Nation: The State department issued a report yesterday that could clear the way for President Obama to approve the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Alberta to the Gulf. The chief objection to the pipeline is that it will encourage the extraction of Canadian tar sands oil, which contains more climate-changing carbon than most petroleum. But the State Department report says the dirty oil is coming out of the ground regardless of how it’s transported. But carbon emissions are not the only concern about the 2,100-mile pipeline. It will have to cross thousands of lakes, streams, and rivers.

The Security Bowl: Several letters containing a scary white powder sent to former NY Mayor Rudy Giuliani and several locations in New Jersey near Metlife Stadium turned out to be cornstarch. This appears to be the first public security alert connected to Sunday’s Super Bowl.

  Meanwhile, authorities say they have no “known” threats to the Super Bowl, but they are prepared with fighter jets, Black Hawk helicopters and snipers. One of the big fears is an attack on mass transit. Thousand of police and security personnel will be on guard to protect 80,000 fans, and of course, the game.

What Christie Knew: In what may be the first public defection from the Christie camp, a former appointee to the NY Port Authority says NJ Gov. Chris Christie knew about the George Washington Bridge lane closings last September. A letter released by a lawyer for David Wildstein, who resigned from the Port Authority, says, “evidence exists as well tying Mr. Christie to having knowledge of the lane closures, during the period when the lanes were closed, contrary to what the Governor stated publicly in a two-hour press conference.” Released documents show that when the Democratic mayor of Ft. Lee refused to endorse the Republican Christie for re-election, Christie’s deputy chief of staff sent an email to Wildstein saying, “Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee.”

Syria: Week-long talks between the Syrian government and the opposition ended with insults and no-deal. Foreign Minister Walid Muallem called the opposition “immature.” Opposition leader Ahmed Jarba said his side “stood up to the regime, a regime that only knows blood and death”.

The Obit Page: Austrian-born actor Maximilian Schell has died in Innsbruck at age 83. A fugitive from Nazi Germany, Schell won a 1961 Academy Award for best actor as a defense lawyer in the classic “Judgment at Nuremburg.”

World: An erupting volcano has killed 11 people on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The volcano had become increasingly active in recent months and thousands of people were evacuated.

Scout’s Honor: Two former Boy Scout leaders involved with toppling an ancient rock formation in Utah’s Goblin Valley State Park have been charged with felony criminal mischief. A videotape of the incident went viral and caused public outrage. The two had claimed they pushed over the teetering rock for safety, but they can be seen and heard celebrating. They were ejected from their leadership positions with the Scouts.

Word Games: The latest Jeopardy champion is playing with a strategy that’s irritating the game’s fans. Instead of starting with the easy questions and moving down through a category, Arthur Chu searches the board for the most difficult questions and the Daily Doubles then moves on. The audience and sometimes even the host Alex Trebek have a hard time following. One fan Tweeted, “You give me a headache.”

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