10 miles to kyiv russian military forces are closing in on the capital while other cities continue to be bombarded, now into the third week of the war. americans from coast to coast are asking how they can help t millions of ukrainians in desperate need of assistance. we've got the answers ahead. a $1.5 trillion spending bill was passed to avoid a shutdown >> in the first test of new texas voting laws the state

flagged 27,000 mail in ballots in the primary is it a sign of things ahead it's friday, march 11th. "early today" starts today thanks for ending your week with us i'm frances rivera and i'm steven romo. top diplomats in ukraine and russia met in turkey for the highest level talks since the invasion started the meeting was brief and did not seem to lead to know breakthroughs. >> they seek surrender from ukraine. this is not what they're going to get >> new satellite photos from maxr, a company used by some u.s. government agencies, seem to show the russian military convoy north of the capital kyiv is now dispersing to surrounding areas. these image said were captured thursday so the situation has likely changed since then.

>> let's get an update now from nbc's molly hunter who's on the ground in lviv what do we know about russia's progress toward the capital? >> reporter: this has been monitored so closely over the last two weeks with satellite imms we've been talking about. it's been sitting 15 miles outside the capital of kyiv for the last two week. now it appears components of that component may be 10 miles away according to the same u.s. defense official the u.s. estimates that ukrainian forces can hold the capital city for several more weeks frances? >> this morning russia claims forces have taken control of the city in the south eastern part of the country it's not from where that maternity hospital was bombed. >> that's right. the claim is russian forced have taken over, and it is right near

mariupol as you mention that is the city are the maternity ward was hit just two days ago. odesa on one end of that, that the russian forces have been trying to consolidate. it's been on the humanitarian corridor evacuation list every single day this week and every single day it has failed civilians have not been able to get out of that city reports from icrc and other organizations that have been in contact with people say the situation is dire. most people are out of water, food, there's no medicine. most people out of electricity, there's absolutely no heat as we talked about earlier it's 23 degrees where i am. it's even colder in the southeast of the country >> i hope they get that aid and the opportunity to leave more than 2.3 million people have now fled from ukraine since the russia invasion started.

that's according to the u.n. and that stream of refugees continues this morning nbc's jay gray at that border crossing in poland how have things changed since we last spoke to you around 24 hours ago now? they desperately need clothes, jackets i want you to take a look at how pl plentiful the donations are. the horrific sounds of war, bombs and bullets, evidence of the silence from negotiators, peace talks between russia and ukraine collapsing with the battle escalating along with the number of foreign fighters pushing toward the front line. >> it's the obligation of anyone who's able to come put a stop to this, to at least help so that's why i'm here >> reporter: this american doesn't want you to see his

face, but he does want you to know his intentions, to defend ukraine and democracy. how long will he fight >> well, when they tell me we can go home because the conflict's resolved. >> reporter: it's that conflict pushing so many ukrainians from their homes. >> the russian army in our village. they shooting, our army shooting >> and so they rush to escape, almost 2.5 million so far. >> unfortunately, things are getting worse in ukraine more bombs are falling, and we are going to see much more people leaving i guess >> the majority women and children searching for safety. yeah and you can see these families now getting onto a bus here they will head to a train

station and move further into poland at this point. you can also see already this morning the line is skreching quite a way. so a lot of people starting their day coming across the border >> just an unbelievable number of people out there. our jay gray reporting for us. the invasion has tensions escalating again between the white house and the kremlin. president biden gearing up to take more action against russian president vladimir putin what do we know about the president's plan >> reporter: good morning, frances. it's going to bea busy friday at the white house. president biden plans to announce new actions against russia according to reuters mr. biden will call for an end to normal trade relations to russia, clearing the way for increased tariffs on russian imports last night the senate passed the $1.5 trillion package that funds the federal government through september. the bill passed 68-31 avoiding

partial government shutdown. senate minority leader mitch mcconnell said it gets the job done for our armed forces while majority leader chuck schumer praised the bipartisan win >> this is how we protect our country. it's also how we show our responsibility to a country in this case ukraine is being attacked by a war criminal, vladimir putin >> it's a very good night for this country, a good-bye partisan night >> reporter: the omnibus delivers on priorities for both parties including $730 billion locked in by democrats for nondefense agencies and $782 billion for republicans for national defense it also contains nearly $14 billion dedicated to humanitarian and military aid for ukraine, which is almost triple ukraine's annual defense budget of $5 billion

the bill now heads to president biden's desk frances? >> thank you this will come as no surprise to anyone who's bought groceries or filled up their gast tanks in the past two weeks. inflation is at a 40-year high the new report sent stocks into a kid. all major markets ended the day in the red >> reporter: after months of struggling with soaring prices and busted budgets, americans are facing an even more grim reality. inflation accelerated 7.9% in february compared to last year, a new 40-year high prices are up vaubd. groceries surged 8.6% over the last year. rent rising 4.7% and most of all gas prices spiking 38%. >> when i see these numbers, it's mind-blowing. >> reporter: some price jumps are the highest ever recorded like furniture, lunch meat, baby food and toys.

>> we don't want to raise prices but you see it creeping up on you. >> reporter: brian owns the restaurant, an 80-year-old institution in wyoming >> they have to pay to get the product to their warehouse and we have to pay again to get it here, and somebody is paying that bill and it ultimately becomes us or our guests >> you live in a constant state of panic because i'm always worried that i'll have worked enough hours to work the rent. >> reporter: president biden is fighting blaming it in large part on putin's price hike but prices surged last month almost entirely before russia invaded ukraine. and inflation has been soaring above 5% since last way.

repub republicans blasting the president. >> energy prices have been going up dramatically from the day he took office. >> reporter: the next big question for people here in wyoming and all across the country is how much will the federal reserve raise interest rates next week as it tries to get the inflation under control? >> could a potential bomb cyclone hit this weekend bill karins has the details. >> it's not just the eastern u.s. we had snow yesterday so this storm is going to affect a lot of people and cause people to have change of plans or delays, too. 56 million people in total and goes from areas new mexico all the way from texas back to areas from the tennessee valley, appalachians and now starting to get watches and warnings through

areas of the northeast a wintery mix. oklahoma city to dallas during the middle of the day. by 6:00 p.m. snow from little rock to memphis and the narrow band and tonight the snow begins to intensify. a heavier batch of snow is possible early saturday morning. new york city northwards expecting a couple inches of snow loisly rain in areas like providence and boston. the areas of white that includes northern half of mississippi and alabama where snow is still a problem with driving on the roads. areas of west virginia, virginia, d.c., northwards all the way up through t lie later

today. so there's a really big batch of arctic air going to set the stage for our snow event the other thing we have to deal with is severe weather, guys, and maybe some severe storms with tornados. we'll give you those details coming up. >> all right, thank you. voting in texas just got a whole lot more real. 27,000 ballots were flagged. details in 60 seconds. taking align can help. align contains a quality probiotic to naturally help soothe digestive upsets 24/7. try align, the pros in digestive health. and join the align healthy gut team up and learn what millions of align users already know. how great a healthy gut can feel. sign up at alignprobiotics.com also try align dualbiotics gummies to help support digestive health. for people who could use a lift new neutrogena® rapid firming. a triple-lift serum with pure collagen.

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know that. >> he was also ordered to pay more than $120,000 in restitution to chicago, and he was fined $25,000. the actor falsely reported to police that he was the victim of a homophobic and racist attack in 2019. in december a chicago jury found him guilty on five counts of felony disorderly conduct. well, we're getting our first look at the effect of strict new voting laws in texas. more than 27,000 mail in ballots were flagged for rejection in the state's primy election early this month the initial rejection rate was about 17%. that's up from less than 1% in the 2020 general election. okay, if you're thinking about having a destination wedding and haven't locked in the location yet, how about italy? how about italy and some cash. the central region of lazio is offering $22,000 for couples who tie the knot there

you could say your i-dos in rome couples need to get hitched between now and the end of this year and it is amazing. normally it'd be why do you need to pay people, but remember major lockdowns, right during covid. that was one of the main hot spots and now they're doing everything they can. maybe if you're not really into each other, go there, get hitched, get your $2,200, come back and you're all good >> i like that, very cool. >> second weddings, do those count, too >> we'll have to find out. well, after a quick break, get ready for more seasons and plenty of showdowns as well. it's the final season ofet bter call saul. and take me out to the ball game the mba lock out end it's time to play ball buh bye. try wetjet with a money-back guarantee.

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and the washington commander's football team is sending care packages to troops in eastern europe the team said they made 4,000 packages with over 24,000 hygiene products russia's war in ukraine has struck a chord with millions of americans watching all this unfold, seeing the devastation and heart breaking images of refugees forced from their homes. it has many of us wondering what we can do to help. >> reporter: thousands of refugees pour across the border into places like poland. there are volunteers there to meet the immediate needs on the ground they're distributing, food, toys and other supplies to those trying to figure out what's next but they can't do it alone it's donations that help them feel comfort in a time of so much uncertainty aide groups say one of the quickest ways to make an impact is donating through a trustezaon like world central kitchen as chef jose serves up meals for those arriving at the border

>> nothing sends a bigger message of hope. >> reporter: a group called global empowerment mission based in miami is on the ground in poland using donations to buy plane and train tickets to refugees trying to get them to friends and family for more stable housing they're also setting up a warehouse to distribute mountains of donations for those innocent children who spent two years in a global pandemic and now displaced organizations like save the children's ukraine crisis relief fund for the red cross who says its volunteers have been in ukraine for eight years, another group said they're focused on the mead for medical aid for ukrainian hospitals. some folks are donating enenivative ways airbnb is allowing users to book rentals in the war torn country and waiving service fees, that way the money used to rent the place goes directly to the ukrainian owner even though the people who booked the place

don't plan to stay for those that need a ride out of ukraine, uber is offering free rides they're also working with the international rescue committee to help those displaced. >> vicky, thanks for breaking at down for th

right now at 4:30, the assault on ukraine ramps up. overnight russian forces tightened their grip around ukraine's capital city as diplomats failed to make breakthroughs on peace talks. the tough conditions ukrainians are facing as they search for shelter and aid. plus -- >> you take this train to a bus, to now another train. it's very confusing. >> commuter chaos. a fiery train crash with hundreds of riders trying to get home, and it will impact your morning commute as well. >> also, we are moving you forward. we talked to bay area mayors about how they plan to help businesses recover flo