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President Vladimir Putin's decision to sack his defense minister has created widespread speculation about his motives. The defense minister was embroiled in a scandal, but analysts say Putin's decision may point to a larger battle over the future of Russia's military.

Like many public universities before it, the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, has made the move to the top level of college football, known as Football Bowl Subdivision. The program is now in its second year of play. The team is struggling and attendance is weak. The school is pumping more money into football, and some faculty are questioning the investment. But others are calling for patience.

Some years these polls aren't even close, but this time it was a tight race for our listeners' top five most popular albums of 2016.

A full-blown congressional debate on the expiring 2001 and 2003 tax cuts will unfold this fall, but some lawmakers have already weighed in on the most controversial issue: whether it makes sense, at a time of huge budget deficits, to extend tax relief for those earning more than $250,000.

More than a year after its revolution, Egypt votes for a new president on Wednesday and Thursday. The race is wide open and none of the 12 candidates is expected to get an outright majority. If those forecasts prove true, a runoff will take place next month between the two top vote-getters.

Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri is the "king of clubs" in a pack of playing cards issued to U.S. troops to help identify Iraqi officials. He is thought to have been instrumental in the sudden rise of ISIS.

The Justice Department says Raphael Sanchez stole the identities of seven immigrants. Sanchez has reportedly resigned from his post as ICE's chief counsel in Seattle.

As baseball celebrates its midseason All-Star break, NPR's Bob Edwards talks to Jeff Campbell, the producer of a series of baseball music CDs, called Diamond Cuts. The latest album features songs about Mickey Mantle, Dizzy Dean and Shoeless Joe Jackson. Hear selections from Top of the Sixth.

This week saw the "Chairman of the Board" Frank Sinatra make a return to the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time in 56 years. His 1948 rendition of Jingle Bells jingled all the way to a Top 20 spot.

The U.S. government has been criticized for many aspects of its handling of the Iraq war. But Douglas Feith, an architect of the war, says one of his biggest regrets is not convincing top Pentagon officials to pay more attention to law and order immediately after the fall of Baghdad in 2003.