Why the Australian Government is threatening to euthanize johnny depps two pet terovers. Today thursday, may 14th, 2015. Announcer from nbc news, this is today with matt lauer and Savannah Guthrie live from from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. And good morning, everyone. Welcome to today on a thursday morning. And as we wake up, all focus is on this 32yearold conductor of the train that derailed two nights ago. And why he had that train going so fast into a curve where he was supposed to slow down to about 50 miles an hour. These questions need to be answered. And its our top story. The search for answers in the deadly derailment of the amtrak train in philadelphia. Weve got complete coverage of the investigation this morning. The stories of the victims who died, and the Safety System that could have prevented this tragedy. Natalie has made her way to the crash site this morning. Natalie, good morning to you. Reporter good morning to you, savannah and matt. And thats right, it is very much another busy day here. Behind me you see very much an active scene. And right now youre looking live at the locomotive, and this is where that engineer was at the controls at the time of the accident. As you see, its been lifted up overnight, placed back on the tracks as they prepare now to take it away for the more intensive part of their investigation. We can tell you, though, that weve learned that Brandon Bostian has hired a lawyer who claims his client does not remember the crash. He suffered a head injury according to his attorney. And police tell nbc news bostian has given, though, a blood sample. And also voluntarily handed over his cell phone. And as you mentioned, the ntsb now says amtrak 188 was traveling at 106 Miles Per Hour as it entered that curve. That is more than twice the authorized speed limit here. And even as the investigation now moves forward, authorities have spent yet another night searching this crash site for possibly more victims. And coming up, were going to have one sons agonizing plea to find his missing father as well as the story of the seven victims, those who lost their lives in this tragic accident. Guys . Just a heartbreaking story. Natalie, thank you very much. And as we said earlier, obviously theres a lot of attention being focused on the man who was at the controls of amtrak 188. Nbcs tom costello covers transportation for us. Tom, good morning to you. Reporter good morning, matt. We know that this engineer slammed on the brakes at the last minute. He was allowed to go up to 80 Miles Per Hour but then slow going into the curve down to 50 Miles Per Hour. The ntsb says there is absolutely no question he was speeding at the time of the crash. This morning engineer Brandon Bostian is at the center of the investigation. 32 years old, an amtrak engineer for five years, he was injured in the accident but was released from the hospital. Late wednesday, police said bostian had been interviewed and that he had given them a blood sample and his cell phone. In an interview broadcast last night, his Attorney Says bostian has no recollection of the crash. He remembers driving the train. He remembers going through that area generally, has absolutely no recollection of the incident or anything unusual. The next thing he recalls is being thrown around, coming to, finding his bag, getting his cell phone and dialing 911. Reporter on cnn, the mayor of philadelphia immediately suggested bostian was at fault for running the train at 106 Miles Per Hour in a 50mileperhour zone. Clearly it was reckless in terms of the driving by the engineer. Theres no way in the world that he should have been going that fast into the curve. Reporter but later in the evening with nbc news, the mayor softened his criticism. Lets try to find out what else was going on with this individual. Was there some other, you know, medical issue . Psychological issue . You know, sleep deprivation . Reporter but the National Transportation safety board is not yet drawing any conclusions. Investigators insist they have months of work ahead of them. We want to find out what was going on in the cab. We want to find out what was going on in his mind. Reporter nbc news has been unable to reach the engineer for comment. His Facebook Page is full of messages from well wishers. Youre in my thoughts and prayers. Hope youre okay. Meanwhile, more witnesses are describing the terrible scene of destruction tuesday night. Notify amtrak to shut down the entire northeast corridor. We have a major event here. Reporter brian cane rushed to the scene. Once again, the train has just derailed. Reporter his live internet video went viral. It was a total chaos, it was surreal, it was straight out of a movie. No movie could capture how this was. Reporter a scene of utter destruction that investigators are methodically working through as overnight cranes began slowly removing the train from the tracks. Live image right now from the wcau news 10 chopper over the scene as theyre still working this very closely. By the way, the ntsb says there was a forwardlooking camera out the cab window. So that will give them a view of what the engineer should have been seeing as the train was moving down the tracks. Lastly, the northeast corridor between philadelphia and new york Train Service still disrupted on this critical artery here in the northeast. Matt and savannah, back to you. Tom costello down in the Port Richmond section of philadelphia. Tom, thanks very much. Lets dig deeper into this investigation and those questions about the trains engineer and the speed. Robert sumwalt, the ntsb member in toms piece joins us now live. Mr. Sumwalt, good morning to you. Based on right now what the ntsb has been able to collect preliminariarily and specifically the issue of the engineer going 106 miles an hour, are you ready to say that excessive speed was a key factor this causing this crash . Well, good morn, savannah. You know, at this point were really just trying to collect information. And so yes, were certainly concerned and very interested about the fact that the train was going that fast. Were very, very interested in that. Weve learned now that on that curve, the speed limit was 50 miles an hour. And just before it on the straight, the ntsb says it was 80 miles an hour. If he was going 106 miles an hour, can you think of one legitimate reason for him to be going that fast . Reporter we certainly want to we want to interview him. We want to understand what was going on. We want to understand why he why the train was operated that way. Was it a mechanical issue . Was it some sort of human issue . We want to thats what were here to do is find out what happened so we can understand it and prevent it from happening again. Has the ntsb yet reached out to him to try to organize and interview, set a time for it . Weve not reached out to him, but we will be doing that. Its not uncommon for us to wait a day or so just to allow somebody to convalesce after a tragic event like this. But we certainly will be reaching out to him, perhaps through his attorney, so that we can set up an interview. We certainly hope to be able to interview him very soon. Im sure people appreciate the courtesy on one hand. He certainly has been through a lot, but isnt there a certain urgency to speaking with him, especially when memories do get dimmer as days go past . Well, certainly youre right, savannah, memories do change over time, but also, theres this phenomena right after a tragic event where you dont remember things. So theres sort of that sweet spot. And we want to make sure that theyre ready. So typically, we want to make sure that theyre ready to do it mentally and physically. And we hope to do that in the next day or so. That would be our hope. Our understanding is that there were toxicology blood tests conducted on this engineer. At this point would the ntsb be in possession of the results of those . Youre right, amtrak is required by federal law to conduct those tests. Those test results are sent off to a lab. So we dont know the results of those tests right now. But thats information that we will certainly have. Theres information weve learned now that this conductor was able to apply the emergency brake, that it actually worked to slow the train four miles an hour down to 102. Obviously it was applied too late. But what does it tell you about the working condition of the brakes and the condition of the conductor that he was able to apply those brakes . Well, youre right. The engineer did apply the brakes. And so we want to we will be conducting we will be doing a brake test to check the efficacy of the brakes on the train. Everything is on the table. Were just going through very methodically, collecting information, doing tests. So today is the second day of the investigation. We think were going to get a lot done today. And finally, before i let you go, theres a report that this engineer met with the Philadelphia Police department, spoke briefly to them, but did not give them a full statement that he left. Does that strike you as unusual . Does that trouble you at all . No, it doesnt trouble us. You know, obviously, hes been getting a lot of scrutiny. His name is all over the media these days. I think if i was involved in a situation like that, i would want to seek counsel as well. We see see that oftentimes. So that doesnt trouble us at all. Ntsb board member sumwalt. I know its a busy day for you, sir. I appreciate your time. The impact of this tragedy obviously now being felt in communities all across the country. This morning we are learning more about the victims and also the heroes who stepped up to help. Lets go back to natalie for that part of the story. Reporter hey, good morning once again, matt. And thats right, as the investigators continue to sift through the wreckage here and interview the witnesses, try to piece together their investigation, the grieving, though, begins for the stunned families of the victims. Shattered, the family of 20yearold Justin Zemser had been expecting him home after his second year at the u. S. Naval academy. He was wonderful. He was absolutely wonderful. Everybody looked up to my son. And theres no other words i can say. Reporter zemsers mother, her sentiments echoed by many. He had been the valedictorian at his high school and played football at the academy. I cant imagine losing a teammate so quickly, so suddenly, so unexpectedly. Reporter 48yearold jim gaines was a father of two. In a statement, his family said, jim was more precious to us than we can adequately express. Coworkers at the Associated Press describe him as the nicest person any of them had met. The most poignant thing somebody said to me today was remember jim. Be kind today. Reporter the unthinkable now confirmed for the family of 39yearold executive Rachel Jacobs. In their statement, they called rachel a wonderful mother, daughter, sister, wife and friend. And said we cannot imagine life without her. Also grieving, the family of abid gilani, Senior Vice President of wells fargo. And a dean at medgar evers college. Two others are still missing including bob gildersleeve. His son made this emotional appeal. My name is mark gildersleeve. Reporter as one son pleads for his father, another father and son are being hailed as heroes for rushing to the scene of the crash to pull survivors from the wreck. People yelling out, please, can you help us. Reporter a father proud at seeing his son act like a man. I thought hes of age that he can take care of himself in that moment that hes doing the right thing by helping. Reporter and matt, meanwhile, were learning an update on some of the conditions of those who have been injured. Six area hospitals still treating about 47 of the injured as well. Matt . Natalie, you think about it, 200 people taken to those four hospitals after this crash. They were overwhelmed for a long time. Its so sad to hear the stories now and learn about the lives of these people who passed away. Its just heartbreaking. Meantime, we turn to sheinelle. Natalies on assignment. With the headlines. Good morning. Good morning. Still no sign of a u. S. Marine Corps Helicopter reported missing on tuesday while it was delivering aid to earthquake victims in nepal. Eight people were aboard including six marines. Nbcs katy tur is in nepal with the very latest. Reporter day three and still no sign of the missing marines or their helicopter. Military helicopters up once again, eyes peeled on an unforgiving terrain. They could be located in an area where the terrain is actually preventing them from broadcasting. And us reaching them as well. Reporter a u. S. Defense official tells nbc news this particular huey was equipped with an emergency beacon, secure radio and gps. As well as strobes, flares, signal mirrors, and a satellite phone. Despite it all, no communication with the chopper which abruptly disappeared tuesday after delivering relief to a hardhit remote village. On board, two nepalese soldiers and six marines including, his family says, captain Chris Norgren of wichita. Meanwhile, the relief effort is ongoing. Take a look around this city, and youll see its dotted with tents just like these. Three weeks since the first quake, but with all of the aftershocks, people are too scared to sleep inside. While others have nothing to go home to. Which one is your house . This one. Reporter this one. And you cant get in there right now. Yeah. Reporter and little left. And shes not getting enough food to produce milk. Yeah. Reporter despite a number of tweets that that helicopter has been found, the state Department Confirms that they are still looking for it. Back to you. Katy, thank you. Surveillance video captured the frightening moments when a man attacked a new York City Police and was then shot by another officer. It happened wednesday in manhattan. Officers spotted a suspect wanted in connection with four separate attacks. When confronted, 30yearold david barrel began wildly swinging a hammer, striking one of the officers three times. Her partner fired four shots, hitting the suspect in the arm and in the torso. The officer was treated for her injuries and released from the hospital. The suspect is in critical condition. The u. S. Mens 4 x 100 relay trip has been stripped from its silver medals. Tyson gay, a member of the team, returned his medal last year after accepting a oneyear ban for his use of steroids. Wednesday the ioc announced that the entire team has been disqualified from the race. If the medals are reallocated, Trinidad And Tobago will take silver and bronze will go to france. Some spectacular video of one of indy cars biggest names going airborne during practice. And he walk add way without a scratch. Look at this, helio castroneves practicing for the indianapolis 500 wednesday when things went wrong. Coming around the turn, castroneves, look at this, spun out and hit the wall. That sent his car into a somersault. His car came to rest right side up and thankfully emerged under his own power. And listen to this. Incredibly, he was back on the track hours later in a backup car. I happily would have called it a day. I was going to say, race car drivers, theyre not like us. My goodness. But castroneves, hes obviously daib i would have been back in bed a couple of hours later. But they do such a good job of constructing those driver cages. They really do. Its amazing, the technology. Not a scratch. Sheinelle, thank you very much. Al roker. Yes, weve got flooding to talk about. And its going to be soak, storm and repeat this weekend, unfortunately. This webster, texas, just outside of houston. And you can see all the flooding thats going on. And then we head down outside of Corpus Christi and more flooding as well. And the other Severe Weather were going to see later this weekend starts out west. Our friends in california finally thanks to this big upperlevel low going to start to see more wet weather. The heaviest rain tonight and friday into los angeles. Its going to push on in and bring even more importantly some mountain snows. Some places getting up to three to six inches of snow, upwards of a foot in some of the upper elevations. But look at this from los angeles to san diego, we are talking about one to three inches of rain. There could be some flash flooding as well. We do look for a slight risk of strong storms in west texas today. Wet weather from the great lakes all the way down into the Central Plains. Here in the northeast, plenty of sunshine. Cooler than it should be. About 10 to 15 degrees cooler, but the sun will make it feel awfully nice out there. Were going to get to your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds. 7 18. Good thursday morning. Im meteorologist Christina Loren. Watching this batch of rain come closer to the coastline, it will be here in the next hour. You can see theres ample moisture available with this storm system. Temperatures are going to be cool. You want to bring your jacket and your umbrella with you this morning. 57 degrees in San Francisco right now. 54 in the trivalley. Meanwhile, low 50s here in the south bay op our way to 63 degrees. In addition to the rain, could see some thunderstorms later today. Alesce. Thats your latest weather. Likely president ial candidate jeb bush recently evaded questions about his support for the iraq war and his brothers legacy. He was confronted this time by a 19yearold College Student and a democrat. Take a listen to what happened. Is that a question . You dont need to be pedantic. My q3 question is a little Testy Exchange there. Thats not enough. Earlier in the day from a governor who has yet to officially declare he is running for president in 2016 had a slip of the tongue when answering questions about the economy. Listen. Im running for president in 2016 and the focus is going to be about how if i run how do you create high sustained Economic Growth where more people have a chance to earn success. Cats out of the bag. Im running for president oh the campaign trail, yes, he did. Coming u