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Also: "Silver Fire" spreads in Southern California; Powerball jackpot winners include 16 county workers in New Jersey; and actress Karen Black dies.

Fresh Air rock critic Ken Tucker offers his picks for the best music of the year, including Fiona Apple's latest album and a Bob Dylan DVD. He also addresses the topic of women in music, and he talks about the year in hip-hop. Tucker is the film critic for New York magazine.

Reports vary as to whether al-Shabab's Zakariye Ismail Ahmed Hersi turned himself in or was captured in a raid. The U.S. had placed a $3 million bounty on the leading Islamist extremist.

Albums are still events for us, even and especially as we shelter in place. Lido Pimienta, Fiona Apple and Sam Hunt released music that we held close to the chest.

In Iran's presidential election, former president Hashemi Rafsanjani and Tehran Mayor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are set to contest a run-off election Friday. But one of the losing candidates has charged that the vote was rigged, prompting authorities to order a partial recount.

In terms of pop hits, the shadow of 2013 fell over most of 2014. But for NPR Music's Stephen Thompson, there were plenty of winners this year as well.

It's been a year of complacency deferred and sleeping giants roused. So it's only natural that much of 2017's best music would reflect that tumult, albeit in radically different ways.

Peso Pluma is YouTube's most viewed artist of the year in the U.S. The Mexican music phenom beat out Taylor Swift, Drake, YoungBoy Never Broke Again and Bad Bunny for the top spot.

Also: Suspect in ricin letters described as conspiracist and Elvis impersonator; North Korea "sets conditions" for return to talks; and former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords expresses her anger after gun bills fail in Senate.