Standoff at a massive natural gas plant in the algerian desert turned violent and bloody. Algerian troops had surrounded the plant after a number of Foreign Workers some reports say more than 40 were taken hostage by an Islamic Group calling itself the mass brigade, and claiming ties to al qaeda. Security sources told us that, when the prisoners were moved within the compound, algerian gunships opened fire. One irish hostage, steven mcfaul, recounted the ordeal to an arabic tv channel as it was happening. Reporter steven mcfauls family were celebrating tonight. He, along with an unknown number of other hostages, managed to escape. His son, dillon, was overjoyed. I feel over the moon. Im just really excited. I just cant wait for him to get home. Reporter at least one american, mark cobb, who had been hiding in a meeting room, is known to have gotten out of the gas plant as well. The algerians say their operation is now over. Early reports, unconfirmed, say as many as 30 humans, algerians as many as 30 hostages algerians and foreigners, may have been killed, and families in at least Nine Countries including the United States, are waiting to learn who lived and who died. Pelley mark, theres a lot of hostage taking in this region for ransom. Is there any indication whether thats what this is, banditry, or whether it actually is terrorism. Reporter well, the mass brigade and other groups are known to be operating in that area for some time, and they have a history of hostagetaking and ransom demands and smuggling to fund their activities. But with the french intervention underway in mali next door, this incident may be too close, both in time and distance, to be a coincidence. Pelley mark, thanks very much. The last time americans were killed by terrorists was also in north africa last september. Four died, including the u. S. Ambassador, in the attack on the u. S. Consulate in benghazi libya. Now, u. S. Forces are about to go to the aid of the french in mali, and david martin has the latebreaking developments. Reporter the u. S. Has agreed to airlift a battalion of french troops and tanks into mali, part of a military intervention which has stirred up a hornets nest of Al Qaedalinked groups in north africa. According to u. S. Intelligence these groups are likely to strike western targets again. Rudolph attallah is the pentagons former head of counterterrorism for africa. Do you expect more terrorist attacks . Yes. These guys are savvy. They are. Theyve been prepared for a fight, like i said, for a long time, and theyre not going to take it lying down. They are going to. They are going to show that they are capable of. Of putting some pain against the west. Reporter the attack on the gas complex in algeria was carried out by a group whose leader had warned france against intervening in mali. Other leaders operating under the umbrella of a grouped call al qaeda in the magreb have dared the u. S. To intervene. One of the islamists was taunting the United States essentially saying, we want the United States to be involved in this fight, like the french. Its like, more like, bring it. Were ready for you. Were prepared to go after you. Reporter with u. S. Backing, the french launched air strikes and began sending in troops last week when it appeared radical Islamic Groups, which already controlled the northern half of mali, were on the verge of breaking through government defenses across the narrow waist of the country, and advancing on the capital. Frances defense minister said the operation was designed to prevent mali from becoming a terrorist state within range of europe. Even if france succeeds in stopping the advance, radical Islamic Groups will still control northern mali, an area the size of france itself. Defense secretary panetta has said there are no plans to put u. S. Troops into mali, but that could change if terrorists there start killing americans. Pelley david, thank you. In our new poll out tonight, an overwhelming number of americans approve of the president s call for universal background checks for gun buyers. The cbs News New York times poll shows that background checks on all potential gun buyers are favored by 92 . A ban on highcapacity magazines is favored by 63 . A national ban on semiautomatic weapons is favored by a slim majority of 53 . Thats interesting, because our Research Department found that 65 of all of the guns sold in america are semiautomatics. We asked, also, whether the gun laws should be more strict. 54 said yes, 9 said less strict, and 34 think the laws should remain the same. When we asked the publics opinion of the National Rifle association, the response broke down in nearly thirds 38 have a favorable opinion. The Movie Theater where one of the worst gun massacres took place reopens tonight, with a private ceremony for victims and their families. Last july, a gunman killed 12 and injured 70 in aurora colorado, using the same kind of weapon and ammunition magazine the president wants to ban. We wondered what folks in colorado are saying about the gun debate, and so we sent ana werner to find out. Reporter jean assam knows about gun violence. The whole hallway was filled with this sense of evil, and it was very intimidating. It would intimidate anybody. Reporter in 2007, assam, a Trained Police officer, was volunteering as a Security Officer inside this Colorado Springs church when a man with a semiautomatic rifle murdered two people. Assam stopped the rampage when she shot the attacker with a concealed gun she carried on her hip. I knew what to do and i had the confidence, you know, i had the training. I was armed and i was present. Freedom reporter like many in colorado, shes conflicted when it comes to stricter gun laws. I see very clearly both sides of this debate. I see where theyre coming from, and both of their views make sense to me. Reporter this is a state that suffered two Mass Shootings columbine and aurora but many who live here are hunters, including governor john hickenlooper. We are a fully split state. Were almost exactly onethird democrat, onethird republican onethird independent. And there are strong points of resistance to going. You know, if youre going to try and do a ban or really serious restrictions on peoples access to firearms. Its colorado, its the west. And we are a Diverse Community within the west. Reporter there is no waiting period for gun purchases in colorado, and anyone over 21 can apply for a concealed weapons permit. Hickenlooper supports expanding background checks in colorado to private gun sales, but has doubts about a proposed state ban of highcapacity ammunition magazines. Of course, the devils in the details. Is that ten rounds or 30 rounds . And thats where the. Thats where the robust discussion is going to come in. Reporter well, the shooting here in aurora has prompted the governor, scott, to propose an overhaul of the States Mental Health system, an area he says has been neglected here in colorado. Pelley anna, thank you. Yesterday, the president ordered the centers for Disease Control to Begin Research on the causes of gun violence. That was something that congress specifically prevented the c. D. C. From doing. Mark strassman has more on that. There is absolutely no question these are preventable deaths. Reporter dr. Mark rosenberg used to oversee research into gun violence prevention at the centers for Disease Control. In 1996, the nra successfully lobbied congress to put this restriction into the cdcs budget none of the funds made available may be used to advocate or promote gun control. These were shots fired across the bow, and they terrorized the people at cdc. They terrorized researchers who said, whoa this is scary. I dont want my funding jeopardized. Reporter the nra was infuriated with a 1993 study sponsored by the cdc that concluded having a gun at home offered little protection but increased almost threefold the risk of one Family Member shooting another. Cdc funding into Gun Violence Research has been plummeted 96 since 1996 to just 100,000 of last years 5. 6 billion cdc budget. Is gun violence a legitimate Public Health issue . Absolutely not. Reporter bob barr, a former georgia congressman, sits on the board of the nra. The issue of firearm violence is handled and ought to be handled as a Law Enforcement matter. We dont need the government involved in this. It is all about the big c control. Reporter scott, the next step is up to congress whether to approve president obamas request for 10 million to study this issue of gun violence. Pelley thank you, mark. Chicago has been plagued by gun violence, and now the mayor there, rahm emanuel, is putting financial pressure on gun makers. He talked to Dean Reynolds today. Ive asked all our pensions city pensions, to review all their investments and make sure we have no investments in any gun manufacturers for assault weapons. Reporter and sellers . Yes, but going specifically at the manufacturers, and then divest those funds if they do. Ill be also speaking this weekend to the conference of mayors, and asking other mayors to step up and do what the city of chicago is doing as it relates to their Pension Funds as well. Everybody saw the pictures at newtown, and i think were at a point that were now mobilized as a country to actually not take the status quo anymore. Pelley and just yesterday, a 17yearold boy was shot to Death Outside a gym at Chicago State University after a basketball game. That is 22 homicides in chicago already this month. There were more than 500 all of last year. A heartbreaking story turns out to be false. Who exposed the manti teo hoax . The government has done something it hasnt done in three decades to fix the problems with the 787. And theres Something Different about the first lady. Well show you when the cbs evening news continues. Woman ] i wanted to get up when i was ready, not my joints. [ female announcer ] could your i want become i can . Talk to your doctor. Orencia reduces many ra symptoms like pain, morning stiffness and progression of joint damage. Its helped new ra patients and those not helped enough by other treatments. Do not take orencia with another biologic medicine for ra due to an increased risk of serious infection. Serious side effects can occur including fatal infections. 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Reporter critics said the notre dame allamerican played for the National Championship as if he had something other than football on his mind. And maybe he did. Unable to wrap him up and bring down. Reporter manti teo had been riding a wave of sympathy and celebrity all season long due to the melodramatic tale of his College Girlfriend from stanford. Teo described her as a victim of not only a car accident but also leukemia, who supposedly died last september, ending a Long Distance mostly online romance with the linebacker. In october, he lovingly recalled her on espn. The most beautiful girl ive ever met, not because of her physical beauty but the beauty of her. Of her character. Reporter but it turns out the girl, named lennay kekua never existed, as jack dickey, a writer for the sports blog deadspin, discovered. Well, okay, 22yearold stanford grad gets in a near fatal car accident, contracts leukemia and then dies. Thats a big tragedy. Thats going to be written up somewhere. It wasnt. There was no death notice, no obituary, no announcement of her funeral. Reporter on december 6, teo allegedly learned in a phone call from somebody that his girlfriend was a concoction with a fake twitter account. He didnt alert notre dame to what he called a hoax for 20 more days, and the university didnt go public until deadspin published its story on wednesday. But by remaining silent, notre dame left unchallenged numerous reports about teos supposedly tragic love story in the runup to the b. C. S. Championship game on january 7. Athletic director Jack Swarbrick acknowledged the school did not encourage teo to set the record straight before the game preferring that he stay focused on the contest. This was a very elaborate very sophisticated hoax, perpetrated for reasons we cant fully understand, but had a certain cruelty at its core. Reporter on wednesday night, teo released a statement calling the episode incredibly embarrassing, a painful and humiliating sick joke. But on at least two occasions, after he says he learned of the hoax, manti teo spoke with reporters about his girlfriend and said she had died from leukemia. Scott, its all still very confusing. Pelley Dean Reynolds in south bend, indiana. Dean, thanks very much. Tonight, all of boeings new 787 dreamliners are grounded. Airlines and governments all over the world made the call following the lead of the United States. Batteries on the 787s have caught fire twice in two weeks. The planes wont fly again until boeing can prove that theyre safe. The housing recovery is gaining altitude. Who is shelling out big bucks for houses, next. Wc its a new day. If your a man with low testosterone you should know that axiron is here. The only underarm treatment for low t. Thats right, the one you apply to the underarm. Axiron is not for use in women or anyone younger than 18. Axiron can transfer to others through direct contact. 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The government reported today that construction was up more than 12 last month, and ben tracy in los angeles tells us jumbo mortgages are making a comeback. We were thrilled. We found what we felt was our dream home. Reporter eric and Dorothy Pincus moved in two weeks ago. Put this over here. Reporter this threebedroom house in los angeles cost them 900,000. They took out a loan for about 700,000. It was certainly more complicated than i anticipated. Reporter and that sounds like a nice way of saying it. It was brutal. It was painful. There were a lot of times we thought it might not happen. Reporter the pincuses needed a jumbo loan. Theyre common in expensive markets such as los angeles, chicago, and new york. Jumbo loans usually make up 25 of all new mortgages, but they fell to 4. 3 after the housing bubble burst. Theyve climbed back to 11. 3 last year. Thats spurred sales of homes priced between 750,000 and 1 million. Theyre up 52 in the past year. The banks put you through a thousand different hoops before they finally say, hey, heres your money. Reporter Mortgage Broker steve maizes says lenders require at least 20 down and a credit score above 700 to get a jumbo loan. Two years ago, the banks were just saying, no, im not going to give you a loan, even if youre bill gates. Now, if youre a decent hardworking person with income such as the pincuses, were going to get you the loan, but theyre not going to make it easy for you. We did it. Yay reporter the pincuses say it was worth the pain. They plan to live here the next 30 years. Ben tracy, cbs news, los angeles. Pelley in americas most famous house, first ladies can be trendsetters, so when the white house put out this photograph of Michelle Obama today, her 49th birthday, her new haircut caught our eye. The word is out bangs are in. It was a National Catch phrase got a problem . Write dear abby. Millions did and well remember next. Or bestever meatloaf. Go to campbellskitchen. 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Next on cbs 5 weather talent appears at wx center with generic pinpoint filling monitor then we take special the letter read, dear abby my boyfriends going to be 20. Id like to give him something nice for his birthday. What do you think he would like . Signed, carol. Abby replied, dear carol nevermind what he would like. Get him a tie. Abby, the legendary advice columnist born pauline friedman, has died after complications from alzheimers disease. She was 94. Jim axelrod has her story. Now, here i have this electric letter opener. Reporter profiled by ed murrow in 1958, dear abby started two years earlier when she called the editor of the San Francisco chronicle and told him she could do better than what she had just read. Her advice ran in 1400 papers worldwide with more than 110 million daily readers. The business of living from one day to the next is just one problem after another. Most people just want someone to listen to them. Reporter she was often confused with her twin sister, who wrote her own column under the name anne landers. The rivalry drove them apart as young adults, although they grew close again in later life, perhaps following their own advice. Knowing the right thing to do is instinctive. All we need is someone to give us a push in the right direction. Reporter every letter sent with a selfaddressed stamped envelope received a reply. Now, heres a letter from a man who wrote me in care of the milwaukee sentinel. His wife doesnt understand him but his bookkeeper does. Reporter she continued looking at hundreds of letters a day into her 70s, eventually sharing the writing of the column with her daughter. What do you consider a good formula for life . Giving, i think, is the keyword to real happiness because, ed, if you arent giving, you arent living. Reporter tonight, her friends and family are remembering dear abby with a favorite piece of her advice. Fear less, hope more. Eat less, chew more. Talk less, say more. Hate less, love more. Jim axelrod, cbs news, new york. And thats the cbs evening news for tonight. For all of us at cbs news all around the world, good night. Your realtime captioner linda marie macdonald. Good evening, im allen martin. Im grace lee in for elizabeth cook. There is a Seismic Shift happening in california. And it has nothing to do with an earthquake. Cbs 5 reporter len ramirez shows us the face of california is literally changing. Len. Reporter thats right, allen. California has always been very attractive to immigrants from all over the world but as you mentioned the face of the newest immigrants are changing. California has always been diverse. But now the melting pot is taking on a more asian flavor a lot more. According to the u. S. Census, asians have replaced latinos as the Biggest Group of immigrants in california. Its a trend in Silicon Valley. Reporter the san jose vice mayor says you can see the changes everywhere you look. Once the only asianamerican on the San Jose City council, she is now one of three. Were seeing this huge shift among asianamerican immigrants but again im not surprised given the fact that here in Silicon Valley especially in the city of san jose, we have seen the shift in the last decade or so. Reporter the numbers show its a big change. Asian immigration is well over two times that of latinos according to the latest census data from 2011. Mexican immigration to the United States legal and illegal has fallen sharply after decades of surging growth much to do with border enforcement, jobs and the california economy. Since 2007 theres been less of a need for unskilled labor and a greater demand for workers with degrees. Immigrants from asia especially india tend to be more highly educated. We see the United States of america as a Gold Mountain where we have endless opportunities to achieve. Reporter case in point, victor lu. He cam to the United States as a refugee from vee he came to the United States as a refugee from vietnam and went into the supply business years ago. His store is now one of the largest most successful in the south bay. My parents both came about 33 years ago with nothing, no english. Very limited english still today but they decided to start a business and, you know, it flourished and with everybodys support it is what it is today. Reporter san jose especially continues to have a lot of immigrants from vietnam but overall the greatest