257167. Better than late than never. Congress finally comes together and passes a late night fiscal cliff deal. This morning we have the winners and losers for you. Delicate condition. Thats the word on hugo chavezs health this morning. Their people told to pray for their president. Sure, why not. Thousands take an icy plunge all for a good cause. Have you ever done that . Never. Ive considered it. On the list of things i will never do. Good morning, everyone. Welcome to early start. John berman will stop by later. It is 5 00 a. M. In the east. Up first, back from the bottom of the fiscal cliff, at least for now, millions of taxpayers and Small Business owners can exhale this morning sort of because late last night, the house passed a senate bill that temporarily brings you us back from the brink. The final tally, 257 for, 167 defense. Its interesting to note that while some top House Republicans voted no, Speaker John Boehner voted yes. And heres what the deal means for you. No tax hikes for couples earning less than 450,000 a year. Itemized deductions capped for couples making over 300,000 a year. Unemployment benefits extended for a year for 2 million americans. And that irritating alternative minimum tax permanently adjusted for inflation. This fight is far from over. The deal doesnt address spending. Drastic cuts have been deferred now for two month and you can be sure the battle will get messy. And then theres the 16. 4 trillion debt ceiling. We just hit it according to the treasury secretary and the president already drawing the line in the sand for that fight. I will not have another debate with this congress over whether or not they should pay the bills that theyve already racked up. If congress refuses to give the United States government the ability to pay these bills on time, the consequences would be catastrophic. Brianna kealar is live from washington working triple duty for us. So tell us more about what is not included in this deal and what battles are now looming in congress. Lets say first what is in the deal that is important to note. And that is that when youre talking about these tax cuts that have been extended for people making 3450,000 or less as a couple 400,000 or less as an individual, theyre prmly extended. So thats pretty significant because that isnt just some stop gap one year, two year measure. The issues that arent tackled are what the fiscal cliff was supposed to serve as an incentive to do and that is dealing with the Fiscal Health of the country. Entitlement reform, tax reform. Social security, medicare, making those cost less over time. And also of course the debt ceiling isnt dealt with and that means that well have a messy couple of months. And we have an added element here. New Congress Taking on these battles. More democrats in the house and senate. How might the incoming crew affects the next negotiations that will happen . I dont think it actually is going to affect it even though there are more democratic seats, republicans still control the house. Even though there are more democratic seats, there is not a filibuster proof majority. So if this whole process irritated you, you should be prepared for a little more of that in the near term. And theres a lot of talk about who won here, who lost here in the fiscal cliff fight. And you may not realize that there are some sort of lesser winners. Obviously the losers i guess are the wealthy paying more in taxes, those who if they itemize deductions will see them capped at the 300,000 level. Tax cuts, 450 for couples, 400 for individuals. But some of the other lesser known winners, and i guess they would have been losers if something hadnt been done but now they get to keep tax breaks. Milk, sugar, peanut producers. Unemployed will see an extension of their benefits. And also the alternative minimum tax has been permanently fixed for inflation. As someone who covered congress and now the white house, i thought i would have to be talking about the amt fix for years to come and its now been permanently adjusted. And of course doctors, as well, they would have seen over time a decrease in the amount of money they were receiving in medicare payments. That was fixed. We call it the doc fix. So theyre also winners. And also considered a big winner was joe biden. Hes someone who really see mtsed his position as serving as the president s proxy when it comes to dealing with congress. Things had really stalled. He came in and between him and Mitch Mcconnell, things moved along. And for a lot of criticism that joe biden gets, i think in this case he showed his worth as the Vice President. All right. Brianna kealar, thank you. No matter how you faired in the fiscal cliff deal, your taxes are still going up. And let me explain. Lets be very clear here. Tax rates for almost everyone, 98 of the country, are not going to rise. But the payroll tax holiday will go away. So the rate you pay for payroll taxes is going up from 4. 2 back up to 6. 2 . And here is how it will affect your take home pay. If youre earning 30,000 a year, youll lose about 50 more a month in taxes. If you make more than 113,000, youll lose an additional 189 a month in taxes. This is real money, so you have to prepare. Youll be able to spend a little less money from your paycheck on your bills, on your wants and needs. So everyone should be budgeting for this because it is real money out of the paycheck. Chris has been following this closely. Hes in our washington bureau. What happened behind the scenes . Tell us how we got the deal done. Well, it started this weekend when Mitch Mcconnell was dealing with his democratic counterpart harry reid and he felt like at one point saturday and sunday that he was not getting a real fair deal out of the majority leader. He felt like perhaps that the democrat was slow walking him toward the fiscal cliff and maybe that he wasnt going to get the kinds of concessions that he hoped to out of the Senate Majority leader. And so he called joe biden and those guys have a history. They helped cut a debt deal in 2011 and they helped stepped the payroll tax cut that you were just talking about back in 2010. And he was able to start negotiations with the white house. Joe biden had been sidelined by president obama for most of these talks. And he was able to kind of get things going and get a better deal out of the white house than he was going to be able to out of senate democrats. Tell me about the division between the republicans. Boehner voted for the bill, cantor did not. Are we seeing a fundamental split in the leadership . That was a very interesting vote to watch and i think part of what the speaker was doing, because i think its important for your viewers to note, the speaker rarely votes in most of the mundane matters of of the house. So to take a vote is largely symbolic and i think this was i think the speaker saying that while i dont love everything about this deal, i stand with the republicans in the bipartisanship of this deal and will do it. A lot of people looked at that and said is there a rift, is this eric cantor positioning himself for a coup. I think thats fairly unlikely. The House Speaker boehner certainly has plenty of support going into his election tomorrow where hes expected to be reelected the speaker of the house when the 113th congress convenes. So i think folks are reading a little into that. But certainly it was eric cantor being a little who are conservatives. Many are very angry about this deal. We saw this tweet from the tea party expression, amy cramer said im disgusted with what happened in the house last night. There will be consequences. What will the blow back be, do you think . In the short term, i dont think theres much at all. And certainly many folks believe that the tea party may be losing steam if anything under this new deal. But remember, as brianna pointed out, well be back here again in march. You have the debt limit, the government maxed out its credit card december 31st. Treasury is now taking extraordinary measures for the government to pay its bills. You have the continuing resolution which funds government. It also expires in march. And you have the sequester delay, the spending cuts that were supposed to take today, also expiring in march. We bought a two month pause on that just with this deal. So theres a lot of negotiation going to happen again. Republican ares believe that they have the upper hand and more leverage here than they might have otherwise. Congressman yesterday told us it was the valentines day live cliff and then the april fools cliff and every holiday coming up, it will be a hallmark cliff holiday for the next year or so. The easter cliff is coming. Chris, thanks for being buzz kill this morning. Thank you. Its ten past the hour. One thing the house failed to do was vote on funding for victims of super storm sandy. Republican leaders wrapped up the session without voting on billions of dollars of aid. So it drew an angry response from new york area lawmakers. The leadership just walked away without the courtesy of saying it didnt have time to deal with the millions of people whose lives have been affected. But maybe, mr. Speaker, if you could remind americans that are watching that maybe they should call and ask the congress and ask the speaker, please reconsider. New york republican congressman peter king called the decision indefensible and a betrayal of trust. The Senate Last Week approved more than 60 billion in sandy relief. So now to the latest on secretary of state Hillary Clintons close call. Doctors are saying the blood clot could have been fatal, it could have caused a stroke or it could have led to seizures or epilepsy. Shes being treated with blood thinners now and should make a full recovery. Former president bill clinton and daughter chelsea both seen visiting her at the hospital yesterday. The clot was found in the vein between the brain and the skull. Chief medical correspondent dr. Sanjay gupta shows us exactly where. We know in secretary clintons case, it is actually on the right side of the head somewhere in this area. Its called the right transverse sinus. Ill show you the left side for sake of demonstration here. If i reach move the hemisphere of thebrain, you can actually see where the veins are. You see the blue area right in there, that is the area that is draining blood away from the brain and one of these brains in this area, thats where that clot actually has occurred. Three weeks after cancer surgery, hugo chavezs health said to be in a, quote, delicate state. His Vice President and successor nichol Nicholas Maduro saying complications have occurred and recovery is slow going. Translator we are facing a situation where the president is being attended to. He has had treatments, but its a complicated situation. Were constantly hoping for positive progress. Sometimes he has slight improvements, and sometimes he has remained stable. Leaders canceled a huge new years concert and asked the venezuelan people to ring in the new year by praying for chavez. No sign of leaking fuel yet from a barge that ran aground off alaskas coast. They say there is no indication that it was breached and no evidence of a spill. The Oil Drilling Rig was being towed back to its winter home in seattle when the storm hit. The coast guard evacuated the 18 man crew saturday night, the barge carrying 143,000 gallons of diesel fuel, 12,000 gallons of lube oil and hydraulic fuel. Refusing a flu shot could put you at risk of getting sick. But for some indiana nurses and hospital staff, it could cost them their jobs. Well tell you why coming up next. When you have diabetes. Your doctor will say get smart about your weight. Thats why theres glucerna hunger smart shakes. They have carb steady, with carbs that digest slowly to help minimize blood sugar spikes. [ male announcer ] glucerna hunger smart. A smart way to help manage hunger and diabetes. [ male announcer ] glucerna hunger smart. Excuse me, sir im gonna have to ask you to power down your little word game. I think your friends will understand. Oh no, its actually my geico app. See . I just uh paid my bill. Did you really . From the plane . Yeah, i can manage my policy, get roadside assistance, pretty much access geico 24 7. Sounds a little too good to be true sir. Ill believe that when pigs fly. Ok, did she seriously just say that . Geico. Just click away with our free mobile app. Progressoh [ female announcer ] with 40 delicious progresso soups at 100 calories or less, there are plenty of reasons people are saying progressoh share your progressoh story on facebook. Welcome back. Lets get you uptodate. The house voted last night to avoid going over the fiscal cliff. Raising taxes on the wealthiest 2 of americans, but maintaining tax cuts for most people. President obama spoke shortly after the house voted. Todays agreement enshrines i think a principal into law that will remain in president as long as im president. The deficit needs to be reduced in a way thats balanced. Everyone pays their fair share. Everyone does their part. Thats how the economy works best. Thats how we grow. So right after that, youre seeing the president there, he boarded air force one to fly to hawaii, he wanted to finish his vacation. Today the governor of pennsylvania will announce the a lawsuit over the ncaa over the stiff sanctions it imposed on Penn State University in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal. Hes the former assistant football coach convicted of sexually abusing boys. The ncaa fined penn state 60 million, stripped the Football Program of 14 seasons of victories under the late head coach joe paterno. Its a retreat for the connecticut attorney who sought to sue the state for 100 million over the school mass carry in newtown. The outcry against the potential lawsuit was so strong, he has withdrawn it. This is a horrible tragedy and if i offended anyone, i deeply apologize. He represents the parents of a 6yearold student who survived the massacre. He may seek to file the suit at a later date. Hell join us on starting point at 8 00. Rescuers found themselves in trouble on an icy lake outside los angeles. A shredder oig slid out of control and into the water. Several tried to pull him out, but many of them fell into water, too, and needed help. Thankfully everyone got out okay. And of course this is almost as much a part of new years day as football and of course the plaque e black eyed peas. The air temperature with the windchill was around 17 below. So you can imagine the thrill those ice divers were feeling. The 28th annual Polar Bear Plunge in alabama wasnt as chilly, it was in the 50s there. But it wasnt exactly a steam bath, either. About 100 people jumped. If i had to do it, it would be alabama, not lake minnetonka. Ill do it one day. Youre a brave woman. Time for your early reads. Local news making national headlines. First from denver, the Champagne Toast is so 2012. A group of new years eve revelers were lighting up inside at a new marijuana club, club 64, the first of its kind to open in colorado since voters approved a ballot measure in november legalizing Recreational Use of pot. Its a private club open only to members who pay a 30ed fee. You cant buy pot there, but you can bring it and pass it around. And then from the elkhart truth, get a flu shot or get fired. Eight employees at a hospital in indiana face that choice and refuse to get vaccinated. One of the pink slip workers an oncology nurse says getting the flu shot would have gone against her religious belief, but the doctor rejected her request for an exemption. The hospital says it is intended to protect patients from potentially deadly illnesses. For an expanded look at all of our top story, head to our blog and follow us on twister and facebook. Search early start cnn. Ill give you a hint, double thumbs up this morning. Plus four masked men break into Paris Flagship apple store. You will not believe what they got away with. Aig . We said we were going to turn it around, and we did. Woman were helping joplin, missouri, come back from a devastating tornado. Man and now were helping the east coast recover from hurricane sandy. Were a leading Global Insurance company, based right here in america. Weve repaid every dollar america lent us. Everything, plus a profit of more than 22 billion. For the American People. Thank you, america. Helping people recover and rebuild thats what we do. Now lets bring on tomorrow. Welcome back. 23 past the hour. A brazen Million Dollar breakin at an apple store in paris. Masked gun wielding suspects forced their way in through an Employee Entrance new years eve. They overpowered a Security Guard and janitor. A total of four or five suspects were involved. They loaded boxes of loot on to a truck. The heist happened about three hours after the store had closed and it happened under the nose of riot police who were patrolling nearby. Lets mind your business this morning. World markets are rallying after congress hammered out the deal on the decrease. Christine has the details. I think you can expect a rally. I think the World Markets and stock futures so far like what theyve seen from the resolution of that deal. S p futures up 2. 5 . Asian markets are rallied. A good way to start 2013. As i told you, the s p gained 13. 5 last year. Its the best indicator for the stock part of your 401 k . The dow gained more than 7 last year. Tech heavy nasdaq up 16 . Stock futures up this high will likely see a rally for sure in markets. Whether it lasts is another question because as you know, part of the fiscal cliff was averted, but there are still big issues. One was spending cuts, sequester, that issue delayed by two months. And there is nothing about the debt ceiling. The treasury secretary says the government has officially reached the 16. 394 trillion debt limit. Some analysts are also warning gridlock in washington could cause more problems. I want to show you what an an miss said, the process was so kay owe tick that were likely to see a further u. S. Downgrade at shall poinome point. And budget resolution deadline march 27th. We spoke to ceo of riley asset management, hes very positive for the year. Listen. If i put this fiscal cliff in the context of, say, all of the god sail has of the world or am gedens of the world, i would have to put it in about the 13th position. Clearly the financial crisis that we had in 2009 and 2010 was so far much bigger than what we are confronted with today in this fiscal cliff. Some perspective from ned riley who is very bullish on the market this year. And it looks like it will be a good day for stocks. Were still four hours away from the opening bell. Things can change. But the indications are markets, investors very pleased this is out of the way. I think a lot of people are happy to hear that but with all of this gloom and doom, you wonder long term what will happen. We have a budget process in this country that has set us up for 11th hour conflict one after the other and i think that will be a hallmark of this year. Too bad. 27 past the hour. When Public Schools open their doors in new jersey this morning, there will be a major change. Armed Security Guards. Thats coming up next. Ive always kept my eye on her. But with so much health care noise, i didnt always watch out for myself. With unitedhealthcare, i get personalized information and rewards for addressing my health risks. But shes still going to give me a heart attack. Thats health in numbers. Unitedhealthcare. The deal is done. End of the fiscal cliff is here, but will you be happy. And anna storm returns to television after sustaining Second Degree burns in a horrific accident. Armed Police Officers in every public school. One new jersey mayors bold new plan begins today. Welcome back to early start. Thanks for being with us this morning. Its 31 past the hour. A giant collective exhale this morning. The house temporarily bringing us back from the abyss by passing the fiscal cliff senate bill. Final vote last night, 257 for, 167 against. Among the yes votes, house Speaker John Boehner. Here is what the deal means. No tax hikes for couples earning less than 450,000 a year. Couples making more than 300,000 a year get their itemized deductions capped. 2 million americans will see Unemployment Benefits extended for a year. And that frustrating costly irritating horrible alternative minimum tax gets adjusteded permanently for inflation. So the deal does not address spending cuts. And typical washington fashion, that has been kicked down the road for two months. So there will be a lot more bickering. And then theres the 18. 4 trillion debt ceiling, as well. We broke through this week. Treasury taking emergency steps to keep the government running right now. And the president says hes in no mood for another nasty show dunn. Hopefully in the new year well focus on seeing if we can put a package like this together with a little bit less drama, a little less brinks man ship. Not to scare the heck out of folks quite as much. Less drama. Brianna keilar joining us live from washington. Can you elaborate for snus what are we getting in the deal, what got done, what didnt get done . Its a long list, i know. But there are also very key things and those tax cuts are very important for the 450,000 for couples, 400,000 for individuals, really significant thing, one of the really significant things here is that they are permanently extended thp this isnt some stop gap measure. The fact that theyre permanently extended certainly adds i guess you could say certainty there. But what didnt get dealt with was what the fish was supposed to deal with and that is the long term Fiscal Health the country. Entitlement reform, reforming Social Security and medicare so that they cost less over time. That obviously something republicans really want. And tax reform, trying to get obviously some more revenue is what democrats would like to see so that they can deal with the deficit. Those things are not tackled. And also as you mentioned, the spending cuts are only dealt with for a couple of months. So that gets kicked down the road and not even that far. And then the debt limit which is set to k3 fire here late february early march. So that debt limit and those spending cuts will be i guess could you say the trigger for deeming with the other stuff. So a lot of winners and losers. The first fiscal cliff fight as were calling it now. Thats right, the first one and the next one will start pretty soon. Losers. Those obviously who are paying more taxes. Some of them who would consider they dont want to be paying more in taxes and not just the 450,000 threshold, 400,000 threshold, but also those who itemize their deductions, 300,000, that is the threshold for that. Winners, and theres quite a few and maybe some you havent heard of, milk, sugar, pea nut producers will continue to have a tax subsidy. The long term unemployed, theyll see their benefits extended for a while. And himself doctoralso theres. They would have seen medicare payments reduced. And also the middle class. Youre alwaysing about the amt fix, and that has been fixed permanently. Brianna kealar, thank you. It is now 35 past the hour. Irans military claims it successfully test fired several iranian made missiles near the strait of hormuz through which much of the worlds oil supply passes. They also tested defense missiles designed to shoot down drones. All part of a naval exercise to show how well it can defend its coastal borders. One expert says iran is trying to send a message to any country thinking of striking its nuclear facilities. North Korean Leader kim jongun take as new years concert with his wife and makes a major policy statement calling for an end to confrontation with south korea. A major change in tone about its neighbor. He said he wants to honor and implement north south joint declarations signed in 2000 and 2007 which called for reconciliation and economic cooperation. Hannah storm is working again less than a month after a propane grill outside her home blew up in her face. The sports caster suffered serious burns. The tlam was out, but she didnt realize there was propane still in the air. So when she tried to relight the flame, it set off a huge explosion and set her on fire. She yelled to her 15yearold daughter in the kitchen, mommys on fire, you have to call 911. But yesterday she got some false eyelash, Hair Extensions, and back to work hosting the rose parade. Very brave of her to share those pictures, as well. She looked great because there was a lot of buzz about her coming back. But she looked great, sounded great. Good for her. Students from sandy hook elementary will be going back to School Tomorrow. The kids wont be at the same school in newtown, though. They will attend class a few miles away in an Old Middle School in monroe, connecticut. Workers have tried to make the new classrooms look just like the old ones right down to the k k crayons on desks. There will be an open house today. And a security change in marlboro township. Starting today, there will be Police Officers in uniform and armed at every school while the kids are there. My job is to keep the jurisdiction and the people in marlboro safe. There are 8,000 students. And right now, based on advice of my police department, its safer to have our trained Police Officers in the schools than not. Leaders say cops in all the schools will be the new normal until they come up with a permanent plan for better security at the facilities. 37 past the hour. Last nights fiscal cliff vote means new rules and new taxes. Up next, what you need to know so there are no surprises come tax time. Like a lot of things, trying to find a better job can be frustrating. So at university of phoenix were working with a growing list of almost two thousand Corporate PartnersCompanies Like microsoft, American Red Cross and adobe to create options for you. Not only that, were using what we learn from these partners to shape our curriculum, so that when you find the job you want youll be a perfect fit. Lets get to work. It is 41 past the hour. The houses passes the fiscal cliff deal, 257 to 167. Averting of a avalanche of tax hikes. How can you make sure that Congress Last minute deal doesnt knock you off your own personal financial cliff . We have the author of get financially naked. Thanks for joining us this morning. We really appreciate it. So you say that the most important thing that we can all do with our money in 2013 is something that washington has definitely not done very well, and thats to know what healthy spending looks like. So you can walk us through that . Absolutely. So for most of us, its been so frustrating as christine earlier highlighted in describing the amt tax to watch whats been going on in washington. But there is something you can control and that is whether or not youre spending in a healthy manner. Most of us know when it comes to eating what Healthy Eating looks like because of the food pyramid. But very few of us were ever given a healthy spending pyramid. My favorite formula is 503020. A book Elizabeth Warren wrote. 50 goes to needs, 30 to want, 20 to savings and debt pay down. Follow that formula and you will not get financial indigestion. I love that. Great advice. So Congress Current deal allows a 2 payroll tax break to expire. So most americans will actually going to see a lot of income in 2013. So lets put that in perspective. If you make 30,000 a year, your monthly paychecks will go down 50. And if you make 113,700, it will go down 189. 50. So what are we supposed to do in order to compensate for that loss . I think most important thing is to take a look at your own personal spending habits. Most of us have some weak spot. It might be electronics, might be cute clothes for a newborn. Whatever it is, identify your weakness and be really clear. Either set a dollar amount each month or each year and then very importantly you want to set it in a segregated account. I like the new blue bird account by American Express and walmart. A great way with premium features and no hidden fees to essentially create a digital envelope system like we used to have in the old days. So you quite literally cannot spend more in that trouble area than you have put in that segregated account without reloading it. So save yourself from yourself is a very important thing because youre losing that wiggle room that you had prior to that 2 expiration. Thats really hard because people are making less money. So to be able to say im actually going to commit to this is a very complicated thing. It is. And thats why having a seg agree gat segregated account is so vital. When the money is gone, you cant spend more. So we have a little bit of good news for 2013. It has to do with retire the savings. Could you explain that to us . Yes, im so excited to actually end on a high note. This rear we can all save 500 more in our employment based retirement. Like 401 k . If youre under 50, you can save 17,500. If youre over 50, of course there are catch up contributions. And outside of the workplace also in your i. R. A. , this year you can save 500 more, 5500 if youre under 50. And youre thinking what the heck is 500 going to do for me, but if youre 25 and you save an extra 500 a year every year until youre 70, and that money grows at a 7 rate, that translates in to 142,000 over that time frame. So that is something to smile about. Absolutely. Something to celebrate. And how old did you say if youre 25 and you start doing that now . If youre 25 and you start doing that, every year until age 70, its the power of compounding, it is one magical force if you can get it working in your direction. All right. Thanks for being with us. A hollywood paparazzi is dead after snapping a shot of Justin Biebers ferrari. Details next. [ woman ] ring. Ring. Progresso. I just served my motherinlaw your chicken noodle soup but she loved it so much. I told her it was homemade. Everyone tells a little white lie now and then. But now she wants my recipe [ clears his throat ] [ softly ] shes right behind me isnt she . [ male announcer ] progresso. You gotta taste this soup. Because for every 2 pounds you lose through diet and exercise, alli can help you lose one more by blocking some of the fat you eat. Lets fight fat with alli. [ male announcer ] when diarrhea hits, kaopectate stops it fast. Powerful liquid relief speeds to the source. Fast [ male announcer ] stop the uhoh fast with kaopectate. 48 past the hour. Welcome back. Lets get you uptodate. Back from the brink. Late last night, the house voted to avoid going over the fiscal cliff. It approved the bill passed in the senate just hours before raising income taxes on the wealthiest 2 of americans, but maintaining tax cuts for most people. The deal also delays automatic spending cuts. They were supposed to start kicking in today. After the vote, president obama thanked democrats and republicans and then hes off to hawaii to finish his vacation with his family. Hes expected to stay there through the weekend. Hugo sa vchavezs health isd to be in a delicate state. His Vice President madura says complications have emerged and his recovery is slow going. In los angeles, a photographer was killed last night try a to go get a shot of Justin Bieber. Police say the man snapped pictures of a sports car that he thought was the pop stars. He was struck and killed while crossing a freeway to return to his own car. In a statement, bieber said he was not in that sports car. This time tomorrow morning will be the best time to look up in the sky and see the quadranted meteor shower. Nasa says thats anywhere from 60 to 200 meters. It will flash across the sky. But the moon could interfere with some of the visibility. We have to deal with commuting again on the First Business day of the new year. Karen maginnis with a look at the weather across the country. Good morning. Yeah, we were kind of testing out quadranted meteor showers this morning, as well. And just before dawn, it should be the most lively. And for the eastern seaboard, we might see a few hours here. Galveston, they saw over four inches of rainfall. It was a daily record. Typically for the entire month of january, they see just a little over four inches. So theyve seen a months worth already. All the way from houston to atlanta to washington, d. C. , this is where were seeing the messiest weather. So for travelers if youre going anywhere out of houstons international airport, youll have to dodge the showers. But right now, were not looking at delays there. Most of the precipitation in the form of ice or maybe snow is really not making it to the ground. Occasionally you might see a little of that right around washington, d. C. Extending over towards delaware, but for the most part, thats moving out fairly quickly. And then the deeply cold air can be found across northern new england. Take a look at these temperatures. Right now were looking at caribou, maine with minus 20 degrees. Thats not the windchill factor. Current temperatures outside in new york city, 23. Buffalo 20. Washington, d. C. A little bit of the frost is gone maybe. 37 degrees being reported there right now. The highs today expected in washington, only about 38. So you wont see Much Movement as far as mercury is concerned. And if youre wondering who will see the coldest temperatures across the Northern Tier where those temperatures are still only in the teens and twenty and high winds in southern california, as well. So enjoy the day. Thank you. A being paed hour ahead including reaction to the late night house vote that pulled us back from the fiscal cliff. Middle class spared a major tax hike, but many in washington united in their dislike for this deal. Well talk to one republican who voted against it. Plus a pilot spots something sketchy on the ground. A guy trying to break into his home. The whole thing leading to one of the most bizarre hot pursuits ever. First everyone can relax. We found a song youll be sick of by the end of this year. Early start premiere of one pound fish is next. At a dry cleaner, we replaced people with a machine. What . Customers didnt like it. So why do banks do it . Hello . Hello . if your bank doesnt let you talk to a real person 24 7, you need an ally. Hello . Ally bank. Your money needs an ally. Bikes and balloons, wholesome noodles on spoons. A kite, a breeze, a dunk of grilled cheese. Catches and throws, and spaghettios. Thats what happy kids are made of. Campbells. Its amazing what soup can do. It is 55 past the hour. Welcome back to early s. T. A. R. T. Were taking a look at the top cnn trends on the web this morning. One small fib for neil. One small step for man, one guy and leap for man kind. A new documentary suggests that Neil Armstrong might have lied when he said he came up with that first line. Armstrongs brother says he thought of the famed speech months before the mission and that he was supposed to say a man, not just man. Armstrong once admitted he came up with the line a few hours after landing. Buts it. A great line nonetheless. Beginning nam sty gangnam style, so 2012. Will 2013 be the year of the one pound fish . Hes catapukalt catapulted to f this hit, one pound fish. And now with 11 million hits, its spreading around the world, as well. He came up with the song while hocking frozen snapper and mackerel it for one british pound at a queens market in london. Coming up with 100,000 roses for his wife, the best moment of yesterdays rose parade. It will bring a tear to your eye. And an Army Sergeant in afghanistan deployed off a parade vote and surprised his wife and little boy three months early. It took a lot of planning. He had to tell his wife that she won a contest through the army. She traveled from home base in germany to get there. And that right there is the result. You can just stay on that for a while . Isnt that sweet . A private moment very public. I love it. You take your fiscal cliff and shove it. I want to watch this. All right. To check out other top cnn trends, head to cnn. Com trends. In the next hour of early start begins right now. Delicate condition, that eat word on chavezs health this morning. The venezuela people told to put off new years and instead pray for their president. With us making a tight circle around our property here, watching him from the air. This is just an incredible story. A man catch as thief trying to burglarize his home, all from 300 feet in the air. Well share the details of that story. Good morning to you. Welcome to early start. Happy youre with us. Its 6 00 a. M. In the east. Lets get started. First back from the abyss, a huge relief for tens of millions of taxpayers and Small Business owners this morning. Late last night, the house passed a senate bill that temporarily brings us back from the bottom of the fiscal cliff. The final vote, 257 for, 167 against. You might be interested to know that house Speaker John Boehner voted yes. Heres how the deal shakes out. Couples earning less than 450,000 a year are spared an income tax hike. Itemized deductions are capped for couples making over 300,000 a year. Unemployment benefits extended for a year for 2 million americans. And that thorny alternative minimum tax gets a permanent adjustment for inflation. Paul ryan voted yes, as well, didnt he . I thought he voted against it. Well get to the bottom to the bottom of that. He voted yes. I was going to ask brianna keilar. It doesnt address ic spend spending cuts and the next big battle could be over the 16. 4 trillion debt ceiling. We will reach it this week and the president is in no mood to discuss it. If congress refuses to give the United States government the ability to pay bills on time, the consequences for the entire Global Economy would be catastrophic, far worse than the impact of a fiscal cliff. White house correspondent brow anna keel ar is live from washington. I want to start out with paul ryan, he did vote yes, didnt he . I should know that honestly, but i dont. I was asleep. I have a vote of 257 in favor and 157 against and paul ryan voted in favor. Im sorry. I dont mean to catch you offguard. Can you elaborate for us. What got done . Very importantly, what did not get done . The big things, the extension of the bush era tax cuts for couples making up to 450,000, 400,000 for individuals. This is significant and permanent. So that makes it especially significant. What really didnt get done is what the whole fiscal cliff was supposed to serve as an incentive to do, which was deficit reduction on a larger scale to deal with the longterm Fiscal Health of the country. Thats what we will see congress tackling or trying to tackle in the coming months. Entitlement reform. Trying to make sure medicare and Social Security dont cost so much money over time. And also tax reform, trying to bring in some more revenue. Republicans, more a fan of entitlement reform obviously than democrats. And democrats want to see it increased revenue through tax reform. Those are the big things, and spending cuts only dealt with avoiding the sequester for a couple of months and the debt limit wasnt increased that, is still looming and well see the fight here in the next couple of months. We sure will. Who are the winners and losers in the first fiscal cliff fight. This is interesting. There are obvious ones. And its people who make a lot of money. Cutoff of 450,000, 400,000 for individuals. But there is an itemized deduction cap. If you itemize, the cutoff is 300,000 for couples, 250,000 for individuals. If you are making more than that, you will see a phase in of the itemized deductions being capped. Some of the winners, and some you may not know about. Milk sugar and peanut producers get to hold on to a tax subsidy, the longterm unemployment will see benefits extended. And doctors wont see medicare payments reduced, and overall the middle class in terms much alternative minimum tax being extended permanently. The winner whos are folks that may not see a big change from before. But if they havent been protected by what was done in the bill, they would have felt it in a big way. I was very happy to hear about the milk. They were predicting it would double or trip nell prile in pr. Another big winner was the Vice President. Joe biden, being called the closer. Stepped in at the 11th hour, with Mitch Mcconnell. Joe biden sometimes gets criticized, but he showed his mettle, why he works so well as a proxy of president obama. He spent decades in the senate, he has really wellworn relationships with a lot of senators who matter, including republicans, very good relationships and you could argue they definitely paid off here. Certainly in his almost negotia element negotiating this deal. The 2yearold payroll tax holiday, the holiday is over, america. Your taxes are still going up. The rate you pay out of your paycheck for payroll taxes to fund Social Security is going back up to 6. 2 . Here is how it affects your paycheck. Earning 30,000 a year, you are going to pay about 50 more a month in taxes. If you make say 113,000, you will pay 189 per month in payroll taxes. So here is the truth. For almost everybody in america, your tax rates are not going up, but your paycheck will still be smaller. Plan accordingly. Lets bring in a reporter from the national journal. Following behind the scenes action. How did this deal get done . At the 11th hour, just like almost Everything Congress does, right . The Senate Republican leader, Mitch Mcconnell, having difficulty with harry reid, he wanted to do a deal. He was feeling like maybe the democratic leader would string him along, trying to push him toward the cliff to increase his leverage. He called joe biden. They have a very good working relationship. Cut a deal last year to increase the debt limit for the government. They they increased or extended the payroll taxes you were talking about in 012010. I have this from folks who were there. He went off the senate floor into the cloak room and said a lot of guys dont understand how things work like you do, joe, can we Work Together . And joe biden said let me call you back. He did and put an offer on the table. The first one of many that got us to the deal we see today. Speaker boehner voted in favor of the bill, eric cantor did not. Paul ryan voted in favor of the bill, marco rubio did not. Are we seeing a fundamental split in the Republican Party . I think so. I think a lot of conservatives felt there was a revenue decrease without the spebi ispe cuts. The era of the grind brrr gain seems to be over in washington and we come down to the showdown strategy of governing. Well set up every few months some big to do where we are forced into some action, because congress cant solve all of these problems comprehensively. Its because there is no middle, right . There are a lot of different reasons, but congress looks different today than it did a generation ago, am i right . You are absolutely right. Only 15 to 18 House Republicans ran in seats that the president won, so you have a very small amount of the over 200 republicans in a seat where they feel like a democrat might beat them. Therefore, they are looking more over their right shoulder at a primary than they are worried they may look too conservative in the general election. John boehner voted in favor of it. In a way, hes almost casting a vote in favor of the middle. Casting the vote as leader and as the leader of the republicans in a bipartisan deal that was struck with his his counterpart in the senate. He he kind of went with the republicans and the big big partisan manner, while he allowed a lot of conservatives to vote no. Remember, this was a vote that the speaker allowed a number of republicans, a majority of republicans to vote no. That rarely happens today. Usually a speaker wont bring a republican speaker wont bring a bill that doesnt have majority support among his caucus. We have liberals and conservatives angry over the deal. And the tea party express, im extremely disgusted with what happened in the house last night. There will be consequences. And adam greene says the president remains clueless in how to use leverage in negotiation. Republicans publicly admitted they lost the tax debate and would be forced to cave, yet the president just kept giving stuff away. Thats what compromise is. Nobody likes it on the extremes. Harry reid wasnt thrilled that biden swooped in at the last minute. He felt they had max rum leverage and should force republicans to take a vote on raising taxes on people that make over 250,000, instead of the 450,000 limit we saw on the deal. A lot being made on the fact that they basically reset the line for rich at 450,000 in america, and the president said it was 250,000. Median income in america, 55,000. You think about what a big gap that is. Business insider railing, saying that rich people got off pretty easily in this deal. Interesting argument about who won, who lost. And the television of rich, right . Thats the big debate. Yeah, this really is. Nine minutes past the hour here. New york area lawmakers up in arms after the house failed to vote on funding for victims of superstorm sandy. Republican leaders wrapped up without acting. The leadership walked away without saying they didnt have time to deal with the millions whose lives were affected. Maybe you should remind americans that maybe they should call and ask the congress, ask the speaker, please reconsider. Peter king called it indefensible and a betrayal of trust. The Senate Approved more than 60 billion in sandy relief last week. Doctors say the blood clot could have been fatal, caused stroke or led to seizures or epilep epilepsy. She should make a full recovery. Former president bill clinton and daughter chelsea both seen visiting her yesterday at new york presbyterian hospital. They was found in the vain between the brain and the skull. Dr. Sanjay gupta shows us where. We know in secretary clintons case, the right side of the head somewhere in this area. The right transverse sign us. Let me show you on the model. Ill show you the left side for sake of demonstration. You can actually see where the veins are. You can see the blue area right there, that is the area that drains blood away from the brain and one of the vains in this area, thats where that clot actually has occurred. I want to reiterate she is expected to make a full recovery. Three weeks after cancer surgery, hugo chavez health is said to be in a delicate state. His Vice President and successor nicholas maguro says he is battling complications from a respiratory infection and his recovery is slow going. Kim jung un makes a major policy statement and calls for an end to confrontation with south korea and wants to overall the countrys economy and celebrat the c ed the controver launch of a longrange rocket. No sign of leaking of a barge that ran aground off of alaskas coast there is no indication that the 266foot long cull let was breached. It was being towed back to its winter home in seattle when a storm hit. The coast guard evacuated the rigs 18man crew saturday night. The barge is carrying 143,000 gallons of diesel fuel and 12,000 gallons of lube oil and hydraulic fuel. Is there anywhere as cold as new york this morning . Can you even begin to imagine doing this . One, two, three, go thousands of brave jumpers across the nation taking some icy plunges. Well tell you why. Ounds . 315 horsepower. Whats tt in reindeerpower . [ laughs ] [ pencil scratches ] [ male announcer ] chevys giving more. Now through january 2nd, no Monthly Payments until spring for qualified buyers. Get the silverado for 0 apr financing for 60 months plus 1,000 Holiday Bonus cash. Plus trade up for an additional 1,000 tradein allowance. Aww man. [ male announcer ] returns are easy with free pickup from the u. S. Postal service. Well even drop off boxes if you need them. Visit usps. Com pay, print, and have it picked up for free. Any time of year. Nice sweater. Thank you. I have a cold, and i took nyquil, but im still stubbed up. [ male announcer ] truth is, nyquil doesnt unstuff your nose. What . [ male announcer ] it doesnt have a decongestant. No way. [ male announcer ] sorry. Alkaseltzer plus fights your worst cold symptoms plus has a fast acting decongestant to relieve your stuffy nose. [ sighs ] thanks [ male announcer ] youre welcome. Thats the cold truth [ male announcer ] alkaseltzer plus. Oh what a relief it is [ male announcer ] to learn more about the cold truth and save 1 visit alkaseltzer on facebook. [ male announcer ] to learn more about the cold truth excuse me, sir im gonna have to ask you to power down your little word game. I think your friends will understand. Oh no, its actually my geico app. See . I just uh paid my bill. Did you really . From the plane . Yeah, i can manage my policy, get roadside assistance, pretty much access geico 24 7. Sounds a little too good to be true sir. Ill believe that when pigs fly. Ok, did she seriously just say that . Geico. Just click away with our free mobile app. Welcome brach. 15 minutes past the hour. A pilot could not believe his eyes as he did a fly by over his florida home. He spotted a burglar trying to break in he watched as the wouldbe thief stole his trailer. He follow the suspect in his twin engine cessna. He called 911, called police, arrested the man some 40 miles away. Crime didnt pay. How about that . President obama heads to hawaii this morning to finish his family vacation. He left washington late last night after the house approved legislation that keeps the nation from going over the fiscal cliff. The bill raises taxes on the wailtiest 2 of americans but maintains tax cuts for most people. Todays agreement enshirine the principal and the law. The deficit needs to be reduced in a way thats balanced. Everyone pays their fair share, does their part. Thats how our economy works best. Thats how we grow. The president said the legislation will prevent the economy from slipping back into recession. Today, the governor of pennsylvania will announce a lawsuit against the ncaa over the stiff sanctions it imposed on Penn State University in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal. Former assistant football coach convicted of sexually abusing boys. They fined penn state 60 million and removed 40 seasons of victories under joe paterno. A connecticut attorney who sought to sue the state for 100 million over the School Massacre in newtown, connecticut. The outcry was so strong, that the attorney has withdrawn it. This is a horrible tragedy, and if i offended anyone, i deeply apologize. Pinsky may seek to file the suit at a later date. He will join us later on starting point at 8 00 eastern. Rescuers found themselves in trouble in an icy lake outside of los angeles. A sledder slid out of control into the water. Several other people tried to pull them out. They fell into the water as well and needed to be rescued. The guy who got them out will be here in the mention hour on starting point. A hero there. These people went in on purpose. Almost as much of a part of new years day as weight loss and money resolutions. 800 people kicked off the new year by jumping into lake minetonka. You can imagine the thrill the ice activers were feeling. The 24th annual Polar Bear Plunge in decatur, alabama wasnt as chilly. The air temperatures in the low 50s. About 100 people jumped in in decatur. Every year they do this as chicago. You still have an opportunity, because the 13th annual plunge is sunday, march 3rd. We should go to chicago and to it together. No comment. 19 minutes past the hour. A new club opening its doors in the milehigh city. Club 64 is the first pot club in colorado. Gets its name from amendment 64 which made Recreational Use of marijuana legal. You cant buy marijuana from the club, but you can come in here, bring marijuana, share marijuana. This club is what voters in colorado finally wanted. They wanted adults to be able to get together and exercise our freedoms, together. There will be another year before Stores Selling marijuana will be allowed to open in colorado. The early look appears positive. Well check on the first stock market reaction. Two thumbs up. Double thumbs up. Stock futures up 2. 5 right now. I will give you a real check of the Global Markets and what we expect in the u. S. , thats next. A hybrid . Most are just no fun to drive. Now, heres one that will make you feel alive. Meet the fivepassenger ford cmax hybrid. Cmax says ha. Cmax says wheeee. Which is what you get, dont you see . Cause cmax has lots more horsepower than prius v, a hybrid that cmax also bests in mpg. Say hi to the allnew 47 combined mpg cmax hybrid. [ male announcer ] when diarrhea hits, kaopectate stops it fast. Powerful liquid relief speeds to the source. Fast [ male announcer ] stop the uhoh fast with kaopectate. We are minding your business. World markets rallying after congress hammered out the deal on the fiscal cliff. Christine romans has details. I think we expect a rally today. Stock futures up sharply here. Dow futures up 200 points right now. European markets and asian markets rallying. A good way to start 2013. Let me show you what last year looked like. The s p 500 up 13. 5 in 2012. The best indicator in the stocks. One of the ten best years ever. The dow gained more than 7 . The techheavy nasdaq. Up 16 . So were likely to see a rally again today on top of the strong gains. Because of the resolution in the fiscal cliff. Two big issues not addressed in that bill yesterday. One, subpoenaing cuts, the sequester, will be delayed two months. Two, nothing done about the debt ceiling. The treasury secretary said we officially hit it. 16. 16. 34 trillion. Another fight coming on that. And analysts warning the gridlock in washington could cause the u. S. Even more problems. A city f x analyst says the process was so chaotic and the outcome so unsatisfactory, we are likely to see a further u. S. Downgrade at some point. Also worth mentioning. We dont have a continuing budget resolution. That deadline set for march 27th. Expect political fights ahead. Lets put this in perspective. Ned riley of riley asset management, hes very positive for the year. Listen to what he said. If i put this fiscal cliff in the context of say, all of the godzillas of the world or armaggedons of the world portrayed. I would have to put it in about the 13th position. Clearly the financial crisis we had in 200910 was so far much bigger than what we have confronted today in the fiscal cliff. A little perspective from ned riley. Very positive on the market. The consensus of money managers, we will see another gain of 4. 5 . Wont be another barn burner. Another thing you need to know about your money today. The vast majority of americans, your paycheck will be smaller. Making 30,000 a year, your monthly paychecks will be 50 less. You will take home 189 less a mon month, so you need to budget. I hate ending on a negative note. Its not really negative. If you sit down, budget, know you wont have the freebee. Always meant to be temporary. So budget. Live 15 below your means. Save 10 of your paychecks, and you are going to be building wealth. Knowledge is power. Here is another tidbit of information. A woman who came on earlier, a financial expert, and she said we could contribute 500 more to the 401 k . Make sure you are maxing out your 401 k , get all of the money on the table. Perfect time of the year to do it. When Public Schools in marlboro, new jersey, open their doors this morning. There will be major changes. Will be armed Security Guards. That story, next. 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But dont you have any apps on your phone that can make your life easier . Who do you think i am, quicken loans . At quicken loans, well provide you with myql mobile. This amazingly useful app allows you to take pictures of your mortgage documents using an iphone or android smart phone. So you can easily send them to us. One more way quicken loans is engineered to amaze. Ooh, lala down to the wire. But the deal is done. The end of the fiscal cliff is here, but you wont find a lot of happy campers on either side of the aisle. One new jersey mayors bold new man, armed guards in the school. Six bowl games, but the biggest game of them all less than a week away. Are you excited about this . We are. Welcome back to early start. I im zoraida sambolin. Millions of americans breathing easier. The house has delivered us from the fiscal cliff. 257 for, 157 against. Among the yes votes, Speaker John Boehner. Here is what the deal means. No tax hikes for couples earning less than 450,000 a year. The vast majority of folks in america, your taxes wont go up. Couples making over 300,000 per year get itemized deductions capped. Costly alternative minimum tax gets permanently adjusted for inflation. So the deal does not take up the issue of mandatory federal spending cuts. That has been deferred for two months now and then there is the 16 16. 4 trillion debt ceiling. We broke through it earlier this week and the treasury taking emergency steps to keep the government running for now. The president seems to be in no mood for another long, dragged out debacle. One thing that i think hopefully in the new year well focus on, seeing if we can put a package like this together with a little bit less drama, a little less brink brinksmanship scare the heck out of folks quite as much. Brianna keilar joins us live from washington. No more drama. Lets look toward. What can we expect in round two of the fiscal cliff . Will the president get no more drama . I think the president to expect to get everything he doesnt want to get. Thats almost the guarantee, and thats the expectation of folks in washington. What really sghor aida, the thing that fascinates me. The things that did not get done, are the things that the fiscal cliff was supposed to serve as an incentive to do, and that is really to deal with deficit reduction in a real, bigger, broad way. Were talking about entitlement reform, which republicans want. Medicare, Social Security. These things that are very costly over time, they want to see the spending on those reduced. That was not dealt with. And also tax reform. Democrats, for instance, on tax reform want to see more revenue brought in and say they want to maintain or increase the proximity of the tax code. Its the two things that president obama might say would be balanced. The spending cuts, yes, only dealt with for two months, and the debt ceiling around the time of the spending cuts will kick in again. The debt ceiling is going to be hit. So that now will be the incentive for getting bigger things like entitlement reform and tax reform. Very frustrating for a lot of people. Some liberals and conservatives are angry with the deal. Amy kremer with the tea party tweeted this. Im extremely disgusted with what happened in the house tonight there will be consequences. And another said your president sold you out. Democrats mostly caved on letting the inheritance tax rise. And the deal gives republicans carte blanche. Will there be blowback . I think there may be some. Well still have to wait and see, because the election just passed, but i think the political pressures are very real when you look at who voted no on this. There are people who are unhappy with this on both sides. Some liberal democrats who felt like that threshold of 450,000, to them that is well above wealthy. And they think that they wanted to see president obama make good on his promise of keeping that threshold at 250,000. And some republicans who felt like there wasnt enough in the way of subpoenaing cuts. They wanted to see longterm deficit reduction and didnt get it. You lost folks on both sides. Really on really the outskirts of the political spectrum in the house. Brianna keel ilakeilar, live washington. Lets talk to someone who was in the house very late last night. Jeff landry, republican from louisiana. He voted against the bill and joins me now. Good morning. Good morning, christine. Why did you vote against it . Look, i dont want taxes to go up on anyone, but were hiding the fact that were spending way more than were taking in. We cannot continue to add to the deficit and debt and expect our economy to function properly. I mean, look, i would like to believe the president is heading us down a road of economic stability. But, look, last night puts us on the road to economic calamity. Let me ask you this. We have Unemployment Benefits extended. We have the amt patch fixed. Things in here that will cost money. Some of which are not paid for. Would you rather see the people on Unemployment Benefits be cut off on the 29th, the 2 million, the amt patch not get fixed . You dont like those provisions . No, no, no. What i would like to see, i would like to see us start to work on the 16 16. 8 trillion o deficit and debt we acquired on the backs of future generations and were spending 1. 5 trillion more than were taking in. Thats what i would like to do. Instead, we gave the president and democrats the ability to hang a plague on their waugh. We raised 62 billion, which doesnt dent the amount of money we spend. There will be downgrades. If wall street rallies it will only be temporary until people wake up and recognize that washington has a spending problem. I assure you, we have a debt ceiling fight that well begin. We have continuing budget resolutions, so many other things coming up. Do you think the drama around the fiscal cliff is something well see repeated around every single turn . The sad part about it, all we did was basically take us off one cliff, only to put us on one thats much higher. We have a debt ceiling fight, you are absolutely correct, but were not addressing the core problem, and thats the debt and deficits and amount of money were spending in washington, d. C. You talk a lot about the leadership of the president and your pessimism there, but your own leadership. House majority leader basically contradicting Speaker Boehner yesterday. Boehner voting with the bill. Are you concerned about the Division Within your own party . Look, no. I think we have to have a fighting side. And would republicans actually stand for it . What you saw on november 6th was the fact that republican establishment cant figure out what they stand for. Conservatives out there. People who voted no last night, know exactly what they stand for. I get to leave washington, d. C. Today with my conservative principles intact. If im wrong about the things that im telling you about today, guess what . America is on the road to prosperity. If im right, were in a big we have a big problem here in this country. The leadership of speaker bainer in this process . I think the president did a great job of getting the speaker to undo everything he promised he would do, the speaker would do, after the 2010 elections. Think about it. They did a debt ceiling deal, gave the president 2. 1 trillion. They turned that off. Turned that deal off for two months. Thats going to be another fight on top of the sequestration, a debt ceiling fight and so, you know, the president was able to get the speaker to undo everything he promised he would do for the American People over the last congress. Congressman jeff landry, Republican Tea Party member. Thank you. Students from sandy hook elementary will go back to School Tomorrow for the First Time Since the shootings throw weeks ago. The children wont be back at the same school in newtown. They will attend a few miles away at an old school in monroe, connecticut. They are trying to make the new school look just like the old one. They even renovated the bathrooms to accommodate grade schoolers. There will be an open house today. The newtown shootings inspired a security change in marlboro. There will be Police Officers uniformed and armed in every school while the students are there. My job is to keep the jurisdiction and the people in marlboro safe. 8,000 students in marlboro township and based on advice of my police department, its safer to have trained Police Officers in the schools than not. Marlboro leaders say police in all of the schools will be the new normal until they come up with a better plan for better security. Still ahead, College Football in the new years spotlight. Six bowl games played yesterday, including the grand daddy of them all. Well look at that and the bcs title game less than a week away now. Youre watching early start. This is 100,000. We asked total strangers to watch it for us. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. Ill be right back. They didnt take a dime. How much in fees does your bank take to watch your money . If your bank takes more money than a stranger, you need an ally. Ally bank. Your money needs an ally. So, the 5. 3liter v8 silverado can tow up to 9,600 pounds . 315 horsepower. Whats that in reindeerpower . [ laughs ] [ pencil scratches ] [ male announcer ] chevys giving more. Now through january 2nd, no Monthly Payments until spring for qualified buyers. Get the silverado for 0 apr financing for 60 months plus 1,000 Holiday Bonus cash. Plus trade up for an additional 1,000 tradein allowance. Welcome back. 42 minutes past the hour. If you are a College Football fan and cant get enough of the big game this is your time. Six bowl games played on what used to be the big bowl date. Florida state beat Northern Illinois in the orange bowl. Not as an easy win as most expected. Score 3110. And stanford won their first rose bowl in 40 years. I watch thad one. Wisconsins Third Straight rose bowl loss. Georgia beat nebraska in the capital one bowl. South carolina beat michigan in the outback bowl, and northwestern beat Mississippi State in the gator bowl. But the big game next week when notre dame takes on alabama in the bcs championship game. And former nfl player for the Atlanta Falcons joins us with his predictions and we want your analysis here. Lets start with tonight. 21 louisville versus florida in the sugar bowl. The quarterback says maybe what they need to do is put an s on our chest and cape on our back to win this. What do you think will happen . I think he might be right. A matchup of david versus goliath. But teddy bridgewater is the guy that gives louisville a chance. He has the heart of a lion, in a defining moment this season against rutgers, he played with a broken wrist and a sprained ankle. The type of guy anyone can root for. He gives them a chance. Seriously . Like this could be an upset here . Come on. Anything is possible in College Football, you know that, zoraida. Tomorrow, number four oregon versus kansas state. This may be the most exciting game. It really is. If you have a need for speed and like watching touchdowns, this is the game for you. The teams combine, average over 90 points scored per game this is an epic matchup of speed and flash and flare. Oregon ducks in their blingy uniforms, a lot of offensive weapons on that team. I want your prediction for a score on that game. Oh, my goodness. 10099. They will put up so many points it will be awesome. I will go 4138, oregon ducks. 4138. Texas a m versus oklahoma. It is the cotton bowl. This is the first time that after donny manziell won the heisman that he will be playing. What about the pressure he will be feeling . I dont think this guy plays under pressure. No stage too big for this guy, and hes only a freshman. First freshman to ever win the heisman. It will be fun to watch him against oklahoma tonight. Im sorry. I absolutely loved his acceptance speech. Just thanked his parents first and thanked the school and took that for the school. Youngest guy ever to get that. Notre dame versus alabama. Everybody talking about. Can notre dame pull this off . If anyone can pull this off, its certainly notre dame. This game will be a team that seemingly has more talent. Alabama, versus the team who always plays with more heart in notre dame. Classic matchup of horsepower versus heart power, im really looking forward to this game. What a cinderella story it has been for notre dame. A lot of people say they cant pull this off. Why do you think they can . They are going against s. E. C. Super power alabama. If anyone can knock the s. E. C. And alabama off their high horse, its notre dame. The team that always funds a way to win, plays with so much heart and passion, led by their outstanding linebacker. I will go for notre dame on this one, coy. Well see. Thank you for joining us today. We appreciate it. Thank you for having me. Weve all seen the stories of dumb criminals, but we have one that takes the cake, and its all over weed. Thats next. File this one under stupid human tricks. 54 Shane Lawrence called police to report a Home Invasion in palm coast of florida. He gave Police Permission to search the house and it was lawrence they arrested. Turned out that he was growing 110 Marijuana Plants in a spare bedroom. Investigators say it was enough to produce 55 pounds of pot with a street value of almost 50 grand. Gentleman just a little hazy. He thought that might have been a good idea. When you talk about stupid human tricks, john berman thought you were talking about him. John berman in for soledad obri obrien. I thought is that my intro today. Second day of the year and im getting stupid human tricks . A great show ahead. Were talking about the fiscal cliff deal. Aft well talk about the political fallout with people in the room. Steve israel. Marsha blackburn. Jen psaki. And what about the money hinted this . Economist diane swonk, well talk with her as well and after a national outcry, an attorney has stopped a lawsuit over the shooting at newtown elementary school. Why he filed the suit in the first place and where it stands now. Amazing video. A rescue attempt goes awry. A sledder fell into an icy lake this is ma helm. One man able to use a rope, get everyone out. Amazing video. Well talk about the whole thing and that man helped get the man out of the water, hell be here live. Great. I was watching that. I thought it was a joke at first. Run weave the other after the other. In los angeles, a photographer killed last night trying to get a shot of Justin Bieber. The man snapped pictures of a sports car he thought the popstar was in and then struck and killed while crossing a freeway to get back to his own car. In a statement, Justin Bieber said he wasnt in the car. City officials in montreal, canada, said half of the city streets are clear. Record snowfall made for a picturesque new year. What is the outlook for the next 90 days . According to the computer models, a lot of areas well above normal from california, the great basin, toward the gulf coast region. That doesnt bode well, because a lot of these areas have seen drought conditions. What about the precipitation for the next 90 days . The only area is the ohio river valley and into the tennessee valley, but everybody else, pretty much looking at near normal precipitation amounts or below normal. So that doesnt bode well either. We start the beginning of 2013 with a soggy day. Across the midatlantic. Most of the precipitation is expected to move out fairly quickly. Already beginning to taper off. Along the gulf coast, a different story. Galveston have seen a months worth. Or just about a months worth of precipitation in one day. Four inches reported in the past 24 hours. Quite a different story in the Northern Tier of new england. Readings being double digit below zero. Windchill factor. Feels like minus 20 in caribou, maine. What about the actual outside air temperatures . Scranton, 16 degrees right now and saw quite a bit of snowfall in the last 24 hours as well. Six to eight inches, those were the common amounts. Atlantic city reporting temperatures into the 30s. The highs expected for today, syracuse, 22, washington, d. C. , you are not going to budge much as far as temperatures are concerned. It will stay in the upper 30s and lingering moisture on the gulf coast. Santa anas should die down just a smidge. Could see wind gusts up around 50 or 60 miles an hour. Happy new year again. Best advice, coming up next. Today from actor aidan quinn. Lo, alli can help you lose one more by blocking some of the fat you eat. Lets fight fat with alli. Lets fight fat with alli. Ive always had to keep my eye on her. But, i didnt always watch out for myself. With so much noise about health care. I tuned it all out. With unitedhealthcare, i get information that matters. My individual health profile. Not random statistics. They even reward me for addressing my health risks. So im doing fine. But shes still going to give me a heart attack. Were more than 78,000 people looking out for more than 70 million americans. Thats health in numbers. Unitedhealthcare. [ male announcer ] when diarrhea hits, kaopectate stops it fast. Powerful liquid relief speeds to the source. Fast [ male announcer ] stop the uhoh fast with kaopectate. Again, less than a month after a propane grill outside her home blew up in her face. She suffered serious burns, lost eyebrows, eyelashes a lot of her hair. She told abc news that the flame on the grill was out, but didnt realize propane was still in the air, so she tried to relight the flame and it set off a huge explosion. Set her on fire. She told abc that she yelled to her 15yearold daughter, the kitchen, mommy is on fire. You have to call 911. Yesterday, she got some false eyelashes and Hair Extensions and back at work, hosting the rose parade, and there she is. She looks great. Thank goodness it wasnt more serious. It was very serious injuries, thank goodness she was able to recover. She thanked the burn unit at the hospital. She said they did an amazing job and took good care of her. Looks great. Todays best advice. From aidan quinn, the actor. The best advice off the top of my head, sometimes we were just talking about this, persistence trumps talent. So if you have persistence and belief, if you keep at it, you know, pretty soon doors will open, and it does trump talent a lot of times. Stay at it. I love that. Thats early start, thank you for being with us. Im zoraida sambolin. Starting point with john berman starts right now. Starting point, a latenight deal to avo