Seeking to avert automatic spending cuts and tax increases that are set to take effect on Jan. 1, President Obama and the four leaders of Congress are huddling at the White House at 3 p.m. today.
NPR is mounting a special hour of coverage of the session, which will reportedly take place behind closed doors in the Oval Office; you can hear that audio on this page, where we'll also post updates.
The meeting between the president and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) comes just days before the budget crisis deadline known as the "fiscal cliff."
If you're still unclear about what's at stake, you can consult NPR's look at how -- and when -- things might change without a deal, in a feature called Fiscal Cliff Calendar: What Happens When.
Copyright 2012 National Public Radio. To see more, visit www.npr.org.
