athletes. lester holt joins us from new york right now. tonight, 50 tonight, escalating tensions between the u.s. and ukraine. president trump calling president zelenskyy a dictator. blaming ukraine for the russian invasion. the ukrainian leader slamming him for disinformation. the rapidly deteriorating relationship between once key allies and what it all means for the war. richard engel is on the frontlines. single engine planes collided. charred debris on the runway. what we are learning about the latest fatal aviation accident. doge employees working inside the

pentagon. nbc news reports the defense secretary may dismiss top military generals. the showdown one month into trump's presidency. the winter storm sending temperatures plunging below zero. rescues from freezing water in virginia. parts of the south under states of emergency. just in, new ruling in the idaho college murders. the evidence allowed in. the arrest in a string of burglaries targeting celebrities and pro athletes, including travis kelce and patrick maholmes. good news tonight, the mother/son duo making history on the basketball court. this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. good evening. welcome. the world has been virtually turned upside down in the war between ukraine and its russian invaders.

with american president trump sharply turning against ukrainian president zelenskyy. in a social media post, trump labeling zelenskyy, who is the democratically elected leader of ukraine, a dictator. inaccurately accusing ukraine of starting the war. trump's former vice president publicly called out as untrue. the u.s. spent billions in military assistance helping ukraine fight against the russian aggressors. the u.s. engaging russia in peace talks. zelenskyy accusing trump of being in a russian disinformation bubble. richard engel reports now from ukraine. >> reporter: president trump went on the attack against ukraine's zelenskyy. he called zelenskyy a dictator without elections, continuing with what seemed like a naked threat. zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a country left. in the meantime, we

are successfully negotiating an end to the war with russia. it's a pattern. on tuesday, president trump blamed zelenskyy for starting the war, even though it was russia that invaded ukraine three years ago. >> he should have never started it. you could have made a deal. >> reporter: president zelenskyy isn't taking it quietly. he said president trump is in a disinformation bubble, suggesting he is following russian propaganda. mike pence said, mr. president, ukraine did not start this war. russia launched a brutal invasion, claiming hundreds of thousands of lives. the road to peace must be built on the truth. this is far more than just a war of words or a clash of personalities. ukrainian troops depend on american support. to defend against russian attacks. without u.s. help,

ukraine would struggle to keep the russians back. out here in eastern ukraine, the fighting is relentless with drone and missile attacks coming almost constantly, especially when the weather is clear like today. now, ukrainian troops say they have perhaps a bigger problem, wondering whether they have support from washington. this man, who under army rules only gave his first name, commands a tank brigade on the outskirts of kharkiv. does it feel like decisions are being made about ukraine without ukraine's input? "yes, yes, this is exactly the feeling we have, it does influence the mood, it's very demotivating." >> has president putin weighed in? >> reporter: he is happy with the way things are developing. he described the negotiations with the trump administration so far on ukraine as friendly and going well. he said, it would be a

pleasure to meet with donald, that's how he referred to him. so far, no date has been announced. >> richard engel, thank you. federal authorities are investigating another deadly aviation incident. a collision between two small planes in midair that left at least two dead. jesse kirsch with late details. >> reporter: this was the scene in rural arizona today, charred debris littering this airport outside tucson after a deadly midair crash this morning. >> small aircraft fully involved in a fire. >> reporter: just before 8:30 a.m. local time, two small private planes were flying near the airport when they collided midair. the faa says two people were on board each aircraft. while federal investigators say the cessna landed uneventfully, the other crashed, catching fire. local officials confirmed two people are dead. both planes were over what's known as an uncontrolled field

that has no air traffic control tower. >> small airplanes go in a out frequently. they depend on radio positions to tell each other where they the airplanes are and visually to watch out for other airplanes, similar to driving a car. you look outside to make sure you don't hit anything. >> reporter: this has been a troubling year for american aviation. last month, 67 people were killed on an american airlines jet. then earlier this week, a delta airliner flipped over as it landed at toronto pearson international airport. 18 people were injured. tonight, officials say efforts have begun to remove the plane from the runway, which should improve traffic delays at one of north america's busiest airports. jesse kirsch, nbc news. in washington, the pentagon is expected to be the latest target as the trump administration works to reshape the federal workforce.

here is peter alexander. >> reporter: tonight, nbc news has learned defense secretary pete hegseth is considering firing military generals and some of the most senior officers as early as this week. according to two defense officials and three congressional sources. most of the targeted who have been closely associated with former defense secretary lloyd austin who served under former president biden and worked on dei initiatives or voiced opinions that trump allies view as politically out of line with his agenda. the pentagon said hegseth is looking to cut 8% of next year's defense budget, totaling $50 billion. musk's doge employees are working inside the pentagon, according to senior officials, eyeing staffing cuts there. overnight, president trump alongside musk dismissed concerns about conflicts of interest with musk's businesses. even though the tech billionaire's companies have massive contracts with the

federal government. >> if there's a conflict, he won't be involved. i wouldn't want that. he won't want it. >> reporter: first the mass firings, now the fallout. across the country, growing protests opposed to the president's efforts to shrink the federal workforce. jonathan was fired days ago from his job overseeing cybersecurity for the v.a.'s website. your firing has the potential to have an impact on the benefits american veterans receive. >> so many veterans rely exclusively on va.gov to access benefits. if it goes down, they can't get to their benefits. >> reporter: the president and his top lieutenant in miami are defending their reshaping of the federal government. >> i think what we're seeing here is the thrashing of the bureaucracy as we try to restore democracy and the will of the people. >> reporter: musk insisted the majority

of federal workers are anti-trump. d.c. is largely democratic. more than 80% of federal workers are not in d.c., spread throughout the rest of the country. the acting faa administrator revealing in a letter to staffers today, special government employees who work for spacex have visited the faa's command center and will go to other sites to engineer solutions. while the administrator says the agency is keeping employees who perform safety critical functions, its union says some faa jobs eliminated supported safety and airport operations. >> peter, the administration is pushing forward with its plan to kill new york's traffic congestion pricing. >> reporter: that' right. the controversial program that charges drivers to enter parts of manhattan is what we're talking about. president trump posting, congestion pricing is dead. long live the king. a top aide shared this ai image as president trump as a monarch. new york's governor responding, we are a nation of laws, not

ruled by a king. we will see you in court. >> peter alexander at the white house, thanks. with the president's freeze on certain federal funding, some farmers aren't getting critical government grants that they were counting on. they tell emilie ikeda, they are struggling to pay bills. >> 100 out there. >> reporter: kevin hoped these solar panels would help his maine farm flourish. >> the hope is that they produce enough electricity that the farm needs. >> reporter: he was able to move forward with the project because of a federal program that promised to shoulder a third of the cost after completion. the panels have been up and running for weeks. no sign of the $45,000 he has been counting on from the u.s. department of agriculture. could you have ever imagined finding yourself in this position after taking on that agreement? >> no. everything is in writing. everything is signed. you are stressed out. you are on edge.

it has a toll on you. >> reporter: president trump signed executive orders pausing federal funding for review. including the inflation reduction act, the climate initiative passed during the biden administration. that has grant money built in for farmers to conserve soil, water, and energy. >> i can't get any answers. >> reporter: farmers who overwhelmingly supported trump in november are voicing confusion and concern. >> i have done a bunch of the work. paid for the material. paid for the labor. >> it's going to reach into every state and every community nationwide. that's how far the reach of the department of agriculture is. >> reporter: a usda spokesperson says the secretary is aware farmers have been waiting on payments during this government review. is working to make determinations as quickly as possible. citing plans to share information later this week. until then, what do you want people in washington to know? >> enforce the contract they gave to everybody else. do what it says.

>> reporter: or else? >> or else there might not be farms. >> reporter: emilie ikeda, maine. brutal winter weather continues across the country tonight. kathy park reports millions of americans are feeling some of the coldest temperatures we have seen all season. >> reporter: a fierce snowstorm clashing with brutal air, gripping people from the midwest to the mid-atlantic. virginia bracing for the biggest snowstorm in years. >> we are going to close if the weather becomes too much. >> reporter: icy roads creating hazardous conditions. a snowplow aident in kansas mangling this suv. hurting both drivers. tow trucks at the ready. >> i bought heated gloves and a heated jacket. regular work gloves, it's frostbite almost. >> reporter: temperatures low in st. louis where

officials say a homeless woman was found dead on the streets tuesday morning. roads so slick in tennessee, cars spinning out. dozens of wrecks and injuries. >> if they don't have to be on the road, stay off the roadways. safest place is at home. >> reporter: as a storm pushes east, a state of emergency in north carolina. roads prepped with more than 3 million gallons of brine. 1,200 crews ready to respond. they brace for up to a foot of snow. tonight as eastern kentucky recovers from the historic floods, another blow from mother nature. cars losing control on the interstate in lexington. officials say the next 12 hours will be critical, warning millions to be on high alert. lester? >> kathy, thank you. to idaho where a judge has just refused to tososs out ke evidence in the case against bryan kohberger accused of murdering the four college students in 2022. laura jarrett is here.

what does this mean for his defense? >> reporter: this is a huge blow to the defense team. all of the most damning evidence against him will come in at trial. cellphone records, surveillance footage. the dna evidence tieing him to the crime scene. he had tried to argue that the investigators violated his rights with the search. the judge not buying it. he is set to go to trial this summer. >> thank you. the new details about the international burglary ring targeting professional athletes. th asthe better in as little as 2 weeks. so this is better. and this. dupixent is an add-on treatment for specific types of moderate-to-severe asthma. it's not for sudden breathing problems and doesn't replace a rescue inhaler. it's proven to help prevent asthma attacks. severe allergic reactions can occur. get help right away for face, mouth, tongue or throat swelling, wheezing or trouble breathing. tell your doctor right away of signs of inflamed blood vessels like rash,

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authorities say the alleged burglars are from chile and part of a south american theft gang. they broke into at least six different homes between october and december of last year, across five different cities, stealing a total of roughly $2 million worth of valuable items. investigators say they used cellphone data to track the movement, finding this photo posing with items stolen from bobby portis. four of the suspects were arrested earlier this year during a traffic stop when police found this lsu shirt belonging to joe burrow. >> some of the things they are taking are identifiable. that's where the miscalculation was. if you didn't rob patrick maholmes and joe burrow, would anyone really have put it on the news? probably not. >> reporter: the latest burglary happening valentine's day night at the home of nicole kidman and keith urban. they have not named a

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wildlife in the u.s. leading to outbreaks among poultry and human cases. nbc's anne thompson has more on scientists' race to get to the bottom of it. >> reporter: on a frigid winter morning, you can see why the finger lakes are central new york's environmental heart. not immune to the bird flu. here on cayuga lake, cornell university's dr. bloodgood tests for blood flu. >> swirl it around. that's great. >> reporter: i got to help with the swabbing. back in the lab, initial tests show three of the four ducks have the highly contagious virus. >> we have foundnd many different positive species ranging from waterfowl to raptors, eagles and hawks. >> reporter: since 2022, this strain of the virus has been

detected in wild birds in all 50 states. ththere are ports of birds falling out of the sky and washing up on beaches. what mammals have tested positive for bird flu? >> in new york state, it's primarily been red fox. we have seen a skunk and a possum, a bobcat. >> reporter: does that suggest the flu is mutating? >> it could, yes. >> reporter: a mutation caused this die off of elephant seals on the coast of argentina in 2023. >> the beaches are still covered with bones. >> reporter: this scientist says in just weeks, the mutated virus spread killing 17,000 of the top ocean predators. she estimates it will take the species ten to 70 years to recover. the bird flu has the potential to really upset an ecosystem. >> absolutely.

the bird flu impact is also adding to climate change and el nino events and changes in the ocean ecosystem. >> reporter: deadly to wildlife. threatening ecosystems here and around the world. anne thompson, nbc news, ithaca, new york. more to tell you tonight, including the mother/son duo trying to make history on the hardwood. a pregame ritual that has become their recipe for success. or success. , every delivery is a treat. one pistachio for you, sir. one strawberry poof, please. oh. enjoy it. oh, poofect. bye waybor. something minty? of course, it's a large. [ gasps ] ♪ ♪ a double. lucky. ♪ wayfair. every style. every home. ♪

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finally, there's good news tonight about a mother/son duo whose love of the game of basketball is taking their team on a tournament run. here is sam brock. >> reporter: at home, linda is mom. but on the court -- >> put a body on him. >> reporter: she's coach. guiding the lincoln warriors outside boston. how rare is it to see another woman coach in men's high school basketball? >> i won't see it. >> reporter: for their 17-year-old senior shooting guard nolan she wears two hats. when you are out here, do you call her mom or coach? >> actually depends. if i'm on the court, coach, 100%. after the game, probably call her mom. >> reporter: the athletic association believes they're the first mother/son duo in the tournament's history. >> we have rules. we don't discuss the game right after.

we give it time. i love to talk about the game. when i get home, he is the perfect audience. >> reporter: the perfect partner for a pre-game ritual. a hug between mother and son. before every single game. >> it's a beautiful way to connect for one second. i'm your mother. >> reporter: she played college ball and coached all four of her children. nolan is the baby. don't think she's taking it easy on him. >> she's the hardest on him. as you could expect. she's picking on one of our best players, happens to be her son. >> reporter: how proud are you of your son and this team? >> beyond. we make them work really hard. >> reporter: they just held senior night. she sported her son's 33 jersey. while the team doesn't know how their upcoming postseason will end, one thing is for certain. everyone knows how their last game together will start. >> just me and her for

a second, love you, mom, let's do this. >> reporter: sam brock, nbc news, massachusetts. that's "nightly news" for this wednesday. thank you for watching. i'm lester holt. please take care of yourself and each other. good night.

right now on nbc bay area news tonight. what happens in the white house is being felt here at home. local law firms that help documented and