high stakes ahead. russia may be upping their anteby asking china for assistance and military aid. how china's participation would change everything. more than 2.5 million ukrainians have fled their homes and more are ready to go. new polling from across the nation how is president biden managing the war in ukraine americans weigh in. the goat is back tom brady announces late sunday that he is coming back for a

record 23rd nfl season with the bucks. and a story to make you smile involving the incredible friendship among two young people that eat left an experience for just about everything ann "early today" starts right now. >> good morning. i'm vinita air. >> and i'm frances rivera. russia says 33 people were killed when they a military base near the polish border another 31 people were injured in the air strike. during public remarks, president zelenskyy doubled down on the need for a no-fly zone zelenskyy argued after the bombing only about 15 miles from poland the u.s. would inevitably be battling russia above skies

if a nato union was hit. an award-winning american journalist was killed outside kiev another journalist was wounded in the attack. we turn now to nbc's molly hunter who's live in lviv. mo molly, the u.s. has agreeted to work closely with ukraine to see where russia may use chemical weapons. >> reporter: that's right. late last week jen psaki in a white house press conference said they should be very concerned about the risk the war could escalate in this way with russians using chemical weapons and nonconventional weapons. she said we should all be on the lookout for russia to use

chemical weapons or create a false flag operation in using them there's a difference the between how they can support ukraine if and when russia escalates the war in that very, very dangerous way. we know from russia's recent military history where they've been engaged with sear yanld their allies that chemical weapons have been used they have the capacity to use those. there's a lot of fear here they may use them in ukraine. >> the red cross has warned of a worst-case scenario for the citizens in the city of ma mariupol is there a chance help will reach them soon? >> reporter: and this is the question, frances. we have woken up every single day asking families in mariupol have woken up also the last ten days that today may be the day to get out safely this fragile cease-fire agreements, green corridors, is that humanitarians get to go

into the besieged cities and civilians can come out no humanitarians have been able to get in, no civilians have been able to come out. the road redd cross brokering these decisions says the situation is dire. they have no water, no heat, no food, and they haven't for a week we've been tracking an american aid convoy last night it was blocked just 50 miles from the city this morning our understanding is it's still under way. 50 miles takes a long time to travel they say the roads are extremely hard of course, they are trying to avoid different block aides, the they're trying to avoid russian shelling and firing. that's been the case all week. i'll send it back to you. >> so desperate. molly, thank you. is russia turning to china for support? three officials have confirmed

they believe russia has asked china for military equipment and assistance for more on this we turn to jackie frances maier live in beijing. talks are expected today in france what can we expect. >> it's going to be a very important meeting for these two sides. these are the highest level talks since the russian invasion u.s. national security adviser jake sullivan meeting with china's top ditch employee mat these talks will happen in rome. it comes as there are multiple reports that u.s. officials believe russia has asked china for military assistance and equipment. now, china is flatly denying this claim today telling reporters that it was, quote, malicious disinformation nonetheless, the u.s. believes that there needs to be an awareness made for chinese

officials on the costs and consequences of aligning too closely with russia. this is what jake sullivan had to say yesterday on "meet the press. >> we have made it clear to not just beijing but every country in the world that if they think that they can basically bail russia out, they can give russia a workaround to the sanctions we've imposed, they should have another thing coming, because we will ensure that neither china nor anyone else can compensate russia for these losses. >> reporter: dozens of times over the course of their leadership, there is the impression at least that china is standing by russia even though they're not taking that position publicly. russian officials, however, have said they're relying on china's ties in order to help their economy, which is suffering because of sanctions

vinita >> in situations like this, impressions are important jackie thank you. congress could deliver another major blow to the economy this week. dozens of companies have pulled out of russia already. now lawmakers are planning to revoke russia's most favored nation's train station that would raise tariffs on russian imports. for more, let's get to nbc's brie jackson brie, president biden also spoke with a top ally. >> reporter: that's right. he held talks with his french counter part, emmanuel macron. the white house said in a statement mr. biden and macron underscored their commitment to hold russia accountable for their actions and support the government and people of ukraine. already the u.s. is rushing $200 million in weapons and military equipment to help ukraine. administration officials say the arms package includes antitank

and antiaircraft missiles. national security adviser jake sullivan outlined the procedure on "meet the press." >> there are no u.s. troops currently operating in ukraine, in eastern ukraine or western ukraine, and that we will defend every inch of nato territory, but u.s. will not put forces inside ukraine today thachlt remains true in otown ground and in the sky what we will do is increase and intensify our efforts to supply ukrainian defenders with the weapons and assistance they need to defend themselves. >> reporter: meanwhile a new abc news ipsos poll says they plan to ban the oil even if it means pain at the pump there's also a growing concern about the economy. about 70% of americans have disapproved how the president has handled inflation. that could spell trouble for

democrats during midterm elections later this year. a humanitarian crisis continues to skploes explode in europe more than 2.5 million refugees in ukraine have left with a bulk entering poland. jay gray joins us live from poland at the border of ukraine. jay, what are you seeing this morning? >> reporter: well, vinita, we are seeing again the train station filling up you can see the people lined here look most of those who make it out of poland come through this train station at some point, though, for many it is getting harder and harder to find a place to stay, especially here in poland. russia stepping up its attack over the weekend, tanks shelling this apartment complex in the port city of mariupol. missiles ripping apart this military base less than 15 miles from the polish border, killing

35, wounding more than 100, as the kremlin looks to block the flow of weapons from the west. russian troops also closing in on kyiv. award-winning journalist brent renaud killed during the fighting a colleague said they were shot by soldiers despite identifying themselves as the press. >> we crossed a checkpoint and they started shooting at us. the driver turned around, and they kept shooting. >> reporter: that violence pushing more families from their homes mchl t more than 2.5 million escaping kra can cow warning they're running out of space they say more arrivals could interfere with the str functionf the cities they may have to travel even further from the place they call

home many loved ones have left other loved ones behind to fight you can see why they don't want to travel too far away. after less than six weeks of retirement, tom brady is heading back to football the 44-year-old announced on social media he's returning to the tampa bay buccaneers, adding that he has, quote, unfinished business this season would be brady's 23rd in the nfl. he's won the super bowl in four of his last nine seasons, but his bucks lost to the rams in the divisional roinld of the playoffs in january. from tom brady's potential last season to this season, bill karins joins us. bill, are we done with winter? >> maybe like tom braid, we'll make a comeback like a spring fling. we'll see about that it looks like for a lot of areas with snow on the grown, there

will be a lot of melting going on for the next couple of days this morning the freeze warning is all the way in the southeast. it was a chilly morning for the southeast. 14 million were impacted it will warm up. as soon as the sun rises, the temperatures will begin to soar. slan is 34 36 in charlotte. temperatures recover from the ohio valley to the northeast even will be above average compared to the below average this weekday from chicago to new england to boston. tomorrow we get 60s. d.c., philly, new york, boston, all in the low 60s that's a drastic, too, and a lo rain even in the northeast, there was

a foot of snow things are going to be warming up i think you guys are going to like the rest of the march outlook. mostly mild conditions for everyone. >> wow i like the sound of that bill, thank you. in today's "quick hits," snow didn't stop the st. patrick's day parade in pittsburgh the celebrations marched on. dozens of people dressed up in green to commemorate the day early. president biden is meeting the ireland's prchlt this year he will travel to d.c. to meet with mr. biden at the white house. calling all doughnut lovers, krispy kreme is ringing in the festivities with four different doughnuts. if you shop at krispy kreme this wednesday or thursday, you can get one original green glazed doughnut on the house. could gas prices be going down as they add a surcharge to riders that is next

noooo... noooo... noooo... quick, the quicker picker upper! bounty picks up messes quicker and each sheet is 2x more absorbent, so you can use less. i'll hold onto that. bounty, the quicker picker upper. ♪ it's the most wonderful time of the year ♪ get fast relief of your worst allergy symptoms, including nasal congestion, with powerful claritin d, so you can breathe better. feel the clarity and make today the most wonderful time of the year. claritin d. don't settle for products that give you a sort-of white smile. try crest whiteng emulsions... ...for 100% whiter teeth. its highly active peroxide droplets... ...swipe on in seconds. better. faster. 100% whiter teeth. shop crestwhitesmile.com.

leading the news, brace yourself there's still no relief in sight from record-high gas prices. while the price per barrel has drop and dipped about $15 over the last week, the savings haven't trickled down to drivers yet. the national average is up $ $4.33, up a dollar from one month ago, and $1.50 from a year ago. riders will pay 45 cents to 50 cents per mile more per trip and for deliverers, 35 krerchlts to 40 cents. just aheadclni, eang up gotham. and remembering the legendary actor william hurt my hygienist personalizes my cleaning. so does my oral-b oral-b delivers the wow of a professional clean feel every day. with age comes more...

get more with neutrogena® retinol pro plus. a powerful .05% retinol that's also gentle on skin. for wrinkles results in one week. neutrogena®. for people with skin. ♪ for wrinkles results in one week. pepto bismol coats and soothes your stomach for fast relief and get the same fast relief in a delightful chew with pepto bismol chews. what makes febreze air effects different? while cheaper aerosols rely on artificial propellants... febreze uses a 100% natural propellant. check it out! pressure created by what's in your air makes the bottle spray. which means freshness everyone will love. febreze. a jelly bean that's good for you? nature's bounty introduces new jelly bean vitamins. good-for-you nutrients in a tastier for you form. more sweet dreams. more flavorful immune support. new nature's bounty jelly beans. live bountifully. most bladder leak pads were similar.

until always discreet invented a pad that protects differently. new nature's bounty jelly beans. with two rapiddry layers. for strong protection, that's always discreet. question your protection. try always discreet. where does your almondmilk come from? almond breeze starts here with our almond trees in our blue diamond orchard in california. my parents' job is to look after them. and it's my job to test the product. the best almonds make the best almondmilk. blue diamond almond breeze. can you save water running a less-than-full dishwasher? you bet! the best almonds make the best almondmilk. we do it every night, like clockwork. cascade platinum in a certified dishwasher uses less than 4 gallons of water per cycle, while a running sink uses that every 2 minutes. so do it with cascade. 'cause even small loads save water.

♪hefty, hefty, hefty!♪ whoa... [john cena sniffs] how do they get these things to smell so good? ♪hefty, hefty...♪ ♪hefty, hefty, hefty!♪ must be magic. hefty® ultra strong™ with fabuloso® scent. he's asking for you. >> the killer left this with

batman why is he writing to you >> you came. >> two weeks in, and "the batman" is still taking theaters with a vengeance robert pattinson's turn as the caped crusade r climbed to $66 million. this morning we are remembering oscar-winning actor william hurt he was one of the leading versatile men who died of natural causes we take a look back at his iconic career. >> reporter: acclaimed actor william hurt died of natural causes his son said, reading in part, it's with great sorrow we've lost him he worked his way to becoming one of hollywood's leading men in the '80s, bouncing between

genres from steamy know wares like "body heat" and romantic comedied like "broadcast news. in a show of broadcast dominance, hurt was nominated for three best consecutive oscars ultimately taking home the trophy as a gay window dresser in "the kiss of the spider woman." >> ba boom, ba boom, ba boom, you know it's incredible. i didn't expect to be here, so i don't know what i'm going to say. >> reporter: to the younger generation, hurt was beloved for his role in the marvel "un "universe" playing thaddeus cross, a career crossing generations and reaching into the homes of millions. william hurt died one week before his 72nd birth day.

straight ahead, bill's got your monday forecast. plus the oncin-lete--aifime encounter with this rare creature we'll tell you what that is ahead. simply shake and spray to unlock the breakthrough power of touch-activated scent technology. that lasts, even hours later! that's because febreze touch stores scent in your fabrics so you get bursts of freshness with every touch. your whole world will come alive. welcome home to fresh with febreze touch. la, la, la, la, la i may have moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. or psoriatic arthritis. but we are so much more. we're team players and artists. designers and do-it-yourselfers. parents and friends. if joint pain is getting in the way of who you are, it's time to talk to your doctor about enbrel. enbrel helps relieve joint pain, and helps stop permanent joint damage. plus enbrel helps skin get clearer in psoriatic arthritis. ask your doctor about enbrel,

so you can get back to your true self. play ball! enbrel may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, nervous system and blood disorders and allergic reactions have occurred. tell your doctor if you've been someplace where fungal infections are common. or if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure, or if you have persistent fever, bruising, bleeding or paleness. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. visit enbrel.com to see how your joint damage could progress. enbrel. eligible patients may pay as little as $5 per month. for your most brilliant smile, crest has you covered. [girls laugh] -nice smile, brad. -nice! thanks? crest 3d white. 100% stain removal. crest. the #1 toothpaste brand in america. two households. two sick kids two loads of snot covered laundry. both will be washed with detergent, but only one will be sanitized.

wait, what? make the wash work harder protection. because adding lysol laundry sanitizer to your wash... ...kills 99.9% of illness causing bacteria detergent alone, can't. why can't hers be sanitized too? aw, thank you! clean is good, sanitized is better. lysol. what it takes to protect. i'm in love again with this! my secret is the new secret dry spray. it smells so good! and it's secret, so it works all day. spray fresh. stay fresh. secret. i'm 53, but in my mind i'm still 35. that's why i take osteo bi-flex, to keep me moving the way i was made to. it nourishes and strengthens my joints for the long term. osteo bi-flex. available at your local retailer and club. of course you've seen underwear that fits like this... but never for bladder leaks. available at your local new always discreet boutique black. i feel protected all day,

in a fit so discreet, you'd never know they're for bladder leaks. always discreet boutique today. storms could produce hail the size of baseballs. that could happen late afternoon and as far as the sun is setting. the east coast looks good. rainy in the pacific northwest as we go throughout the week we track the system from texas to the east on wednesday, still leftover rain and showers in the southeast, but above-average temperatures for a good chunk of the country with a storm system moving through the middle of the country thauld could have severe weather and heavy rain, but no snowstorms. >> that's what i like. we're turning the corner.

friendships that can teach us a little lesson aut lboife and make us smile too. that's next. nyquil severe gives you powerful relief for your worst cold and flu symptoms. on sunday night and every night. nyquil severe the nighttime, sniffling, sneezing, coughing aching, stuffy head best sleep with a cold... medicine. and try vicks convenience pack. with vicks super c. a daily supplement with vitamin c and b vitamins to help energize and replenish. and dayquil severe. the max strength daytime, coughing, power through your day, medicine. from vicks. trusted for over 125 years. lactaid is 100% real milk, just without the lactose. so you can enjoy it even if you're sensitive to dairy. so anyone who says lactaid isn't real milk is also saying mabel here isn't a real cow. and she really hates that. truth is... i've never really known how to care for my hardwood floors. then i found swiffer wetjet wood. here isn't a real cow. these soft microfiber-like pads absorb dirt and grime deep inside. and it prevents streaks and haze better than my old mop. wetjet wood.

also try sweeper wood cloths. you're going to want to see our shot of the day. it's an incredible rare wolverine sighting at yellowstone, the largest member of the weasel family a tour guide and park ranger spotted this saying it's like seeing a unicorn there are fewer than a dozen wolverines living across the park's 2 million acres >> now to a sweet story about the power of friendship. we have a story of two children who became friends despite their

differences. >> reporter: 3-year-old jack loves roller coasters and has a laugh that lights up any room. tell me a little bit about jack. what's your son like >> super happy kid with everything smile, loves to laugh, good around. >> he actually had a stroke at birth, so he's not able to walk or move around the same as most typical 3-year-olds. >> that's because jack has cerebral palsy, a condition impacting his ability to walk. they moved to orlando so jack could integrate him into school. they worry how other kids might react. >> my whole worry was that he was going to feel different. >> reporter: but then this happened jack's new classmate saw through his disability, making him feel right at home. the pair's bond melting hearts on social media. >> what made you start recording the videos of them together? >> my whole goal is to kind of

raise awareness for cerebral palsy and she happened to be walking with him when he came out of the classroom one day and she was just petting his head and loving on him, and i thought it was the cutest thing, so i kept filming. >> reporter: for her mom, she's filled with pride. >> that's your daughter. >> when i came across the video, i cried. i was happy to know that she was loving children, she wasn't questioning their condition. >> reporter: the two now inseparable. >> she really generally sees him as someone just like herself, and he is a very kind little boy and she sees that in him and wants to be a part of it. >> reporter: their friendship, an inspiring sign of inclusion, acceptance, and hope andy, what's the big message here. >> i would say just kindness overall can go a long way. >> i feel like it's inspiration

to the world, and hopefully, you know, their friendship can be an inspiration to other parents and other children to build more friendships like that. >> thanks to jose diaz forhat t

>> right now at 4:30, the refugee crisis worsening overnight. ukrainians now re-evaluating the risk assessment of a city that has so far been considered a safe haven for millions. this, as russia seeks help from the chinese government to aid war efforts in ukraine. >> and masks off. it is the first school day with no mandate for campuses. we are moving forward with what you need to know as you drop your kids off at school. >> plus, the end of a dry spell.

meteorologist kari hall is