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It was a great year for lyricists, says All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen. His favorite albums of the year are proof of that richness.

Pakistan's Supreme Court has reinstated Pakistan's top judge, ruling that his suspension by Gen. Pervez Musharraf, the nation's president and military ruler, was "illegal." Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry's March suspension sparked protests by lawyers and opposition parties.

2017 was a year of chronic whiplash, not only for the ceaseless horror show of news headlines, but for the overwhelming number of great albums and songs that were released.

If one defining thread ran through 2016's best albums, it was an air of mystery: a sense of myth, otherworldliness, storytelling ambition or multimedia wizardry.

Also: Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen testifies before Congress today; the 2022 World Cup in Qatar may be played in November and December; and a Philippine bamboo organ festival faces closure.

CIA Director George Tenet resigns, effective in July. The move, announced by President Bush on the White House's South Lawn, comes after Tenet faced harsh criticism over intelligence failures related to Iraq and the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The president praised Tenet's leadership and work in seven years at the CIA. NPR's Mary Louise Kelly reports.

The host of All Songs Considered shares the albums he loved this year. Many of Bob Boilen's favorite albums of 2013 were danceable. Many were intimate. Some managed to be both at once.

When it first opened in 1965, some called the Houston Astrodome – the first domed stadium – the Eighth Wonder of the World.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has nominated a four-star general to take command of U.S. forces in Iraq. Gen. George W. Casey, Jr. would replace Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez. Colleagues say Casey has demonstrated the ability to work closely with U.S. diplomats, a skill that will be needed in Iraq when the U.S. embassy goes into business in July. NPR's Michele Kelemen reports.

Japan has its first Japanese sumo champion in 19 years. In recent decades the sport has been dominated by Mongolians. Sumo commentator Doreen Simmons explains the shift.