Clifftomania: The stock market jumped this morning on news of Congressional action. The House late yesterday approved the Senate tax bill to pull back from the Fiscal Cliff, which technically the country already fell off at midnight yesterday. The vote was 257 to 167 with 85 Republicans voting approval. President Obama said he hoped in the future issues like this could be handled with “a bit less drama,” before flying to rejoin his family in Hawaii. Congress still has not dealt with spending cuts, which in politics is known as “kicking the can down the road.”

World: As many as 60,000 people have died in Syria’s 22 month civil war, according to an estimate by the United Nations.

• Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez appears to be in difficult health following cancer surgery. The country’s vice-president said Chavez is awake but it is “a delicate and complex situation.”

National: An unmarried New York couple has been arrested for possession of powerful explosives, the NYPD says. Police were investigating a case of credit card fraud when they visited a Greenwich Village apartment. They also found a shotgun, high capacity magazines, ammunition, and weapons-making literature. Reports say the 31 year old man went to Harvard, the 27 year old woman, who was pregnant at the time of her arrest, went to The Dalton School in NY and NYU. She has since delivered a baby.

Bowling: Stanford beat Wisconsin in The Rose Bowl. Florida State beat Northern Illinois in the Orange Bowl. Utah State beat Toledo in The Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. Vanderbilt beat NC State in the Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl. Coming up: Today, The Tostitos Fiesta Bowl and Monday, the Discover BCS National Championship.

Governor Punts: Pennsylvania’s governor says he plans to sue the NCAA over the stiff sanctions imposed on Penn State in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child molestation scandal, even though the university agreed to the punishment that included a $60 million fine.

Hollywood: A photographer following Justin Bieber’s Ferrari was killed Tuesday after taking pictures of the Ferrari pulled over in traffic stop. The photographer was hit by another car crossing the road to return to his own car. Bieber was not in his Ferrari when it was stopped.

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