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
10:29 am
Fri May 10, 2013

'Monkeemobile' Creator Dean Jeffries Dies

Credit Steve Marcus / Reuters/Landov
Hey, hey: The Monkeemobile, one of Dean Jeffries best-known creations.

Dean Jeffries, the car customizer who created the "Monkeemobile" for The Monkees TV show, "Black Beauty" for The Green Hornet and who painted two famous words on actor James Dean's Porsche 550 Spyder, died last weekend at his Hollywood home. He was 80. A son says Jeffries died in his sleep.

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The Two-Way
8:44 am
Fri May 10, 2013

Jacob & Sophia Rule Among Baby Names, Liz & Liam Are Hot

Originally published on Mon May 13, 2013 7:09 am

If this was a contest, some might call for the name Jacob to be retired after so many wins.

According to the Social Security Administration:

"Jacob and Sophia are repeat champions as America's most popular baby names for 2012. This is the fourteenth year in a row Jacob tops the list for boys and the second year for Sophia."

Rounding out the top 10 lists:

Girls / Boys

2. Emma / Mason

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The Two-Way
7:20 am
Fri May 10, 2013

Cleveland Kidnapping Suspect Could Face Thousands Of Charges

Credit Emmanuel Dunand / AFP/Getty Images
Ariel Castro during his arraignment Thursday at Cleveland Municipal Court. He's accused of kidnapping and raping three young women, and then holding a daughter born to one of those women captive. The women had been missing for about a decade. The child is now six years old.

Originally published on Fri May 10, 2013 9:56 am

  • Brian Bull of WCPN reports

Update at 10:45 a.m. ET. DNA Testing Confirms Suspect Is Child's Father, Ohio Attorney General Says:

Preliminary DNA tests confirm that Ariel Castro, the man charged with kidnapping and repeatedly raping three young women held captive in his Cleveland home for about a decade, is the father of a girl born to one of the victims six years ago, Ohio's attorney general announced Friday morning.

A statement posted by Attorney General Mike DeWine's office says:

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The Two-Way
6:24 am
Fri May 10, 2013

FBI Says Data About Probe Of Bombing Suspect Was Shared

Credit Neal Hamberg / Reuters /Landov
FBI Special Agent in Charge Richard DesLauriers (at the microphones), Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis (standing, at far left) and other authorities briefing the news media on April 19. That's the day Boston bombings suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed and his brother, Dzhokhar, was captured.

Originally published on Fri May 10, 2013 7:43 am

  • From 'Morning Edition': Brian Naylor reports

Boston Police Chief Edward Davis told Congress on Thursday that before the Boston Marathon bombings, his department wasn't aware the FBI had questioned Tamerlan Tsarnaev in recent years about whether he had been in contact with Muslim extremists in Dagestan.

As far as he knew, Davis said, the FBI did not share that information with local authorities.

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The Two-Way
6:09 am
Fri May 10, 2013

Reports: Survivor Rescued 17 Days After Bangladesh Building Collapse

Credit Parvez Ahmad Rony / AP
Rescuers carry a survivor who was buried for 17 days under the rubble of a building that collapsed in Saver, near Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Originally published on Fri May 10, 2013 12:25 pm

(Most recent update: 1:15 p.m. ET.)

There's incredible news from Bangladesh:

"Miraculous as it may sound," a survivor was rescued Friday from the rubble of the eight-story building that collapsed 17 days ago near Dhaka, The Daily Star reported this morning.

That story from Bangladesh's English-language newspaper has been followed with these bulletins from other news outlets:

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The Two-Way
1:45 pm
Thu May 9, 2013

After 100,000+ Downloads, Group With 3-D Gun Plans Goes Dark

Credit Defense Distributed
The Liberator — a plastic handgun made with a 3-D printer.

Minutes ago, just as we were reading a Forbes story headlined "3D-Printed Gun's Blueprints Downloaded 100,000 Times In Two Days," this message appeared on the Twitter page of the group that has made those plans available to the world:

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The Two-Way
11:30 am
Thu May 9, 2013

Great Fake? 'Kiss Cam Breakup' Video Goes Viral

Credit Fresno Grizzlies
The Two-Way
10:13 am
Thu May 9, 2013

Everton's Moyes To Replace Ferguson At Man United

Credit Peter Powell / EPA /LANDOV
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson (left) and Everton manager David Moyes (right) during a match in April 2012. Moyes will succeed the retiring Ferguson at Man United.

One day after the world's most famous soccer coach announced his upcoming retirement, his replacement has been chosen.

The English Premier League's Everton Football Club announced Thursday that manager David Moyes would step down after its last game this season, on May 19. According to the club:

"The manager met Chairman Bill Kenwright early yesterday evening (Wednesday 8th May) and confirmed his desire to join Manchester United."

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The Two-Way
9:54 am
Thu May 9, 2013

Boston Bombing Suspect's Body Finally 'Entombed,' Police Say

Credit FBI.gov
Tamerlan Tsarnaev, as seen in a video taken on April 15 near the finish line of the Boston Marathon.

The body of Boston Marathon bombings suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev "is now entombed," the Worcester, Mass., police department announced Thursday morning.

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The Two-Way
8:50 am
Thu May 9, 2013

Boston's Top Cop: Boost Security, But Avoid 'Police State'

Credit Michael Reynolds / EPA /LANDOV
Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis.

Originally published on Thu May 9, 2013 12:29 pm

(We put a new top on this post at 1:25 p.m. ET.)

"The FBI never told the Boston police or the Massachusetts State Police about possible Russian terror connections of the suspected Marathon bombers until three and half days after the attack, law enforcement officials testified today before the House Homeland Security Committee," ABC News writes.

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