breaking overnight extreme weather striking multiple states. the damage widespread. powerful tornados hitting town after town as this red pickup truck managed to pull out from inside of a twister. our reporters are live in ukraine and poland, as the war moves into its 27th day. plus, moscow's claim of using hypersonic missiles capable of flying 25 times the speed of sound may now have been confirmed. this morning, the search for answers as a boeing 737 jet liner crashes with 132 passengers on board. >> i hope that you will see how

much i love our country and the constitution, and the rights that make us free. >> with her family by her side, judge ketanji brown jackson begins three days of hearings to become america's first black female supreme court justice and this iconic andy warhol portrait of marilyn monroe is on the auction block for some, you know, $200 million a busy tuesday ahead "early today" starts right now good morning, i'm frances rivera. >> and i am cori coffin. glad you're with us. breaking overnight extreme weather and catastrophic tornados ripped through central texas. just watch as this tornado here rips across the road, spinning this red pickup truck onto its side until it miraculously manages to land upright again, and is still able to drive away from the ordeal. several tornados were reported in williamston, caldwell counties

search-and-rescue operations have been ongoing and one tornado touched down during a live broadcast on our nbc affiliate kxan the massive funnel cloud moving across rush-hour traffic meanwhile, dozens have to sprint to safety after a tornado rips through a walmart parking lot. ! get inside get inside run, run, run, run run, run, run! [ bleep ]. oh, my god a car! >> holy [ bleep ]. run, run, run! run! >> the winds, powerful enough to move those cars and here is the devastation in bowie homes reduced to piles of debris power crews are working to restore electricity there. so far, over 50,000 people are experiencing power outages across the state let's turn now to bill karins, who is tracking these devastating storms hi, bill >> good morning. it's incredible that we haven't

had any reports of fatalities at this point you know, at daybreak, we will still see some damage that's occurred overnight we do have some reports of injuries but there's been mobile homes that have been blown apart. 20 tornado reports most of them between san antonio and lufkin, especially around the austin and bryant, texas, areas. we had a about four supercell thunderstorms that produced most of the damage. we still have additional tornado watches that are up, one that's expiring now in northern louisiana. the other one's up until 8:00 a.m., central daylight time around the houston area so we still have the threat of overnight tornados and then during the day today, we will see additional severe storms very serious situation for louisiana and mississippi. and tonight, into alabama. more tornados are likely today. >> all right, bill, we will check in with you in a bit thank you. president biden leaves wednesday for europe to meet with nato allies about the war in ukraine but here at home, he is warning about russia launching cyberattacks >> the magnitude of russia's cybercapacity is fairly consequential, and it's coming

>> the white house is concerned the kremlin will target american businesses the president says the tools will be available to help the private sector increase their security meanwhile, it is the latest assessment -- in its latest assessment of the war, the pentagon says the russian military is flummoxed and frustrated by the ukrainian resistance as the invasion continues now into day 27. nbc's molly hunter joins us from ukraine, and, molly, has russia made any progress when it comes to capturing major cities? >> reporter: yeah, frances, that's right you heard the pentagon assessment right there and nato said they were basically in a stalemate. now, we did get a new assessment from british defense officials this morning they say despite heavy fighting, ukrainian forces are fighting off russian attempts to occupy the southern city of mariupol. that city of course we have been talking so much about. they also say that russian forces elsewhere in ukraine have endured yet another day of limited progress with most forces largely stalled in place. and then, they say several

ukrainian cities continue to suffer heavy russian air and artillery bombardment but we have been talking about this change of strategy for the russians as they are stalling on the ground that means they are ramping up their indiscriminate attacks on civilian centers, which is getting increasingly dangerous, frances. >> molly, i want to ask you about mariupol there have been dire updates coming from there for many days now. limited information, with journalists having to leave. what do we know about the effort to get people safely evacuated >> reporter: that's right. so the evacuation out of mariupol is different than almost any other evacuation humanitarian corridor in the country. on march 15th, the first convoy of basically private cars got out of the city. and that is what has continued so yesterday, about 3,000 people according to president zelenskyy were able to get out of mariupol but what's happening is that people are getting into private cars, friends', family, relatives, you know, getting into private cars, getting out in a convoy to two villages on the edge of mariupol from there, buses from the humanitarian convoy are picking them up. they are taking them to a city

where humanitarian aid is, there is more support there. but it is also on the coast. it is getting increasingly dangerous. from there, frances, they are being bussed up to zaporizhzhia just north that is much relatively safer city there is a big train station there. and from there, people are getting on trains to the west of the country which is where i am and getting to lviv, which is that big western city we have been reporting from which is where we met the first residents who were able to escape last week from mariupol frances. >> but even once they get there, so much uncertainty still follows. molly, thank you a steady flow of refugees fleeing ukraine continues as russian troops are unrelenting in their attacks on civilians. now, while many families have been able to travel together, some children have had to make the trek on their own. our jay gray is on the ground at the border crossing in poland. jay, what are you seeing this morning? >> reporter: yeah. and look, what we are seeing right now is refugees coming through in waves, not the packed crowds that we saw before as you heard molly talk about some choosing to stay in lviv at

least for now. but we know hundreds of thousands are continuing to make the journey and perhaps millions according to the u.n. are on the way. a ten-story shopping mall and several homes in the center of kyiv reduced to twisted metal and chunks of concrete the mayor announcing a reinforced curfew through 7:00 tomorrow morning in kherson, hundreds of protestors running from gunfire and stun grenades after trying to block russian military vehicles the kremlin's war plan continuing to take aim at civilian targets with survivors rushing to get out. you stand here and see the -- the sadness and -- of -- of the people that are walking across, the little girls crying, little boys crying. and then, just holding their heads down >> reporter: scenes that play out over and over as john waits for relatives and friends along the poland-ukraine border. >> i am trying to sponsor them, to bring them on a visa back

home and/or waiting to see if the government has some sort of program for the refugees >> reporter: no one was waiting at the border for this 15-year-old who escaped kyiv with a group of friends. >> because my dad is invalid and they can't go to the other countries. >> reporter: like so many who make the same journey, he can't help but think about those left behind. >> i don't worry about me. but i worry about my family. >> reporter: and wonder when or if he will see them again. you know, it is a fear shared by so many who cross the border thousands who have come through this train station worried about what's been left behind, who's been left behind, and also what lies ahead for them. >> just devastating but important reporting. jay, thank you from ukraine to china, where

the investigation has begun into the deadly plane crash that killed 132 people on board officials say the plane crashed on a remote mountain in southern china on monday just 90 minutes into its flight. according to the plane's flight path, it was cruising at 29,000 feet when it suddenly went into a very steep nose dive, plunging 21,000 feet in just over a minute at 7,400 feet, it briefly climbed, and then suddenly dove again and finally crashed. rescuers have arrived on the scene to search the scattered wreckage for the plane's black box. according to "the associated press," this is china's worst air disaster in more than a decade judge ketanji brown jackson will make history in the hot seat this morning as her confirmation hearings get underway in earnest. with introductions out of the way, the supreme court nominee will spend 12 hours answering questions before the senate judiciary committee. nbc's brie jackson is in d.c. with a preview for us. brie, good morning what can we expect today

>> good morning, cori. we received a good idea of what to expect from yesterday's opening statements democrats kept the focus on the nominee, pointing to her experience as a federal judge and public defender. senator cory booker also held the historic implications. judge ketanji brown jackson would be the first black woman to serve on the high court republicans hinted at their line of questioning, accusing her of being soft on crime. >> in every case in each of these seven, judge jackson handed down a lenient sentence that was below what the federal guidelines recommended and below what prosecutors requested. >> she hails from a law enforcement family and, no, she's not soft on crime. >> reporter: for her part, jackson used her opening statements to thank her parents and her family she also pledged to decide cases, quote, without fear or favor if confirmed >> i have been a judge for nearly a decade now, and i take

that responsibility and my duty to be independent very seriously. i decide cases from a neutral posture. >> reporter: in the court of public opinion, jackson already has strong support a new monmouth poll shows 55% believe she should be confirmed. only 21% say no, and about a quarter are still undecided. now, these next few days could be what sways them questioning begins this morning at 9:00 a.m. eastern back to you, cori. >> major implications for decades to come. brie, thank you. scientists are observing a strange coincidence on opposite sides of the earth with both north and south poles hitting extreme temps near the melting point. antarctica reached temps 70 degrees warmer than average, while the arctic experienced a 50-degree spike. the strange thing here, though, scientists say is that the poles are currently in opposite seasons. meteorologists now attribute the heat wave to chance, but

highlight global warming could be the cause if these weather patterns continue. all right. let's go back to our own in-house weather scientists. hey, bill, what are you watching today? >> not just the tornados but the flash flooding is starting to materialize, also, around austin, texas, flash-flood warning. we have a couple flash flood warnings right along the texas-louisiana border and actually, one now in arkansas, too. those are the maroon colors on the map. the green is where we have flash-flood watches, we are including 16 million people from houston, all the way to memphis. so the heaviest rainfall, greatest threat, this moderate risk of flash flooding today watch out from al alexandria to jackson, mississippi, over tonight toward tuscaloosa and birmingham included in this. and highest rainfall totals could be anywhere between an additional 5 to inches6

just rain will be the only travel issues from chicago to cleveland. and then tomorrow, this mess makes its way to the east coast. i will time that out for you coming up. >> important to know bill, thank you. just how far is russia's vladimir putin willing go to in his quest for ukraine? and officials in miami just declare add state of emergency for spring bakreers there. we'll explain why in 60 seconds. ♪ try vicks vapocool drops in honey lemon chill for fast acting sore throat relief ♪ahhh!♪ wooo! vaporize sore throat pain with just tap and there you have it. your all new personalized weight loss program from ww. it's easy. you take a short quiz, tell us your goals, how you're feeling and what you love to eat and we create a science backed plan that's designed just for you. at ww, we help you build healthy habits, so you can eat better, think better and feel better.

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crowds, rowdy tourists, and shootings have led miami beach authorities to declare another state of emergency during spring break for the second year in a row. at a press conference, miami beach mayor also announced a 12:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. curfew from thursday to monday. the move follows two separate shootings that this past weekend that left five people hospitalized they seized 100 guns over the past four weeks, including 37 firearms over the past three days miami's mayor said the curfew is an attempt to push back against a reputation that miami beach is a 24-hour party city still to come. the chicago school doing its part to help ukrainian refugees. and just how far will vladimir putin go in his war to seize ukraine? break moments. especially if you have postmenopausal osteoporosis and a high risk for fracture, it's time to make your move to help reduce your risk of fracture with prolia®. only prolia® is proven to help strengthen and protect bones

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with the war in ukraine approaching the one-month mark, students at one chicago school are calling for peace. students at st. nicholas

cathedral school held a prayer vigil for ukraine. the school says it's welcomed at least 16 ukrainian refugees since the start of the war and a pair of harvard students are helping refugees connect with hosts around the world. avi shifman and marco bernstein developed the ukraine take shelter website. the two say the site already has over a million users for the third time, the court of arbitration of sport upheld a fifa ban that will continue to sideline russian soccer teams from world cup qualifying and ballet stars performed in a "dance for ukraine" charity event in london organizers say the gala raised over $180,000 for ukrainian aid. now, to the sputtering diplomatic efforts to bring ukraine and russia together. it's almost one month since the bloody russian invasion began. nbc's keir simmons has that part of the story >> reporter: hopes fading of a meeting between russia's president putin and ukrainian president zelenskyy. zelenskyy had warned, without

those talks, europe faces a descent into world war iii the kremlin spokesman saying no significant progress has been made in negotiations so far. diplomacy deteriorating on multiple fronts. russia's foreign ministry calling in the u.s. ambassador to russia, threatening, furious after president biden called president putin a murderous dictator the russian leader has called his critics scum and traitors. despite all this, turkey's he president erdogan trying to mediate after speaking with president putin last week. his spokesman was on that call >> i seem them actually closer today than they were three or four weeks ago >> reporter: he says turkey's efforts to bring zelenskyy and putin together is the only way to stop the bloodshed. >> it sounds like you're suggesting frankly a level of trust with president putin simply isn't there. >> for some leaders, that is true but that's why, you know, there must be a trust channel.

if -- if everybody burns bridges with russia, who is going to talk to them >> but president putin who is still able to sell russian oil and gas is now facing the possibility of new sanctions as president biden travels this week for a nato summit. >> keir, thank you up next, bill is tracking the path of that dangerous storm. and the jaw-dropping price andyarl's mo whofaus marilyn monroe portrait is expected to score at auction ♪ with the kids jingle belling ♪ ♪ and everyone telling you'll be of good cheer ♪ it's spring! claritin provides non-drowsy symptom relief from over 200 indoor and outdoor allergens, day after day. ♪ oh the most wonderful time ♪ feel the clarity - and make today the most wonderful time of the year. live claritin clear. from the very first touch. pampers, the #1 pediatrician recommended brand.

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edwards has to shoot passed it. thud ucf gave the two seed uconn huskies all they could handle in the second round of the ncaa tournament the former conference rivals pulled within three but the huskies staved off the comeback, and advanced 52-47 nifty plays helped north carolina get out to an 11-point halftime lead at arizona kennedy todd williams led all scorers with 19 points and the tar heels get the win, 63-45 and buck eyes were shooting bull's-eyes in baton rouge ohio state shot nearly 50% from

the field in the lopsided upset of three seeded lsu. 79-64. working women have been hit hard by the pandemic but the past sixth months, female wages are outpacing men's. according to the atlanta federal reserve, female wages were up 4.4% in february compared to last year. while men's were up 4% and december saw the largest wage hike for women versus men since 1997 however, the gender-pay gap still persists "the wall street journal" reports women only make about 83% of men's weekly earnings and original andy warhol marilyn monroe portrait is hitting the auction block for -- get this -- $200 million christy's new york will host the auction in may they expect this 40 by 40 painting from 1964 to set a record for the most expensive 20th century artwork ever to sell at auction. this piece, in particular, known as shot sage blue marilyn is being sold by swiss art dealers

with all proceeds going to charity. later this morning, lgbtq plus disney employees and allies say they plan to walk off the job in protest to the company's response to the controversial measure which bans classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity disney's ceo faced criticism from employees for saying the company would not take a side on the issue. a week later, he reversed course and issued an apology saying he is fully against the bill. walkouts are planned at work sites in california, florida, and elsewhere. and we all remember the little girl singing frozen's "let it go" in a ukrainian bomb shelter about two weeks ago. >> update. she is now safe in poland and sang the ukrainian national anthem at a chearity concert fo ukraine.

[ singing in foreign language >> the crowd cheering her on, holding their phone lights up in solidarity >> that's wonderful. we want to thank you for starting your monday -- your tuesday morning with

right now at 4:30, an awkward encounter at an east bay shopping center. we'll show you what happened when a man caught someone trying to steal gas. >> plus, covid guidelines are easing up. the changes set to take place at large events across the state. >> the war in ukraine not improving for russia. the compromise the top leader says he's willing to meet in order to bring an end to the war. this is "today in the bay." good tuesday