lysol. what it takes to protect. a high speed train crashes into a railway engine and careens into a pedestrian overpass. there are multiple deaths and dozens of injuries. emergency crews are on the scene in turkey at this hour. halfway around the world in hawaii, a u.s. military plane crash lands into the water. we'll have the latest on the pilot's condition. >> the publisher of the "national enquirer" admits to paying hush money to help donald trump as the president's former attorney faces three years behind bars for what's called a smorgasbord of criminal conduct. dr.ri blasey ford speaking out for the first time since the kavanaugh hearings. and outsmarting porch pirates with gps trackers placed in decoy packages, putting thieves on notice. "early today" starts right now.

good thursday morning. i'm phillip mena. >> i'm frances rivera. there's breakinws killed and 47 more injured when a high speed train collided with another locomotive and crashed into an overpass at a station in ankara this morning. dozens of emergency workers raced to the scene of the mangled wreckage less than five miles from one of ankara's most highly crowded areas. more now from london. >> good morning, frances. the seek went quence of events have been more disastrous. one train crashed into another, killing nine people, three of them railway 7 giothers, three whom are said to be in very serious condition. the accident happened around 6:30 local time as the train was traveling between ankara and the central turkish province. a high speed train collided with a railway engine, which was checking the tracks. ankara's governor said that the high speed train.

we don't know how fast the trains were going but if the high speed train wasn't due to stop and wasn't expecting to see another vehicle on the tracks, it probably plowed into the railcar at a very high speed. the video footage shows emergency workers at the scene working to free people from carriages trapped beneath the mangled metal wreckage of the overpass of the train station and turkish officials have launched a full-blown investigation to see exactly what the cause of the crash was. frances? >> ali, thank you. now to our other top story of the morning from west virginia. after four days of searching, there is good newsor families praying for that rescue team's pulloff a daring mission to save three people trapped in a mine. they have all been found alive. the group entered the mine looking for copper wire they could later sell before this tragedy. let's go to nbc's dan scheneman. [ applause. >> reporter: after days of

waiting and worrying, good news. erica treadway, kayla williams, and cody beverly walked out of a west virginia coal mine. >> what was it like in there? >> it was terrible. >> reporter: the three were missing since saturday. >> i know she's alive. that's all that matters to me. >> reporter: after hearing the missing were found alive, family and friends rejoiced. >> we all came in as a community. we trusted the faith in god. >> reporter: the discovery of the missing brought the rescue operation to an end. rescuers searched for the missing below ground while crews above ground pumped water out of the mine and air into it. it has been two years since the rockhouse mine was operational, and in tough economic ties, police say closed mines are a target for anyone looking for copper wire that can be sold. relatives say the three were there to steal. >> that doesn't mean they should deserve to be put through this. >> reporter: after some stressful days, a happy ending. dan scheneman, recovering from traumatic injuries today after

being forced to eject from a military jet off the coast of hawaii. fortunately a quick thinking witness was able to help the man out of the water. reporter chelsea davis of nbc affiliate khnl has the details. >> reporter: frances, this is an incredible story of survival and a good samaritan springing into action to help save a complete stranger. that good samaritan is an instructor at extreme parasail, and he is being called a hero tonight. eyewitnesses say he didn't think twice when he jumped into the water to help untangle this injured pilot from his parachute before first responders could get to him. here's what we know so far. the crash happened just before 2:30 this afternoon local time, about three miles south of the honolulu international airport. eyewitnesses tell us they saw two jets go up and about five minutes later, just one come down. moments later, they saw the pilot eject from the aircraft.

we are told he is a 47-year-old male, and he was seriously injured in this crash. we're also told he was participating in a military training exercise. authorities could not tell us exactly what led to this crash, but they say it is currently under investigation. reporting from honolulu, i'm chelsea davis. back to you. >> so thankful for that person who saved him. thanks. the man who said his job was do cover up donald trump's dirty deeds is now headed to prison. michael cohen was sentenced to three years in federal prison. cohen pleaded guilty to what a judge called a, quote, veritable smorgasbord of fraudulent conduct motivated by greed and personal ambition. the charges include five counts of tax fraud, lying to banks and congress, and two campaign finance felonies. >> today we are learning that anotherush money to women w h

details. >> frances, the same prosecutors who charged michael cohen with violating campaign laws by arranging to pay hush money to two women now are announcing a deal with another man involved in those payments. they both now say this was done to influence the election despite president trump's insistence that it was not. the man who once said he'd take a bullet for donald trump is now preparing to spent his mid-50s in prison. michael cohen headed to federal court in manhattan with his wife, daughter, and son, hoping he'd get credit for cooperating with federal prosecutors. but they said his help was grudging and they pushed for a tough sentence for his own tax and bank fraud and for his role in arranging hush money payments to two women who claimed they had affairs with donald trump, allegations he and his aides have denied. speaking about trump, cohend ow and a blind loyalty to this man that led me to choose a path of darkness over light. i felt it was my duty to cover up his dirty deeds rather than to listen to my own inner voice and my moral compass.

but the judge said cohen sought to profit from his association with trump and committed a smorgasbord of criminal conduct. sentence, three years in federal prison. and in a dramatic legal development, federal prosecutors announced they will not file charges against the third person. along with trump and cohen, who played a role in the hush money payments, david pecker, publisher of the "national enquirer" whose company wrote the check to karen mcdougal. federal prosecutors say his company admitted the purpose was to, quote, suppress the women's story so as to prevent it from uns fromming the election. >> the weight of the evidence against mr. trump is starting to build. it's not just mr. cohen. it's also this company. they agreed that the president directed these payments and did so to influence the election. >> reporter: the payment was illegal because federal laws bars corporations from giving money directly to a candidate's campaign. with time off for good behaviorl ultimately serve at least 2 1/2 years behind bars.

>> i think there is also a lot of anger and upset and hufrt fo what this is going to do to his life and what this will mean for his future and for the future of his family as well. >> reporter: the judge ordered cohen to report to prison march 6th and in the meantime, he might continue cooperating with robert mueller's investigators. pete williams, nbc news, washington. this is peter alexander at the white house. >> mr. president, did michael cohen cover up your dirty deeds? >> reporter: president trump ignoring questions about his once devoted confidant and lawyer michael cohen, but democrats gearing up to take over house investigatipounond. >> what it means is that the president's personal lawyer is going to go to jail in part for the commission of offenses that were coordinated and directed by the >> reporter: republicans cohen's crimes including campaign finance violations havo dojail, it's

probably not a good day, but i have yet to see any evidence coming from mr. cohen of collusion, and that's what started the mueller investigation to begin with. >> reporter: it's been a complicated relationship. mr. trump just last year praising his trusted attorney. >> michael cohen is a very talented lawyer. he's a good lawyer in my firm. >> reporter: but days ago, mocking cohen. >> he's a weak person and not a very smart person. >> reporter: cohen's adviser, lanny davis -- >> the next chapter is for michael cohen, when mr. mueller is finished doing his work, to tell all the truth and all the facts about donald trump, probably in front of a congressional committee. >> reporter: including cohen e account of those hush money payments to stormy daniels and karen mcdougal. the president's explanations evolving. first pleading ignorance. >> did you know about the $130,000 payment to stormy daniels? >> no. last summer. >> did you know about the payments? >> later on i knew. later on. >> reporter: this week, describing the money as a simple private transaction.

as for any political peril facing the president, presiden that he could be impeached because he says he hasn't done anything wrong, telling reuters this week, i think that the people would revolt if that happened. phillip? >> peter, thank you. now to the growing terror manhunt overseas where hundreds of police officers are searching for this man, 29-year-old cherif chekatt, who they say opened fire on shoppers at a christmas market in strasbourg. he was on a terrorist watch list and now hundreds of guards have swarmed the streets searching for him. last night the eiffel tower went dark honoring the victims of the shooting. two people were killed. one person was left brain dead, and 12 others were injured. now to a dramatic power struggle in the uk. the british prime minister survived a no-confidence vote. 200 voters backed 117 voted aga. the opposition party could

trigger their own vote. may says she plans to lobby european union a proposed unpop brexit deal. a north carolina sheriff's deputy was placed on leave after video surfaced of him slamming two teen age girls to the ground after arrest. drugs were found inside a car. those two girls were passengers. you can see one of the officers throwing a 14-year-old girl to the ground as she tried to record on her phone. as she's being cuffed, she kicks the phone to her sister. that's what the officer walks over and slammed the 17-year-old, arresting her as well. neither girl ended up being taken into custody. the north carolina state bureau of investigation is now looking into this case. following a water main break in new york city that put multiple people in harm's way, one firefighter is being praised as a hero after doing this. look at the video that surfaced on instagram. he gave that woman aiggyback

ride through that massive puddle. emojis from hundreds of views appreciative citizens. i'm sure no one more than that lady right there. >> well done, sir. nbc meteorologist bill karins with us. >> there's going to be a big rain event at the airports and on the roads. heavy rain around the dallas area to oklahoma city. little rock included. thunderstorms possible, louisiana and mississippi. we take it into friday with a flood risk for the southeast. northeast, rain later in the day on friday. atlanta airport especially during the military of the day could have delays. jacksonville in the afternoon. there's 5:00 p.m. friday with the rain arriving around washington, d.c. saturday morning, a good soaking rain still in areas of eastern north carolina. southern new england gets into the mix. with thatilitaryi m morning

commute. roads could be impacted. told temperatures through the northern rockies. we'll continue to track this storm right through the soggy weekend. >> thank you, bill. in today's quick hits, imagine having to pay tax on your text messages. california state regulators are considering a flat surcharge to help support programs that make phone services accessible to the poor. the wireless industry and business groups oppose the plan. nba superstar steph curry said that he was, quote, 1,000% joking when he said he didn't believe that man has been to the moon. he still plans to accept nasa's offer to tour johnson space center. sesame street is introducing its first homeless character. lily first appeared in 2011 when she told friends her family didn't have enough to eat. we'll be right back. and not so good. for the mundane. the awe-inspiring.

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awards, they'll hear from someone unexpected. christine blasey ford. remember her, the woman who accused justice brett kavanaugh of sexual assault? nbc's stephanie gosk explains why she's choosing now to speak publicly. >> i am honored to speak with you from afar. >> reporter: for the first time since brett kavanaugh's bitter confirmation hearings, his accuser, dr. christine blasey ford, spoke publicly, recording a statement to introduce gymnast and larry nassar accuser at sports illustrated's annual awards ceremony denhollander named the magazine's inspiration of the year. >> i accept this on behalf of my sister survivors. >> reporter: she was the first woman to publicly accuse the former gymnastics doctor back in 2016. >> the silence ends and his ability to prey on women ends. every tear will be worth it. >> reporter: she has never backed down. this week reacting to a report commissioned by the u.s. olympic

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google has captured the world's last 12 months with their 2018 year end search. as for global searches, the world cup topped the list. meghan markle was the most sought after person in the world. and sylvester stallone was number one for actors. in the united states,demi lovato was the most researched person. many wanted to know how to vote. and the food we searched for the most was unicorn cake. >> i'm glad people were trying to figure out how to vote. i was expecting the worst there. good job. >> maybe a little bit more than there that has parents and the internet going crazy. >> yellies, yellies, yellies.

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welcome back. our government scientists are saying climate change is actually causing bigger snowstorms in a recent report. they're saying the fuel from the snowstorms are coming from the warmer air and oceans that's increasing the amount of available moisture for these storms. it's pulling the moisture into these storms. if we get the air masses cold enough over land, it snow machine for cold canadian air, extreme snowfall. >> living in extreme times. still to come, caught in the act. the sting operation that is targeting those porch pirates. (acapella) whoa! (vo) and vaporize it with an intense rush of vicks vapors. (acapella) ahhhhhhhhhhh! (vo) new dayquil severe with vicks vapocool. the daytime coughing, stuffy head, vaporize your cold, medicine. (host) here...at snowfest... (vo) for your worst sore throat pain try new vicks vapocool drops. it's not candy, it's powerful relief.

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kimberly-clark has announced a voluntary recall of some of the u by kotex tampons. the company received reports of the products unraveling or coming apart, cause something users to seek medical attention. the recall applies only to specific lots of the regular absorbency sleek brand distributed between october 17th and october 23rd. there is a page on the u by kotex website with instructions on how to find out if the recall applies to a product you purchased. house minority leader nancy pelosi pulled out a major power play, making her one step closer to becoming speaker of the house next year. ms. pelosi struck a deal with a few democratic dissidents, pledging only to serve two until pelosi's deal flipped sevmberto. the official vote will take place on january 3rd. she will need 218 votes to be elected. there's a new effort underway to fight back against a growing por pirates. thieves stealing holiday packages right off your front porch. a police department is now teaming up with amazon to catch

crooks in the act. here's nbc's miguel almaguer. >> reporter: just in time for the holidays, police are warning porch pirates are on the prowl. but in jersey city, stoop surfers are about to get taken. this package, a decoy planted with a gps device so police can track it. >> it took three minutes. basically we put it down, and we probably didn't get a mile out of the area until we got a radar transmission from our detective saying that the package is on the move. >> reporter: working with amazon, police in jersey city installed doorbell cameras, planted dummy packages, and tracked them. the explosion in online shopping, which could ring up $124 billion in november and deer nationwide problem. an estimated 1 in 12 americans has had a package stolen from their home. to protect yourself, ask for a text alert when your package gets dropped off, or you can buy a security camera like this one to keep an eye on your porch.

but even that advice doesn't always work. in this season of giving, criminals keep taking. miguel almaguer, nbc news. >> it's happened to me. nothing worse than that pit in your stomach. you track it. it's been delivered, and then it's not there when you get h e home. on this thursday, happy birthday to a couple people here. taylor swift, 29 years old. dick van dyke from the original mary poppins, 93. jamie foxx turns 51 yearsistoer years old. >> thanks for watching. i'm frances rivera. >> and i'm phillip mena. >> and i'm phillip mena. be suretter

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gate bridge. beautiful shot to start off the morning. it's thursday, friday eve a lot of people like to say. thank you for joinings us. i'm marcus washington. >> good morning. when it's that clear it's cooler because we don't have our cloud blanket. >> that's right. you know basic meteorology. >> all right. i did it right. >> we'll have a warmer afternoon, too. here's a live look in san jose at christmas in the park. yes, it is a cool and crisp morning. and we are going to have a very nice afternoon. let's go to evergreen, we'll in the low 40s as you step out the door and reaching into the upper 50s by