the ground our tom yom s is reporting on the massive refugee crisis taking place with millions of lives turned upside-down will america's drivers we forced to face $5 a gallon gas

as the new normal? the latest job reports estimates surges ahead as we kick off the first busy friday of march we begin with breaking news of ukraine where there was fear of a nuclear melt down early this morning ukrainian officials report russian forces began shelling the area surrounding a nuclear powerplant security footage captured a flash near the grounds the plant located in the southeast of ukraine is the largest in europe. it holds six of the country's reactors ukraine emergency services later said there was a fire in a training building. the emergency prompted a call between president biden and ukraine's president. >> it's not about i want to talk with putin i think i have to talk with

putin. the world has to talk with putin because there are no other ways to stop this war >> french president emmanuel macron had what his office described as a disturbing call with russia's vladimir putin putin told macron that the situation will get worse ukrainian president zelenskyy is insisting that he is the one that needs to speak with putin with that nuclear powerplant in jeopardy zelenskyy released an urgent plea just hours ago for europe to do more to stop the russian military molly hunter joins us live from lviv ukraine that caused a lot of panic what do we know what's happening at the site right now? >> reporter: we've got a couple of updates from the state inspector. the big headline is that fire is out. the plant, though, is occupied by russian forces.

apparently the units remain intact according to the inspector. damage to unit one has been suffered, but apparently it does not affect the safety of the whole plant. and importantly there's been no changes to radiation status. overnight the u.s. energy secretary has tweeted out russian military actions near the plant were, quote, reckless and must cease she continues to write the plant reactors are protected by robust containment structures and reactors are being safely shutdown the iaea also says the fire did not affect any essential equipment. >> the russian military has grown more aggressive as the hours go by. are they gaining ground? >> reporter: yeah. it seems that's exactly what's happening. they are ramping up. so let's start with kyiv, the assault on the capital city. they're surrounding that city with air power that convoy we've been talking about all week, about 40 miles like still is 15 miles from the capital.

not a lot of movement overnight blamed on logistical supply issues down south they're not facing those same challenges. they've captured their first major city, it is a port city. we're also watching a city that is northeast of kyiv we saw video overnight showing russian forces hitting a hospital and apartment buildings. according to the ukrainian government at least 22 people have been killed there >> hopefully that convoy stays stalled near in kyiv molly, thank you more than 1 million refugees have fled ukraine so far, the journey becoming increasingly dangerous as russia ramps up its attacks. nbc's ellison barber is on the ground you're speaking to people as they flee the country. what's it like for them now as the invasion has intensified >> reporter: it's a very

difficult because a lot of the people we're seeing arrive here now, they don't have family in poland so they're trying to figure out where they go next. many of them staying overnight in these tents or going in these just so for a minute or two they can nap or get warm. this area, the resources here are developing and growing more. we watched as crews came through and on every single light pole installed this, outlets so people can charge their phones, so these tents, volunteers offering services can do that. this is something that did not exist before this is an empty field that now all of a sudden needs infrastructure because of the influx of people coming to get help i want to walk around the corner here and show you a little more of what we're seeing at this site it's more families we've seen this at every border, many mothers fleeing with their children yesterday we were trying to speak to one woman who crossed the border, and she told our team she doesn't want to speak

on camera because she was ashamed that she left her country. she traveled here with her young daughter it is brave to leave everything behind to come to a place, a country that you don't know the language, you don't know anyone here to make sure that your children, your loved ones can live safely. you see all of these strollers, a reminder of how this is impacting the most vulnerable. most of these have been donated. people are coming to this tent to get blankets, coats, strollers for their young chirp why they wait and try to figure out not only where they go from here but where they sleep tonight and the next night and the next because as much as they want to go home, frances, they cannot do that until the bombing stops. >> those strollers really tell you a lot. russia has attacked ukraine from the air, ground, sea and also from cyberspace

ukrainian banks and defense ministry have borne the brunt of these attacks, but as andrea mitchell reports vladimir putin could still go a lot further >> reporter: before russiana mounted its ground unit in ukraine the leading edge was detected thousands of miles away alarm bells went off at microsoft's threat intelligence center in washington over a new piece of malware aimed at ukraine's government and financial institutions microsoft jumped into the digital fray, picking apart the malware, alerting ukraine's top cyber defenders and the top officials at the white house >> when microsoft notified us they built signatures to identify test. eporter: u.s. officials wan vladimir putin still has the ability to cut off critical communication and cripple vital infrastructure in ukraine. so far russia's cyber offensive has been limited to denial of service attacks on ukraine's

defense ministry and banks >> are you surprised we've not seen more cyber attacks? >> the u.s. is working with ukraine's cyber defense to be ready in case the worst is still to come. >> russia has one of the most sophisticated cyber programs in the world and it's much easier to attack than defend. an attacker has to be successful once a defender has to be successful every time >> that could setoff a cyber war between russia and the u.s >> our thanks to andrea mitchell for that report. a bright spot in america's fight against covid-19 after two years in the pandemic the cdc says more than 90% of the u.s. population lives in an area where masks are no longer needed the statement comes one week after the agency changed its mask guidance due to a 90%

decline in new covid infections. >> we made it to friday. let's check in with meteorologist bill karins for a look ahead >> we have a big storm to track from the west headed east. some welcome rain and snow at the high elevations of california we desperately need it with the rainy season winding down it hasn't been anything but the snowfall through the weekend this will move through the higher elevations. all the way back up through colorado, wyoming, into the dakotas. mostly at the high elevations we'll get some rain especially on sunday. this area has been kind of wet lately so we could get isolated flooding and severe storms could be a problem, too. we'll watch that in areas of iowa so the forecast, temperatures look very warm today from th ar,

louisiana, everyone in the mid to upper 70s weekend forecast coming up, and i can promise you, frances, we are going to watch a warm up finally. i know you've been waiting for it >> so ready for it thank you, bill. we're just hours away from a different kind of moon landing according to "the wall street journal" a 4 ton piece of leftover rocket is due to crash into it moon before 7:30 eastern this morning some experts believe the space trash comes from a 2014 chinese rocket which chinese officials have denied. astronomers say the collision will cause up to 66 foot crater. some are calling for more environmental awareness in the final frontier up next the journey to the ukrainian border becomes more

perilous our tom yoenis has more from the ground and ikea becomes the latest retailer to shutter operations in russia. cascade platinum. it's specially-designed with the soaking, scrubbing and rinsing built right in. cascade platinum's unique actionpacs dissolve quickly... ...to remove stuck-on food. . . for sparkling-clean dishes, the first time. choose the detergent that lets your dishwasher do the dishes! cascade platinum. the number one recommended brand in north america. test. test. test test. test. test. test test.

more than a million ukrainian citizens have fled the country, and that number grows by the day nbc's tom yom s is in western ukraine and spoke to some of the refugees about their treacherous journey. >> reporter: in ukraine the lifeline for refugees runs around the clock on these tracks, through the country and through a war. >> the train is to the key to escape for people. >> reporter: inside rail cars families with packed tight not sure what the next stop will bring. >> it was very hard to get inside and spend hours in the car because it was too full, very full, a lot of people with young children, with animals >> reporter: and the journey is growing more dangerous these images showing rail bridges blown up, tracks crippled, even a missile just

steps from the rail lines. >> do you think the russians are trying to hit your trains? >> i've seen the bombs which are about 2 meters from the track. >> reporter: i spoke with the man running the entire ukraine rail system during this war. >> we can't drink water and bring food to it cities. >> reporter: the second round of talks with russia and ukraine both sides agreeing to create humanitarian corridors to evacuate citizens. the crush to board trains still happening, and train windows are telling the story of this war. pain, loss and so many families saying good-bye. kharkiv resident irene says she was lucky to get a seat on a train out, but now she's stopped moving the reality is setting in >> i love my city. for me it's best city. so beautiful there's a lot of parks and

cinema and now everything broke. it's crazy there is everything broke, everything >> reporter: a note on those humanitarian corridors, they are still working out the details but envision a cease-fire zone where civilians can be evacuated but also a pathway where they can move in food to the areas most devastated. and america is going to follow the eu and grant temporary protective status to ukrainian refugees >> still to come on "early today," mercedes-benz joins a list of companies cutting ties with russia. delivers the power of a deep clean in minutes unlike bleach sprays, clean freak starts deep cleaning on contact with three times the cleaning power to break down tough messes in seconds it quickly cleans your home's toughest messes so, for a deep clean in minutes, get mr. clean clean freak available in easy to switch refills. get the cleaning power of mr. clean in a wipe

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the rapidly growing list of businesses are cutting ties with russia as a result of the invasion major companies in energy, transportation and tech announced major restrictions nike is joining the list

the move comes days after nike announced it would not be able to guarantee delivery for its online orders on its website ikea announced closures for its stores and factories in russia as well as halting imports and exports out of russia and belarus spacex ceo elon musk warned his star link communication system is under a threat of cyber attack in ukraine. now as the war in ukraine heats up americans are increasingly feeling the pain at the pump analysts fear the average price of gas might soon top $4 a gallon there is a glimmer of economic hope, though, this morning a coming jobs report expected to show more jobs added and strong wage gains for more let's bring in cnbc's karen tso. she's in london. karen, good morning.

>> already energy experts are talking about potential for an energy crisis, something like the 1970s that we've not seen since then the disruption continues at the pump what does it mean? already the current average is 3.61 per gallon. we're seeing the credible prices in a short period of time. u.s. cities could also see that $5 mark in coming weeks. extra prominence around this jobs report. today is the last one before the fed meet in march. it's expected to raise interest rates. the numbers we're expected to cross this morning 440,000 new jobs likely to be created in the month of january when it comes to the unemployment rate this is

expected to slide a fraction to 3.9% indicating full employment and pressure on attracting the right skills to various different places to u.s. companies. wage growth, it's expected to bounce 5.8% year over year this is relevant as we look at escalating inflation costs, whether this is now starting to manifest itself in the form of high wages so a lot on the business front today. back to you in the studio. >> karen, thank you for the update up nt,ilhaex bl s got your weekend weather forecast >> plus who was crowned the big cheese at this year's competition? ♪ i see them bloom ♪ ♪ for me and you ♪ ♪ and i think to myself ♪ ♪ what a wonderful world ♪ a rich life is about more than just money. that's why at vanguard, you're more than just an investor, you're an owner so you can build a future for those you love. vanguard. become an owner.

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the surprising way to save water. ukraine is pleading for more help as russia's attacks grow more intense russian forces are closing in on more ukrainian cities this morning and even posing a threat to europe's largest nuclear power plant. we're joined live by nbc's jay gray who's been following this crisis from along ukraine's border with poland and jay, how have things changed since we last saw you 24 hours ago? >> reporter: yeah, good morning, frances, nivita. we're about a mile or so from

the border it's more than doubled theraphygys trying to find a place to go in the last couple of days. russians taking control of their first major city air strikes leaving smaller villages in ruins while on the ground a massive convoy is slowly closing in on kyiv, ukraine's capital. the stepped up attacks pushing families from their homes. more than a million refugees have left ukraine even as support continues to pour into the war torn country the line of vehicles at the border crisis at times stretching for miles hundreds taking desperately needed supplies to those on the front lines of the fight meeting for the second time delegates from russia and ukraine have agreed on establishing humanitarian corridors out of areas of intense fighting but a 62-year-old retired

soldier now geared up for war again says politicians can't solve the problems here. >> the ukrainian people don't have that time >> reporter: he doesn't want you to see his face for security reasons. he's traveled from the u.k. to join the fight because he believes the consequences of this war stretch well beyond the ukraine border >> oh, no, this is a world problem. >> reporter: a problem that every hour is getting much worse. unfortunately as you see the numbers of people pouring in here, nbc news has learned from a u.s. military official they believe the worst of the fighting, the most intense fighting is still yet to come >> all right, jay, thank you and with that, the world holds its collective breath. over the weekend for us many of us have a chance to relax, but hearts are heavy with this happening. with now almost over a million mark with refugees >> so many questions right now with putin's mental state,

wondering what's going on, watching him become more isolated i think that's where we are right now. we don't know what he has planned next and all these attempts at deescalation doesn't seem to be working >> that's what the uncertainty

relentless attacks on several ukrainian cities rage on. forces fire at the ukrainian nuclear power plant. >> anything in that area is extremely dangerous, any fire, any kind of disruption. >> a radiation expert details the dangerous consequences if the shelling continues. and --