>> have a good weekend. breaking news in america this morning, the u.s. military killing iran's top general. president trump ordering the air strike marking a massive escalation in the middle east. >> he is not just a general, he is something -- almost a demigod within the eyes of the iranian people. >> the new reaction coming in as iran's supreme leader warns of, quote, harsh retaliation. wildfire emergency. americans warned to leave australia as flames spread from town to town. >> oh, my. >> one woman fighting to save her home with a garden hose. frustrated residents lashing out at the c's prime minister. >> what about the people who are ntderyad now, mr. prime ministe? the urgent investigation after a car is seen speeding off a cliff on the famed pacific coast highway. the stunning moment caught on

another car's dash cam. plus, stunning discovery. a man missing in the grand . setting the stage for tv's big night. what to expect from the golden globes and why the show is going meatless. and the waitress ringing in 2020 with a massive tip and the famous face behind it. good friday morning, everyone. thank you for joining us. we begin with breaking news from baghdad where the pentagon launched a deadly air strike killing one of iran's most powerful generals. >> the pentagon says qasem soleimani is responsible for hundreds of u.s. deaths, and he was, quote, actively developing plans to attack american diplomats and service members in the middle east. >> abc's ines de la cuetara joins us with the new details. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, janai and kenneth. this represents a major escalation in tensions between the u.s. and iran.

qasem soleimani was a senior and popular iranian commander and overnight iran's ayatollah is warning the u.s. can expect severe retaliation. tensions between the u.s. and iran reaching a boiling point. the department of defense confirming in a statement, at the direction of the president, the u.s. military has taken decisive defensive action to protect u.s. personnel abroad by killing qasem soleimani. abc news learning soleimani was killed by a drone strike conducted by u.s. joint special operations that hit a convoy carrying soleimani as he was leaving baghdad's airport. >> mr. soleimani is not just a general. he is something -- almost a demigod within the eyes of the iranian people. he's been a hero of the iranian people for a long time. >> reporter: the pentagon argues soleimani was actively developing plans to attack american diplomats and service members throughout the region and says it was soleimani who

was behind the recent attacks on u.s.-led coalition bases in iraq and the strike that recently killed an american contractor. the u.s. then retaliating by taking out 25 members of an iranian-backed militia, a move that kicked off two days of chaotic protest outside the american embassy in baghdad. nsfedecrsee with a warning on msnbc on thursday. >> you know, enough is enough. we have all the capabilities inherent in the united states military to either respond to further attacks or to take pre-emptive action if additional attacks are being prepared. >> reporter: the president responding to the attack by tweeting out the image of an american flag but just days ago insisting he did not want to go to war. >> i want to have peace. i like peace. >> reporter: and reaction from congress has been swift and polarized. republicans are praising the president's actions while democrats warn of war and question whether the president needed congressional approval. kenneth. >> and, ines, as you said, this

is getting a lot of reaction on both sides of the aisle. what are some of the democratic presidential candidates saying? >> reporter: yeah, so the democratic candidates have long been critical of the president's knowledge of foreign policy. former vice president joe biden released a statement saying that president trump had just tossed a stick of dynamite into a tinderbox and that he owes the american people an explanation and bernie sanders saying trump's dangerous escalation brings us closer to another disastrous war in the middle east that could cost countless lives and trillions more dollars. janai. >> all right, ines there thank you, we appreciate it. while the u.s. has considered soleimani a dangerous enemy iranians call him a hero in, quote, the international face of resistance. >> abc's chief global affairs correspondent martha raddatz spoke about him earlier on "nightline." >> when isis winak t ovg towns in iraq, soleimani wo often be seen in iraq traveling back and forth between iran and

iraq to help lead the fight, these iranian-backed militias against isis. he was a very strong but very mysterious presence in iraq. he was not high profile by any means, but i will also say that his presence was felt throughout the world there because he was responsible for the deaths of many americans. i think it's almost certain iran will have some sort of response. even given what we've heard from them this evening in tweets and that the united states in some way will pay for this. i think the important thing here to look at in any kind of iranian response is whether they take credit for it. remember, with the attacks earlier this year on the saudi oil fields and the drone attacks, they talked about the drone, but they did not talk about the saudi oil fields. they did not take responsibility for those attacks, and so i think if iran had some sort of response to the killing of

soleimani and they take credit for it, they are looking for a larger conflict. if they don't, i think they want to tamp this down. >> and a thanks to our chief global affairs correspondent martha raddatz there. in the wake of that strike, we're hearing from police departments at home including new york and los angeles. the lapd saying it is monitoring the situation, and new york's mayor says the department is discussing steps to protect key locations from any retaliation by iran. now to those deadly and catastrophic wildfires raging across australia. more than 12 million acres have been scorched. that's almost twice the size of new jersey. tens of thousands forced to flee in a mass evacuation. now many are bracing for things to get even worse. >> oh, my. no, no, no. >> reporter: amid the worst wildfire conditions to hit australia in recorded history -- >> the hose is burnt. >> reporter: -- the fight to save homes. new video shows a 19-year-old woman who stayed behind despite evacuation orders using a garden

hose to beat back the flames. >> i can't breathe through my mask. >> reporter: with bad fire conditions in the forecast, authorities in new south wales are declaring a state of emergency. abc's maggie rulli is there. >> firefighters tell us that just a few hours ago, the fire swept through this area. it came right up to the edge of the road. you can still see hot spots burning behind me. >> what about the people who are dead now, mr. prime minister? >> reporter: the prime minister faced angry residents who were frustrated with the government's response. >> how are you? >> i'm only shaking your hand if you give more funding to our affairs. so many people here have lost their homes. we need more help. >> reporter: the fires have killed at least 18eo ppl this morning the u.s. embassy is warning american tourists in the fire zone to get out immediately. >> the situation here in australia is totally unprecedented. >> reporter: jonas doherty is an

american firefighter helping battle the flames. >> the job conditions, the fire here and just the amount of fire that exists is -- it's not like anything i've seen before. >> incredible images there. 114-degree temperatures are forecasted for some areas there in australia this weekend. well now to the weather back here at home where more rain is expected in already soaked parts of the south. jackson, mississippi, broke a record with nearly four inches. there are also concerns a dam 80 miles south may breach. in the meantime, police outside atlanta think wet roads played a role in the tractor trailer crash at a gas station involving ten cars. and near boston, a family was hurt after ice smashed through their windshield. time now for a look at your weather this friday morning. good morning. wa are talking about flash flood tcs parts of, say, mississippi, alabama, in towards tennessee. localized flooding continues with several inches of rain all the way up towards chattanooga, tennessee and nashville.

how about six inches for the accuweather local storm maps. and then as we roll closer to the weekend, the rain moves in across the northeast, especially into your saturday. it's going to be a dreary one up and down the i-95 with some colder weather to the north and to the west. for accuweather, i'm chris nallan. coming up, the american company no longer hiring smokers. also ahead, a car seen speeding off a cliff. what investigators are revealing about this dramatic video. and also caught on camera, see the dramatic moment an avalanche races down a mountain.

take a look at this avalanche in utah. it was actually started on purpose for safety reasons. transportation crews in little cottonwood canyon near salt lake

city did it to get snow off a mountain that overlooks a number of roadways. a texas man who had been missing at the grand canyon for 12 days has been found alive. martin o'connor was last seen at a lodge on the south rim before christmas. park rangers searching in a helicopter found o'connor on the new hands hiking trail, one of the area's most difficult. he is now undergoing medical evaluation, and doctors say he is in stable condition. a texas judge has ruled that an 11-month-old baby who has been hooked up to breathing and feeding tubes since birth can be taken off life support against her family's wishes. the hospital treating tinslee lewis said sin constant s he pain from her treatment and her condition is terminal. tinslee's mother disagrees with the ruling saying she should be the one deciding what's best for her baby, and she plans to appeal the judge's decision. the first day of legal marijuana sales added more than $3 million to illinois state coffers. buyers started lining up as early as 3:00 a.m. on new year's

day spitfrig temratus. and that pace is expected to continue through the weekend. illinois is now the 11th state allowing the use and sale of pot for people 21 and older. sales of vinyl records are as strong as they've ever been. nielsen music says nearly 1.25 million were sold in the week before christmas. that's the most since music s e sales tracking started 30 years ago. analysts say vinyl records are expected to outsell cds this year for the first time since 1986. well, coming up reports of another nfl coach being fired. the picture causing controversy for a group of firefighters seen right here posing in front of a burning house. and the international manhunt to find the former head of nissan. how authorities said he fled japan while awaiting trial. japan while awaiting trial. cold. so chantix can help you quit slow turkey. along with support, chantix is proven to help you quit. with chantix you can keep smoking at first

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seeking information about who may have been in the car and where it wound up. abc's will carr reports. >> reporter: the desperate search for the car seen flying off a cliff in this video. >> traffic accident at gray whale cove. it's going to be on highway 1. >> reporter: it all happened so fast, you have to watch again. the dark suv shoots across the highway then vanishes off camera. authorities believe the car plunged down this jagged embankment where the water below is 30 to 40 feet deep. >> it's hard to say if it was intentional, if it was an accident or if there was any foul play. >> reporter: authorities have discovered tire tracks on the cliff and car parts in the ocean, but it's unclear if they're related to the car seen in this video. >> the vehicle did not collide with the rocks or with the hillside. instead we believe that it might have just submerged into the water. >> reporter: highway 1 in half moon bay snakes along the ocean. so far a high surf advisory with swells up to 14 feet and powerful rip currents has

hampered the search efforts. as authorities try to figure out exactly what happened, they tell us they're not even sure how many people were inside of that car, and even when the weather calms down, they say, they may never find that suv. in los angeles, will carr, abc news. >> thank you, will. overseas the former nissan boss is now the target of an international manhunt. interpol issued a so-called red notice for carlos ghosn alerting law enforcement around the world. ghosn was reportedly smuggled out of japan inside a large case meant for musical instruments. he was under house arrest for months awaiting trial for financial misconduct charges. he arrived in lebanon on monday. >> he's perfectly well. he is in shape. he is healthy, and the conditions under which he was imprisoned or he was living, we all concur that there was something unfair. there was no justice in the way he was treated. >> ghosn denies any wrongdoing.

his trial was scheduled for april. meanwhile, turkey arrested seven people on thursday as it investigates how he passed through the country. a controversial photo of detroit firefighters posing in front of a burning house is now being investigated. the picture was posted on social media new year's eve. the house was vacant and considered too dangerous to be entered by crews. you saw the picture there. detroit's fire commissioner calls the picture, quote, inappropriate and unprofessional. in sports the dallas cowboys are looking for a head coach. espn is reporting the team has decided to move on from jason garrett after ten years. the cowboys made the postseason three times during his tenure and won only two of their five playoff games. and it was a thriller in last night's gator bowl. tennessee was down by 13 points with minutes to go against indiana when they scored two touchdowns. the hoosiers had a chance to retake the lead with a field goal but, yep, right there they missed. tennessee won it, 23-22.

all right, we're going to talk justin bieber but still sports. bieber will soon be putting his hockey skills to the test against an nhl goalie. the canadian superstar is a big hockey fan and recently posted video of himself in a game. that drew the attention of st. louis blues goalie jordan binnington, and they've agreed to a challenge. so if bieber scores, binnington will donate $10,000 to a charity of bieber's choosing. it could happen during the league's upcoming all-star weekend. that's going to be pretty interesting. >> we'll see what happens. up next in "the pulse," gearing up for the golden globes. who will be presenting and how the show is going meatless. and start the year. the famous face behind a very generous tip. you don't use this old thing, do you? no! or how 'bout this dinosaur right here? nope! then why are you still using a laser printer? it's got expensive toner cartridges. but this... is the epson ecotank color printer. no more expensive cartridges! big ink tanks. lots of ink.

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it's time to check "the pulse." we don't want to rush the weekend, but we do begin with a look ahead to sunday's golden globes awards. >> it's the first big show of hollywood awards season. ricky gervais will be the host for the fifth time, that is. if past years are any indication, he'll say something to offend someone. >> somebody. reese witherspoon and nicole kidman are both nominated for lead actress in a tv series drama. you know usually they're movie stars. but experts think that will go to jennifer aniston for "the morning show." presenters will include tiffany haddish, sofia vergara and will ferrell. >> that's a good lineup there. just before show time everyone will be served a meatless meal. that's a first in the show's 77-year history, but mark my words, we're going to come back to this clip because i'm betting that someone like tiffany haddish is going to have like a bag full of something. >> something. >> some kind of meat to take on into the show. >> meatless, you say. >> in fact, she's going to go to

roscoe's chicken and waffles or something. u-haul is taking a new stand for the new year. >> the company plans to stop hiring smokers and nicotine users and only applies to the 21 states where they're allowed to consider tobacco use when making hiring decisions and takes place on february 1st. the company says the rule only applies to new hires, not current employees. >> u-haul already has a no smoking policy for the trucks it rents to customers. >> all right. aiming to be healthier. >> yeah. well, donnie wahlberg started the new year off right for a waitress in illinois. >> the former new kid on the block, wife jenny mccarthy and their family were eating at an ihop near chicago and decided to give their server bethany a special gift to start 2020. >> so it was a tip for $2,020. >> whoo. >> bethany said she nearly lost it when she realized what happened. >> well, he gave me the receipt, and he folded it up and told me to put it in my pocket and wait until he left before he opened it. i did just that.

when i opened it, i freaked out. i have absolutely nothing to move in with, like i have not a dish, nothing. but now, now i can have a fully furnished place. >> things are looking up for bethany in 2020. mccarthy tweeted an image of the receipt with the message, donnie wahlberg starting 2020 off like the amazing man he is. >> it's so nice, nice to give back like that, and i'm like, were people doing this in 2019 with $2,019? >> nope. it's a thing now. finally the daughter of the late comedian robin williams is getting a lot of feedback after using the popular instagram filter which disney character are you. >> so the answer hit really close to home for zelda williams. here's the viral video. the filter determines that zelda williams' disney character is the genie from "aladdin." robin williams, of course, provided the genie's voice for the movie back in 1992. this video has about 2 million views. some calling it divine intervention. >> incredible moment there.

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making news right now, all eyes on the u.s. and iran. tensions high right now after president trump ordered a military strike t iranian military leader. leaving the bay area for boise, id whaho. and make the most of your friday. we have one more day of sunshine before the rain arrives tonight. >> good morning. >> it had to happen. >> it's january. >> it's first friday. >> today will be fine. today will be dry. it's when many of us are sleeping tomorrow that we have to worry about the rain. right now it's just chilly out there. we're 3 to 6 degrees cooler than this time yesterday. a lot of 30s and 40s out there

on the board. a cool day on this friday. the first one of 2020. it's a quiet start to our day. we'll break it down for you. sun up at 7:25. a lot of sunshine. it's dry out there. you don't need the rain gear as you go through your day today. mid 50s to mid 60s, that sun going down at 5:03. let's check the roads with jobina. good morning. >> good morning. we're starting off with a crash in concord. injuries have been reported. this is northbound 242 before grant. you can see the backup is already beginning there. once you get past this area and you move down past walnut creek, if that's a part of your morning commute, you can see things are moving smoothly there. the south bay, good morning san jose. it's very quiet on 280. a man is critically injured this morning after he was hit by a car in san francisco.

the victim was taken to sf general where he underwent surgery. a white honda driving westbound on fulton street hit a 20-year-old man at 43rd avenue last night. the honda did have a green light. police say the victim was walking in the crosswalk against the red light and they're looking into whether he was distracted by his cell phone. police are saying it was self-defense when a dublin resident fired a gun at his ex-girlfriend and another man during an attempted home invasion. the woman died. officers were called to the townhouse on monaghan street late wednesday night. kate larsen has those details. >> i only heard the police, and there was like 15 of them all drawing weapon and a dog trying to get into the place. >> reporter: scott and his family live a few doors down from this townhouse where a shooting left a 28-year-old woman dead. >> i saw them carry a body out. >> reporter: kara saw the man

who lives in the townhouse move in. >> i was just walking my dog and i welcomed them into the neighborhood and that was it. they seemed very, very nice. >> reporter: at 11:30 on new year's night the dublin police say the new neighbor woke up to banging at his door, so he looked out, saw his ex-girlfriend and then opened the door. police say a man forced his way inside with the resident's ex-girlfriend. >> the man was holding a firearm. at that point, the resident had his own firearm and he was scared for his life and used his own firearm to start shooting his way basically out of danger, out of his residence and called police. >> reporter: the man who was shot once also allegedly fired his gun. he's in police custody at a hospital. the ex-girlfriend died an scene and the resident escaped uninjured. police say they don't want families in the neighborhood which is full of children to be worried, but they definitely are. >> for there to be a shooting here three doors down is very alarming. this a very safe neighborhood. >> reporter: so police tell me they are still trying to