plains today. An American social media influencer sparked outrage in Australia after posting a video of herself. She was snatching a wild baby wombat from its mother.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 03-14-2025 3PM EDT
Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says he is cautiously optimistic about his diplomacy on Ukraine. But while Ukraine has agreed to a 30-day ceasefire, Russia wants more talks about that. Here's NPR's Michelle Kellerman.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 03-14-2025 3PM EDT
Christina Cocolia reports a video has prompted swift reaction from animal rights groups and Australian leaders.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 03-14-2025 3PM EDT
US stocks are trading higher this hour. The Nasdaq is up 2.3%. It's NPR News.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 03-14-2025 3PM EDT
Congress is facing a deadline tonight to pass a bill to keep agencies funded through September or face a partial government shutdown. Consumer sentiment fell again this month following declines in January and February. NPR's Scott Horsley reports on the latest survey results from the University of Michigan.
This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von
E559 Laila Mickelwait
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele hosted Rubio at his lakeside villa about an hour outside the city. They looked out over the lake as a jet ski and boat came by with cheering fans. 90% approval rating. Bukele is popular here for his crackdown on gangs. He says he's working with Rubio on migration and hinted at a big, important deal.
This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von
E559 Laila Mickelwait
Secretary Rubio came here from Panama, where he says he had a frank discussion about the Panama Canal, which Trump wants back. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, with the secretary in El Salvador.
Up First from NPR
Syrian Minorities Fear Retribution, Israel-Hamas Talks, ABC Settles Trump Lawsuit
Well, they say the whole context in the region has changed. Hamas has been degraded to the point where it can't carry out another October 7th-like attack. Israeli strikes and assassinations have degraded the Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, and there's a ceasefire there now. And Iran lost its client state in Syria with the fall of Bashar al-Assad.
Up First from NPR
Syrian Minorities Fear Retribution, Israel-Hamas Talks, ABC Settles Trump Lawsuit
So many say that Hamas is now being more flexible. A source close to the negotiations also told NPR that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants a deal because he wants to focus more on Iran.
Up First from NPR
Syrian Minorities Fear Retribution, Israel-Hamas Talks, ABC Settles Trump Lawsuit
Well, it would be a lengthy ceasefire, up to two months. Hamas would release some hostages in exchange for Palestinian detainees released from Israeli jails. But exactly who is being debated? And there are a lot of big open questions about Hamas's future role, about who runs Gaza, and how to secure Gaza to get vital aid in. So this deal would really just be a start.
Up First from NPR
Syrian Minorities Fear Retribution, Israel-Hamas Talks, ABC Settles Trump Lawsuit
Well, I woke up this morning to skywriting planes painting huge ribbons in the sky to draw attention to the hostages. Families are cautious. You know, they've been here before, only to be disappointed by Netanyahu. I met Efrat Machikawa in central Tel Aviv. On Saturday night at a rally for the hostages, she said only diplomacy can get her uncle, who turned 80 in captivity, out of Gaza.
Up First from NPR
Syrian Minorities Fear Retribution, Israel-Hamas Talks, ABC Settles Trump Lawsuit
And a lot are really worried about the talk of a partial deal. They want Netanyahu to bring everyone back.
Up First from NPR
Syrian Minorities Fear Retribution, Israel-Hamas Talks, ABC Settles Trump Lawsuit
Well, I mean, they're desperate for an end to the relentless Israeli strikes that have destroyed hospitals and schools. The Israeli military says it's targeting Hamas fighters. But we're hearing from Gaza health officials that many women and children have been killed in these strikes, as well as medical staff. You know, Leila, over 100 were reported killed this weekend alone.
Up First from NPR
Syrian Minorities Fear Retribution, Israel-Hamas Talks, ABC Settles Trump Lawsuit
And these strikes continue months after the U.S. and others said that Israel had already reached its military goals in Gaza.
Up First from NPR
Syrian Minorities Fear Retribution, Israel-Hamas Talks, ABC Settles Trump Lawsuit
Thank you.