rolling along nice and smooth, and all of a sudden, we're on our side then it looked like we were going to flip. >> next thing i knew, we were pushing out the emergency exit. i was outside and there were people screaming and bleeding. >> it is an absolute disastrous mess. never seen anything like this in my life and most personnel will say that as well. >> well good morning, everybody. i'm betty nguyen. we do begin with breaking news at this hour. a deadly amtrak train derailment near philadelphia. crews are still searching for survivors aboard derailed amtrak regional 188. a passenger train going from washington, d.c. up to new york city. now, at this hour we know at least five people are dead but that number could rise as the sun comes up. one of the reasons there has been uncertainty up to this

point goes back to when it all happened, around 9:20 p.m. eastern. the train derailed in a dimly lit area. rescue crews were just scrambling, having to use flashlights in what ended up being a level 3 mass casualty incident. a call went out for surrounding helicopters to help the rescue effort by shining spotlights on the area. we also know six people are in critical condition. there are 243 people on board, 5 of whom were amtrak employees. we want to give you an idea of what it was like on that train. this video was taken by nbc producer janelle richards just moments after it all happened. >> got to get out. here, hold on. hold on. here. >> go go go go. >> just get out. >> can you help me? >> yeah. courtney. >> you can see the darkness and confusion there. one witness spoke to our philadelphia affiliate, wcau

about what it was like. >> it just -- we were sitting there, and then it just -- you saw it go like that swung. you could feel it off the tracks. then we just rolled and rolled. and next thing i knew we were pushing out the emergency exit and i was outside, and there were people screaming and bleeding, and we helped them out, and they're okay now. >> victims, they were carried away in droves. outside, train cars just scattered off the tracks some on their sides, some upside down, one nearly split in two. and the tracks mangled and bent. here is how our affiliate's helicopter reporter described the scene from above. >> reporter: you see this one right here appears to be the most heavily damaged, just completely off the tracks here. i mean right now you can see some of the other train cars in this area and you just see how this one just completely went off the rails. you see right here this is that front of the train there. that would be the engine car. and what we pointed out a few

minutes ago is just how it went off the rails and really just so far separated from the rest of the cars that it came to this point here and jumped the rails and just ripped them off of the railroad ties and just bent the entire rail. >> and then this. philadelphia mayor michael nutter describing just how horrific the scene is. >> full response -- fire police, department of homeland security septa, amtrak and the state police. i've talked to governor wolf and his chief of staff. they are very concerned about this incident have given their full cooperation and support. all agencies actively engaged and involved. i've been down on the tracks on the scene with my staff. it is an absolute disastrous mess. never seen anything like this in my life and most personnel will say that as well. going to give you some updated

information. we want our families -- this was a northbound train from washington, d.c., to new york city. many of these folks do not live in philadelphia. >> let's take you now to the derailment site. msnbc's adam reese is live in philadelphia this morning. adam, what is the scene like where you are? >> reporter: good morning, betty. the mayor, as you just heard, called it a disastrous mess. the scene behind me mangled trains mangled wreckage. he also said he can't be sure that everyone's been accounted for, so they've sent in search dogs and firemen with the jaws of life. those are the hydraulics that can rip open the twisted metal to in fact, see if in fact there is still someone inside. now, the train left about 9:15 30th street station in philadelphia, made its way here north of philadelphia about 9:28 when it approached this turn in the tracks and that's when it derailed. all seven cars derailed three of them on their side. passengers describing utter

chaos, luggage thrown about, passengers thrown about, making their way through the twisted metal in complete darkness. you could see the rescuers the searchers, the emergency workers using flashlights because it was essentially pitch black at 10:00 at night as they were making their rescue here in philadelphia. now, what went wrong? we'll hear from the federal railroad administration, the ntsb, the fbi, all on their way. they will look at the event recorders to see how fast was the train going, when were the brakes applied. they'll talk to the conductor. he will have to undergo toxicology tests just to determine what went wrong. the mayor said these tracks will not be workable at least not before the end of this week. betty? >> yeah, there's a lot to be learned as soon as the sun comes up. and we understand there will be possibly a news conference around 11:00 a.m. eastern time. as for those who were taken to the hospital what do you know about their injuries? >> reporter: we know that six

are critical. there were other minor injuries. five fatalities that you talked about, six critical. 65 were transported to various hospitals, numerous hospitals in this area. and i also want to mention, we might not know in the next couple weeks or as many as two months as to what exactly what wrong, as the investigators comb through the wreckage and comb through the event recorder. >> yeah, and i think they're going to be looking a lot, too, at that particular area. you're closer to it than we are, obviously, but i understand there was a bit of a bend where some of these trains went off the track? >> reporter: yeah, it was approaching this bend in the track, and that's when it derailed. again, all seven cars derailed. i was at the scene. three cars on their side. the one that's completely twisted, it looks like a can. the metal looked like plastic, just completely ripped open just complete devastation. so, you've got to wonder how fast was this train going?

we don't want to speculate, but it looks like it might have been going too fast as it made its way around this turn. >> well investigators will be on the scene looking into what caused this accident no doubt, and we should get some more information as the sun does come up. all right, adam reiss, thank you so much for your reporting. we appreciate it. overnight, i spoke with emory university freshman matt hauthman, who was on the train with his mother who was injured in the crash. he described what happened. >> basically, everything was going fine and for two seconds, the car started to shake. and all of a sudden, everyone flew up on to the side of the train, and everyone was just so confused what happened and the car started to smoke, and we thought that we'd better get out of there before it explodes. and so we tried just getting everyone off the train. >> did you have any indication was there any kind of prior

warning, or was this something that just happened all of a sudden? >> it all happened just at once. the car started shaking for two seconds, and then we're on our side. >> do you know which car in particular were you in? were you closer to the front or closer to the back. >> i was in the last car. >> oh, so you were in the last car. i understand your mother was on the train with you and she was injured, is that correct? >> yeah my mother -- we're actually both in the er right now at the hospital but she flew up against the window and a suitcase fell on her, and i think she might have some fractured ribs. >> goodness. what happened when this train crashed and you saw these injuries? how were you able to get out? >> well first thing i did was i helped my mom up and i looked around. i was there and i was walking and i wasn't in too much pain

so obviously, we saw the smoke coming and we thought we had to get out of here. there was a door that was slightly open, so we just squeezed people through there, and i tried my best to just help people get out, because there were people that were in much worse condition than i was. >> that was max helfman, one of the passengers on that train. oddly enough this is the second major train accident in this area. 71 years ago, in 1943 the back portion of a train traveling that same route derailed at that same junction. the cause of that one, the axle of an older car latched to the back ofand overheated and fell off. 79 people died and another 117 were injured. but just hours ago, amtrak released this statement, saying -- "we are deeply saddened by the loss of life from amtrak northeast regional train 188 that derailed north of philadelphia tuesday evening. we ask the news media to be respectful of our customers, our employees and their families." now, this morning, amtrak is telling customers that there

will be service between washington and philadelphia, harrisburg and philly then new york and boston. there will be no amtrak service between new york and philly and it's probably a good idea to check with amtrak before traveling for the next few days. some stories making news this morning. a wisconsin police officer who fatally shot a 19-year-old unarmed man will not face any charges. it's a decision drawing criticism. here's nbc's ron allen. >> i am so very sorry for your loss. >> reporter: with that apology to tony robinson's mother for her 19-year-old son's death, district attorney ismail ozan announced no criminal charges would be filed against officer matt kenney. >> this tragic and unfortunate death was the result of a lawful use of deadly police force. >> reporter: he described a violent and chaotic night with 911 callers saying robinson had assaulted several people. >> he said tony was acting kind of crazy and then came up to him and tried to choke him.

>> reporter: police radio calls. robin robinson's friends had asked for help. >> look for a male black, light skin tan jacket in jeans, outside yelling in front of cars. 19 years of age, his name is tony robinson. >> reporter: it followed days of protests. his mother called it a massacre. >> what they didn't do is give my son any respect and they didn't do a thorough full investigation. >> reporter: the prosecutor said officer matt kenney had followed robinson to a nearby house, heard a disturbance and encountered robinson inside a doorway. >> he said tony robinson immediately turned the corner and struck him with a closed fist. >> reporter: the prosecutor said kenney fired seven shots while retreating. >> this is not what democracy looks like! >> reporter: outside, defiance as protesters gathered for a march to the state capitol. are you surprised by this? >> i think i'm concerned about how our community responded. >> reporter: the prosecutor, a lifelong resident had emphasized that he like robinson, is biracial with a

black mother who worries about her son. >> that was nbc's ron allen reporting. this morning in nepal, the urgent search for a missing u.s. marine helicopter. this is what it looks like on board. six u.s. marines and two nepalese soldiers. the chopper disappeared during yesterday's 7.3 earthquake. the latest quake left over 60 dead and injured over 1,000. we have new details in that alleged, new road rage shooting involving george zimmerman. he was reportedly shot at by matthew apperson on a florida road on monday. police have recovered zimmerman's handgun from his vehicle and two handguns from apperson's vehicle. zimmerman's face was scratched by glass when a bullet pierced his truck's window. police say both men had a road rage encounter last year. well it's a big day ahead for law enforcement officers around the country. david letterman, he got a bit of a surprise from bill clinton on his last appearance on "the late show." we have those details, next. well it's mild and it's going to be clear all day long in philadelphia for the cleanup

and for the investigation. the rest of the country, especially the heartland, not as lucky. those forecast details coming up. you're watching "first look" on msnbc.

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so the northeast is cooling off today, and there is something called heat kink that has been tossed around. it has caused train derailments in the past but to have that happen, you need like 100-degree temperatures, like the middle of a heat wave and a lot of sunshine, too, and that didn't happen yesterday. it was around 8:00 to 9:00 at night, so there was no problems whatsoever with the train derailment. today 70 in philadelphia 70 in new york. the worst weather overnight, houston. yesterday it was corpus christi. tonight it's been houston. the heavy rain is finally pushing out, heading up towards doemt and also through livingston, but in the houston area we still have flash flood warnings in effect. we picked up over 3 to 4 inches of rain in the area especially south of town so there will be standing water to some people's commute. and all of the rain in west texas will eventually head up

towards ft. worth and austin and san antonio. that's why we have the flash flood watches. an additional 1 to 3 inches is possible and the saturated soil too. that's where the problems come in. throughout tonight, it will clear out. but here's the estimated rainfall totals the next 24 hours. yellow is 2 inches red is 3 inches, so a hefty rainfall but we shouldn't have horrible problems. now, as we mentioned, there's a lot of other nice weather around the country today. and the next severe weather outbreak looks like it will begin on friday and peak on saturday in the same locations, tornado alley. >> man just in time for the weekend. >> again, two weekends in a row. >> geez, okay thank you. police officers nationwide who have died in the line of duty will be honored tonight. a candlelight vigil will be held at the national law enforcement officers memorial. yesterday the vice president spoke about their sacrifices at the 19th annual top cop awards. >> we know the risk you take to protect us every single solitary day, from hattiesburg, mississippi, to new york city. we can never repay you. >> nbc's edward lawrence is in

washington with more on how officers are being remembered. >> reporter: this bicycle ride highlighted national police week, a time to honor those who gave the ultimate price for their job protecting all of us. for michelle walker this week means a painful time to remember her husband, trooper mike walker. he died new year's eve 2005 while helping a stranded motorist on a california highway. he was killed when another motorist caused an accident. >> the sacrifices that they make i think are sometimes overlooked or lost in the chaos of daily news. and this is a place where they're not forgotten. and it means the world to me that i'm allowed to participate in this event. >> reporter: she says this is the first year she could raise the strength to be here. >> there's no individuals here. >> reporter: officer adam johnston says police are being portrayed in a negative light with the riots in baltimore and six officers charged in the death of freddie gray as well as other events nationwide involving law enforcement. he thinks those incidents should not reflect on the profession as

a whole. >> but the truth of the matter is, is that i don't know any officer who doesn't truly, truly care about the community that they serve. >> reporter: tonight, 273 officers who died on the job will be honored at the national law enforcement memorial ceremony. edward lawrence, nbc news, washington. 19 minutes past the hour. just ahead, marlins slugger joncarlo santon hits one out of the park literally. plus, the packers' aaron rodgers goes to hollywood. find out how he did on "celebrity jeopardy." their type 2 diabetes... ...with non-insulin victoza. for a while, i took a pill to lower my blood sugar but it didn't get me to my goal. so i asked my doctor about victoza. he said victoza works differently than pills and comes in a pen. victoza is proven to lower blood sugar and a1c. it's taken once a day, any time. and the needle is thin. victoza is not for weight loss but it may help you lose some weight. victoza is an injectable prescription medicine that may improve blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes

when used with diet and exercise. it is not recommended as the first medication to treat diabetes and should not be used in people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. victoza has not been studied with mealtime insulin. victoza is not insulin. do not take victoza if you have a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if you are allergic to victoza or any of its ingredients. symptoms of a serious allergic reaction may include swelling of face lips, tongue or throat fainting or dizziness, very rapid heartbeat problems breathing or swallowing, severe rash or itching. tell your doctor if you get a lump or swelling in your neck. serious side effects may happen in people who take victoza including inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis) which may be fatal. stop taking victoza and call your doctor right away if you have signs of pancreatitis, such as severe pain that will not go away in your abdomen or from your abdomen to your back

with or without vomiting. tell your doctor about all the medicines you take and if you have any medical conditions. taking victoza with a sulfonylurea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. the most common side effects are nausea, diarrhea, and headache. some side effects can lead to dehydration, which may cause kidney problems. if your pill isn't giving you the control you need... ask your doctor about non-insulin victoza. it's covered by most health plans. >>who... is this?! >>hi, i am heinz new mustard. hi na na na na >>she's just jealous because you have better taste. whatever. >>hey. keep your chin up. for years, heinz ketchup has been with the wrong mustard. well, not anymore. introducing heinz new better tasting yellow mustard. mmm! if you have play dates at your house. be ready to clean up the mess. the kids have fun, but it's pretty gross. (doorbell) what's that? it's a swiffer wetjet. i can just grab this and just go right to the mess. that comes from my floor? now that's disgusting. i want friends over! you want friends over?

coming up on 22 minutes after the hour. in sports bulls/cavs game five. first quarter, lebron james gets the breakaway steal and finishes with the onehand jam. he rounds out the game with 38 points and 12 boards. fourth quarter, bulls down by 12. taj gibson and matthew del via doza get twisted up. then pushing and shoving by players on both sides. gibson is ejected. bulls, though unable to overcome the deficit in the fourth. cavs take game five 106-101. houston rockets looking to avoid elimination against the los angeles clippers. clippers had a difficult time defending the star players. james harden recorded a triple-double, 26 points 11 boards and boards. rockets take game 5 124-103. miami marlins slugger giancarlo stanton did something

not done since mark mcgwire in 1999. stanton knocked the ball out of dodger stadium traveling approximately 478 feet. it is the third longest home run in major league baseball this year. stanton just one of five players to ever knock it out of dodger stadium. it was the only run for the marlins, though as they lost to l.a. 11-1. green bay packers quarterback aaron rodgers appeared on america's favorite game show yesterday. the super bowl champion was a contestant on "celebrity jeopardy" to raise money for his charity, midwest athletes against childhood cancer. rodgers, the only athlete to compete in this week's "celebrity jeopardy," was able to score both daily doubles, win the show and earn $50,000. good for him. all right, so just ahead, bill clinton's "letterman" appearance. the former president weighs in on his chances of moving back into the white house. find out what he says, next. can a business have a mind? a subconscious. a knack for predicting the future. reflexes faster than the speed of

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27 minutes past the hour. welcome back, everybody. david letterman's last show is a week from tonight, so former president bill clinton went on to wish him farewell and of course, there's that ever-present question. >> put it in a percentage. what's the chance of you moving back to 1600 pennsylvania? [ cheers and applause ] >> well first of all, hillary has to win the nomination. if she wins the nomination then she has to win the election. if she wins the election, the chances are 100% i'll be back. if -- by the way, if i'm asked. so you know -- >> that is such a good point, if

he's asked. spoken like a married man, right? >> he'd have to behave himself between now and then. >> ooh. now here's a look ahead. closing arguments will take place today in the death penalty phase of the boston marathon bombing trial. once attorneys wrap up jurors will decide whether dzhokhar tsarnaev will be sentenced to life in prison or put to death. attorneys for tsarnaev rested their case on monday after calling more than 40 witnesses to the stand. well last night on "the tonight show," it was a heated game of egg russian roulette. take a look. >> pitch perfect, pitch perfect, pitch perfect, pitch perfect 2! >> not even mad. >> oh! >> oh! >> that is one of the best games on his show absolutely. >> it is a great game but you and i both think -- we've never tried it, so we've never scientifically tested it -- >> perhaps we should then. >> but can't you tell a difference between a hard-boiled

egg and -- >> i think you can. again, we're going to have to try this. >> want to go to the cafeteria? >> challenge accepted. >> i'm betty nguyen and this is "first look" on msnbc -- >> you're going first. >> you're going to have egg on your face. "way too early" starts right now. ♪ seven cars including the engine are in various stages of disarray, turned over, upside down, on their side. it is an absolute disastrous mess. i've never seen anything like this in my life and most personnel will say that as well. >> good morning. it's wednesday, may 13th. welcome to "way too early." i'm luke russert in washington, d.c. we begin with breaking news from philadelphia, where five people

are dead and dozens injured after last night's horrific train derailment. more than 140 people were sent to area hospitals. at least six are in critical condition. and at this hour officials say not everyone is accounted for. 243 people were on board train 188 when it departed washington, d.c., in route to new york city. amtrak service between new york and philadelphia remains suspended. the train was entering a turnaround at 9:30 last night when passengers say it shook and came to a sudden stop. a nearby resident said it sounded like shopping carts crashing into each other. the location is known to have a big curve with a speed restriction requiring trains to slow down as they approach. it's unclear at this point how fast the train was going. but like we said, the scene was horrific. >> the first three cars there was a huge trauma. and so you know significant abdominal injuries bodily injuries where there's internal bleeding. other injuries, a lot