house of representatives has just voted on the fiscal cliff. let's take a live look at the house floor right now. the final vote was 253 to pass this measure preventing us from falling off the fiscal cliff. it only needed 217 votes to pass. 84 republicans so far have voted yes, along with 117 democrats -- 171 democrats. last night, america fell off of the cliff at midnight. that meant we went into this package of deep spending cuts. and tax hikes. it essentially went into effect. but the house of representatives just did is a green light to a bill that the u.s. senate passed in the very early hours this morning that would roll back those tax hikes for most of the middle-class. it would hike tax for the rich and delay those massive spending cuts for 2 more months.

the house just approved it now. our reporter has been following all this for us. he is live on capitol hill. >> good evening from capitol hill. now the vote continues in the house but by at least 40 votes. the fiscal cliff fix, put together by president obama was senate republicans, has passed the house. conservatives figured they have to go along or get blamed for taking us off the cliff and keeping us there. first, they fought back. it was a struggle between speaker john boehner and more conservative republicans like paul ryan and eric cantor, the house republican leader who walked with the speaker but this afternoon, opposed the fiscal cliff deal that speaker boehner tonight would allow to pass the house. >> the senate passed it this

morning, 89-8. mcgrath republicans cooperating. to reverse the house tax hikes on 98 percent of americans that took effect at the midnight fiscal cliff, but leaving it in the place tax hikes on the wealthy, income over $400,000 and postponed the spending cuts. democrats pushed for house approval. >> the issue of an up or down vote should not be questioned. >> house republicans' battle. cantor demanding budget cuts be added to the bill. >> we are serious about cutting spending, though there are not. >> we are going to see where we are then vote. >> the moderates wob -- won. house passage all but assured. >> we are working hard to pull ourselves back from that cliff. we went over the cliff and are pulling ourselves back. >> it is not a one day quick

fix. looks like the final margin of victory in the house will be exactly 40 votes. there may be some shakeout there. but a solid win in the house. a win for president obama who will sign this fiscal cliff fix as soon as he can and later tonight, may make some kind of statement. this struggle is a sure sign that three battles just ahead over taxes and spending will be bitterly fought. back to you. >> thank you. breaking news tonight. the headline -- fiscal cliff averted tonight. this new year bought new lost the state of maryland. elections and the baltimore city will not be held on the same cycle as a presidential and gubernatorial elections. the current city officials will get an extra year in office and will be up for reelection and into 2016. another law allows a parent do

it freeze credit reports to protect their children from identity theft. advocates to push for it helps the law will protect foster children who they say are especially vulnerable. for more information, go to wbaltv.com. one of the state's most ofly contest a loss -- most holty contest allows went into affect. gay marriage became legal. a lot of couples lined up to tie the knot. bells rang in the new year everytwhere. said michael, the archangel catholic church, celebrated its first same-sex couple wedding ceremony. >> jesus loves everyone. i think he would be here celebrating with us if you were walking the earth today.

i do not look at it as a religious issue. i look at it as a ♪ civil rights issuea il rights issue. >> amanda and her partner exchanged wedding vows. they included four foster children they plan to adopt. >> it is the best day of our lives. we finally get to be part of marriage. >> they rode their wedding vows. their first give to each other, a single rose, symbolizing love, respect, and caring. exchanged rings. arch preserve stewart recited a passage from the apache ceremony of love. >> i do proclaim that they are

married in the name of the father, of the sun, and of the holy spirit. >> the inner harbor new year's eve extravaganza enhance the festive mood. which became a wedding chapel after midnight. the mayor will -- officially the marriage of this couple of been together for 35 years. >> i wanted to perform marriages and be sure that i could, i would make sure i got ordained. i am doubly covered. >> this is as happy as i have ever been. to be able to spend the rest of my life with him, legally. >> 7 same-sex couples exchanged vows at city hall. this newlywed offers sage advice. >> do not abuse it. be sure it is love before you say i did. >> the mayor is available to perform weddings. just tell her what day you want. same-sex couples are now hoping

the u.s. supreme court overturns federal laws define marriage as between one man and one woman, a decision is expected in in june. >> thousands of people rang in 2013 in downtown baltimore. crowds packed the inner harbor for the spectacular. it was. the annual of that is hosted by the city in baltimore orioles. it featured special origin might fireworks to celebrate the o's 2012 season. 2012 did the baltimore with one dubious distinction -- more than 200 homicides. there were 217 murders in the baltimore city last year. 20 more than the 197 reported in 2011. the new police commissioner blames 2 rival gangs for the spike in deadly crime. city police have arrested two

teenagers in the brutal beating of a man in downtown baltimore. the two are in custody tonight. they are two of four aspects to attack a man named john mason at howard and lombard street last month. he separate trees cofactors and was left in a medically induced coma -- he suffered fractures and was left in a medically induced coma. we're joined now live with details. >> the crowne plaza hotel in timonium have the perfect type of venue to host a big new year's eve party but police say soon after the ball drop, trouble started. three calls for help -- a fight, stabbing and drug overdose.

they toasted the new year's eve party, and-of the brainchild of several local party promoters. >> that you can get drunk in do not have to worry about driving home. they did a good job with putting it together. >> party gore described a good time it into the atrium, packed with 1,000 -- party goers described a good time in the atrium, packed with 10,000 people. police responded to a 911 call about a fight. less than 10 minutes later, someone else called paramedics about a drug overdose. an hour later, police say a man was stabbed. investigators are not sure of the incidents are connected or if it all happened at the party or elsewhere in the hotel. some tell us they did not notice the repeated police presence. >> it could be anything.

you are at a big hotel. just because the police was there does not mean it was for the party. the event was real nice. >> the hotel had its own security in place but -- >> there were security guards at the location. however, to many people for it. we were called in and ablet o situation.se the there were no arrests. >> the one man stabbed in the other who overdose are expected to be ok. no suspects yet in the stabbing. it is not clear of the hotel has surveillance video. >> thank you. still ahead, the latest on the condition of secretary of state hillary clinton. new year, new baby. the first one born in our area. >> if your resolution is to lose weight and get in shape, we have tips for you. >> the push for the playoffs --

playoffs and how you can win tickets to sunday's wild-card game.

>> and visitors at the national are cursed today. the emancipation proclamation, but president lincoln 150 years ago today. -- visitors at the national archives today. the emancipation proclamation, president lincoln signed a 100 years ago today. the document is really shown to

the public. when it is, the pages are rotated. secretary of state hillary clinton is still being treated for a blood clot. located in the vein between the brain and the skull behind the right here. her doctors believe it formed after she fell in got a concussion last month. it does not cause a stroke or any other neurological damage. she will be released once the proper dose of blood thinners is determined. >> it would not affect her function. could travel. it really just the fax heavy physical activity but otherwise, once your medication as regulated appropriately, you can go about the normal activities. >> the good news is there is no bleeding inside the brain tissue. her doctors are confident hillary clinton will rim -- make a full recovery. first day of the new year, a lot of folks make resolutions. >> a new year means resolutions

and everyone has their own. >> my resolution is to eat healthier, draw closer to god, and to remember how to talk to people because that is important. >> to make things better in my personal life and career. >> 1 resolution in particular has a recurring theme. of course it is always to try to lose weight. i think everyone's is. gyms across the country see an increase in membership the first of the year. this one is no exception. there were plenty of people up early this morning already getting to work in. >> you definitely see an increase of the other current members returning to exercise and new members coming in of. the club has that buzz about

it and increased energy. >> one of the hardest part of resolutions is sticking with it. there are things you can do to keep yourself motivated. >> one of the keys is setting a goal, writing it down, and looking at it every day. it helps keep the focus. >> she says another key is priorities. switching of the type of exercise you do from -- and taking different class is to to be interested in coming back. >> joining a club like this, it is easy to stay motivated when others are trying to do the same thing. >> most people openly have one reason for making resolutions. >> to make me a better person. >> each year, 1 gets the distinction of being the first baltimore baby. this year, it is scott michael. born at 2;26 this morning.

he weighs 7 pounds, 6 ounces. his parents thought he would arrive last year but things didn't interesting turn on sunday. >> i have a baby shower and two hours later, i went to the hospital because my water broke. they kept me. >> did i say 2:26? i meant to say 12:26. the staff said they always look forward to meeting -- meeting the first baby of the year. they even make special charge to mark the occasion. >> now your 11 insta weather plus forecast. >> we closed 2012 with active weather in december. several storm's going through, and little snow, sleet, freezing rain. now we will go into a quiet period. at least the next 10 days. no chances for big snow.

all winter weather fans will have to wait for a while. officially at the airport, the last time we had 2 inches or more was february 22, 2011. some of you had snow at least that big in the northern suburbs but i'm talking about officially at the airport. last time we had 6 inches are better, january 26, 2011. it is been a long time since we've got hit directly by big winter storm. mostly cloudy skies now. temperatures into the lower end of the 30's. some colder temps off to the north. 20's and teens in northern parts of pennsylvania. it storm system passed south of us. we can close to getting a little snow today. if this storm came for the north and the cold air went further south, we would be in that zone to get some snow. this is all passing south of oz.

we missed out on this storm as well. with all the activity passing south of us and the cold air staying north. cloudy skies at the present time, that to break up early tomorrow morning. sunshine by the afternoon. a couple storms will pass by over the next seven days but you can only see them in the upper levels of the atmosphere. as we go into thursday, we can see campbell's passing by in the upper levels of the atmosphere. that will give us sprinkles or there is on thursday. another passes through on some it. a chance for sprinkles or flurries. other than that, not a lot going on. 7 day forecast. not too bad. partly cloudy skies by early tomorrow morning. temperatures drop back into the upper 20's and low 30's. tomorrow, starting with clouds than ending up with sunshine. sunrise at 7:27. cooler today with high temps int

eh upper 30's. a chance for a proposal flurries on thursday. other than that, partly cloudy skies. temperatures around average this time of year. upper 30's and low 40's. >> baltimore is not officially an nfl post season low. the ravens ground crew painted a huge team logo in front of city hall and on federal hill today. then, ravens stafford's -- staffers painted smaller lo gos. fans -- starting tomorrow if you find one of those 2 gold logos, ticket picture of yourself with it. we will go to president obama talking on the fiscal cliff. >> too skewed towards the wealthy at the expense of working middle-class americans.

tonight, we have done that. thanks to the votes of democrats and republicans and the congress, i will sign a law that raises taxes on the wealthiest 2% of americans of preventing a middle-class tax hike that could send the economy back into recession as we had a severe impact -- and that would of had a severe impact on families across america. i want to thank all litters of the house and senate. in particular, the work done by by extraordinary vice-president, joe biden, as well as leader harry reid, speaker boehner, nancy pelosi, and mitch mcconnell. everybody worked very hard on this. i appreciated. -- appreicate it. under this law, more than 98% of americans and 97% of small businesses will not to their income taxes go up. millions of families will continue to receive tax breaks to help raise their kids and

send them to college. companies will continue to receive tax credits with the research they do, the investments they make, and the clean energy jobs they create. to million americans are out -- who are out of work but are out there looking pounding the pavement every day, will continue to receive unemployment benefits, as long as they are actively looking for a job. but i think we all recognize this law is just one step in the broader effort to strengthen our economy and brought an opportunity for everybody. the fact is, the deficit, is still too high. we are still investing too little in the things that we need for the economy to grow as fast as it should. that is why speaker boehner and i try to negotiate a larger agreement. that would put this country on a path to pay down its debt bank also putting americans back to work rebuilding roads and bridges and providing investment the dark areas like investment

and job training. unfortunately, there was not enough support or time for that kind of large agreement in a lame duck session of congress. that failure comes with a cost. the mess in nature of the process of the past several weeks has made business more uncertain and consumers less confident. but we are continuing to chip away at this problem. step by step. last year, i signed into law $1.70 trillion in deficit reduction. tonight's agreement for the reduces the deficit by raising billions of dollars in revenue from the wealthiest households in america. there will be more dead as a reduction as congress decides what to do about the automatic spending cuts now delayed for two months. i want to make this point. as i have demonstrated throughout the past several weeks, i am open to compromise. i agree with the democrats and republicans that the aging

population and the rising costs of health care makes medicare the biggest contributor to our deficit. i believe we have to find ways to reform the program without hurting seniors to count on it to survive. there is further unnecessary spending in government that we can eliminate. but we cannot simply cut our way to prosperity. cutting spending has to go hand in hand with further reforms to our tax coats of that the well as corporations and individuals cannot take advantage of loopholes and deductions that are not available to most americans. we can i keep cutting things like basic research and new technology is still expected to succeed. we are going to have to continue to move forward attended as a reduction but we have to do it in a balanced way, making sure we are growing, even as we get a handle on our spending.

one last point i want to make. while i will negotiate over many things, i will not have another debate with this congress over whether or not they should pay the bills they have already racked up through the laws they pass. let a repeat. we cannot not pay bills we have already incurred. if congress defuses to give the government the ability to pay these bills on time -- refuses to give the government the ability to pay these bills on time, consequences will be worse than the fiscal cliff. the last time this course of action was threatened, our entire recovery was put at risk. consumer confidence plunged. growth dropped. we cannot go down that path again. today's agreement in shrines in principle into law that will remain in place as long as i'm

president. the deficit needs to be reduced in a way that is balanced. everyone pays their fair share. everyone does their part. that is how our economy works best. that is how we grow. the sum total of the agreements we reached so far proves there is a path forward. that it is possible. if we focus not on our politics, but on what is right for the country. the one thing i think hopefully in the new year we will focus on is seeing if we can put a package like this together with a little bit less trauma, a little less brinkmanship, not scare the heck out of folks quite as much. we can come together as democrats and republicans to cut spending and raise revenue in a way that reduces our deficit, protect the middle class, provides ladders into the middle class for everybody willing to work hard.

we can settle this debate or at the very least, not allow it to be so all consuming all the time that it stops us from meeting a host of other challenges we face, creating jobs, increasing incomes, fixing our immigration system, protecting our planet from harmful the climate change, boosting domestic energy production, protecting our kids from the horrors of gun violence. it is not as possible to do these things, it is an obligation to ourselves and future generations. of the forward to working with every single member of congress to meet this obligation -- i look forward to working with every single member of congress to meet this obligation. people can refresh themselves because we are gonna do have a lot of work to do in 2013. thanks, everybody. happy new year. >> that this president barack obama making comments after

congress sent him a fiscal cliff bill. we are

>> congress sent president barack obama adults avoid the fiscal cliff. it passed overwhelmingly in the u.s. senate. it passed the house by a 40 vote margin. it rolls back tax hike on the middle class and raise taxes on the wealthy and delayed those massive spending cuts for another two months. it was an easy road to get here. these initiations dragged on for quite some time. the president spoke a few minutes ago. he thanked joe biden and the house democratic leader that the policy and the republican leader

in the u.s. senate, mitch mcconnell, for making this happen. he called this a domestic process. he said nobody is really happy 100% with the deal but it was not enough time for a larger deal. he also said he is taking another hard-line in the upcoming fight over the debt and selling. he warned congressional republicans it would be a tough fight. as gerry sandusky said, the yeas have it, . >> another look of the 7 day forecast. nothing to talk about there. really quite weather the next several days. maybe some sprinkles on flurries. >> the a la carte game. >> thank you for joining us. [captioning made possible by constellation energy group] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--

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