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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11:52am

Tue May 21, 2013
The Two-Way

VIDEO: Tears Flow As Mom Finds Son After Tornado

Credit The Oklahoman

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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10:13am

Tue May 21, 2013
The Two-Way

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

Originally published on Tue May 21, 2013 11:05 am

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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6:11am

Tue May 21, 2013
The Two-Way

IRS Officials To Be On Hot Seat

Originally published on Tue May 21, 2013 10:18 am

Credit Dennis Brack / Landov

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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5:11am

Tue May 21, 2013
The Two-Way

Death Toll Climbing In Oklahoma Tornado Tragedy

Originally published on Tue May 21, 2013 5:45 pm

Credit RIchard Rowe / Reuters /Landov

(We're following the news from Oklahoma, where a tornado devastated the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore on Monday. Most recent update: 6:25 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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1:35pm

Mon May 20, 2013
The Two-Way

Turnabout Is Fair Play: Senators Have Many Questions For IRS

Credit Nicholas Kamm / AFP/Getty Images

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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12:46pm

Mon May 20, 2013
The Two-Way

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

Credit ABCNews.go.com

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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10:56am

Mon May 20, 2013

10:00am

Mon May 20, 2013
The Two-Way

Supreme Court Takes Case On Prayer At Government Meetings

Credit Jonathan Ernst / Reuters /Landov

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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8:01am

Mon May 20, 2013

7:50am

Mon May 20, 2013
The Two-Way

Pledging Not To 'Screw It Up,' Yahoo Seals Deal For Tumblr

Originally published on Mon May 20, 2013 8:06 am

Credit Fred Dufour / AFP/Getty Images

The news that broke Sunday is now official.

Yahoo confirmed early Monday morning that it is buying Tumblr in a deal worth about $1.1 billion. "Per the agreement and our promise not to screw it up, Tumblr will be independently operated as a separate business," Yahoo added.

In its statement announcing the deal, Yahoo says that:

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7:08am

Mon May 20, 2013

5:52am

Mon May 20, 2013
The Two-Way

Nation's Midsection Braces For More Severe Storms

Originally published on Mon May 20, 2013 10:14 am

There's no relief today for folks in the nation's midsection.

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1:05pm

Fri May 17, 2013
The Two-Way

Aw-Inspiring Video: Sea Lion Worries When Little Girl Falls

Originally published on Sun May 19, 2013 6:28 am

Credit Live Leak

Take a break from the scandal du jour for something that's just darn nice.

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11:41am

Fri May 17, 2013
The Two-Way

Washington Green? State Creates Logo For Legal Pot

T-shirts will surely be made:

Along with draft rules for how to become a licensed grower or seller of marijuana, the Washington State Liquor Control Board this week released the official "icon logo" that will need to be put on packages of pot and "marijuana-infused products sold at retail."

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9:52am

Fri May 17, 2013
The Two-Way

Famed Race Driver Dick Trickle Dies, Suicide Suspected

Originally published on Fri May 17, 2013 11:36 am

Credit Bill Hall / Getty Images

Dick Trickle, a "short-track hero" in the '70s and '80s who moved to the NASCAR circuit later in his career, died Thursday.

According to The Charlotte Observer, the 71-year-old was killed by "an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, Lincoln County [N.C.] deputies said."

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