The explosions at the Boston Marathon finish line left three dead and many more injured. Two days after the tragedy, there are still many unanswered questions. Todd Zwillich and Callie Crossley update us on the situation in Washington and in Boston. Eric Schmitt, a national security correspondent for our partner The New York Times, explains the mechanics of the Boston bombs.

Explosions tore through the large crowds at the Boston Marathon Monday afternoon, claiming three lives and injuring hundreds. Four hours into the race at around 2:50 p.m.,  two bombs detonated in rapid succession near the finish line, triggering confusion and panic as people attempted to flee.

Yesterday a new day dawned on Massachusetts, as John Kerry bid farewell to his post as U.S. senator. His replacement, William "Mo" Cowan, will serve until a permanent successor is chosen in the June 25th special election. Callie Crossley, host of Boston Public Radio, shares more about Cowan and his selection.

This week, Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan travel to Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio and Florida. The United States' debt is announced on Thursday, and a judge is expected to rule on the voter identification law in Philadelphia.

Both campaigns responded to the Colorado shooting by pulling their ads in the state which could mean a week of toned-down campaigning. But then again, it might not.

Public companies are releasing their second quarter earnings reports this week. They're a key indicator of how the economy is doing. Meanwhile, Republicans are stilling planning their strategy for repealing Obamacare.

This week on the agenda: Greek election fallout, a federal reserve meeting, ongoing presidential campaigning, and the Vagina Monologues.

Exploring the news for the week ahead are Callie Crossley, host of The Callie Crossley Show on WGBH, and Marcus Mabry, editor at large at The International Herald Tribune, the international edition of our partner, The New York Times.

Charlie Herman, business and economics editor for The Takeaway and WNYC and Callie Crossley, host of The Callie Crossley Show on WGBH, explore the stories for the week ahead, including George Zimmerman's arraignment in court, the John Edwards trial, and Facebook's campaign to justify the company's projected IPO.

Charlie Herman, business and economics editor for The Takeaway and WNYC and Callie Crossley, host of The Callie Crossley Show on WGBH, explore the stories for the week ahead, including the shootings in Tulsa, Trayvon Martin developments, jury selection for John Edwards trial, and inflation reports.

GOP Presidential candidates take the fight for the nomination to Illinois, while the Senate takes up the JOBS Act, a business de-regulation bill that SEC Chair Mary Schapiro warns would expose investors to fraud. The U.N. Security council meets to discuss the future of Afghanistan, while American officials debate the American role in the country. Finally, the Transportation Security Administration announces new regulations for elderly passengers as the owners of the Mets go to trial over money they made in the Madoff scandal.

Gas prices are going up and it's turning into a campaign issue. Gas prices have already risen 25 cents since the start of the year, putting them at $3.25 a gallon, a record high for this time of year. Occupy organizers turn their attention towards the more than 2 million people in prisons with what they're calling National Occupy Day in Support of Prisoners. Arizona Republican Senator John McCain is in Egypt trying to resolve a diplomatic dispute over American NGO workers in Egypt charged with using illegal funding to incite revolution. 

This week Congress returns from recess and Republican presidential hopefuls step up campaigning in South Carolina. Google, Microsoft, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs and Bank of America, along with other major companies, will announce earning reports. Myrtle Beach's visitors bureau welcomes the six GOP candidates for a debate with a 525-ton sand sculpture of their likenesses; meanwhile, Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert mulls throwing his hat into the ring.

As Greece negotiates a new unity government, Europe watches closely for signs of a widening crisis. In the U.S. a deadline for members of a congressional "Super Committee" to reach an agreement approaches. Meanwhile, a new book by Bill Clinton comes out  this week, and it reportedly criticizes President Obama's decision not to raise the debt ceiling in 2010 when the Democrats still controlled the House of Representatives.

The Congressional "super committee," put in charge of finding $1.2 trillion to cut from the deficit, have mostly been a top secret committee that have shared very little about their meetings. As the super committee continues to find cuts in the deficit, a number of economic indicators are set to be released this week, including new home sales and GDP figures. Also on the agenda for this week, the Pentagon is set to release a report on the role of women soldiers in the military and whether or not they should be allowed to serve in combat roles. And after President Obama's announcement that all U.S. troops will be withdrawn from Iraq by the end of the year, there could be some fallout, especially among Republicans, on Capitol Hill.

It's Monday morning, which means we're looking at the agenda for the week ahead. President Obama will make a west coast trip this week, hitting Seattle, the San Francisco Bay area, San Diego, Los Angeles and Denver, raising funds for his re-election campaign and advocating for his jobs bill. Back in Washington, D.C., Congress is in the midst of another stalemate over government funds. Meanwhile, some key economic indicators will be released this week, including home sales figures and consumer confidence reports.

This week, Ben Bernanke and the Federal Reserve will hold a rare two-day meeting to decide on interest rates, which are currently close to zero. Meanwhile, President Obama will release details of his deficit reduction plan this morning, and one key component is taxing the wealthy, which has many Republicans screaming "class warfare." The Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting begins tomorrow, and the primary topic of discussion will be jobs, as unemployment and poverty prove to be an ever-increasing global problem. Later in the week, the Palestinian Authority will ask the United Nations Security Council for full membership, which the U.S. has already said they will veto.

It's Monday morning, which means it's time to take a look at what's on the agenda for the week ahead. President Obama will be preparing his Labor Day speech on the economy this week, and after after Hurricane Irene's chaotic visit to the East Coast, leaving billions of dollars in damage behind, he may have to rethink what he's going to say. Irene hit at a time when the U.S. economy is continuing to slump and millions are jobless. Unemployment figures will be out on Friday, and the Congressional Budget Office is predicting that employment will not return to normal levels until 2017. Meanwhile Greece, may not receive a bailout from the European Union, as Finland hesitates to approve it. All EU members must approve the bailout, for it to go into effect.

Credit ratings agency Standard and Poor's downgraded the U.S.'s credit rating for the first time in history on Friday, causing jaws to drop across the country, and raising the blood-pressures of leaders worldwide as many held emergency meetings to fend off any backlash this news might create. President Obama will be preparing this week for his upcoming bus tour to reconnect with voters in the Midwest. Meanwhile, News Corp. will release their fourth quarter results on Wednesday, the PGA Championship kicks off on Thursday, and Dennis Rodman will be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday.

It’s Monday morning and that means it’s time to check out what’s on the AGENDA for the week ahead. We’re joined by Todd Zwillich, Washington Correspondent for The Takeaway. And Callie Crossley, host of the Callie Crossley Show at WGBH Boston.