cbs news app on your cell phone. i'm tom hanson, cbs news, new york. it's friday, march 4th, 2022. this is the "cbs morning news." breaking overnight, nuclear catastrophe fears. a fire burning at the largest nuclear power plant in europe is now out after ukrainian officials say russian troops fired on it. new sanctions. the white house announces a new financial crackdown on some of russia's wealthiest and most elite figures. and not guilty verdict. the only officer charged in connection with the raid that killed breonna taylor acquitted by a jury. the reaction from taylor's family. well, good morning, and good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. we begin with breaking news overnight in the war in ukraine. a nuclear disaster appears to have been diverted after the

largest nuclear power plant in all of europe was set on fire amid attacks from russian forces. you can see flames shooting from zaporizhzhya nuclear plant. ukrainian officials say russian forces were shelling the building, but ukraine says crews were able to put out the flames after several hours. meanwhile, we're getting a look at incredible drone video showing some of the damage from russian strikes just outside of the capital of kyiv. naomi ruchim is in new york with the latest on all of this. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. gunfire from russian forces kept firefighters from quickly extinguishing the flames at that power plant, but the fire is said to be out now. energy regulators say the flames did not impact essential equipment there, but they are still investigating the damage. russian troops attacked europe's largest nuclear power plant overnight. security footage shows flares landing on a building, smoke from a fire, and streaks of light from likely gunfire.

ukrainian officials say the attack did not damage essential equipment, and there was no change to radiation levels. in a video posted to facebook, ukrainian president volodymyr zelenskyy called russia a terrorist country that's reverted to nuclear terror, and that attacking the plant could lead to the end of europe. a second round of talks between the two countries yesterday created safe corridors to allow for evacuations and humanitarian aid. but zelenskyy says he wants to talk directly with russian president vladimir putin. >> i have to talk with putin. the world has to talk with putin because there are no other ways to stop this war. >> reporter: in recent days, russia has stepped up the brutality with an increased bombardment of major cities and civilian areas. this dash cam video captures the moment a rocket hit in the northern city.

at the white house, president biden announced a new round of sanctions to keep the economic pressure on moscow. >> the goal was to maximize the impact on putin. >> reporter: the biden administration is also asking congress for $10 billion in humanitarian and military aid for ukraine. another round of talks between ukrainian and russian negotiators is scheduled for early next week in neighboring belarus. the united nations estimates more than a million people have fled ukraine in the week since the invasion began. and a million more are displaced within the country. anne-marie? >> naomi ruchim in new york. thank you so much. ahead on "cbs mornings," we're going to be talking with former national security adviser and retired army lieutenant h.r. mcmaster about the attack on the ukrainian nuclear facility. as naomi reported, the biden administration has announced another round of sanctions targeting some of russia's richest oligarchs.

nancy cordes shows us who's been targeted. >> reporter: french officials say this yacht was preparing for an urgent departure when it ws seized overnight off the coat dazur. the $120 million boat belongs to igor sechin, the ceo of russian oil giant rosneft. >> thank you all for being here -- >> reporter: president biden announced the u.s. will freeze and seize the assets of eight russian elites. >> our interest is in maintaining the strongest unified economic impact campaign that -- on putin in all history. >> reporter: the eight include alisher usmanov who owns one of russia's most expensive private jets and whose $600 million yacht docked in germany faces an uncertain fate. another is sergei chemezov, a friend of putin's from their kgb days. jennifer lopez recently celebrated her 52nd birthday on his super yacht. how is the white house choosing which oligarchs to sanction?

do you start with the richest ones or the ones with the closest ties to vladimir putin? >> one of the big factors is the proximity to president putin. we want him to feel the squeeze. we want the people around him to feel the squeeze. >> reporter: the u.s. will ban 19 oligarchs and family members will be banned from traveling here. some lawmakers are pushing the white house to go even further and block all imports of russian oil. >> i'm all for that. ban it. >> reporter: ban the oil? >> ban the oil coming from russia. >> reporter: the u.s. only relies on russia for 3% of its oil imports. but with gas prices up 11 cents just since monday, the white house is reluctant to rock that boat. >> we don't have a strategic interest in reducing the global supply of energy. >> reporter: even before today's announcement, russia's richest men were taking steps to shield their wealth. around the world mega yachts are on the move, steaming to far-all

-- far-off locals like the maldives in the middle of the indian ocean. nancy cordes, cbs news, the white house. the only person charged in connection with the police raid that killed breonna taylor has been found not guilty by a kentucky jury. former louisville police officer brett hankison was not charged in taylor's death but for endangering her neighbors when he fired ten shots during a botched raid in taylor's apartment in 2020. hankison testified he did nothing wrong. he did not fire any of the shots that killed the 26-year-old. yesterday taylor's sister posted on facebook that she's tired of the injustice. and a homeless man is in custody in connection with a series of unprovoked attacks on asian women in new york city. 28-year-old steven zajonc was arrested wednesday and charged with hate crimes. seven women in different neighborhoods were assaulted over a two-hour period on sunday. most were punched in the face. one was shoved to the ground. the arrest comes as a new report

says 74% of asian american and pacific islander women in the u.s. reported experiencing racism or discrimination in the past year. and the house committee investigating the january 6th insurrection is demanding testimony from someone very close to the trump family. the panel issued a subpoena for kimberly guilfoyle who is the fiancee of donald trump jr. it comes after she abruptly ended an interview with lawmakers last week. the committee wants more testimony and documents from her as she raised funds and was in contact with key participants of the january 6 rally that turned into a riot. former attorney general william barr is opening up about his time with the trump administration. in an interview with nbc news, barr said that during a december, 2020, meeting, then-president trump became furious when barr told him there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud in the presidential election. barr said when he offered to quit, trump slammed his desk and said, "accepted." he resigned two weeks later.

barr has a new book out next week. and breaking news, the florida lawmakers have passed a bill banning most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. the bill is modeled after a similar ban in mississippi at the u.s. supreme court signaling it will uphold. the florida bill has no exceptions for rape or incest. the bill no heads to the desk of republican governor ron desantis, where he is expected to sign it into law. coming up now, interstate disaster. fog and smoke trigger a series of fiery and deadly crashes in florida. and caught on video, the moment an apartment building exploded in maryland sending nearly a dozen people to the hospital. this is the "cbs morning news." 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.

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stretch of i-95 south of daytona beach. traffic camera video shows a tractor-trailer consumed by fire and explosions. officials say visibility was poor at the time due to fog and smoke from prescribed burns of vegetation. in all there were five separate crashes. and a massive blast at a maryland apartment building has been caught on video. and a russian tv network in the u.s. is shut down. those are some of the headlines on the "morning newsstand." "the washington post" reports the production company behind the russian-backed media outlet arviv america will cease operations amid the backlash of war in ukraine. in a memo the head of the company blamed it on unforeseen business interruption events. he said most employees would be permanently laid off. "the new york times" says that the sackler family, owners of oxycontin maker purdue pharma, reached a new deal with several states over its role in the opioid crisis. at least eight states and washington, d.c., had appealed an earlier nationwide settlement.

the new deal calls for members of the sackler family to pay as much as $6 billion. that's at least $1 billion more than the previous agreement. in exchange, they are protected from civil lawsuits. the deal has to be approved, though, by a judge. and "the baltimore sun" says ten people were hospitalized and several remain unaccounted for after an explosion and fire at a maryland apartment building. [ screams ] video from nearby security cameras shows the explosion yesterday in silver spring near washington, d.c. residents can be heard screaming. three people were seriously hurt. >> there were no prior calls in this block for odor or gas or gas leaks. several medical calls, but no prior gas calls. >> the cause of the explosion is under investigation. still ahead, the rising cost of shopping. how membership for a big box chain may be going up this year.

here's a look at the forecast in some cities around the country. ♪ on the cbs "money watch," a look ahead at today's jobs report, and a popular big box ship prices.be raising diane king hall is in new york with those stories and more. good morning, diane. >> reporter: good morning, anne-marie. happy friday. well, stock futures are pointing to a lower open this morning as investors monitor the war in ukraine. all three major indices lost ground yesterday. the dow fell 96 points. the nasdaq tumbled 214, and the s&p 500 lost 23.

we're expecting some upbeat news from the labor department today when it releases its february jobs report. the comments are projecting the government will report that the economy grew by 440,000 jobs in february, and the unemployment rate is expected to drop to 3.9%. it's the last jobs report before the federal reserve meets later this month where it's expected to raise interest rates. cheap insulin could be in the works thanks to one nonprofit drugmaker. civica rx says it plans to make and sell insulin for a maximum of $30 a vial, less expensive than brand-name products. president biden discussed putting a cap on insulin in his state of the union. if approved, it could be sold as early as 2024. for the first time in five years, you could be paying more for your costco membership. the retailer says it's possible rates could go up, but the decision has not been made

final. if it does happen it will be the first time costco has raised rates since 2017. >> everyone's feeling the pinch. diane king hall in new york. thank you so much. >> you got it. still to come, headed to the war zone. we'll meet an american couple traveling to ukraine to help citizens trapped in the conflict. conflict. i could've waited to tell my doctor my heart was racing just making spaghetti... but i didn't wait. i could've delayed telling my doctor i was short of breath just reading a book... but i didn't wait.

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nearly four million children in the country fell back into poverty in january after expanded child tax credits ended. the hardest hit are black and latino children. jericka duncan shows us a program helping low-income moms. >> reporter: when 35-year-old maureen gardner was pregnant, she was on the brink of being homeless. >> it's really hard to think about. i don't know -- i would have to maybe be in a shelter, you know, and find other ways to get assistance for myself and my baby. >> reporter: for years she worked as a director of a nonprofit after-school program. right before the pandemic hit, she left. she went through her savings and soon found herself expecting a child with no job. >> i'm pregnant, it's a pandemic. i'm like -- this is crazy.

>> reporter: a social worker told her about a new program where she could get $500 to $1,000 a month for three years. the pilot program known as the bridge project aims to keep mothers and their babies out of poverty. holly fogle is one of the founders. >> cash is a universal answer to individual problems. we cut out all the bureaucracy, we go right to the mother who knows more than anyone else in the whole world what that baby needs today. >> reporter: how crucial has this been for them? >> i think it is summed up by mothers will say "i'm able to breathe." >> reporter: the bridge project is open to pregnant women and new moms in certain low-income neighborhoods in new york city. by the summer, the program will have more than 600 mothers enrolled. >> we chose three years very intentionally. first because those first 1,000 days of life are so, so critical for the babies' brain. we're laying the foundation for the rest of their life. >> reporter: fogel says right now the average income for

mothers participating is less than $15,000 a year. where does the funding come from? >> the funding comes from the monarch foundation which is fully funded by my husband and myself. >> reporter: how much money does this program -- is it costing right now? >> between our first and second phase we will spend about $16 million. >> reporter: and all of that money is from you and your husband? >> it is. >> reporter: the bridge project will monitor participants and hopes to be a model for similar programs nationwide. some people might hear $1,000, free money, you don't have to do anything. how do you ensure it's going to the right person, a mother who's going to use that money the right way? >> fundamentally our program is based on trust and the dignity of human beings. >> reporter: where do you think you would be without this program? >> i have no idea. you know, it's scary to think about. what am i going to do? >> reporter: for "eye on america," jericka duncan, cbs news, new york. coming up on "cbs mornings," the nba has gathered its greatest players to mark the 75th anniversary.

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our top stories -- a potential nuclear disaster in ukraine appears to have been averted. a building in the largest nuclear power plant in europe was set on fire when it was shelled by russian forces. gunfire prevented firefighters from quickly putting out the flames. ukraine says that it was extinguished after several hours. the biden administration is ordering new sanctions targeting some of russia's richest oligarchs. it also goes after others in vladimir putin's inner circle including his press secretary. the white house says it wants putin and people around him to feel the squeeze. two u.s. military veterans are once again answering the call of duty. this time, they're heading to

ukraine where they hope to put their experience to work. natalie brand has their story. >> reporter: struck by the images in ukraine, retired marine lieutenat general general colonel rip rawlings and his wife, also a veteran, dr. erin felger, left thursday headed to the war zone. >> a grandfather who was in world war ii and was a prisoner of war of the germans for almost two years. and so we have a deep sense of loyalty and patriotism in our family. and it's never wavered. >> if we don't do anything about tyranny, tyranny exists. so people have to step up and do something about it. >> reporter: rawlings is now an author who actually wrote a fictional book about a russian invasion in europe. he's now going to cover the reality as a journalist. >> you literally have civilians that are getting in line and participating in putting up barricades, and doing what i think is remarkable work, very courage out work. -- courageous work. some of that courage.

>> reporter: dr. felger worked as a combat surgeon in iraq and hopes to put her medical skills to use in local hospitals. she plans to start with the injured evacuated into poland and then head into ukraine. >> they're very short handed right now. when we first started looking into this, we had probably within three hours of getting a contact, people that wanted me to come to a particular hospital. >> reporter: while the u.s. has advised against american citizens traveling to ukraine, this couple feel with their experience they can make a contribution. the hardest part -- explaining their decision to their 9 and 10-year-old children. >> they were sad, very sad. you get it in their eyes that they truly understand what's happening. >> reporter: the kids will be staying with friends until their parents return home. natalie brand, cbs news, washington. well coming up on "cbs mornings," the very latest on the war in ukraine and a closer look at president zelenskyy who is leading his country during this conflict.

plus, the nba has gathered its greatest players to mark its 75th anniversary. nate burleson talks with three members of the 75th anniversary team. and first on "cbs mornings," vlad duthiers has an inside look at the reboot of the popular children's show "reading rainbow," which is returning as an interactive streaming program. that's the "cbs morning news" for this friday. thanks for watching. i'm anne-marie green. have a great day, and have a great weekend.and ha. ♪ , and have a great weekend. ♪