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FolkAlley.com, an Internet folk-music service produced by NPR station WKSU in Kent, Ohio, specializes in a blend of contemporary and traditional singer/songwriters, Americana, roots, Celtic, bluegrass, world music and more. Here's a look at Folk Alley's picks for the best albums of 2006.

Lupe Fiasco is a Chicago-based rapper who made his mainstream debut on the most recent CD by Kanye West, who is also from Chicago. Now Fiasco is further cementing the Windy City's reputation as a breeding ground for innovative hip-hop, with a new CD, Food and Liquor.

The House of Representatives will be under new management in 2007, but leadership posts within each party are undecided. Maryland's Steny Hoyer wants to be Majority Leader, but Nancy Pelosi backing Rep. John Murtha. Republican Speaker, Dennis Hastert, says he won't run for a leadership post, creating room at the top for the new minority party.

Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts wins the Democratic caucuses in Washington state, and holds a commanding lead as votes are counted in Michigan. Hear NPR's Steve Inskeep, NPR's Wendy Kaufman and NPR's David Schaper.

The morning's top headlines from NPR's The Two-Way.

Since June, more than 915,000 presidential ads alone have aired on broadcast and cable TV. So what's it like to watch the local news in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, New Hampshire, Ohio and Virginia?

The Purple Heart is the most powerful symbol that a soldier has sacrificed for his or her country. For generations, the military has awarded Purple Hearts to soldiers wounded in action. But an investigation by NPR and ProPublica has found that Army commanders routinely deny Purple Hearts to soldiers who've suffered concussions from explosions -- even though Army regulations say they merit the award. Four soldiers have struggled to get Purple Hearts -- and medical help.

WDUQ's Shaunna Morrison Machosky picks her Top 10 jazz CDs of 2007. All meet these criteria: The albums feature solid, engaging and interesting compositions, they're not simply collections of same-old jazz standards, and they're worth repeated listens.

To paraphrase an old marketing slogan, "this is not your father's Oldsmobile," these are not your father's classical artists. A new generation of instrumentalists, singers, and conductors has been taking the concert stage by storm, represented in part by these ten standout recordings of 2007.

WXPN's Blues Show host Jonny Meister counts off his 10 favorite blues albums of 2007, including harmonica player Bobby Rush, guitarist James Blood Ulmer and singer Marie Knight.

Today's top headlines for NPR's The Two-Way.

The population of the United States has officially reached 300 million. According to government calculations, America reached the milestone at 7:46 a.m. ET on Tuesday. The United States is only the third country in the world to reach 300 million people.