Bruce Kessler’s math research has never been a life saver - until now. Kessler, a math professor and associate dean of Western Kentucky University’s Ogden College of Science and Engineering, helped develop a piece of software that can detect hidden explosives and illegal substances. It’s a breakthrough piece of technology that can help officials screen for such devices in a nondestructive way, which, until recently, has been nearly impossible, Kessler said.

Two Western Kentucky congressmen said Tuesday that they had aligned themselves with a bill that would raise the debt ceiling while also cutting spending. The bill, known as “cut, cap and balance,” passed in the U.S. House on Tuesday night and now moves to the Democratic-controlled Senate, where it faces a much tougher road to passage.

Officials are largely silent on the dismissal of Ralph Tharp, executive director of the economic development agency in Franklin County. Libby Marshall, chairwoman of the Kentucky Capital Development Corp., announced Saturday Tharp’s one-year contract would not be renewed when it expires in October. She declined Tuesday to explain what was behind the decision. It’s unclear if the board of directors voted on the matter and if a vote was taken whether it was behind closed doors or in open session.

Josette Taylor learned a lot in her first year at the University of Louisville, but it doesn’t begin to compare with what she learned during her summer break. Taylor, a 2010 graduate of Washington County High School, traveled this summer with International Student Volunteers and spent a month in South Africa.

President Obama has endorsed a plan from the Senate's bipartisan "Gang of Six" that would shave nearly $4 trillion off the deficit over the next 10 years.

The major credit rating agencies have warned that the government needs at least that level of deficit reduction to preserve its top-notch bond rating. It's a powerful message from the rating agencies, which were largely discredited in the years leading up to the financial crisis.

Defaults Driven By Politics

Last night, Apple stunned Wall Street with much better than expected third-quarter earnings. Here's Fox Business on that news:

The Cupertino, Calif.-based company posted third-quarter net profit of $7.31 billion, or $7.79 per share, more than doubling the company's year-ago earnings of $3.25 billion, or $3.51 per share.

Revenue rose to $28.57 billion, compared with year-ago sales of $15.70 billion.

The "Beauty Shop" women discuss Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony's divorce announcement, the criticism Michelle Obama received for eating a 1,700 calorie meal, and the merits of using an alleged rape victim's name in mainstream media. Host Michel Martin speaks with American Studies Associate Professor Duchess Harris, Latina Magazine Editorial Director Galina Espinoza, politics and pop culture blogger Danielle Belton; and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Connie Schultz.

Calif. public schools are now required to add accomplishments and contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans in social studies curriculums. To learn which parts of LGBT history might be included and how religiously conservative individuals might address this addition, host Michel Martin speaks with Don Romesburg, an assistant professor of Women's and Gender Studies at Sonoma State University.

A massive drought has hit Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia, forcing hundreds of thousands to flee their homes. The U.N. also officially declared today that some parts of Somalia are facing famine. Host Michel Martin discusses the situation with Azad Essa, an Al Jazeera English journalist who just returned from the region; and Reuben Brigety, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration.

The deadly heat wave that has been making things miserable in much of the Midwest for several days has begun to spread east and the National Weather Service warns that things are going to be stifling: