. >> all that ahead, but first, here's phil griffith with the look at the stories making headlines this's making news as we are heading into a new week and new year on wall street. congress is working the weekend, attempting to avert some part of that $6 billion in automatic tax increases and the spending cuts that are set to kick in on january 1st. that fiscal cliff and its potential impact on our economy brought lawmakers from both houses to washington for last-minute negotiations. concerns about the cliff spooked investors, the holiday shortened trading week was lighter in volume but higher in volatility. the worst decline of the month on thursday after a disappointing read on consumer confidence and some statements by congressional leaders. and yet, with one final trading day to go, all the major averages were still showing positive performance for the year of 2012. meantime, the u.s. is set to reach the debt limit on monday. that, according to treasury secretary tim geithner in a letter to congress, though, he did say he expects to take what he called extraordinary measures to exte