Within a year, Nissan hopes to replace the mechanical method of controlling steering with one that uses electronics. For months now, Spain has been bracing itself for a bailout. While the country waits, the government has already made many of the deep budget cuts that typically come with bailouts. Amazon hopes to get the Kindle into the hands of students to bite into Apple’s iPad market share. Genetically modified crops are so pervasive that food companies that don’t use GMO ingredients still have traces in their products.

Researchers in Europe are challenging the conventional wisdom of the yearly physical checkup. Parts of President Obama’s health care reform have already been implemented without causing the expected fiscal fallout. A growing number of people are opting for cheap farm getaways. Mitt Romney claims battery maker A123’s bankruptcy is another example of Obama’s bad record of picking winners, but has the administration really performed as poorly as the GOP says?

Today a 9th Circuit court in San Francisco hears arguments on the legality of California’s, first in the nation, low carbon regulation for transport fuel. The case may determine whether California becomes the U.S. leader in climate litigation. Last month Governor Mitt Romney raised $170 million and President Obama raised $181 million — how are they spending it? Just in time for the second presidential debate, Medicare, the patient, goes to see “Dr. Obama” and “Dr. Romney.” In the bucolic countryside of Loudoun County, Va., a hotly contested region of an important swing state, residents are crossing party lines to preserve their beloved way of life.

The Japanese company Softbank has reached a deal to buy 70 percent of the American wireless carrier Sprint Nextel. The $20 billion deal is the largest ever Japanese acquisition of a foreign company. Governor Mitt Romney and President Obama will face off on the debate stage for the second time tomorrow night. How will voters’ personal finances factor in to the election? RapGenius.com — it’s been called the wikipedia of rap and it just got $15 million dollars in venture capital funding — but how will the rising star website solidfy its place as more than just a passing fad?

Twitter CEO Dick Costolo discusses the role of the social media site in today’s world, whether it will go public, and how it deals with privacy issues. Latino voters are becoming more and more influential in this year’s in the presidential election, and a new report suggests they support Obama 3:1. Google’s Android and Apple’s iPhone are vying for number one and two in the smart phone market. Blackberry comes in third with 11% of the market and 90 million users around the world — just who are these users?

Macy’s is opening its doors to Toys ‘R’ Us — the toy retailer will set up shop in two dozen stores for the holiday season. The Agriculture Department is scheduled to release its latest estimates for this year’s corn and soybean crops this morning and is forecasting the smallest corn and soybean harvest since 2004. We have reached debate night number two of the presidential race, and there’s a good bet the strength or weakness of our economic recovery is going to play a starring role. How does today’s economic recovery stack up to those in the past?  

The new ABC drama “Nashville” is shot in and around the Tennessee city, and local tourism officials are basking in the TV spotlight. American Airlines could face continued business fallout even as CEO apologizes to passengers for delays and talks resume with pilots. Higher production could make Iraq the world’s second-largest oil exporter. Most of the added oil won’t go to the U.S., but to countries helping Iraq rebuild its oil facilities and basic infrastructure.

New York is revising the gifted and talented student test that pre-schoolers take. The revisions are intended to give the test greater diversity and will mean increased business for test-prep services. If you’re watching TV in Ohio, you’re no doubt seeing a lot of campaign ads about the coal industry and its jobs. But in Ohio, at least, coal is only a small part of the economy and the work force. Snack makers are out with new flavors every year, many of which get their start in labs off of the New Jersey Turnpike.

Columbus Day used to be a day off, but with fewer workers and students getting a three-day weekend, businesses have to adjust. Third-quarter earnings season begins this week, with some analysts predicting the first decline in S&P 500 profits since 2009. New England tourism could get a boost this fall foliage season because dry weather will mean brilliant reds and purples as leaves change color.