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Brazil now rivals the United States in food production. Environmentalists in Brazil complain that this surge in production has come at the expense of forests, including the Amazon. But they're facing one tough farming advocate: a senator, landowner and head of the country's most powerful Big Agro association. (This piece initially aired Jan. 7, 2013 on Morning Edition.)

Three years ago, a massive earthquake destroyed much of the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince. Roughly 200,000 people were killed and more than 1 million left homeless. Now, most of the earthquake debris has been removed, but many of the grand plans to rebuild never materialized. Host Scott Simon speaks with NPR's Jason Beaubien in Haiti.

More than 156,000 people descended on Las Vegas this past week to gawk at acres and acres of the latest shiny gadgets. Host Scott Simon speaks with NPR's Steve Henn, who has been road-testing new gadgets at the Consumer Electronics Show.

President Obama has announced most of his Cabinet picks for his second term, all of whom are familiar faces in Washington. But Sen. John Kerry, Sen. Chuck Hagel and Obama's White House chief of staff Jack Lew still must get through the Senate confirmation process. NPR's Scott Simon talks to NPR's Mara Liasson about the selections.

It's hard, during flu season, to avoid inhaling a virus or two (or three, or 10,000), but that doesn't mean they're going to take you over. You have an army of defenders in you, ready to take them on.

The air quality level in China's capital, already famously poor, literally went off the charts on Saturday. Officials are warning people to stay indoors.

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.

He was 14 when he co-authored RSS and later helped found the company that would became the social media website Reddit. Internet activist Aaron Swartz was found dead in his Brooklyn apartment, authorities say. He was 26.

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.