♪ this morning, the russian military is regrouping, sending an eight-mile-long convoy to the city and the russian general known as the butcher of syria for his extreme measures. the white house will launch a new initiative on gun violence with the president focusing special attention on ghost guns. republican representative liz cheney says the democrat-led january 6th panel reports they have enough evidence to refer former president trump for criminal charges. new details surrounding that

massive home depot inferno in california tiger woods' personal victory in augusta and a 25-year-old world number one takes his first green jacket a busy monday ahead. "early today" starts right now >> good morning and thanks for waking up with us, i'm vinita nair. >> i'm frances riff ver have a. russia's war in ukraine enters day 47. president zelenskyy is again calling for tougher sanctions on russia, repeating his plea for a complete embargo on russian oil and gas. he also accused russia of cowardliness, saying its military is lying with its claims they did not hit a single civilian target. we turn to nbc's russ sanchez live in ukraine. we're learning of more evidence of russian war crimes against ukrainians >> reporter: frances, that's right. in kyiv, there's a feeling of lightness on the streets, kind of an air of victory after

russian troops were forced to withdraw in the suburbs around the capital, every day is yielding new horrors. british military intelligence says the latest discovery of a mass grave is in the town of brezova, just about 50 kilometers west of kyiv. the british are saying that the russians are turning to a litany of brutal tactics that are leading to ever higher numbers of civilian casualties they say in the east, the russians are using phosphorous weapons which rains down burning white material over a very large area they also say the russian air force is increasingly using unguided weapons these are dumb bombs you drop them, and they fall where they may, be it a school, be it a hospital, be it a train station. they say these kind of tactics inevitably will lead to more civilians killed across the east president zelenskyy saying all of this needs to be the subject of an international war crimes

tribunal. >> horrifying as you enumerate those. raf, ukrainians continue to flee cities under siege >> reporter: all across the east of this country, there is a desperate race right now to try to get civilians out of those besieged cities like kharkiv, mariupol and the main vehicle for getting civilians out of so-called humanitarian corridors, but the ukrainian government says the russians are violating those agreements as often as they're honoring them. the deputy prime minister says yesterday, 3,000 civilians were able to get out via these humanitarian corridors, but only about 200 or so out of the city of mariupol, one of the hardest-hit places in the east part of what's making it so difficult to get civilians out of there, there's basically no gas in the city after weeks and weeks of russian siege even if the corridor is opened, many people can't get their cars out of the city.

frances? >> so without the essentials like food, clothing, and everything else they need, raf, thank you. russian president vladimir putin has put a new general in charge of the war. he's known by some as "the butcher of syria." nbc's anne thompson explains >> reporter: the brutality inflicted by russia in bucha and mariupol with the targeting of civilians is only expected to get worse now that this man, general alexander dvornikov, is russia's new ground commander in ukraine. >> this general will just be another author of crimes and brutality against ukrainian civilians. >> reporter: the 60-year-old dvornikov brings a fearsome reputationsend chicken war and syria. >> he is the goon called in by vladimir putin to flatten cities like aleppo in syria he is the worst of the worst. >> reporter: called "the butcher

of syria" for his leadership of russian force in support of syrian president bashar al assad. >> his signature in war is simply attacking innocent civilians. flattening apartment buildings bombing schools. every imaginable war crime can be laid at his feet in syria >> reporter: for his service, russian president vladimir putin awarded dvornikov the hero of russia medal this relationship change comes after ukrainian officials say they've killed seven russian generals, and russia failed to take the capital, kyiv now russia is retreating, moving east, expected to try and expand its control in the donbas region ukraine's foreign minister promises the russians will encounter fierce resistance. >> we have our strategy, and this strategy is based on the assumption that -- on the confidence that we will win this war. >> reporter: no matter who leads on the other side. anne thompson, nbc news, london.

president biden is setting sights on gun violence today he is expected to unveil new policy measures this afternoon with several gun control bills already stalled in the senate. any action by the president will likely rely on executive orders. >> according to two people familiar with the remarks, president biden will pay special attention to ghost guns, weapons that can be 3d printed at home and acquired for cheap majority leader chuck schumer called on the administration to take action yesterday. >> you can be a 5-year-old and buy the pieces of a gun and put it together. that is too much this whole kit costs $89 that's it. i am calling on the administration to go all after ghost guns by putting out regulations that will stop them. >> biden is expected to announce a replacement nominee to lead the atf today. the white house withdrew its

previous nominee in september. 25-year veteran chipman faced opposition from republicans who said they wanted to protect second amendment rights. lawmakers in maryland are expanding abortion access in the state, overriding a veto by governor larry hogan starting july 1, first practitioners, nurse midwives, and physicians assistants may perform abortions. currently only medical doctors are legally allowed to do it the new how requires most insurance companies to cover the procedure and set aside $3.5 million a year for an abortion care program. a texas woman may no longer face charges after what authorities are calling a self-induced abortion, dismissing the indictment against the 26-year-old who had been charged with murder in a statement the d.a. says, quote, it is clear miss herera cannot and should not be prosecuted for the allegation against her. herera's lawyer declined comment. a big dinner washington has

led to a covid outbreak among some of the country's most prominent political figures. at least 72 have tested positive for covid, including the speaker of the house, the attorney general, secretaries of agriculture and commerce, also members of congress, along with new york city's mayor and the white house press office they all attended the gridiron dinner washington about eight days ago along with hundreds of others all attendees were required to show proof of vaccination before the dinner the news comes as 24 states and d.c. are seeing a surge in cases fueled by the b.a.2 subvariant. in northern california, a massive fire broke out in a home depot. the flames consumed thousands of square feet. the fireball sent plumes of smoke into the sky and burned for hours. about 30 workers and shoppers were left scrambling to escape fire officials tell nbc news they believe it started in an area where lumber and drywall were being stored. the five-alarm fire was so massive, it was spotted from a

national weather service satellite in space think of all the flammable things in home depot. >> and just look at that image, wow. let's turn now to the weather and a fourth week of severe storms and the forecast nbc meteorologist michelle grossman is tracking it all. always good to see you >> so good to see you. yes, we are tracking more severe weather, and you're right, the fourth week in a row we're looking at storms on radar early this morning you can see that lightning, also some heavy rain moving through parts of oklahoma into kansas. also arkansas. that's going to be the theme as we go through the the day. zoom in a little closer, you see that orange line those orange lines, that is a severe thunderstorm watch. we're going to be watching that this morning also severe thunderstorm warnings as we go throughout tonight, we are looking at enhanced risk where you see the orange that's where severe weather is likely through tonight that includes north of little rock, fort submit, a slight risk for dallas, waco we're looking at hail, 2 inches or greater also damaging winds and the chance for tornados.

what happens tomorrow, that enhanced risk expands there dallas through oklahoma, kansas into iowa. 39 million at risk t record warmth in the southern plains temperatures in the 90s in san angelo when i come back, we'll look at the week ahead that includes an april snowstorm. >> what? >> don't say it. >> i know. >> all right, we'll check in with you in a bit. chris rock reveals what it will take for him to discuss the will smith oscar slap. can you guess what it is >> i feel like it's green, if i was guessing republican liz cheney says the january 6th mmtee coithas enough evidence for criminal charges. details in one minute.

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new this morning, could former president trump face charges for the capitol riot a top member of the house panel investigating the january 6th insurrection says they have enough evidence to refer mr. trump for criminal charges >> it's absolutely clear that what president trump was doing, what a number of people around him were doing, that they knew it was unlawful, they did it anyway there's not really a dispute on the committee. >> while the committee says it has enough to make a criminal referral, according to the "new york times," leaders are divided over whether to do so. mr. trump has not been charged with a crime and denies wrongdoing. the faa has proposed the largest-ever u.s. fines against two unruly female passengers they're accused of assaulting flight crew members on separate flights last year. the agency says one woman faces a nearly $82,000 for head butting, biting, spitting at crew members the other woman faces a $77,000

fine after she attempted to hug and kiss another passenger and bit a passenger multiple times chris rock is still tight-lipped about the will smith slap at the oscars two weeks ago. at the beginning of a stand-up comedy show friday, the comedian told the audience, quote, i'm not talking about that until i get paid that's according to "the desert sun" newspaper it is unclear if rock was joking about potential financial gain from the incident. an eventful weekend at augusta led to a new masters champion >> scheffler outshines them all! at augusta >> scottie scheffler shot a 1 under 71 in his final round. it was enough to take home the green jacket scheffler withstood the late surge by rory mcilroy to win the masters. it's the first major tournament

victory for the 25-year-old. imagine that, 25 and putting on that jacket. tiger woods completed his return to the sport with four full rounds of golf at augusta. woods finished 47th in the tournament he told sky sports that he plans to play in july's open championship and that he'll try for next month's pga championship it's good, he's been injured for a while now. he finished all 72 holes. >> just the fact that he's out there is amazing. we'll introduce you to an exciting group of filmmakers chosen for a special honor by nbc news. john lennon's son does something he never imagined to help raise money for ukraine relief my skin was no longer mine. emerge tremfyant®. with tremfya®... ...most people saw 90% clearer skin at 16 weeks. the majority of people saw 90% clearer skin even at 5 years. tremfya® is the first medication of its kind also approved for adults with active psoriatic arthritis. and, it's six doses a year,

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coming up on "today," the rumors are true. lizzo is live to talk about her new music and how she's preparing for double duty on "saturday night live" this weekend. this morning, an exciting announcement from nbc news we are sharing the recipients of the second onwall original

voice's fellowship that's a program for documentary filmmakers that celebrates diverse stories and storytellers from often underrepresented communities. >> that's right, six documentary projects have been selected for the program by an all-star group of jurors, including renowned documentarians julie cohen, yense ford, and bing logical u the program gives a financial grant of $60,000 as well as access to nbc news resources and training nbc news correspondent easisa vutirez takes a closer look. >> this fellowship is a sense of affirmation that the work and the story we're telling is important. >> reporter: the filmmaker behind the documentary "unseen." it follows a blind, undocumented immigrant who dreams of becoming a social worker. it's one of the six documentary projects selected for nbc's second annual "original voices

fellowship," a collaboration between nbcu academy and nbc news studios that supports and celebrates diverse stories and storytellers an opportunity that eric calls a lifeline. >> these opportunities have been falling away over the last couple of years. the day that i found out that i got this fellowship was an incredible day it meant that, wow, there's actually a light at the end of the tunnel now. >> reporter: this is one of the creatives behind "the queer beat," a story about lgbtq journalism. >> when lgbtq storytellers tell our own stories, there's a huge benefit. it actually helps to ensure that our humanity is captured >> reporter: the selected projects cover a range of topics from battles over labor to a young activist forced to grapple with the fallout after a death row inmate he supported takes a plea deal. the fellowship is also a way for creators to take hold of their own narrative. like stephanie wong breal, whose

documentary "florence from ohio" tells the story of her immigrant mother's experience in middle america. >> it's unfortunate for filmmakers like myself who get to sort of reclaim territory of telling our own stories. >> reporter: journalist and director rebecca lansbury baker is excited to share a story she says is often overlooked, the battle for a free press in her own muskogee nation tribe. >> i really am excited to show people the rich diversity that we have within indian country. >> reporter: for rebecca, a first-time filmmaker, she hopes her story opens the door for other diverse creators too. >> maybe there are people that don't even know they're storytellers yet, but they have really valuable stories they can brin bring. if i can inspire that i'm doing more than i planned with this goal. >> that's going to be exciting to see these films and stories come together. two of the films from last year's inaugural class went on

to premiere at sundance. this helps filmmakers on their journey. head to nbcnewsstudios.com if you're looking to further your journalistic training at home, access classes at nbcuacademy.com. looks like winter is sticking around a bit longer michelle has got your forecast next ahead, jialeonuln nn breaks his longstanding vow to benefit ukraine. so i got a swiffer wetjet to get a cleaner, clean! i stick on a fresh pad. boom! it's ready to go. the spray breaks down dirt. and the pad absorbs it deep inside. unlike my mop that can spread it around. and wetjet's even safe on wood! all this? buh-bye. it's so simple! i get a cleaner clean every day. try wejet with a money back guarantee. pti. i need the pdf cob aka eod. what's the eta? asap, fyi!

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a lasting legacy julian lennon, son of famous beatles member john lennon, taking a stand for ukraine in a very special way here's kate snow ♪ imagine there's no heaven it' easy if you try ♪ >> reporter: it is one of the most recognizable songs in the world. ♪ no hell below us above us onl sky ♪ >> reporter: a stirring anthem of peace and hope.

♪ imagine all the people ♪ ♪ living for today ♪ >> reporter: at a benefit for ukraine, john lennon's son julian honored his father's legacy, performing "imagine" publicly for the very first time, something he had vowed he'd never do. ♪ nothing to kill or die for ♪ >> reporter: of his decision he writes, the only time i would ever consider singing "imagine" would be if it was the end of the world, but also because his lyrics reflect our collective desire for peace worldwide ♪ imagine all the people living life in peace ♪ >> reporter: the solemn candlelit performance a pledge to help end the suffering for the millions under attack, fleeing ukraine. ♪ you may say i'm a dreamer but i'm not the only one ♪ >> reporter: julian now channeling his father's vietnam

war-era appeal ♪ i hope someday you'll join us ♪ >> reporter: for acceptance and love that conflict, a catalyst for john lennon, who became a vocal anti-war activist, holding nonviolent protests for peace. ♪ a brotherhood of man ♪ >> reporter: in 1980, he was gunned down. ♪ i hope someday you'll join us ♪ >> reporter: julian, then 17, devoted his life to music. but the song "imagine" never felt right for him to sing, until now. ♪ and the world will live as one ♪ >> our thanks to kate snow for that report. >> what a time to break that vow of his, couldn't think of a better time. today is the "paw-fect" day to celebrate national pet day. we've pulled together photos of the pets of "early today." if you're looking for extra ways to celebrate, consider adopting

a pet from your shelter, also volunteering or donating to animal welfare organizations make sure to give your pets extra treats, extra cuddles, extra hugs today. >> a lot of new pet parents in covid. >> a whole lot of them to enjoy today. today. thanks for kicking off your [bushes rustling] [door opening] ♪dramatic music♪ yes! hon! the weathertech's here. ♪ weathertech is the ultimate protection for your vehicle. laser-measured floorliners... no drill mudflaps... cargoliner... bumpstep... seat protector... and cupfone. ♪ what about my car? weathertech.

this morning, evidence of the russian atrocities continue to mount as a new general nicknamed "the butcher" takes charge as we enter day 47 of the war. they are nontraceable, they require no background checks, they are made from perfectly legal preacknowledged kits but ghost guns are a public menace and president biden says he'll do something about them. the world's richest man turns down a seat on twitter's board. what is elon musk plan ing tiger woods did