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The NFL conference championships are looming, and in the NFC, two teams from the NFC West are facing off — even though it used to be the worst division in the league. NPR's Rachel Martin talks to reporter Mike Pesca about this week's sports news.

For the third consecutive year, one section of the U.S.-Mexico border had a higher rate of illegal crossing than any other — the Rio Grande Valley. It's the closest crossing for Central Americans fleeing violence at home, but for them, the U.S. crossing is just the last, deadly portion of the trip.

In South Sudan, the fighting that began in December continues between groups loyal to two powerful rivals: President Salva Kiir and Riek Machar, his former vice president. Renee Montagne talks to Tufts University professor and South Sudan expert, Alex de Waal, about the roots of the conflict.

Monday marks the first day of Iran's nuclear agreement with six world powers. Tehran has promised to eliminate its most highly enriched uranium stockpile and generally halt much of its nuclear activity, but soon negotiators must begin to fashion a comprehensive nuclear accord in the face of widespread skepticism.

Syrian opposition groups threatened to skip the talks on ending Syria's civil war after the United Nations invited Iran to attend. The U.S. is also trying to figure out if Iran would agree to terms calling for an end to the Assad regime. Renee Montagne talks to Rami Khouri, director of the Fares Institute at the American University of Beirut.

Jerry Brown says the state is facing possibly the worst drought it has ever seen since record keeping began about 100 years ago. For more on the drought and its impact, Renee Montagne talks to Michael Hanemann, professor of agricultural and resource economics at University of California, Berkeley.

In softcover nonfiction, mother-of-three Kelly Oxford wisecracks, Errol Morris reexamines the Jeffrey MacDonald murder case and Shereen El Feki travels across the Arab world asking people about their sexuality.

The 45-year-old missionary who was convicted and sentenced on charges of subversion appeared before a select group of journalists from Western agencies to make his plea.

Also: Martin Luther King Jr.'s daughter has a no violence plea; the U.N. says Iran begins suspending certain nuclear enrichment work; a European space probe will "awaken"; famed Italian conductor Claudio Abbado dies; and Denver and Seattle are going to the Super Bowl.

The owner of Inspire BBQ caters to the tastes of discerning barbeque lovers, but he's also on a mission to reclaim troubled young people and teach a profession that will help them sustain themselves and the community.

The long-anticipated Syrian peace conference is again in turmoil. The U.N. secretary-general's surprise decision to invite Iran to attend the conference prompted a boycott threat from Syria's exiled opposition. At issue is the fact that Iran has not publicly committed to the framework for the conference or pledged to withdraw its troops and allied militias from Syria. Under pressure from the opposition groups and the U.S., the U.N. has since withdrawn its invitation to Iran.

What happens in a small town when a teacher is falsely accused of molesting a child? That's the story of a Danish movie called The Hunt. Director Thomas Vinterberg and star Mads Mikkelsen discuss the Oscar-nominated film.

Melissa Block talks to Alex Fowler, the chief privacy officer at Mozilla, for the company's response to President Obama's speech about government surveillance reform.

The American Postal Workers Union is facing off against the office supply giant Staples. The Postal Service has opened retail centers in Staples stores across the country, staffed with nonunion workers.

As India prepares for elections this spring, there are signs the electorate is agitated and ready to throw out the ruling Congress Party. The main opposition BJP looks poised to benefit most. But a new political kid is harnessing public anger about corruption and it could be a game changer.

Scientists are celebrating after receiving a signal from a spacecraft on a long journey. The Rosetta is studying a comet in more detail than ever before. The spacecraft's call home means the robot has successfully awakened itself from a long hibernation.

New urban waterways are making a come back. Cincinnati is following the lead of Seattle, Kalamazoo, Mich., and other cities by bringing back a buried stream that has been underground for a century. Uncovering these streams have environmental and economic benefits.

Despite threats to stop construction in a dispute over payments, the Spanish company leading the project to widen the Panama Canal says the work will go ahead. The expansion will double shipping capacity.

The three-time defending champion lost to Stanislas Wawrinka in another five-set thriller. Djokovic joins other familiar names who have been beaten Down Under. They include Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova on the women's side.

Even if recently detected pings are from the lost Malaysian jet's black box, oceanographer Simon Boxall tells NPR's Scott Simon searching for the plane on the ocean floor will still be difficult.