tizer kills 99.9% with 0% bleach. lysol. what it takes to protect.™ i don't think most countries are giving us their finest >> the border battle heats up. president trump set to unveil a major immigration overhaul, but it could quickly hit a wall with democrats. constitutional clash alabama signs the bill for the strictest abortion ban in the country, setting the stage for a supreme court showdown over roe v. wade. a harrowing escape on the hudson the frantic rescue after a helicopter spiraled into the river. brewing their own brand of justice. how a craft brewer convinced beer lovers to hop to it and find their stolen van in under an hour. "early today" starts right now good thursday morning.

i'm frances rivera. >> and i'm phillip mena. an immigration overhaul is in the works at the white house president trump is expected to unveil a sweeping new plan that would emphasize a migrant's skill set over family ties in the country. the proposal could help republicans on the campaign trail, but it's sure to hit a wall with democrats. nbc's craig boswell is in d.c. to break it all down for us. craig, this proposal, it has some tough hurdles for immigrants. >> reporter: phillip, good morning. good morning, everyone it does include some hurdles the plan calls for immigrants to pass a civics test there are education levels there are also language skills and english proficiency. it's a shift now to a merit-based immigration system from the current family-based approach, where green cards go to those with family ties. on border security, it outlines some border wall completion in about 33 prioritized areas to be paid for by new fees the plan was largely crafted by president trump's son-in-law, and the president is fully

getting behind it today. he alluded to it yesterday with a familiar refrain >> we are calling on congress to fix our terrible immigration laws stop catch and release i don't think most countries are giving us their finest do you agree and that's what's happening, and it's causing tremendous problems with crime >> reporter: and the plan does not address the millions of immigrants already in the country illegally. it doesn't address the daca plan that is a huge deal for democrats. that's a top priority. they are not going to get behind this deal. that ensures no democratic support. lawmakers from both sides, though, say this plan is largely unlikely to get through congress phillip, back to you. >> another stab at a very complex problem. craig, thank you the trump administration will brief top congressional leaders today on rising threats in the middle east amid mounting tensions with tehran lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are warning the president

to avoid further escalation after the state department ordered all non-emergency personnel to leave baghdad because of a threat from iranian-backed groups. and according to "the washington post," the president himself is frustrated with the situation, worried that some of his top advisers could rush the u.s. into a military confrontation with iran. nbc's richard engel has the latest >> reporter: u.s. tensions with iran are still rising. all non-emergency personnel have been ordered to leave the u.s. embassy in baghdad and the consulate in northern iraq immediately. and centcom has placed thousands of u.s. troops in iraq and syria on high alert, citing unspecified, quote, credible threats that iranian proxies could attack u.s. forces in iraq, iranian-back the militias are widespread, incl e including iraqi security units just last week, secretary of state mike pompeo made a surprise visit to baghdad and spoke about the danger from

iran. >> these are attacks that were imminent. >> reporter: but a top british general directly contradicted u.s. warnings of a new threat from iran. >> no, there's been no increased threat from iranian-backed forces in iraq and syria >> reporter: native american and the netherlands made clear they want no part in a possible conflict, suspending military training missions in iraq. spain went so far as to pull a warship from the u.s. aircraft carrier battle group sent to the region earlier . the month. while the u.s. is still investigating those mysterious attacks on oil tankers near the persian gulf iran has denied responsibility >> that was richard engel reporting. alabama has taken a major step in a challenge to the landmark roe v. wade supreme court decision the governor signing a law that puts a near total ban on abortion in that state house speaker nancy pelosi calls the law a clear violation of the

constitution that cannot be allowed to stand nbc's kerry sanders as more on this from alabama. [ crowd chanting ] >> reporter: alabama the latest battleground in the newly energized abortion debate. >> this bill is about control. >> human life has rights. >> reporter: republican governor kay ivey signed the nation's most restrictive anti-abortion law in the country to take effect in six months >> all human life is precious. >> reporter: the restrictions would make it a felony for anyone to perform an abortion, punishable by up to 99 years in prison only legal if there's serious health risk to the mother. no exception for rape or incest. outlawed at any stage of the pregnancy. >> we believe in alabama that baby in the womb is a person that's already a part of our law. if a drunk driver killed a mother expecting a child, it's a double homicide in our law. >> reporter: this law goes further than 28 other states that either recently introduced or enacted abortion

restrictions some defining life begins when a fetal heartbeat is detected. missouri and louisiana debating abortion. >> i was saddened for the women of the state of alabama. i was saddened for the women in this country to think that we cannot make decisions for ourselves and our bodies. >> house bill 314 passes. >> reporter: legislators here say they specifically worded this abortion bill to challenge roe v. wade, but reverend pat robertson says it's gone too far. >> it's an extreme law, and they want to challenge roe v. wade, but my humble view is that this is not the case we want to bring to the supreme court because i think this one will lose >> reporter: while the governor here believes the u.s. supreme court should now review that landmark decision of roe v. wade from 1973, there are a lot of steps from a governor signing a bill into law and the u.s.

supreme court in washington. phillip? >> the battle has begun. kerry, thank you. a helicopter pilot is lucky to be alive after a terrifying plunge into the hudson river in new york city. look at the video here coming down the pilot was flying over the water when it began to lose altitude amazingly he was able to escape with minor injuries. nbc's anne thompson was there. >> reporter: it was a sight no tourist expected to see. >> holy [ bleep ], there's a helicopter just crashed. >> reporter: a helicopter suddenly spinning out of control, plunging into the hudson, missing the landing pad by a mere 150 feet >> the craft went sides on him >> i just saw the big splash i think the rotor just came right off. >> reporter: the pilot of the charter was the only person onboard. 34-year-old eric morales activated the flotation devices and escaped. he was picked up by a passing boat with only a minor injury to his hand

>> as he was attempting to leave and repositioning the plane to land again, he said all of a sudden he felt the plane go down, the helicopter come down. >> reporter: the rescue scene recalling the miracle on the hudson in almost the same place ten years ago. all 155 people onboard survived. the ntsb will investigate what went wrong here. >> that was anne thompson reporting. another day, another democrat jumping into the race for 2020 new york mayor bill de blasio will declare his bid for the presidency today according to a campaign spokesperson. de blasio will make his formal announcement before heading off to iowa and south carolina he's the 23rd democrat to enter the race, but hopes his accomplishments as mayor will help him stand out such as enacting universal pre-k and raising the minimum wage. in a colorado courtroom, the two students suspected of opening fire in a school last week and killing a classmate were officially charged with first-degree murder. it happened on the same day the victim who was killed and hailed as a hero was honored at an

emotional memorial here's nbc's gadi schwartz >> reporter: frances, such a moving tribute here for kendrick castillo, the hero who gave his life to protect others in highlands ranch, a heartfelt procession students lining the streets holding signs and hundreds of jeeps like kendrick castillo's own following the hearse with his casket to the church. >> he died for us. now it's time for us to live for him. >> reporter: the suspects in last week's shooting faced a judge. the 18-year-old charged with kendrick's death and the 16-year-old suspect charged with murder as an adult. >> there are a bunch of other charges that did not come up in open court that i can't discuss. >> reporter: classmate joshua jones helped stop the shooters, saying kendrick inspired him to act. >> his sacrifice helped so many people it took all of us, and it truly was something selfless. >> what do you think kendrick a legacy is? >> i don't think anybody truly wants to be a hero like him,

but, you know, he was. >> reporter: kendrick's father telling those at his memorial he hopes his only child's life will help make the world a better place. >> to carry on his life's message, we need to be more like him. that's what this world needs for change >> reporter: kendrick's family now surrounded by a community remembering its heroism and the sacrifice no family should endure frances, now prosecutors are trying to figure out whether they should charge a security who was inside that school during the shooting for firing his gun, and that security gun is the same security guard that's being credited with subduing one of the suspects frances. >> gadi schwartz, thank you. police in germany are on the hunt for a suspected car thief who they say stole a rare ferrari worth over $2 million. authorities say the suspect had been test driving a red 1985 ferrari 288 gto, and he sped off as soon as the owner tried to get back into the driver's seat. the car was found a day later,

but police are still looking for him. they released this photo of the man inspecting the car before that test drive began. this ferrari is extremely rare only 272 were ever built. let's turn to the weather and nbc meteorologist bill karins with what he's watching today. >> we're about to enter a very dangerous period severe weather outbreak possible maybe next four, five, six days in a row all because our storm systems are now coming into the west coast a rare big rain vent in areas of california later this afternoon, 24 million people at risk goes all the way from nebraska through chicago, milwaukee included and into areas of indiana and ohio then tomorrow, that's when we're going to introduce a tornado risk, areas of west texas and also in nebraska this continues into the weend. that's aek 9 ridge

in the northern plains you can see in areas of the southeast, warm today also we'll talk about the big temperature swing coming up. >> bill, thank you. a stainless steel rabbit by artist jeff coombs just smashed auction records for a living artist the 1986 sculpture fetched $91.1 million at christie's in new york this is a three-foot tall stainless steel silver bunny it reportedly went to art dealer robert mnuchin he's the father of the u.s. secretary steve mnuchin. >> wow. >> wow is right. >> $91 million for a little bunny. just ahead, georgetown university teaches a tough lesson to the students at the center of that admissions scandal. plus a skyscraper scare. the daring race to rescue those two workers dangling ♪

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neutrogena® just wait'll you get to the beregister.isn't it? introducing new lower prices on produce. atta boy a dramatic rescue took place high in the sky above oklahoma city two window washers hung on for dear life as that huge scaffold was swinging back and forth out

of control and then hit the side of a 52-story skyscraper it's the tallest building in the city first responders managed to throw ropes to the trapped workers and secure the basket. no one was seriously hurt. >> frightening just to see that video. >> they were freaked out but they were physically okay. the united states is saying no to chinese telecommunications giant huawei in a big new development. president trump has signed an executive order banning any foreign telecom gear that poses a national security risk and declare it a national emergency. in a one-two punch, the commerce secretary added huawei and its affiliates to the list of threats. the administration argues it simply cannot allow technology or services from adversaries into the u.s but with 5g development taking over the globe, the question now is whether these actions amid a trade dispute might have rippling effects felt across the world of telecommunications. the college admissions scandal. georgetown university has

expelled two students and one of them is fighting back. one of them is a joern and is filing a lawsuit against the university he claims he had no idea what his father did and that he shouldn't be penalized for his actions. the father allegedly bribed the tennis coach with $400,000 to pass his son off as a star tennis player. the son is blaming the university for not noticing that his high school records made no mention of tennis. a big honor for the 13-year-old girl whose kidnapping and dramatic escape stunned the nation jayme closs made a rear public appearance on wednesday, receiving a hometown hero award from wisconsin lawmakers closs' parents were murdered last october she was held captive for 88 days in a cabin before she was able to flee and help lead police to her kidnapper. still ahead, a heartwarming high school graduation at a hospital, and it was barely even gone how a brewery got beer lovers to track down its stolen van in less than an hour. p

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pete townshend performing with classroom instruments on fallon last night. imagine in their heyday, if they ever could imagined if they would end up playing -- >> one of these days you'll be with one of the biggest late night hosts. it's a hit. who knew that promising free beer as a reward could help solve crimes that worked out for the unknown brewing company in charlotte -- that's their name. they took to twitter for help lowity kag their stolen van and they offered a free keg party to anyone who found it. they were able to recover that van in 42 minutes after posting it thanks to tips from about 15 people as for the free keg party, the company says they'll begin brewing a new beer called van theft auto, but will have to sell it for 25 cents a pint to cover the taxes. no word yet on whether there are any suspects so much for crime stoppers this is what you need to do if you need a crime solved. >> just make beer the incentive and you'll be surprised the

motivation there. graduations are special, but this one even more so. a high school senior was supposed to graduate on wednesday but justin was hospitalized he was sick, and too sick to attend the ceremonies. that didn't stop him from getting his diploma. the hospital put tooth an impromptu graduation complete with guests a i caucake, even ao player, a hospital volunteer along with two army officials presented him with his diploma. >> that's beautiful. >> that's the way to make it happen you're sick, you're in the hospital, everybody around makes it for him. still ahead, the acting faa chief defends his agency's handling of the boeing 737 max after those deadly crashes we'll have details next here on "early today." george has entresto, a heart failure medicine that helps his heart... so he can keep on doing what he loves. in the largest heart failure study ever, entresto was proven superior at helping people stay alive

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[quartet singing] shoot the j! shoot, shoot, shoot the jaaaaaay... believe it! geico could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. welcome back pretty wild temperature map going on today areas of california are going to be unseasonably cool with that big storm coming through while the central plains are seeing the warmest temperatures of the season 93 in omaha today. look at san francisco and vegas and san diego, everyone there on the cooler side. then going into friday and we're going to continue to watch the warmth in the central plains then the storm comes through look at this weekend, temperatures in the 80s and even 90s in the carolinas of course one of the bigger weekend events, the preakness stakes we're going to be looking pretty good in maryland, partly sunny, pleasant 75 degrees. >> nothing like the kentucky derby. >> totally 180. still ahead, america's baby bust what's behind the country's declining birth rates next on "early today." oderate to severe plaque psoriasis get clearer.

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in today's top stories, the acting head of the faa is on the hot seat over the way his agency handled the investigation into the 737 max, the now grounded plane involved in those two air disasters overseas it comes as an audio recording has surfaced of an angry exchange between boeing and pilots for american airlines upset over being kept in the dark about the plane here's nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: with the 737 max fleet now grounded for two months, the acting faa chief was on the capitol hill hot seat over the faa's oversight of the troubled plane. >> you're in bed with those that you were supposed to be regulating and that's why it took so long. >> the aa has a credibility

problem. the faa needs to fix its credibility problem. >> we will not allow the 737 max to fly in the u.s. until it is absolutely safe to do so >> reporter: the max was grounded after two fatal crashes killed 346 people in though and indonesia. investigators and boeing say a new flight system called mcas misfired, putting both planes into a fatal nosedive. but boeing never told pilots about the mcas system until after the indonesian crash >> we flat out deserve to know what is on our airplanes. >> i don't disagree. >> reporter: at a tense meeting between american pilots and boeing engineers last november, after the first crash, american pilots expressed anger that boeing kept them in the dark about the mcas system. the conversation authenticated by pilots in the meeting >> we're the last line of defense to being in that smoking hole, and we need the knowledge. >> reporter: boeing says it will take the steps necessary to enhance safety and regain the trust and confidence that people have placed in boeing. the company has some work to do.

the president of the american airlines pilots union, himself a 737 pilot, says he now has serious trust issues with boeing >> that's tom costello reporting. america is heading into a baby bust. the cdc reports birth rates have fallen to a 32-year low, just 3.7 million births in 2018 the major finding, the fertility rate was 59 births for every 1,000 women. scientists say in order for the population to remain stable, there would have to be 2,100 births for every 1,000 women, meaning each woman would have to have two babies. >> get to work, people we got a lot of work to do >> maybe not be a bad problem for some, others, a major one. paris is celebrating 130 years of its most famous landmark of course we're talking about the eiffel tower 1,300 children were invited to the monument on wednesday for a spectacular 12-minute light show featuring projected strobes and lasers flashing across the tower. the lights were secured by

professional climbers who clambered up that 1,063 foot tall structure the light show is going to run through friday >> beautiful >> sure s. thanks for watching "early today. i'm phillip mena. i'm phillip mena. >> that was, surprisingly, not terrible. even without scrubbing, lysol power toilet bowl cleaner attacks tough limescale and rust stains to clean 10 times better than clorox liquid bleach. lysol. what it takes to protect.®

storm following a rare . welcome to thursday mornings, it's already may 16th. and we are tracking the next storm following a rare spring soaker here in the bay area. you can wake up to wet pavement out there this morning. good morning, thanks so much for joining us. i'm laura garcia. >> i'm marcus washington. first, let's talk about that rain we have right here. >> some of that rain, most of it has clipped through, then you have to see those showers still bringing us some wet weather as we see this radar this morning. here is a look at those few leftover showers, as you get ready to head out the door. getting a look at north san jose overar