more breaking news during the midday newscast as we leave you with a live look at kyiv, as the invasion into ukraine continues this morning. more for you on the "today" show coming up next. president biden will nominate judge ketanji brown jackson as the first black woman to serve on the supreme court. the announcement expected this afternoon, we're live in washington with what she would ling to the highest court and the nomination battle she could face on capitol hill. breaking overnight. bearing down. russian forces enter kyiv, with heavy fighting, in and around ukraine's capital city. president biden slamming vladimir putin's brutal assault

and slapping new sanctions on russia. >> putin chose this war. and now he and his country will bear the consequences. >> the u.s. and nato allies now meeting to map up next moves. protests break out across the united states. and around the world. even in moscow. we're covering it all, live. face forward. the cdc ready to announce the largest easing yet of indoor mask guidelines nationwide but will it include schools? we'll have the very latest. morning mess a nasty mix of snow, ice and rain, creating a treacherous commute for 70 million people up and down the east coast. straight ahead, al's latest forecast and what you can expect as you're traveling this week. those stories, plus new fallout, alec baldwin's unusual new post on social media, one day after hoda's exclusive interview with the husband of the cinematographer shot and killed on baldwin's movie set.

>> in my mind, it is very simple, that he was holding the gun and caused it to go off. >> this morning, where the criminal investigation stands. and order up. the robot revolution, coming to the restaurant industry. >> would you rather have your cocktail, fruity, sour, classy? >> inside the high-tech solution, the staffing shortages that could forever change the way all of us eat and drink. today, february 25th, 2022. it's 7:00 a.m. on the west coast. friday morning. glad to have you with us. hoda's off. willie's here and all kind of breaking news. >> another busy breaking news. a live report from nbc's richard engel on the the increasingly dire situation in ukraine in just a moment.

>> but we want to beginning with this breaking news from the white house. president biden's supreme court nominee, and as expected, it will be a ground-breaking choice. federal judge ketanji brown jackson would become the first black woman to sit on the supreme court if confirmed. let's get right to nbc's justice correspondent pete williams. pete, good morning to you. >> reporter: savannah, judge jackson is no stranger to the u.s. supreme court. she was a law clerk there for justice stephen breyer, the man she has been nominated to succeed, now a judge on the federal appeals court in washington and when the senate confirmed her for that position eight months ago, she got the votes of three senate republicans. for the previous eight years, she was a federal trial court judge here. judge jackson was born in walk and grew up in miami where her mother was a school administrator and her father a lawyer for the school board and watching him was an early inspiration for her to seek a career in the law. she graduated from harvard and harvard law, that's where she met her husband patrick, and now a surgeon here in washington,

and they have two daughters. >> pete, obviously, she has these impeccable legal credentials that we so often see for people on the supreme court, but she will be the first black woman and she also has some aspects of her back ground that are different from the other justices. >> yes, most notably among them, she would be the first justice sing thurgood marshall who retired 30 years ago to have significant experience defending accused criminals because she's a former public defender here in washington, and she also served on the federal commission that recommends sentence force criminal defendants, another thing she has in common with justice breyer and age 51, she would be one of the youngest on the current court second only to amy coney barrett who turned 50 last month. >> we'll bring you live coverage of the official announcement as soon as it begins this afternoon. we want to turn now to fast-moving developments in ukraine crisis, right now, all eyes on kyiv, the capital city of nearly 3 million people, under attack overnight.

as russian forces move in. >> and amid the fighting, stunning images, like these, thousands of ukrainians forced to take shelter in subway systems, still others looking for a way out of the country, all together. bordering nations bracing for a massive migration. >> we have complete coverage beginning with nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engel. richard, good morning to you. what does it look like there? >> reporter: good morning. it has come to this. there are now battles under way in kyiv. the government is trying to push back russian forces, which have entered neighborhoods in the capital. the government has begun distributing weapons to those who have military experience, telling citizens to stay in their homes, and make molotov cocktails. a ukrainian official says this fireball is a russian fighter jet, ukrainian air defenses shot down overnight as the capital now in kyiv is in russia's cross-hairs with missiles falling near the city, and

troops advancing into the outskirts. some of kyiv's 3 million are running for cover this morning, in old soviet era subways, among the deepest in the world, built decades ago to double as shelters against the potential american attack. >> i believe in my army, i believe in my people. >> reporter: many residential buildings are already damaged by shelling this. man says he's lucky to be alive, after seeing an explosion, and debris falling all around him. others are heading west, out of the city. "the new york times" posting this heart-wrenching video, allegedly showing newborn infants in the southern city moved from the icu to a makeshift bomb shelter for protection against incoming missile strikes. president zelenskyy who says he is still in the capital with his top advisers and russia considers him the main target to kill is rallying a resistance. in an early morning address

saying they say they do not want to target civilians. they are lies. the fight continues. russia expects us to get tired but we will not. destroying tanks with american-supplied missiles, shot down a russian attack helicopter and captured and disorganized russian soldiers. yesterday, russian president vladimir putin said he has no intention to occupy ukraine, although he clearly wants to see an end to its government. not all russians are with putin, thousands gathered in cities across russia to oppose the invasion. but russian troops continue their march through ukraine. they seized control of the still radio active chernobyl area, site of the world's worst nuclear disaster, raising fears of an ecological catastrophe. in mariopol this morning, volunteers lined up to donate blood. >> all i can do is give blood now. >> putin may have hoped ukraine would be a walk-over.

so far, the people are undeterred. and holding strong. the kremlin today made it clea,s so much. now to the u.s. response, president biden vowing to stand up to vladimir putin, announcing harsh new sanctions, and directing additional troops to germany to shore up nato, but some here and overseas believe even harsher action is needed. nbc's chief white house correspondent kristen welker joining us now. good morning. >> reporter: hi, savannah. good morning to you. president biden is sharpening his tone this morning, vowing to make vladimir putin a pariah on the world stage and it comes amid a stark warning from his secretary of state who said he believes that putin will try to overthrow the ukrainian government, exactly what richard just said, and it could happen in just days. this morning, president biden meeting with nato allies as he faces the greatest global test

of his presidency so far. vladimir putin's invasion of ukraine. >> putin is the aggressor. putin chose this war. and now, he and his country will bear the consequences. >> reporter: the president unveiling sweeping new sanctions against russia. including cutting off russian banks and companies from the west. targeting russia's defense industry by restricting technology exports. and freezing trillions of dollars of assets, held by russian elites with close ties to putin. himself, and revealing some european allies are divided over whether to cut off russia from s.w.i.f.t., the international banking system in more than 200 countries. the president pressed by peter alexander whether he's done enou >> respectfully, sir, what more are you waiting for? >> the sanctions we've imposed exceed s.w.i.f.t. the sanctions we imposed exceed anything that has ever been done. >> reporter: republicans and

even some democrats stepping up their calls on the president to go even further with sanctions. >> my advice to the president, both publicly and privately is ratchet the sanctions all the way up, all the way up, as far as you can. >> we need to go further. putin should be sanctioned directly. >> reporter: and while the white house initially said it hoped to deter putin with the threat of sanctions, the president criticized for saying this on thursday. >> no one expected the sanctions to prevent anything from happening. >> reporter: the president sending 7,000 additional troops to germany to support nato allies, but emphasizing american troops will not fight in ukraine. >> there is a complete rupture right now in u.s./russian relations. and if they continue on this path that they're on. and so it's going to be a cold day for russia. >> reporter: so you are really seeing the pressure ramp up on this administration to go even

further, when it comes to sanctions, to kick putin out of s.w.i.f.t. that is something that he is not able to do unilaterally. he would need the support of european allies as well. it was notable that you heard the president say there that there is disagreement amongst those allies, so we know that outreach to those allies will continue. the other point that the president has been repeatedly pressed on, why not target putin directly? he was asked yesterday if that is something that is still on the table. he said yes, in fact, it is still on the table. congress is under pressure as well to try to get a bipartisan deal to get more aid to ukraine. so that's where the focus will be. savannah? >> thank you. joining us now, michael mcfaul, a former u.s. ambassador to russia and nbc news analyst, retired admiral, i'll start with you, admiral, on the situation in kyiv literally as we speak, the march on the capital appears

to be on.at is your assessment e strategy here and the ultimate goal >> it's continuing according to this, to say, three axes approach, we talked about kyiv on the north and coming in from the east through kharkiv and coming up from the south in the center of that mass, though, savannah, are 100,000, 150,000 ukrainian troops they are angry, they are armed, as president zelenskyy said a couple of days ago, when the russians show up, they will see our faces, not our backs i think they are going to fight, and oh, by the way, in addition to the molotov cocktails, that richard mentioned, the government in kyiv has handed out 18,000 rifles to the populous, restricting all men age 18 to 60 from leaving the country. clearly zelenskyy, he's out of his suit, he's wearing his hunting gear, this is going to

be a tough fight for the russians >> they seem to be digging in for the long haul, the ukrainians do, as mentioned, let me turn to you, mr. ambassador, we talked about sanctions yesterday. do these sanctions have teeth that will bite, do they go far enough are they going to hit putin where it hurts >> i think they're very comprehensive sanctions, it's going to disrupt the financial institutions, a couple of the biggest banks were hit yesterday, i applaud them, and at the same time, i want to be crystal clear the effect of these kinds of sanctions don't happen overnight i think they will only happen over months and years not days and weeks, and it's not going to change putin's calculus, as he conducts this war. when you think about the list that you just put up, disrupting technology, i applaud that, but those are things that will happen in a way down the supply chains for companies in russia, they're not something that's going to have an impact on putin, and they'll impact companies but then those

companies have to lobby putin and remember, this is a dictatorship, not a democracy, and it's not so easy to do. >> yes, you might for a moment imagine some of these russian oligarchs who are now feeling the brunt of sanctions might say to putin, hey, this goes too far, but that's not the world that putin lives in. >> well, exactly first of all, all of those oligarchs are rich and were appointed by putin the two top banks that were sanctioned by the president, president biden, the biden administration yesterday, both of those gentlemen were appointed by putin they're not independent billionaires saying hey, mr. president, i need you to change your policy. and therefore, that means that putin can go for a long, long time without feeling the pressure from his society from the sanctions. and they're the right thing to do i want to say that clearly i want more. i agree with senator mcconnell i don't get to say that very often. i agree with senator mcconnell, the more, the better, but let's not have any illusions about how effective they will be in the short term

>> and admiral, what can the u.s. and the west do to support the ukrainians who are saying we're willing to stand up and face these russian troops and fight them at great cost i heard someone in the ukrainian parliament say we know we're fighting alone but asked if there could be a no-fly zone, something like that. what can the west realistically do to help the ukrainians in this fight >> well, you just outlined the agenda, savannah, for the meeting occurring today, at nato headquarters 30 nations, they represent 55% of the world's gdp, 3 million troops under arms, almost all volunteers, highly capable alliance and oh, by the way, in addition to the 30 nato nations, if i were vladimir putin i would be quite distraught to see finland and sweden, nonnato countries, at that meeting today. i think the nato membership card is becoming pretty valuable in europe in terms of what specifically the alliance can do, they're

doing it which is to move massive amounts of troops up to the borders, we've deployed an additional 12,000 u.s. troops, for example, but the brit, the french, the italians, everyone is moving troops to that border, and the next step is going to be supporting a ukrainian resistance, if it gets that far, with troop, with equipment, guidance, cyber oversight, intelligence, we can do this i don't think it's going to back down putin instantly, but it's a higher chance that a strong resistance ultimately will allow, will encourage him to reduce his grip on ukraine that's the real pain point we ought to be pursuing. >> ambassador mcfaul, thank you. we will have more on the situation in ukraine and the impact on the u.s. economy in the next half hour. we are following another major story this morning, expected announcement, from the

cdc today, that will significantly relax indoor masking requirements for most americans. that's according to sources familiar with the plans. nbc's senior medical correspondent dr. john torres with us now. good morning good to see you. so this is welcome nus to a lot of people, relief, a long time coming, but it comes long after many states, most state, actually have already dropped their mask mandates, so what does the guidance look like and what's the practical implication here >> i think that's one of the keys here, what we're expecting today, is the fact that they're looking at these local areas and saying they're already loosening up on restriction, let's give them more guidelines, more metrics they can use, and what you will see is the metrics changing up until now it has been case rates and positivity rate, as the guidelines and the driving factor behind when to put masks back on. well, they're going to change that i think, because of omicron, those metrics have been thrown out the window and let's look at hospital capacity and hospital pressure, how much hospital pressure is being put

on by these various viruses, the viruses that are out there, as pressure starts going up, let's put masks back on and pressure comes back down, in other words not that many covid cases in the hospital, let's bring mask guidelines back down and loosen them up a little bit and i think the impact, most americans are saying at this point, we are getting there, where we need to start learning to live with the virus but at the same time we need some indication when we should put masks back on and i think that's what the cdc is going to give them in addition, they're going to start pushing things to the local level, saying hey, you need to make the decision at your level, be it the city, be it the county, be it the state. >> we will see how this plays out, as i say, good news for a lot of people in this country. thanks so much we appreciate it. well, craig, we have sheinelle here this morning, what you got >> we have to talk about the weather. the second of the powerful winter storms al is tracking all week have made it here to the northeast. look at this a mix of snow, ice and rain, creating a messy hazardous morning commute for millions with al's forecast in just a

moment but first, we have more in boston where the snow is picking up emily, good morning. >> hey there, sheinelle, well, straight-away, you can see the visibility is greatly impacted, especially when the wind gusts come through, picking up the snow and blowing it around, so far, a couple of inches of snow here and we're skiing some of the -- seeing some of the heaviest snowfall in parts of the northeast up two two inches an hour and that's why officials are urging people if possible to stay home and off the roadways because we could be looking at treacherous, maybe even dangerous roadway conditions from roadways to runway, and it's just going to be difficult to navigate the northeast today. already 1,300 flight cancellations in the u.s., at nearby boston logan international, the majority of flights grounded, and sheinelle, i have to point out that just two days ago, we saw nearly 70 degree temperatures here in boston, similar record highs in other parts of the northeast, including providence, parts of new york city, and hartford,

connecticut, so talk about weather whiplash, sheinelle. >> a bit of a tease. the winter is not finished yet thank you. >> that brings us to al. what are we looking at >> a bit of a mess for another 12, 14 hours, and then things get a little bit better but colder 70 million people right now under winter weather advisories, watches and warnings, you can see the snow now, and the fact that 32 degree line, the freezing line, right as it cuts across coastal connecticut, on into the interior sections of pennsylvania, and that's where we have that icy mix so for today, here's the time line, new york city, freezing rain, changing over to all rain, but icy travel for the suburbs, and folks to the west. hartford, connecticut, snow, sleet, freezing rain, 1:00, 2:00 in the afternoon, and storm totals three to six inches, boston, six to 10 inches, periods of heavy snow ending by the evening. we're looking generally at about six to 12 inches of snow for burlington, the mountains of vermont could see 18 inches. icing continues. big problems this morning. and we're going to have airport delays

boston, new york, newark, baltimore, washington, and the roads, i-90, i-87 and i-95, all are a real mess. we're going to get your local forecast coming up in the next 30 seconds good friday morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. we have freezing temperatures, very cold air, especially for our inland valleys, we've dropped down to 25 in fairfield. we're in the upper 20s in the north bay. but then take a look at our afternoon. it's going to be nice. reaching the low 60s, especially

compared to the start of the morning. and we do continue to warm up over the next few days with upper 60s, watching for rain chances by the middle of next week. >> and that's your latest weather. >> al, thank you. coming up, alec baldwin's cryptic online messages in the wake of the interview with hoda's message with matt hutchins and hutchins anger for the actor failing to take responsibility. a high-tech solution for the staffing shortages facing restaurants. a first-hand look at the robots now being used to fill a number of position, and their impact on guests and workers. kerry sanders has th story. story. but atfi

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coming up after a couple of quiet years inside the great wedding pileup of 2022. >> oh, boy, what it means for couples and guests, but first, your local news. ws.

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school district may ditch their mandate altogether on monday. >> reporter: i'm bob redell. this sunday the city of oakland will celebrate oscar grant day on what would have been oscar grant's 36th birthday. you'll recall it was just over 13 years ago that a b.a.r.t. police officer shot and killed grant at the b.a.r.t. station. the day is set aside not only to celebrate grant's life but honor the work of his mother, reverend wanda jackson and the foundation which was created to build better trust between police and black communities. >> time to get a look at the forecast. meteorologist kari hall has been tracking that for us. >> marcus, we're still under this microclimate weather alert because of the freezing temperatures. still a very cold start with mid-20s in parts of the north bay. low 30s for the inland tri-valley, all the way down to the south county, and frosty conditions elsewhere. as we go into the rest of today, sunshine and our temperatures going from very cold to not so bad, with highs in the low 60s

this afternoon. >> thanks, kari. we're going to have another local news update coming up in 30 minutes. we'll see you back here then.

we're back 7:30, this is a live look at the slippery snow-covered roads in waterbury, connecticut, this morning, and drivers are facing similar conditions across the northeast as a double whammy of storms rolls through. we have the latest forecast straight ahead. >> slippery out there. >> absolutely. let's get to the headlines 7:30 the president has reached a decision on the supreme court nominee and according to two sources an announcement could come as soon as today, it is still unknown who the president will nominate to succeed the retiring justice stephen breyer,

finalist including ketanji brown jackson and michelle childs and california supreme court justice leondra kruger. three minneapolis police officers were found guilty on thursday of violating the civil rights of george floyd all three officers convicted of depriving floyd of his right to medical care two of the officers also were found guilty of not intervening as the 46-year-old floyd was dying at the knee of ex-officer derek chauvin. still awaiting trial on state charges. last year chauvin was convicted of murder and manslaughter and sentenced to more than 22 years in prison. scary moments for some oil rig workers in texas yesterday that was one of many explosions after a fire broke out on a decommissioned oil rig in a shipyard near houston. nine workers were trapped atop the rig and had to be rescued by a coast guard helicopter thankfully no one was injured. to details on the tragic

movie set shooting that took the life of cinematographer halyna hutchins the interview with husband matt put a spotlight on the interview that he did not feel responsible for her death. miguel has more. >> alec baldwin has not released a public comment following the sitdown with matthew hutchins and no response from the production team on the set of "rust" all accused of serious safety violations that led to the death of the cinematographer. >> matthew hutchins expressing his brief and anger at alec baldwin for comments following the "rust" tragedy. >> so angry to see him speak to publicly. >> hutchins has filed a wrongful death lawsuit, telling hoda he takes issue with alec baldwin's account of the fatal incident. >> i told you, i was showing you, how about that, does that work, do you see that, she says yeah, that's good.

and i go hammer, i let go of the hammer and bang the gun goes off. >> mr. baldwin goes out there and talks about these details about how he caused the gun to discharge and takes no responsibility and in my mind, it is very simple, that he was holding the gun and caused it to go off. >> baldwin has not commented on the interview but posted this cryptic message on social media. in bude him, being truthful goes beyond simply not telling lies when anyone feels no shame in telling the deliberate lie, there is no evil, they will not do >> the actor also posting this clip of nina simone singing "please don't let me be misunderstood", in an earlier statement, baldwin's attorney says any claim that aleck was reckless is entirely false the santa fe county d.a.'s office says it's still investigating the shooting, and has not decided whether to file criminal charges the fbi is doing ballistic tests and analyzing the revolver used in the shooting.

the d.a. writing, while my office has reviewed weapons with similar actions and varying conditions, it is premature to guess or speculate about the functionality of the particular firearm mr. baldwin discharged >> and miguel, hutchins' lawsuit is one of several civil suits that alec baldwin is facing now. >> that's right, savannah. there's at least two other lawsuits accusing the production as well as alec baldwin and other producers on the set of "rust" of cutting corners and failing to maintain industry safety standards, which they deny as for the separate criminal investigation, that may not be over for weeks or even months. the santa fe d.a. recently said she would sit down with halyna hutchins' family to solicit their thoughts before finalizing the case savannah >> miguel, thank you. coming up next, the far-reaching impact of russia's invasion on ukraine, including on the u.s. economy, and on your bottom line. soaring fuel prices to a wild ride on wall street.

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we're back 7:39, in depth today, the ukraine crisis and the economic implications here in the u.s. particularly when it comes to fuel costs, oil prices reached the highest level in nearly a decade yesterday, while on wall street, whiplash, the markets tumbling early, before a major rebound, to end the trading day in positive territory. >> nbc's tom costello joins us with a closer look now with what it all means for you good morning. >> good morning. the u.s. economy still in recovery mode, from the pandemic, and we've been experiencing of course decades-high inflation for months now now, this war in europe adding

another layer of uncertainty, for everything, from buying groceries to retirement savings, but as you mentioned, the clearest example of where we are seeing the financial impact is at the gas pump. >> from the west coast - >> i think it's kind of ridiculous. >> to the east coast >> i'm scared and i don't want to pay like ten bucks a on >> >> it hurts my pockets, and my heart. >> and everywhere in between >> it's out of control it's hard to believe it's a over $5 a gallon. >> americans already feeling the pinch when they fill up, are facing new economic uncertainty this morning plus 24 hours after russia's military invasion into ukraine, oil on the global market temporarily topped $100 a barrel for the first time in eight years. experts say, for every $10 increase, gas prices can jump 20 cents. with the national average now up $3.55, prices have surged 89 cents from a year ago, but it's even higher in some areas,

california currently the highest. $4.77 a gallon california is going to be probably paying $5 a gallon in a matter of one to two week, potentially this summer, california could hit 5.50 with some stations 6 or 7 dollars a gallon in parts of rural california >> at issue, russia is the world's second largest ex porter of oil and gas, and prices are set globally president biden says his administration will use every tool possible to limit the impact. >> we're taking active steps to bring down the cost and american oil and gas companies should not, should not exploit this moment, to hike their prices, to raise profits. >> but it's not just fuel. ukraine is a major global exporter of wheat. and a disruption could mean higher food prices globally. experts say how long the situation in europe lasts will determine the strain on our wallets. >> it will definitely be an impact on america's pocketbooks from this, but the question is,

what is the cost of defending a democracy? >> so the biden administration did not target russian oil and gas exports in the latest sanctions rolled out yesterday it's a bit of a dilemma because those sanctions would lead to even higher prices at the pump >> yes, and guess who would benefit from that? russia they will benefit from higher price, right and by the way, the u.s. has relied on russian oil, half a million barrels a day in late 2021, and even more than we import from saudi arabia, and one serious hurdle is that the u.s. and canadian oil producers are still not producing at the levels they did before the dramatic drop in demand and prices during the pandemic many of their investors have pressured those companies not to defer profits into new production since higher oil prices are bringing them higher profits right now. >> interesting and hitting so many people. tom, thank you very much much more on this subject in the next hour, with nbc's stephanie rooul. we will move to al's forecast, it is a busy one. >> and temperatures a big part of this story.

what we're looking at is really record chills out west, and what record highs down through the southeast. jet stream dips down brings in that colder air behind this cold front, from chicago, down to houston, temperatures anywhere from 10 to 30 degrees, almost 30 degrees below average but look at tallahassee, charlotte, charleston, and raleigh, all 10 to 20 degrees above average. now, tomorrow, those temperatures cooler temperatures push to the east below average in dc, cincinnati, nashville, jackson, on into dallas, and the good news early next week, cincinnati by tuesday, 55, and the 40s in chicago, by monday and tuesday, and omaha getting up into the upper 50s, and the six to 10-day outlook, look out how much warmer it is from the southwest to the atlantic, . good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. taking a look at our

temperatures, very cold to start out in parts of the north bay and fairfield, dropping down to 25 degrees. but then take a look at the trend. it will warm up quickly heading into today, as we reach into the low 60s this afternoon. so a big rebound, and we'll see 60s for many inland areas for this afternoon. going into the weekend, we're looking at highs that will continue to warm into the upper 60s and then we're watching out for rain for early next week. jooerks >> that's your latest weather. thank you, al. coming up next, they can shake up cocktails and make pizzas, even though technically they don't have hands. kerry sanders introduces us to the robots ready to forever change our restaurant experience right after this elara® can provide relief, and is the first approved medication to reduce inflammation on and below the surface of the intestine in uc. you, getting on that flight? back off, uc! stelara® may increase your risk of infections,

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become an agent of innovation with invesco qqq welcome back spring break is here or right around the corner, for a lot of families and they are eager for vacation fun in the sun. >> and that is great news for the economy. of course, so many restaurants and hotels still dealing with labor shortages, and now, they're turning to some high-tech solutions. >> yes, you have to see it to believe it nbc news national correspondent kerry sanders at the south bech wine and food festival with some flashy new friends hi, kerry. >> hi, guys. stand by, america. here come the service robots this one here is a robotic bartender. she even has a name. hello, cecilia. >> good morning, kerry

and everybody from the "today" show what would you like to drink >> a south beach cooler, please. >> coming right up >> as crowds emerge from the pandemic, meet the hospitality industry newest hire, robots >> welcome to the south beach wine and food festival. >> cecilia mixing 17 different drinks, 120 an hour. >> you can make a recommendation. >> would you rather have your cocktail, fruity, sour, classy >> this is like talking to a bartender. >> like talking to a robotic bartender. >> robotic bartending. and now so many service jobs still unfilled, robots of all sorts, are rolling into the labor force. more than 5,000 u.s. restaurants use serving robots, to bring food to the table, and take dirty dishes back to the kitchen. at the resort in the florida

key, the robot cut in half the wait staff shuffle servers had been walking up to six miles a shift. >> instead of them walking back to the kitchen, to get the food, the food is coming to them, by the robot. >> also, coming soon to the u.s., robot pizza makers, like the ones in paris. it kneads the dough, prepares the pie, cooks, cuts, and boxes the pizza. >> how does the pizza taste? >> we can make up to 80 pizzas an hour. its tastes very good. >> brian connor, florida hospital group says, this is unusual but just now. >> by 2026, this will be fully embraced. >> what about jobs, lost to robots in the 1980s, auto workers had the same worry >> from the automotive industry experience, should folks here be worried about jobs >> this is just another one of the industrial revolutions the net jobs at the end of the

day end up being relatively flat. >> but unlike assembly line robots, cecilia was given a personality. or at least what seemed like it. >> it fills the gap between the robot and the human. >> it can do more than 40 languages. >> 40? >> more than 40 languages. >> mama mia. >> exactly >> so like any good bartender, she also provides a little bit of humor, cecilia, tell me a joke >> what did the ice say to the margarita? i have a crush on you. >> let's just say, the cocktails get funnier, the more you drink, guys >> there you go. >> there you go. >> one of those horse walks into a bar things but kerry, thank you >> thank you >> all right >> the drinks are better than the jokes. >> yes >> just ahead, remember, this classic scene from "the office," take a look. >> oh, yes

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good morning. it is 7:56. i'm marcus washington. here's what's happening now. >> i'm kris sanchez, with a lot of masking news to watch for. today the cdc is expected to adjust guidelines for masking. we expect the metrics to watch will be hospitalizations and deaths. also on monday the california department of health will revisit masking in schools, looking at all data points from case rates and positivity to hospitalizations and how many children who can be vaccinated are vaccinated. and we expect a number of protests over masking in schools. liberty union high school district may ditch their mandate altogether on monday. >> time to get a look at the forecast. meteorologist kari hall is helping us get into the weekend. >> yeah, hopefully we'll be able to let this microclimate weather

alert expire as the freeze warnings will also expire. it's been such a cold morning across the bay area and we're headed for the low 60s for today. it's going to continue to get warmer as we go through the forecast. we'll be watching out for scattered rain for early next week. and it does look like we do come back down in temperatures by next thursday, but in the meantime, we're getting ready for another nice and sunny weekend, but we are hoping we can get some more rain in here by next week, with san francisco's temperatures reaching into the mid to upper 50s over the next few days. >> thanks, kari. we're going to have another local news update in 30 minutes. i'll see you back here then.

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russia continues an all-out attack on ukraine. closing in on the capital city of kyiv overnight, citizens taking shelter, others desperate to make their way out. president biden reacting with stronger sanctions from the white house. >> putin is the aggressor. putin chose this war. and now, he and his country will bear the consequences. >> so what's putin's next move? we've got full team coverage straight ahead.

>> plus, messy morning. over 70 million under a winter weather alert this morning, bitter cold, sleet, and snow, slamming the east coast. what it means for the commute, and the weekend. al, with the latest forecast. then, wedding crash. with this year's wedding season fast approaching, experts warning this could be the busiest in decades. >> i would describe it as insane. >> from venues, to vendors, to hotels, we'll break down all of the ways to get a head start and how you can save money if you're planning or attending the big day. >> and frozen field of dreams. harry smith travels to a small town in central new york where residents teamed up to build an ice rink. >> how big of a plus has this been for you? >> oh, gosh. huge. huge. very big. there's not a lot to do here in the winter. >> the sweet story of a community coming together that will melt your heart.

today, friday, february 25th, 2022. ♪ >> from detroit. >> from boston. >> celebrating samantha's sweet 16. >> visiting from san francisco. ♪ >> from nicole's 19th birthday. >> rochester, new york. >> from chicago to the "today" show to celebrate my 13th birthday. >> good morning, everybody. welcome back to "today." so much to celebrate on a friday morning. we are sure glad you started your day with us. willie and sheinelle in for hoda and craig. a lot to get to, the headlines from 8:00, breaking news from the white house, president biden set no nominate judge brown jackson to become the first black woman on the supreme court, and an official announcement is expected later today. in the meantime, the other big focus of the white house, the ukraine crisis, civilians taking cover as russian invaders

advance on more populated areas including the capital city. nbc's erin mclaughlin is there in kyiv at the epicenter of the conflict. erin, good morning. >> reporter: savannah, this morning, kyiv is under attack. a few hours ago, we witnessed a gun battle, it happened just a few miles that way, in a residential area of the capital, we heard gunfire and explosions, as russian forces are advancing further and further into the city and there are real concerns this capital could fall within days >> this morning, in kyiv, the erie whale of sirens, day two of putin's war on ukraine the russian army advancing quickly in the city of more than 3 million. overnight rockets struck a residential apartment block. ukraine's president zelenskyy addressed the nation the enemy has listed me as target number one. they want to destroy the

country, he says as missiles strike the capital, the city's metro stations turned into bomb shelters >> there is a functioning metro station and so many people here, the only place they can go when the sirens go off. >> this woman and her 13-year-old sister came here after hearing the sign >> do you worry that you're not together >> we're in touch every half hour with my parents, everyone will be traumatized after. >> this the children will be most traumatized >> the war is being played out in near realtime on social media. >> please pray for our friends. >> this video shot at the main railway station in the capital. >> the situation has become very bad here all of these people want to go from kyiv. >> that's the military that's the center of kyiv. >> one of the professional dancers on "dancing with the

stars" posted from ukraine on the instagram account. >> this is going to be very, very bad very bad this is going to escalate to extreme proportions. >> post-show, the reality of war, documenting the conflict, the damage and the dead. this post showing the joint site of russian tanks positioned outside the nuclear power plant at chernobyl back in kyiv, making the best of a bad situation, when the sirens sounded, they brought their cat, sleeping bags and food they say they're ready when the russian troops arrive. >> we want freedom >> a country that takes pride in its freedom. fighting to make sure it's not taken away people here are arming themselves the government is giving away thousands of weapons, including ak-47s, people are being encouraged to fight for their country. savannah >> erin mclaughlin in the capital, thank you very much. while some ukrainians are coming home from abroad, to help in the fight, others in ukraine

are fleeing the violence nbc's kelly cobiella is in poland, a destination for some of those refugees. kelly, good morning. >> reporter: willie, good morning to you this is the border crossing in poland, this line of crosses, this is ukrainians waiting for friend and family hoping that they cross the border. this is the border here. this is the road side of the border you can see a trickle of cars coming this way. because most of the refugees who are coming in are coming in by foot we heard reports that the lines are so long, on the other side, the wait is so long, that people are getting out of their cars, women, and children, with strollers, with their pets, dragging luggage, and walking across sometimes it is taking six hours, just to process them, as they wait in this cold weather outside. now, we spoke to one woman, an

american woman, who had lived in kyiv for 29 years, she says that it was finally time for her to leave, she said it took hours, something like 20 hours for her to actually get across the border, and into poland this morning. take a listen to what she said. >> it was very chaotic it was, many people were walking, because the cars were filling the roads. there are mothers carrying babies in their arms and many were turned away. >> then turned away, because ukrainian officials are saying that men between the ages of 18 and 60 can't leave the country so families are being separated. but this is not just one way traffic at this border crossing. we actually met three men, two of them brothers in their 50s, who said they were going back into ukraine this morning, and i asked them, why are you going

back, and we don't know if you can leave again and they said we're going back to fight. willie >> wow, incredible kelly, on the polish side of the border with ukraine. kelly cobiella, thanks so much we appreciate it. this morning, a major change in the federal guidelines for wearing protective face masks. it's expected that the cdc will significantly relax indoor masking requirements for most americans. current guidance is tied to covid case counts and transmission rates in a given area the new policy will rely more on hospitalization rates. however, almost every state has already acted on its own, to eliminate mask mandates. and this week, some measure of justice for families involved in two racially charged cases, guilty verdicts in the civil rights trials for three men convicted of killing ahmaud arbery and for three officers involved in george floyd's those verdicts handed down in the very same week as the 10th anniversary of the shooting death of trayvon martin. nbc's blayne alexander is in

miami with more. good morning. >> reporter: well, savannah, good morning to you, you know, if trayvon martin had lived, he would be 27 years old this month and instead memorialized in a number of different ways than tree behind me, and in his name, leads to the high school where he attended. in several cities across the country this weekend there will be remembrances in his name, his mother tells me it is a ve exhausting and emotional time but it's worth it to keep her son's name alive. >> he was 17 years old he was unarmed and a 28-year-old man followed him, chased him, pursued him, and ultimately shot and killed him. >> trayvon martin's death birthed a movement but a decade later his mother's emotions remain raw >> on my bad days, ten years later, i still cry >> a reluctant activist, sabrina fulton is still fighting in his name >> i would never have signed up for this but by the same token, i feel

like what i'm doing is with a purpose. >> trayvon martin was just 17 years old when he was confronted by george zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer as the teenager wearing a hoodie walked home from a store with a bag of skittles. after an argument, and a brief struggle, martin was shot dead zimmerman argued self-defense, and the jury found him not guilty it marked the beginning of the black lives matter movement, the hashtag appeared on social media, for the first time after zimmerman's acquittal. giving rise to a new generation of activists like phillip agnew. >> what did that moment do for you? >> it was an alarm clock people just couldn't take it anymore. >> in 2012, martin's death shocked him into action. he started organizing with friends, a three-day march across florida a sit-in at the state capital. >> before trayvon martin's death, did you consider yourself an activist. >> i considered myself an activist in my free time and it didn't become a essential part of who i identified myself as

until 2012, it drated organizers, it created organizers, it created activists not just in the united states but around the world. >> since then, year after year, more names and more mothers left to grieve. sabrina found a circle of mothers and stands as a living example they can make it, too. >> i want to just tell them, keep breathing, and keep walking. >> this week's guilty verdicts, in the deaths of george floyd, and ahmaud arbery give her hope, progress she says, but not enough >> it also is very difficult that we had to lose lives to get to that point. >> to continue to be at the front of protests and leading these events, what keeps you there? >> i have to be the voice for my son who is no longer here. i have a son in heaven and a son here on earth, and i want to make both boys proud >> now, even ten years later, savannah, there are two things that so many people associate with the night that trayvon martin died, and the hoodie he

was wearing and the bag of skittles he was carrying while both of those items, among others, are now publicly on display, at the national museum of african american history, and culture, in washington, d.c., his mother donated those items and i asked her, was it painful for her to make those things public, she said absolutely, it's something that she cradled for about three years, but she said ultimately, i've already given my son to america, and now, i want to given these items so that future generations will know her son's name. savannah >> ten years, thank you very much. that is the news how about a little boost on friday morning >> you're going to like this one. a few days before their wedding, a couple in australia was having a family barbecue. so the bride's parents asked the fiance to step up front to help with something they were actually setting up the scene right out of hollywood. >> no.

>> do you want to go to aspen? [ laughter ] >> howe did you get there >> the groom's best friend, surprised the couple, flying in from all the way from canada and didn't think he would be able to attend and willie, i know that you are deeply familiar. >> absolutely. >> with the hit move "dumb and dumber" and did you notice the similarities, for the motorcycle and then the orange tuxedo, that jim carry famously donned in the movie. >> i suspect there is a running joke between them. >> that's great. coming up next, is your calendar already packed for the upcoming wedding season? we are hearing it is the busiest ever as we're finally coming out of the pandemic. >> and looking at the competition, for couples for venues, direction dresses, hotels, you know it, and does it mean that you have to attend the wedding? right after this ♪ living in the past, it's a new generation. ♪

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always ultra thins like never before. ♪♪ ♪ we're back with a classic scene from "wedding crashers" engaged couples across the country hoping to celebrate big, just like that, and that is because for the last two years, many have been forced to put their plans on hold, and with the pandemic finally, we hope easing up, the wedding industry is set for its biggest season in decades. >> here is a look at what couples and their guests will face nbc's senior consumer investigative correspondent vicky nguyen good morning. >> who is ready to dance at a wedding, it's fun, right >> the big business of weddings

is booming, again thanks to vaccines and testing and the pent-up demand but the rush down the aisle is creating a log jam for vendors and some couples are reimagining their special day. ♪ >> this year, expect i do's to hit the record book, analysts predicting the wild west of weddings with 2.5 million expected in 2022, and the most since 1984 >> i would describe it as insane >> one out of every five weddings last year was rescheduled for this year. which means everything from dresses, to venues, to hotel rooms, are in high demand. >> if you go look at a house, and you like it and you need to buy it right now, the same thing with your vendor and your venues, if you like it, if you like them, you need to book them asap. >> industry insiders say this year's couples aren't wasting a single second, with some stores turning around those coveted white dresses in record time

according to "the knot," 75% of couples engaged last year have set a date for 202, couples like charla and greg, planning their august wedding in raleigh, north carolina. >> i think we had ideas of what i wanted, and then when it was time to pull the trigger, finding out that, ooh, some of those ideas might not be in the budget >> dates were booked across the calendar and vendors in short supply. some not even responding and the cost to tie the knot, astronomical says the couple >> i feel like we're in a much better position than a lot of people our age, but even still, these prices are out of control. >> out of control is what many are saying, couples will spend an average of more than $24,000 on their wedding this year, up nearly $2,000 from last year while 49% of couples report spending more than initially budgeted but it's not just the bride and groom. guests should expect to spend more, too, as the record travel season boosts demand for

flights, hotel rooms and rental cars so what are some tips, for the couples, consider offpeak months and days of the week, like a friday or a sunday, for your big day. and be upfront about your budget avoid wasting time with vendors who might be too expensive for guests, book your comb days early, and forguest -- accommodations early and for destination weddings, consider splitting a rental home with other guests and for sharla and greg, flexibility is key, and a sunday brunch wedding instead of the traditional evening event and they know no matter what their wedding day will be special. >> yes, i'm excited about the wedding day and i'm excited about us, and our marriage, and just starting a life together. that's the most important part and that's what really has me over the moon. >> and another quick tip for couples, use those wedding web sites and other digital platforms, they're a great way to communicate with your guests and also to help you save money on save the dates or invitation cards now, because it is all online now. >> a wild summer a fun summer what if you're struggling to find a vendor, sounds like

they're booked up for this year there this is the time to consider an event planner or wedding planner and reach out to an experienced person because if you don't hire them to plan the entire wedding, they can still help you because they have relationships with a lot of different vendors and you can tap into their network that way. >> good luck >> i know. >> a lot of brides and grooms. >> and ironically, the word for wordle today, elope. >> did you just give the word? >> why did you do that >> i'm joking. >> it's about weddings >> oh, five letter word. >> oh, my gosh literally. >> i haven't done wordle yet and i thought you spoiled it. >> we were about to jump out of our seats. >> oh, my gosh >> i was afraid people were coming after you. >> ruin my commute home. >> that's the word. >> no. >> that's a good one, though. >> al was jumped on live television. >> and "the new york times" paid for wordle, it is not enough, this is the reaction

>> that was a group that could become a mob very easily let's show you what we've done so far for today with the snowy conditions in the mid atlantic, northeast and in new england, and record high notice southeast and frigid temperatures in the plains and good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. some of us are still below freezing even at this hour, but we are now clawing out of this extremely coal weather towards milder temperatures for our afternoon. we're headed for the low 60s. tomorrow we're doing even better with a high of 64, an next week we have upper 60s in the forecast and those morning temperatures will be in the upper 40s. we'll also have a chance of showers starting on tuesday through thursday. for san francisco, expect a high today of about 56 degrees. a bu willing to turn just >> a bunch of friends willing to turn just like that. >> i'm telling you, if you had

really given the wordle away, what we would have done and said is nothing like the wordle nation being out there, with like torches >> yes. >> it would have been terrible. >> it would have turned violent quickly. >> it scared me. >> we know. >> we know where you hang, al. we know where you lunch, says wordle nation. let's get to pop star today, shall we is it time first up, we crashed the name of the new series they starring anne hathaway about the co-founders of we work and left the multibillion dollar company following investor concerns back in 2019 so the first trailer previews the focus on transforming the workplace experience, and here's a peek. >> the future of work is different. >> we're selling an experience >> the wife, she works there. >> she helps manifest -- >> we are on track to lose $400 million this year. >> i get this. >> enough, adam. >> i'm sort of trapped >> you have to make them see it.

>> see what? >> are they done are they done with this? two of my favorite actors, seeing them together is like exciting that is going to be good that's a series by the way and chat with anne hathaway next month and visit us here on "today." we're looking forward. you can watch "we crash" apple tv plus starting on march 18th. the office, something is cooking with the beloved workplace sitcom, one tiktoker is going viral for finding a hidden recipe and the terms of use on our nbc streaming app peacock, take a look at this do you remember this >> at least once a year, i like to bring in some of my kevin's famous chili the trick is, to undercook the onions everybody is going to get to know each other in the pot i'm serious about this stuff it's a recipe passed down from malones for generations. >> one of the best scenes ever jackson my son has kevin's chili socks. from that episode.

that is why it is important to read the fine print. and apparently, if you scroll through the terms of use, kevin's famous chili recipe is tucked in between sections nine and 10 of the third party authentication and advertising areas there. so a huge shout-out to the one person on earth who didn't click agree, and actually read the fine print there's a little bonus for you we put the recipe up on "today".com/food in case that scene made you hungry. and ending with foo fighters, one of the big bands hit the big screen with the latest projects, studio 666 and taking on the slasher comedy genre as they attempt to write their next album the haunted mansion which ends in dave becoming possessed and in celebration of the film's release, they are teaming up with coors for a limited edition beer called "coors almighty light" with rocky mountain water

blessed about i a -- blessed by a spiritual guru >> this isn't like satan beer, right? >> this is almighty beer. >> because i'm not drinking that. >> and we have a little sip here >> wow, okay >> cheers. good morning. 8:26. i'm marcus washington. happening today, volunteers will be out searching for an oakland woman who has been missing for more than a month. in january, 24-year-old alexis gabe went missing in oakland. her car was found abandoned on trenton street and carrington drive with the keys in the ignition and doors unlocked. volunteers will be split into two jeeps. people will meet in about 30 minutes at 9:00 this morning and then 1:00 p.m. at contra costa county fair grounds in antioch. here's the forecast with meteorologist kari hall.

we're in this microclimate weather alert until we're above freezing in the bay area and that's not until 9:00. temperatures more towards the low 60s today. that will be a little warmer compared to yesterday. and the warming trend continues for the weekend with more sunshine. our morning starts will be in the mid-40s and afternoon highs reaching into the mid-60s. next week, it looks nice as we're getting ready for at least some scattered showers to move into the bay area with our temperatures in san francisco for the weekend near 60 degrees. marcus? another local news update in half an hour.

8:30 now on a friday morning. february 25th. 2022 coming up, stephanie ruhle is here with some insight on the im impact of the ukraine crisis on your personal finances and will share with us how to protect your savings as marks drop and to keep costs manageable as prices surge. >> and speaking of that, with

grocery bills also rising, we will find out how to make the most of frozen foods and canned foods, to save at the supermarket. >> and then a really special story on the people of a small town that came together to build a skating rink that's become a community hub and harry smith has the sweet details. and ahead on the third hour of today, if you're thinking about spring break, or a summer vacation, we have some travel to avoid, when to back your trip. >> we will get to that in a bit but al has a check of the weather. let's look ahead to the weekend and show you what we've got as we start off tomorrow, brisk cold but at least clear in the mid atlantic and showers down to the lower mississippi river valley milder out west. sunday, sunday, showers return again to the great lakes milder weather for the plains down to the gulf and rain and snow moving into the pacific northwest. that's what's going on around the country. here's what's happening in your neck of the woods. >> good morning. i'm meteorologist kari hall. we are looking at temperatures today reaching into the low 60s for many of our inland valleys.

it will be a nice day, kind of cool, though, and we are not going to see the weather as cold for our mornings, reaching into the low 40s. we'll see some upper 60s by next week. we'll also be watching out for temperatures near the coastline and in san francisco, expect a high of 56 today, 59 tomorrow and 61 on sunday as our temperatures warm up. and we'll see scattered showers by the middle of next week. er guys >> al, thank you very much coming up next, the russian invasion and its impact on the u.s. economy, and on your bottom line, with fuel prices, to wall line, with fuel prices, to wall street, we will take a is your cbathroom over 10 years old? i'm mike holmes, here with ivan from agm renovations america's number one kitchen and bathroom renovators thanks mike! bathrooms over 10 years old cause major water damage, flooding, and mold. [mike] ivan, i've seen a lot of this. homeowners often don't realize what's behind the walls. agm are the only bathroom renovation specialists i recommend. visit agmrenovations.com today, and renovate before it's too late!

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we are back with more on the ukraine crisis and the financial consequences here in the u.s >> the impact has been brewing for weeks, of course, leading up to the invasion, adding to wild swings on wall street, and pushing fuel prices even higher. this, as americans are already dealing with record high inflation.

>> so we turn to nbc's senior business correspondent stephanie ruhle, good morning. >> hi. >> we were talking about this a little bit but let's start with the gas prices because that's the pain point that most americans will feel more immediately. >> and they certainly are. russia, huge exporter of oil and natural gas. there's a lot of fear out there, that in retaliation, for these sanctions that we're putting on russia, they could decide to cut off supply that's not something people should freak out about, ample supply in the u.s., we're not going to run out, but however the prices are going up, they're already going up, the president says he's concerned about it and wants to help americans anyway he kay, and the options are somewhat limited and temporarily get rid of the gas tax, that is not going to happen likely, and if we renew the iran nuclear deal, they can ramp up production but for the time being, americans should prepare, gas is more suspenseive. >> any tips to save at the hike? >> hitchhike >> no, not a time to start hitchhiking. but you should definitely use

gas apps, you shouldn't be driving around looking for the cheapest gas station, and burning gas, you definitely want to use some gas apps, and also look at your credit card, a lot of credit cards offer cash back, or double points, when you go get gas, and see what the offers are, and now is a good time to use them. >> and as we point out, the numbers are already terrible i go to the gas pump right now, i can't believe what i'm seeing on the screen. >> $3.50 on average. >> it's wild. let's talk about heating right now. the oil prices, how much we pay to keep our houses warm in the winter, how bad is it going to get? >> exactly the same situation. unfortunately we've had high heating bills all season long so the question is what do we do about that the good news, well we're already hitting into march, so if we were having this conversation in november, it would be worse, so what can you do the things that we always tell you every year, now things are getting warmer, so you can turn the thermostat down, in your house, a couple of degrees, always a good time to check your furnace filter and replace it. and the favorite piece of advice get the home energy audit. go to energy.gov, or call your local utility, they will come

over for free, walk you through your house, help you figure out how to make it more heat efficient, and how to make it more cooling efficient, and you can do it yourself, or call someone. great way to save some money. >> what is better advice than hitchhike. >> okay, can we just say that. >> joking on the hick hike. >> talking about the stock market, a wild ride. what should people do. >> first we need to realize investing is about predictability and what is the weather going to be, rain, bring an umbrella, sunny, maybe a bathing suit and right now there is no predictability, if anyone watched president biden's speech yesterday, we don't know what putin is going to do, he wants more than ukraine, so when there isn't predict ability, you see a lot of investors take a pause and say i'm going to step back, it doesn't mean things will tank but be prepared for a rollercoaster. >> and again, this morning, proposed talks between ukraine and russia, the market coming back up, it's a rollercoaster. >> it's a reminder to people, this isn't a time to become a id traer. over the long run -- a trader.

over the long run, investing, we see the stock market go up over time and historically, with events like this, boggled in the short term but over a few months, things normalize try not to look at your 401(k) six times a day. put it down. >> don't even look. >> thanks so much. great to see you advice and tips for how to save and spend smarter, be sure to check out our web site, today.com/on the money. harry smith coming up next with a visit to a very specialize skating rink and how it itransforming daily lifs e

we're back with one of our favorite series, mr. smith goes to, and harry took us to a small picturesque town heart waerming despite the frigid temperatures. we have a colleague who grew up in cooperstown, with your the

hall of fame is and saw something in one of of the local papers up there, and said is this a thing, check it out and i checked it out, and it is a great story. in these days, when it feels like there's more going on that pulls us apart than that which draws us together, we present this contradiction the brand new ice rink, in springfield, new york. >> it is just crazy. it's like this every day here. >> dale, the town supervisor, the day we visited, wind chill was 6 below zero >> this kind of weather, people out here shoveling away, and people donating skates, we have 50 pairs of skates in there, all donated. >> kids, adults, beginners, all are welcome. and by the looks of it, all are darn happy to be here. >> how big of a plus has this been for your town >> oh, gosh. huge huge very big there's not a lot to do here in the winter >> maggie teaches middle school. and comes here often to unwind

>> people come and want to go after work, after school, get some fresh air, it's a great place to be. >> it sure looked great to us, and how we wondered did this come to be >> a $5,000 budget and a vision. >> i thought about it for two weeks. and it kept nagging at me and nagging at me, and i was nervous, because i knew it was going to be a lot of work, but when you have an idea that strong, you can't ignore it. >> the frozen equivalent of shl runs the parks here. >> when we built it, we said did you know they would come >> built in large part by town folk all tra capable ammish neighbors, who already had rinks of their own out of respect for the amish, we blurred some images. >> none of them would take any payment. the town offered to pay them and they wouldn't take any payment. >> and amish men, led the effort

and came up with a backyard version of the zamboni to keep the ice smooth. >> we're out here for four hours now. >> benjamin and his daughter bridge et are here most every day. >> how much do you like coming out to the skating rink? >> i like it a lot >> you like it a lot i can tell because i see no sign of you four hours in of like, it's time to go, dad, i don't see anybody, you're not tugging on your dad's sleeve >> no. i think we would spend all day out here if we could >> it's not fancy, this ice rink, but it seems to function in a way that far exceeds anyone's expectations. >> we all get together, and we spend time together, and we get to know each other and focus on what we have in common, that joy just builds and spreads. >> imagine one of these in your town you know what they say

if you build it. >> can't stand it, can you >> that's amazing. >> yes >> a couple of weeks ago, they get a call, unbeknownst to them, an olympic hockey player, someone who played in the olympics, who lived nearby and said i'll come by a couple afternoons a week and teach kids how to play hockey donates skates donated everything and people just show up every day. there is no big crazy schedule there's no bureaucracy there's just come, just come, and if you don't know how to skate, it doesn't matter >> i love how it belongs to everybody. it's just cool. >> and also, part of the idea, i think, from ashley sikkema, who was really the engine behind that, she has made some really good friends in the amish community and they had their own rinks and as she was talking to them, we can help you with that, and $5,000 budget and auflll of sudden you have a community

coming together in incredible ways >> they refused payment.y thing. it is not where you need to buy a build up >> talk about e pluribus unum, folks. it is not a big thing where you need a huge group to make the rink. >> and with the zamboni, it will take two weeks >> one of the things that the town of springfield is famous for, fourth of july parade and the second oldest in the country. and come this summer, catty bar the door, buddy. they're going to come. >> always great, buddy. >> thank you, harry. coming up next on "today," we're going to help you save on yourrocery bill without g

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we are back with today's food and we talked about rising costs that includes your weekly grocery bill and our food director is here, she's got some money-saving seeks as we navigate the grocery store >> good morning. >> good morning. >> we have different sections of the grocery store. let's start with frozen food because that's a place where you can really save a buck. >> absolutely. especially on fruit and vegetables and seafood plus it has a longer shelf life. so you'll have less food waste. >> at lot of people probably wonder, less nutritional value or quality if frozen. >> the good news is you won't and especially with one ingredient products because there is nothing added and shrimp is a good example it can cost $7 a pound for frozen and fresh shrimp is frozen and defrosted >> did you know that >> now you know. >> now you know. >> will we push this along >> i usually bring my own bags

but this is fine let's talk about getting organized. how do we do that at the grocery store? >> well you never want to go in without a plan because if you're like me, you're gist going to be putting all of this random stuff into your cart >> that's me. >> have a list and make sure you check your fridge, freezer and pantry before you shop. and also, store scirculars and grocery apps and have the store loyalty card, that can mean big savings. i was going to say, try not to impulse buy, if you can't help it, give yourself an allowance of one or two items. >> oh, okay. >> that's it >> the pop-tart budget >> yes >> it's like a game then. >> yes >> okay. let's move right along here. >> we'll take the cart >> on tip number four, so you have three, right? >> let's do meal prep. we'll start there. >> yes so diy ingredients, and singles, exactly so if you buy anything pre-prepped, marinated meat, shredded cheese, chopped veggies

you're paying for it so put in a little bit of prep and you save the money and the same thing goes for snack-sized item, a jar of peanut butter butter it's 40% less than if you buy those to go single packs. >> oh, yes. >> so buy the big size, and make your own singles. >> for kid snacks come in those little bags. >> you can do a little bit yourself. >> do a little spin-spin >> on tim number four, shop the interior >> the interior aisles and what kind of things will we find on the interior of the grocery store? >> absolutely. so often you hear shop the perimeter for healthy foods but a lot of healthy foods inside too, like canned food, and tomato. >> cheaper on the inside >> almost always cheaper. >> especially seafood. canned salmon can be 70% less per pound than fresh and great in burgers, salads and pasta. >> where should you not cut a corner is there a food that you get what you pay for

>> i feel like there are a couple first extra virgin olive oil so healthy i put it on everything a lot of anti-inflammatories, and i put it on my oat meal. that is how much i love extra virgin olive oil. >> oat meal? >> it is so good i promise. shoe try it. >> okay. >> and then also pastured eggs you might spend a couple more dollars per dozen but more omega 3s and a richer flavor and more vitamins >> you're totally surrounded now. >> one tip, buy in bulk, and freeze it up and put it in there. >> a job opening at real simple. >> for more supermarket saving tips, today.com/food. >> you're here not only for the tips and the smuckers jar, al. >> let's line them up and roll them around and spin them out and see what we have a happy 100th birthday to ms.

doris wagner, lovely grandma, from cleveland, ohio, talk about grandma, 23 grandkids, 44 great grandkids. >> hold on. >> bingo. >> 12 great, great grandkids. >> how do you remember all the names? >> i'm sure she does looking at her. >> naomi davidson of walnut grove, 103 happy 100th birthday to mike morsillo a world war ii vet from boynton beach, florida owned a luncheonette we salute you for your service, sir. clifford from far rock away new york, a retired senior detective, celebrating 103, and look at that hat, i like that. and the secret to his longevity, good food. phillies gibson of battle creek, michigan, 100. she knew the kellogg brothers. she lived in the same house for more than, i'm just kidding, for more than 70 years kellogg's is in battle creek and last but not least, happy

100th birthday of ruth will is, crafty lady from philly owned a grocery store and a beauty parlor. >> wow. >> a few seconds, do you want to give the wordle word out again. >> it will get to everybody. >> the wordle word. coming up in the fourth hour, how parents can help parents navigate their kids with the stresses of social media >> and we have food perfect for the cold of winter. >> i did get to wordle in three today. >> you did >> it wasn't elope >> just so you know. >> what have you got coming up on sunday today? >> thanks for asking, al the golden globe winner, oscar nominee, star of steven spielberg's west side story, she is amazing with me on sunday. >> all right we will see you then have a great weekend, everybody. we're back after your local news

good morning. it's 8:56. i'm marcus washington. the cdc is expected to loosen mask requirements today. we expect the cdc metrics will no longer be overall cases or

positivity rate but how many cases end up in hospitalization or death. monday, state health leaders will revisit masking in schools looking at all the data from case rates to positivity and hospitalizations. they'll also consider how many children were unvaccinated. breaking news, happening now, russia is telling china it is ready to conduct talks with ukraine to stop the invasion. the united nations says it has received reports of at least 25 civilians killed and more than 100 injured in ukraine due to shelling and air strikes. we'll have live team coverage at midday. this is so embarrassing. there's no way it's me. you know her.... you love her.... ruh roh. what are you doing here? it's anna gomez! who? our first gigillionaire! with at&t fiber, anna's got the fastest internet with hyper-gig speeds. i didn't know you went to this school. we have a lot in common. live like a gigillionaire with at&t fiber. now with speeds up to 5-gigs. limited availability.

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this morning on the third hour of "today." deadly invasion. russia avaning deeper into ukraine. we are live as the assault continues and we are live in washington with the president's response. a morning mess bringing snow and rain. what inspired this middle schooler to create his own superhero. today, friday, february 25th, 2022. today, friday, february 25th,