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Host Scott Simon talks to NPR's Tom Goldman about the NFL playoffs and how this exciting time of year for football fans has been somewhat overshadowed by talk of concussions.

Civil War historian Bruce Levine says that from the destruction of the South emerged an entirely new country. On the hit Masterpiece Theater series, social rules are changing as the world events of the 20th century unfold. And David Bianculli reviews season two of 'Girls.'

NPR's Scott Simon muses on momentous news this week — the Baseball Writers Association elected no one to the Hall of Fame. The shutout might be a classic reminder that cheating sometimes brings quick riches, but it can't buy respect.

Record heat and relatively dry winters have created a historic drought in the U.S., but the ripple effects extend beyond the farmland and ranches. Low crop yields are driving up food prices, and dry conditions are causing forest fires and water main breaks. The costs are high, and it's still unclear if we'll see the end of it in 2013.

Betto Arcos stops by weekends on All Things Considered to play some of his favorite new Spanish music, including an all-female flamenco quartet and a Galician bagpipe master.

Facing sequestration cuts, a troop drawdown in Afghanistan and what's expected to be a contentious fight over the next defense secretary, it's hard to avoid the conclusion that some of the biggest challenges for the Department of Defense come from inside U.S. borders. Still, the Pentagon's job is to anticipate future threats — and prepare.

As religious as this country may be, many Americans are not religious at all. The group of religiously unaffiliated – dubbed "nones"-- has been growing. One-fifth of Americans say they're nones, as are one in three under 30. They're socially liberal and aren't looking for an organized religion.

Two out of three Americans living with hepatitis C infection are baby boomers, and many will never know the source of their infection. Drugs to treat the disease have many side effects, but dozens of new ones are in the pipeline.

President Obama has changed course from 2009, allowing bigger donations and corporate money. Advocates for overhauling campaign finance laws wonder what happened to the president's old pledge to change the way Washington works.

Just after a heavy weekend of football, Steve Inskeep talks to John Ourand of Sports Business Journal about the business of the NFL in the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl.