The Starting Point: Injured vets, the DC sniper & holiday sales

The Starting Point is a snapshot of the news stories that occurred overnight. Look for updates throughout the day on Yahoo! News and in the news box on Yahoo.com.

Top story overnight: The numbers of U.S. soldiers wounded in Afghanistan continues to swell, The Associated Press reported. According to the military, nearly four times as many troops were injured there in October as a year ago. Most of the wounded have amputations, bullet and shrapnel injuries and burns, but thousands suffer from the so-called hidden wounds, such as traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder. Spinal injuries have also increased significantly, due to the powerful explosives used in insurgents' IEDs. Garry J. Augustine, deputy national service director of Disabled American Veterans, credits improved protective gear and advancements in battlefield medicine with helping to keep soldiers alive, but they've also resulted in higher survival rates for those with extreme injuries. Early this morning, Veterans Secretary Eric Shinseki announced his plans to improve the agency's ability to cope with the troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan who are suffering from mental health issues.

In other news: A new AP-GfK poll shows that a majority of the public still approves of President Barack Obama, but is feeling more pessimistic about the state of the nation. The findings underscore just how quickly the political environment can change in one year. At the time of this writing, Obama's approval rating stands at 54 percent, roughly the same as in October yet very different from the 74 percent in January just before he took office.

One in 20 Americans plan to buy a home next year, The AP reported. Roughly a quarter of the potential buyers said they were interested in purchasing a home because prices appear to have bottomed out. A survey, conducted by Move.com, said these buyers were most likely to be 34 years old or younger and living in the South or West.

Lastly, John Allen Muhammad, the mastermind behind the DC-area sniper attacks that killed 10 in 2002, was executed last night. Witnesses said the 48-year-old died by lethal injection and never showed remorse for his crimes. He also refused to utter any final words. A small group of death penalty opponents protested outside the prison, carrying a sign that read: "We remember the victims, but now with more killing." Nelson Rivera, whose wife, Lori Ann Lewis-Rivera, was gunned down as she vacuumed her van at a Maryland gas station, said he was glad Muhammad was dead. "I feel better. I think I can breathe better," Rivera said. "I'm glad he's gone because he's not going to hurt anyone else."

Most read stories: The body of a missing U.S. paratrooper was found in an Afghan river, Reuters reported. The unidentified soldier, who was a member of the 82nd Airborne Division, disappeared last week during a resupply mission. The U.S. military is still searching for another paratrooper who also went missing on that mission.

Readers were also interested in this AP story about Robert Benmosche. The CEO of AIG has reportedly threatened to leave his post over heavy government oversight and pay constraints. The Wall Street Journal reported that Benmosche told the AIG board he was "done" with the job, but agreed to think it over after hearing the board's reaction.

Looking ahead: President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will host a Veterans Day breakfast, then travel to Arlington National Cemetery to lay a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknowns.

Today's poll: Many retail establishments are decorating their stores and holding early sales for the holidays. What are your thoughts on this trend? Click here to share your thoughts.

Yesterday's poll: Forty years ago, "Sesame Street" debuted on PBS. Did you watch the show as a child? Seventy-four percent of respondents said yes and 26 percent voted no.

Today in history: In 1918, World War I came to an end with the signing of an armistice between the Allies and Germany.

Birthdays: Football player Mark Sanchez, 23. Football player Willie Parker, 29. Actor Leonardo DiCaprio, 35. TV personality Carson Kressley, 40. Actor Philip McKeon, 45. Actress Calista Flockhart, 45. Actress Demi Moore, 47. Actor Stanley Tucci, 49. Musician Ian Craig Marsh (Human League), 53. Singer Marshall Crenshaw, 56. Golfer Fuzzy Zoeller, 58. Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, 64. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), 69. Comedian Jonathan Winters, 84.

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--Jade Walker is the overnight editor of Yahoo! News. News doesn't stop when the lights go out, and neither does Jade.

**Yahoo! News bloggers compile the best news content from our providers and scour the Web for the most interesting news stories so you don't have to.