here's erin mclaughlin >> reporter: his name is patron, or "bullet.in ukraine, he's known as a hero. the pint-sized jac russell terrier specially trained to sniff out land mines left behind by the russians every day he's working, his owner mihail says. we met patron outside the northern city of chernihiv. where they're clearing the area of the remnants of war. ukrainians forces may have pushed the russians out, but what the occupation left behind is potentially just as deadly unexploded ordnance and mines, too many to count. patron helps collect them before detonation how many lives has he saved? "impossible to know," he says. one mine can kill one person or several people we're told the number of mines he's discovered is a secret mihail says he purchased patron two years ago as a gift for his son. "i took him with me to work one day," he says "he showed his skills, it was an accident." now patron is famous with over 100,000 followers on instagram. posts showing him hard at work, or at play with his trusty stick. he's also known for comforting other e

. >>> and there's news about booster shots and children erin mclaughlin following that erin, what ishe latest >> reporter: hey, lester lester.. pfizer says it will try to get the fda to green light covid boosters for kids 5 to 11 in the coming days. the pharmaceutical company cites a 30-person lab study showing the additional shot ups children's defense against omicron, a positive sign for parents concerned about subvariants driving up cases right now in half the country pfizer's recent data has not been available for independent review earlier this year researchers found two doses of pfizer's vaccine offered children 5 to 11 almost no protection against infection but helped prevent severe illness, which experts say is the priority. kids have the lowest risk of being hospitalized because of covid, and less than a third of those 5 to 11 are fully vaccinated, making widespread interest in booster shots unlikely lester >> erin mclaughlin, thank you. >>> in 60 seconds inside el salvador's controversial crackdown on gang violence the extreme measures the president there is taking to contr

>> erin mclaughlin, thank you. now weeks after the russians withdrew from the capital, some ukrainians are returning to bucha to pick up the pieces. molly hunter is there. >> nicolai is one of the lucky ones we met him in lviv with his brother-in-law and together with their families they escaped bucha back on march 9th. >> it was so dangerous. >> now he's heading back. did you know your house is still standing >> no. no i hope my dog -- as we approached the family house, we hear barking, his dog was waiting. he takes a second to warm up and then recognizes his owner. their house is frozen in time and intact >> we have only ten minutes to leave. the russians didn't get inside, dinner plates are still on the table. >> we can go in. >> he shows me the shelter they spent so much time in, but we don't linger he wants to see his hometown the famous street, he says >> it's hard to believe. >> does it feel like home >> i don't know. i don't understand >> then he wants to go see this place he's heard about. >> it's like a c

erin mclaughlin reports now from kyiv. >> reporter: tonight russian president vladimir putin declaring victory over the besieged port city of mariupol, telling russia's defense minister congratulations. russia controls nearly all of what's left of the city, but not this massive steel mill, where the last ukrainian troops are still holed up putin ordering russian forces to seal it off so, quote, not even a fly can pass through until those ukrainian troops run out of food and surrender. but inside the plant a ukrainian fighter sent us this video, insisting putin's victory declaration is a lie. >> we're still fighting we destroyed one tank today, two armored fighting vehicles and one armored personnel carrier. >> reporter: he tells us hundreds of civilians are also trapped inside the rest of the city is now under russian control, where ukrainian officials say the situation grows more catastrophic by the day, saying these new satellite images show graves dug by russians to bury mariupol residents who have been killed. meanwhile authorities only managing to evacuate dozens of civilians sinc

tear, the mom of one of the missing says this easter she hasn't given up hope >> our thanks to erin mclaughlin for that report. >>> breaking overnight, new york city firefighters are mourning the loss of one of their own firefighter timothy klein, a six-year veteran died fighting a massive house fire in brooklyn klein came from family of firefighters his father was one and so were some of his relatives. authorities say he became trapped after a roof partially collapsed on him and another person a second body was recovered but has not been identified. more than 100 firefighters were battling the blaze eight firefighters were injured, some taken to the hospital >>> a south carolina community is rocked to its core by a shooting that left a local police officer dead. 28-year-old drew barr was one of three officers responding to a domestic disturbance call in the city of casey. authorities say a suspect opened fire from inside the house, killing barr police then negotiated with that suspect for seven hours before the man shot and killed himself. officer barr was a six-year veteran of the force he h

erin mclaughlin is in ukraine with the latest on those talks. >> here in kyiv, the u.s. embassy remains sealed off as it has been since the beginning of the war, but all of that is about to change following a visit from the u.s. secretaries of defense and state who were here in the capital over the weekend to announce more than $700 million in u.s. foreign aid for weapons for ukraine as well as the restoration of the u.s. diplomatic presence here inside the country. according to the u.s. secretary of defense, this package is meant to weaken russia so that russia can no longer invade other countries. this is fighting raged across the donbas region just hours after the secretaries left the country, there was a strike on a railway station in the western city of lviv. erin mclaughlin, nbc news, kyiv, ukraine. >> new at 11:00, police on the peninsula investigating a deadly early morning crash. it happened just before 5:00 this morning. a pedestrian was struck by a car on east bay shore road at oakwood drive in east palo alto. police say the pedestrian died at the scene. the d

i want to start with news we got from our colleague erin mclaughlin, there were two explosions just heard in kyiv. she did shoot some video of it. we're going to play it right now. there is also a little bit of information from kyiv, mayor vitale klitschko's television channel, two hits in one district, all services are in place, he says, information about the victims is being clarified. so two strikes inside kyiv, matt. shows that even though some areas which have been reopened and even though some officials have said please come back to kyiv, we're going to start to establish a new normal here, it is still quite dangerous. >> just goes to show that the danger never goes away, really any city in ukraine. it's been a couple of weeks since vladimir putin announced he'd be withdrawing from the area around kyiv. there's still no ground troops in the entire region. they're lobbing cruise missiles and artillery. you know, a lot of this is to just put ukrainians, all of them, on notice they will never be safe. on those two hits that we just saw tonight, the two explosions in the district of kyi

joining us now, nbc news correspondent erin mclaughlin. she is in kyiv for us. erin, good morning. what are you seeing on the ground there today? >> reporter: hey, jose. we just arrived back in kyiv from the war-ravaged city of irpin. we were there to interview the owner of a children's mall. and he described for us what he saw as the russian forces moved into irpin, a fierce gun battle unfolded between russian forces and ukrainian forces. he showed us the video of the battle. you can see dead bodies of russian soldiers lying on the streets. it was apocalyptic, to say the least. he managed to survive this assault, but his business did not. the children's mall was completely flattened. that was his main investment. he says that financially he doesn't know what he's going to do next. yes, there are programs that the ukrainian government have in place. they've had in place given the war out east for these kinds of losses, but he said given the state of the ukrainian economy and the state of the government's finances, he is not relying on that going forward. and, you know, there are se

>> erin mclaughlin, thank you so very much. jonathan, on this new military aid package, what would that look like? >> well, it is a recognition by washington, and frankly, the rest of europe, that the war is entering a new phase here. that in the donbas, it is going to be potentially a months-long slog. and much more a world war ii-style set piece battle, with tanks and heavy equipment. and the ukrainians are saying, they believe it's already begun, as the russians have stepped up their bombardments from a distance. so the pentagon officials, including one i spoke including late last night say, there's been no sign yet of real russian troop movement. but they expect that will come in days and weeks. so the new equipment is going to be designed to help with that. heavier equipment. yes, more of the javelins and stingers to try to bring down planes, to keep, you know, the skies clear of russian aircraft, as best they can. but also, heavier artillery to take out tanks and some of this equipment that's expected to come into the reg

for the news, i'm erin mclaughlin >>> well, there's good news on covid tonight too.he united states is now out of the full-blown explosive phase of the pandemic. that's new today from dr. fauci. he told "the washington post" the country may face another wave of cases, especially as the virus mutates, but here's the important part he says he believes we built up enough immunity through vaccinations and infections to prevent another devastating surge. many experts agree, the worst of covid is likely in the rear-view, but the debate over masks, that's not over >>> some customers are now pushing new jersey transit to make at least one car on every commuter train available only to people who want to wear masks all the time trains already have a quiet car in many cases. now some want a car in which everyone must wear a mask. dozens of people have signed the petition for now jersey transit dropped the requirement after a judge struck down the national mandate on public transit. >>> from the "i could have told you that" file video chats are pretty bad for brainstorming. that

that deadly russian missile strict strike yesterday russia said it targeted a defense plan nbc's erin mclaughlins there >> one of the missiles struck this factory. what ukrainian officials believe was the intended target. the other struck this apartment building the victim's car parked right outside >> reporter: tonight kyiv's mayor said the russian strike was a middle finger to the u.n. coming just an hour after the visit by the secretary-general. >> kelly joins us again from eastern ukraine. kelly, we are getting now a new prediction or assessment from nato about how long this war could last. >> reporter: that's right, lester. nato's deput secretary-general said that the next few days and weeks could be decisive and also warned this war could last months or years. lester >> hard to imagine this is just getting started. kelly, thank you >>> here at home a major sell-off on wall street today and the end of a brutal month for the markets. tom costello is following it what's going on? >> the sell-off is led by tech stocks after some tech giants reported disappointing earnings amazon, apple, intel

and local leaders accuse russia joining us now, erin mclaughlin. and we will start with you. what is the reaction to the new string of attacks as well as the visits of secretaries, austin and blinken? >> well, with respect to the attacks, the ukrainians they say are outraged, russia continued to attack ukraine over the weekend. a holy weekend. sunday marks the orthodox easter celebrations in ukraine. there were no celebrations to be seen. over grieving, eight russian missiles struck odesa, a city it must be said is russia fondly looked at naming the city mama. and the missiles struck a residential building, killing three generations of women, a woman, a mother and her three-month-old baby. they are continuing to pummel the steel plant, where hundreds of fighters and civilians are holed up. here in ukraine, outrage, especially over the holiday weekend, that those attacks continued. ukrainians are pointing to the blood shed as relationships why the west needs to continue to send weapons to this country to help in the war effort, to that effect, a victory from the secretary of s

joining us now is erin mclaughlin and as well as retired colonel james and our susan page, washingtoneau chief at usa today. erin, what are you seeing on the ground today? >> reporter: hey, jose, we have been in contact with one of the ukrainian fighters trapped inside that old massive steel plant. their last hold out inside the city of mariupol. he was describing a desperate situation saying despite russian president vladimir putin's claim of victory, ukrainian fighters continue to fight even there are hundreds of civilians still trapped inside. take a listen. . >> everyday of the situation of mariupol could be very dangerous, we can be shot and killed. >> reporter: one of the soldiers trapped inside the plant, he sent us this video. the ukrainians are still fighting, taking out this russian tank. still, he says hundreds of civilians remained trapped, calling the situation desperate. >> the most heartbreaking thing is we have limited supplies and we are trying to share everything with civilians. >> reporter: today we heard from the mayor of mariupol putting the estimated civilian dea

erin mclaughlin. that's her bingo. >> guys, good morning.y simple tasks that once were second nature well, you're not alone researchers at uc irvine have insight into why so many of us are experiencing endemic forgetfulness. >> reporter: as we return to our prepandemic routines, we're finding ourselves searching for the correct words or asking basic questions such as what's their name, or did i bring my keys stresses, constantly coming at us on tv, our computers, even pinging updates to our cell phones experts say our brains are getting overwhelmed. >> too much stress can destroy memory cells. >> reporter: she says the stress of caring for a toddler and getting back to old routines has taken a toll on her memory. >> i keep forgetting names and i feel like it's after spending a year-plus on zoom where you have the names right there in the corner >> reporter: during the pandemic, were we using less brain power? >> when you stay at home and you see the same people and you're within the same four walls, you lose context and you lose novelty. and

. >> for the news, i'm erin mclaughlin. >>> janet yellen says high inflation could be here to stay. she warned high inflation could be here for a while but likely won't get worse. >> well, it may peak but inflation has been high and i think the shots from this unjustified attack on ukraine won't prolong inflationary pressures. the outlook is uncertain. >> yellen said the fed is taking steps to lower inflation and she doesn't expect a recession. >>> 18 house republicans asking twitter to keep the records to buy the company. they're all members of the house judiciary committee. it lays the groundwork for a potential investigation. musk said in an sec filing yesterday that he has secured more than $46 billion to buy the company. >>> yet another starbucks unionizing the latest, the second store in seattle. employees chose to join with workers united in a 38-27 vote in a statement starbucks reported it will negotiate with the workers in good faith and it hopes the workers do the same. they're working to take steps. >>> on wall street, the dow down 981. the worst one-day loss since the ea

>> erin mclaughlin in kyiv for us and erin, you bring up a good point.e will also step up. we'll have much more on these latest developments throughout the day on msnbc, nbc news now and of course, later this evening on "the nightly news." i'm chuck todd, for all of my female bonding and sticking by your girlfriends. >> hoda, you're the >>> sure it's kind of like when you're in high school and a teacher has some special barbecue and only it's like when you're in high school and a teacher has a special barbecue and only invites some people. that was so fun at mr. girsh's house. >> it was more than that >> maybe we can do a musical, maybe the girls could be on the show doing a musical performance. >> i thought we were going to get to sing. >> one of us could go down and you could take our place. >> yes. >> can i take your place >> yes i volunteer as tribute i'll go down >> they're telling us to wrap. >> no, they're not. >> yes they are >> "girls5eva. we're right on cue >> hurry before i swear. >> the one that licks at the end. >> all right you guys are com

nbc's erin mclaughlin joins us once again on the ground in ukraine. erin, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, craig. here outside the capital they're still dealing with the destruction left behind by the russians. the ukrainians say russian forces blew up this bridge as they were retreating after losing the battle for kyiv. meanwhile, this morning the russians are claiming victory over another key city. this morning russian president vladimir putin claiming victory in mariupol saying the whole city is controlled by the russian army. putin also claiming he's canceling the storming of a steel plant in the city where ukrainian force and hundreds of civilians remain holed up, surrounded and outnumbered by russian forces. ukraine saying a thousand civilians and 500 wounded soldiers need to be evacuated from the plant. but ukrainian and russian forces are still battling it out along the 300 mile stretch of ukraine's industrial heartland, a fight that could determine the outcome of this war. on wednesday, russia test launched an intercontinental b

joining me now is nbc's erin mclaughlin, and kelly o'donnell at the white house. i want to start with something secretary austin said when he got back from kyiv. he said we want to see russia weakened to the degree it cannot do the find of things it has done invading ukraine i wonder how that message is going over there and how their visit is going over as well? >> the ukrainian president is thankful for the u.s. support. this help they have been asking for for sometime, the show of support, this diplomatic visit, president zelenskyy gave a press conference on saturday to international journalists in which he previewed the visit unexpectedly. i was there for the press conference and i asked him what he wanted to see how of the visit, and why it was important. he said, look, kyiv is not a place for, quote, tragic selfies. he said don't come for the photo-op but come with something, come with weapons. that's what happened out of this visit, president zelenskyy expressing his gratitude not only to the president of the united states but also to the american people. du

moscow continues to launch air strikes against the already besieged port city of mariupol, nbc's erin mclaughlin has the latest from ukraine. >> tonight, in what is left of the battered port city of mariupol, fear that in any hour this strategic city can finally fall completely under russian control. >> we are scared of the unknown, this woman says, this is what scares us the most. >> cut off by russian forces for weeks, people here say they like the basics to survive. how can we live without water, she says, it's horrible. >> the stunning devastation, a potentially ominous sign of what is to come, with russia seizing the city of alchemy in a, and intensify their assault on the eastern city of kharkiv. plus, multiple -- shaping operations, ukrainian officials insist they will win. alleging russian forces are too desperate and weekend to be effective. but tonight, in mariupol, ukrainians soldiers last stronghold appears to be the steel plant. late, tuesday russian state media claim that -- came out to the russian military, despite fears of a safe passage promised by the russians is a trap. >> our

nbc's erin mclaughlin has the latest from kyiv. >> tonight, russian president vladimir putin declaredry over the besieged port city of mariupol, telling russia's defense minister, congratulations. russia controls nearly all of what is left of the city. but not this massive steel mill. it's where the last ukrainian troops are still hold up. putin ordered russian forces to seal it off so that, quote, not even a fly can passed through. until the ukrainian troops run out of food and surrender. inside the plan to ukrainian fighters, they sent us this video, insisting that putin's declaration is a lie. meanwhile, authorities are managing to evacuate dozens of civilians since yesterday, taking them to nearby zaporizhzhia. tonight, nbc's matt bradley spoke to this child. >> [speaking foreign language] >> he was crying, saying he cannot understand why putin destroyed his home. >> let's bring in ashley parker, pulitzer prize-winning white house bureau chief at the washington post and retired four star army u.s. general, barry mccaffrey, decorated combat veteran of vietnam and former battlefield

nbc news correspondent erin mclaughlin has the latest from kyiv. >> reporter: as the war rages on, ukrainian president vladimir putin warning of a lightning fast response to outside interference in ukraine saying, we have all the tools for this, the kind that no one else can boast of. we won't brag. we'll use them as needed. remarks seen as weapons like ballistic missiles and nuclear arms. the european commission is accusing russia of blackmail for cutting off gas supplies to poland and bulgaria. on the front lines as they prepare their tanks for battle, ukrainians remain determined. our equipment is worse than theirs, he says, but the strength is not in the tank. the strength is in the people. overnight in russian-controlled kherson, explosion in the center of town blowing up a tv tower. russian state media claiming they shot down two ukrainian missiles. this following wednesday's show of courage. ukrainians demonstrating against the occupation. defiance eventually disbursed by russian stun grenades and tear gas. yulia recently fled kherson with her mother. she used to take part in her demo

nbc's erin mclaughlin reporting for us from ukraine.ing to ukraine and talking to zelenskyy and no longer talking about zelenskyy and the ukrainians surviving but talking about victory. that they're in it to win it, and they're in it to degrade russia's military forces so much that they can never attack ukraine again. quite a change, isn't it? >> yeah, very encouraging. look, the biden national security team is very powerful, experienced people. the secretary of the treasury, the cia director, sec def, sec state, very confident. they know what they're doing. having the two of them on the ground with president zelenskyy was really a statement of support. i think even more so is the announcement of the return of diplomats to kyiv. we simply got to get back there on the ground. have a military liaison cell. have diplomats and stay engaged. so good news. along with, thank god, the re-election of macron in france. had france fallen out of nato over time, it would have been a major blow to the 30-nation pact for defense against russia. >> yea

antitanks, it's very important to us. >> erin mclaughlin reporting from kyiv this morning.ncy's most decorated field officers. good morning to you both. mark, let me begin with you, something we have been discussing over the last couple of hours this morning, and that is the rhetoric, it seems stepped up rhetoric from the defense secretary lloyd austin during his trip abroad, meeting with president zelenskyy in kyiv, and reporting to germany, and ramstein, and forming this nato collective, contact group that are going to work on the question of ukraine but saying we now want to weaken russia. we want to destroy their capacity to inflict this kind of harm on another country and another neighbor or any further on ukraine. richard haass expressed reservation given the nuclear stakes here. what did you make of the comments? >> it was really long long overdue. i see secretary austin, he envelopes his ukrainian counter parts in a bear hug, the bear hug seen around the world. that's the america that i want to see. ultimately for the last several years, russia has been engaged in a

joining us nbc news correspondent erin mclaughlin live from bucha, ukraine. y're still burying the dead, seven fresh graves today, an ominous warning to many here, what could possibly be unfolding there in mariupol? >> in the battered ports, a last stand at the old steel plant. the military saying hundreds of civilians remain trapped inside. the ukrainian commander pleading with the international community for help. meanwhile, outside the plant, more desperation. cut off by russian forces for weeks. people here say, they use the bakes to survive. how can we live without water, this woman says? it's horrible. the day after his 7th birthday, he insisted the family visit the bombed out home for his annual family portrait. this is my house, thanks to the dangers in russia for doing this, he says, sar castically. how do you make sense of this to a 7-year-old? >> i told him, don't worry, we will have a house better than this one, his mom says. in the east the battle for donbas rains on, this as more help is on the way for ukraine. president biden is expected to send

nbc news correspondent erin mclaughlin has the latest. situation in mariupol is very dangerous. we can possibly be shot and killed. >> reporter: one of the people trapped inside the plant. he sent us this video saying even though putin claims the russians sealed off the plant to starve everyone my, the ukrainians are still fighting. ic thating out this russian tank. still, he says, hundreds of civilians remain trapped calling the situation desperate. >> the most heart breaking thing is we run out of supplies. we are trying to share everything with civilians. >> across the city, death seems to be everywhere. ukrainian officials say these satellite images show freshly dug graves outside a cemetery, among the horrors in the rest of the city. chilling images are familiar. now investigating war crimes in the raf and city. this week, they uncovered another mass grave. this time outside the city hospital, including the body of a 15-year-old. he alleges was shot in the chest by the russians. this is genocide, he says, they are trying to disturb o

. >> erin mclaughlin joins us with that story >> reporter: according to the national association of thet are working to break down those barriers, creating a new tool for snapchaters to learn american sign language >> and the oscar goes to -- >> "coda." >> reporter: as hollywood celebrates "coda," a film about the harsh realities facing a mostly deaf family in america. >> i can't stay with you for the rest of my life. >> reporter: social media and snapchat is working to break down some of the barriers explored in the movie by creating new avenues of connection and communication thanks in part to a team of deaf engineers called defenders including 25-year-old austin >> translator: we want the world to understand that sign language is important and that everyone signing is important >> austin was just 3 when he gradually started to lose his hearing. for nine years he relied almost solely on lip reading to get by. then he learned american sign language, or asl and his world changed. >> i didn't know any sign from 3 until the age of 12. i started interacting with individuals who are deaf an

and erin mclaughlin in ukraine for us. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. the u.s. is sealed off as it has since the beginning november war. on sunday the u.s. secretaries of state and defense visited the ukrainian capital with promises of more military aid and diplomacy they say is necessary for ukraine to win this war. for the first time since the beginning this 60 day war top u.s. officials visited the ukrainian capital. president zelenskyy greeting secretaries of state and defense in a visit slowed in secrecy. promising an additional 700 million dollars in foreign military aid. secretary austin says the goal is to make sure russia suffers significant military losses. >> we want to see russia weakened to a degree that it can't do the kinds of things that it has done in invaded ukraine. >> reporter: blinken also announcing the nomination of a new u.s. ambassador. this morning president zelenskyy thanking the united states for support. in a press conference before the visit held at one of the capital subway stations, doubling as a presidential bomb shelter i asked

erin mclaughlin making it to the scene and reporting one of those residential buildings was damaged.here we don't show the scene. it was a residential area. i explain that as a way of explaining to the viewers that the ukrainian government does not want to give away these locations because they don't want the russians to hit there again. we were on the ground in bucha as well. we can show some of this video of this main morgue in bucha. this is where death is counted from this war. we spent most of the morning there. it's an international effort. these are two american volunteers you see on your screen now. at least 400 civilians were massacred, according to the united nations in bucha. there, of course, is an investigation under way. you see there some of the french forensic experts who are trying to identify these bodies. it's an impossible scene in many ways. this video was shot by our photojournalist. you're seeing videos of families waiting for sometimes weeks to identify their loved ones. there was a scene that we witnessed of a woman who identified her loved one who had been d

. >>> let's go to ukraine, outside of kiev, nbc news correspondent erin mclaughlin, good morning, whater: hey, willie. well, here outside the capital, they're still dealing with the drugs left behind by the russians. ukrainians say that russian forces blew up this bridge as they were retreating after losing the battle for kiev. meanwhile, yet another claim by victory of russia in another key city this morning. take a listen. this morning russian president vladimir putin claiming victory in mariupol saying the whole is i is controlled by the russian army. putin claiming he is cancelling the storming of a steel plant in the city where ukrainian forces and hundreds of civilians remain holed up, surrounded by russian forces. 3500 wounded soldiers and civilians need to be evacuated from the plant. but ukrainian and russian forces are still battling out over ukraine's industrial heartland, a fight that could determine the outcome of this war. on wednesday, russia test launched an inter-continental ballistic missile. they say it gives food to thought to russia's enemies. ukraine allies scramb