welcome to a new week, it's called operation fly formula and countless parents in need of baby formula will hope this alleviates the shortage felt from coast to coast. already a busy day for president biden in tokyo today where he revealed the latest on monkeypox as well as trade in the region and new details on russia's war in ukraine. the pivotal primary in 24 hours from starting in georgia where former president trump's backing is on the line. a jaw-dropping record for

kendrick lamar, raising the bar in 2022 for all other artists. and the life-changing surprise for a lifetime of a group of third graders and their families it's monday, may 23rd. "early today" starts right now good morning, i'm erin o'hearn. >> glad you are with us, i'm frances rivera some breaking news new york city has declared a state of emergency over the baby formula shortage mayor eric adams signed and executive order that says the city will crack down on any retailer looking to capitalize on the crisis by jacking up prices and a military plane carrying 78,000 tons of formula ended in indianapolis. the nestle products will be distributed across the u.s. in two phases the first batch has been tested and will be shipped to hospitals and health care providers in a couple of days and the rest will be tested and sent out in two weeks. >> our jo ling kent spoke to tom

bill sack about when parents can see store shelves fill up again. here is what he had to say. >> i think that's a matter of weeks and in part because of the sequencing of events that's taking place shipments coming in via the military meanwhile, the shuttered abbott plant in michigan is set to reopen with its supply returning to normal at around two months. now to breaknews from tokyo, president biden meeting with the lf japan during the second leg of his visit to asia the purpose of his trip is to strengthen diplomatic and economic ties in the region and encounter the expanding reach of china. chris pollone joins us from d.c. tell us more about the new partnership president biden is announcing with these allies. >> reporter: frances, good morning. supply chain issues play a large part of this, this new agreement is called the pacific -- indo-pacific framework for prosperity, this new agreement being announced is between the u.s. and about a dozen asian

countries. one big component is to make supply chains for goods coming into the u.s. more diverse instead of relying on just one country like china the nations involved represent about 40% of the global gdp. >> this framework is a commitment to working with our close friends and partners in the region on challenges that matter most to ensuring economic competitiveness in the 21st century. by improving security and trust in the digital economy, protecting workers, strengthening supply chains and tackling corruption that robs nations ofr citizens. >> reporter: andgn affairs in asia, the president also thinking about domestic affairs. he said this morning once again -- he kindof downplayed the threat of monkeypox with two confirmed cases here now the president said people should be careful, but right now it doesn't rise to the level of concern of something like covid.

the president also pointed out that the smallpox vaccine is apparently effective against monkeypox. frances? >> that's good to hear chris, thank you. tomorrow's primary showdown in georgia could set the stage for the future of the republican party. the closely watched race for governor will show whether former president trump is still the king maker for the gop our vaughn hillyard explains >> reporter: the peach state republican showdown on tuesday, this year's most personal race for donald trump. >> brian kemp is a turn coat he is a coward, and he is a complete and total disaster. >> reporter: the former president is trying to take down brian kemp, georgia's republican governor, who despite trump's rage in 2020 certified his state's election results, a win for joe biden. >> we need to win and win big on tuesday. >> reporter: kemp now widening his lead among republican voters, looking to defeat trump's hand-picked challenger former u.s. senator david perdue. >> then in 2020 was

rigged and stolen. e acknowledging tuesday's potential loss. >> we may not win tuesday but i guarantee you we are not down 30 points. >> reporter: a perdue loss would undercut trump's standing as his party's king maker. >> if you don't win is that an indictment on your focus on the 2020 election and the former president. >> i don't think so. i'm focused on the truth. >> reporter: record numbers of voters casting their ballots ahead of tuesday's primary also looking for a second term secretary of state brad raffensperger who was pressured by trump to find more votes for him in 2020. >> i just want to find 11,780 votes which is one more than we have. >> reporter: he is in a tightly contested race with trump inspired challenger jodie highs. in georgia trump still looms large, his loathing of kemp could cost him a general election race against stacey abrams. >> of course, having her i think might be better than having your existing governor if you want to

know the truth. >> reporter: kemp who narrowly beat abrams in 2018 rejecting those concerns. >> can you win in november without trump's support. >> i didn't get in the race not to win in november. >> reporter: now, in in final home stretch of campaigning governor kemp is slated to be joined by former vice president mike pence on the campaign trail on monday night. as for perdue, trump will be joining one of his final events but by dialing in over the phone. >> all right all eyes on georgia. vaughan, thank you. covid's latest wave is driving daily infections up. according to the latest data, the nation is tracking about 100,000 infections a day the white house says the latest wave is mostly being fueled by a new covid subvariant named ba.2.1.2.1 the cdc says hospital admissions are increasing with 3,000 people being admitted per day but deaths remain low at about 275 per day. now to ukraine where russia's invasion is in its 89th

day. ukrainian president zelenskyy and the country's first lady spoke in a rare joint interview. elena zelenskyy saying russia's invasion has torn their family apart as it has with every other ukrainian family this as top ukrainian officials saying they will not give up territory to russia or agree to a ceasefire. now to nbc's matt bradley who joins us live from la leave. we are several months into the war but the images and stories coming out of ukraine continue to be so personal stories painful to hear what's the latest on the ground? >> reporter: that's right, erin. we are actually on the eve of the three-month mark of russia's invasion that was on february 24th and i was here in ukraine at the time and it was a shocking development, a lot of ukrainians despite all of the warnings just didn't see it coming or never thought that it would actually come to pass, but now as you mentioned three months in we're entering into our fourth month, we're seeing now a real shift on the ground

we're seeing ukrainians actually fighting back and pushing back the russian lines in that eastern region of donbas, especially around the northeastern city of kharkiv this is a development that's been going on for the past week or two, now we're starting to see russian forces focusing their fight in the eastern city of severe donetsk. local officials say they are using scorched earth tactics to try to take that city and close off what military analysts call a salient ledge of ukraine or kyiv controlled ukraine that is amongst russian occupied areas amongst it we will start to see the tempo and veracity of the fighting increasing in the eastern part of the country, all of this as president biden and other western countries are increasing and committing more money and weapons to the ukrainian side. that could also contribute to an increase in the fighting and civilian deaths, but we're going to hear more from president zelenskyy today. he's going to be addressing the

davos economic forum and we could hear more about what he sees as the end game for this allusive battle one that a lot of military analysts and politicians are saying looks like it's settling in for a very long and bruising fight. >> matt, great work on the ground thank you so much. the archbishop of san francisco says house speaker nancy pelosi will be barred from receiving communion there because of her stance on abortion the democrat and practicing catholic supports a constitutional right to an abortion and she was recently part of a failed effort to codify abortion rights on the federal level. in a tweet announcing the decision the archbishop accused pelosi of perpetrating a grave evil and risking her own soul. heads up, peanut butter lovers,we have a consumer aler to tell you about. jm smucker has issued a voluntary recall of select jif peanut butter products sold in the u.s. due to a salmonella

outbreak linked to a manufacturing facility in kentucky it spans 12 states, 14 people have been sickened and two hospitalized according to the cdc. the affected products have the lot code number of 425 for the fifth through seventh digits consumer right side urged to throw the products away. for more information visit the fda's website. parts of the country could see some serious storms today. let's check in with michelle grossman >> hi, guys. looking at stormy weather in the south, also flooding rains, we have showers and some embedded thunderstorms that we're expecting today in parts of the southeast and the southern plains, especially in the state of texas that's where the most likely severe weather is going to happen we are looking at 6 million at risk today, looking at the chance for damaging winds, hail and also the chance for a few tornadoes. watching that this afternoon into tonight rainfall forecast it's a lot more a lot of us, looking at locally up to 6 inches in a lot of spots where you see darker colors that's the heavier rain

by tomorrow 9 million at risk for damaging winds, ilhae of ye. warm in the southern plains, also the chance for showers and storms guys, we will talk more about the week ahead and your forecast back to you. >> glad to have that relief. thank you, michelle. something out of a 007 movie is exactly what police are calling two suspected thieves in california who used a high tech device to break into cars. the help -- the help of a tip led irvine police to discover a vehicle whose license plate would flip with the push of a button officials found drugs, money, stolen property as well as a gas syphon device that connected to -- directly to the car's gas

tank, excuse me. both suspects were taken into custody and are facing several charges. "early today" is back in a minute dozens of guns are taken off the streets of new york. and johnny depp prepares to take the stand in his defamation mes l against amber heard, this ti aa witness for the defense. we will be right back. move. we were breathing that day and night! that's when we started using swiffer. in just a few minutes, duster captures dust before it gets airborne. it traps and locks dust in one swipe. yes! for our floors, sweeper's heavy duty cloths easily trap dust, dirt and hair... locking it in. see ya, dust! and swiffer partners with the american lung association to support clean air.

you love rich, delicious ice cream. but your stomach doesn't. that disagreement ends right now. lactaid ice cream is the creamy, real ice cream you love that will never mess with your stomach. lactaid ice cream. leading the news, johnny depp is expected to return to the stand today in his defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife. amber heard's legal team is slated to call depp as their third witness. his representatives declined to comment. depp is suing heard for $50 million in damages over an opinion piece she wrote where she described surviving domestic violence without mentioning him by name heard has filed a countersuit asking $100 million in damages. funerals have begun for the victims of the buffalo mass shooting laid to rest this weekend was church deacon hayward patterson who was 67 and robert at that

drury who at 32 was the youngest victim originally from syracuse drury moved to buffalo to help her brother in his fight against cancer the security guard killed in the massacre has been honored with a posthumous bachelor of arts degree his son was at the ceremony to collect the diploma. salter jr. was three credits away from completing the degree when he died he has been hailed a hero after firing at the shooter before being shot himself. three quarters of black americans worry that they or a loved one will be the victim of a racist attack according to a new poll by the "washington post" conducted after the buffalo shooting the poll also found that 70% of black people think a majority of whites hold white supremacist beliefs and more than half think that the problem of racism will get worse this their life times. in the wave of crippling gun violence in new york city officials say 69 guns were turned in anonymously at a gun

buy back program at a brooklyn church over the weekend. in exchange people received $200 gift cards and ipads donated by the owner of juniors cheesecake restaurant. still to come, kendrick lamar sets a new bar on the billboard charts. plus, will the rising cost of gas put a department in those memorial day weekend plans too me in the bathroom. hey...good luck with the future in-laws tonight. don't overthink it. but don't underthink it. don't talk about your cover band. don't talk about your fantasy team. don't talk about your cats. you're gonna do great! at least geico makes bundling our renters and car insurance easy. we do save a lot of money. oh no no no... oh boy...where are you going for dinner? 1987? for bundling made easy, go to geico.com. ♪♪ oh boy...where are you going [ sneezing ]1987? are your sneezes putting your friends in awkward positions? stick with zyrtec. zyrtec starts working hard at hour one... ...and works twice as hard when you take it again

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two atms who you thought they talk about? talk about us. who you think this he carry out? carry out us. mr. morale and the big steppers is the biggest debut of the year kendrick ma mar's album topped the chart beating out bad bunny. the director of box fam says the pandemic has sparked a billionaire bonanza. the organization that studies global poverty warns that the

covid crisis has caused income inequality to soar around the world. in fact, a new report that there were more than 573 more billionaires in the world by march of this year than there were back in 2020. that's a new billionaire every 30 hours and an estimated 263 million people could be burned into extreme poverty this year because of the pandemic and the rising food prices made worse by the war on ukraine. the memorial day weekend is just down the road and just in time for memorial day the price of gas, airfare and car rentals is soaring steve patterson has more on ho to save as we approach the unofficial start of summer. >> reporter: nearly 40 million americans expected to hit the road or take to the sky ahead of memorial day but with heavy demand, ramp bid inflation and surging prices it comes with a warning, brace for headaches. >> it's a little bit of a

perfect storm we are seeing people coming back to wanting to. >> reporter: averaging priceless expected to soar up 46% from 2019 with some flights sold out for weeks. not better on the ground, demand for rentals spiking 130%, while the gas forecast could average close to $4.65 by next weekend, up 51% over last year. >> we're having to go a different route than we usually do. >> reporter: amanda's family is driving from arkansas to florida to vacation before their son's football training with rental car inventory so low and gas so high this year they're calling an audible. >> it's definitely a whole new ball game this time and we're trying our best to budget. >> reporter: they plan on meal prepping instead of eating out and a game changer, pay for the room in zero interest installments. >> you are not paying it all at one time and you are not taking that lump sum of money out of your savings. >> reporter: experts say more ways to save include looking for midweek and early morning

flights, booking at least six weeks early and if you are okay with a stay-cation, this is the perfect year getting away without breaking the bank, a summer travel tightrope. steve patterson, nbc news. the weekend may be over, but so are the scorching temps michelle has your monday forecast next. and how two business owners are surprisingarts pen with a lifeline for their kids' future. making friends again, billy? i like to keep my enemies close. guys, excuse me. i didn't quite get that. i'm hard of hearing. ♪♪ oh hey, don't forget about the tense music too. would you say tense? i'd say suspenseful. aren't they the same thing? can we move on guys, please? alexa, turn on the subtitles. and dim the lights. ok, dimming the lights. more protection, more sun, more joy. beach defense® from neutrogena®

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there is a family foundation that's helping give kids a brighter future. nbc's kate snow with their story. >> reporter: this standing ovation marks a life-changing moment. >> very proud of you gi me high-five. >> congratulations. >> reporter: it's the instant just weeks ago when parents found out their third graders at michael anderson elementary near phoenix would all be getting scholarships to college. >> you're going to college congratulations. >> reporter: tuition, room and board, as long as students are accepted to a program and graduate from a high school in their current district

the give away part of a commitment to education in underserved locations, started by phoenix area business owners jill and tom tom inspired by his father, a hungarian refugee. >> my dad was the beneficiary of a lot of people who helped him out along the way, that's why he was able to achieve his american dream. >> reporter: so why third grade? the idea is to get kids, their families and teachers thinking now about what could be possible >> i want to go to college, i want to go to high school. >> i would rather start my own business or be a dentist >> reporter: parents say the opportunity is a life line to a brighter future. >> with all the struggles in life and having kids, you know, this is one less worry. >> reporter: but this recent award wasn't the only foundation grant, the first one ten years ago helped demarus reach her dream. >> i am now a current arizona nursing student, arizona college

of nursing i want to go back to my community. >> reporter: and in april another grant. >> for every bernard third grader who is with us they are offering a full ride college scholarship. >> reporter: roosevelt school district superintendent quinton boyce calls it a game changer. >> we saw parents liberated of this stuff struggle of trying to create a better life for their child via a college education. >> reporter: these generous gifts giving parents new hope for the next generation. >> i'm so thankful and grateful that someone would have it on their heart to think of my child, to want to provide them with a better future and take stress off of me. >> reporter: wow is does sound weird to call them the college class of 2036, but the journey to senior year of high school will go by in the blink of an eye, trust me, i know this. we wish them the best of luck and, by the way, tom says that

he hopes to eventually give occupy two grant promises a year back to you. >> kate, thank you wow, futures being made, futures being sent it's the relief of these families. >> and at such a young age to know they have that promise in front of them. thanks for starting your we

parts of the bay area that starts at 1 1:00 this morning. increasing winds and row humid did and dangerous heat. a rook at the conditions coming up. putting masks back on. thousands of east bay students that once again must mask up in the classroom. and formula finally new shipment from overseas touching down over the weekend. when the