. breaking news, another night of extreme weather has turned deadly this time hitting the new orleans area as tornados and high winds continue to cause major damage president biden gears up for a major three-day overseas visit culminating in key meetings in brussels with nato allies and partners as ukraine's president says 100,000 people are still trapped in mariupol under, quote, inhumane conditions a full day of q&a for judge tutongy brown jackson as she faced tough questioning that

often feared into some political positioning by senators. and the reaction on interest rates is causing mortgage rates to soar faster than expected impacting home sales and skateboarding trailblazer tony hawk is back on the board just days after suffering a broken leg we'll catch up with the legend "early today" starts right now good morning i'm cori coffin. >> thanks for being with us. friem frances rivera extreme weather and another day of massive storms. our affiliate in new orleans captured it moving across the city >> there it is you can see it okay, folks, get to your safe place. we've got a definite tornado that is moving northeast >> according to officials the town of arby in saint bernard

parish have been hit hard. at least one person has been killed there are reports of multiple injuries and hospitalizations. >> it look like it took pretty much a straight line >> thousands lost power in the area search and rescue efforts are under way. nbc meteorologist bill karins will join us in just a few m minutes for more on this storm system president biden will be on his way to europe. and saturday biden will meet with three sources also tell nbc that the white house is preparing to expedite the resettlement of some ukrainian

refugees in the united states. the plan would apply to a ukrainians with u.s. based family members and vulnerable groups like activists and journalists. molly, good morning. we are hearing more reports of humanitarian catastrophes in towns that russians have targeted >> reporter: frances, that's right. it continues to be very, very dire in the city of mariupol in the southeast of the country that has been blockaded. we got an update from president zelenskyy overnight who says 100,000 people remain trapped inside 7,000 people got out yesterday, and we understand the humanitarian corridors are back up and running it's not like buses go into the city like many other parts of the east, but you have to get into a private car, go through a dozen or so check points, even more according to some reports and then get to two villages outside mariupol where buses

will take people further west to more safety. but the conditions inside are dire -- and the conditions of kherson, the city russians occupied first 300,000 people still there runningut out of fod and water. yeah, it's very hard to kind of give a full picture because there's so many different fronts and russians have been advancing and ukrainians have been successfully defending in certain areas better than others we did get an update from u.k. defense officials this morning, and they say across ukraine the battlefield remains largely static with russian forces conducting a period of reorganization before resuming large scale offensive operations and also say russian forces are attempting to circumvent

mykolaiv but we did hear overnight ukrainian forces were able to retake one of the strategic suburbs outside of kyiv, so that's good news as russian forces continue to advance on the capital >> still the anxiety of what's to come for so many people there. as many as 3.5 million ukrainians have escaped their war torn country poland continues to offer refuge many continue onto cities like warsaw what can they expect when they reach the city >> reporter: when they get to warsaw, they're going to find crowds there it is pushed to the limits according to the mayor we can't pretend to understand what those escaping feel like when they make this trip, but we can show you some of what they're seeing and going through. if they look out a window of a bus, they'll see areas

unfamiliar to them they can't read the road signs or business signs. they don't really know the language as they continue down the road what they see is the future but uncertain where it may be but know that road is taking them further and further away from their home so it's a very difficult journey for so many millions that have made the trip thus far and we know there are at least 6.5 million still displaced, still with no home in ukraine that will ultimately have to make a trip just like this so it's a very tough go and one that is just repeat over and over day after day for those trying to survive. >> jay gray en route to warsaw, poland thank you so much for your live reporting, jay, and that interesting perspective. it was a marathon second day of confirmation hearings for judge ketanji brown jackson. we're witnessing history on capitol hill as he vies to become the first black woman on the nation's supreme court

>> reporter: during her 13-hour testimony judge ketanji brown jackson face at times contentious questions about hot button issues that are expected to come before the court >> in your understanding what does critical race theory mean what is it >> it doesn't come up in my work as a judge >> it views every conflict as a racial conflict. do you think that's an accurate way of viewing society in the way we're living >> senator, i don't think so but i've never studied critical race theory, and i've never used it it doesn't come up in the work that i do as a judge >> judge jackson also adjust criticisms that her sentences in child pornography cases have been too lenient >> we're hearing the charges that your implementation of this law, sentencing endangered

children could you tell us what was going through your mind at that point? >> thank you, senator. as a mother and a judge who has had to deal with these cases, i was thinking that nothing could be further from the truth. these are some of the most difficult cases that a judge has to deal with because we're talking about pictures of sex abuse of children. >> and was asked about her faith by senator lindsey graham. >> on a scale of 1 to 10 how faithful would you say you are in terms of religion >> senator, i am reluctant to talk about my faith in this way just because i want to be mindful of the need for the

public to have confidence in my ability to separate out my personal views >> jackson has received bipartisan praise for her experience as a federal public defender today we get ready for round three where senators ossoff and tillis will kick things off. >> all right, brie, thank you for filling us in on what we can expect we want to turn now to nbc meteorologist bill karins tracking that extreme weather d morning. let's review what happened in new orleans first. as the sun was setting, the line of storms was approaching. at around 6:00 p.m. we knew the line would go through around 7, 7:30, the first tornado warning was issued for the storm that eventually hit the new orleans area at 7:00 p.m now, that storm didn't actually produce a tornado until a little bit later. that one at 7:19, the first tornado reported five minutes after that

so there wasn't a lot of lead time for the areas, for the residents there, but there was some and the first tornado was reported around terry town, and we've seen all the damage pictures around arabi. and in all it wasn't just new orleans either we had 26 reports of tornados yesterday. we have a tornado watch. and still a couple other strong storms heading towards panama city, and later on today we'll watch addition thunderstorms rog through the southeast with wind damage especially and large

possible hail damage in the ohio valley that rain will eventually make its way to the northeast i'll tell you when it's going to arrive and when it will leave coming up. >> when it will leave, very important. coming up, mortgage rates are surging faster than expect our cnbc report ahead. and why formerorst pn ar stormy daniels ordered to pay donald trump $300,000. we're back in a minute etamucil n help. metamucil psyllium fiber, gels to trap and remove the waste that weighs you down. it also helps lower cholesterol and slows sugar absorption to promote healthy blood sugar levels. so you can feel lighter and more energetic metamucil. support your daily digestive health. and try metamucil fiber thins. a great tasting and easy way to start your day. why burn a candle when you can switch to air wick essential mist? it's the modern way to transform fragrance infused with natural essential oils into a mist.

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highway crash that left three people dead early monday morning. a car plowed into two state troopers and a man in distress they were trying to help off the road >> reporter: ecorted by troopers who graduated the academy with troopers, 21-year-old junee webb keeps her head down. we've learned she's been charged with multiple crimes including third degree murder and multiple counts of manslaughter she was taken from the state police barracks to the philadelphia police department that was to enter her into the preliminary police system. police say it was just before 1:00 monday morning. troopers had begun a traffic stop when they were called to a man wandering in traffic in the southbound lanes they left the traffic stop to assist the pedestrian and it was when they were getting him off the road a car at a high rate of

speed came on the shoulder striking and killing all three as for the woman she said nothing to us as she was placed in a state trooper's car before being taken to a philadelphia police department. frustrated lgbtq plus disney employees and allies walked off the job and took to the streets to protest the company's response to florida's controversial don't say gay bill on tuesday several walk outs were held outside several locations. even hollywood stars joined in on the walk out. openly gay star raven symone walked off their set in solidarity >> we are walking out today in support of this ridiculous bill. don't like it! we walking out >> simone wrote on instagram in part, quote, education that reflects the truths and the

world we live in is something we must fight for the years long legal feud between adult film star stormy daniels and former president trump may finally be ordered daniels has been ordered to pay trump $300,000 in attorneys fees it comes after a federal appeals court rejected her bid to overturn a lower court decision in her 2018 defamation lawsuit against trump. it's the same amount her former lawyer michael avenatti was convicted of pocketing from her book deal. trump called the ruling a total and complete victory in a tweet daniels said, quote, i will go to jail before i pay a penny. a historic shift from russian gas as the eu cut ties from russia. plus stocks soar from gamestop are we in for another meme mania? they just found out they can redeem rewards for a second honeymoon.

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the european union is taking steps tolessen its dependency on russian natural gas as the war in ukraine nears the one month mark officials said there is support for the eu to move toward the joint purchase of natural gas among its member states. earl ier this month the eu said it will phase-out use of russian fossil fuels by 2027 russian journalist dmitry muratov said he'll auction off his 2021 nobel peace prize medal with proceeds put toward the ukrainian refugee fund and a bakery is selling a special blue and yellow ice-cream cone with sales going to unicef. the ice cream will be available through tomorrow, and they've raised over $500 for ukraine so far. and a vermont hospital is teaming up with a local business to send medical supplies to ukraine. gifford medical center says it's donating surgical gloves, hospital gowns, iv bags and more to ukrainian aid agencies in ukraine. now to wall street where

mortgage rates were expected to creep up and nowhere near as fast where they're surging right now. plus, gamestop stock is soaring yet again, as much as 20% after hours. here to make sense of it all is nbc's julianna tatelbaum >> this mortgage story is getting a lot of attention mortgage rates rising much faster than many had anticipated. the average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage which a popular one in the usa hit 4.72% yesterday. why is this? well, the shift in fed policy suggests a string of rate hikes is in store this year, and typically as bond yields move higher we see a move higher in mortgage rates, so as a result economists are now lowering their forecasts for home sales this year. the housing market is really being hit by a double whammy we were already facing incredibly high home prices as a result of strong demand and limited supply and pair that with higher mortgage rates and

it's a difficult picture for home sales onto that gamestop story this is potentially a you could say the original meme stock. it's making headlines again. gamestop chairman ryan cohen just bought 100,000 shares bringing his total ownership to 9% he has a pretty strong track record of turning companies around he was tapped to serve as chairman last year he cofounded pet supply retailer chewy and turned it into a booming business andologist husband a big stake in bet, bath and beyond >> bill is following the path of that violent storm that's now heading north. and skating toward recovery. tony hawk gets back on the board two weeks after breaking his leg. like the splash they create the way they exaggerate the surprises they initiate. otezla. it's a choice you can make. otezla is not an injection or a cream

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live bountifully. wow, zion williamson rehabbed the injured footd, the former number one pick posted this shot of the day to his instagram story. there he is with a between the legs slam at the pelicans practice facility. he hasn't suit up for the pelicans so far this season, though, but he's looking good. >> he's clearly ready. the greatest skate border of all-time is already back to grind as well. tony hawk returning from a potentially life changing injury in record time here's tom llamas. >> reporter: tony hawk right

where he belongs bouncing back from a bone crushing wipeout, riding a skateboard exactly two weeks after breaking his leg and even returning to the half pipe where it happen. >> this is where i slipped right here, this is where discovered my leg was broken. >> reporter: on march 7th the 53-year-old had been doing a twist, a move he knows well when he came crashing down. >> my first couple of attempts doing it from the tail drop, one, i missed the ground a little bit, the other i didn't pull out enough. >> reporter: hawk suffered a broken femur sharing this x-ray on instagram and writing i've said many times i won't stop skating until i'm physically unable, a broken leg with plenty of hardware probably be the biggest test of that creed >> my foot feels like it's this way and it's actually this way >> wait, so your leg is twisted? >> yeah. >> reporter: a setback physically and mentally.

but just nine days later the skateboarding legend walking on his own without crutches, the ten-time x-game gold ed medalist who became the first person to land a #00 skateboarding trick in 1999 reminding us why he's said to be one of the toughest in the sport >> the world famous tony hawk. >> reporter: and this year he joined us at the olympics as an nbc commentator. this guy was one of my hearoes so cool to be next to him in tokyo. >> reporter: as the sport he helped shaped was brought to the world's biggest stage in a long time >> the skate industry wasn't organized enough, didn't meet the criteria to actually qualify and now here we are. >> reporter: hawk hoping to walk across the stage when he presents at the oscars this sunday and says he does plan to skate at his weekend jam event in vegas in may. but for now he's just grateful

to be back on the board. >> our report. but my question is how it's only been two weeks >> he is super human, going sky high with his jumps and recovery >> thanks for kick flipping your way into you barty and. test.

right now at 4:30, a trail of destruction. overnight a string of tornadoes sweeping through louisiana, destroying many of the things in their path. the search and rescue efforts under way at this hour. >> plus, back in court. the trial of former theranos coo sunny balwani ramping up. the familiar faces that will be appearing throughout the trial. here we go, wednesday morning. thanks so much for starting your day with us. i'm laura garcia. >> i'm marcus washington. we're broadcasting on your television, however you can take us on the go this morning.