morning america," and have a fantastic thursday. making news in america this morning, a political crisis that could be the first of its kind in modern history. the governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general of virginia all embroiled in scandal. new reporting on what's next and how a random drawing of names determined the line of succession. explosion inferno. flames shooting 35 feet into the air. >> it was a close call. >> setting fire to buildings in this busy san francisco neighborhood. we hear from a man inside the building at the time of the explosion. what went wrong?

waze over the line. the popular waze app that helps you avoid traffic jams and police speed traps now in trouble with the law. why police have sent a cease and desist order and how the app's maker is responding. also this morning, the fallout after a best-selling author admits he lied about having brain cancer. a new crackdown on cbd, a compound in marijuana often added to food and drinks. could it be the end to a budding trend? and proof cats do have nine lives. the story of one frozen feline found in a snowbank unresponsive. the recovery nobody could believe. good thursday morning, everyone. we begin with the growing political crisis in virginia that could take down the state's three highest ranking politicians. >> days after the governor admitted to wearing blackface in the 1980s the attorney general has revealed he too has worn blackface and now a woman accusing the lieutenant governor

of sexual assault is telling her story giving explicit details. abc's mona kosar abdi has the latest. mona, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, her was among the many democrats calling on ralph northam to resign after the governor admitted he wore blackface in the past then yesterday in a shocking turn of events herring too revealing that he wore blackface in the 1980s. this morning, the crisis in the commonwealth escalating as not one but three of virginia's top democrats fight to stay in office. >> i'm shocked and incredibly disappointed. this has been an awful week for virginia. >> reporter: the crisis deepening after the state's attorney general mark herring admitted to wearing blackface in the 1980s. herring says, quote, we dressed up and put on wigs and brown makeup going on to say he is deeply, deeply sorry. all of this built upon the racist photo scandal that emerged late last week involving

governor ralph northam. calls for the governor's resignation came swiftly as he admitted to wearing blackface in the past. >> i used just a little bit of shoe polish to put on my cheeks. >> reporter: positioned to take over is lieutenant governor justin fairfax but this morning fairfax fending off renewed allegations of sexual assault. dr. vanessa tyson, a political science professor, accuses fairfax of forcing her to perform oral sex in a hotel room at the 2004 democratic national convention writing, quote, what began as consensual kissing quickly turned into sexual assault. fairfax vehemently denies the allegations calling it consensual saying in a statement, quote, i wish her no harm or humiliation but i cannot agree with the description of events that i know is not true. now, just one resignation could create a ripple effect so you may be wondering, janai and kenneth, who is fourth in line.

that would be republican speaker kurt cox who, get this, got his position when his name was drawn out of a ceramic bowl to break a tie. >> a name drawn out of a bowl. mona, thank you so much. president trump is accusing congressional democrats of harassment now that they've opened a sweeping new investigation into his alleged ties to russia and his personal finances. adam schiff, the chairman of the house intelligence committee, says they want to know if the president has been compromised or motivated by financial gain. he made the announcement hours after president trump's state of the union during which the president warned that so-called, quote, ridiculous partisan investigations could hurt the economy. >> his effort to discourage any meaningful oversight of the administration, that's a nonstarter. >> he's just a political hack who's trying to build a name for himself. it's called presidential harassment, and it's unfortunate, and it really does hurt our country. >> reporter: as she said many times, house speaker nancy pelosi says it's the responsibility of congress to

provide oversight. we turn now to the massive explosion on a busy street in san francisco. a gas pipeline erupted sending flames shooting into the air. a massive fire erupted in one of the busiest sections of san francisco. flames shooting 35 feet into the air. >> put the water on the building. >> copy that. we have fire on the corner top floor. >> reporter: it was fueled investigators believe by a breached gas line near a construction site where workers were installing fiber-optic equipment underground. one busy restaurant among the four buildings that witnesses say became immediately engulfed. >> it was a close call. i feel very lucky to be alive. >> reporter: this man said he was inside the restaurant at the time of the explosion. >> we heard a rushing noise like a tornado. it must have been the gas line le,ndhalaed for about 15 seconds and we were all just looking at each other and didn't know what to do. didn't really react. >> reporter: the restaurant's

manager rushing everyone through the kitchen and out the back door to safety. fire crews raced to the scene. more than 100 firefighters responding. >> we're trying to get some water. we're not going to extinguish the main. >> reporter: officials set up a one-block perimeter warning residents to keep their distance. firefighters finally getting control of the inferno after the utility pg&e successfully shut off the damaged gas line. >> the good news is that no one was injured or hurt thanks to the quick response that happened with the san francisco fire department and the san francisco police department. >> and thousands of power customers in the area were without electricity overnight there as temperatures dipped into the 40s. some sad news. milwaukee is mourning its third police officer killed in the line of duty in the last eight months. matthew rittner was part of a team serving a warrant in a drug and gun investigation when he was shot. the suspect is in custody. rittner was a 17-year veteran

of the force honored by his fellow officers as a hearse carried his body through the city. he leaves mind a wife and son. venezuela's military has barricaded a bridge on the border with colombia trying to block a shipment of emergency humanitarian aid. a convoy carrying up to 40 tons of desperately needed food and medicine could arrive there by today, but venezuela's embattled president is defiant saying the shipment will not be allowed into the country. turning to the weather it will be another slick morning commute today across parts of the midwest. in kansas city three students were injured when their school bus flipped over on this icy street yesterday and conditions could be much the same today. let's take a look at your forecast. good morning. this dangerous storm has several personalities with snow throughout minneapolis, but heavier snow around the great lakes with dangerous ice along with rain in the ohio valley region. and severe storms in the deep south. 6 to 12 inches in minneapolis.

at least 36 in fargo then the dangerous ice that reaches back towards kansas city all the way towards the great lakes region and then we're looking at scattered showers moving from the ohio valley region right on top of the east coast by thursday night with an icy mix to the north. i'm accuweather meteorologist paul williams. one airline is cleaning up some controversy. coming up, why their napkins are being called creepy. . also ahead, a judge is seen stumbling during her drunk driving arrest but now a new explanation for her behavior. and later the fallout after a best-selling author accused of living a double life admits lying about having cancer.

we're back with a building

collapse caught on video in istanbul, turkey. authorities have now found a third body in the rubble and also pulled 12 people from the debris this morning. police say several floors of the building were built illegally. police in san francisco are offering a $100,000 reward in the cold case of a killer who terrorized gay men in the 1970s. they've released an original sketch of the suspect known as the doolder along with another sketch showing what he may look like today. police believe he stabbed at least five men to death. they're awaiting test results from dna found at some crime scenes. the suspect was nicknamed the doodler because he was reportedly doodling when he met a victim at a bar. a newly elected judge arrested for drunk driving near columbus, ohio, had suffered a concussion a few hours earlier according to her attorney. police stopped judge monica hawkins after receiving reports about a potential drunk driver. her attorney now says she was -- she almost has no recollection of what happened that night. new york police are throwing up a roadblock for the popular

traffic app waze. the nypd is ordering the app to stop telling drivers the location of dui checkpoints. other police departments have also protested. the disclosure of speed trap locations on the app. google which owns waze issued a statement saying we believe that informing drivers about upcoming speed traps allows them to be more careful and make safer decisions. the company's statement did not refer to dui checkpoints so it's uncertain how it will respond to the nypd. addidas is pulling a new sneaker off the market amid controversy. the all white sneaker was being sold as part of the company's black history month collection which sparked criticism. adidas pulled the shoe saying it did note reflect the spirit or philosophy of how black history month should be recognized. and from sneakers to napkins, delta says it will no longer hand out these diet coke napkins which seem to encourage people to hook up with other passengers asking because you're on a plane full of interesting

people and you never know. they also add a space to write someone's name and phone number. critics called them creepy. >> helping with the dating prospects there. >> i guess so. coming up, a new crackdown on cbd, a popular ingredient found in marijuana. first the mysterious murder of a young woman shot while setting up a garage sale early in the morning. the key evidence in the case. and the scaffolding scare that left this man hanging for his life. tes are excited about the potential of once-weekly ozempic®. in a study with ozempic®, a majority of adults lowered their blood sugar and reached an a1c of less than seven and maintained it. oh! under seven? and you may lose weight. in the same one-year study, adults lost on average up to 12 pounds. oh! up to 12 pounds? a two-year study showed that ozempic® does not increase the risk of major cardiovascular events like heart attack, stroke, or death. oh! no increased risk? ♪ oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! ♪

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we're back with this incredible video of a construction worker left dangling from this building in ft. worth, texas, for several minutes after a scaffolding collapse. a safety harness kept him secure. he was not hurt but three other people were including one who was left in critical condition. also in texas, a $20,000 reward is now being offered in the case of a woman who was murdered while setting up a yard sale in front of her home. >> the early morning shooting was caught on camera but the video is raising even more

questions about who would want to kill a young woman known for volunteering at a local hospital. abc's marcus moore has the latest. >> reporter: this morning police looking for the person who was caught on tape fatally shooting a woman while setting up a garage sale in her driveway. in this chilling surveillance video from january 25th, someone approaches elizabeth barraza in her tomball, texas, driveway. you can see the two appear to talk briefly then seconds later she is shot four times at point blank range. we are not showing you the actual murder. the killer is scene then running away before getting into a dark vehicle and driving off. >> our investigators were able to gather some critical surveillance from homes in the neighborhood of the vehicle. but as of today our investigators still need vital information to solve this horrible crime. >> reporter: police looking for any clues. investigators not certain if the suspect is male or female. have made no arrests and have yet to determine if barraza was targeted. authorities say she only put up

signs for the sale that morning. barraza's husband left for work that morning at 6:48 a.m. police say the shooter's truck can be seen pulling up to the area four minutes later. the couple was supposed to leave for a trip celebrating their fifth wedding anniversary two days after she was shot. >> we need justice for liz. i need justice for liz. i love you, liz. >> reporter: marcus moore, abc news, houston. >> our thanks to marcus there. we're hearing for the first time from the father of the man accused of kidnapping wisconsin teenager jayme closs. jake patterson appeared in court in person for the first time yesterday. he was ordered to stand trial for the kidnapping of closs for 88 days after authorities say he murdered her parents. in an exclusive interview with abc news patterson's father expressed sympathy. >> i would humbly ask people to

please pray for jayme's healing of her mind, soul and heart. a complete healing for her would be my wish. i most definitely want jayme's family, everyone to know that our hearts are broken for their family. >> his son is expected to enter a plea during his next court appearance in march. new york city is cracking down on the sale of food and drinks laced with cbd, a compound found in marijuana plants. consumers have been able to find it in a wide range of products including brownies, even cocktails but now the city's health department is ordering restaurants and bars to stop selling products that contain the additive until cbd is deemed safe. acclaimed author dan mallory lied about having brain cancer and now says he made up the story to keep people from finding out he suffer actually from bipolar disorder. ma mali -- mallory's first novel,

"the woman in the window" is a best-selling thriller adapted to an upcoming film starring amy adams. an investigation by "the new yorker" magazine depicts mallory was mallory as a serial liar who made false claims apparently to get attention. the people of new orleans have been suffering since that botched call which likely cost them a trip to the super bowl and here is another example of just how deep the pain is. one fan's obituary says henry died at 1:00 p.m. sunday just hours before the super bowl. it says he was determined not to watch super bowl liii. it also says he had a great sense of humor and i guess henry did. >> taking it right to the grave. >> absolutely. >> not letting it go. up next in "the pulse," did michael bolton fall asleep during a tv interview? you can judge for yourself. also new drama at the grammy awards. why ariana grande is dropping out of sunday's show. plus, the incredible survival story of this cat found frozen in ten-degree weather. wd moderate-to-severe eczema, or atopic dermatitis, you never know how your skin will look.

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♪ like you next ♪ ♪ it is time to check "the pulse" on this thursday beginning with ariana grande saying thank you, next to the grammys. >> it appears she will not be attending the show sunday night because of a disagreement with the producers. grande wanted to perform her new single "seven rings" but the grammy producers apparently wanted a different song. "variety" reports grande has decided she won't attend the show at all. >> yikes. her grammy performance has been promoted on billboards and buses. her song "thank u, next" nominated for best pop vocal performance. what a way -- i mean -- >> you think she should have done it? >> a power grab. i think it's important for an artist to be able to say what they want to produce or what they want to perform.

>> like when tony, the producer, says read what's in the prompter and i say, no, i don't want to, thank you, next. another singer is in the news for taking a snooze. >> not me. >> on air. >> michael bolton says he wasn't sleeping, he was tweeting during this interview in australia but you'll notice his eyes are closed. >> been looking forward to the great man, michael bolton joins us live from florida. good morning and welcome back to the show. michael, you got us okay? maybe he's just updating instagram. >> michael, hi, michael. it's connie and larry. we're with you live. >> it's grown silent. >> connie and larry tried to wake him lightly. there were technical issues and was using twitter while he waited, he said. i don't know if it passes the smell test and joked hrd deal 50 years ago. >> okay. 50 years, bolton. >> yes. >> that's impressive.

all right, so if cats have nine lives, this one just used at least seven of them. >> quite a few of them. her name is fluffy. her owners in montana -- look at fluffy -- found fluffy frozen in the snowbank unresponsive just ten degrees outside. when she got to the vet, her temperature was so low, it didn't even register on the vet's thermometer which goes down to 90 degrees. >> wow. after two hours of using warming and water and blankets her temperature was still too low but then after a few more hours fluffy started moving. they couldn't believe it. >> because it sounds unbelievable. she's now fully recovered. her owners say she stays indoors. smart move. thank goodness they didn't give up on fluffy, right? >> frozen feline there. well, they may not be smarter than a fifth grader but it looks like honeybees are smarter than we thought. >> a new study found honeybees can do basic math. that's not my thing. researchers looking at the relationship between brain size

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only activia has billions of our live and active probiotics. a delicious way to enjoy probiotics every day. with 20 years of devotion to gut health. activia. like no other. hi, good morning. it's thursday, february 7th. >> if you're keeping track, it is cool again outside. mike nicco is here to tell us about that. >> it's one degree warmer at my house this morning. >> wow. >> it was 26. now it's 27. >> how did that ice scraper work? >> it worked again. it's a key chain size scraper. >> it's tiny. i had one of those in texas. >> it's perfect for here and for texas. but if i was to use that in minnesota, yes, i would get laughed at. here, we're looking at temperatures at a freezing cold in u kaaya and livermore and

fairfield. everybody else in the mid-30s to low 40s. let's roll out the 12-hour planner. our last dry day until monday. temperatures a little below average and a few more clouds. here's alexis. >> good morning, mike. we have an issue in the east bay. sounds like a sedan had a tire blowout. that was in the far left lane. briefly had to stop all traffic before 16th avenue. sound like the two right lanes opened up. but it was closed long enough for a little stack-up. they are sending an ambulance as a precaution. i'll keep a close eye on that one. other than that, we're off to a quiet start this morning. here's the bay bridge toll plaza. no stack-up. cash lanes are looking good. no backup. >> thank you, alexis. flames shooting several stories in the air for hours. look at the images. they're stunning. the fact that no one was

crblingow and n francisco. amy hollyfield is there this morning. amy?mornin reggie. this is still a very busy active scene. look behind me at all the pg&e workers out here this morning. geary at parker is still closed. avoid this area. muni delays expected. the 38 bus line has been rerouted. i want to give you a look at yesterday's fire. the fire chief says this started when construction crews working on underground fiberoptics hit a gas line. that caused a gas leak. because of the leak, they had free flowing flames for two hours and 15 minutes until pg&e capped the gas line. no one was killed or hurt. five buildings were damaged. witnesses say there was an explosion and then people were running from the scene. >> i heard the explosion. .hat workers y s nning?ning

>> then crew. >> how long had that construction crew been there? >> they had started a couple days ago. they the street. >> reporter: the fire broke out just after 1:00 yesterday afternoon. the five buildings that were damaged were a mix of retail and residential buildings, including the dim sum restaurant hong kong lounge 2. pg&e says it took them more than two hours to capita line because it is a very complex situation with a web of different lines underground to deal with. here on scene this morning, i was asked if there was a foreman or someone on the scene to talk to us about the work they're doing and how long they're going to be here. they said no one is talking right now. the people who have been hired to work at the perimeter and help with traffic control haven't been told how long they're going to be here. reporting live in san francisco, amy hollyfield, abc 7 news.

amy, thanks the for the th.e