Thousands trapped. Evacuations under way. Nearly a third of the country ice iconic koalas feared dad and david stern and yankee great and world series hero don larson a perfect game in the world series. We look back at their historic achievements on the field and in the front office. All that plus the pope, the slack and the apology. Pope francis says hes sorry after hes caught on camera angrily slapping away the hand of a female worshipper at the vatican. Cracking down, what the fda could soon ban to combat the nations teen vaping epidemic. And the new years trend, going alcohol free one month the effects dry january could have on your health. January 2, 2020. This is today with savannah g guthrie and hoda kotb. Live from rockefeller plaza. Hey welcome everybody thank you so much for joining us on this first day thursday of 20 feel good to sigh 2020. It does rools off the tongue early stamplt just back from l. A. And the parade. Yeah well it is good to see you on this first thursday of 2020 were going to get right to our top story. The u. S. Sending more troops to the middle east in wake of the days long siege on the u. S. Embassy compound in baghdad. Nbcs chief Foreign Affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell has the overnight developments good morning. Good morning. Happy new year to you hoda the siege is over for now but tensions remain high after the worst assault on a u. S. Embassy in years weakening an already fragile government in iraq this morning a massive show of force from the u. S. Military President Trump ordering deployment of about 650 soldiers to the middle east in response to the thousands of protester whose stormed the u. S. Embassy in baghdad Late Wednesday militia leaders reportedly ordering the militants to disperse after a massive show of American Force including u. S. Apache helicopters releasing flares from the sky retaliating for u. S. Air strikes in iraq who had previously attacked u. S. Forces killing an american contractor. Nbc security using tear gas against the demonstrators trying to scale the Embassy Walls after torching a security reception area and guard post along the perimeter. We had some great warriors come in and do a fantastic job when there were there. Instantaneously. As soon as we heard. Iraqs government caught between washington and teheran secretary of state mike pompeo called iraqs Prime Minister and stressed the government of iraqs obligation to prevent further attacks against the u. S. Embassy, while holding iran ultimately responsible. This is state sponsored or terror iran backed. Fuelling the crisis a war of words between President Trump and irans supreme leader. The president tweeting tuesday that iran will pay a very big price. This is not a warning. This is a threat irans leader responding with you cant do anything. And andrea, it indicates how much this crisis in baghdad is overtaken the administration a major overseas trip was just canceled what more can you tell us about that it was postponed, right there are shock waves in ukraine now. Because mike pompeo has postponed his trip to ukraine tomorrow president zelensky of ukraine still has not gotten the white house meeting hes been seeking since last spring and once again no visit from the u. S. Secretary of state as pompeo is wrestling with what to do next about iran. That situation just one issue faces the white house to begin this new year. Lawmakers return to washington after the holiday break next week facing a lot of unanswersed questions a about the approximates impeachment time jeff bennett with the story. Good morning. Good morning good morning to you. President trump is welcoming the new year by welcoming his impeachment trial. He says hes looking forward to the Senate Proceedings which are expected to start some time this month. Democratic and republican lawmakers are still stuck in a stare down over the terms of the impeachment trial, which carries risks for both parties if it continues deeper into january. Reporter 2020 starting the same way 2019 ended, with a standoff over President Trumps impeachment trial. The president saying hes more than ready for it. I look forward to it. Well see. We have absolutely, we did nothing wrong. All you have to do is read the transcripts. Reporter mr. Trumps personal attorney Rudy Giuliani now saying hed be willing to participant. I would testify i would do demonstrations. Id give lectures and id give summations or i do what i do best, i try the case can id love to try the case. Reporter security chief justice john roberts, who will preside over the proceedings, issued he is Year End Report on the federal courts while not directing referring to the president , he offered these pointed and timely wordsed we should we fleblgt on our duty to judge without fear or favor. Judging each matter with humility, integrity and dispatch. The trial expected to begin later this month republican majority leader mcconnell and top seated democratic Chuck Schumer are currently locked in a sparring match over what it will look like democrats want key white house insiders acting chief of snaf Mick Mulvaney and john bolton to testify as witnesses about withholding aid to ukraine. Let me be clear this is about getting to the truth. If democrats can convince four republicans to Cross Party Lines and win 50 senate votes they would get to set the parameters democrats looking to pressure vulnerable gop senators like susan colins of maine, who faces a tough reelection. I am open to witnesses. I think it is premature to decide who should be called until beswe see the evidence presented. So what is the reading on this standoff . Do we have app idea of what the trial would possibly start. Not yet we hope to get a better idea when Congress Reconvenes next week a complicating factor is house speak pelosisy has delayed delivering to the senate the articles of impeachment and im told by my sources she did that in part to give senator schumer more time to work out a deal with senator mcconnell about the structure of the trial but the two week break has apparently led to no new breakthroughs. Democrats still demanding that a fair senate trial includes documents and testimony from witnesses that have so far been blocked by President Trump to a crisis in australia parts of the country devastated by the worst wild fires there in decades. Hundreds of homes destroyed. Evacuations issued even a controversy over the decision to go ahead with the new years fireworks display in sydney in australia this morning, hey janice good morning. Reporter good morning hoda roads are being blocked in this area and people are being urged to evacuate. The bush niers are closing in here they are burning just over a mile away. But it is a heat wave that is due to hit this weekend that has everybody worry this disaster is about to get worse reporter a Mass Evacuation along australias southeastern coast this morning with bush fires looming and extreme danger ahead a heat wave expected to push temperatures over 100 degrees fahrenheit by the weekend. Tourists, residents, everybody being told to get out. Thousands remain stranded on beaches figuring the water may be their only escape. Practically a war zone. Reporter firefighters are doing what they can to help. But the threat here is unpreps dented with over a hundred fires burning in New South Wales alone. Barely half are contained. At times firefighters battling flames over 200 feet high. One of the biggest concerns . Wildlife caught in the fires path images of residents saving koalas going viral and while Authorities Say there is no way of telling how many animals have been killed. Experts say it is likelying to in the millions. Right on my window and side of my truck got melted. Reporter over 12 million acres burned in burned out areas there is no electricity, water or phone service. The government deployed the military but is being criticized that it isnt enough. What were saying is we cannot control the natural disaster, but when he can do is control our response. Reporter with little time before the fires are expected to reach here there were huge lines for fuel and at super markets we people wait forward hours to get food and supplies to get through it reporter water bombers will resume runs in the morning trying to keep the larger fires from merging together. The problem is that there is no controlling the weather, especially the wind, which is expected to get strong over the next couple days, so people are bracing for what could be a very dangerous weekend here hoda disagree. Indeed. Janice, thank you. Also this morning security has been stepped up in many jewish neighborhoods here in new york in the wake of a violent stabbing attack at a rabbis over the weekend holiday celebration. And the family of the victims is speaking out good morning. Just a horrifying attack and in order to show the magnitude of it, the family of 71yearold jo hose of newman is releasing new details about the incident and the photo showing the incident. This morning hes fighting for his life hes one of five jewish men severely injured in a hanukkah stabbing attack in muncy new york the 71yearold seen here in the hospital some of his most extreme wounds blurred. The family released the photo writing on facebook doctors are n not. Has attacker due back in Court Tomorrow according to documents, authorities searching thomass vehicle found a machete and knife both with traces of dry blood. The fbi recovered handwritten journals from his home a history of Mental Illness but no antisemitism. Theres been no history of antisemitism with this man anyone knows of. Theres been no history of violence. Reporter the brutal attack is just one of several hatefilled incidents authorities are investigating since the start of hanukkah in the new york area. On wednesday two women were taken into the custody after shouting antisemitic threats at a man wearing a thei yam kah stepping up security in jewish neighborhoods in and around new york leading residents on edge. Wherever i walk i walk with a pepper spray im afraid im afraid. Heavy security at met life stadium this weekend where a jewish religious celebration drew nearly a hundred thousand People United in faith. Been a rough week we cant help across the world as jews feel there couldnt be a better time to gather together and strengthen one another. Thomass lawyer will be in court on the stay charges tomorrow and scheduled to be back in federal court in two weeks. Hes not yet entered a plea on the hate crime charges. Thanks. A lot more to get to including the tributes pouring in for a pioneering figure in the world of basketball. David stern who transformed the nba as thirty years as commissioner died yesterday, nearly three weeks after suffering a brain hemorrhage stephanie gassic is here with a look back at his life and legacy and what a legacy he was really was. So lofbly beloved by so much when he took over as nba commissioner in 1984 struggling ratings and empty seats were not uncommon thanks to his leadership he helped grow the lead into a powerful brand recognized around the world. Teams around the league holding moments of silence we lost a great visionary. Last month the nbas longest serves boss underwent emergency surgery after suffering a the brain hemorrhage in a statement current commissioner adam silver highlighted sterns preparation, attention to detail and hard work adding because of david the nba is a truly global brand. Stern got the year in 1984 the same year a certain rookie would soar into the stratosphere. The Chicago Bulls pick michael jordan. He oversaw unprecedented Worldwide Growth driven by stars like jordan, Magic Johnson and later lebron james. In a statement jordan writing in part stern demanded excellence from those around him, adding i wouldnt be where i am without him. One of sterns Biggest Challenges in 1991 when Magic Johnson announced he was hiv positive. I will have to retire from the lakers. This is a very courageous, heroic person and a heroic act. It was stern who wanted him to play in that seasons allstar game. Johnson tweeting wednesday night, people thought they could get the virus from shaking my hand. Adding we were able to change the world. Stern also spearheaded efforts to launch the wnba leveling the Playing Field long before it was the thing to do. In 201330 years after he took the northbou nbas top job he stepped down. You got to love the game. And everything we do is always about if game. Always about the game. Oversaw wo Worldwide Growth of the league. How else did he globalize the nba. He was instrumenting in getting the pros to play in the olympics and 1992 the dream team was sort of his idea. Michael jordan Magic Johnson and larry bird and that put the nba on the world stage in a huge way. And as an indicator of that. Back then there were a couple of dozen International Players who played for the nba today there are 108 International Players in 38 countries. Incredible. Cool stuff. More sad news in the world of sports. Don larson, the only pitcher to ever throw a perfect game in the world series has died. He made history in 1956 as a member of the new york yankees beating the brooklyn dodgers in gave 5 of the world series after not giving up a single hit or a walk he played for seven different teams in his career and died wednesday in hayden, iowa after a battle with esophageal cancer. Don larson was 90 years old. Wow time for a first check of the weather. Ive been spending the last three days with the al roker b at the rose parade together. And got on the plane last night. Here in studio. Soggy side to the south louisiana all the way into the central Mississippi River valley weve also got a risk of severe weather. Tornados possible. Hail also a risk damaging winds and as you can see from texas into georgia were looking at heavy rain now making its way inward. This east coast soaker starts in the gulf and makes its way into the mid mississippi and ohio River Valleys today pouring rain, heavy rain in the mid atlantic tomorrow. Areas of flooding and continues too be northeast saturday and up and down the sea board snow, 24 inches from ohio into nornd new england and heavy rain, upwards of 24 inches especially through the allower Mississippi River valley your local forecast coming up. Appl these are your morning views over the Golden Gate Bridge although we are seeing cloudy conditions, our current temperatures as you head out the door in the 40s and 50s. By the afternoon temperatures in the upper 50s, low 60s. We will keep that cloud cover at least through the majority of our day. Heading into this afternoon the temperatures will dip down into the 40s and then our next chance of rain does make its way in late friday into Early Saturday Morning drying out by sunday. Thats your latest weather. Happy new year, mr. Holt. You as well. Looking sharp. You got a new years tradition your why buys you debra buys me ties. Helped her out this year. Looking sharp. Still ahead, the popes request for forgiveness after a surprising slap on a womans hand caught on still ahead the popes request for forgiveness after this surprising slap to a womans hand. And a popular test kit you may have received as a holiday gift it can reveal potential Health 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. Vo mayor bloomberg helped lower the number of 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. Heres a question after a season of celebrating could you benefit from a dry january you bet. Well explore the benefits of giving up alcohol an entire month. But first your local news. Ts han to my little brother. You ready . Yea. Surprise no. Not beige betty you guys cant do this to me, seriously . That car is like a rite of passage. How do you expect me to drive this . Just turn the key. And yea, its just uh, automatic, dual cupholders. Go with the one thats here to help life go right. State farm. Go when in your gut,dentere to help life go right. You feel confident to take on anything. With benefiber, youll feel the power of gut Health Confidence every day. Benefiber is a 100 natural prebiotic fiber. Good morning mrs. Johnson. Benefiber. Trust your gut. But we figure it out. In fact, people are always doing impressive things. So how come all these people who do wildly challenging things f