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The tornado that tore apart much of Washington, Ill., this weekend has triggered an outpouring of support. Among those helping is a nonprofit group manned by veterans, working at no cost to help weary residents. "We have a lot of vets, some of them have PTSD, and vets have so much suicide," says one. "It's healing to give back."

The Saudis accounted for a quarter of all sales by Germany. It's part of an emerging pattern of weapons purchases by Saudi Arabia and its neighbor United Arab Emirates. Both countries are major customers of the U.S., the world's No. 1 arms seller.

Merrill Newman of Palo Alto, Calif., was about to leave after a tour of the communist country. But he hasn't been seen since Oct. 26, when a military officer asked him to get off a plane that was about to take off.

Fresh data signal that the labor market is at least holding steady and that inflation remains in check. In other major economic news Thursday, Janet Yellen's nomination to head the Federal Reserve is expected to be OK'd by the Senate Banking Committee.

If confirmed by the full Senate in December, Janet Yellen would become the first woman to lead the central bank. She's currently the Fed's vice chairman. Analysts do not expect major policy shifts after the departure of current Chairman Ben Bernanke.

What would it take for people to like using condoms? Inventors say it's all about the fit and feel. The 11 winners in a competition sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation include one condom made from beef tendons, and another that's heat-activated for a glove-like fit.

Historian Gregory Koger says the Senate Democrats' vote for the "nuclear option" is a function of increasing frustration and that GOP retaliation may be largely limited to rhetoric rather than action.

The state's parole board approved Thursday a posthumous pardon in the 1931 rape involving the three black men who were not pardoned in the infamous case. Nine black men were falsely accused of raping two white women on a train. All but one got the death penalty. Five convictions were overturned, and a sixth accused was pardoned before his death in 1976.

Citing gains among veterans and the chronically homeless, a large government study reports continued progress. But nearly 20 percent of homeless people were in either New York City or Los Angeles, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. And several states also saw an increase.

In a small study, Harvard researchers found that getting food stamps didn't help low-income individuals as much as they expected. Despite their food aid, researchers say the people they surveyed weren't getting a complete, nutritious diet.