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Fresh Air's music critic Ken Tucker's picks for the best music of 2009 include songs by Taylor Swift, Billy Currington and Michael Franti as well as albums by Loudon Wainwright III, the Fiery Furnaces, and Bob Dylan.

The Fed will continue raising interest rates this week as inflation continues to soar. Some CEOs worry the fight to bring prices under control could end up sparking an economic downturn.

NPR's Steven Inskeep talks to ex-CIA officer John Sipher about his skepticism that a bipartisan commission put together by lawmakers will produce a full accounting of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

Be it a crown or a baseball cap, the hat has signified a variety of things throughout history. A dazzling traveling exhibition celebrates centuries of hats, but really, its curator says, hats tell us more about mood than time.

Seven Democrats are still in the running for the party's presidential nomination, and they'll be competing in seven different state contests Tuesday. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts leads in many polls after early victories in the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary. Hear NPR's Steve Inskeep and NPR's Adam Hochberg.

New York Times Executive Editor Howell Raines and Managing Editor Gerald Boyd step down in the wake of a scandal involving former reporter Jayson Blair. Raines and Boyd faced intense criticism after Blair was accused of various ethical transgressions during his four years at The Times. Hear Jack Schaffer of Slate magazine.

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.

Rep. Porter Goss, President Bush's nominee for CIA director, faces tough questioning from Senate Democrats at his confirmation hearings. Responding to multiple accusations that he used intelligence politically, Goss pledged to provide non-partisan intelligence. NPR's Mary Louise Kelly reports.

For the first time since the Vietnam War, the U.S. electorate is more concerned about foreign affairs and national security than the economy. That's the conclusion of polling data released this week by the Pew Center for the People and the Press. NPR's Robert Siegel talks with Andrew Kohut, Director of the Pew Center.

The nation used Twitter to mark the second inauguration of President Obama and to get information on the Boston Marathon bombing. But the year's most retweeted tweet was about the sudden death of a TV star.