VP Vance is in Budapest to support Hungarian PM Orban, who is trailing in the polls

Rob Schmitz is NPR's international correspondent based in Berlin, where he covers the human stories of a vast region reckoning with its past while it tries to guide the world toward a brighter future. From his base in the heart of Europe, Schmitz has explored Berlin’s techno scene, reported on the rise and fall of far-right rule in Poland, investigated Norway’s salmon farming industry, covered elections in the Netherlands, Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, Poland, the European Union and beyond, and patiently chronicled a 639-year organ performance in rural Germany.