Frank James
Frank James joined NPR News in April 2009 to launch the blog, "The Two-Way," with co-blogger Mark Memmott.
"The Two-Way" is the place where NPR.org gives readers breaking news and analysis — and engages users in conversations ("two-ways") about the most compelling stories being reported by NPR News and other news media.
James came to NPR from the Chicago Tribune, where he worked for 20 years. In 2006, James created "The Swamp," the paper's successful politics and policy news blog whose readership climbed to a peak of 3 million page-views a month.
Before that, James covered homeland security, technology and privacy and economics in the Tribune's Washington Bureau. He also reported for the Tribune from South Africa and covered politics and higher education.
James also reported for The Wall Street Journal for nearly 10 years.
James received a bachelor of arts degree in English from Dickinson College and now serves on its board of trustees.
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If anything defined 2013, it was the political misstep. Between the broken promises, personal scandals and federal government shutdown, it was a year that left voters frustrated and, in some cases, appalled. -
The 113th Congress has come to be defined more by what it failed to do than what it did. But the two warring parties controlling either end of Capitol Hill managed to accomplish a few things in 2013. -
Among the takeaways from congressional votes to approve the bipartisan budget deal: Compromise happens, except on taxes and entitlements. And Congress still works. Well, sort of. -
Did petty politics lead to traffic-snarling lane closures on the nation's busiest bridge? That question, which has dogged New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie for weeks, could end up tarnishing his prospective 2016 presidential bid. -
The good news is that the budget agreement moving through Congress takes another costly government shutdown off the table. The bad news? It looks like another debt ceiling clash is right around the corner. -
The House speaker lashed out at conservative advocacy groups over their opposition to the budget agreement reached by Republican Rep. Paul Ryan and Democratic Sen. Patty Murray. His reaction comes not a moment too soon, as far as the speaker's allies are concerned. -
How's the Louisiana senator responding to GOP efforts to tie her to the Affordable Care Act's problems? Partly with an ad that gives her outsize credit for President Obama's decision to change course and let people keep health plans next year that would otherwise be canceled under the new law. -
The agreement by the budget committee chairmen is no grand bargain. It's more like a minibargain. All the really hard stuff was sidestepped because the ideological rift between Washington Democrats and Republicans made it impossible to include those items. -
If the Obama administration winds up losing a Supreme Court case challenging President Obama's recess appointments, the Senate back story could make the win especially gratifying for Republicans. -
To an African-American coming of age in the late 1970s, there seemed two certainties: Nelson Mandela would die in prison in apartheid South Africa and no black person would become U.S. president in his lifetime. So much for youthful predictions.
