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Host Bob Boilen talks with reviewers Carrie Brownstein, Will Hermes, Tom Moon and Meredith Ochs about the year's biggest surprises and letdowns in music.

President Bush defended his diplomatic strategy with North Korea at a news conference Wednesday, saying bilateral talks with the nation during the Clinton administration just didn't work to curb its nuclear ambitions.

The blues icon died Monday at 79, but his signature sound marches on. The "Bo Diddley beat" powers acts from the Rolling Stones to the White Stripes. Musicologist Ned Sublette celebrates Diddley's infectious, clave-inflected stomp.

Until two weeks ago, Norman Hsu was a prodigious fundraiser for Hillary Clinton. Since then, he has run from the law and forced the campaign to return all the money he raised. As he built a reputation as a political money man, his background lay hidden.

Norman Hsu raised millions for Democratic candidates, writing big checks and bundling even more. All that has changed, as news of Hsu's bankruptcies and questionable business practices have made headlines.

The FBI has been tracking Hezbollah fundraising in the United States for years. But there is debate within law enforcement circles over whether the group would launch attacks on U.S. soil.

As leaders of the world's industrial powers gathered in St. Petersburg, Russia, for the G-8 summit, the focus was on tensions in the Middle East. Meanwhile, President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin remained at odds.

As the Mideast crisis continues to intensify, the head of Lebanon's militant group Hezbollah declares "open war," and Israel says it will not stop its military campaign until Hezbollah is disarmed.

President Bush appeals directly to Muslims to assure them that the United States is not waging war with Islam. Denouncing extremists, he lays out a vision for peace in the Middle East before skeptical world leaders at the United Nations.

This wasn't the strongest year for hip-hop, but 2007 still featured some excellent releases that pushed the genre's boundaries, as well as a few records that reveled, old-school style, in great beats and rhymes.

New music from Ryan Adams; A boxing metaphor from Aimee Mann; A bluegrass classic with Doyle Lawson; The ghostly sounds of Liz Durrett; From the Elephant 6 collective: Of Montreal and more.

The Federal Reserve on Tuesday slashed a key interest rate by three-quarters of a point, making it cheaper for banks to borrow. Banks may eventually pass the savings to consumers in the form of lower interest rates for loans, but the interest that consumers earn on savings can also go down.