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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WXXI Top Stories
3:32 pm
Wed March 13, 2013

Argentina's Cardinal Bergoglio Is The New Pope; He Will Be 'Francis I'

Originally published on Wed March 13, 2013 7:30 pm

The world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics have a new spiritual leader, and for the first time is is someone from the Americas.

As afternoon turned to evening in Vatican City on Wednesday, a little after 7 p.m. local time, white smoke rose from a chimney above the Sistine Chapel and bells rang through St. Peter's Square — the traditional signals that the church's cardinals have chosen a new pope.

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Government
1:41 pm
Mon January 7, 2013

Obama Nominates Hagel For Defense, Brennan For CIA

Originally published on Mon January 7, 2013 1:36 pm

President Obama is moving to fill two key posts on his national security team with the nomination of former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel, a Republican, to be secretary of defense and current White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

We're updating this post as he speaks, so be sure to hit your "refresh" button. We've also added an audio player so you can, if you wish, hear NPR's coverage and the president's remarks.

Update at 1:35 p.m. ET. Hagel Pledges To "Always Do My Best":

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Superstorm Sandy
11:41 am
Fri January 4, 2013

House Passes Sandy Aid Bill

Credit Eric Thayer / Reuters /Landov
Superstorm Sandy swept through the Breezy Point neighborhood of Queens, N.Y., in late October. In late November, this sign symbolized the hope of homeowners that help would be coming soon.

Originally published on Fri January 4, 2013 2:27 pm

Update at 2:17 p.m. ET. Passage In The Senate:

The Senate just passed, by unanimous agreement, a bill that injects more than $9 billion into the insurance program that will assist those hit hard by Superstorm Sandy last October.

President Obama had urged passage and is expected to quickly sign the bill.

Our original post:

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The Two-Way
4:09 pm
Fri December 14, 2012

Tragedy In Connecticut: Deadly Shooting At Elementary School

Originally published on Tue December 18, 2012 11:36 am

NPR News
8:56 am
Fri July 20, 2012

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

Originally published on Sat July 21, 2012 1:17 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
10:04 pm
Fri June 8, 2012

'Car Talk' Guys Are Retiring, But Their Best Stuff Will Be Rebroadcast

Credit CarTalk.com
Ray, left, doing some dental work on Tom.

Originally published on Fri June 8, 2012 3:30 pm

Click and Clack are going into retirement.

This just in from NPR's communications department:

June 8, 2012; Our Fair City – Tom and Ray Magliozzi, aka Click and Clack the Tappet Brothers, the comedian mechanics who host NPR's Car Talk, will tell their listeners this afternoon that as of this fall, they'll no longer record new programs. But their weekly call-in series will continue to be distributed by NPR drawing on material from their 25 years of show archives.

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Election 2012
8:58 am
Wed June 6, 2012

Win For Wisconsin's Walker Seen As Blow For Democrats, Boost For The GOP

Credit Scott Olson / Getty Images
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) after his victory Tuesday.

Originally published on Wed June 6, 2012 7:50 am

  • NPR's Don Gonyea, reporting on 'Morning Edition'

Now that it's over and Republican Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin has easily defeated a recall attempt, the morning-after analyses are in. There's a common theme:

-- Walker's win "is a stinging blow" to President Obama's re-election chances, says National Journal's 2012 Decoded blog.

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Economy
9:13 am
Fri June 1, 2012

Just 69,000 Jobs Added In May; Jobless Rate Edges Up To 8.2 Percent

Originally published on Fri June 1, 2012 1:31 pm

Horrid. Lousy. Awful.

Those are just three of the words economists are using to describe the news that just 69,000 net jobs were added to public and private payrolls last month — and that the nation's jobless rate edged up to 8.2 percent from April's 8.1 percent.

The news has raised fears that the hoped-for strengthening of the economy may not materialize.

We posted on the news and followed with details from the report and reaction to it. It's now 11:22 am. ET, here's our original post and earlier updates:

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Election 2012
7:54 am
Wed April 4, 2012

With Wisconsin Win, Romney Moves From 'Likely' To 'Almost Certain'

Credit Scott Olson / Getty Images
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney celebrated last night with supporters in Milwaukee.

Originally published on Wed April 4, 2012 6:40 am

His wins Tuesday in Washington, D.C., Maryland and — most importantly — in Wisconsin has produced a subtle shift in the way Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney is being referred to by the news media.

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Election 2012
8:19 am
Wed March 21, 2012

It Was Inevitable: Romney's Win In Illinois Resurrects The I-Word

Credit Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney at his victory party Tuesday in Schaumburg, Ill.

Originally published on Wed March 21, 2012 7:40 am

From Fox News' On The Record with Greta Van Susteren to The Wall Street Journal and Politico, Tuesday's relatively easy win for Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney in the Illinois primary has renewed talk about him being the "inev

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