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
7:57 am
Wed May 2, 2012

We Had Dinner With Bin Laden In 2010, Men Tell BBC

Credit AFP/Getty Images
Following the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound, the image of the al-Qaida leader was one of a man in hiding, watching himself on videos and plotting.

The story that Osama bin Laden never left his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, during the last five years of his life takes a hit with word from the BBC about a dinner the al-Qaida leader reportedly attended in the summer of 2010.

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The Two-Way
7:15 am
Wed May 2, 2012

'Afghan Good Enough' May Be Best U.S. And Allies Can Do

Credit Mandel Ngan / AFP/Getty Images
During his brief visit to Afghanistan, President Obama spoke to troops at Bagram Air Field north of Kabul.

Originally published on Wed May 2, 2012 7:29 am

Among the day-after analyses of President Obama's surprise trip to Afghanistan and the new pact about U.S.-Afghan relations is this from Anthony Cordesman at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C.:

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The Two-Way
6:26 am
Wed May 2, 2012

Will China Follow Through On Assurances About Activist's Safety?

Credit Jordan Pouille / AFP/Getty Images
Chinese activist activist Chen Guangcheng earlier today at the a hospital in Beijing. He reportedly injured himself during his escape from house arrest last month.

Originally published on Wed May 2, 2012 3:26 pm

  • From 'Morning Edition'

Chinese legal activist Chen Guangcheng has said to The Associated Press that "he was told Chinese officials would have killed his wife had he not left [the U.S.] embassy," the wire service reports.

It also writes that "Guangcheng says a U.S. official told him that Chinese authorities threatened to beat his wife to death had be not left the American Embassy."

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The Two-Way
2:00 pm
Tue May 1, 2012

Obama In Afghanistan On Surprise Visit

Credit Charles Dharapak / AP
President Barack Obama is greeted by Lt. Gen. Curtis "Mike" Scaparrotti, and U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan Ryan Crocker as he steps off Air Force One at Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan earlier today (Tuesday, May 1).

Originally published on Tue May 1, 2012 5:54 pm

One year to the day after announcing to the world the death of Osama bin Laden, President Obama is in Afghanistan, the nation from which the al-Qaida leader and his followers planned and organized the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

The news of the president's unannounced trip was confirmed just before 3 p.m. ET. Obama is scheduled to deliver a televised address aimed at Americans this evening at 7:30 p.m. ET.

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The Two-Way
12:20 pm
Tue May 1, 2012

Stocks Rallying After Bullish Manufacturing News

Originally published on Tue May 1, 2012 3:34 pm

Adding 87 points, the Dow closed at 13,339, its highest level since December of 2007.

CNN Money reports that the index rose in reaction to a rise in U.S. manufacturing activity.

The Wall Street Journal adds:

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The Two-Way
10:19 am
Tue May 1, 2012

'There's A Wild And Crazy Man' Inside Mitt Romney, His Wife Says

Credit Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
Ann and Mitt Romney, on March 20, celebrating his win in the Illinois primary.

Originally published on Tue May 1, 2012 10:50 am

She wants the nation to know that "there's a wild and crazy man" inside Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential contender's wife said on CBS This Morning earlier today.

"I still look at him as the boy that I met in high school when he was playing all the jokes and really just being crazy, pretty crazy," Ann Romney added.

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The Two-Way
9:53 am
Tue May 1, 2012

Five 'Anarchists' Arrested For Allegedly Plotting To Blow Up Ohio Bridge

Originally published on Tue May 1, 2012 2:24 pm

The FBI announced this morning that it "has arrested five people on terrorism charges, accusing them of planning to blow up a bridge near Brecksville, Ohio," our colleagues at WKSU report.

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The Two-Way
9:17 am
Tue May 1, 2012

Gingrich Says Goodbye To 2012 Campaign In New Video

Credit Marianne Todd / Getty Images
Newt Gingrich.

Originally published on Tue May 1, 2012 9:41 am

The Two-Way
8:58 am
Tue May 1, 2012

Norwegian Swimming Star Dies In Arizona

Credit Feng Li / Getty Images
Gold medalist Alexander Dale Oen of Norway with his medal at last July's World Championships in Shanghai.

Originally published on Wed May 2, 2012 5:44 am

Swimming star Alexander Dale Oen, one of Norway's top gold medal hopes in the upcoming Summer Olympic Games in London, died Monday at his hotel near a training facility in Flagstaff, Ariz.

The 26-year-old world champion in the 100-meter breaststroke suffered an apparent heart attack, according to Norway's Olympic Committee.

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The Two-Way
8:18 am
Tue May 1, 2012

Looking Back: How The World Quickly Learned About Bin Laden's Death

Credit Pete Souza / White House
Iconic image: President Barack Obama and members of his national security team as they monitored the mission to capture or kill Osama bin Laden.

One year ago today, we learned that al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden had been located and killed by U.S. Navy SEALs at a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.

There's no shortage of stories and news related to that event, including these:

-- "After Bin Laden, Al-Qaida Still Present As Movement." (NPR's Dina Temple-Raston, on Morning Edition.)

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