Congress OKs cliff deal, signaling future fights

WASHINGTON — Congress' excruciating, extraordinary New Year's Day approval of a compromise averting a prolonged tumble off the fiscal cliff hands President Barack Obama most of the tax boosts on the rich that he campaigned on. It also prevents House Republicans from facing blame for blocking tax cuts for most American households, though most GOP lawmakers parted ways with Speaker John Boehner and opposed the measure.

AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, passes waiting reporters as he leaves a closed-door GOP meeting on the "fiscal cliff" bill passed by the Se...