passenger plane this russia bursts into flames on a hard landing. we'll have the latest. 600 rockets fired during a deadly weekend. a cease-fire takes hold at least for the moment. prison time for michael cohen as the fixer for president trump must report for a three-year sentence today. nbc news investigation into the medical gap facing black males facing very preventable health problems. plus theest on the disqualification at the running of the kentucky derby. "early today" starts right now. good to be with you. a passenger plane burst into

flames midair leaving at least 40 people dead. and dozens more mising in moscow. the plane caught fire after an attempting an emergency landing. russian investigators are trying to piece together what went wro wrong. here with the latest is nbc news correspondent. >> reporter: a russian passenger plane became a fireball. flames consumed the back half as they escaped on fleeing the burning wreckage on foot. the russian built superer vet took off sunday night enb route to the city. russia's news agency reported pilots issued a distress call and the plane circled back 30 minutes later for an emergency landing. while it's too soon for a cause, aviation experts say this video will surely provide crucial clues. >> you're not just seeing a little fire in one localized

area on the airplane. you're seeing a trail of heavy, thick flame and smoke and that could only be from a breach in the fuel system. >> reporter: a a harrowing ordeal and nothing short of a miracle. >> after a weekend ofeed to a cease-fire after more than 600 rockets were fired in israel from gaza in less than 24 hours. the military says fighter jets attacked 260 targets inside the gaza strip striking weapons factories belonging to militant group hamas. the health ministry announcing that 23 palestinians have been killed. hundreds more have been report on both sides conflict. fighting broke a month-long low in violence as egyptian mediators had been trying to negotiate a cease-fire between the two sides.

controversy at the 145'd running of the kentucky derby afte victor was disqualified for interfering with other competitors in the final leg of the race. officials ruled that the horse blocked orrs from being able to pass. the unprecedented decision even had the president weighing in. it's the first time in kentucky derby history a winner was disqualified. here's ron mott. >> maximum security wins the derby. >> reporter: the run for the roses turned thorny in the bigest race of the year. jockeying for position is common in a field this large. >> there's an objection posted on the board. after a delay of 20 minutes, racing stewards disqualified the apparent winner for interference. you can se 145 kentucky

derbies. >> the horses were all affected by the interference. therefore, we unanimously determined to disqualify number 7. >> reporter: that meant a long shot country house claimed top prize of almost $2 million returning handsome payouts to anyone daring to bet on him. >> it's bittersweet. i would be lying if i said it was any different. >> reporter: but maximum security's owner call tld egregious. the president tweeting only in the days of political correctness could such an overturn occur. it's not the feel-good story the derby usually produces. >> it's not the best timing for horse racing right now to have that happen, but it is the safest thing for the horses and for the jockeys to try to make sure that the riders know they have to maintain a straight course no matter the quality of

race. >> reporter: fans touring the stables largely agreed with the stewards. >> i have no regrets on how they cam med it. i think they did the right thing. >> reporter: the fans who bet object maximum security lost $9 million because of the disqualification. the question some are asking, what has horse racing lost. >>. now to a big reversal from president trump who previously refrained on robert mueller. now the president says no, setting up another battle with the democrats. for t on b this, we go to hans nichols. >> reporter: a late objection from the president on robert mueller's potential appearance before congress. bob mueller should not testify, the president tweete outsourced to attorney general william barr. >> would you like to see him testify? >> that's up to our attorney general. >> reporter: saying he would allow robert mueller to testify.

>> i have already said publicly i have no objection to him. >> reporter: the comments coming hours after democrats said they are trying to finalize mueller's appearance. the latest is the new poll shows they are split on impeaching president trump. playing out is the north korea may be unraveling with kim jong-un launching short range projectiles this weekend. trump still showing optimism he knows i'm with him and does not want to break his promise to me. dealre w get verify denucleari denuclearization. >> reporte >> it's very, very clear and calculated. in other words, he did not cross the explicit red line that had been set earlier. >> reporter: while the president seemed to want to deescalate, he increased pressure on china in

the trade talks saying he would raise tariffs if an agreement were not reached by friday. >> thank you. michael cohen is waking up to his last morning as a free man before he begins his three-year sentence in federal prison. the president's former lawyer and mixer is due to report to an institution in up state new york this afternoon. for more on thiz last hours of freedom and what's nengs, we're joined by kathy park, good morning. >> good morning, time is up for michael cohen. the former fixer for donald trump will be starting a new life as a federal prisoner. but cohen took full advantage of the life h michael cohen walking around manhattan enjoying his last hours as a free man. >> didwhthink when you started working for donald trump you'd end up in prison? >> had reporter.

>> moments later he's shaking hands and posing for a photo with a fan. cohen begins a three-year sentence for tax evasion, campaign finance crimes and lying to congress, all while working for donald trump. in an interview with a new yorker, he doubled down on his former boss asking how come i'm the one that's going to prison? i'm not the one that slept with the porn star. ko her honor will serve his sentence here in new york in the prison's minimum security camp he will join the situation from jersey shore, convicted of tax evasion. and billy mcfarland, convicted of fraud. >> they come in and they are nobody. they are aer the prison as a case manager. >> you are told when to eat whrks to wake up, when to go to bed and counted five times a day. >> reporter: just 70 miles from his park avenue apen world away. for his part president trump ha

allegations. cohen is supposed to surrender before 2:00 p.m. today. >> thank you. the u.s. is is deploying a carrier strike group and a number of bombers tort the middle east in sfons a number of troubling warnings from iran and threats to the region. job bolton issued a statement announcing the deployment of the u.s.s. carrier strike group. the deployment is to send a clear maessage to the iranian regime any attack on united states interests or allies will be met with unrelenting force. adding that the u.s. is not seeking war, but is prepared to respond to any attack. kim jong-un pushing the boundaries with the u.s. after the leader supervise d a drill involving multiple rocket launchers. the first of such tests in more than a year. the trump administration down playing the threat with

secretary of state mike pompeo saying he hopes to resume denuclearization talks with north korea. we have more. what do we know about the missiles? >> they are looking at the possibility that this was a test of a new short range ballistic missile that was unveiled at a military parade last year. the north state media agency released photos of the launch, also of kim jong-un overseeing it. the reports hailed the technical success of the missile, but didn't mention the united states r or south korea. now while it could be a potential violation of united nations resolutions, the one that underpinned the sanctions on north korea right now, it just falls short of breaching that self-imposed moratorium on missile testing. those are the icbms capable of

reaching the united states. however, short missiles pose a concern here south korea and in japan and for the thousands of u.s. military personnel based in the region. there's also an agreement between pyongyang and seoul there would be no more testing. president trump so far doesn't seem bothered by it. that tweet over the weekend from him saying that kim knows that i'm with him. the secretary of state mike pompeo also down playing the significance of the test suggesting that it the trump administration for now is focused solely on disarmament and may actually look the other way if they test anything other than an icbm. >> thank you. millions of americans are hoping for time to recover after multiple rounds of severe weather. the weather service now confirm ing a tornado touched down in georgia near the savannah yacht club. the winds reaching up to

enough to flip a boat upside down on to a dock. as the storm moved into florida, a woman lifted b the conditions powerful lightning strike right on camera. how terrifying to see when you open your window. bill karins joins us now. >> we can expect more of the same. so last night we had 20 different people reporting tornadoes. thankfully we didn't have too much damage, but it was back in the middle of the country. we're still watching a few thunderstorms moving through oklahoma. we're going to do it all over and have numerous rounds. it's going to be a repeat of last week. much of the state of kansas, northern oklahoma and portions of missouri and northern texas. 5 million people at risk of severe storms during the day. then we'll do it again. this time up to an enhanced risk.

and then final so saturated ando much water out there. you notice the storms down in south texas. it is a nice to say the sun will return in the northeast today. which is about time. >> i forgot what that thing looked like. thank you. the queen of pop madonna has a new award to add to the mantle at the glad media awards. the 60-year-old music icon received the edadvocate for chae award. she delivered an emotional 15-minute acceptance speech and dedicated a portion of it to the 1980s aids crisis. he's the second recipient of the award. the first was former president bill clinton in 2013.

plenty more ahead including some good news for "game of thrones" fans with some prequells in the works. plus mayor pete paid a visit to jimmy carter's sunday school bible class. stay with us. ab. ohhhh... enough already! we need to see a doctor. ask your doctor about myrbetriq® (mirabegron). it treats oab symptoms of urgency, frequency, and leakage. it's the first and only oab treatment in its class. myrbetriq may increase blood pressure. tell your doctor right away if you have trouble emptying your bladder or have a weak urine stream. myrbetriq may cause serious allergic reactions like swelling of the face, lips, throat or tongue, or trouble breathing. if experienced, stop taking and tell your doctor right away. myrbetriq may interact with other medicines. tell your doctor if you have liver or kidney problems. common side effects include increased blood pressure, common cold or flu symptoms, sinus irritation, dry mouth, urinary tract infection, bladder inflammation,

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the former president said at the church service he knew buttigieg from a habitat for humanity project in indiana. there are only two episodes left of "game of thrones." the saga will continue. according to the author of the books on which the series is based, this could be as many as three spin offs of the fantasy phenomenon. he wrote, the one i am not soezed to call the long night will be shooting later this year and two other shows remaeb in the sc s cler. so right when you think tough go through withdrawals, this you go. a little nugget. cinco de mayo marked the 155th anniversary of the people took to the streets in mexico city to reenact the squirmish that happened in 1862. mexican forces were able to fight off napoleon and the invading troops. the holiday has taken on a life

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you know your missions. no mistakes. >> "avengers" continues world domination in its second weekend. the blockbuster has reached $2.2 billion globally. the weekend's two new releases didn't fair so ll intruder" cam with $11 million. "long shot" made $10 million. coming up, the warm up finally arrives and not a moment too soon. plus a major health impact on the black community. pen in y. wrinkles just won't. neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair's derm-proven retinol works so fast,

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welcome back. the sudden death of john singleton has led to important conversations in this country around the health of black men. experts say a surprising gap in the medical field is causing some preventable health problems for a population already at risk. here's ron allen. >> reporter: every week otis visits an elementary psychological trying to get student mrs. interested in science and math. it's the first step towards getting them to think about following had niz footsteps and some day becoming a doctor. >> i don't b field that can compare. >> reporter: this 31-year-old married father of two is on a journey few young black men take. he's a first year medical student in atlanta. the number of african-american male medical students peaked at 542 in 1978 and has been falling ever since.

in 2014 only 515 black men entered america's medical schools in the class of some 20,000. the education requirements and the cost in time and money turns many of his peers away. he expects to be $200,000 in debt. >> you took the medical exams four times to get in. >> yes, correct. >> this is like nine years plus of school. >> there's nothing else i want to do other than practice medicine. >> reporter: a doctor is dean of admissions. >> black men don't know this is an opportunity they should aspire to because they have never seen a black male physician. >> reporter: dr. o'ma ri believes the lack of black men in medicine is one reason black male life expectancy is among the short eest. studies show black patients are more likely to get preventive tests when they have black doctors. >> people like and feel

comfortable around people who look like them. >> reporter: back in the classroom, dr. green's work is making an impact. >> i don't have nobody in my family that's a doctor. so i want to step up and hopefully i can help people that's in need. >> reporter: young future physicians in a community that desperately needs them. ron allen, nbc news, atlanta. >> later on on the "today" show, from the block to the plaza, j. lo performs live. she kicks off the summer concert series. set the dvrs now. can you imagine what a force she is. any time you get her, even more so live in the plaza. >> right, i love the summer concert seri j. lo. amazing. >>haupdates on early today's

a horrific scene in russia where a jet liner made an emergency landing engulfed in flames. passengers trying to evacuate using emergency chutes, dozens feared dead. a tentative cease-fire half issued after dozens are killed on both sides of the border between israel and gas za after hundreds of missiles are fired by each. about face. president trump does not want robert mueller to testify before congress. more fallout after the disqualification at the kentucky derby. all that and a major chicken recall to warn you about. "early today" starts now. rlie hall. >> i'm frances rivera.