Patch Morning Briefing: Chris Christie's Bad Year, Assassination and Bill Murray

YOUR MORNING BRIEFING

Good morning, Patchers -

Here's a look at some of what you need to know today:

AS ASSASSINATION HAPPENS, PHOTOJOURNALIST DOES HIS JOB

Burhan Ozbilici is a photographer for the Associated Press in Ankara. He was attending an art exhibit on Monday. He was there when Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov was assassinated. Ozbilici explains how he just kept taking pictures (Associated Press).

A TRUCK TURNS AN EVENING OF HOLIDAY SPIRIT INTO DEATH

As of this writing, there were 12 dead and more than 50 injured when a truck crashed into a holiday market in what German officials are calling a "presumed terror attack." A suspect is being interrogated. Officials believe the truck had been stolen in Poland, about 90 minutes away (The Guardian).

QUICK HITS

Social Media Giants Sued by Families of Orlando Massacre Victims (Patch)

Santa: Some Kids Believe, Others Don't - A Look at Why (Patch)

A Heartwarming Proposal and the Even More Heartwarming Reaction (Patch)

ALSO IN BERLIN, RIGHT WING AUSTRIANS + PUTIN'S PARTY

The leader of an Austrian right-wing political party founded in the 1950s by ex-Nazis announced he signed a cooperation agreement with Vladimir Putin's political party. He also announced he met at Trump Tower a few weeks ago with Donald Trump's pick for National Security Adviser, Michael Flynn (New York Times).

COLLEGE ENDS WITH TRUMP BECOMING PRESIDENT

In the end, there were defectors but not from where you would have thought. The Electoral College met on Monday, officially making Trump the next President of the United States. While there'd been much discussion about trying to get Republicans to flip, of what defections occurred, most were from Hillary Clinton. Three voted for Colin Powell, making him the first black Republican to get a vote for president. One person voted for Faith Spotted Eagle, a Native American activist who helped lead the North Dakota pipeline protests (Politico).

CHRIS CHRISTIE'S BAD YEAR GETS WORSE

The New Jersey governor tried to get two bills fast-tracked. One would have let him cash in on a really big book contract while the other would have reportedly really hurt his enemy - newspapers. The newspaper bill is delayed. The book deal bill is dead. (Patch).

MRS. MURRAY'S LAND CRUISER HELPED CRACK TERROR RING

Annie Murray drove the Land Cruiser to church every week. Her husband died. She lost the car to the bank. The good news is it helped federal officials discover a terror financing ring they had shut down is back up and running. So, it's back to work. (Wall Street Journal).

NIKE IS MISSING OUT AS DOW KEEPS CLIMBING

With the Dow Jones Industrial Average just a stone's throw away from the once impossible-to-think-of-20,000 mark, Nike is one of only two companies that make up the Dow that are down this year. (Wall Street Journal).

PLANNED BOSTON MARCH MAY BE BIGGEST YET

While much attention has been paid to plans for a Jan. 21 march in Washington to protest the inauguration, a planned march for Boston the same day may be just as big. Tens of thousands have indicated an interest in attending (Patch).

MERRIAM-WEBSTER LOOKS AT SURREAL YEAR IN WORDS

The dictionary people know this stuff. So, when they tell you that surreal was looked up more this year than in years past, that there were three big spikes in interest in the word - trust them. Surreal is their word of the year (Patch).

MAYBE BILL MURRAY NEVER REALLY LET GO OF 'CADDYSHACK'

Actor Bill Murray and his brothers are looking to open a golf-themed sports bar in Rosemont, Illinois. The brothers already have a line of Cubs-themed golf apparel. Now, they will have somewhere to wear it (Patch).

Photo: Patch file photo