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The city of Chicago has one more thing to boast about: Its hometown orchestra, the Chicago Symphony, has been named America's top orchestra in a new critics' poll published in the venerable British magazine Gramophone.

Chairman Bennie Thompson's letter to Jordan asks for information and an interview to discuss his conversations with President Donald Trump on Jan. 6.

TV critic David Bianculli says that he's encouraged by how far TV has come. He picks The Good Wife as the best show of 2014, having "the deepest roster of really strong regulars and guest stars."

NPR music reviewer Meredith Ochs shares her picks for the year's best CDs. Ochs is host of Sirius Satellite Radio's "Outlaw Country" channel, a contributing editor for Guitar World magazine and a regular contributor to NPR's All Things Considered. She's also the vocalist and guitarist for the rock band The Damn Lovelys.

Five out of these 10 records are debuts — a statistic that fits perfectly in the spirit of finding new music to fall in love with this year.

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.

They were indicted over allegedly conspiring to obstruct Congress' certification of the Electoral College, including in discussions on encrypted messaging apps.

British forces capture an Iraqi general in the southern city of Basra. A spokesperson says the general is the highest-ranking Iraqi prisoner of war thus far. Meanwhile, U.S.-led warplanes strike facilities in Baghdad, including a presidential palace, a military intelligence complex and the barracks of a paramilitary training center. Hear NPR News.

The best albums of 2013 stand as album-length statements rather than mere collections of good songs. Each captures a powerful songwriting voice and, just as important, a central philosophy.