Mark Memmott

Credit Doby Photography / NPR

Mark Memmott is one of the hosts of NPR's "The Two-Way" news blog.

"The Two-Way," which Memmott helped to launched when he came to NPR in 2009, focuses on breaking news, analysis, and the most compelling stories being reported by NPR News and other news media.

Before joining NPR, Memmott worked for nearly 25 years as a reporter and editor at USA Today. He focused on a range of coverage from politics, foreign affairs, economics, and the media. He's reported from places across the Unites States and the world, including half a dozen trips to Afghanistan in 2002-2003.

During his time at USA Today, Memmott, helped launch and lead three USAToday.com news blogs: "On Deadline;" "The Oval;" and "On Politics," the site's 2008 presidential campaign blog.

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1:28pm

Fri May 24, 2013
The Two-Way

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

Originally published on Fri May 24, 2013 1:40 pm

Credit Jeff Zelevansky / Getty Images

12:22pm

Fri May 24, 2013
The Two-Way

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

Credit Larry Downing / Reuters /Landov

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.

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10:15am

Fri May 24, 2013
The Two-Way

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

Originally published on Fri May 24, 2013 2:49 pm

Two men were arrested and removed from a Pakistan International Airlines passenger jet Friday. It had been on its way from Lahore, Pakistan, to Manchester, England, when something that happened aboard led authorities to scramble Royal Air Force fighter jets and divert the passenger plane to London Stansted Airport.

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9:16am

Fri May 24, 2013
The Two-Way

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

Originally published on Fri May 24, 2013 11:37 am

Credit Dave Thompson / Reuters /Landov

8:38am

Fri May 24, 2013
The Two-Way

Tornado In Moore, Okla.: Friday's Developments

Originally published on Fri May 24, 2013 10:19 am

Credit Lucas Jackson / Reuters /Landov

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:

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8:34am

Fri May 24, 2013
The Two-Way

Developing: Explosion, Gunfire In Kabul

Originally published on Fri May 24, 2013 1:53 pm

Credit Omar Sobhani / Reuters /Landov
  • NPR's Sean Carberry, reporting from Kabul

(We most recently updated the top of this post at 1:45 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. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, which appeared to have been aimed at offices of the International Organization for Migration and stretched over several hours as Afghan security forces tried to hunt down those responsible.

As night fell in Kabul, it was unclear whether the incident was over or not.

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8:13am

Fri May 24, 2013
The Two-Way

Assad Regime Agrees To Attend Peace Conference, Russia Says

Originally published on Fri May 24, 2013 10:27 am

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.

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7:25am

Fri May 24, 2013
The Two-Way

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

Originally published on Fri May 24, 2013 3:32 pm

Credit Dan Levine / EPA /LANDOV

(Most recent update: 10:50 a.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.

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1:47pm

Thu May 23, 2013
The Two-Way

Teen Pregnancies Continue To Decline, New Report Shows

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:

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10:58am

Thu May 23, 2013
The Two-Way

Reports: Obama To Limit Drones, Urge Action On Guantanamo

Credit Bob Strong / Reuters /Landov
  • From 'Morning Edition': Dina Temple-Raston reports

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

Drones

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10:20am

Thu May 23, 2013
The Two-Way

Jobless Claims Drop, But Stay In Recent Range

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.

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10:06am

Thu May 23, 2013
The Two-Way

Triple Murder May Link Tsarnaev And Man Killed In Florida

Originally published on Thu May 23, 2013 4:18 pm

Credit / Reuters /Landov

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.

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10:01am

Thu May 23, 2013
The Two-Way

Cleveland Hero Charles Ramsey Rewarded With Burgers For Life

Credit Scott Shaw / The Plain Dealer /Landov

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.

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7:45am

Thu May 23, 2013
The Two-Way

'We Will Never Give In To Terror,' Britain's Cameron Vows

Originally published on Thu May 23, 2013 1:38 pm

(Most recent update: 1:30 p.m. ET.)

One day after a British soldier was hacked to death on a busy southeast London street by two men who were heard claiming that they wanted to avenge the deaths of Muslims killed during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Prime Minister David Cameron declared Thursday that "we will never give in to terror or terrorism in any of its forms."

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6:41am

Thu May 23, 2013
The Two-Way

Funerals Begin In Tornado-Ravaged Moore, Okla.

Originally published on Thu May 23, 2013 12:44 pm

Credit Katie Hayes Luke / Katie Hayes Luke for NPR

Funerals began Thursday for the 24 people known to have been killed by the tornado that devastated Moore, Okla., on Monday.

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1:24pm

Wed May 22, 2013
The Two-Way

Male Sergeant May Have Filmed Female Cadets At West Point

Credit Greg Mathieson / MAI /Landov

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."

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11:25am

Wed May 22, 2013
The Two-Way

Bernanke Hints Economy Still Needs Help; Home Sales Rise

Originally published on Wed May 22, 2013 11:37 am

Credit Alex Wong / Getty Images

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:

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10:50am

Wed May 22, 2013
The Two-Way

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

Originally published on Wed May 22, 2013 12:11 pm

Credit Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

"I have not done anything wrong. I have not broken any laws. I have not violated any IRS rules or regulations."

That was the word Wednesday morning from Lois Lerner, the Internal Revenue Service official at the center of the political storm over the agency's targeting of some conservative groups that were given extra scrutiny from 2010 into 2012.

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9:48am

Wed May 22, 2013
The Two-Way

Man Killed By FBI In Florida Was Linked To Boston Suspect

Originally published on Wed May 22, 2013 11:50 am

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. NPR's Dina Temple-Raston and Carrie Johnson have also confirmed the news.

Just how firm the man's alleged connection to the marathon case is, though, remains unclear.

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8:33am

Wed May 22, 2013
The Two-Way

Eric Garcetti Wins L.A. Mayor's Race

Originally published on Wed May 22, 2013 11:13 am

Credit Lucy Nicholson / Reuters /Landov

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.

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7:57am

Wed May 22, 2013
The Two-Way

Anthony Weiner Jumps Into Race To Be NYC Mayor

Originally published on Wed May 22, 2013 11:03 am

Credit Andrew Gombert / EPA /Landov

7:10am

Wed May 22, 2013
The Two-Way

In Oklahoma, Rescue Efforts Give Way To Recovery

Originally published on Wed May 22, 2013 8:49 pm

Credit Rick Wilking / Reuters /Landov
  • On 'Morning Edition': Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin speaks with NPR's David Greene
  • On 'Morning Edition': David Schaper reports from Moore, Okla.

(Most recent update: 8:30 p.m. ET.)

The news Wednesday from Moore, Okla., much of which was destroyed by a massive tornado Monday, begins with word that officials doubt they will find any more survivors or bodies under the hundreds of homes, businesses and other buildings that were leveled.

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12:52pm

Tue May 21, 2013
The Two-Way

VIDEO: Tears Flow As Mom Finds Son After Tornado

Credit The Oklahoman

We don't need to say much. Just watch this video from The Oklahoman of Trenda Purcell's reunion Monday with her 8-year-old son Kamden, who she found safe and sound after the tornado that swept through Moore, Okla.

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12:05pm

Tue May 21, 2013
The Two-Way

'I Was Dismayed' To Learn What Agency Did, Ex-IRS Chief Says

Facing questions for the first time about why Internal Revenue Service personnel 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.

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7:11am

Tue May 21, 2013
The Two-Way

IRS Officials To Be On Hot Seat

Originally published on Tue May 21, 2013 11:18 am

Credit Dennis Brack / Landov

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.

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6:33am

Tue May 21, 2013
The Two-Way

Death Toll Climbing In Oklahoma Tornado Tragedy

Originally published on Tue May 21, 2013 8:48 pm

Credit RIchard Rowe / Reuters /Landov

(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. Christie Parrish decided to leave her home for her sister's shelter.

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2:35pm

Mon May 20, 2013
The Two-Way

Turnabout Is Fair Play: Senators Have Many Questions For IRS

Credit Nicholas Kamm / AFP/Getty Images

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.

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1:46pm

Mon May 20, 2013
The Two-Way

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

Credit ABCNews.go.com

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.

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11:56am

Mon May 20, 2013

11:00am

Mon May 20, 2013
The Two-Way

Supreme Court Takes Case On Prayer At Government Meetings

Credit Jonathan Ernst / Reuters /Landov

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. Galloway, Susan.

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