day 36 37 of the russian invasion of ukraine. this morning ukraine's president says russian forces are preparing powerful military strikes in donbas as refugees from mariupol tell their stories of survival. a major day ahead for the economy with a major jobs report for the first quarter of this year as president biden tries to control inflation and high prices new revelations into the federal criminal investigation surrounding president biden's son's hunter and much broader than originally thautd how about a three month subscription before you jump in

and buy. a new service is rolling that will allow you to do just that with a tesla spreading her message around the globe. the u.s. navy is about to bestow a supreme honor on supreme court jus justice ruth bader ginsburg. >> welcome to april. i'm frances rivera the kremlin is now refuting claims russian president vladimir putin is being misinformed about russia's failures about the battle in ukraine and according to a u.s. defense official russian air strikes have increase. let's turn to molly hunter now good morning there are reports russia is bringing in reinforcements >> reporter: that's exactly right. so as president putin, frances, claims to de-escalate as they

claim to refocus their war in the east hasn't happened the ministry now warns essentially russia is redeploying additional reinforcements from georgia. the u.k. puts that number between 1,200 and 2,000. and both khernihiv and kyiv, the ukrainian forces are making headway and doing well in certain places the ministry of defense says ukraine continues to make successful lut limited counter attacks to the east and southeast of kyiv. certainly this was not in the plan to pull troops from georgia, but as ukraine has been warning us all week that as these cease-fires are going on, this is russia's opportunity, part of russia's play book to

redeploy and reorganize and really kick into second gear and they're waiting for it >> i want to ask you about the evacuation convoy, those 17 buses able to leave mariupol thursday, but the remaining buses are struggling to reach the city today >> reporter: that's exactly right. as we spoke about yesterday, frances, 45 buses were deployed, waiting to bedeployed by civilians. our information as of last night is om17 of those buses actually kind of took civilians onboard, about 50% full so not even as many people they wanted to get out. it's on the evacuation route from mariupol to zaporizhzhia, and apparently the other buses are being blocked by russia according to mariupol city officials. and part of these humanitarian corridor we were waiting for is humanitarian aid goes en, civilians come out and the icrc said they're

standing by with much needed aid to go in, put out a statement both parties were aware they were going to be trying to attempt to deliver humaneitarian aid this morning, and as of now according to mariupol city official that aid is also being blocked. they're staying people to stay at home. >> the long awaited relief to get out and hopefully that number will continue to rise >> in addition to the 4 million plus who have fled abroad the s more tha displaced. >> reporter: this is is the heart stopping drive out of south eastern ukraine as seen from the car how hard was the journey from mariupol it was horrible, she says. the city is destroyed completely these are more images from her neighborhood, now a ghost town

this man who asked us not to show his face says he was with mariupol's territorial defense, his hand shattered by what he tells us was a russian grenade do you think mariupol will eventually fall? no, never, but hesays the russians captured his father and he hasn't heard from him in almost two weeks here a humanitarian hub has sprouted up in all places in a mall she fled the donbas region after russia annexed crimea in 2014. >> i never saw my grandma again and she died already her brother was a young boy when they rushed out, and the psychological toll it took still haunts her he didn't talk for one year. so when i saw these children i even couldn't recognize what will be the future for this

generation olga came here two weeks ago from the donbas region with 14 family members, a printing company she built from scratch was leveled. i don't know what to do, she says here for so many the future is uncertain, but they're holding on >> i just believe that it will be a win, victory for ukraine. it couldn't be another way >> reporter: just days ago ukrainian authorities say that a russian air strike targeted the country's air force command in this area. and earlier in the war the city's civilian airport was destroyed, so officials here are on very high alert back to you. >> thank you the war in ukraine has pushed gas prices to record highs, but there is hope down the road president biden announced adplan to bring some much neededrelie to americans nbc's brie jackson joins us from december to lay it all out >> reporter: good morning, frances. the white house is taking action to provide relief to the

millions of americans who wince every time they fill up at the pump the president's plan will tap into the nation's strategic reserves and release 1 million barrels of oil a day for the next 180 days. it's the biggest release of its kind in u.s. history, and president biden also call on energy producers to start doing their part >> our prices are rising because of putin's action. there isn't enough supply. and the bottom line is if we want lower gas prices we need to have more oil supply right now they have a choice one, they can put those profits to productive use by producing more oils, giving the american people a break bypassing some of the savings onto their customers and lowering the price at the pump or they can as some of them are doing, exploit the situation >> reporter: here administration official says the white house is in talks with industry leaders to encourage companies to ramp up production but has so far gotten a mixed response.

the president's plan could help drive down gas prices, but there's no such relief in sight at the grocery store the usda expects prices to climb about 5% higher this year from everything from chicken to milk to fruit and vegetables. meanwhile the march jobs report is due out in just a few hours economists expecting about 490,000 jobs added with the unemployment rate ticking down from 3.8 to 3.7% the jobs report is due out at 8:30 eastern this morning. heads up before you make that morning toast or pb & j hormel is recalling more than 160,000 pounds of skippy peanut butter the affected products were sold in 16 states the recall includes skimmy's reduced fat peanut butter

spread, chunky peanut butter spread and peanut butter blended with plant protein affected customers will be given a full refund. the legacy of late supreme court justice ruth bader ginsburg will be honored at sea. one of her most notedicacies was a landmark case in 1996. this will be the eighth vessel named after a civil rights icon. let's turn now to the weather and nbc meteorologist bill karins. good morning happy friday, bill >> good morning. happy friday happy april. it doesn't look like april in some portions of of the country especially heading up into the great lakes where snow continues to fly this morning as cold air has moved in over those warm, relatively warm corner of the lakes and those thunderstorms and just about exiting areas of the northeast. if you're heading out early this

morning roads will still be a bit wet. those snow squalls could still be a problem with low visibility and maybe some slippery roads or bridges youlk get a lot of accidents or pileups. that's going to happen today especially watch out around noon to 1:00. that's when it will ben that's when we'll see those snow squalls especially western europe, western pennsylvania could be enough to coat some of those roads. the complete forecast coming up. bill, thank you. remember to be look on the lookout for april fool's jokes today. the queensland police announcing they're launching a new crime

fighting force of zoo animals. >> frankly, we couldn't find anyone more koala-ified for this task >> the paw patrol idea was just for fun, and he looks exactly like his dad >> he's also like a person now we saw them both as little kids. coming up your brackets are going to the dogs. puppies llca the foul. and new investigation into the president's son, hunter biden. it's specially made for wood floors with a microfiber-like pad that's really soft. and it sprays with a light mist that dries in half the time. that dirt and grime gets absorbed and locked away. the coolest part... it prevents streaks and haze better than my old mop. yeah, this is definitely the way to go. wetjet wood with a money-back guarantee. also try new sweeper wood cloths.

does your plug-in fade too fast? try febreze fade defy plug. it has built-in technology to digitally control how much scent is released to smell first day fresh for 50 days. la la la la la. leading the news, new signs that the federal criminal investigation into president biden's son hunter is broader than we first knew, and republicans in congress are turning up the pressure. we get more now from pete williams people familiar with the federal investigation of hunter biden which he himself disclosed a year and a half ago say it's broader now than he had first

described it with a growing number of witnesses called before a grand jury. it began with an examination whether he paid all the taxes he should have on income for his work from foreign companies this e-mail from a business said he failed to disclose $400,000 that he was paid by the ukrainian company. that laptop which he took to a delaware shop to get repaired but never re-claimed was seized by the fbi but not before trump lawyer rudy giuliani got a copy of its hard drive which he shared with congressional republicans. documents they've made public show that accounts linked to biden also received nearly $4 million in consulting contracts from a chinese energy company. according to an analysis by "the washington post. but during the campaign then-candidate biden denied there was a china connection >> my son has not made money in terms of this thing about -- what are you talking about

china. >> reporter: senate republicans also say the documents also show hunter biden signed an agreement to represent an official of that company for a million dollars. he was later convicted in a u.s. court of trying to bribe government officials in africa the republicans show that shows hunter biden had close ties to the chinese government >> hunter biden was financially connected to cefc, a company that was an arm of the communist chinese regime >> reporter: now according to people familiar with the investigation, it has broadened out to look at whether he violated federal lobbying disclosure laws. the investigation is being run by the u.s. attorney in delaware, a holdover from the trump administration and officials say it's a long way from over. still to come on this friday morning, power to the shareholders gamestop soars again after announcing a stock split and the fur flies in the nal four

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test. test. up. >> he got it down to the wire in the nit championship until 7 footer jack comes up to win the tournament 73-72 it is the musketeers second nit title. and the women's final kicks off tonight and uconn's paige becker partnering to give away 6,000 free meals the men's final four tips off tomorrow night in new orleans. some of college basketball's

most storied programs are vying for the national title, but who is going to cut down the nets? well, a few puppies on the "tonight show" seem to have the answer >> please, release the puppies oh, it's a nail-biter. kansas and north carolina sneaks in there, yeah and gets in there. it's north carolina for the win. >> there you have it the puppies say unc is winning the title. they reignite their rivalry with duke tomorrow night. now to wall street where a meme stock is about to take off big time with a major split, plus a somewhat more affordable way to get behind the wheel of a new tesla. hi, geoff, good morning. >> hi, frances, good morning to you. you remember all the excitement around the meme stocks it seems it's back with

gamestop they are planning a stock split, and that was good enough to give the share price a 10% bump in fact, the stock has been up 35% over the last four weeks this on the news that the chairman has bought 100,000 more shares, so that retail investing audience very excited about gamestop you talk to the analysts, though, and they're still saying we are waiting for a fundamental turn around in the business model here so do exercise some caution. let me talk about the tesla story. this is fascinating. a startup is now talking about giving you the chance to try before you buy you get a tesla for $995 subscription they are going to start-up that service in 14 key markets they focus on so if you are in san francisco or new york city you could be one of the first customers to try this new subscription approach, somewhat different to lease hold, and it does give you

the opportunity to have a go in case you are interested in going electric back to you. >> geoff, actually really, really smart wouldn't be surprised if other auto makers do that as well. >> i like subscriptions for everything in our lives right now. bill with your forecast up next. and the star weighing in on the slap the new reaction to the jaw dropping moment at the oscars. time for ache and burn! over-the-counter eye drops typically work by lubricating your eyes and may provide temporary relief. those'll probably pass by me. xiidra works differently, targeting inflammation that can cause dry eye disease. xiidra? no! it can provide lasting relief. xiidra is approved to treat the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease. don't use if you're allergic to xiidra. common side effects include eye irritation, discomfort or blurred vision when applied to the eye, and unusual taste sensation. got any room in your eye? ask your doctor if a 90-day prescription is right for you. and pay as little as $0.

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for freshness you'll enjoy. in today's top stories a pennsylvania police officer has been killed in the line of duty. the mayor of lebanon says three officers were shot while responding to a domestic disturbance. one died at the hospital and one is in critical condition the suspect only identify said as a 34-year-old man was also killed no further details have been released about the police officers it is being hailed as a momentous step for lgbtq rights. starting april 11th gender neutral passports will be available in the "news now." the state department made the announcement on international transgender day of visibility.

any american citizen that doesn't identify as either male or female can now choose an "x" gender marker. passport applicants will be able to self-select the third option and no new dumation will be required a viral tiktok claims a professor called campus police on two black students for being two minutes late to class. the tiktok user said the professor who is also black asked the students to leave after they were late one student refused to leave and the professor return today the room with armed police officers. according to the tiktok which has over 300,000 views they said they'd be charged with trespassing if they didn't leave. more celebrities are reacting to will smith slapping chris rock across the safe during sunday night's oscars comedian george lopez the latest to speak out on the altercation. lopez told people weighing in on

the incident is like deciding which parent you want to live with, and he's staying with my dad, and chris rock. meanwhile daniel radcliffe taking a more infamous stance. he said i'm so dramatically bored of hearing peoples opinions about it i just don't want to be another opinion adding to it finally, this one is for all the stylers out there. ♪ we know it's not the same as it was, as it was, as it was ♪ >> there is harry styles' catchy new single it dropped overnight and called "as it was." it was directed by up-and-coming ukrainian filmmaker. his new album harry's house is out may 20th >> he's one of the few artists

that i really the moment i hear something, immediately i want to go see the video because it's always so clever i wonder what's going to be this year's "watermelon sugar." >> you know who else has that one, tayloswift.r

major setbacks. where russian forces are heading as president vladimir putin continues to ard air strikes targeting ukraine's capital. thousands of renters in california no longer facing eviction. last-minute extensions state leaders passed. and it's taking years to complete, but starting today, san francisco residents could see an ease to their commute. this is "today in the bay." and an ease into the weekend as we come upon friday