right now on "america this morning," an emergency summit getting under way this morning in europe. the decision that president biden and nato leaders could make about the future of ukraine and how to punish russia. plus, what we learned overnight about a special team of u.s. national security officials considering how the u.s. would respond if vladimir putin decides to use chemical or nuclear weapons. team coverage from ukraine to belgium. high emotion at the confirmation hearing for supreme court nominee judge ketanji brown jackson. the questions lasting into the night. the poignant moment just before things wrapped up last night. the story judge jackson told about her past and her message

to young americans. a new battle over mask mandates. airline ceos joining together. what they're telling the white house. an eye-popping new number from wall street. the monster bonuses being paid out as americans struggle with inflation and high gas prices. a big deal for a key player on the march madness cinderella team. the endorsement just announced. and later, the ultimate tribute to "friends." ♪ going to be this way ♪ good thursday morning, everyone. today marks one month since russia invaded ukraine and today another historic event. an emergency summit of nato leaders. >> president biden is in brussels this morning where nato leaders are expected to announce new punishments against russia and new aid for ukraine. he'll also be discussing energy independence from russia. >> overnight we learned that u.s. national security officials have assembled what they call a

tiger team to consider how the u.s. will respond if vladimir putin launches a chemical weapon attack. >> meanwhile, there is growing concern that russian forces may launch a strike inside poland targeting the supply of foreign weapons heading into ukraine, but we begin our coverage with a milestone today on the front lines. overnight ukrainian president zelenskyy marking one month since russia's invasion. >> we all must stop russia. >> reporter: addressing the world in english outside a government building, zelenskyy says russia isn't just waging war on ukraine. >> this is only the beginning for russia on the ukrainian land. russia is trying to defeat the freedom of all people in europe, of all the people in the world. it tries to show that only crude and cruel force matters. >> reporter: his plea for support coming as president biden meets with foreign leaders holding an emergency nato summit this morning. abc's karen travers filing this report as she travels with the president. >> white house officials say the

president in brussels will reaffirm the ironclad u.s. commitment to the nato military alliance and work to strengthen the response from u.s. and allies to russia's ongoing attacks on ukraine. the president and world leaders will announce a new package of sanctions on russia. the white house signaling this will be a new effort to crack down on countries helping russia get around the previously imposed sanctions. >> reporter: ukrainian forces are making progress defending their capital pushing russian troops back 34 miles outside kyiv, that's double the distance from just days ago, but in the port city of mariupol, this drone video posted online shows the extreme devastation as the u.s. formally accuses russia of war crimes. >> i want to reiterate our solidarity for the people of ukraine. we are committed to pursuing full accountability for war crimes in ukraine. >> reporter: this morning abc news confirming the white house has quietly assembled a so-called tiger team, a group of national security officers tasked with drawing up plans for how the u.s. will respond if vladimir putin orders a chemical

or even nuclear attack. the meetings are described as regular and intense. in the meantime, nato estimates up to 15,000 russian soldiers have been killed in the war so far. and now russian media reports a longtime aid to putin has fled russia after quitting his job. anatoly chubais has been part of the russian government for decades becoming the finance minister in the 1990s under then president yeltsin. he reportedly resigned in protest over the war. and we're following breaking news. ukraine's navy claims it's blown up a russian warship near mariupol. verified video online shows a ship and a large fire. there was no immediate word on casualties. another breaking headline right now, north korea has fired a long-range missile in what's viewed as a major escalation. it's the first time the north has launched an intercontinental ballistic missile since 2017. the missile landed in the sea of japan. turning to washington, a vote on judge ketanji brown jackson's nomination to the

supreme court is expected before the senate's easter break. it follows two days of hearings which continued into last night, and there was a poignant moment just before things wrapped up. abc's alex presha has all the highlights. alex, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, mona. judge jackson faced more than 23 hours of questioning, and things got emotional and intense. this morning, democrats are blasting some republicans for the questions they raised during the marathon confirmation hearings for supreme court nominee ketanji brown jackson. >> ignored the rules of the committee, badgered the nominee. i've never seen anything like that. i've been here 48 years. >> reporter: republican senators accused jackson of being soft on sex offenders and child porn cases when she was a district judge despite fact checkers finding that the terms jackson handed down were within the norms of federal guidelines. >> i've taken every case seriously. these are very horrible crimes -- >> i'm asking you specifically about this case.

>> and i've taken every case seriously. >> reporter: and senator lindsey graham interrupting jackson repeatedly on the issue. >> senator, this crime is among the most difficult -- >> no, answer my question. >> reporter: jackson also sparring with republican senator john cornyn on abortion. >> so there's no suggestion that after 20 weeks that a child can live independently, correct? >> senator, i'm not a biologist. i haven't studied this. i don't know. >> reporter: then democratic senator cory booker speaking in support of jackson emphasizing the historic nature of her nomination. >> you got here how every black woman in america who's gotten anywhere has done, by being like ginger rogers said, i did everything fred astaire did but backwards in heels. but don't worry, my sister, don't worry. god has got you, and how do i know that, because you're here, and i know what it's taken for

you to sit in that seat. >> reporter: and senator ben sasse appearing to suddenly call out his republican colleagues. >> i think we should recognize that the jackassery we often see around here is partly because of people mugging for short-term camera opportunities. >> reporter: and then as the hearing ended last night when she was asked what she would say to the diverse generation of up-and-coming young americans, jackson described a scene from her freshman year at harvard. >> i was really questioning, do i belong here, and a black woman i did not know was passing me on the sidewalk, and she looked at me, and i guess she knew how i was feeling, and she leaned over as we crossed and said, persevere. i would tell them to persevere.

>> reporter: if democrats stay united, and it's expected that they will, they won't need a single republican vote to confirm judge jackson. now, a vote on her nomination is scheduled for early next month. mona. >> alex, thank you. there's new evidence a covid-19 surge could be looming. new data shows an increase in positive tests in the u.s. for the first time since january. meanwhile, important news for people over 65 years old. we're told a decision could come within the next month on a second booster shot for seniors, big decision, by the way, here in new york city today. the mayor is expected to relax the workplace vaccine mandate allowing exemptions for athletes like kyrie irving of the brooklyn nets and new hope for travelers hoping to ditch their mask. airline ceos are asking president biden to lift the mask mandate on public transportation saying all travelers would still be safe. the cleanup resumes around new orleans this morning. one official describes the area as a disaster following the ef-3 tornado.

at least one person is dead, and 150 homes were damaged in st. bernard parish. a state of emergency has been declared in four louisiana parishes. a tornado also hit southern oklahoma. 12 people are thankful to be alive. the house where they had gathered for their weekly game night was torn apart by the storm. >> this mess, but we have 12 people that are still alive. i don't know how we were safe. we all walked out with a few -- three head stitches, and that was about it. >> at least 70 homes were destroyed or damaged in kingston, oklahoma. and with that let's take a look at your thursday weather. the system that brought a hailstorm to columbus, ohio, is moving east and will bring an icy mix to interior new england and rain for the coast. the midwest will see showers as well. on the radar, thunderstorms are possible in florida and along the carolina coast but nothing as severe as the storms that hit louisiana and oklahoma and

mostly clear today across the west. checking today's high temperatures, phoenix gets close to 90. chilly in the northeast and the midwest and parts of the rockies get into the 60s. 86 in miami. coming up, a big deal for the march madness cinderella team, the peacocks of st. peter's. but first the new idea to give drivers some relief from those record high gas prices. and the important new clue in the investigation into what caused a boeing passenger jet to fall out of the sky.

care coalition, it's so good to see you all! alright! let's brainstorm. any ideas for new members? i'd like to nominate alaska airlines. this neck pillow i'm dating says great things! a caring airline?! wait, those exist?! it says here they were the first airline to switch from plastic bottles to boxed water. they also hire a lot of people from caring professions. i'm seeing former teachers and nurses. it's settled! alaska airlines is officially in the running! round of applause!

a michigan man faces multiple charges after police say he set one of their patrol cars on fire, pouring gas on the vehicle, then lighting a match. the deputy police chief chased

him down before he could escape. the search resumed today for the second akblak box from that boeing jet that crashed in china monday. the flight data recorder is still missing. crews found the cockpit voice recorder yesterday. they hope it will give them an idea of what happened before the plane fell out of the sky. that the crash was intentional cannot be ruled out. now to your money and more prices on the rise from your rent to your groceries to gas and travel. it's not just inflation that's taking a toll. this morning, americans feeling sticker shock almost everywhere. in california, gas prices hitting a new all-time high, now averaging $5.88 a gallon and topping $6 in los angeles. the governor announcing a plan to give drivers some relief. >> $400 for each registered vehicle that an individual owns, up to two vehicles. >> reporter: he wants to send a $400 debit card to everyone who owns a car, suv, truck or even a

motorcycle, regardless of their income. across the country in connecticut, lawmakers are moving closer to becoming the latest state to suspend its gas tax, in this case saving drivers 25 cents a gallon. >> every penny counts. >> reporter: gas isn't the only cost drivers need to worry about. looking for a new car? new data this morning shows the average price has skyrocketed to nearly $44,000, a 17% increase from last year. and while things are bad on the ground, they're not much better in the air. due to rising fuel prices and soaring demand, average airfare for a domestic round-trip flight is now about $300, a 36% increase from the beginning of this year. prices are rising at home too. monthly rents are up 17% in the last year. a typical apartment is now $283 more expensive per month than it was two years ago. and prices at the grocery store could also be rising even higher thanks to a bird flu outbreak, the worst in seven years.

>> we of course are going to do everything we possibly can to mitigate the risk to our farms, but it is a reality of raising livestock. >> reporter: the virus a low risk for humans, but it could be another threat to our wallets. back to that $400 rebate being proposed by california's governor. if approved by lawmakers, it would be funded by the state's budget surplus. coming up, a surprise encounter with a mountain lion. >> also ahead, protesters demanding an apology from prince william, but would he give them

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a wayward mountain lion led police on quite a chase outside of a mall in irvine, california. they finally caught up with the cat after it ran indoors and then tranquilized it. it will be released back into the wild. tributes are pouring in for madeleine albright who died of cancer at 84 years old. albright, the first female secretary of state, was appointed by president clinton, who described her as a fearless fighter for freedom. albright revealed in her memoir how she wanted to be remembered. >> i hope people will say that i did the best with what i was given, tried to make my parents proud, served my country with all the energy i had, and took a strong stand on the side of freedom. perhaps some will also say that i helped teach a generation of older women to stand tall and young women not to be afraid to interrupt. >> as a child, albright fled the

nazis in eastern europe. decades later she became the first senior u.s. official to meet vladimir putin. she called putin a smart but very bad person. a different kind of diplomacy in the caribbean this morning. prince william and the british royal family have been asked to apologize for the history of slavery on the island. here's abc's andrea fujii. >> reporter: this morning, prince william in jamaica, speaking about the horrors of slavery, but the royal not apologizing. >> i want to express my profound sorrow. slavery was abhorrent, and it should never have happened. >> reporter: this after the jamaican prime minister announced wednesday that the country wants to cut ties with the royal family. >> jamaica is as you would see a country that is very proud of our history. very proud of what we've achieved and we're moving on. >> reporter: protesters demanding the british government pay reparations for slavery and apologize. i his speech, william also

praising the country's strength. >> while the pain runs deep, jamaica continues to forge its future with determination, courage, and fortitude. >> reporter: britain ruled jamaica for more than 300 years, forcing hundreds of thousands of african slaves to work the land. jamaica gained its independence in 1962 but remains a constitutional monarchy with the queen as head of state. the british former colony would become the second to sever ties in recent months. barbados last november became a republic. >> from the darkest days of our past and the appalling atrocity of slavery, which forever stains our history, freedom, justice, and self-determination have been your guides. >> reporter: back in jamaica, despite the protests, william and kate were welcomed by many across jamaica. the couple playing soccer and

joining in as locals played the drums. this isn't the first time jamaica has sought to become a republic. in 2012, the then-prime minister also expressed his desire to break away. next, the royals head to the bahamas where they may again face protests. mona, andrew. >> andrea, thank you. coming up, how you doin'? the ultimate tribute to "friends." "friends." also ahead, an extra bonus my dvt blood clot left me with questions... was another around the corner? or could i have a different game plan? i wanted to help protect myself. my doctor recommended eliquis. eliquis is proven to treat and help prevent another dvt or pe blood clot. almost 98 percent of patients on eliquis didn't experience another. and eliquis has significantly less major bleeding than the standard treatment. eliquis is fda-approved and has both. don't stop eliquis unless your doctor tells you to. eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. don't take eliquis if you have an artificial

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industry claimbed. >> huge bank profits drove up those bonuses. the man who invented the gif is being remembered this morning. >> he's being honored in a very appropriate way. steve wilhite has died at age 74. his team at compuserve created the graphics interchange format back in 1987. news of his death led to an outpouring of gifs onto. he confirmed it's pronounced jif like the peanut butter. next, the basketball star taking advantage of his march madness fame. >> he's the most recognized member of the saint peter's team, doug. the guy with the famous mustache has signed a deal buf wild wings. he's also releasing an apparel line. the ultimate souvenir for fans of friends kwiegs. a townhouse was built in the image of the famous apartment in new york. it includes a central perk sofa. >> it even comes with a pivot

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announcer: building a better bay area, moving forward, finding solutions. this is abc 7 news. >> at the pump, governor newsom reveals a plan to offset the record high gas prices. kumasi: an emotional moment at the scotus confirmation hearing. what had the candidate tearing up. reggie: hollywood rolls out the red carpet for kumasi. kumasi: i will be there soon. they are really rating -- waiting right now. reggie: we will start the check of our forecast with drew. >> a cooler day for all of us. yesterday felt it toward the coast. today, the weather moves in. we are cooler across the entire region right now. 4, 5, six degrees from the east bay to the north bay. this is setting the stage for the cooler afternoon later on on your thursday. we are waking up in the 40's.

we take the have your jacket with you this morning. or the one in santa rosa. 49 in san jose.