Kat Lonsdorf
Kat Lonsdorf is a Middle East reporter currently based in Tel Aviv.
Originally from a small town in Wisconsin, Kat attended Occidental College in Los Angeles where she majored in Diplomacy and World Affairs. She joined NPR in 2016 after earning her Masters in Journalism from Medill at Northwestern University.
Lonsdorf has produced and reported for NPR around the world, including in Zimbabwe, South Africa, Japan, Kenya, Ukraine, Georgia, Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories. In 2020, she was NPR's Above the Fray Fellow, reporting out a series of stories looking at clean up and recovery efforts in Fukushima, Japan after the nuclear disaster in 2011. That series made her a finalist for the Livingston Award for international reporting. She's also won both a Gracie and an Edward R Murrow award for her work.
Before she came to NPR, she was a full-time bartender in downtown Los Angeles, and also hosted and produced an education travel video series for kids called Project Explorer where she filmed in 14 countries across five continents. Lonsdorf has lived in both Japan and Jordan, and speaks Japanese and conversational Arabic. She's currently trying to learn Hebrew in the evenings. [Copyright 2025 NPR]
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The word "dude" is often associated with the '80s and '90s. But its origin is rooted much, much farther back in American history and it took a long and winding road to reach the coast of California. -
The State Department has shuttered the team involved in South China Sea security, getting rid of top experts on the subject at a time when the administration says security in the region is a priority. -
Wimberley, Texas, was the site of a devastating flash flood on Memorial Day weekend in 2015. Now, 10 years later, the town has rebuilt with such floods in mind — but still feels the emotional effects. -
Hundreds of pets have been reported missing after the devastating floods in central Texas. Volunteers have been combing through debris to help reunite them with their owners. -
More than 60 of those killed were waiting for aid, according to Palestinian health officials. President Trump said Friday that talks over a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas are at a crucial stage. -
President Trump doubled down on his claims that the U.S. strikes in Iran last weekend "obliterated" its key nuclear facilities. But experts say that regardless of the amount of damage done to Iran's nuclear facilities, deliberate negotiations leading to a lasting agreement are crucial to prevent the resumption of war. -
An early intelligence report found U.S. strikes on Iran sites may only have set its nuclear program back "a few months." Trump said it was inconclusive, but believes damage was more severe. -
There's a specific kind of math that could determine just how much longer the war can go — how many long-range missiles Iran has versus how many missile interceptors Israel has to shoot them down. -
The U.S. State Department said it is restarting the process for foreigners applying for student visas but all applicants will now be required to unlock their social media accounts for review. -
Iran's most fortified nuclear facility, called Fordo, is buried deep inside a mountain. Only the U.S. has the 30,000-pound bombs — often referred to as "bunker busters" — capable of reaching it.
