right now on "america this morning," the u.s. taking new action preparing for russia to possibly invade ukraine with more russian troops headed to the border. what u.s. officials are now telling americans in the region. and new overnight, the $1 billion offer the u.s. government is now making. vicious attack. a woman brutally murdered in her apartment. police say the suspect had followed her from a taxi into her home. how the alleged killer with seven prior arrests was still allowed to walk free. cutting ties. why president trump's accounting firm is no longer standing by years of financial statements it prepared, statements at the center of a growing investigation. caught on camera, a mystery in the air.

this flock of birds falling from the sky found dead on the street. so what caused it? food prices rising. a restaurant even charging an inflation fee. the items that could see the biggest price spike. and later, an electrifying comeback for a special car from the past. good tuesday morning, everyone. we begin with the u.s. taking new action overnight in case kr. >> the u.s. is closing its embassy in ukraine's capital and now it's urging americans in nearby belarus to leave the country immediately. it all comes as russia sends more troops toward the border. >> meanwhile, the president of ukraine who is a former actor has a new role to play. he's calling for a day of unity tomorrow when reports indicate russia could launch an attack. abc's ike ejiochi is here with the very latest developments overnight. ike, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, mona. putin is meeting with his foreign minister who tells him

diplomacy could still work. the united states and nato, however, are preparing for whatever may come. this morning, the united states taking preliminary steps while the threat of war between russia and ukraine intensifies. the u.s. temporarily shutting down its embassy in kyiv and moving diplomats hundreds of miles away to western ukraine. it's also telling americans in neighboring belarus to leave immediately. and overnight nearly 5,000 american paratroopers out of fort bragg spending valentine's day preparing for deployment to poland as part of a larger mission to support nato allies. >> i'm hoping to achieve peace. at the end of the day that's what we want, peace. >> reporter: still the buildup of russian troops is multiplying along ukraine's border. analysts estimating nearly 150,000 troops. the pentagon saying russia could move with little or no warning. today russia's parliament will vote on whether to recognize

russian-backed rebel areas of ukraine. abc's james longman in moscow with what this critical vote means. >> if it happens it could lay the groundwork for war. if it gets delayed, well, that might suggest russia is backing down. >> reporter: russia still signaling a possibility for diplomacy. its foreign minister says negotiations with the west were far from exhausted and should kin. >> we have not seen that de-escalation. we don't know that president putin has made a decision and that is why we think diplomacy continues to be viability but we need to see de-escalation in order for that diplomacy. >> reporter: in another sign of rising tensions, the united states announced it will offer up to a billion dollars in loan guarantees to help ukraine's economy, mona. >> ike, thank you. the crisis in ukraine is driving up oil and gas prices here at home. gas prices are now averaging $3.35 per gallon nationwide, but many experts warn prices will likely average $4 by spring. some democrats want to suspend

the federal gas tax for relief. authorities on the u.s./canadian border have made new arrests in connection with those truckers protesting covid restrictions. 11 people were taken into custody across the border from sweetgrass, montana. police say the group were carrying several rifles, handguns, ammunition and body armor. the trucker blockade at that crossing is in coordination with the one that's paralyzed the canadian capital ottawa. justin trudeau is invoking emergency powers which could allow the government to seize vehicles or freeze the bank accounts of those involved. >> this is not a peaceful protest. at the borders in different parts of the country the blockades are harming our economy and endangering public safety. >> here in the u.s. groups online have suggested potential trucker protests early next month. new details about a vicious attack here in new york. police say a woman returning home early in the morning was

followed by a man up six flights of stairs to her apartment and was brutally murdered. the suspect has an extensive criminal past but was allowed back on the street. the chilling murder of christina lee is once again raising questions about crime and safety in america and the state of our criminal justice system. >> why did you kill christina? >> h. h? >> reporter: prosecutors in new york now charging assamad nash. police saw lee get out of a cab and this shows him following her to her apartment. neighbors heard screams and called 911. but when police arrived, it was too late. they found lee stabbed several times. usthrethey say, tried to flee >> as a father of five daughters, it scares me to even know that these kind of incidents are occurring out there. >> reporter: police say nash is

homeless and has been arrested at least seven times including for harassment and assault. he failed to show up for his court date, was found by police but then released again. critics call him a poster child for bail reform. one of those previous alleged assaults was punching someone on the subway. just last month, authorities charged a different man for the murder of michelle go who was pushed in front of a subway train in times square. that suspect also homeless out on patrol. >> michelle go's murder, christina's murder are not considered hate crimes, but that does not diminish the fear. >> reporter: across the country, advocates for the homeless are pushing for improved mental health services amid a spike in violent crimes in major cities. new data shows about 30% of homeless people have some sort of mental health condition and about 50% experience substance use problems. >> we talk about the mental health of the perpetrator. what about the mental health of our community, right? people are afraid to leave. people have to choose between either coming to work, getting a

meal or go home safely. >> as we see this spike in crime, it's important to note that homeless advocates say the homeless are far more likely to be a victim of crime than people in the general population. former president trump's accounting firm has now cut ties with him saying it can no longer stand behind ten years of financial statements from the trump organization. the firm says the statements should no longer be relied upon and should not be used to determine the financial health of the company. the revelation came in a court filing from new york's attorney general who is investigating the trump organization for allegedly manipulating the value of his assets for financial gain. trump says the investigation is politically motivated. the pandemic is raising more alarms in the british royal family. camilla, the duchess of cornwall, has tested positive for covid just days after her husband prince charles. both are self-isolating but there's growing concern about the queen's potential exposure to the virus.

>> it's obviously very concerning when you have senior members of the royal family coming down with covid having to cancel engagements. 46 they haven't told us whether or not the queen has tested negative or positive and no indication that they're definitely going to do so if she does test positive so they are saying very much that they believe that she's entitled to medical privacy. >> last week buckingham palace said the queen had no covid symptoms. washington, d.c. is lifting many of its covid restrictions. proof of vaccination will no longer be required to enter businesses. and on march 1st the city will end its mask mandate for businesses but for now the mask requirement will remain in place for schools. new video from los angeles overnight, a firefighter battling this house fire in sherman oaks fell through the roof of the garage but the firefighter walked away unharmed. the roof collapsed but he apparently rode the roof down into the garage. no one hurt in that fire. >> incredible. time now for a look at your tuesday weather.

a new report claims the ongoing drought in the western u.s. is the worst in at least 1,200 years. researchers say climate change gets some of the blame, and they say it will take several rainy years to end the drought. on the radar this morning, a cross-country storm could bring snow from the mountains of california all the way to montana. checking today's high' temperatures, mild from the plains to the deep south. another cold day for the northeast with temperatures around freezing. coming up, the one-word mistake forcing a priest to resign due to thousands of incorrect baptisms. also ahead, dramatic video. a flock of birds dropping out of the sky found dead on the street. what may be to blame. and the former navy engineer accused of trying to sell nuclear secrets to a foreign

country changes his story. but wh

back now with this dramatic video. officials in mexico are trying to figure out what killed dozens of these blackbirds. about 100 of them fell out of the sky and were found dead on the street in the state of chihuahua. one expert thinks the birds were trying to escape a hawk or a falcon and flew into the ground. others say it could have been toxic fumes or a surging power line. a judge is planning to dismiss sarah palin's defamation lawsuit against "the new york times." the judge says palin failed to show that "the times" acted with malice in a 2017 editorial which linked her political action committee to a mass shooting. we turn now to a criminal case that's straight out of a hollywood spy movie.

a married couple living in the suburbs allegedly tried to sell u.s. nuclear secrets and now the husband is changing his plea in court. abc's rhiannon ally has more. >> reporter: this morning, the former u.s. navy nuclear engineer accused of trying to sell secrets about u.s. submarines has now pleaded guilty. jonathan toebbe and his wife diana were arrested in october. the pair appearing as normal suburbanites, living in a quiet maryland neighborhood. >> it's some of the most closely held technology and the deepest secrets that the u.s. government has. >> reporter: neighbors disgusted to hear the duo is now accused of trying to swap top secret information. >> i was shocked, very shocked, disappointed that someone would betray the country. very disappointed. >> reporter: toebbe, who had top security clearance, confessed in a plea hearing yesterday that he sent a package of documents to an undisclosed foreign government in april 2020. the fbi found out and undercover

agents posing as spies from the foreign nation allegedly made a deal with toebbe to share the secret information in exchange for $100,000. investigators say toebbe deployed elaborate tricks to conceal data cards while dropping them off, hiding one in a peanut butter sandwich, another disguised in a pack of gum. officials say toebbe admitted that his wife helped in the foiled plot, something she denies, pleading not guilty. she's facing espionage-related charges after allegedly serving as a lookout, trying to give a foreign government an edge on the united states. >> these fast-attack submarines which incorporate a lot of stealth technology, these submarines cost about $3 billion each. >> reporter: now an engineer once entrusted with the nation's top submarine secrets has torpedoed his freedom. jonathan toebbe will likely face 12 to 17 years in prison.

no word when his wife will be back in court. mona, andrew. >> rhiannon, thank you. a catholic priest in arizona has resigned because of a mistake the church says he's been making for more than 20 years. during thousands of baptisms, he used the phrase "we baptize" instead of "i baptize," and the vatican says that one-word change makes all the baptisms he performed invalid. the priest has apologized and again resigned. coming up, the new fee on restaurant bills, an inflation fee. also ahead, growing backlash after a russian figure skater who failed a drug test is allowed to compete at the olympics.

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that's why i chose to get vaccinated with prevnar 20. because just one dose can help protect me from pneumococcal pneumonia. ask your doctor or pharmacist about getting vaccinated with prevnar 20 today. we're back now with americans paying more for just about everything. one restaurant in ohio tried to charge an inflation fee but scrapped the idea after getting complaints. a new report finds packaging costs are a major factor in higher food prices, especially for items like cereal, cookies, and crackers, which could get even more expensive in the coming weeks. let's turn now to the olympics and the backlash over the decision to allow a russian figure skater to compete even though she failed a drug test. >> she is competing today. abc's alex presha is in beijing with the very latest. alex. >> reporter: good morning, andrew and mona. that russian teenager whose favored to win the women's skate event now speaking out about this scandal that has been rocking these olympics. in an interview with russian tv,

kamila valiyeva said she's happy but tired emotionally. a drug test that the 15-year-old figure skater took in december recently came back positive for a heart medication determined to be a performance-enhancing drug. but on monday, the court of arbitration for sport ruled she can compete in today's event. the court saying valiyeva is a protected person due to her young age and says it's not her fault that the results were delayed and sent to the international olympic committee just last week. this morning a member of the committee says he believes valiyeva's situation is not connected to the russian state-sponsored doping scandal. but the decision to allow her to skate today is sparking outrage. >> this decision, in my opinion, is a slap in the face to the anti-doping movement. >> reporter: american sprinter sha'carri richardson calls the sbags a double standard. she was banned from running at the tokyo games after testing positive for marijuana. richardson tweeting about valiyeva, the only difference i see is i'm a black young lady. but the world anti-doping agency

considers marijuana a drug of abuse and not a performance-enhancing drug. meanwhile, in other news here in beijing, some disappointment for american skier mikaela shiffrin. she fell well behind the leaders in the downhill event this morning. and eileen gu, an american competing here for her mother's native china, won her second medal of the games, silver in the women's slopestyle finals. gu isn't done. she competes in the halfpipe later on this week. andrew and mona. >> alex, thank you. back to that russian figure skater. we just learned her lawyers are now blaming the positive test on a mixup with her grandfather's heart medication. coming up, the $300,000 dog house. >> nice. but first, the tallest teenager in america. ♪ (delivery man) that's for you. (mail recipient 2) it's opened. (delivery man) yup, i got another one here that's just the same. (mail recipient 4) why? (delivery man) sms, unencrypted texts, they're just like these. they're open. (mail recipient 5) what are you talking about? (delivery man) like if this was an unencrypted text... i just read it.

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time to check "the pulse," and we begin with a growing number of copycat games for fans of wordle. >> people who can't get enough of the guessing game like me now have several spin-offs to play. one is called worldle. hard to say. players get six tries at guessing a country after seeing its boundaries. >> and nerdle for people who like math. you get six tries to finish an equation. there's also lewdle. an advisory on the game says if you're offended by profanity or obscenity, go play wordle instead. three women are taking the helm for the biggest night in hollywood. >> the oscars will have three hosts this year, amy schumer, wanda sykes and regina hall. they'll try to help the show bounce back after ratings hit a new low last year. and next the tallest teenager in the world, of course, he is a basketball player in florida. >> oliver rioux is

7'5" tall. he is only 15 and named the tallest teen by guinness world records and wears a size 20 shoe. he says height runs in the family. >> when i was 10, 11, 12, i started growing and it was getting fast, every week i was like getting height. yeah, i was like taller than every kid in my school. >> for context, his mom is 6'2", his dad, 6'8". >> good luck boxing him out. next a doghouse that's expected to sell for a hefty price. >> now, it has a unique feature. it was hit by a meteorite three years ago and the hole in the roof is still there. it's now up for auction and could sell for up to $300,000. and finally, a comeback for a time traveling car. >> the future is now for the delorean. the company is making an electric version of the car from "back to the future." >> it was teased during a super bowl ad. production on the original was halted back in 1985.

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california's indoor mask mandate lifts in less than 24 hours. what is driving the decision on masks in schools. kumasi: the u.s. preparing for the possibility of war, taking steps to protect its own in busy in ukraine's capital. reggie: a mega drought that has been worse then it has been in decades. kumasi: plus the oscars. hosts revealed for the very first time. we have that announcement to share with all of you. happy tuesday everybody. we hope you had a good love day. drew: you felt yesterday. it was chilly. reggie: it was cold. drew: it was freezing. >> i came from chicago. you can't talk to me until it is nine degrees. drew: