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Pope Benedict XVI, the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, unexpectedly announced Monday that he will resign at the end of the month. With his resignation comes speculation about his tenure, potential successors and the future of the Catholic Church. Rocco Palmo, who runs the blog Whispers in the Loggia, explores the pope's legacy and what's ahead for the Catholic Church.

One theologian thinks that Pope Benedict XVI's resignation affirms the power of the papacy lies with the office, not the man.

In a new memoir, James Lasdun describes how a former-student-turned-friend stalked and slandered him online. Give Me Everything You Have is a meditation on what it means to control your reputation on the Internet — and the book is Lasdun's attempt to fight back.

NPR's Neal Conan reads from listeners' comments on previous show topics, including the experience of drawing a gun, the evolution of TV villains and America's new boom towns.

Scott Shane, a national security correspondent for The New York Times, speaks with Fresh Air's Terry Gross about the drone-related stories he has helped break, including the revelation that President Obama personally approves targeted strikes against suspected terrorists.

The late civil rights icon's statue will join those in the National Statuary Hall Collection. The dedication is set for Feb. 27.

The Los Angeles Police Department rejected reports that a body had been recovered at a mountain cabin where the fugitive accused of killing four people had engaged law enforcement in a standoff. An LAPD official said the cabin was too hot to enter.

A study of more than 85,000 women in Norway found that those who started taking a folic acid supplement four weeks before getting pregnant were about 40 percent less likely to have a child who developed the disorder. Mothers had to continue taking the supplement during the first eight weeks of pregnancy to get the full benefit.

There were several key developments involving the U.S. military on Tuesday. President Obama was expected to announce in his State of the Union address that the U.S. will bring home 34,000 troops from Afghanistan by this time next year. That will cut the force in half. The Joint Chiefs of Staff also testified before Congress about where they would have to cut the force if across-the-board budget cuts, called sequestration, go into effect. Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman talks to Melissa Block about the latest developments.

U.S. Congressman Rick Nolan of Minnesota returned to Congress after more than 30 years away. He talks to Robert Siegel about what's changed.