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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.

The list of nominees for the 80th Academy Awards are announced. No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood both earn eight nominations, leading the field.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Nick Morrison, a DJ at Seattle's KPLU, selects 10 of the year's best jazz CDs from instrumental legends and up-and-coming vocalists.

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

Linda Perry wrote a series of hits in the early part of the 2000s, like Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful." Now, Perry's releasing her own album called "Let It Die Here."