Mark Memmott

New Jersey Shore Is Ready For Visitors, Gov. Christie Says

Mark Memmott — Fri, 24 May 2013 17:28:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQIqyhpO11c

There's No Place For Sex Assaults In Military, Obama Says

Mark Memmott — Fri, 24 May 2013 16:22:00 +0000

Saying that "those who commit sexual assaults are not only committing a crime, they threaten the trust and discipline that make our military strong," President Obama on Friday urged Naval Academy graduates to help bring an end to a disturbing series of such offenses.

"They've got no place in the greatest military on earth," Obama said during the commencement address he delivered at the academy's Annapolis, Md., campus.

The president took the opportunity to address the problem of sexual assaults in the military during a speech in which he honored the graduates' hard work, praised the U.S.

2 Men Arrested After Pakistani Jet Is Diverted Over U.K.

Mark Memmott — Fri, 24 May 2013 14:15:00 +0000

Two men were arrested and removed from a Pakistan International Airlines passenger jet Friday.

British Soldier Hacked To Death Was 'Our Hero,' Family Says

Mark Memmott — Fri, 24 May 2013 13:16:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrxcAADT56E

Tornado In Moore, Okla.: Friday's Developments

Mark Memmott — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:38:00 +0000

As the residents of Moore, Okla., and surrounding communities continue to recover from Monday's devastating tornado that killed at least 24 people and injured more than 375, we're keeping an eye on the news from there:

-- Oklahoma City's KOCO-TV reports that "Moore Police will be removing checkpoints into affected areas in the city

Developing: Explosion, Gunfire In Kabul

Mark Memmott — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:34:00 +0000

(We most recently updated the top of this post at 6:45 p.m. ET.)

An explosion followed by gunfire in Kabul on Friday claimed the lives of at least two attackers and wounded a small number of civilians.

Assad Regime Agrees To Attend Peace Conference, Russia Says

Mark Memmott — Fri, 24 May 2013 12:13:00 +0000

Representatives of President Bashar Assad's regime have agreed "in principle" to attend an international peace conference aimed at ending more than two years of brutal warfare in Syria, Russia's foreign ministry said Friday.

But NPR's Corey Flintoff reports from Moscow that Russian diplomats also said it's not known just when such talks might start because it's unclear who would speak for the groups who have been fighting to overthrow the regime.

'White Flash And Cold Water' After Bridge Collapse In Wash.

Mark Memmott — Fri, 24 May 2013 11:25:00 +0000

(Most recent update: 5:35 p.m. ET.)

Miracle is the word that comes to Dan Sligh's mind after he and his wife, Sally, survived a plunge off a highway bridge in Washington state on Thursday evening.

Sligh tells The Seattle Times that they were driving on Interstate 5 near Mount Vernon, Wash., around 7 p.m. local time when he saw a truck carrying a heavy load strike the southbound side of a bridge over the Skagit River.

Teen Pregnancies Continue To Decline, New Report Shows

Mark Memmott — Thu, 23 May 2013 17:47:00 +0000

New government figures add to evidence of a decline in teen pregnancies across the nation and point to a notably large drop in births among Hispanic teens, NPR's Jennifer Ludden tells our Newscast Desk.

She reports that the overall birth rate among teens is now half what it was at its peak, two decades ago, and that a new report from the National Center for Health Statistics shows:

-- An especially steep drop since the recent recession.

Reports: Obama To Limit Drones, Urge Action On Guantanamo

Mark Memmott — Thu, 23 May 2013 14:58:00 +0000

Ahead of his much-anticipated speech Thursday afternoon at the National Defense University, there's word that President Obama:

Drones

-- Will announce he's going to "sharply curtail the instances when unmanned aircraft can be used to attack in places that are not overt war zones, countries like Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia," The New York Times says.

Jobless Claims Drop, But Stay In Recent Range

Mark Memmott — Thu, 23 May 2013 14:20:00 +0000

There were 340,000 first-time claims for unemployment insurance last week, down 23,000 from the week before, the Employment and Training Administration reports.

The decline follows something of a spike. But in reality, the drop just means that claims continue to run at the pace they've been setting since late 2011.

Triple Murder May Link Tsarnaev And Man Killed In Florida

Mark Memmott — Thu, 23 May 2013 14:06:00 +0000

Ibragim Todashev, the 27-year-old man shot and killed after he allegedly attacked an FBI agent Wednesday in Orlando, may have been involved with Boston bombings suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev in a 2011 triple murder.

As NPR's Dina Temple-Raston reported on All Things Considered, "it's still under investigation, but law enforcement authorities told us tha

Cleveland Hero Charles Ramsey Rewarded With Burgers For Life

Mark Memmott — Thu, 23 May 2013 14:01:00 +0000

Charles Ramsey, the neighbor who helped rescue three young women from a Cleveland home where authorities say they had been held captive and brutalized for about a decade, "will enjoy free burgers for life" in honor of his actions, The Plain Dealer reports.

Ramsey tornado that devastated Moore, Okla., on Monday.

Nine-year-old Antonia Candelaria, one of the 7 children killed at Plaza Towers Elementary School, was being remembered at a local church.

Male Sergeant May Have Filmed Female Cadets At West Point

Mark Memmott — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:24:00 +0000

A male sergeant at West Point has been accused of secretly videotaping at least a dozen female cadets, sometimes when they were showering, The New York Times reports.

Gen. John F. Campbell, the army's vice chief of staff, tells the Times that "once notified of the violation, a full investigation was launched, followed by swift action to correct the problem."

The accused, Sgt.

Bernanke Hints Economy Still Needs Help; Home Sales Rise

Mark Memmott — Wed, 22 May 2013 15:25:00 +0000

In the nearly impenetrable language that comes with his job, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told Congress on Wednesday that even though the economy is doing better, the central bank needs to keep giving it a boost.

The key passage from his prepared testimony:

"Recognizing the drawbacks of persistently low rates, the FOMC actively seeks economic conditions consistent with sustainably higher interest rates.

'I Have Not Done Anything Wrong,' Says Key IRS Official

Mark Memmott — Wed, 22 May 2013 14:50:00 +0000

"I have not done anything wrong. I have not broken any laws.

Man Killed By FBI In Florida Was Linked To Boston Suspect

Mark Memmott — Wed, 22 May 2013 13:48:00 +0000

In Orlando, Fla., early Wednesday "an FBI agent was involved in a deadly shooting connected to the Boston Marathon bombing case," NBC News is reporting. A man who was being questioned by the agent is dead.

Eric Garcetti Wins L.A. Mayor's Race

Mark Memmott — Wed, 22 May 2013 12:33:00 +0000

The next mayor of Los Angeles will be City Councilman Eric Garcetti.

In a race in which the two top contenders were both Democrats, the 42-year-old Garcetti has opened a 7- to 8-percentage-point lead over City Controller Wendy Greuel as Tuesday's votes are being counted.

Early Wednesday, according to the singled out some conservative groups for inappropriate scrutiny while he was head of the agency, former IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman told Congress on Tuesday that "I was dismayed and I was saddened" to learn about what had happened under his watch.

Shulman, an appointee of President George W.

IRS Officials To Be On Hot Seat

Mark Memmott — Tue, 21 May 2013 11:11:00 +0000
Both the former IRS commissioner who was in charge when the agency singled out some conservative groups for extra scrutiny and the man who replaced him will be appearing at a Senate Finance Committee hearing Tuesday morning.
Douglas Shulman, an appointee of President George W. Bush who left the IRS last November, and acting commissioner Steven Miller (who is losing his job because of the scandal) are due at the 10 a.m. ET hearing.
Also set to testify: J.

Death Toll Climbing In Oklahoma Tornado Tragedy

Mark Memmott — Tue, 21 May 2013 10:33:00 +0000
(We're following the news from Oklahoma, where a tornado devastated the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore on Monday. Most recent update: 8:40 p.m. ET.)
A day after a monster EF-5 tornado pummeled Moore, Okla., the focus turned to the victims.
NPR's Wade Goodwyn spent the day in the city talking to survivors.

Turnabout Is Fair Play: Senators Have Many Questions For IRS

Mark Memmott — Mon, 20 May 2013 18:35:00 +0000
The Internal Revenue Service is under fire for improperly singling out some conservative groups for extra scrutiny — putting them through months (or longer) of questions that delayed or derailed the organizations' requests for tax-exempt status.
Well, now the chairman and ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee have some questions and requests — actually dozens of them — for the IRS.
As senators Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, say, "targeting applicants for tax-exempt

ABC's Karl Expresses Regret, But Stands By Benghazi Story

Mark Memmott — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:46:00 +0000
ABC News White House correspondent Jonathan Karl now says he regrets that some key parts of a major story he reported on May 10 were wrong.
The story sent off a political uproar. As we said last week, it made it appear that in a Sept.

VIDEO: Look Inside A Grizzly Bear's Mouth

Mark Memmott — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:56:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvzQCipwr6Q

Supreme Court Takes Case On Prayer At Government Meetings

Mark Memmott — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:00:00 +0000
A challenge to the way a western New York State town board has had prayers read before its public meetings has made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The justices announced Monday morning that they will hear oral arguments in the case of Greece, N.Y. v.