Tuesday's Mini-Report, 12.20.16

Today's edition of quick hits:* Berlin: "A Pakistani migrant who was arrested Tuesday as a suspect in the deadly truck attack on a crowded Christmas market in Germany has been released because of insufficient evidence -- meaning authorities are still on the hunt for the perpetrator."* Turkey: "The Turkish policeman who assassinated Russia's ambassador was unlikely to have acted alone, a senior Turkish government official said Tuesday, as investigators from both countries hunted for clues as to who might have been behind the killing."* Flint: "Four more officials were charged Tuesday in connection with the Flint, Michigan, water crisis that resulted in a surge of lead poisoning among children."* Protecting U.S. shorelines: "President Barack Obama on Tuesday moved to indefinitely block drilling in vast swaths of U.S. waters. The president had been expected to take the action by invoking a provision in a 1953 law that governs offshore leases, as CNBC previously reported."* West Virginia: "Follow the pills and you'll find the overdose deaths. The trail of painkillers leads to West Virginia's southern coalfields, to places like Kermit, population 392. There, out-of-state drug companies shipped nearly 9 million highly addictive -- and potentially lethal -- hydrocodone pills over two years to a single pharmacy in the Mingo County town."* Russia scandal, Part I: "John McCain and Lindsey Graham's bipartisan push to create a special committee to investigate Russia's election-season hacking and other cybersecurity threats received a potential boost Monday as a third GOP senator announced legislation to make their idea a reality."* Russia scandal, Part II: "Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell reiterated Monday that a new committee to investigate Russian hacking related to the 2016 election was not necessary. And, if Russians were looking to sway the election in the favor of Donald Trump, the Kentucky Republican said they would be disappointed."* The principle articulated by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), meanwhile, seems pretty straightforward: "We need a bipartisan [investigatory] effort to tell Americans what happened, why, and what we're doing to prevent it" from happening again.* And if you missed last night's show, Melania Trump's pending lawsuit against some odd blogger really is worth watching.Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.