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French troops entered the legendary outpost of Timbuktu in Mai to push out Islamist militants. Many valuable artifacts were destroyed when militants first took the city last summer. There is now concern for the fate of tens of thousands of manuscripts, which capture the cultural history of the region. Renee Montagne talks to Shamil Jeppie, senior researcher with the University of Cape Town's Institute for Humanities in Africa, about what historical treasures were at risk in Timbuktu.

President Obama will address the immigration issue in a speech Tuesday, following hard on the heels of a new overhaul proposal out of the Senate. Despite new momentum on the issue, those who favor a harder line against illegal immigrants are not convinced they need to change tack.

While Obama echoed the pillars of immigration reform presented by a bipartisan group of senators on Monday, he also made an emotional plea for reform.

Also: Britain prepared to train Malian troops; Egypt's military chief warns unrest is threatening the state; Texas prepares to put to death the first woman to be executed in the U.S. in two years; and wounded veteran receives arms in double transplant operation.

A house in Oklahoma City has been dubbed "the twin house" after a third consecutive couple living there had twins. The current tenants said they didn't believe in the twin mojo when they moved in.

A new biography of the Prophet Muhammad attempts to find the real man inside the mythology. Reviewer Drew Toal says the book describes the prophet as "a mostly reasonable, marginalized man beset by extraordinary circumstances."

As expected, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee supports the nomination of Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., to succeed Secretary Hillary Clinton. Meanwhile, Transportation Secretary Ray Lahood is the latest member of the administration to announce a departure.

Two couples — two brothers and their wives — meet for a meal in Herman Koch's new novel The Dinner, and it's anything but a convivial family gathering. Both couples have teenage sons, and they're meeting to discuss a ghastly crime the boys have committed.

In nearly all major cities across the nation, prices rose at a faster pace in November than they had in October, the latest S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices report shows. It's another sign that the housing sector has recovered from its bust.

News reports about a parent of a child killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School being "heckled" by gun owners aren't necessarily supported by video of the incident. Watch and judge for yourself.