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NPR's pop critic and correspondent shares her favorite albums of this year.

Making new sounds while staying mindful of the past is a common theme in the Fresh Air music critic's year-end list.

Also: The White House will propose new carbon cutting goals; more fighting is reported in Benghazi, Libya; and Los Angeles advances to the NHL Stanley Cup finals to meet New York.

"Why should we believe that it's going to be different this time than it's been in the past?" Sen. Jeanne Shaheen asked Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Neller.

Neither the U.S. nor China publicly announced the meeting in advance and it was not clear which side had proposed it.

Ecuador produces some excellent soccer players, but they predominantly come from the same area. The sparsely populated Pacific coast province of Esmeraldas. What makes it Ecuador's soccer hotbed?

The All Songs Considered and Tiny Desk host shares his favorite recordings of the year.

Pakistani authorities say they believe their troops have cornered Osama bin Laden's top deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, near the Afghan-Pakistan border. Pakistani forces are engaged in a fierce battle there with tribal leaders and al Qaeda fighters. U.S. officials say they cannot confirm the reports. Hear NPR's Mary Louise Kelly.

The Pentagon is expected to replace Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez as the top U.S. commander in Iraq. President Bush called Sanchez "exemplary," and officials say his transfer is part of a long-planned reorganization. Nevertheless, the move leaves the impression in some quarters that the administration is not satisfied with Sanchez's performance in Iraq. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports.

We kept coming back to Pop Smoke's Meet the Woo 2, Soccer Mommy's deceptively sunny '90s pop and Makaya McCraven's creative reimagining of Gil Scott-Heron's poetry.