good to be with you. i am katy tur. it's day 57 of russia's war in ukraine. here's what we know right now. president biden announced a new round of emergency aid for

ukraine today in a speech at the white house. the latest round of aid includes another $800 million of military equipment, 72 more howitzers. >> to modernize teddy roosevelt's advice, sometimes we will speak softly and carry a large javelin, because we are carrying a lot of those in as well. we are sending it directly to the front lines of freedom. >> it's military equipment the white house says ukraine needs to push back russia's intensified assault where fighting continues across the donbas. and russia declared victory in one town, and russian president,

vladimir putin, is claiming success, that's what he's calling it in mariupol, but the u.s. does not assess mariupol has fallen to russia. in a televised meeting this morning russia's defense minister said the steel plant where more than 1,000 civilians and 500 wounded soldiers are sheltering is completely blocked off from the rest of the city. vladimir putin asked the soldiers there to surrender, he says, and he also says he will not order the military to take the plant by force. this right here is the havoc russia has unleashed as it fights for mariupol, and satellite shows the location where mariupol officials show new mass graves have been dug. if the goal of this war for

putin moves toward people not joining nato it's not working. >> in my country, basically overnight, it shut off to 50, 60 and even further, so the fins have drawn the conclusion that basically russia stepped out of the frame in which they existed in the last 30 years, and they started a totally unprovoked war. >> and joining me is ali arouzi from ukraine, and courtney coupy. >> hey, katy. mariupol is a real disaster right now for the ukrainians.

whatever they are saying in the u.s., what we are hearing on the ground here is it's pretty much now in russian control there. they are in control of most of the city and they have encircled that steel plant. they are imploring the horrible tactics they have done time and time again in the war where they basically surround somewhere and they are starving the people in there. when vladimir putin says not a single fly can get into the steal plant, that means nothing else can get in there. they know the supplies are very, very low in that steel plant. they don't have to do much fighting on the streets of mariupol, so they will starve out those troops in there and the civilians hiding in the bunker of the steel plant. it's a desperate situation. we have heard that 80 people managed to get out of mariupol on their own steam, and the convoys of trucks and buses were

not allowed in or out of mariupol, because they were using that as a form to gain complete control of that city. for putin, this is kind of what he wanted. it's starting to let him connect the dots. it's giving him that land bridge from mainland russia to the crimea and all the way up to the donbas region where we are seeing very intense fighting there as well. i mean, the russians have been pounding that area for days now to gain control of about a 300-mile long line of attack there. if they take complete control of that area, they are controlling about 80% of it now, it would really give them the upper hand in the war and that's why the ukrainians keep saying we need more weapons, more weapons to push this russian attack back. they are hitting ukrainian supply lines, weapons and depots. you just heard from a commander here today saying the weapons we set aside to last maybe a week

to fight the russians are running out in a day or two, and their fear is the heart of the russians that hit them on the eastern front, it will be more difficult to get weapons to the troops fighting there. quickly to add, the ukrainian troops there now are the best ones they have in the country, and they are familiar with that turf, and they are determined to keep them off the eastern front but it will be very painful for them. >> the pentagon was mentioning how ukrainians are asking for more weapons and we are sending more weapons. tell me what the pentagon is doing, and how involved are they in getting the supply lines to ukraine or is it handing it over at the border and saying it's up to you? >> it's really handing it up to the border and letting the ukrainians decide where they

best need the equipment, and before that, there's a lot of back and forth. there was another thing announced, the phoenix ghost uavs, drones, and these were just created in the last few weeks or months simply for the war in ukraine, and so a private company built these drones from scratch so they would be able to send them over to use specifically for the war in ukraine, and that shows how much they are talking back and forth about the need. this military systems package announced today, this is really a game changer. there have been drones already, and the united states announced about 700 switchblade drones, similar to those announced today, and they are sending 5 more today, so 6 total artillery

bough talons with tens of thousands of rounds, and why this is a game changer is because this is the beginning of the united states shifting into the kind of equipment they are providing to ukraine. in the past eight weeks or so the u.s. has been providing ukraine the kind of equipment and material they need to defend against the russian invasion, to be able to try and push them back or stop them where they are going. with this influx of this artillery battalions in addition to the ones being sent by other countries that we are not necessarily hearing about, and this is supplying ukraine with the kind of equipment they need to beat russia, and not just to hold them off but to be able to defend against them and ultimately potentially defeat them. i think this is a time when we are going to look back and say this is in the u.s. strategy, really, or the u.s. goal shifted from a beat russia to a defend,

katy. >> i am glad you made that distinction. you just talked about mariupol, and vladimir putin said he basically has conquered that city and the pentagon does not assess that? >> there is sometimes there's a lagging between a u.s. assessment and what is actually going on the ground there, but the u.s. is not saying at this point mariupol is falling. and a senior official i spoke with explained there's belief that a small group of soldiers are holding out, and this package is not geared towards the last hours or days for mariupol, and it's focused on the donbas. that being said, there's ten to 12 tactical groups in mariupol,

so if that does fall will some of the russian troops move north or northeast and move into the fight in donbas, and if they do it opens up the possibility that ukraine could take back mariupol if it falls. that will be a dynamic situation that we will be watching for the next days and weeks, katy. >> thank you. joining me now is a member of ukraine's parliament. i thank you very much for being with us. what is your understanding of what is happening in mariupol right now? >> it's desperate, and it's tragic. it's impossible to extract people who are there. the russians are denning peoples' right to leave. yesterday we were supposed to have a humanitarian corridor but russians basically blocked people from leaving, those who were trying to escape. and just a couple thousands of people managed to leave, but the majority that we sent to be

picked up, the russians did not allow for people to leave. ukrainian defenders are still in this steel plant that you are showing right now, and they are trying to get out. >> and the united states is sending more and more aid, hundreds of millions of aid coming each week, and is that proving useful? is that money getting to where it needs to get in the form of all the weapons we are sending? >> well, it is definitely so much better compared to what it used to be just a month ago. i wish we received the weapons we are getting today just a month ago we would have been able to save mariupol probably, but it's good that we are getting it now and we are happy and truly grateful for the weapons we are getting today and we are thankful to the united states for the decisions taken to continue to support ukraine.

the weapons we are getting now are actually the weapons we need. we are still needing more long-range missiles and it's a matter of political debate in the west, i know, and the reason we need that is we can use it for an offensive in russia. we have no will to do that, but we just want to protect ourselves and our country, and for that unfortunately we need long-range weapons and that's what we are continuing to ask for our allies in the west and the united states. >> 7 million have been displaced, as i understand it. how is the country functioning outside of the areas that are currently under heavy assault? >> well, the rest of the territory, including even kyiv right now, is functioning -- well, not in a normal manner but much better. the situation in kyiv changed since the russian troops left

the region, and it's quiet here, and of course it has to do with the investigation of the war crimes committed on those territories, but it definitely feels much safer here. in the western ukraine, of course it's very overcrowded because millions of people are leaving in western ukraine additionally to the people who were living there before, so it's overcrowded but it is all right, i would say. people -- students are going to school, which is a sign of normality, if you can imagine that. people have lost their jobs and there is starting to be an issue with all the welfare payments that need to be covered and the economic situation is getting to be a problem. >> so many children have been displaced as well. what are the plans going forward to make sure the children of ukraine are able to get the help that they need not only in terms of education and housing and

shelter, but the emotional distress this has caused? >> well, what we know is this. half of the people who left ukraine to live in other countries, half of them are children. so we know that we have -- that is why they were looking for shelter for saving their lives. we really, really hope that those children would be able to go back to ukraine, because otherwise we would lose just millions of children, our next generation will be lost, and people would be just continuing their lives abroad and we would lose a whole generation, and that's something that scares me very much. for the children that are here in ukraine territory, of course they are distressed and, of course, they are -- particularly those who have been evacuated from active military conflict,

from mariupol, those children are under extreme stress. we are trying to handle this, but i will tell you this for sure as a person emboldened in the education policy, we don't have the capacity to manage the psychological stress they have been dealing with, and it's been done by some organizations, and some schools organized something locally, and we don't have the capacity to deal with this right now governmentally. >> thank you so much for joining us. appreciate it. coming up next, florida's house passes a bill to strip disney of its special governing status. we will look at the ripple affect across the state. think about higher taxes. the doj is appealing the mandate struck down for masking in public transportation. what will happen while it's being appealed?

and then legalizing pot, what 7 looks like as demand over there soars. there soars. on thousands of items for your home. shop outdoor furniture up to 65% off... rugs up to 80% off... and lighting up to 65% off... plus, get bonus savings with a wayfair credit card and free shipping on everything! shop way day, our biggest sale of the year. happening april 27th and 28th at wayfair.com. ♪ wayfair you've got just what i need ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ we believe there's an innovator in all of us. ♪ ♪ that's why we build technology that makes it possible for every business...

and every person... to come to the table and do more incredible things.

xfinity mobile runs on america's most reliable 5g network, but for up to half the price of verizon, so you have more money for more stuff. this phone? fewer groceries. this phone? more groceries! this phone? fewer concert tickets. this phone? more concert tickets. and not just for my shows. switch to xfinity mobile for half the price of verizon. that's a savings of over $500 a year. switch today. xfinity mobile runs on america's most reliable 5g network, but for up to half the price of verizon, so you have more money for more stuff. this phone? fewer groceries. this phone? more groceries! this phone? fewer concert tickets. this phone? more concert tickets. and not just for my shows. switch to xfinity mobile for half the price of verizon.

that's a savings of over $500 a year. switch today.

we're following two big pieces of breaking news out of florida this afternoon. the florida house just voted in favor of two pieces of legislation passed by the senate yesterday. lawmakers there stripped disney of its special self governing status, a punishment over its opposition of the state's don't say gay law, and that's how it's known. it would dismantle two districts currently held by black lawmakers, and that passed even after democrats shutdown the session. the votes happened in rapid succession and shouting in the

chamber could be heard after the gavel. let's listen. >> this motion is not debatable and requires a majority vote. show a motion of passes. we will now proceed to call the previous question. >> both of those bills now head to governor ron desantis's test where he is expected to sign them into law. and joining me is mora barrett. tell us more. >> reporter: katy, prior to all of this, disney and florida had a great relationship, right? it brings in millions dollars, and it's a punishment because of the don't say gay bill, and desantis is already fundraising

off this, and he said if disney wants to pick a fight, they chose the wrong guy and now is the time to put the power back in the hands of the floridians and out of the pockets -- we expect him to sign this as early as tomorrow. i spoke with the republican lawmaker that introduced the bill, randy fine, about what that might do between the relationship between disney and florida going forward? >> the relationship between disney and florida has taken a big hit in the last few months. remember, they are a california company a guest in our state and they seem to have forgotten that. i hope disney returns to being a common sense family-oriented company that wants to have a good relationship with the state of florida. >> disney had some time to compromise with lawmakers, but also over that time the question remains about how if it does dissolve into surrounding counties, does that impact

taxpayers. i asked him that and he said this is the first step, that they still plan on making disney pay their debt so it doesn't trickle down to the citizens, and obviously this is not as simple as signing a piece of paper, this is going to be a long process and one that disney has a lot of time to push back on before it happened. >> yeah, it's going to be a year. what about the redistricting maps they went through. are we likely to see a lawsuit? >> absolutely, katy. this is something that i noted earlier that disney back and forth drama seems to have overshadowed this congressional map issue, and state legislators actually gave the power to desantis to draw his own version of the map and he in doing so is going to be putting forward four more republican-leaning

distributes and totally wiping out the democratic redistricting national advantage in play right now. you can definitely see that being challenged in court going forward but there's not a lot of time before the august primary, and that's why there was that contention. >> let's bring in professor james clark, senior lecturer in the history department in central florida. i want to talk to you about these maps. are they legal? what is your take on the governor demanding these redrawn maps? >> as mora just said, the timing is such that it might not matter whether it's legal or not. they waited so long. remember, the period to start signing up to run is only six weeks away, so even if they go to court, the court may rule as they have done in other states in past years, okay, this is bad

but go ahead and do it for now and we will figure it out later. >> you heard that lawmaker talking about how disney needs to get back on the same page with the state of florida when it comes to family values. what is that code for? >> i am not sure. this is the same representative who just a year ago voted to give disney a $500 million tax break and to exempt them from certain social media platforms. disney has always been a republican-oriented company. the huge percentage of their political donations go to republicans, including $106,000 to governor desantis. i am not quite sure why governor desantis picked this fight, although clearly it's helping

him politically. >> well, could that money now go elsewhere to other sorts of lawmakers in that state running for office? >> it could, but the republicans are so dominant now in both the house and the senate that it probably would not make much of a difference. >> let me ask you about taxpayers. will they shoulder the burden of now having to fund garbage collection at disney, and fund police departments and fire departments monitoring disney, and it was up until now dealt with by the company itself? >> yeah, i am not sure this is a gift that orange county wants. they probably -- disney does pay property taxes in orange county. a lot of people think they get away without paying taxes. they pay 50 to $60 million a year to the county, and then they pay about $150 million a

year to run the reedy creek improvement district, and they have their own fire department and own utilities and sewage and infrastructure and they contract with the county for police protection. they are spending a lot of money now whether or not they will have to spend more or the county will spend more is going to be an open question. >> you think this might back fire? >> the question that representative fine has kind of brushed aside is that disney has a billion dollars in bonds and the question is who will pick up the tab for the billion in bonds? just to say it won't be the taxpayers, i am sure that disney is not going to want to pay a

billion dollars to someone else? >> james c. clark, thank you very much for joining us and lending your expertise. appreciate it. coming up, the doj is appealing. what does that mean for you? do you have to put your mask back on? this weekend's winner take all in france. what young voters are saying about macron and the far right candidate, le pen. te cake. now, she can have her cake and eat it too. nexium 24hr stops acid before it starts for all-day, all-night protection. can you imagine 24 hours without heartburn? this is what real food looks like fresh real meat and veggies. the food dogs where built to eat. the farmer's dog is changing the way we feed our pets. visit tryfarmersdog.com to see your dogs personalized meal plan.

you ever wonder why people are always on their phones? they're banking, with bank of america. look at this guy. he bought those tickets on his credit card and he's rackin' up the rewards. she's using zelle to pay him back for the hot dogs he's about to buy. and the announcer? he's not checkin' his stats, he's finding some investing ideas with merrill. and third as you know in baseball means three. digital tools so impressive, you just can't stop banking. what would you like the power to do?

[sound of helicopter blades] you just can't stop banking. ugh... they found me. ♪ ♪

nice suits, you guys blend right in. the world needs you back. i'm retired greg, you know this. people have their money just sitting around doing nothing... that's bad, they shouldn't do that. they're getting crushed by inflation. well, i feel for them. they're taking financial advice from memes. [baby spits out milk] i'll get my onesies®. ♪ “baby one more time” by britney spears ♪ good to have you back, old friend. yeah, eyes on the road, benny. welcome to a new chapter in investing. [ding] e*trade now from morgan stanley. right now the guidance differs on depending what state you are in, as you probably figured out, and what kind of transportation you are on, which is confusing for a lot of us. it will stay that way until the appeals court makes a decision. joining me now, justice correspondent, pete williams,

and dr. van gupta from the university of washington. pete, i will begin with you. is this making sure a precedent is not set? >> absolutely right. you said it right, katy, nothing will change as a result of the appeal, certainly not in the short term because the government is not asking for an emergency stay to block the judge's order and we don't believe they are asking for an expedited review, so it could take up to a year for the court of appeals to decide this case. i will tell you what i think is really going on here. this is my own speculation, and ran into experienced litigators in the court and i think it's a real possibility. i think what the government hopes happens here, they file the appeal and a couple months away from now they say the virus has changed, we don't need masks anymore and the case is now mute because the circumstances that

led to this court battle are gone so we want, you appeals court, to dismiss this case as mute and wipe out the lower court ruling, take it off the books. there's a procedure for doing that. it doesn't happen a lot, but it does happen in the federal courts with a lawsuit is filed and something happens that is not something that the party themselves do, and something else happens that makes the case mute, and then the government can try and have the lower court ruling wiped off the books as though it never existed in the past, and that could take away the precedent they are worried about the cdc being limited in the future, and that's the only sensible way to understand what the government is doing here. >> politically speaking it makes sense as well because the mask mandate has been so controversial. thank you, pete. and dr. gupta, in you are getting on a plane right now or a bus right now and you have

reason to be concerned about your health or the health of somebody close to you, what do you do? >> katy, good afternoon. you should wear the highest quality mask you can get. i would recommend one of the recommended masks, and there was a segment a few months ago when we talked about wearing sunglasses, and see if you can wear breath on your glasses, and then talk about getting treatment if you were to test positive. i can tell you how many times my parents have done that and it's helpful. for parents, for parents of young kids less than six months of age, if they have been breast-fed, they will have a degree of protective antibodies,

and my wife is a pediatrician and we chat about this at the dinner table. if you have somewhere you want to get and travel with your child less than six months of age, try your car, but if you cannot, moving forward, this is something that some are recommending for six months age, a bucket hat with the face covering. >> they are very cute on kiddos. what if i have had the vaccine, and i have had my booster and maybe i have also had covid and i get on a plane or bus or subway where masks are not mandatory, do i wear a mask? >> this comes down to do i think you need to wear a mask if you are otherwise healthy, less than

65, you don't feel like you are medically high risk, no, this is an individual decision at that point. do i think any exposure will reveal medical problems for you, and no, but if you are high risk, yes, wear a mask because that individual may not be as protected. >> you reminded me i want to go bucket hat shopping for both of my kiddos. we appreciate you as always. thousands of people banned from airlines for breaking mask rules and acting belligerently or violently, and now delta with united and alaska are looking to let some of those back on. delta alone will reinstate 2,000 customers that acknowledge a, quote, understanding of their expected behavior when flying

with us. there, though, is another list of roughly 1,000 people, probably the ones you saw in the crazy viral videos, who will not be flying again. people who the airline says demonstrated egregious behavior and are already on the permanent no fly list. coming up, the country's papers dubbed it two frances face-to-face -- sorry, that's coming right now, and sunday's winner takes all election, and macron went after her anti-immigration policies and her ties to russia. >> it's hardly surprising that five years ago russia interfered in the campaign to destabilize me, and it's surprising that you were a bit -- i am unsure what

to say because you are just not going to be able to operate french interests because they are tied to yours. >> you know i am completely a free woman. i am a patriot and i have been a patriot my whole life and i would defend france and the french people no matter of circumstances. >> i like his format with them at a table so close together. le pen, in turn, attempted to appeal to voters talking about surging prices and nbc's keir simmons was at a debate watch party with french college students. the students said both candidates missed the mark. >> do you think young people will vote as a result of that debate? >> i don't know. i don't know because of the risk for our life, our -- erased. >> erased? not there?

>> the education, the economy, nothing for earth and for our future. >> now, for a broader look at that debate, nbc news senior international, keir simmons, has more. >> it was not like any presidential debate in the u.s. the two candidates sit feet from each other and stare each other down and the moderators introduce a question and let them go at it and there's a time under beneath them and sometimes the moderators intervene to give one side a little more time. so it was fireworks, but for many people here it does not appear as if it has made a huge difference. macron needed to not seem arrogant. le pen needed to seem competent. both seemed to manage that, although at one point macron

made a gesture with a pen that some would consider insulting. the debate was mostly about domestic issues, the pressure on pocket books from inflation. there was a lot of talk about foreign policy, too, and of course the allegation that le pen is too close to president putin. she argued that she is not. macron argued that she has even taken funding from the russians for a previous election campaign, so it was a bitter, but it does look as if there's a double-digit lead at this point for macron in the run up to the vote for this weekend. keir simmons, nbc news, paris. coming up next, the frightening moments parachuters forced lawmakers to evacuate the u.s. capitol. what nancy pelosi said who is to blame. and run like an antelope out of

control to the garden state. high times in new jersey, next. t what goes on it... usually. ♪♪ in it... mostly. even what gets near your body. please please please take that outside. here to meet those high standards is the walgreens health and wellness brand. over 2000 products. rigorously tested. walgreens pharmacist recommended... and particularly kind to your wallet. ♪♪ first psoriasis, then psoriatic arthritis. even walking was tough. i had to do something. i started cosentyx®. cosentyx can help you move, look, and feel better... by treating the multiple symptoms of psoriatic arthritis. don't use if you're allergic to cosentyx. before starting...get checked for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infections some serious... and the lowered ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor about an infection or symptoms... or if you've had a vaccine or plan to. tell your doctor if your crohn's disease symptoms... develop or worsen. serious allergic reactions may occur.

watch me. ask your rheumatologist about cosentyx. i'm jonathan lawson here to tell you about life insurance watch me. through the colonial penn program. if you're age 50 to 85, and looking to buy life insurance on a fixed budget, remember the three ps. what are the three ps? the three ps of life insurance on a fixed budget are price, price, and price. a price you can afford, a price that can't increase, and a price that fits your budget. i'm 54, what's my price? you can get coverage for $9.95 a month. i'm 65 and take medications. what's my price? also $9.95 a month. i just turned 80, what's my price? $9.95 a month for you too. if you're age 50 to 85, call now about the #1 most popular whole life insurance plan available through the colonial penn program. it has an affordable rate starting at $9.95 a month.

no medical exam, no health questions. your acceptance is guaranteed. and this plan has a guaranteed lifetime rate lock so your rate can never go up for any reason. so call now for free information and you'll also get this free beneficiary planner. and it's yours free just for calling. so call now for free information.

a day late, but lots of you would say better late than never. the residents of new jersey woke up to 13 legal recreational marijuana dispensaries. consider the revenue.

analysts predict it could be more than a $2 billion industry for new jersey by 2025. that's a lot of extra green, if you know what i mean. joining me from maplewood, new jersey, is nbc news correspondent, antonia hilton. tell me about it. >> reporter: well, katy, enthusiasm here is really high. this is one of these 13 locations open today. people got in line here in maplewood starting at 6:30, 6:45 this morning, even though the place did not open until 9:00. the line has been constant. there's a designated smoking section for people relaxing before or after they go shopping. back in 2020, voters here got to vote on the question whether to have legalized recreational marijuana, and a regulatory to over see it, and it was the

widest margin of victory for a marijuana-related measure in u.s. history so far. people here are very excited and it's also important to them that this industry reflect all of new jersey, racially, and socioeconomic klee. >> i was waiting for this moment just for the fact to be able to have choices. >> this should have happened decades ago. >> it's ridiculous to me where there are states where it's not legal and people are being thrown in jail for when people are making money on it in other states. >> and none of the spots opened on day one are minority owned, but the licenses are diversely owned. they expect within a few weeks and months' time, it will be,

like you mentioned, a $2 billion business that is really inclusive, and that's important to the state's goals, and it's one that they can all participate in. >> antonia, thank you very much. here's a look at the other top stories we are following now. 13 sexual assault victims of larry nassar are looking for $130 million, claiming the agency bungled the investigation leading to more abuse by the doctor. and the suit alleges the fbi's negligence led to more assaults. house speaker nancy pelosi wants answers after an army parachuting demo at a washington national's baseball game triggered an emergency

evacuation of the capitol, and pelosi said their failure to notify the capitol. and then discussing how online roads worked. over her tell-all book about his administration. chuck claimed omarosa violated a campaign nondisclosure agreement and an arbitrator ruled the mda invalid under new york law. coming up next, climate change is threatening american bison.

one what group is doing about it. ♪ oh, oh, oh ♪ ozempic® is proven to lower a1c. most people who took ozempic® reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. and you may lose weight. adults lost on average up to 12 pounds. in adults also with known heart disease, ozempic® lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attack, stroke, or death. ozempic® helped me get back in my type 2 diabetes zone. ozempic® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. don't share needles or pens, or reuse needles. don't take ozempic® if you or your family ever had medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if allergic to it. stop ozempic® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or an allergic reaction. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. tell your provider about vision problems or changes. taking ozempic® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase low blood sugar risk. side effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea

may lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems. looking to get back in your type 2 diabetes zone? ask your health care provider today about once-weekly ozempic®. ♪ oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! ♪ you may pay as little as $25 for a 3-month prescription.

when you join ihop's new rewards program, the international bank of pancakes, and start stacking pancoins toward free food, you get a smile on your plate. download the app and join the rewards program today. [♪♪] if you have diabetes, it's important to have confidence in the nutritional drink you choose. try boost glucose control®. it's clinically shown to help manage blood sugar levels and contains high quality protein to help manage hunger and support muscle health. try boost® today. average temperatures are up by several degrees in montana where many of the nations buffalo roam. scientists say that warming is wreaking havoc on their habitat

and threatening their existence. nbc news correspondent serry sanders has a look at the new effort to save them. >> reporter: i'm on horseback on the flying d ranch. this is ted turner's ranch in montana. 113,000 acres. home to bison. but unfortunately, buffalo are facing a new challenge. climate change. the mighty buffalo, also called bison. up to 60 million once roamed north america. almost hunted to extinction in the late 1800s, bison numbered then fewer than 1,000. today with a half million in north america the survival of bison's remarkable preservation story. but now signs of trouble. biologists say the big powerful buffalo are shrinking. >> it is a profound consequence of climate change that wildlife

are beginning to be very different than they've been over their evolutionary past. >> reporter: data from the last five decades confirms females are 11% smaller, males 23% smaller. when the seminal movie "dances with wolves" was released 32 years ago, ranchers feared that troubling trend had already started. >> bison are definitely a more wild animal than cattle. >> reporter: rancher jeremy gingrich says those brown grasses reflect national weather service data. for the last 22 years where the buffalo roam has fluctuated from abnormally dry to exceptional drought. >> what concerns me when i see the dry ranges are we going to have enough grass to maintain the bison herd through the summer. >> reporter: a rancher's goal is straightforward. big animals, big herd. here their meat, low in fat, high in iron, ends up at one of

ted's montana grill restaurants. >> without the financial incentive there was no reason for anybody in the private sector to have a herd of bison. >> reporter: the chain started 20 years ago by media mogul and conservationist ted turner. raising buffalo to east buffalo has worked to save buffalo. >> it is a little bit counterintuitive that we need to eat bison to save them. but what that does is creates a market that incentivizes more ranchers to raise bison. so we have more bison. >> and if we didn't have that market? >> bison might be just relegated to being in zoos. >> reporter: saved. but now climate change. records in montana show in just one generation temperatures have risen 2.7 degrees. >> bison can't sweat like we do. what they have to do instead is pump their blood faster and harder. that takes energy. >> reporter: energy that saps their iconic bulk. ted turner's ranches once supported more than 55,000 bison.

now it's down to 45,000. >> bison are just one of many saying to us we need to change our ways. we need to address climate change as the real and pressing problem that it is. >> reporter: buffalo, in no danger today of extinction but now shape-shifting before our very eyes. it's not just the bison. biologists say other animals are telling us the same thing. the question is are we listening? >> kerry sanders. kerry, thank you very much. and that is going to do it for me today. garrett haake picks up our coverage next. i'm over here waiting... ... looking intensely for a print that i never actually printed... ... so i don't have to deal with that terrifying pile of invoices. intuit quickbooks helps you easily send your first invoice in 3 steps. simple.

- hiring is step one when it comes to our growth. we can't open a new shop or a new location without the right people in place. i couldn't keep up until i found ziprecruiter. ziprecruiter helps us get out there quickly and get us qualified candidates quickly. they sent us applicants that matched what i was looking for. i've hired for every role, entry-level technicians, service advisors, store managers. ziprecruiter helps me find all the right people, even the most difficult jobs to fill. - [announcer] ziprecruiter, ratedthenumber one hiring site. try it for free at ziprecruiter.com

♪ ♪ if you're on medicare, it pays to check the singlecare price before you fill your next prescription. i think we got it. don't overpay for your prescriptions. check the singlecare price. you might just save up to 80% on your meds.

at xfinity, we live and work in the same neighborhood as you. check the singlecare price. we're always working to keep you connected to what you love. and now, we're working to bring you the next generation of wifi. it's ultra-fast. faster than a gig. supersonic wifi. only from xfinity. it can power hundreds of devices with three times the bandwidth. so your growing wifi needs will be met. supersonic wifi only from us... xfinity.

the united states is sending an additional $1.3 billion in military and humanitarian aid to ukraine. president biden making the announcement at the white house this morning. the u.s. is also speeding up the process to accept up to 100,000 ukrainian refugees. the pentagon revealing the new military aid includes u.s. phoenix ghost drones, which were developed specifically for the ukrainian military. state department spokesperson ned price joins us here live this hour. and we're live in florida, where in just the past 90 minutes republicans have given final approval to a bill aimed to punish disney. gop lawmakers angry following the company's public stance against the state's so-called "don't say gay" law. what this bill would do and when we expect the governor to