♪ right now on "america this morning" supreme court justice clarence thomas in the hospital. what we're learning about his condition on the same day that confirmation hearings begin for supreme court nominee ketanji brown jackson. what to expect. we're live on capitol hill. breaking overnight, russia gives ukraine a 4:00 a.m. deadline to surrender a key port city. the ukrainians' response this morning. plus a school serving as a shelter in a dramatic new attack inside the capital kyiv overnight. on a collision course. the growing concern about the potential midair collisions at some of the most busiest american airports as travel takes off in the wake of the pandemic. airports on a new list.

pain at the pump. the debate on whether to suspend the gas tax to save drivers money shifts into high gear. caught on camera. a dramatic crash at that motorcycle race. the driver speaks out about the terrifying moments on the track. later, the best celebration yet from all the march madness. good monday morning. we begin with the breaking news overnight. supreme court justice clarence thomas in the hospital. >> the court says he's been suffering from flu-like symptoms. the news comes as confirmation hearings begin for supreme court nominee ketanji brown jackson. alex presha begins our coverage from capitol hill. alex, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, andrew. the court is set to convene at 10:00 a.m., but it will be without its most senior conservative justice. justice clarence thomas

hospitalized and unlike ruth bader ginsburg, abc news learning he does not plan to participate in arguments remotely. this morning supreme court justice clarence thomas hospitalized. the court saying he was admitted to a d.c. area hospital friday evening after experiencing flu-like symptoms. he underwent tests, was diagnosed with an infection and is being treated with intravenous antibiotics. the court saying he's expected to be discharged from the hospital in a day or two. at 73 thomas is the second oldest justice and the most senior conservative. he doesn't have any known health issues and is both vaccinated and boosted for covid. the news comes as confirmation hearings begin today for a judge looking to join him on the supreme court. judge ketanji brown jackson, the first black woman nominated, set to address u.s. senators. >> my life has been blessed beyond measure and i do know that one can only come this far

by faith. >> reporter: since her nomination, the 51-year-old harvard graduate sat down with a bipartisan list of more than 40 senators. she's held mock sessions with the white house ahead of today's opening remarks. >> judge jackson has been scrutinized more than any person i can think of. this is her fourth time in front of the senate judiciary committee. three previous times she came through with flying colors and bipartisan support. >> reporter: still top republicans are on the fence. >> i haven't made a final decision as to how i'm going to vote. >> reporter: in what could become a contentious week of hearings, republican senator josh hawley suggested that jackson has a long record of letting child porn offenders off the hook. the white house forcefully pushing back. >> a group of far right republican senators have launched a last-ditch desperation attack on her record. >> reporter: democrats don't need any republican votes to push judge jackson through. the white house says they want gop support to shore up the court's credibility. andrew?

>> alex, thank you. we'll bring you live coverage of the hearings streaming on abc news live beginning at 11:00 a.m. eastern. now to the breaking news from the war in ukraine. a massive explosion rocking the city of kyiv. in the south a new moment of defiance overnight as a deadline of surrender came and went. overnight a city under siege taking a stand. leaders in mariupol rejected russia's demand to surrender, defying the 4:00 a.m. deadline to turn the city over to russian troops. as the invasion stretches into day 26, russia is upping its attacks against nonmilitary targets. in kyiv, ukrainian officials say this missile strike destroyed a shopping mall, killing at least one person. survivors seen grasping on to rescuers as firefighters worked to free victims from the rubble. back in mariupol, local destroyed a school where ke - hundreds of people had been sheltering. that school not far from this

theater bombed last week where up to 1,300 people were sheltering. >> we've seen deliberate targeting of cities and towns and civilians throughout in the last several weeks. i believe that he's taking these kinds of steps because his campaign has stalled. >> reporter: this local park turned into a temporary cemetery as people bury their friends and neighbors. this man saying, quote, the military told us to put the bodies somewhere in the cold. the only cold place now are basements. there are people in basements. so we buried them here. president zelenskyy said he's willing to speak to vladimir putin about how to end this war. >> translator: i think we have to use any format, any chance in order to have the possibility of negotiating, possibility of talking to putin. but, if these attempts fail, that would mean that this is a

third world war. >> reporter: president biden travels to europe to meet with nato leaders thursday. from there he'll go to poland to discuss the growing humanitarian crisis. according to the u.n., at least 10 million people have been forced out of their homes, a quarter of the population. now ukrainian officials accuse russia of forcibly deporting people, putting them in so-called filtration camps. >> to force people from ukraine to go into russia is unacceptable. it's unconscionable. it's something we need to confirm. i don't put it past the russians to take such horrific action. >> one issue up for discussion when president biden travels to europe is poland's proposal for a nato peace keeping force in ukraine, an idea critics say would be dangerously provocative. the russian news producer who protested the war on live tv says more than half of russians are against the war. she told our george

stephanopoulos she held up that sign during the national news to draw attention to russian propaganda which she says has become more distorted over the years. >> translator: i decided maybe i could do something else, something more meaningful with more impact where i could attract more attention to this and i could show to the rest of the world that russians are against the war and i could show to the russian people that this is just propaganda. >> she was arrested and fined for the protest and could face prosecution. she says she will stay in russia even as she fears for her safety. we're following breaking news from southern china. a boeing passenger plane with 132 people on board crashed. there was no immediate word on casualties. the china eastern flight was flying domestically, slowing down before losing altitude. the crash ignited a wildfire. a rescue team was headed to the site.

this is the first civilian plane crash reported in china since 2010. police say one person is being questioned in connection with a mass shooting at a car show in arkansas. one man was killed and 27 other people were injured after a gun fight between two people. six of the people injured were children, including two toddlers. eds not appe tbene t sperson police investigating a shooting that left three people wounded in miami beach during a busy spring break weekend. all are expected to survive. the gunfire sent crowds of people scrambling for safety. some ducking behind cars. at least one person was detained. it's unclear if that individual was involved in the shooting. deadly wildfires raging across texas. forcing evacuations. at least two firefighters were injured sunday fighting one of the fires. more than 54,000 acres have burned. a sheriff's deputy died thursday helping people evacuate. a firefighter died battling a wildfire in oklahoma. time for a look at your monday weather.

severe storms possible later today across eastern texas from dallas to houston. those storms could spawn tornados. the same storm system will move east tonight into tomorrow morning creating dangerous conditions from louisiana up to missouri. flash flooding is also a concern. the storms will take aim at the east coast later in the week. checking today's high temperatures, 70s from chicago to new orleans. chilly with snow in the rockies. 70s in the southwest. above average temps for the northeast and 78 in miami. coming up, the new controversy involving the grammys. first, the wild crash at this motorcycle racetrack. what the driver is saying this morning. how the faa is responding to growing concerns about the number of close calls at busy airports.

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authorities are searching for the driver behind this dangerous airborne stunt in eco park, california. the rented tesla crashed into several trash cans and two parked cars. police are offering a $1,000 reward leading to an arrest. mark marquez suffered a condition after this crash during warm ups before sunday's race. he was thrown from his bike but managed to walk away from the scene, although he appeared unsteady. he was declared unfit for the race. he posted on twitter he's okay, but skipped the race as a precaution. the faa is taking a closer look at close calls at busy airports across the country. this morning a new safety push

in the skies. with more than 6 million people passing through u.s. airports this weekend alone, there's word the faa is studying recent close calls as busy airports, similar to this one last fall in reno. one plane about to take off, while another was about to land. >> he's just barely under the nose. >> reporter: in san francisco an air canada jet was about to land where four other planes were about to take off. documents show an escalating air risk at hollywood burbank airport. jfk, hawaii's airport require more investigation. >> we don't wait for something to break before we start to fix it. >> reporter: the faa insists

there's no imminent threat but says it uses data to identify potential risks early on. >> it's the last major collision over the united states. we have made quantum leaps in our ability with equipment and with our communication to be able to know where each of us are. >> reporter: previous recommendations included more staffing in air traffic control, better runway lighting and the development of better technology to warn pilots when a plane is off course. it's important to note these alerts have not increased at most airports. coming up, the music star retiring at the age of 45. also, the debate over whether to suspend the gas tax to give drivers relief from high gas prices.

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♪ ♪ gasolina ♪ daddy yankee is retiring from music at the age of 45 but not before one more album and world tour. his 2004 hit "gasolina" has enjoyed a resurgence thanks to high gas prices. >> i don't think that's the gas he was talking about. but there is a growing debate over gas prices and how to help drivers. abc's rhiannon ally looks at the argument over suspending the gas tax. >> reporter: this morning, there's no escaping the pain at the pump. >> gas prices are high. everybody can't afford those gas

prices. >> reporter: gas prices now averaging $4.26 a gallon in the u.s. and approaching $7 in parts of california. lawmakers in several states are trying to ease the burden. maryland has become the first state to suspend its gas tax, shaving 36 cents off every gallon, saving the average driver about $5 per fill-up. >> it's almost unheard of for a major piece of legislation to pass in such a short period of time and with such universal bipartisan support. but together we have all risen to the occasion. >> reporter: in georgia, the governor signing a similar bill to eliminate the state's gas tax. about 29 cents per gallon through may. and in michigan, the state senate has voted to approve suspending its gas tax for six months. but governor gretchen whitmer is not onboard. she says it would hurt road repair and infrastructure projects funded by the gas tax.

so instead, she wants the federal government to step in. >> there's conversation at the federal level as to how we can help families. >> reporter: gas prices began climbing as inflation grew worse and supply chain issues unfolded. then soared after russia's invasion of ukraine. republicans blame the biden administration for hurting efforts to expand energy production here at home. no matter who you blame, many americans are being forced to make changes. 59% of americans say they plan to change their driving habits now that gas is more than $4 per gallon. and 3 out of 4 people say they'll try to drive less if prices top $5. in california, in response to those rising prices, lawmakers have proposed a $400 rebate for all taxpayers. supporters say it's a better approach because it doesn't affect fdi for future transportation projects, and it helps more people. mona, andrew.

>> rhiannon, thank you. now to march madness. duke's coach k. isn't done dancing just yet. his blue devils came from behind to beat michigan state 85-76. coach k.'s retirement now delayed for at least a few more days. and the st. peter's university peacocks received a hero's welcome as they returned to their new jersey campus. they're only the third 15 seed to make the sweet 16, or i guess this would be the pete-16. next up for them, purdue friday night. in the women's tournament, creighton's lauren jenson powered her team to victory over iowa. last season jensen played for iowa but transferred to creighton. now she and her teammates have made the sweet 16 for the very first time in school history. coming up, the end of an era in daytime tv. also ahead, a bizarre tribute to ukraine's president zelenskyy. with relapsing forms of ms... there's a lot to deal with. not just unpredictable relapses. all these other things too. it can all add up.

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♪ time to check "the pulse." we begin with the end of an era in daytime tv. >> you are retired. the long running talk show maury is coming to an end after 30 years of twists, turns and that famous catch phrase. >> in the case of 3 month old brooklyn, trevor, you are not the father. >> maury became a household name thanks to those dramatic paternity reveals. he decided to call it quits. the 83-year-old announcing his retirement saying enough. >> where are those kids now? kanye west has been banned from performing at the grammy awards due to what's described as concerning behavior. >> he recently used a racial

slur against trevor noah. this follows weeks of kanye's abusive messages at kim kardashian and her boyfriend pete davidson. observers say he could still appear at the show. >> doesn't mean he won't be on the show. he could still win an award and get up and accept it. >> west was also suspended from instagram after using that racial slur. a different look for ukrainian president zelenskyy. >> it's a souvenir gaining fans around the world. a european designer made a pillow featuring zelenskyy's face and he's wearing military career. finally reaching the sweet 16 can make grown men do some strange things. >> case in point houston's basketball coach calvin samson. the 66-year-old stripped off his shirt during a celebration

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reggie: passenger plane crashes in china overnight. more than 130 people aboard that boeing jet. what we know so far. jobina: hundreds of local refinery workers working off the job david the impact this could have on our gas prices. reggie: confirmation of katarzyna brown jackson. what can we expect to see? jobina: disney resort with no visitors today. reggie: good morning. it is march 21. jobina: let's talk about the weather yesterday. drew: really ramps up tuesday and wednesday. we are finding me clear skies, just patchy clouds along the immediate coast line. half moon bay dealing with fog but not too thick.

temperature