Bridge Collapse: Leaked emails indicate that Gov. Chris Christie’s staff helped engineer a traffic jam at the George Washington Bridge last September in an act of retribution against the Democratic mayor of Ft. Lee, NJ. An Aug. 13 email from a top Christie staffer says, “Time for some traffic problems in Ft. Lee.”

 Christie’s operative on The Port Authority reduced local access lanes from 3 to 1 on the opening day of school in New Jersey, causing traffic backups for hours in Ft. Lee. Christie and Port Authority officials said at the time that the closures were part of a traffic study. But the governor was leaning on Democrats last fall to endorse him for re-election and the mayor of Ft. Lee refused. Christie this morning expressed shock that there were politics going on in this establishment, saying, “I am embarrassed and humiliated by the conduct of some of the people on my team.” He said he fired senior staff member Bridget Kelly, who was part of the plot.

  The scandal is terribly damaging to Christie, who is expected to tell the press this morning what he plans to do about it. But the NY Daily News headline says about the heavyweight presidential possible, “Fat Chance Now, Chris.”

Nation: Two crewmembers are dead and one missing after a Navy Sea Dragon helicopter crashed yesterday off the coast of Virginia. Two crewmembers are listed in serious and fair condition after being pulled from 42-degree water. It was the second day in a row that a military helicopter crashed with fatalities.

Divorce, Utah Style: The state of Utah is refusing to recognize gay marriages performed before the US Supreme Court stopped them. The marriages were technically legal for almost two weeks, but the state says they are “on hold” pending further appeals.  A letter from the governor’s office to state agencies says, “Please understand this position is not intended to comment on the legal status of those same-sex marriages. That is for the courts to decide.”

Hall of Fame: The baseball Hall of Fame admitted Cy Young-winning pitchers Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine, and White Sox slugger Frank Thomas, whose nickname is “The Big Hurt”. Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens were stiffed again. They were two of the best players of all time, but both of them juiced to build big muscles, and both finished below 36% of the vote with 75% required for entry. Steroids can’t grow votes.

Getting Warmer: It’s 14 degrees in Chicago this morning, relatively balmy as the polar chill recedes to the north. It’s 25 in NYC, 24 in Boston, and 35 in Washington, DC.

  But the latest weather threat is a solar flare seen last night that could cause geomagnetic storms on earth today and tomorrow. Geomagnetic storms can affect electrical grids and radio communications.

High Times: Some of Colorado’s new legal marijuana shops have already run out of weed as smokers rushed to buy in the first week of recreational sales. Dealers have sold an estimated $5 million worth of marijuana, $1 million of it on New Year’s Day when the pot shops opened for business. With so much demand, now even the prices are high. $400 an ounce.

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