Guest: Todd Zwillich, Capitol News Connection

Dan Ariely believes one reason people oppose the government's Wall Street bailout plan is that they want revenge on the companies that helped lead the nation into this economic turmoil.

They're swing counties in swing states — and they may be the spots where this election is decided. In the fourth of a series on "counties that count," The Takeaway's Political Director Andrea Bernstein talks with voters in Franklin County, Missouri. It's a bellwether county in a bellwether state. "As goes Missouri, so goes the nation."

Gas suppliers throughout the southeastern United States say refineries in the Gulf of Mexico are producing gas at a steady rate for the first time in nearly a month. But gas station owners and their customers are still feeling the pinch. LINKS: Reaction_to_gas_shortage_#1_(YouTube) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXqC1Zn9Tbc Reaction_to_gas_shortage_#2_(YouTube) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcPRmXQ1eZI Reaction_to_gas_shortage_#3_(YouTube) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5xAKnaCOiw

Former Wall Street trader Nassim Taleb coined the term "black swan" to refer to unpredictable events that shape history and human experience far more than we are willing to admit. His bestselling book "The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable" challenges conventional methods of economic forecasting, and has become a sort of travel guide to the current economic meltdown.

In spite of high gas prices, people are still driving their cars. Car buying, however, is another story.

The Senate passed its version of the Wall Street bailout bill last night, and the pressure is now back on the House to vote Friday on a new bill. The question is, What would it take to get the congressional naysayers to say 'aye?' The Takeaway checks in with Congressman Maurice Hinchey. The New York Democrat was one of four representatives from New York who voted against the bailout bill the first time around.

Wall Street's free fall is hitting Main Street hard. And the credit crunch's vice-like grip could spell disaster for small companies. For a look at how businesses are getting by, and which ones are flourishing, The Takeaway turns to Alex Vantarakis. He arranges finances for those who want to buy and sell small businesses.

Tonight, millions of viewers will watch the one and only debate between the vice-presidential nominees: Senator Joe Biden, D-Del, and Governor Sarah Palin, R-Alaska. Rita Farrell, former Reuters correspondent, discusses what viewers can expect from Sen. Biden.

Tonight, Alaska governor and Republican vice-presidential hopeful Sarah Palin takes on Delaware Senator and Democratic vice-presidential hopeful Joe Biden in a highly anticipated vice-presidential debate. As an Alaskan journalist and ex-Palin employee, Larry Persily has had many opportunities to witness her technique.

As a standoff between Somali pirates and U.S warships continues in the Indian Ocean, a British think tank released a report today showing the growth of piracy off the Somali coast. According to Chatham House, piracy in the region has doubled in 2008 over the previous year. It threatens to disrupt international trade and could potentially become a weapon of international terrorism.

Just ahead of the vice presidential nominees' debate this evening, new polls indicate a rise in Democratic Senator Barack Obama's popularity. Adam Nagourney of the New York Times assesses what these new polls mean for the campaigns.

They're swing counties in swing states — and they may be the spots where this election is decided. In the fourth of a series on "counties that count," The Takeaway's Political Director Andrea Bernstein talks with voters in Franklin County, Missouri. It's a bellwether county in a bellwether state. "As goes Missouri, so goes the nation."

After weeks of wrangling, and obscured by the attention on a Wall Street bailout, the Senate has approved a nuclear deal that allows the exportation of American nuclear materials to India. The agreement is being seen as a cornerstone in improving relations between the two countries.