Despite — or maybe because of — recent mass shootings in the U.S., gun manufacturers are reporting peak profits. Oxfam warns that food prices will soar due to climate change. McDonald’s is opening two all-vegetarian restaurants in India. David Gura reports on a father and son in North Carolina who have differing views on the upcoming election. And Gallup asked American workers how satisfied they were with 13 aspects of their jobs.

Nokia unveils new smartphone today, loaded with Microsoft’s new operating system. Next Monday, Chicago public school teachers may vote to walk off the job, marking the first big strike since 2006. Personal finance senior producer Paddy Hirsch discusses what to do if you live in a state that suffers from severe weather and your insurance company decides to drop you. We look into the marketing of high school athletes. And China ponders the need for a stimulus package.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton heads to Beijing today for two days of talks as part of a 12-day swing through Asia. Her visit comes amid a slowdown in the Chinese economy and an uptick in economic tensions between China and the U.S. The European Debt Crisis is spreading from the public sector to the private sector. Companies in some of the weakest European economies are now facing much higher borrowing costs. And Wednesday, Nokia launches a new smart phone which will use Microsoft’s operating system. It’s the last best chance for Nokia to take on Apple – which is expected to launch the next version of the iPhone this month. For a glimpse into the future we talk to Brian Chen, who writes for the New York Times Bits Blog.

A big week for the European Debt Crisis starts off with some not-so-great news: manufacturing in the region fell last month for the 13th straight month. There are going to be a lot of people on the highways today heading home from Labor Day weekend festivities. And they’ll be spending a little more on gas than they did a year ago, but how do our gas prices stack up globally? And the drug company Pfizer is getting ready to sell shares of its animal health business Zoetis — which distributes medicines for pets and livestock — to the public.

As the Republican National Convention wraps up in Tampa, the Democratic National Convention is about to start up in Charlotte. We examine the facts behind an ad attacking changes President Obama supposedly made to the nation’s welfare program. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke is set to give a big speech at an economic conference in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Will he give any hints about QE3? And we look at historically black colleges in dire financial situations.

Citigroup pays up for past deeds. Earlier this week, we learned the SEC is investigating Ally Financial for its own mortgage practices around that time. Isaac is back to tropical storm status. Mitt Romney is scheduled to accept the GOP nomination for president tonight. In the meantime, we talk with residents of Florida coastal town New Smyrna Beach to get a sense of “The Real Economy” there.

Agricultural experts say Hurricane Isaac could actually relieve some of the pain of the drought in the Midwest. We look at the Federal Reserve’s role in controlling inflation. As we become more hooked to our mobile devices, it’s easy to find people tethered to their offices. And for graduates of for-profit colleges, a wage bump is no sure thing.  

As Isaac churns toward land, it’s already having an economic effect out at sea. Forecasters say Tropical Storm Isaac is on the verge of becoming a hurricane. The storm has already shut down off-shore oil rigs in the gulf. The Conference Board gives us its latest snapshot of consumer confidence. One of our senior producers, Paddy Hirsch, helps explain everything from Collateralized Debt Obligations to Eurobonds.

There’s another big winner in the Apple vs. Samsung patent verdict: Microsoft. The finance ministers of Germany and France are meeting today in Berlin. There have been calls to return the US to the so called “gold standard,” but there are challenges to doing so. And today Wal-Mart starts offering a slew of different vaccines in thousands of stores.