Healthy. Plus, a major recall to tell you about as we kick off a busy friday early today starts right now good morning im cori coffin. And im frances rivera. We begin with breaking news. The tensions between the United States and iran escalating dangerously overnight. The Defense Department confirming that a u. S. Air strike in baghdad killed a top iranian general. Growing fears this morning about how iran might retaliate to do things that they see as tit for tat. If you hit us in a certain way, we are going to ratchet up and hit you back in a harder way and we just killed the probably the second most important person in their government nbcs cal perry joins us now from london. So, cal, iran vowing harsh response here. The big question is what that response is going to be. Yeah. And in what form will it come . We should mention, of course, the iranians have these proxies all across the region. Its likely to come in the form of one of those proxies. The most powerful has to be hezbollan banon. We are keeping our on israel israel has gone to a heightened state of alert, as has the u. S the u. S. Embassy in baghdad urging americans to leave as quickly as they can. We should talk about Qassim Soleimani. Its hard to overstate the state his fingerprints on the middle east for the u. S. He was a murderer, a man who killed hundreds of u. S. Soldiers during the war in iraq through the use of these improvised explosive devices, specifically these shape charges that the u. S. Military Intelligence Officers say came from iran. That is why the u. S. Government is saying he was targeted, as well as a defensive action the pentagon saying they had word that he was organizing further attacks on u. S. Personnel in iraq. The number two leader for hezbollah was also killed in this strike by u. S. Forces he was the deputy secretarygeneral of hezbollah which, of course, lends itself to wondering about these proxies and how they will respond. Right now the priority it seems for tehran is a security meeting. That is being held in tehran right now. Three days of mourning have been declared it is quite likely the priority will be, at least in the short tourism, to honor the life of soleimani and the work that he did across the region. As we sort of talked about and discussed, it is these proxies that are perhaps most important. It is that that the u. S. Will keep an eye on as well as securing things like embassies around the world and taking the u. S. Military to a heightened state of alert frances . On the side questions about what congress new and also the information leading up to it as well the classified information cal perry for us, thank you. Meanwhile, wall street is bracing for the worst here dow futures pointing toward a triple digit loss at the open in the wake of soleimanis death. Asian markets tumbled overnight as the middle east tensions ramped up and oil prices are already surging. At least check the cost for a barrel of crude was up nearly 3 . The Senate Returns to session today, potentially lighting the fuse for more impeachment fireworks. All eyes are o lear Mitch Mcconnell to see if hell end the stalemate. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has yet impeachment. Nbcs tracie potts joins us with the latest from d. C. Tracie, without these articles, the senate is stuck. Reporter exactly, frances. They cant get started they cant determine a date to begin this trial the question is will they or will they not host witnesses all eyes on Mitch Mcconnell as the Senate Returns to session today. He will be directing what this trial looks like and when it gets started and he says the house and house Speaker Nancy Pelosi should be hands off we remain at an impasse because my friend, the democratic leader, continues to demand a new and different set of rules for President Trump a morning, there are emails that have been uncoveret they e between the pentagon and the White House Budget Office showing that there were tensions about the central issue here, pointing ate freeze on aid to President Trump as directing the freeze on that aid frances . E material tracie potts for us. Thank you,a man hurt in that horrifying stabbing attack during hanukkah is now speaking out. They have a plea for the public as antisemitic attacks around new york have spiked gonza Gabe Gutierrez has this report and we want to warn you one of the images were about to show you is disturbing. Reporter he turned 72 on monday but spent his birthday in the hospital, one of five jewish man badly wounded in the monsy stabbing in new york his daughter says he may not wake up from his coma. Im begging you, if you are watching this, please stand up and stop this hatred it cannot keep going on. Do you feel any remorse. Reporter the accused attacker, 37yearold grafton thomas, has pleaded not guilty to state charges of attempted murder and burglary. His Attorney Says thomas has a history of Mental Illness and found these medications in his apartment. Theres been no history of antisemitism with this man that anyone knows of. Theres been no history of violence with this man. Reporter investigators are also looking into whether thomas may be involved in the unsolved stabbing of a jewish man walking i have no evidence at all at this time to indicate that none still a very active investigation. With a number of leads being pursued. Reporter the Jewish Community here is shaken its possible that the person has mental and medical conditions, but he is certainly normal enough to be obsessed with jews and then execute a planned attack. Reporter the stabbing is just one of about a dozen recent hatefueled incidents authorities are investigating in and around new york. In jewish neighborhoods theres now stepped up security. Wherever i walk, i walk with the pepper spray im afraid. Our thanks to Gabe Gutierrez for that report. This morning, a weekslong state of emergency has been declared in parts of australia as Deadly Wildfires continue to ravage the country thousands of residents have evacuated from their homes there are thousands of firefighters continuing to battle over 100 fires that have killed at least 17 people. Heres nbcs Janis Mackey Frayer reporter authorities in australia declaring a state of emergency with wildfires ravaging the southeastern coast. Forcing a mass evacuation. Entire towns and tourists with only hours to get out. Firefighters, many of them volunteers, trying to fight back the flames we made it to this town where firefighters are overwhelmed. Were not looking forward to tomorrow thats all i can say why is that it gets scary ometimes. Reporter thousands cant leave, trapped on beaches waiting to escape. The military deployed to help communities that are utterly destroyed. The block that were on has been burned from one side to the other. Theres not a blade of grass on it. Reporter at least 17 people have killed. At a firefighters funeral, a young boy accepting a medal for his fathers bravery millions of acres have burned here, countless animals affected, too. Koalas desperate for water, kangaroos on the run, while from the air and on the ground its a race to contain the flames the threat level is high because conditions are just so dry here Authorities Say if they need to they will force people to get out. Our thanks to janis for that report. The fda is pulling certain flavored vaping products off the market the move comes after the Trump Administration announced a partial ban on fruit and mint ecigarette cartridges its an effort to combat teen use while some health earthquxps are praising the move, others say the targeted flavor ban doesnt go far enough. Here is nbcs tom costello reporter trying to stem the National Epidemic of teenage vaping a targeted ban on the fruit flavored ecigarette cartridges, including mint, most popular with teens the only exceptions tobacco and men thol flavors and sold in shops for adults to mix their own flavors. The data makes clear that kids use tobacco flavored and menthol cartridges much less than the other products. Reporter nationwide, 5 million middle and High Schoolers admit to vaping. 1 million say they vape every day. That ban falls short of the near total ban the president promised in september. We cant allow people to get sick and we cant have our youth be so affected reporter that pledge angered the vaping industry and led adult vapors to warn the president could lose votes this week mr. Trump backed off. Were going to protect our children and were going to protect the industry. Reporter ics warned teenagers will simply switch to the flavored egiss still allowed. I would have preferred to see all flavors banned i dont like to see any gateways open for kids to become addicted to nicotine. Reporter the active ingredient in marijuana the researchers believe may be connected to the exploding number of illnesses and deaths our thanks to tom costello for that report. All right. Heavy rain in the northeast today. Lets get to nbc meteorologist bill karins. Going to affect a lot of people coming home. Travel at the airports. People driving, too. At least its not an ice and snowstorm. Good morning, everyone a lot of heavy rain in louisiana with thunderstorms and continues to pour into areas of mississippi and tennessee, too 9 Million People that are under flash flood watches. We only have one Flash Flood Warning there todays forecast, watching rain pushing through the southeast into the midatlantic just a little biof light rain around areas of new york city. Not going to pour all day. A damp day actually pretty mild cold air moving on the back side of this. Northern new england is going to get some precip. By the time we get to sunday we clear that storm out just a little bit of light snow in the areas of the eat lakes. Gr in richmond. Not a lot of rain in new england, just kind of cloudy with light rain, especially this morning. Well talk about the travel implications of this storm and the airport implications coming up. Cant wait to hear. All right. Bill, thank you. In todays news by the numbers, female movie makers gained major ground in 2019. Thats according to a ne 12 of grossing films including little women and hustlers. Thats up 8 from last year. Disney had a record year house of the mouse took home 1 3 of all top grossing movies in 2019. High times in illinois the states marijuana dispensaries raked in over 3 million on the first day of legal pot sales. Early today well be right back stuffy . Thats because your home is filled with soft surfaces that trap odors and release them back into the room. So try febreze fabric refresher. Febreze finds odors trapped in fabrics and cleans them away as it dries. Use febreze every time you tidy up, to keep your whole house smelling fresh air clean. Fabric refresher even works for clothes you want to wear another day. Make febreze part of your clean routine for full home freshness. La la la la la whether you were borne for more danceoffs. More travels. Or more touchdowns. Get the immune support that gives you more. Airborne gummies have 50 more vitaminc than emergenc. 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Or if youve had a vaccine or plan to. Serious allergic reactions may occur. Ask your dermatologist about cosentyx. Probably my favorite story of the morning heres hoping that this is the only time youll hear the words gritty and butter in one sentence artists crafted the beloved philly mascot gritty along with the eagles own swoop and pittsburghs steely mcbean they were lovingly crafted out of 1,000 pounds of butter and right now on display at the Pennsylvania Farm Show in harrisburg bring your own bread. Or popcorn, too or popcorn. If your new years resolution is to lose weight in 2020 and staying away from the bread and the popcorn, we got you covered. Nbcs Stephanie Gosk has some of the top ranked diets that could help out reporter the season of joy and excess is over time now for that other beloved annual tradition, shopping for the right diet the guy next door lost 20 on keto the work colleague swears by south beach, but which one is actually good for you . U. S. News world report ranked 35 of the most popular diets looking at weight loss and health, consulting experts and medical journals topping the list of the best overall was the mediterranean diet, fruits, vegetables, olive oil, no gimmicks and even the occasional bowl of spaghetti tying at number two with the flexeterian diet, the dash developed to fight high Blood Pressure praised for its nutritional completeness according to the article. Way down the list, keto, high fat, no carbs, low sugar think bacon, eggs and steaks weight comes off but its not great for the heart. It is possible to go on diets that make you less healthy, so you have to be careful, number one if you have diabetes or any other Health Conditions talk to is there one key thing to help make a diet stick the main thing to help make a diet stick is something you can do day after day, week after week and month after month. Reporter in other words, that occasional bowl of spaghetti may just be the key to success. Stephanie gosk, nbc news, new york. Just ahead, a new reason to believe in 2020. Justin biebers first single since 2020. A doorll cerbeama helps nab a kidnapping suspect that shocking video that led to his arrest next. Teetime savers. And especially Medicare Part d savers. So you probably know making walgreens your preferred pharmacy means up to 5 off on copays and 100 rewards points on prescriptions. Because youre smart like that. Save smartly on med d. Walgreens. Trusted since 1901. Work so hard give it everything you got strength of a lioness tough as a knot rocking the stage and we never gonna stop all strength, no sweat. Just in case you forgot all strength. No sweat secret. All strength. No sweat. Whether your beauty routine is 3or 57,. Make natures bounty hair skin and nails step one. Its the number one brand uniquely formulated for silky hair, glowing skin and healthy nails. Look for our coupon in sundays paper. Male voice grrr, feed me. 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But first a warning, the video is disturbing. Reporter Las Vegas Police released a graphic doorbell video hoping to capture the suspect and to identify the victim who was savagely beaten as she ran for help after pounding on a strangers door. Just hours after Police Released the disturbing video, officers arrested Darnell Rodgers and found the woman who was attacked now recovering with doorbell cameras more prevalent than ever, they are now being widely used by detectives to help solve crimes. Outside los angeles, Police ArrestedRobert Mendez after they say a front porch Security Camera captured him assaulting his exgirlfriend. Just days earlier after a realtor was attacked during an open house, the suspect was arrested when other agents saw the video and recognized the man. Hey, put that down. Reporter from capturing porch pirates to Violent Crimes, these cameras are helping police by watching where no one else. Miguel almaguer, nbc news. 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Air strike ordered by President Trump has killed top iranian general Qassim Soleimani house Speaker Nancy Pelosi warning of the dangerous escalation in violence and saying the full Congress Must immediately be briefed House Republican leader Kevin Mccarthy says soleimani was a terrorist and that the u. S. Will not let attacks on americans go unpunished and irans foreign minister warns that the u. S. Bears all responsibility for what he calls, quote, rogue adventurism. All right. Subaru owners listen up, the company has issued a recall on newer models cross treks, foresters and accents. Over 250,000 subarus reportedly have a faulty involve which could cause the vehicles to lose power and stall while driving. Subaru says it will notify owned of affects cars and dealers will replace those valvesn couch who was booked in fort worth after testing positive for thc, the active ingredient in marijuana he used affluenza, the term referred to being too affluent after killing two people while driving drunk. It is the end of an era for the Dallas Cowboys accordi according to espn, the team is moving on without head coach Jason Garrett after nine seasons. His contract is set to expire next week. The shakeupup com comes in thee of a disappointing 88 season. Hes second in behind tom landry no word yet on who will replace him. You definitely dont want this big blocking your drain were talking about a 96pound great pryenees who wandered into an open storm drain and got stuck. This is how it ended dug underground, cut a hole in the drain pipe and removed the material trapping big ruby so after 18 hours she was free and reunited with her owner. Look at all the work involved. Ruby took a quick trip to the vet. They had cuts and bruises they had to check out, but hopefully she will be resting at home soon got to be so scared after that ordeal. All right. Forget teen spirit, we spill nirvana reunion you get what a mean the legendary groups surviving members will play together this saturday at a Charity Dinner called heaven 2020 it will raise money for Los Angelinos in need and get the group ckba Trump Obamacare is a complete and total disaster. Let obamacare implode. Nurse these wild attacks on healthcare hurt the patients i care for. Ive been a nurse in new york for thirty years. I know the difference leadership can make because i saw what Mike Bloomberg did as mayor. Uninsured by 40 , covering 700,000 more new yorkers, Life Expectancy increased. He helped expand Health Coverage to 200,000 more kids and upgraded pediatric care infant mortality rates dropped to record lows. And as mayor, Mike Bloomberg always championed Reproductive Health for women. So when you hear Mike Bloomberg on health care. Mrb this is america. We can certainly afford to make sure that everybody that needs to see a doctor can see a doctor, everybody that needs medicines to stay healthy can get those medicines. Nurse you should know, he did it as mayor, hell get it done as president. Mrb im Mike Bloomberg and i approve this message. And it is friday, the 3rd of january, and there is san francisco. Wow. In all of its glory, look at that. Good cameras, good weather, beautiful light. Going in to the first weekend of the new year. All right, we could use the break. We this week. Good morning, everyone. Thank you for joining us. Im scott mcgrew. And im kris sanchez in for laura. Scott is in for kari hall and not a bad week to be in. Not a bad week. We are tracking the chance of seeing some showers. Here is a look at what you can expect as you head out the door. 43 degrees in san jose. 36 degrees in napa. Santa rosa 39. It is a little bit colder this morning to start. A live look over downtown san