making news in america this morning, hundreds of u.s. troops arriving in iraq and thousands more potentially on the way following days of violent protests at the u.s. embassy in baghdad. the protesters withdrawing this morning but claiming victory. bushfire emergency. apocalyptic new images of the deadly fires in australia. people taking shelter at the beach and firefighters taking refuge in their trucks. >> when we were in there, in the thick of it, we thought that this could be it. >> plus, inside the battle to save the country's wildlife. >> do you think there is a future where there is a world without koalas? >> if it continues like this, yes. >> one expert's dire prediction for koalas.

breaking overnight, a desperate search off dutch harbor, alaska, after a crab boat sinks. some of the crew still missing. the reaction overnight from the crews made famous on the show "deadliest catch." >> alex trebek and his wife jean opening up about the "jeopardy" host's battle with cancer. trebek's new admission and what his wife wants him to stop doing. plus, what doctors found in a young boy's stomach. >> and i'm like, what? >> his mom shocked after an x-ray revealed a popular tech item. and running into second place. the early celebration that cost one competitor a big win. good thursday morning, everyone. we begin with what appears to be the end of a two-day siege at the u.s. embassy in baghdad. iranian-backed protesters have withdrawn from that u.s. compound. >> the pentagon is staying on top of the crisis sending hundreds of additional troops to

the middle east overnight just in case new violence breaks out. >> abc's ines de la cuetara joins us from washington with the new details. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, janai and kenneth. things have calmed down for now but the situation remains volatile, and the u.s. embassy remains on lockdown saying in a statement that all public operations have been suspended. overnight hundreds of additional troops deploying to the middle east. more than 700 soldiers from the 82nd airborne division in ft. bragg, north carolina, making final preparations and boarding a plane. >> they're pretty motivated, and they want to get out there and find out exactly were we're doing so we can make it happen. >> reporter: heading to iraq and bracing for a possible third straight day of clashes outside the u.s. embassy in baghdad. >> i'm just, you know, preparing for the worst but hoping for the best. >> reporter: more than 100 marines have already been sent in. on wednesday they fired tear gas to disperse the crowd after the

roof of a reception area was ignited. protesters eventually forced to withdraw. it was the second day of a siege that began after weekend air strikes by the u.s. reportedly killed 25 members of a militia group backed by iran. those u.s. air strikes coming in retaliation for an attack by that militia group that killed a u.s. contractor. the president holding iran directly responsible for the chaos and threatening payback. secretary of state mike pompeo canceling his first official visit to ukraine to stay in washington and monitor the situation tweeting overnight, spoke today with iraqi prime minister al mahdi who agreed that iraq would continue to uphold its responsibility to keep u.s. personnel secure and would move the iran-backed attackers away from the u.s. embassy in baghdad.

will continue cooperation to hold iran and its proxies responsible. and tensions with iran have been at an all time high ever since president trump got rid of the nuclear deal and increased sanctions on iran. many worry the situation here will only continue to escalate. janai and kenneth. >> all right, ines, there in washington, thank you. now to the morning's other big story. those deadly and devastating wildfires raging across australia. at least 18 people have died. firefighters are struggling to contain the flames. many of those fires have been burning since september, and now months later they are showing no signs of relief. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: this morning dramatic new video showing people surrounded by flames and taking refuge on a beach in australia. the massive and deadly wildfires have already burned more than 12 million acres, blocked roads and knocked out power for thousands of people. strong wi7bds pushing the fires towards homes leaving thousands to flee to the shoreline.

>> so we came down to the beach to evacuate and get closer to some clean air. >> reporter: a fire crew in new south wales was forced to take shelter in their truck. >> when we were in there, in the thick of it, we thought that this could be it. it was right on my window and the side of my truck got melted. >> reporter: dozens of homes in one coastal town were destroyed before the winds shifted sparing the rest of the town. people are now returning to see what's left. >> really sad thing is so much of the housing stuff around here was hand built by people making their own homes and stuff. >> reporter: this morning the country's prime minister urged people to be patient. >> for those places where there is still stores and other assistance to be provided, it is on its way. >> reporter: these fires which have been burning for months are also taking a toll on livestock and wildlife. australia's environment minister now says as many as 30% of koalas in one hard hit area may have been killed in the fires. >> on a scale out of ten, the worst fires we've had in the past would be, i don't know, six

out of ten. these fires are a 20 out of 10. >> oh, wow. >> reporter: workers at this clinic tell abc's maggie rulli the koalas they rescued this year were in the worst shape they've ever seen. >> do you think there is a future where there is a world without koalas? >> if it continues like this, yes. >> really incredible images of such widespread impact and unfortunately more bad news. the conditions for fires could get even worse. forecasters say strong winds are expected to return this weekend. here in the u.s. and in washington, the senate reconvenes next week, and there are major questions surrounding president trump's impeachment trial including whether witnesses will be called to testify. president trump who rang in the new year at mar-a-lago says he's happy for a trial to take place. one especially eager potential witness is the president's personal attorney rudy giuliani who spoke to our abc's kyra phillips. >> does the president want you to testify in the trial? would you testify in the trial? >> i would testify.

i would do demonstrations. i'd give lectures. i've give summations or i'd do what i do best, i'd try the case. i'd love to try the case. >> reporter: no timetable has been set for an impeachment trial, but the senate has released its calendar for 2020 with the entire month of january left blank. today is expected to be one of the busiest travel days of the winter season as people return home. but anyone driving in parts of the northwest may have problems with what you see here, lots of snow and high winds. farther to the west in washington state vehicles were buried in tumbleweeds. the wandering weeds were as much as 30 feet deep. wow. so now let's take a look at your weather forecast for this thursday morning. well, good morning to you. starting off the new year with a risk for some strong to severe storms on your thursday into thursday evening all the way up and down here from new orleans

up towards say jackson and birmingham. the potential here for gusty thunderstorms and some locally damaging winds, even isolated tornadoes if not also some flash flooding. that will be a concern as we roll forward. so the rain amounts pretty much surging throughout the southeast as you can see there right along the i-55 and i-20 as we roll right into your friday night, so lots of moisture with this system and bringing with it rain through friday. some cooler air back towards the west, but this eventually means some wild weather up towards the northeast. for accuweather i'm meteorologist chris nallan. coming up, an overnight search for the crew of a crab fishing boat after it sank off the coast of alaska. also ahead, the pope has apologized for losing his patience after slapping a woman's hand. what he's saying about this moment caught on camera. and a developing story this

morning, nick gordon, the former

welcome back. it appears five crew members of a fishing boat that sank off the coast of alaska are lost. the coast guard has suspended its search. it rescued two others from a lifeboat but found another lifeboat nearby empty. the "scandies rose" was a crabbing boat based in kodiak. the crew of "time bandit" featured on the show "deadliest catch" tweeted that they were deeply saddened by the loss. nick gordon, the 30-year-old former boyfriend of bobbi kristina brown has died. it comes five years after the death of brown. the daughter of singer whitney

houston bobbi brown died after six months in a coma. brown's family blamed gordon for her death. he was never charged but was found liable in a wrongful death lawsuit. gordon was taken in by whitney houston when he was 12. there's no official word on his cause of death. now to the repentent pontiff. pope francis was quick to issue a public apology for his flash of anger while greeting the faithful on new year's eve. francis was grabbed by a woman who wouldn't let go, so he slapped her a few times. the incident went viral and now francis is calling it a bad example. abc's adrienne bankert reports. >> reporter: pope francis is apologizing hours after slapping a woman's hand to free himself from her grip. this video seen by millions. the pontiff greeting the faithful after a prayer service in st. peter's square on new year's eve smiling and shaking hands. suddenly a woman grabs the 83-year-old and yanks him towards her. visibly stunned, he slapped her hand away. the pope admitted at times we lose our patience. me too and i apologize for the bad example i gave yesterday.

♪ earlier at the first mass of the new year, the pontiff told worshippers, women are sources of life, and every form of violence inflicted upon a woman is a blasphemy against god. pope francis is known for being very approachable and greets and shakes the hands of hundreds of people during papal visits. some are questioning why the pope's security team didn't step in to assist. the vatican has not commented. adrienne bankert, abc news, new york. >> mr. pope, i forgive you. coming up, baseball fans mourning the loss of don larsen. his legendary career and one big accomplishment that's being remembered. mrs. ahead, a dramatic rescue caught on camera. a b.a.s.e. jumper stuck hundreds of feet in the air on a vertical rock face. how they got him down. and what a catch. a group of fishermen reel in something they never expected. ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ i am totally blind. and non-24 can throw my days and nights out of sync, keeping me from the things i love to do. talk to your doctor, and call 844-214-2424. ♪

♪ what's the time? device: a dime is ten cents. severe cold or flu? take control with theraflu. powerful, soothing relief to defeat your worst cold and flu symptoms fast. device: (sneezes) theraflu. the power is in your hands.

we are back now with a once in a lifetime catch on new year's day off florida's atlantic coast. it took everyone on board the fishing charter over an hour to reel in this 13-foot great white shark. and when they did, they measured it, tagged it and let that big old shark go. >> let it go. in other news, emergency crews pulled off a daring rescue of a b.a.s.e. jumper stranded on the side of a cliff in arizona's superstition mountains. >> he got suspended hundreds of feet above the ground hanging from his parachute. abc's will reeve has the details. >> reporter: this heart-stopping video shows a life literally hanging by little more than a thread. scott frankson was b.a.s.e. jumping over arizona's superstition mountain on sunday morning when he got stuck on a sheer face vertical wall. you can see a small sliver of his torn parachute catching the edge of a rock. a helicopter hovers overhead as a state trooper works to free frankson. >> can you break that away?

>> it's the best place to cut it. you got me clipped in? >> reporter: frankson hangs on for dear life. the jumper suspended hundreds of feet off the ground. the rescuer finally able to detach a grateful frankson from his harness. >> thanks, man. >> reporter: minutes later the lucky man's feet touching down on firm ground. despite the harrowing scene, frankson managed to walk away unscathed. will reeve, abc news, new york. >> our thanks to will. this is the second close call for frankson over these same mountains. four years ago he was b.a.s.e. jumping with a group of friends when his parachute got tangled up with another sending both jumpers into a freefall. somehow they both survived that ordeal. a texas woman was killed on new year's eve by what police say may have been celebratory gunfire in the houston area. 61-year-old philippa ashford was setting off fireworks with family and friends when she clutched her body and said, i think i've been shot. she fell to the ground and died. >> we have a dead citizen on our hands. if it was celebratory gunfire, i want retribution. i want the person that is

responsible for this to be held accountable. the family deserves that. >> authorities believe the gunfire came from outside the family's immediate neighborhood. the man who made pro basketball a success has passed away. david stern was commissioner of the national basketball association for 30 years starting in 1984. teams were going broke, but stern turned the league into a multibillion dollar operation. he got the nba television contracts and added and moved franchises, and he put the focus on star players like michael jordan. jordan tweeted, without david stern, the nba would not be what it is today. david had a deep love for the game of basketball and demanded excellence from those around him. stern was hospitalized three weeks ago for a brain hemorrhage. david stern was 77. the former new york yankees pitcher don larsen has died after battling cancer. he's the only pitcher to throw a perfect game in a world series.

it happened in 1956 and produced one of baseball's most famous images. catcher yogi berra leaping into larsen's arms. don larsen passed away last night. he was 90. sticking with sports on new year's day so many people look forward to college football and this year certainly served up some excitement. >> start in the rose bowl with oregon and wisconsin. the ducks were trailing in the fourth quarter when quarterback justin herbert ran in a 30-yard touchdown. oregon won it, 28-27. and in georgia versus baylor last night in the sugar bowl, the bulldogs went out to a 19-0 halftime lead and never trailed. georgia coach kirby smart was soaked with a big old gatorade bath at the end of the 26-14 win. so many games that day. up next in "the pulse," why today is the biggest day for returns. also ahead, alex trebek and his wife opening up about the "jeopardy" host's battle with cancer. trebek's new admission and what his wife wants him to stop

doing. plus, the popular tech product swallowed by a 7-year-old. our mission is to provide complete, balanced nutrition... for strength and energy! whoo-hoo! great-tasting ensure. with nine grams of protein and twenty-seven vitamins and minerals. ensure, for strength and energy. (shaq) (chime) magenta? i hate cartridges! not magenta! not magenta. i'm not going back to the store.

magenta! cartridges are so... (buzzer) (vo) the epson ecotank. no more cartridges. it comes with an incredible amount of ink that can save you a lot of frustration. ♪ the epson ecotank. just fill and chill. available at... let you sleep, try nyquil severe with vicks vapocool. (acapella) whoa! (avo) and vaporize it. (acapella) ahhhh! (acapella) shhhh! (avo) nyquil severe with vicks vapocool. the vaporizing, nighttime, coughing, aching, stuffy head, best sleep with a cold, medicine. she's had a tiny cough. see you at 5! seriously? protection. lysol kills over 100 illness causing germs and viruses. even those that may cause cough. lysol, what it takes to protect. she's driven by a primal desire for meat. a lynx in the wild and your cat. for a lynx this need is satisfied by what the wild provides. for your cat it's meat rich blue wilderness.

because your cat is wild inside. ♪ ♪ time to check "the pulse," and we begin with an early look at tonight's "jeopardy" special here on abc. >> the hour-long show takes us behind the scenes at the popular quiz show. it also includes michael strahan's interview with "jeopardy" host alex trebek and his wife jean. >> michael asks jean about the toughest part of her husband's cancer battle. >> it's when i see him in pain and i can't help him and when he doesn't eat right. when he has too much diet soda.

>> back off, michael. if you get to be 79 -- >> trebek follows that warning with some trademark humor about his health. "what is jeopardy? alex trebek and america's most popular quiz show" airs tonight at 8:00 eastern. now to a different medical problem. a second grader swallowed one of his airpods. >> there goes the christmas gift. the x-ray shows it right there in his stomach. the boy was worried it would play music from his old phone instead of the one he got from christmas. he told his mother he was holding the airpod in his mouth as she was driving. >> she's like, okay, so he just choked on his airpod. and i'm like, what? i immediately like u-turned my truck, and i'm heading back to the -- but she's like we're on the way to egelston. we're rushing him to egelston and we're going to see what's going on. >> the er doctor says this too shall pass. i think you can read behind the lines there. well, if you're like most

people, you probably need to return a gift that you received over the holidays, or you're stuck returning a gift you bought someone else. >> and chances are you'll be doing that today. that's because january 2nd is considered national returns day. u.p.s. is estimating that americans will be returning nearly 2 million items today alone. that is a 26% jump over last year. and finally another reminder that if you're in a race, it's best to run all the way through the finish line. >> good note there. you're about to see a runner who was rudely reminded of that. he had the finish line of a race in brazil right there in sight so close, but the guy in second place never gave up winning the race right at the line. the official margin of victory was just one second. it's our own robin roberts who says all the time in quotes from mom who says when you strut, you stumble. that definitely happened in this case. >> words to live by. you got to follow through. i'm sure he will never forget that moment. >> yes.

>> seemed like he had it. thought he did. >> and then not. >> more news after this. -- not. >> more news after this. ♪ ♪ ♪ i am totally blind. and non-24 can make me show up too early... or too late. or make me feel like i'm not really "there." talk to your doctor, and call 844-234-2424. yours. introducing café modern glass.

the only collection of appliances with a sleek glass finish that reflects your style. ♪ discover the full modern glass collection at cafeappliances.com café, distinct by design in getting key nutrients peopfrom food alone. one a day, covers all of them. in just one serving. one a day, and done. ordinary tissues burn when theo blows. so dad bought puffs plus lotion, and rescued his nose. new puffs have more lotion... and soothing softness to relieve. a nose in need, deserves puffs, indeed. liz, you nerd, cough if you're in here! shhhh. i took mucinex dm for my phlegmy cough. what about rob's dry cough? works on that too. and last 12 hours.

12 hours? who studies that long?! mucinex dm relieves wet and dry coughs for 12 hours with 2 medicines in 1 pill. making news right now, a man killed while chasing after laptop thieves. police arrest two people but a third is still out there. watch out for dangerous sneaker waves on the coast this morning. a high surf advisory is in effect until 9:00 a.m. and heterosexual couples can now choose between a domestic partnership and a marriage. can we still say happy new year? >> of course. back to work. >> we're back to work. >> that's right. >> kumasi held it down yesterday. >> i know. hope you had a great new years celebration. we're czech checking in on our

forecast. we have some dense fog out there. a dense fog advisory until 10:00 a.m. for solano county. the day planner, dense fog in spots early on this morning. brighter skies into the afternoon. we'll continue that trend of mild air. by 4:00, topping out in the upper 50s to lower 60s. let's check the roads with jobina. >> forningood morning. a look here at our maps. it's green out there. a nice clear ride for the most part for our morning commute. a live look at the bayridge toll plaza. cash lanes are stacking up. metering lights not on yet. and let's bring you down to the south bay, san jose, 280, nice and clear. two cars there that we're seeing. our drive times, tracy to dublin, 26 minutes. dublin to mission boulevard, 14-minute ride, highway 101 to

cupertino, 15 minutes. >> thank you, jobina. in the east bay two arrests have been made in a laptop theft that ended in a man's death. >> the theft happened on new year's eve, but one witness said the theft involved three suspects, not two. kate larsen has the latest. >> just turned behind me and the car was disappearing up there at a high rate of speed. >> reporter: jack's new years morning took a dark turn when a laptop theft turned deadly. he jumped on his motorcycle to chase after the suspect's black bmw but to no avail. he and others were horrified when they saw the laptop owner lying on antioch street. >> i couldn't see his face, it was covered with blood. >> jean miller wrapped up flowers in crime tape where the young man was outside her salon. >> he was lifeless when i was

standing there. >> reporter: this woman was inside starbucks and saw the suspect grab the young woman's laptop. >> the kid jumped in the car and he made what was like a superman type dive, and then there was a struggle and he tried to push him out and he got dragged up the road and that was awful. >> reporter: nearby firefighters tried to help but the man later died at the hospital. fortunately cameras captured the getaway car and oakland police quickly made two arrests. neighbor sharon silverman said they need to step up patrols. >> i think it shouldn't be taken for granted this is safe anymore. i can't imagine what this young person's family is feeling. >> reporter: some of the neighbors told me they're organizing a candlelight vigil this sunday and inviting oakland mayor libby schaaf. they have not released the name of the victim and said their investigation is ongoing. i'm kate larsen, abc7 news. >> such a shame. i can't believe that happened. it is 4:30. if you're just waking up to us,