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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The Two-Way
1:27 pm
Thu May 23, 2013

Teen Pregnancies Continue To Decline, New Report Shows

Originally published on Thu May 23, 2013 1:47 pm

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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The Two-Way
10:58 am
Thu May 23, 2013

Reports: Obama To Limit Drones, Urge Action On Guantanamo

Credit Bob Strong / Reuters /Landov
An American flag flying over Camp VI, where detainees are housed at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay.
  • 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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The Two-Way
10:20 am
Thu May 23, 2013

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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The Two-Way
10:06 am
Thu May 23, 2013

Triple Murder May Link Tsarnaev And Man Killed In Florida

Credit / Reuters /Landov
Ibragim Todashev, in an undated booking photo provided by the Orange County (Fla.) Corrections Department.

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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The Two-Way
10:01 am
Thu May 23, 2013

Cleveland Hero Charles Ramsey Rewarded With Burgers For Life

Credit Scott Shaw / The Plain Dealer /Landov
Charles Ramsey on the day three young women (and one of the women's daughters) were rescued from a Cleveland home. He gained fame for his accounts of what happened.

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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The Two-Way
7:45 am
Thu May 23, 2013

'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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The Two-Way
6:41 am
Thu May 23, 2013

Funerals Begin In Tornado-Ravaged Moore, Okla.

Credit Katie Hayes Luke / Katie Hayes Luke for NPR
Players, coaches and parents collected donations Wednesday in Oklahoma city for the Angle Family, who lost their daughter Sydney, and their home, in the tornado. Sydney was No. 35 on a softball team called 'Bring It'.

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

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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The Two-Way
1:24 pm
Wed May 22, 2013

Male Sergeant May Have Filmed Female Cadets At West Point

Credit Greg Mathieson / MAI /Landov
The U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.

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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The Two-Way
9:48 am
Wed May 22, 2013

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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The Two-Way
8:48 am
Wed May 22, 2013

In Oklahoma, Rescue Efforts Give Way To Recovery

Credit Rick Wilking / Reuters /Landov
A teddy bear sits atop some of the rubble in Moore, Okla.

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

  • 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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The Two-Way
8:33 am
Wed May 22, 2013

Eric Garcetti Wins L.A. Mayor's Race

Credit Lucy Nicholson / Reuters /Landov
Incoming Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti celebrated with supporters late Tuesday in Hollywood.

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

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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The Two-Way
7:57 am
Wed May 22, 2013

Anthony Weiner Jumps Into Race To Be NYC Mayor

Credit Andrew Gombert / EPA /Landov
Former Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., in June 2011 — at the height of the sexting scandal that led to his resignation from Congress.

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

The Two-Way
12:52 pm
Tue May 21, 2013

VIDEO: Tears Flow As Mom Finds Son After Tornado

Credit The Oklahoman
When Trenda Purcell found her son Kamden, her joy — and tears — erupted.

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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The Two-Way
11:13 am
Tue May 21, 2013

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

Originally published on Tue May 21, 2013 12:05 pm

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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The Two-Way
7:11 am
Tue May 21, 2013

IRS Officials To Be On Hot Seat

Credit Dennis Brack / Landov

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

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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The Two-Way
6:20 am
Tue May 21, 2013

Death Toll Climbing In Oklahoma Tornado Tragedy

Credit RIchard Rowe / Reuters /Landov
The destruction was wide and devastating in Moore, Okla., on Monday after a tornado roared through.

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

(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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The Two-Way
2:35 pm
Mon May 20, 2013

Turnabout Is Fair Play: Senators Have Many Questions For IRS

Credit Nicholas Kamm / AFP/Getty Images
Outgoing acting Internal Revenue Service Commissioner Steven Miller.

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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The Two-Way
1:46 pm
Mon May 20, 2013

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

Credit ABCNews.go.com
ABC News' Jonathan Karl, delivering his initial report, part of which he now regrets.

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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The Two-Way
11:56 am
Mon May 20, 2013

VIDEO: Look Inside A Grizzly Bear's Mouth

Credit Brad Josephs
That's a grizzly bear about to try to swallow a camera.
The Two-Way
11:00 am
Mon May 20, 2013

Supreme Court Takes Case On Prayer At Government Meetings

Credit Jonathan Ernst / Reuters /Landov
The Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., earlier this year.

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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