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.

Pages

The Two-Way
10:25 am
Thu June 6, 2013

VIDEO: Michelle Obama's Face-To-Face With A Heckler

Credit Evan Vucci / AP
The first lady was confronted by a heckler at a private event in Washington on Tuesday.

Originally published on Thu June 6, 2013 11:36 am

CNN has video that lets you see and hear some of what it was like Tuesday night when first lady Michelle Obama confronted a heckler who had interrupted her during a Democratic fundraiser at a home in Washington, D.C.

Read more
The Two-Way
10:02 am
Thu June 6, 2013

Cleanup Begins As Death Toll In Philadelphia Remains At 6

Credit Eduardo Munoz / Reuters /Landov
Rescue workers converged Wednesday on the site of a building collapse in Philadelphia. At least six people were reportedly killed and an additional 14 injured.

Originally published on Thu June 6, 2013 11:41 am

Update at 10:35 a.m. ET. Still A Rescue Operation:

Although reports earlier this morning signaled that efforts at the scene of a building collapse in Philadelphia had turned from rescue to recovery and cleanup, city officials just told reporters that they're still looking for possible survivors.

Read more
The Two-Way
9:04 am
Thu June 6, 2013

Ahead Of Key Report, 2 Modestly Positive Signs On Jobs

Credit Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
The scene at a career fair in San Francisco on May 30.

The number of first-time claims for jobless benefits fell by 11,000 last week from the week before, the Employment and Training Administration reports. There were 346,000 such applications.

While on the positive side, the figure is still in line with the recent trend. Since late 2011, claims have basically stayed in a range from the mid-300,000s to just under 400,000.

Read more
The Two-Way
8:25 am
Thu June 6, 2013

Judge Gives Girl Who Needs New Lungs A 'Fighting Chance'

Credit Murnaghan family / AP
Sarah Murnaghan, center, on May 30 as she and her parents marked the 100th day of her stay in Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Her father, Fran, is at left. Her mother, Janet, is at right.

Originally published on Thu June 6, 2013 9:32 am

A federal judge's ruling that moves 10-year-old Sarah Murnaghan up the waiting list for a lung transplant means the little girl now has a "fighting chance at life," says Rep. Patrick Meehan, R-Pa.

Meehan was one of several lawmakers who had been pushing to have the Health and Human Services Department relax the rules that give priority to patients age 12 and older.

Read more
The Two-Way
7:23 am
Thu June 6, 2013

Spy Agency's Collection Of Phone Records Reopens Controversy

Credit Glen Argov / Landov
Your call may be monitored: The NSA has been given the OK to collect data about millions of Americans' phone calls (though not about the conversations).

Originally published on Thu June 6, 2013 2:16 pm

The Two-Way
2:23 pm
Wed June 5, 2013

Do You Care If Ball Players Use Steroids? Polls Say Fans Do

Credit Andy Lyons / Getty Images
A fan raises his objections at the 2002 Major League Baseball All Star Game.

Originally published on Wed June 5, 2013 8:58 pm

ESPN's big scoop of the day — that Major League Baseball "will seek to suspend about 20 players connected to the Miami-area clinic at the heart of an ongoing performance-enhancing drug scandal" — raises a logical question:

Do fans care?

PollingReport.com has collected the results of some surveys, including:

Read more
The Two-Way
11:58 am
Wed June 5, 2013

Building Collapses In Philadelphia; Some May Be Trapped

Credit Clem Murray / MCT /Landov
Firefighters and rescue workers at the site of Wednesday's building collapse in Philadelphia.

Originally published on Thu June 6, 2013 6:04 am

(Most recent update: 12:05 a.m. ET Thursday)

Firefighters have pulled a 14th survivor from the rubble of a building that collapsed Wednesday in Philadelphia, and from an adjacent store that was heavily damaged. According to The Associated Press, rescuers found a woman late Wednesday and she was taken to a nearby hospital. Deputy Fire Chief Robert Coyne said early Thursday that 61-year-old Myra Plekam was pulled from the debris more than 12 hours after a building collapsed and that she was awake and talking to rescuers.

Read more
The Two-Way
11:09 am
Wed June 5, 2013

Chrysler 'Puts Reputation At Risk' By Rejecting Recall

Credit Mike Blake / Reuters /Landov

Originally published on Wed June 5, 2013 12:47 pm

As The Associated Press writes, "a defiant Chrysler is refusing to recall about 2.7 million Jeeps the government says are at risk of a fuel tank fire in a rear-end collision."

The Detroit Free Press says the company has "put its reputation for safety and quality on the line" by initially saying "no" to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's request.

Read more
The Two-Way
9:26 am
Wed June 5, 2013

Job Growth Stayed Slow In May, Report Signals

Credit Matt Stamey / Gainesville Sun /Landov
The scene at a jobs fair in Gainesville, Fla., on April 27.

Originally published on Wed June 5, 2013 10:04 am

There were 135,000 jobs added to private employers' payrolls in May, according to the latest ADP National Employment Report, which was released Wednesday morning.

Read more
The Two-Way
8:50 am
Wed June 5, 2013

First Lady Gets Face-To-Face With Heckler

Credit John Stillwell / pool / Getty Images
First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House on May 9.

Originally published on Thu June 6, 2013 9:27 am

Update at 9:15 a.m. ET, May 6. Video:

CNN has posted clips from a video taken by GetEQUAL in which you can see and hear some of what happened when one of its activists heckled First Lady Michelle Obama at a private fundraiser this week.

Our original post and an earlier update:

Read more

Pages