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 And after President Obama's announcement that all U.S. troops will be withdrawn from Iraq by the end of the year, there could be some fallout, especially among Republicans, on Capitol Hill.

Last April the Federal Reserve said that Gross Domestic Product numbers had inched up a respectable 1.8 percent. It was a bright spot in the midst of a bleak economy. The White House touted the news as encouraging, and stocks went up. Now, after a dizzying few weeks of bad news about the economy, the government has revised its numbers, saying the economy really only expanded by 0.4 percent. What happened, and what does this say about the government's understanding of the economy?

"We do not believe there is a threat there of a double-dip recession. We believe that economy will continue to grow," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said yesterday. But some economic indicators are painting a different picture. While the private sector added 114,000 jobs in July, layoffs in the U.S. reached a 16-month high. Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture says the more Americans are receiving food stamps than ever before. The Pew Research Center released a study last month finding that women are having more difficulty than men re-entering the work force. All of this news comes on top of the figures released by the Commerce Department last Friday showing that the economy has only grown by a dismal 1.3 percent.

According to new data from Commerce Department Friday, the U.S. economy grew at a dismal rate of just 1.3 percent, significantly lower than the 1.7 percent that had been expected. The new figures show the weakest period of growth since the recession officially ended. Some economists fear that the debt ceiling debate in Congress will produce cost-cutting measures that will slow the economy further. As the August 2 deadline to raise the debt ceiling approaches, it is unclear whether Congress will be able to pass a plan.

Friday produced another round of ugly job numbers as the country's unemployment rate inched up to 9.2 percent. Yet in Washington, the conversation remains fixed squarely on a compromise to raise the country's debt ceiling. Have lawmakers forgotten about the country's unemployed? And what about the "99'ers," the individuals who have exhausted their 99 weeks of unemployment benefits and are left with no government assistance? Where do they fit into the picture?

President Obama's State of the Union Address on Tuesday is the most anticipated event of the week. Kai Wright, editorial director of ColorLines Magazine, says this speech will signal the start of the 2012 presidential campaign. He shares what to expect from the President's speech, and what the aftermath of it will look like. Kai says the match up is no longer Republicans vs. Democrats, as much as it's Republicans vs. Republicans.

The Commerce Department has revised numbers reflecting how much the economy grew last summer, moving the GDP up from 2.5 to 2.6 percent. Economists are hailing the change as good news, but not great news. Many had hoped that the growth would reach as high as 3 percent. Is this a cause to backtrack on recent optimism, or still cautious progression on the economy? Economics editor for The Takeaway Charlie Herman joins us for more on the subject. 

We are just eight days away from election day, and Democrats and Republicans are campaigning at full throttle. First Lady Michelle Obama is on the West Coast, trying to win votes for Democrats in key Senate races in Washington and California.

Israel's partial freeze on settlement buliding in the West Bank ended last night, and Marcus Mabry, associate national editor for The New York Times, and Charlie Herman, economics editor for The Takeaway and WNYC Radio, discuss how this will affect peace talks between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.  They'll also take a look at what's ahead this week for Bishop Eddie Long, who has been accused of trying to sexually seduce four teenage boys; President Obama's continued conversations with middle-class Americans; how China and Japan's relationship is rapidly deteriorating, and more.

Revised GDP numbers for the second quarter — a key indicator of financial health for the country — have just come out, and they are disappointing for those who hoped the U.S. was improving economically. Growth was cut sharply to 1.6 percent in the second quarter, and though the drop isn't as bad as some economists feared, many are wondering if a double-dip recession is becoming a reality. What do the new numbers mean, and what can we do to improve our situation?

Federal Reserve chairman, Ben Bernanke speaks today at an annual Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City economic symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. What will Bernanke say about where our economy stands, in light of some recent grim numbers we've received this summer? And do we face a real threat of a "double-dip recession?"

A number of economic indicators are due out this week, including existing and new home sales, and 2nd quarter GDP figures — all are expected to plummet. Charlie Herman, economics editor for The Takeaway and WNYC Radio, is describing this as a "slowdown" this week: "Right now, we're in the slow days of summer. The president is on vacation and Congress is in recess," he says.

China’s economy has been steadily growing over the past three decades, bypassing countries like Great Britian, Germany and France. And last night, the country took a major economic leap: China is now the world’s second largest economy, behind only the United States. The milestone was reached after Japan announced a slightly smaller second quarter value than China.

This week will mark 100 days since the Deepwater Horizon exploded, sending millions of barrels of oil a day into the Gulf of Mexico. BP's second quarter earnings are expected tomorrow, and the results will be telling about the oil company's future. What we do know: BP's future will not include Tony Hayward. The embattled chief executive officer agreed to step down yesterday, and will be replaced by Robert Dudley, BP's most senior American executive, who has been in charge of operations in the Gulf. We'll look ahead to the future of BP with Marcus Mabry, associate national editor for The New York Times; and Fernando Pizarro, a Washington correspondent for Univision.

It's Monday, which means it's time to take a look at what's ahead this week in the agenda with the help of Marcus Mabry, associate national editor for The New York Times, and Charlie Herman, The Takeaway and WNYC's economics editor. 

• Money Takeout: Louise Story talks about the latest GDP numbers and just how confident consumers seem to be feeling.
• Sports Takeout: Ibrahim Abdul-Matin looks ahead to the NFL games this weekend.
• Listener Takeout: We hear stories from listeners who have retrained to keep up with the changing economy.
  

Unemployment is rising, and the job market is painfully lean — but, hey, did you know the recession is over? GDP numbers out this morning say the economy is officially rebounding. We talk to Duke University economist Mike Munger about why a bad job market may actually be boosting company profits. We also speak with Rick Holguin, owner of the recruitment firm Latinos for Hire, and Rhoda Quick, who was recently laid off from her job as a legal assistant in Minneapolis. (A tip of the hat to MPR News' Bob Collins, who originally interviewed Quick back in August.)

Marcus Mabry, international business editor for The New York Times, takes a look at the week ahead in the health care reform debate, handicaps the chances that the public option will make it through the Senate, and looks at the future of banks "too big to fail." We also talk with Charles Haviland, BBC correspondent in Kabul, to hear about a NATO helicopter collision in Afghanistan and how the latest suicide bombings in Iraq might affect U.S. troop withdrawal plans.

Home price indexes, GDPs and jobless claim numbers are all coming in this week. Sure, the numbers look good, but what does it all mean in practical terms? Can the worst of the economic downturn really be behind us? We speak with Gus Faucher, director of macroeconomics at Moody’s Economy.com, and Andrew Walker, who covers economics for the BBC, to interpret these fuzzy economic indicators.

For this week's agenda segment, Marcus Mabry from The New York Times, and the BBC’s Jonathan Marcus look at the next chapter in the health care debate, growth of the GDP, and how questions about the Afghan presidential elections will be resolved.