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
5:55 am
Fri July 20, 2012

Real-Life Horror: Many Killed, Dozens Wounded At Colorado Movie Theater

Originally published on Sat July 21, 2012 12:17 am

  • Witness talks to 'The Today Show'
  • Steve Inskeep speaks with witness Chayyiel Jackson

A midnight screening of the new Batman movie The Dark Knight Rises turned into a horribly real scene of death and destruction in Aurora, Colo., early Friday when a gunman opened fire on the audience killing 12.

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The Two-Way
1:09 pm
Thu July 19, 2012

Ford Recalls Some 2013 Escapes, Tells Owners Not To Drive Them

Credit Brian Bohannon / AP
Ford's Escape was redesigned for the 2013 model year. Last month, this one rolled of the assembly line in Louisville, Ky.

Warning that a fuel line could leak, "potentially resulting in an underhood fire," Ford Motor Co. today told owners of about 11,500 model year 2013 Escapes "to stop driving their vehicles and to immediately contact their dealers."

The company said that "dealers will deliver a loaner vehicle to customers and will then transport their 2013 Escape to the dealership until the repair has been completed."

There have been no injuries reported in connection with the problem, the company said.

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The Two-Way
11:36 am
Thu July 19, 2012

Italy's 'Armani Of Mozzarella' Accused Of Having Mafia Links

Credit Italian Police / AFP/Getty Images
Giuseppe Mandara (in white shirt, with cigar), and officers from the Anti-Mafia unit of the Italian police on Tuesday.

This story's been out there for a day or two, but it's too tasty to ignore. So here's a slice:

"Italy's biggest buffalo mozzarella maker, Giuseppe Mandara, has been arrested on charges he had close ties to the mafia. Mandara, 56 — who once dubbed himself the 'Armani of Mozzarella' — was arrested with three associates near Naples, reports said." (Global Post)

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The Two-Way
9:17 am
Thu July 19, 2012

Mixed Signals: Sales Of Existing Homes Dipped, But Prices Rose

While sales of existing homes fell 5.4 percent in June from May, their median price was up 7.9 percent from a year earlier.

In addition, the National Association of Realtors reports, the supply of existing homes available for sale continued to shrink — including the number of "distressed" homes on the market because of foreclosures.

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The Two-Way
9:00 am
Thu July 19, 2012

Tennessee Mosque Can Open; Imam Says America Is Better For That

Credit Erik Schelzig / AP
The mosque in Murfreesboro, Tenn., last month when it was still under construction.

Originally published on Thu July 19, 2012 12:08 pm

Now that a federal judge has ruled that the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro in Rutherford County, Tenn., can open, the mosque's imam says muslims elsewhere should take notice.

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The Two-Way
8:07 am
Thu July 19, 2012

Emmy Nominations Are Out: 'Mad Men' Will Go For Record

Credit Frank Ockenfels / AMC
The cast of Mad Men.

Originally published on Thu July 19, 2012 10:21 am

AMC's Mad Men, as expected, has again been nominated for an Emmy as "outstanding drama series" — meaning that the show about Madison Avenue in the '60s has a chance to win a record fifth such honor.

Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law and The West Wing share that title with four best drama Emmys each.

Mad Men's competition for the award:

-- Boardwalk Empire, (HBO).

-- Breaking Bad, (AMC).

-- Downton Abbey, (PBS).

-- Game of Thrones, (HBO).

-- Homeland, (Showtime).

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The Two-Way
7:48 am
Thu July 19, 2012

Jobless Claims Rose By 34,000 Last Week

There was a 34,000-increase in the number of Americans filing first-time claims for jobless benefits last week, the Employment and Training Administration reports.

It says 386,000 people filed claims, up from 352,000 the week before. "The 4-week moving average was 375,500, a decrease of 1,500 from the previous week's revised average of 377,000."

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The Two-Way
7:38 am
Thu July 19, 2012

VIDEO: 'God's Plan' Led To Deadly Encounter With Trayvon, Zimmerman Says

Credit FoxNews.com
George Zimmerman during his interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity.

Originally published on Thu July 19, 2012 10:23 am

While he is sorry that Trayvon Martin ended up dead, George Zimmerman says he doesn't regret anything he did the evening of Feb. 26 and that it was "God's plan" that he would end up killing the unarmed 17-year-old.

"For me to second guess it or judge it" would be wrong, Zimmerman told Fox News Channel's Sean Hannity in a pre-recorded and edited interview broadcast Wednesday night.

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The Two-Way
7:07 am
Thu July 19, 2012

Video May Show Suicide Bomber Who Attacked Bus In Bulgaria

Credit BGNES.com
A screen grab from the surveillance video showing the man who it's suspected set off a bomb aboard a bus full of Israeli tourists in Burgas, Bulgaria.

Originally published on Sun July 22, 2012 8:43 am

  • Lourdes Garcia-Navarro reporting on 'Morning Edition'
The Two-Way
6:31 am
Thu July 19, 2012

As Fighting Rages In Damascus, Survival Of Assad's Regime Is In Doubt

Credit / AFP/Getty Images
An image grab taken from a video uploaded on YouTube on Wednesday shows smoke billowing from burning tires and trash containers in Damascus.
  • From 'Morning Edition,' Liz Sly of The Washington Post and Renee Montagne

One day after three members of his inner circle were killed in an explosion, opposition fighters in Syria are continuing to put pressure on the regime of President Bashar Assad as clashes with government forces draw near to the his palace in Damascus, residents tell Reuters.

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