breaking overnight, a high school bus transporting a girls' basketball team smashes into a tractor-trailer. at least one person is dead, and there are multiple images. we'll have the latest. get ready for a blast of winter from coast to coast including torrential rains, flooding and some snow as we head into the weekend. george herbert walker bush was america's last great soldier statesman. >> the most decent and honorable person i ever met was my friend george bush. one of nature's noble men. his epitap single letter. the letter l for loyalty. >> today the 41st president of

the united states is lying in repose in his beloved state of texas, where before he is laid to rest next to his wife barbara and daughter robin. to the pacific, where early this morning a marine refueling plane and a fighter jet crashed off japan's coast. seven marines went down. the latest on the search ahead. then our lester holt goes one on one with the legendary steven spielberg, who is on a mission and talking about one of his most impactful films, "schindler's list." "early today" starts right now. good thursday morning. i'm phillip mena. >> i'm frances rivera. breaking overnight, illinois state police confirming that two adults have been killed and multiple people injured after a car crash involving a semi truck and also ae semi truck was trave wrong direction on the interstate and struck the school bus head on. >> the accident happened on i-74 near downs in mclean county, illinois. the athletic director for normal

community west high school tells our local affiliate that the bus was carrying their jv girls' basketball team. they were on their way back from a game in champaign, illinois. schl district says there were 11 people on the bus and that all of the students were t with no serious injuries. iowa state police say the 34-year-old truck driver was killed as well as charles crabtree, a 72-year-old passenger on that bus. now to a frantic search for a handful of missing u.s. marines in the pacific ocean after two military aircraft crashed during a mid-air training mission. two marines have been rescued but five others are still unaccounted for at this hour. nbc's sarah harman has the latest from london. sarah, good morning. >> reporter: frances, good morning. another major u.s. military accident in asia. his time two planes, a fighter collided mid-air and crashed into the pacific ocean off the coast of japan. so far two people have been found. one of them is believed to be in stable condition. a second marine, though, was

found about ten hours after the crash, and we don't know anything about fiv hpeople. now, frances, these are marines we're talking about. they are a tough bunch. but hope is fading with every hour that passes. the exact circumstances of this crash are now under investigation. but it's the latest in a string of troubling military accidents in the region. last month a navy fighter jet crashed into the sea off the coast of okinawa. fortunately, both of its pilots were rescued. but back in october an mh-60 skae hawke crashed into the philippines sea just after takeoff injuring a dozen sailors. the u.s. has more than 50,000 troops based in japan. so incidents like this one are very troublinphilp. >> they'll have some developments there with that. sarah, thank you. the remains ofgeor h.w. bus in houston this morning lying in repose at his long-time church, st. martin's episcopal. mourners lining up to pay their respects throughout the night.

fular this morning. and from there his casket will board a special locomotive for a funeral procession to the george bush presidential library and museum where he will be buried. this morning's service will be the second for president bush after the pomp and circumstance of a state funeral at the washington national cathedral. it was attended by nearly 3,000 family members, friends and dignitaries. nbc's peter alexander has full coverage of the emotional farewell. >> reporter: marking the end of an era. oldige ut service before self. the late president's hearse passing his former home on pennsylvania avenue. ♪ his arrival at the national cathedral heralded with theg a pause. a rare moment of unity. president trump greeting president and mrs. obama. face to predecessor and the clintons for the first time since taking office. then george w. bush paying a visit. handing candy to michelle obama.

every living president together to remember 41. he was the last commander in chief from the greatest generation, the world war ii fighter pilot shot down over the pacific. >> president bush would frequently ask, why me? why was i spared? and in a sense the rest of his life was a perennial effort to prove himself worthy of his salvation on that distant morning. >> reporter: biographer and friend jon meacham recalling bush's sense of humor. >> he grabbed the hand of a department store mannequin, asking for votes. when he realized his mistake,kn. got to ask." you can hear the voice, can't you? as dana carvey said, the key to a bush 41 impersonation is mr. rogers trying

senator alan simpson reminding >> reporter: long-time friend americans of the values lived by, now perhaps in washington in short supply. >> he never hated anyone. he knew what his mother and my mother always knew, hatred corrodes the container it's carried in. the most decent and honorable person i ever met was my friend george bush. one of nature's noble men. ♪ our father >> reporter: the ceremony both powerful and poignant. the most personal tribute from a son about his father. >> we tes h i did. but he always responded with the great gift of tol he him. had minutes to live i called i said, "dad, i love you and you've been a wonderful father." and the last words he would eve too." >> reporter: w recalling his

dad's signature adventurous spirit. >> at age 90 george h.w. bush parachuted out of an aircraft and landed on the grounds of st. anne's by the sea in k kennebunkpo kennebunkport, maine. the church where his mom was married and where he worshiped often. mother liked to say he chose the location just in case the chute didn't open. >> reporter: an eternal bond with barbara, his beloved wife of 73 years. >> in his old age dad enjoyed watching police show reruns, the volume on high. all the while holding mom's tha do was hold mom's hand again. >> reporter: celebrating his father's extraordinary life, one defined by family, faith, and loyalty. >> well, dad, we're going to remember you for exactly that and much more. and we're going to miss you.

your decency, sincerity, and kind soul will stay with us forever. so through our tears let us know the blessings of knowing and loving you, a great and noble man, the best father a son or daughter could have. and in our grief i just smile knowing that dad is hugging robin and holding mom's hand again. >> reporter: that powerful moment punctuated by the entire cathedral breaking out in applause. so many moving speeches on wednesday. jon meacham revealed that he actually read his eulogy to 41 before he passed. characteristically, bush said, "that's a lot about me, jon." humble to the very end. phillip in. >> such a beautiful service and remembrance of a great man. thank you, peter. all right. let's take a turn now and check in with nbc meteorologist bill karins to see who's going to get what today. >> we've got this major storm coming. not today. it's going to start friday and head into the weekend.

rain threat friday into saturday, flash flooding threat san antonio into houston. we're going to possibly see river flooding and flash flooding. then the back side we get some snow out of this. first ice then snow. enough maybe to plow between amarillo and lubbock. oklahoma city looks like ice over to a little bit of snow. and then for the possible historic portion of this storm, that's western north carolina. got my eyes on you in charlotte, the queen city, upstate south carolina and asheville to boone to greensboro. we could get hit with a foot of snow in some cases. that's a lot of snow for western north carolina, ecity. 41. we're setting the stage for our icy snow winter event in the days ahead. we'll break down the complete weekend forecast coming up. >> all right, bill. see you in a bit. in today's quick hits, north korea, they are reportedly expanding and upgrading a

missile base according to new satellite imagery studied by independent researchers. the team believes the base is capable of hosting long-range u.s. french president emmanuel macron is bowing to protesters. officials told the associated press the leaders are abandoning a fuel tax hike that sparked riots in paris over the weekend. leaders hashing out a plan to punish saudi arabia over the murder of jamal cash okay cy. they hope to reach the deal by monday. the legislation would serve as a rebuke to president trump who has cast doubt on our government's version of the crown prince's role in the murders. buffalo wing's been a. dozen wings. and did you know that geico... (lips smacking) offers mo... (coughing) motorcycle insurance? ho-ho... my lips are burning. (laughs) ah... actually burning. geico. over 75 years of savings and service. it's too hot. oh, this is too hot, mate.

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faces linkedin number 6 then facebook, google, lululemon and southwest airlines. the ceo of general motors is back in the hot seat on capitol hill today defending the company's decisio several plants and lay off nearly 15,000 workers. mary barra testified before lawmakers yesterday and today she will meet with both ohio senators to hear their proposed solutions to save the automaker's plant in lordstown. gm is shifting truck and suv production to mexico and focusing on new electri vehicles while ending production the cuts come just eight years after taxpayers gave the company a multibillion-dollar bailout. congress is considering a plan that would remove corporate tax incentives for moving jobs overseas. leading the news this morning the bombshell new allegations againstor not just shocking claims of sexual misconduct with more than a dozen women but now reports he may have lied to investigators for cbs, destroying key evidence. let's turn to nbc's gadi

schwartz. >> reporter: it's an explosive report detailing not just a pattern of sexual misconduct but an elaborate cover-up. the leaked draft investigation into former cbs chief les moonves obtained by the "new york times" reveals the disgraced mogul may not get millions because he misled investigators. the report saying he was evasive and untruthful and deliberately lied. the report also saying moonves engaged in multiple acts of serious non-con sensual sexual misconduct involving 17 women including at non-consensual sexual relation and cooperated fully sxensively with investigators. but according to the "times" moon dsas and turned over his son's ipad to investigators instead of his own. speaking out. >> he just stuck his tongue in my mouth. >> reporter: julie seeley says she had a traumatic encounter with moonves more than 30 years ago when he was a development head at 20th century fox. >> i was really shocked. and it was gross. it was very unappealing. >> reporter: cbs spongd, saying

in part "our work is still in progress and there are bound to be many facts and assessments that evolve and change." anyone who may have disclosed draft information to the "new york times" did so in violation of their obligations. cbs's board is scheduled to meet with investigators next week. if moonves is found to be in violation of his contract, he stands to lose a severance package worth $120 million. gadi schwartz, nbc news, los angeles. just ahead, duped by dunkin'. how the chain tricked coffee lovers. and from dunkin' to dunks. the epic record-setting move pulled off by a globetrotter, next. ♪ ♪ you... keep doing you. we'll take care of medicare part d. by helping you save up to five dollars on each prescription, and with free one-on-one pharmacy support, we've filled over 2 billion prescriptions and counting.

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go! >> oh, my goodness. all right. all right. here we go. oh. oh, my goodness! >> the harlem globetrotters are busta rhymes. that is hammer harrison. and he's doing this for world trick shot day. pulled off this heart-stopping shot in las vegas. strapped to a bungee jumped off the top of the stratosphere there. that fall was 855 feet. a few adjustments mid-flight but he nailed the dunk and also set the record for the world's highest slam dunk. look how thankful he is on the ground safely. >> i'm equally as impressed he kept his language clean coming down. >> right. >> because some of us not necessarily would. portland, maine welcomed a new trendy sip.

many came ino t try the free lattes on opening day. but what the customers did not know was that sip is actually dunkin' in dgu promoting their new espresso drinks. so when the truth was revealed . well, they were pleasantly surprised. >> it's a big step up from what they've dbefore. this is amazing. >> tastes great. >> i'm sold. i may have to actually buy some and keep it in my house. >> every time i see coffee -- >> so for you coffeedon't judge. classic case right there. >> we saw payless shoe stores do this just a couple weeks theyag. people still paid hundreds of dollars for payless shoes. >> and you paint the bottoms red. fancy. yeah, you do. louboutins. >> oh, man. people overpay. my goodness. it is actress diane keaton's one of her most iconic movie scenes. check it out. >> oh. oh, god, annie.

well -- oh, well. la-di-da. la-di-da. la, la. >> is that where snoop got that one? anyway. a digression there. the annie hall starsell. she ghat she had lost 50 years ago. 50 years ago. a treasure hunter in upstate new york found it in an old storage locker. so keaton found out about it and asked him to slide it into her dms there so she can go get it back. inside was that picture there, an old family photo. th's right. she was also -- there was also an old driver's license inside there. and her actor's equity card. been a while. >> yeah. and that's really cool. you'd like to think that after all those years something will come right back. and hopefully he got a little reward too. >> yeah. makes one heck of a throwback thursday pic. >> you and i need to watch "annie hall," though. that's the moral of the story. still ahead an exclusive interview with hollywood legend

steven spielberg on his most personal film. you're watching "early today." it looks like emily cooking dinner for ten. ♪ the beat goes on. it looks like jonathan on a date with his wife. ♪ la-di-la-di. entresto is a heart failure medicine thatel so you can keep on doing what you love. in the largest heart failure study ever, entresto was proven superior at helping people stay alive and out of the hospital. it helps improve your heart's ability to pump blood to the body. don't take entresto if pregnant; it can cause harm or death to an unbornab don't take entresto with an ace inhibitor or aliskiren, or if you've had angioedema with an ace or arb. the most serious side effects are angioedema,ms or high blood potassium. ask your doctor about entresto for heart failure. yeah! entrust your heart to entresto. ♪ the beat goes on.

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nbc will commemorate black history month in 2019 by honoring contributions from black women from all walks of life. the series is called "she thrives: black women making history today." it will highlight ten amazing women from across generations, occupations and regions. so somebody may come to mind. if you want to nominate a leader from your community just go to nbcnews.com/shethrives.

entries are due by december 13th. let's toss it over to bill. >> friday morning to saturday morning the flood threat from houston to san antonio. icy stuff begins friday night into saturday. then we're going to continue that right into saturday afternoon. the real big snow portion of this storm, though, will be in western north carolina and virginia, guys, on sunday into monday. >> thanks, bill. just ahead, why steven spielberg says "schindler's list" is more important today. , but ruin my day. complicated relationship with milk? pour on the lactaid. it's delicious 100% real milk, just without that annoying lactose. mmm, that's good. 100% real milk with 20% more calcium. still no lactose. lactaid. the real milk that doesn't mess with you. ybut life...can throw them off bbalance.of bacteria, (vo) re-align yourself with align probiotic. and try align gummies with prebiotics and probiotics

to help support digestive health. the man behind so many blockbuster hits from "e.t." to "saving private ryan," he's opening uputost personal to les an exclusive interview with steven spielberg to look back at the impact of "schindler's list" 25 years later. >> they say that no one dies

here. rue sporter: the t nazi businessman saving the lives of polish jews during the holocaust was not one director steven spielberg expected to be a commercial success. >> i couldn't imagine based on the story that we told that an audience would tolerate just the amount of violence, you know, human against human, or inhuman against human. >> the list is an absolute good. the list is life. >> reporter: yet "schindler's list" became both a box office hit and a historical touchstone. >> 1,100 people are alive because of you. >> reporter: shot in poland, where oskar schindler first employed jews to run his factories, saving them from death camps, the film pulled no punches, as it showed a brutal reality. spielberg insisted the film be shot in black and white. >> i don't know the holocaust in color. i wasn't around then. but i've seen documentaries on

the holocaust. they're all shot in black and white. it's my only reference point. >> you wanted this to feel real. >> i wanted it to feel real. >> reporter: real for the audience and actual survivors. >> god bless the schindler survivor that came over to me. she said, i want to tell you my story. and i said, well, i'm telling your story. she said oh, that's nothing, that was a tiny part of my life. >> reporter: it was a life-changing moment for spielberg. he founded usc's "shoah foundation" creating an including a visual history archive, featuring more than 55,000 hance to say good archives part of school curriculums. >> oskar schindler, what els does it say about him? >> reporter: and so is "schindler's list." >> i think this is something that everyone should see at least once in your life because it gives you perspective and perspective is everything in today's day and age. >> and now we're in an era that anti-semitism is on the rise -- >> xenophobia. racism. >> we all know what happened in pittsburgh. >> mm-hmm.

>> is this an important time to rerelease this film? >> i think this is maybe the most important time to rerelease this film. possibly now is even a more important time to rerelease "schindler's list" than 1993, '94 when it was initially released. i think there's more at stake today than even back then. farewell to president george h.w. bush. tune in to nbc for special tune in to nbc for special coverage of his (gasps) for real cold and flu protection. with lysol, you can help protect them from a real cold. lysol disinfectant spray kills the #1 cause of the cold and clorox wipes don't.

rafael. good morning and t . welcome to thursday morning. taking a live look work this morning. creating some slick roadways, hoping for some drying conditio inching closer to the weekend. good morning, i'm lauragarcia. of course, that morning commute, >> i'm marcus washington. vianey, we thought the rain wer >> we did. the interesting did an interesting turn where it started creeping up from the south. southern california is seeing rain right now. the rest of your day will be dry, i promise.

we're seeing leftover residual moisture. that ended up creeping on in. san francisco right now, a live picture. this is what storm ranger is picking up.