There’s tragedy in Mexico and charges in Michigan. Here’s what else you need to know to Get Up to Speed and Out the Door.
1. Mexico explosion
An explosion ripped through a fireworks market near Mexico City, killing at least 29 people. Seventy-two people were hurt, including three minors so badly burned they were sent to Texas for treatment. The blast, which was felt for miles, sent panicked people scurrying and hurled huge plumes of smoke into the sky.
2. Berlin market attack
The man arrested in the attack on a Berlin Christmas market has been released for lack of evidence. So police have launched a manhunt for a Tunisian man in his early 20s. His ID was found in the truck that was intentionally driven through a crowd at the market, killing 12 people.
3. Offshore drilling
President Obama wants to cement his environmental legacy, so that’s why he moved to ban offshore drilling in parts of the Arctic and Atlantic oceans. And the incoming Trump administration will have a tough time reversing the action. That’s because Obama didn’t use an executive order but a 63-year-old law to declare portions of the oceans off limits to future oil and gas leasing.
4. Flint water crisis
Two ex-emergency managers and two water plant officials were the latest people to be charged in the city’s water woes. Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette accused them of putting finances ahead of the city’s residents. “It’s all about numbers over people, money over health,” he said.
5. Police and race
Black men are almost three times as likely to die than white men when police use force, a new study says. Similar numbers for Hispanic and Native American men were also found. The study’s author says it confirms that a person’s race does matter when lethal force is used by police.
BREAKFAST BROWSE
People are talking about these. Read up. Join in.
Margot Robbie got married
Sorry guys. The “Suicide Squad” star confirmed she got hitched in a private ceremony, so your Harley Quinn fantasies are pretty much up in flames.
Her Secret Santa was Bill Gates
It’s a very Merry Christmas when the world’s richest man is your own personal Santa Claus.
Rock on
Tupac’s getting all of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction buzz, but the other inductees — Joan Baez, Journey, Pearl Jam, Yes and Electric Light Orchestra — aren’t exactly slouches either.
Pot o’ gold
Police say he snatched a bucket of gold flakes — worth $1.6 million — out of the back of an unattended armored truck. But the cops think they know who he is.
AND FINALLY …
Snow day
Let’s go snowboarding. Over buildings. While attached to a drone. As goofy — and fun — as it sounds. (Click to view)