the north pole to deliver big. >>al love that, that's magic. a high speed train crashes into a railway engine and careens into a pedestria overpass. there are multiple deaths andns doze of injuries. emergency crews are on the scene in turkey at this hour halfwa around the world in hawaii, a u.s. military plane crash lands into the we'll have the latest on the pilot's condition. >> the publisher of the "national enquirer" admits to paying hush monel to h donald trump as the president's former attorney faces three years behind bars for what's called a gasbord of criminal conduct. dr. chystine blase ford speaking out for theim first since the kavanaugh hearings. and outsmarting porch pirates with gps trackers placeo in packages, putting thieves on notice. "early today" starts rightnow. good thursday morning.

i'm phillip mena. >> i'm frances rivera. there's breaking ws out of turkey this morning where at least nine people were killed and 47 more injured when a high speed train collided with another locomotive and crashed into an overpass aton a sta in ankara this morning. dozens of emergency workers raced to t scene of the mangled wreckage less than five miles from one of ankara's most highly crowded areas. more now from ndon. >> good morning, frances. the seek went oquence events c have been more disastrous. onerain crashed into another, killing nine people, three of them railway engineers, and injuring 47 others, three of whom are said to be iner serious condition. the accident happened around 6:30 local time as the train was traveling between ankara and the central turkish province. a highol speed trainded with a railway engine, which was checking the tracks.r ankara's goveraid 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 videota f 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 wasr ces? >> ali, thank you. now to our other top story of the morning from west virginia. after four days of searching, there is good news for 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 gagedy. let' to nbc's dan scheneman.

[ applause. >> reporter: after days of waiting and worrying, good news. ica treadway, kayla williams, and cody beverly walked out of a west virginia coal mine. >> what was like in there? >> it was terrible. >> reporter: the three were missing since saturday. >> i know she's alive. that's all that matters to rme. orter: 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 broug the rescue operation to an end. rescuers searched for thess g 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 wasat opernal, and in tough economic ties, alice say closed mines are target for anyone looking for copper wire that can be sold. relatives say the three were there tost eal. >> that doesn't mean they should deserve to be put through this. >> reporter: after some stressful days, a happy ending.

dan scheneman, nbc news. a pilot is recovering from traumatic injuries today after being forced to e act fro 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 ofbc details. khnl has the >> reporter: frances, this is an incredible story of survival and a good samaritan springing io action to help save a complete stranger. that good samaritans an instructor at extreme parasail, and he is beingalled a hero tonight. eyewitnesses say he didn't think tw je when heped 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.l eyewitnesses ts they saw two jets go up and about five minutes lar, jus one come

down. moments later, they t s pilot eject from the aircraft. we are told he is a 47-ye-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 tnkful for thaterson who saved him. thanks. the man who said his job wav do up donald trump's dirty deeds is now headed to prison. michael cohen s sentenced to three years in federal prison. cohen pleaded guilty to what a judge called a, quote, veritable atorgasbord of fraudulent conduct motiv 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 another ally of president trump is implicateing his campaign the illegal payment of hush money to women who have claimed

to have affairs with him. nbc's pete williams has the details. pete? >> frances, the same procutors who charged michael cohen with violating campaign laws by arranging to p hush money to two women now are announcing a involved another man in those payments. they both now say this was done to influence the election despite president trump's insisten that it was not. the man whonce 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,in hg he'd get credit for cooperating with federal prosecutors. but they said his help was for a g and they pushed 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 deed. speaking about trump, cohen told a judge, it was my own weakness and and 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 listenwno my inner voice and my moral compass. but the judge said cohen sout rofit from his association with trump and committed a smorgasbord of criminal conduct. sentence, three years in federal prison. and in a dramatic legal developmt, federal prosecutors announced they will not file charges against the third person. olong with trump and cohen, who played a re in the hush money payments, david pecker, publisher of the "national enquirer" whose cpany wrote the check to karen mcdougal. federal prosecutors s his company admitted the purpose was to, quote, suppress the women's story so as to prevent it from uns fromming the election. >> the weigh of the evidence against mr. trump is starting to build. it's not just mr. coitn. also this company. they agreed that the president directed these payments and did so to influence the election. >> reporter: t payment was illegal because federal laws bars corporations from giving money directly to a candidate's campaign. with time off for good behavior,

cohen, who is 52 years d, will ultimately serve at least 2 1/2 years behind bars. >> i think there is also a lot rt for r and upset and hufr what this is going to do to his life and what this will mean for his future and for the future of his family aswell. >> 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 epeds? >>ter: president trump ignoring questions about his once devoted confidant and lawyer michael cohen, but democrats gearing u to take over house investigationsckn januaryly pounced. >> 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 presidentthe united states. >> reporter: republicans argue cohen's crimes includingai

ca finance violations have little to do with russia. >> anytime a forme lawyer of yours goes to jail, it's probably not a good day, but i have yet to see anyvidence coming from mr. cohen of collusion, and that's started the mueller investigation to begin with. >> reporter: it's been a complicated relationship. mr. trump just last year aising 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: hen'sadviser, lanny davis -- >> the next chapter is for min,ael cohen mr. mueller is finished doing his work, to tell all the truth and all the facts about donald trump, probably in front of a coressional committee. en reporter: including coh e account of those hush money payments to stormy danis and karen mcdougal. the president's explanations evolving. first pleading ignorance. >> did you know about the $130,000 payment to daniels? >> no. >> reporter: then this last summer. >> did you know about t payments? >> later on i knew.

later on. >> reporter: this describing the money as a simple privat transaction. as for any political peril facing the president, president trump said he wasn't concerned that he could bebe impeached use he says he hasn't done anything wrong, telling risters week, i think that the people would revolt if that happened. phillip? >> nkpeter, tyou. now to the growing terror manhunt overseas where of police officers are searching for this man, 29-year-old cherif chekatt, who they saypened re on shoppers at a christmas market in strasbourg. was on a terrorist watch list and now hundreds of guards have swarmed the streets searching for him. last night t eiffel tower went dark honoring the victims of the shooting. two people were killeder onen was left brain dead, and 12 others were injured. now to ama dc power struggle in the uk. the british prime minister survived a no-confidence vote. 200 voters backed theresa may

and 117 voted against. the opposition party could trigger their own vote. may says she plans to lobby european union lgeders for chto a proposed unpopular 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 passengeee. you canne of the officers throwing a 14-year-old gl to the ground as she tried to record on her as she's being kscuffed, she the phone to her sier. that's what the officer walks over and slammed the 17-year-old, arresting her as well. neither girl endke up being ta into custody. the north carolina state bureau of investigation is now looking into this case. following a waterreain 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 a piggyback ride through that massive puddle. the video has hundreds of views and a few warm emojis from appreciative citizens. i'm sure no one more than that lady right ere. >> well done, sir. nbc meteorologist bill karinsith us. >> there's going to be a big rain event at tnd airports on the roads. heavy rain around the dallas area to oahoma ty. 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 eash rn norolina. southern new england gets into the mix. with that militaryielting snow, potential for isolatedd floodin

iver flooding. here's a closer look at your day ahead. the rain already broken out this morning. even thunderstorms are quickly arriving in areas of southeast texas. the houston area could be impacted through the morning commute. roads could be impacted. told temperatures through the northern rockies. we'll continue tos track t storm right through the soggy weekend. >> thank you, bill. in today's quick hits, ax onne having to pay your text messages. california state regulators are considering a flat surcharge tor help support ps 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.

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leading the news, when viewers tune in tonight's sports illustrated person of the year l awards, the hear from someone unexpected. christine blasey ford. remember her, the woman who accused justice brett kavanaugh of sexual assault? nbc's stephanie gosk explain why she's choosing now to speak publicly. >> i am honored to speak with you from afar. >> reporter: for the fir b time sinctt kavanaugh's bitter confirmation hearings, his accuser, dr. christine blasey, fordpoke publicly, recording a statemento introduce gymnast and larry nassar accuser at sports illustrated's annual awards ceremonyenhollander named the magazine's inspiration of the year. >> i accept this on behalf ofy sister survivors. >> rep ter: she was the first woman to publicly accuse the former gymnastics doctor back in 2016. >> the silence ends and his

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department in george's county. last dance. in a rare interview, talk show host ellen degeneres says she's considering ending her hugely successful daytime talk show. it is 4:00 a.m. good morning, everybody. i'm aaron gilchrist. >> and i'm eun yang. before we getstarted, we want to let you know spotsylvania county schools are on a two-hour delay. they were hit hard by snow earlier in thee' week. now worrying about rain once again. >> typical around here. melissa mollet is keeping an eye on early morning traffic conditions. >> butfirst, let's check in with chuck bell for a look at your forecast. >> eun bright and yellow, sunnyt dispn over there this morning. it's going to be not a bad day mday. but tod be the last dry day for a little while,