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
9:35 am
Wed August 1, 2012

Heir To Billions Pleads Guilty To Keeping Dead Wife's Body At Home

Credit Alan Davidson / AP
Eva Rausing, right, and her husband Hans Kristian Rausing in 1996.

In London today the Swedish heir to a fortune worth billions of dollars pleaded guilty to "preventing the lawful and decent burial of his wife" and the court heard that Eva Rausing's body may have been lying beneath "bin bags, clothing and bed linen" for as long as two months, the BBC reports.

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The Two-Way
9:13 am
Wed August 1, 2012

Employers Added 163,000 Jobs In July, Survey Suggests

There was a 163,000-gain in the number of jobs on private payrolls in July, according to the latest ADP National Employment Report.

That's down from an estimated 172,000 boost in June (a number revised slightly from ADP's previous report of a 176,000-increase for that month).

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The Two-Way
7:48 am
Wed August 1, 2012

Indignant In India: Blackouts Have Millions 'Fuming'

Credit Dibyangshu Sarkar / AFP/Getty Images
Plenty of wires. But where's the juice? This electric pole in Kolkata is typical of many in heavily populated India.

"Powerless and Clueless" was today's top headline on the Times of India's front page.

India's Economic Times went with "Superpower India, RIP."

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The Two-Way
7:16 am
Wed August 1, 2012

Gore Vidal, In Words

Credit Central Press / Getty Images
Gore Vidal in 1991. He died Tuesday, at the age of 86.

The death of writer and cultural critic Gore Vidal on Tuesday, at the age of 86, means many are trying today to capture that man of words' life in just a few phrases:

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The Two-Way
3:10 pm
Tue July 31, 2012

Deal Struck To Avoid Possibility Of Government Shutdown In October

"Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., announced on Tuesday an agreement to avoid a government shutdown shortly before the November election," The Hill writes. "He said he, Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and President Obama have all agreed to the deal."

Boehner confirmed the news in an email his staff just sent to reporters:

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The Two-Way
1:28 pm
Tue July 31, 2012

Dying Man's Wish To Leave $500 Tip Turns Into Nearly $50,000 Charity

Credit Facebook.com/AaronsLastWish
Aaron Collins, who wanted to leave a big tip.

Originally published on Wed August 1, 2012 10:13 am

The Two-Way
11:38 am
Tue July 31, 2012

Romney Aide To Reporters: 'Kiss My ... This Is A Holy Site'

Credit Politico
Mitt Romney, at the top right, as he prepared to get into his car even as reporters were shouting questions.

Originally published on Tue July 31, 2012 2:02 pm

The Two-Way
10:11 am
Tue July 31, 2012

Share Your Stories: Did You Do 'Bedtime Math' Or Something Like It?

Originally published on Wed August 1, 2012 7:14 am

  • Ashley Milne-Tyte reporting for 'Morning Edition'

Morning Edition catches up today with one New Jersey mom's way of teaching math to her children: bedtime problems "that soon became a beloved routine."

Laura Overdeck, as it says on her Bedtime Math website, "along with her husband, John, started giving math problems to their two older kids. ... [And] when their 2-year-old started hollering for his own math problem, they knew they were onto something."

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The Two-Way
9:23 am
Tue July 31, 2012

Homes Prices Rise, Consumer Spending Flattens

Originally published on Tue July 31, 2012 11:55 am

Two fresh economic indicators:

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The Two-Way
9:00 am
Tue July 31, 2012

Did Twitter Go Too Far? It Suspended Critic Of NBC's Olympics Coverage

Credit Twitter.com

Originally published on Wed August 1, 2012 7:54 am

Update at 1:45 p.m. ET. Adams Has Been Reinstated On Twitter:

Guy Adams just tweeted that "Oh. My Twitter account appears to have been un-suspended. Did I miss much while I was away?"

That doesn't change the thrust of our post. And we haven't heard back from Twitter about his questions regarding the suspension.

Update at 4:23 p.m. ET. Twitter's Response:

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The Two-Way
7:50 am
Tue July 31, 2012

Reports: GOP Lawmakers Blame Five ATF Officials For 'Fast And Furious'

"Republican congressional investigators have concluded that five senior ATF officials ... are collectively responsible for the failed Fast and Furious gun-tracking operation that was 'marred by missteps, poor judgments and inherently reckless strategy,' " the Los Angeles Times reports.

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The Two-Way
7:25 am
Tue July 31, 2012

Massive Failure: 600 Million In India Lose Power; Grid Collapses For Second Day

Credit Raveendran / AFP/Getty Images
Passengers waited for trains Tuesday at a railway station in New Delhi. Another grid failure cut power, causing chaos.

Originally published on Tue July 31, 2012 2:38 pm

The Two-Way
12:52 pm
Mon July 30, 2012

24 Murder Counts, 116 Attempted Murder Counts For Colo. Shooting Suspect

Originally published on Mon July 30, 2012 1:21 pm

Prosecutors in Colorado today charged James Holmes with 24 counts of murder and 116 counts of attempted murder in the July 20 deaths of 12 people and wounding of 58 during a shooting rampage at a movie theater in the Denver suburb of Aurora.

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The Two-Way
11:44 am
Mon July 30, 2012

Colorado Shooting Stories: There Were Many 'Heroes Among Us'

Credit Joe Raedle / Getty Images
A heart shaped balloon hovered above a memorial for victims outside the Century 16 movie theater in Aurora, Colo., last week.

Originally published on Thu August 2, 2012 9:15 am

As they're being told, we're pointing to some of the stories about the 12 people who died and the 58 who were wounded when a gunman opened fire on July 20 at a movie theater in Aurora, Colo. Click here to see more. As you see others, please share the links in the comment threads.

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The Two-Way
11:13 am
Mon July 30, 2012

Romney's Words That Outraged Palestinians Were 'Mischaracterized,' Aide Says

Credit Lior Mizrahi / Getty Images
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney visited the Western Wall in Jerusalem's old city on Sunday.

Originally published on Sun August 5, 2012 2:00 pm

Reports that Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said at a fundraiser in Jerusalem that "culture" is among the reasons Israel's economy is much stronger than those in "areas managed by the Palestinian Authority" have led a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to accuse Romney of racism.

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