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It wouldn't be the worst thing that could happen to the country.

If President Obama and Congress can't come to agreement on new tax and spending policies by the end of year, the U.S. could slip into recession, defense and domestic programs will see damaging cuts, and the American people may become convinced that Washington can't govern the nation.

On the other hand, the lack of a deal would do a lot to help erase the federal deficit.

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If President Obama and Congress fail to reach a deal on tax and spending changes, the nation would feel a lot of fiscal pain. But it also may benefit from the long-term fiscal restraint that would come from keeping tax hikes and spending cuts in place.

Nearly 200 countries have sent representatives to the Gulf state of Qatar to talk about climate change. The goal is to find ways to cut global emission and slow down the rate at which the earth is warming. One of the world's biggest multilateral organizations, the World Bank, recently issued an alarming report on climate change. Renee Montagne talks about this with World Bank President Jim Yong Kim.

The Labor Department will report Friday on job creation and the unemployment rate in November. The jobs numbers were stronger than expected in October, but analysts predict weaker numbers for November — partially due to Sandy's aftermath. This is also the first jobs reports since voters decided to give President Obama four more years to get the economy back on track.

Renee Montagne talks to NPR's Kelly McEvers for the latest news out of Syria.