Mitt Romney returned to form in the final Republican presidential debate before the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses. Romney, who had perhaps his shakiest debate performance in Des Moines over the weekend, appeared to regain his composure in Thursday night's debate in Sioux City, Iowa.

Iowa's popular Gov. Terry Branstad hasn't endorsed any of the Republican presidential candidates crisscrossing his state yet. Still, Branstad will eventually be endorsing someone after the Jan. 3 caucuses. As he told All Things Considered co-host Melissa Block Thursday: "I want to work to help unite the party behind the winner of the nomination process."

Nearly nine years after U.S. forces stormed into Iraq, American involvement in the war ends with a flag-lowering ceremony attended by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. Only a few thousand U.S. troops remain, and they are to leave within days.

Middle-level jobs are becoming increasingly automated, which pushes many people into lower-skilled (and lower-paying) jobs like fixing flat tires or delivering pizza to get by. Another option is to get training for higher-skilled jobs — and many want to see more training programs offered.

A lot happens between clicking "place order" on an online purchase and finding it on your doorstep. With more and more holiday shopping taking place over the Internet, fulfillment centers large and small are busy processing orders this season.

In January, colleges and universities will have to sign a special memorandum before they can receive tuition assistance for active members of the military who enroll in their programs. But some schools have declined to sign the memo because of its requirements. Military advocates have asked Defense Department officials to put the new rules on hold.

Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio has a national reputation for being tough on crime, but the results of a new federal investigation show that Arpaio and his deputies are the ones who have been breaking law by engaging in racial profiling, among other things.

Presidential candidates have been sounding off about millionaires on food stamps, but the reality is harsher. Even in high-income zip codes, the formerly well off are having to turn to food stamps to put food on the table. That's according to two new surveys of food insecurity and income.