making news in america this tuesday morning, breaking overnight, the deadly christmas market crash in berlin now being called a suspected terror attack. what we know about the people inside the truck as we're hearing from witnesses for the first time. >> a lot of people running away and a lot of people crying, shouting, talking on the phone. >> this morning, investigators on the scene as security is stepped up here in the u.s. and an assassination in turkey. the russian ambassador there gunned down while delivering a speech. we have new details about the shooter, what he said about syria and how did he get so close to the ambassador. michelle obama's exit interview with oprah. will she run for office, and she tells oprah which member of the first family is saying, bye, felicia to the white house. and a car careens off the

road then catches on fire. we'll show you what happened next. good morning, everyone, on a tuesday. it is a busy one for us. we're going to start with the breaking news from germany. officials now saying terrorists may be to blame for that horrific scene in berlin. >> a truck plowed into a popular christmas market in the capital city last night killing at least 12 people and injuring nearly 50 more. >> it is daybreak right now in berlin, and we're taking a live picture right now. you see the black cab of that or the back of that truck amid the debris. authorities assume it was a deliberate act. they say the truck apparently accelerated before slamming into the crowd leaving a deadly trail of destruction. >> we were just having fun with my friends, and the markets were starting to close. first we heard glass breaking.

we didn't know what was happening but a lot of people running away and a lot of people were crying, shouting, talking on the phone. we knew something was wrong but we started seeing people with blood on their faces and there were people fainting and sitting like on the floor and, yeah, we knew something was wrong. we tried to ask people but nobody knew so -- >> there were a lot of witnesses there. the truck narrowly missing them as it smashed through tables and knocked over christmas trees. they jumped in to help the injured until the paramedics arrived. >> and a suspect believed to be the driver is now being questioned by police. >> a passenger in the truck who died we are learning was a polish national, but authorities are not saying if he had anything to do with the attack. abc's angelica spanos has the latest on the rampage. >> reporter: thousands were enjoying the open air christmas market in berlin when the festivities turned to a horror scene. [ sirens] >> it went just past me, past my girlfriend. >> reporter: monday night a truck barreled into shoppers just a few days before

christmas. >> it missed me by three meters. missed her by five. it came in through the entrance, hit the sides of the barriers and then carried on past us. >> reporter: police say the driver of this delivery truck filled with steel supports jumped the curb at a high speed and ripped through kiosks, crowds and pop-up shops. a path of destruction left behind for first responders captured by eyewitness video. officials say there were two people in the truck, one died in the crash, and another fled the scene but was later captured. berlin police say he was driving the truck. no word yet on their identities. >> anywhere where large numbers of people gather, you certainly have the potential for one of these types of attacks. that's what concerns law enforcement officials, the ease with which something like this can be done. >> reporter: this is the second time this year a truck has become a weapon of destruction. in july an isis follower rammed through a crowd at a bastille day celebration in nice, france.

here at home homeland security officials issuing a warning that holiday celebrations lasting through the inauguration could be targeted. and in new york city, the nypd on alert at holiday markets with armed guards. angelica spanos, abc news, new york. >> and of course, we're going to continue to follow that story all morning long and matt gutman is there in berlin for us on "good morning america." but the other big story that we're following, the assassination of russia's ambassador to turkey. take a look at a new photo of the shooter, a 22-year-old off-duty cop seen here in his police graduation album. he gunned down andrei karlov at a photography exhibit in the turkish capital. >> after shooting karlov, he then shouted, don't forget aleppo, don't forget syria before he was then killed by other police officers. the turkish president says the attack was aimed at disrupting cooperation with russia on syria. abc's terry moran agrees. >> reporter: i think the major implication is that it will

hopefully put the fear of god a little bit in the powers including the united states, including turkey, including russia, including saudi arabia and qatar, so many countries that got involved in the syrian civil war that this kind of terrorism and the kind, frankly, that we see in europe, as well, the spillover from syria has become a global problem. >> the assassin was shot and later died at the hospital. his sister, mother and father were all detained and are now being questioned. >> and authorities aren't sure if it's connected, but overnight a man fired a shotgun into the air outside the u.s. embassy in ankara. he was quickly arrested, and there were no injuries. one report indicated he was attempting to enter the embassy. the u.s. embassy in ankara and two u.s. consulates in turkey are closed today. and in switzerland a man who was a suspected shooter at a mosque was found dead. police say he stormed into a mosque in zurich and wounded

three people. they aren't calling it terrorism but are investigating. >> but apparently the president-elect thinks it is. he tweeted yesterday, today there were terror attacks in turkey, switzerland and germany and it is only getting worse. the civilized world must change thinking. and mr. trump also took to twitter to celebrate the electoral college's certification of his victory. he is now officially the president-elect. >> finally, and he says he did it despite the, quote, distorted and inaccurate media. abc's janai norman with more. >> reporter: from unlikely candidate to unstoppable president-elect, donald trump is set to officially become the 45th president of the united states. [ chanting "shame on you" ] >> reporter: protesters shouting "shame on you" as electoral college members cast their votes in pennsylvania where trump beat hillary clinton by less than 1%. state by state electors casting their ballots including bill clinton in new york. in minnesota one elector going rogue replaced after refusing to

cast his vote for hillary clinton. similarly in maine, one elector trying to vote for bernie sanders going against state law. that ballot was ruled out of order, and in the end he voted for clinton. in the end it's the electors with the final say. in austin, texas, putting trump over the 270 votes he needed. >> we have for president donald trump 36 votes. by the way, texas now puts president trump over the top. [ applause ] >> reporter: members of the house and senate will meet in the house chamber to count all the votes on january 6th. then vice president joe biden will announce the winner on that day marking two weeks until the inauguration. janai norman, abc news, washington. >> janai, thank you. and today the fbi will unseal the search warrant used in the clinton e-mail probe. a federal judge ordered the release of documents related to the fbi's re-opening of that investigation in october.

e-mails found then were discovered during an unrelated investigation of former congressman anthony weiner. clinton has said the fbi's actions were a turning point in the campaign. and new overnight, china has returned the u.s. underwater drone that it seized last week. the pentagon says the drone was returned close to where it was taken in the south china sea. the seizure ramped up tensions between the u.s. and china. well, still ahead right here, the new interview with michelle obama on her time in the white house and whether she plans to run for office. and a major mix-up. the error that nearly caused a midair collision at one of the country's busiest airports. and a car in flames after veering off the road. the driver trapped inside. the dramatic rescue caught on camera.

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well, this morning prosecutors are calling it the biggest ponzi scheme since bernie madoff. hedge fund founder mark nordlicht and six other executives of platinum partners are accused of cheating investors out of more than a billion. nordlicht has pleaded not guilty to the charges. the fund was famous for double-digit returns but prosecutors say those returns were too good to be true. the judge in that high-profile stanford sexual assault case has been cleared of wrongdoing. aaron persky faced outrage after sentencing brock turner to six months in prison for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman and he served just three months but a judicial panel found him well within the law and showed no bias. in arkansas the reward has grown to $40,000 for information in a road rage case that left a 3-year-old boy dead. police in little rock say they're following up on every tip in an effort to find the killer of little acen king. he was in the backseat of his grandmother's car when the driver of another car fired one

shot killing him. a high-profile journalist for "newsweek" magazine is claiming that someone sent him a tweet that touched off an epileptic seizure. kirk eischenwald said the attack happened after his social media post critical of donald trump and his supporters. eichenwald, we should point out, has epilepsy. he says the tweet had flashing colors and said he deserved a seizure and twitter has since suspended the person's account and eichenwald and his lawyers are trying to find that suspect. north carolina's so-called bathroom law may soon be a thing of the past. lawmakers are holding a special session to reconsider the controversial measure. the law requires transgendered people to use restrooms that correspond with the sex on their birth certificate. it also reversed laws expanding protections for lgbt people. the bill led to lawsuits, boycotts and millions in lost revenues for that state. when we come back, a police officer's cruiser hit by a car. see the new video and why police say this was deliberate.

and the stunt on the nfl field triggering a huge spike in salvation army donations. brows? why do people put milk on cereal? oh, are you reading why people put milk on cereal? why does your tummy go "grumbily, grumbily, grumbily"? why is it all (mimics a stomach grumble) no more questions for you! ooph, that milk in your cereal was messing with you, wasn't it? yeah, happens to more people than you think... try lactaid, it's real milk, without that annoying lactose. good, right? mmm, yeah. i got your back. lactaid. it's the milk that doesn't mess with you. because my teeth are yellow. these photos? why don't you use a whitening toothpaste? i'm afraid it's bad for my teeth. try crest 3d white. crest 3d white diamond strong toothpaste and rinse... ...gently whiten... ...and fortify weak spots. use together for 2 times stronger enamel. crest 3d white. as after a dvt blood clot,ital i sure had a lot to think about. what about the people i care about? ...including this little girl. and what if this happened again?

i was given warfarin in the hospital, but wondered, was this the best treatment for me? so i asked my doctor. and he recommended eliquis. eliquis treats dvt and pe blood clots and reduces the risk of them happening again. yes, eliquis treats dvt and pe blood clots. eliquis also had significantly less major bleeding than the standard treatment. both made me turn around my thinking. don't stop eliquis unless your doctor tells you to. eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. don't take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. if you had a spinal injection while on eliquis call your doctor right away if you have tingling, numbness, or muscle weakness. while taking eliquis, you may bruise more easily ...and it may take longer than usual for bleeding to stop. seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. eliquis may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. eliquis treats dvt and pe blood clots. plus had less major bleeding. both made eliquis the right treatment for me.

ask your doctor if switching to eliquis is right for you. this was the scene in casper, wyoming. talk about a whiteout. this was snow blowing in near hurricane-force winds. the area received nearly three feet of snow and wind gusts of up to 70 miles per hour. >> it's going to be tough driving around there. >> yes. but for your other morning road conditions, heavy rain in the northwest. heavy snow in the mountains from the cascades to the northern rockies. the faa is investigating after an air traffic controller sent a jet into the path of another aircraft in the skies right above los angeles. >> the mistake happened when a boeing 777 left for taipei, taiwan last friday. the air traffic controller based in san diego told the pilot to turn left instead of right. that put the jet in the path of an air canada plane which had just taken off. the controller quickly realizing her mistake and tried to correct it.

>> eva 015, heavy, what are you doing? turn southbound now. southbound now. stop your climb. >> residents on the ground below said they were startled to hear planes flying so low, especially with the san gabriel mountains nearby. and authorities say an ohio woman deliberately slammed her suv into a police cruiser and another vehicle. officer ryan connell was inside his cruiser writing a ticket and police say she was suicidal going at least 80 miles an hour. remarkably connell suffered only minor injuries. he says he's grateful to still be alive to protect and serve. dramatic new video this morning as good samaritans rush in to pull a man from his burning car. that car veering off the road near houston injuring the driver. that's when several people risked their own lives to pull him free. police say the outcome could have been much worse as you can tell if not for those strangers who were willing to help. >> very lucky they were there.

turning to sports now dallas running back ezekiel elliott is emerging as an impact player in a whole new area. after scoring a touchdown during sunday night's nationally televised game, he jumped into a giant salvation army red kettle that was sitting in the end zone. >> so he didn't spike the ball. he spiked the donations. they went up 61%, and number 21 says he's also donating $21,000 to the charity. he was worried that he would get penalized by the league. they didn't penalize him. so, he said, you know what, i'm still going to give to charity. >> no fine so paying it forward. for the first time in his career, carolina quarterback cam newton had no rushing yards in the game last night. instead during monday night football he completed 21 of 37 passes for 300 yards, 2 touchdowns leading the panthers to a 26-15 victory over the washington football team. washington's signal caller kirk cousins had an off night, i'd say, with an interception and fumble and no touchdowns for the redskins. >> so is that a lazy day for

cam, do you think? i don't feel like running so i'll throw. >> luckily he has a good arm. the obamas move out of the white house exactly one month from today. >> and they're now in hawaii as you know, but before leaving michelle obama sat down with oprah winfrey to talk about life as first lady and what she absolutely will not be doing in the future. more now from abc's stephanie ramos. >> well, welcome to my home. >> thanks for having me here. >> reporter: michelle obama prepares to leave the white house, she shares her reflections from the last eight years of being on the world stage in her final interview as first lady. >> but let me just tell america, this is hard. it's a hard job. >> reporter: for those wanting michelle obama to run for office after the white house, sorry, folks. she says it's not happening. >> no. people don't really understand how hard this is, and it's not something that you cavalierly just sort of ask a family to do again. >> reporter: mrs. obama in an emotional turn opening up about how race and class still impact the country.

>> we're so afraid of each other, you know, color, wealth, these things that don't matter still play too much of a role in how we see one another. >> reporter: and during the interview president obama walks in. >> we were talking about hope and whether or not your administration achieved that. >> absolutely. >> absolutely. >> i feel hopeful. >> what are you most hopeful about now? >> the next generation. >> okay, the next generation. >> you know, we've talked about this. history moves in cycles. >> reporter: as for michelle's mother, who has had a room at the white house for the last eight years -- >> okay, where will your mother go? >> she is going back to chicago. she's like, bye, felicia. >> reporter: stephanie ramos, abc news, honolulu, hawaii. >> that really -- >> bye, felicia. >> that was really my favorite moment right there. she was like, boy, bye. up next in the "pulse,"

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like us. at jared, we only sell one piece of jewelry for the holidays... the watch that tells him more than just the time and it's waiting for you.. ...at jared ♪ tuesday "pulse" starting with the word surreal. merriam-webster dictionary has dubbed it the word of the year for 2016. >> this is marked by the intense irrational reality of a dream. there's your definition and the selection came down to two things, the word had a high volume of look-ups and a significant year over year increase of look-ups on miriamwebster.com. >> the largest spike understandably occurred after the presidential election but

you could say that after the cubs won the world series. >> quite a few surreal things happened in 2016. and a new study finds that female doctors do a better job of keeping their patients alive and keeping their patients from making a return trip to the hospital. >> harvard researchers couldn't say exactly why female doctors perform better than their male counterparts. >> i got a few suggestions. >> i bet you do. past research has shown that women doctors are more likely to practice evidence-based medicine, stick to clinical guidelines and offer preventive care. later on "gma" dr. besser and dr. ashton will weigh in on this debate. i'm not sure if those researchers were all female or male. >> it doesn't matter. this is clearly a concrete study and its findings will live on forever. have you ever had an accident with your iphone just as a new model debuts? there might be a reason for that. >> columbia business school researchers call it the upgrade effect and found users get more careless when there is a new model available. after all, if the phone is broken then you have to buy a new one, right? >> yeah, of course. >> you no longer have to feel

guilty about spending that extra money. >> makes sense. for some golfing is a year-round sport even when the fairway and greens are covered in ice. but this guy may want to wait until the weather warms up next time. his friends caught this one on camera. talk about epic fail. swing and a miss and an icy bath. >> oh, man, so they're not only laughing at him. they're going to post this vido on instagram so that we can all laugh at him. however, if you're keeping score at home, since he never hit the ball, that swing doesn't count as a shot. >> so, he's totally good. can he just pick up where he left off. just jumps right back in the lake. >> man, that's got to hurt. a hard outer shell with a smooth center. welcome... to the best time of your day. unwrap. unwind. experience the melt. only the lindor truffle. for the holidays, experience our meltingly-smooth lindor white chocolate peppermint truffles

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good morning, east bay, let's get going. this is abc7 news. >> good morning on tuesday, december 20. i am reggie aqui. >> i am natasha zouves. >> we have jessica castro. we have alexis smith, and meteorologist mike nicco bringing a cold start. >> there is frost again this morning. watch out for the black ice that we had yesterday. it is quiet. we will jump into the day planner by looking at mount tamalpais and how clear it is. a few high clouds are possible but not so many starting off in the mid-30, and upper 50s at 4:00 and mid-40s to nearly 50 degrees at 7:00. it is a "spare the air" and i will look at the air quality and what to expect. alexis? >> i have had no reports of

black ice yet this morning. if i do hear i will let you know. southbound 680 through walnut creek has no delays. we had a terrible commute yesterday. we hope for a better day today. we see mostly green on the remark. i will head to the travel valley westbound 205 to 580, with 31 miles per hour average out of the tracy. >> breaking news from the live desk. >> the breaking news is one persons with arrested minutes ago after using a tow truck to take california highway patrol on a chase through the bay area. it just ended. in brisbane, along highway 101. we saw the truck was over the bay bridge, blowing through the toll plaza into the streets of san francisco. at one point it was driving backward through a city street. it made its way back to the 101 headed south until police laid down spike strips and the person

hopped out of the tow truck but best captured him. we do not know how this started or in the together was stolen. we will let you known when we get additional information with a crew on the way. >> it was wild to watch that. glad it is over. >> in the north bay, look at the mess that authorities are finding this morning, santa rosa trying to figure out why someone with do this to a catholic hive, which is what firefighters found at cardinal new man high school, a man was snowed trashing the place 689 firefighters call the sheriff and they came out and arrested the man 9 he is 23-year-old named andrew faulkner causing more than $100,000 in damage. they say he was under the influence of control substance. we have a news crew headed that way. >> oakland police are investigating a serious crash involving an a.c. transit bus that hit a tree and s.u.v. at