Sen. McConnell "hopeful," "optimistic" on "cliff" deal

Slim Whitman died Wednesday from heart failure. The singer know for "Indian Love Call" and his trademark yodel was 90-years-old. He once said he hoped to be remembered for two things: a good voice, and a clean suit. Scott Pelley reports.

Being the descendent of Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington could be intimidating for some, but Ken Morris' background inspired him to fight modern-day slavery. Jim Axelrod reports.

The American Medical Association declared obesity a disease, leaving many doctors hoping that this changes the way insurance companies view covering treatment. Weight loss surgery is covered by Medicare and insurance companies when there are complications such as diabetes and high blood pressure, but patients who have not yet developed these problems are denied coverage. Dr. Jon LaPook reports.

Nelson Mandela has been in the hospital for nearly two weeks. Mandela family members are said to be trying to decide how much medical intervention is too much for an old and sick man. Mark Phillips reports.

The clean-up at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington costs U.S. taxpayers $2 billion every year. The $13 billion plant that is supposed to monitor the cleaning has been plagued with technical challenges since the project began in 2000. Carter Evans investigates.

As Syria's civil war rages on just beyond the border with Jordan, the U.S. is participating in joint military exercises -- complete with 8,000 troops, F-16s, and cobra attack helicopters -- that are sending a message to the Syrian dictator to stay out. Clarissa Ward reports.

Russia and congressional Republicans are not yet sold on President Obama's proposal to cut America's nuclear arsenal by a third if Russia does the same. Russian President Vladimir Putin said he won't reduce his arsenal without concessions from the U.S. on missile defense systems. Major Garrett reports.

The FBI's use of drones was a secret until Wednesday, when the agency's director, Robert Mueller, answered a question from Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley during testimony on Capitol Hill. Mueller said the FBI does use drones for minimal surveillance and to get "eyes-on" details at crime scenes. Bob Orr reports.

Ben Bernanke said the economy is doing well enough that the Federal Reserve is likely to ease back on a bond-buying program that has kept interest rates at record-low rates. The prospect of higher interest rates sent the Dow down more than 200 points. Anthony Mason reports.

From the archives: Bob Orr reports on the findings of the NTSB investigation into the crash of TWA Flight 800.

While 75 percent of the planet is a relatively unchanging shade of ocean blue, the remaining surface goes through stages of green. In this NASA/NOAA imagery capturing April 2012 to April 2013, the darkest green areas are the lushest in vegetation, while the lightest could be snow covered, drought impacted or just un-vegetated rock.

In Sierra Buttes, Calif., two boys hiked up a jagged cliff and ended up stranded 8,000 feet up. The California Highway Patrol sent a chopper and had to lower a harness to carry them to safety, since climbing down was not an option. Scott Pelley reports.