breaking news tonight russia launching a major new offensive in eastern ukraine after bracing for weeks ukraine says the new phase of russia's assault on the east is now underway it follows a barrage of russian missile attacks across the country in the west at least seven killed in levi the first wartime deaths in a city considered a safe haven while in mariupol thousands of ukrainian soldiers holed up in a steel mill defying demands to surrender also tonight the cdc's travel mask mandate for planes and other public transportation struck down by a federal judge how the white house is responding what to know if you're flying tonight the rare spring snow storm moving into the northeast up to a foot expected we're tracking it the manhunt after a shooting at a pittsburgh airbnb left two teens dead the investigation tonight the deadline to file your taxes and the alert why it could take months to get your refund our journey to the hidden treasures along mexico's baja coast the race to save one of nature's best tools in the fight against climate change and strike up the ban four years after the unimaginable tragedy at parkland our nbc news exclusive as students get the invitation of a lifetime this is nbc nightly news with lester holt good evening it's on a new phase of the war in ukraine ukraine's president tonight saying russia's battle for donbass is underway its much-anticipated attack deep into ukraine's east after failing to take the capital keeve president zielenski declaring we will defend ourselves the russians stepping up their aerial strikes today even hitting targets in the far west city of la vie killing at least seven people in a city once considered a safe haven well in the port city of mariopol a desperate battle rages tonight the ukrainian military claiming its forces are still holding on in the face of a determined russian assault the city in ruins thousands still trap without food or other essentials ukrainian fighters refusing russia's calls for their surrender there's a lot to report from there tonight we begin with matt bradley late tonight ukraine's president zielinski says russia's new assault against eastern ukraine has begun the russian military began the fight for donbass for which they were preparing for a long time zolensky says it follows new russian attacks rocking the relative safety of western ukraine ukrainian first responders rushing to put out the flames after four missiles struck lavibe russia says it was targeting stockpiles of foreign weapons the strikes killed at least seven people at least one child wounded nbc's raf sanchez is there authorities say the missiles took out a number of military warehouses but also this civilian car repair shop destroying dozens of vehicles taking out these buildings and leaving fire crews struggling to regain control russia striking hundreds of targets overnight among them the northeastern city of harcav this woman mourning her slain father the russian attack seen as preparation for its major assault on eastern ukraine where the city of mariopol has withstood a two-month-long siege thousands of ukrainian soldiers still holed up in a steel mill russia warning them to surrender or be killed but they've refused to give up tonight the city's mayor says over a hundred thousand people remain in the city ely is among those who fled a few weeks ago but his mother would not leave he's not heard from her since though a neighbor has said she's still alive i hope and i know that my mom will be all right and we will celebrate our victory when this all ends and we will win i know that but russian president vladimir putin also confident of victory over western sanctions today insisting they've failed russia has withstood this unprecedented pressure he said russian ground troops retreated from western ukraine weeks ago but in the kiev suburb of european the heartbreaking toll they left behind is still felt so many families tonight still suffering from overwhelming grief and sadly an ever-growing toll of grief matt joining us now from keeve and matt now that president zielinski says the eastern offensive has begun we're learning new details from the pentagon that's right lester the pentagon spokesman said the u.s will be training the ukrainians on howitzer so those are large artillery pieces and that training will be happening outside ukraine lester okay matt bradley thanks tonight a growing number of families in ukraine are in limbo desperately searching for missing loved ones unsure of where they are or what happened to them molly hunter has some of their stories 26 year old karina saves every message she receives i don't know why i save them the young police officer admits it's important to me they're like my family now the they she's referring to are the hundreds of families out there searching for loved ones showing up at mass graves the dreadful moment of recognition authorities say they've counted 900 bodies so far sending them to different morgues all around the kiev region being completely spread out makes then obviously connecting with relatives very hard it's complicated we're so overwhelmed she says but i want all the missing to be found she's even sending out pictures of bodies on a telegram messaging group in hopes relatives can identify them 42 year old natalia is one of so many looking for answers what are the numbers on the wall right here are those your phone numbers on the side of her house she's written her phone number she says for when her husband returns the russians came on march 17th she says they accused her husband zenya of being involved with the ukrainian military she says her husband of 16 years and father of two is just a mechanic they put him on his knees gunned to his head she says they ordered her to say goodbye how long did they give you how many minutes how long were you like that just a couple seconds she says i just knelt down hugged him touched his cheek didn't say a word and then they took him away what's the plan where will you go to try to ask she thinks he might have been forced to belarus she's registered with the police with the morgues called all the hotlines and nobody has turned up you think he's still alive just for divorce not sure when he finally comes home molly hunter nbc news bucha here at home news about the future of those mask mandates a federal judge in florida ruled that the government cannot enforce the masked mandate on planes and other public transit ending a rule that's been in place for 14 months and already some airlines are dropping their mass requirements on board let's bring in pete williams pete what did the judge say well this came in a lawsuit filed by a conservative group and two women who said wearing a face mask caused them anxiety and panic attacks the judge said the cdc did not have the legal authority to impose the mask mandate and that the government broke the law by doing it without first seeking public comment federal judge catherine kimball mizell a trump appointee said she had to make her ruling apply nationwide writing how is the ride-sharing driver flight attendant or bus driver to know that somebody is applauded to this lawsuit with permission to enter mask-free so she struck the mandate down leicester so what is the immediate effect pete for someone that's going to catch a train right now or heading to the airport well the mandate tonight is all but dead the administration says it's considering its options but tsa is notifying airlines and other mass transit systems that it is not now in effect and at least two airlines are saying tonight that they will no longer require face masks the current mandate was to expire in two weeks anyway even so cdc still recommends wearing one in crowded places lester pete williams with that thank you at the southern border officials revealing more migrants crossed into the u.s in march than any other month since records were kept this has authorities braced for a massive surge after the biden administration lifts a border restriction known as title 42 julia ainsley has late details tonight urgent warnings from the border with the border patrol releasing these new images saying a record 221 thousand migrants crossed into the u.s last month local officials expect that could soon double numbers like that would be completely overwhelming to our community the surge is expected after the biden administration decided to end a coveted border restriction called title 42 the department of homeland security estimates more than 170 000 migrants are waiting in mexico planning to cross when title 42 is lifted may 23rd what do you need from the biden administration between now and may 23rd plans would be helpful commitment for additional funds migrants who cross through the rio grande valley come through this bus station in downtown mcallen and officials here worry that if the numbers get too high it could overwhelm the bus station the shelters leaving people with nowhere to go and sleeping on the street we're asking them to reconsider you know lifting the the title title 42 sheriff eddie guerra says he's been told by border patrol to have his officers on standby in case the ports of entry are overrun we're talking about you know the deputies dressed in their in their riot gear with their shields and their helmets and and batons to keep keep the the the crowded bay the biden administration is facing bipartisan criticism of its immigration policy with 1.7 million illegal border crossings last year an all-time record but at a mcallen migrant shelter we met a honduran family who supports lifting title 42 saying it keeps migrants waiting in dangerous conditions in mexico ava and her husband told us she became a victim of rape the same person who offered her the job took advantage of her abused her and that was how the rape happened migrant advocates say ava's story is not uncommon and the title 42 should end but tonight a group of texas sheriffs is urging congress to intervene to keep it lester all right julia thank you in pittsburgh this evening police are searching for suspects after a deadly shooting early easter sunday at an airbnb rental where police say about 200 people were attending a party two seventeen-year-olds were killed and eight others were injured police believe there are multiple shooters but no arrests have been announced and we're tracking rare spring snowstorm moving into the northeast this evening four to eight inches expected in areas stretching from west virginia to vermont with up to a foot in higher elevations heavy rain strong winds and flooding are also expected especially along the mid-atlantic and northeast coastlines in 60 seconds bracing for potential chaos and what could be the busiest travel season in years what to expect in the months ahead and how to save and the challenge is facing an overtaxed irs and what it could mean for your refund check we're back now with what is quickly shaping up as a challenging spring and summer travel season with new calls tonight for the federal government to do more to protect air passengers jolene kent reports on the problems and how to navigate them travelers are gearing up for a chaotic summer in the skies and on the road expedia predicting this summer will be the busiest travel season ever but the desire to escape is colliding with high fuel prices staffing shortages and cancellations nationwide we were at the airport for 10 hours according to the department of transportation more than 110 000 flights were canceled last year alone driven by weather yes but also not enough airline staff and crews now consumer reports is calling on transportation secretary pete buttigieg to do more to protect passengers and establish a so-called passenger bill of rights clear consistent rules uniformly applied to all airlines in the event of cancellations delays baggage problems and getting bumped off of flight taxpayers have given this industry more than 50 billion dollars in in bailouts secretary buda judge has the authority and has the pulpit to reach out to the airlines find out what's going on with all these canceled flights looking ahead experts say brace yourself for packed planes in hotels and to pay higher prices the average round-trip fare is now 360 dollars already up about 50 percent since january right now you're at the mercy of the airlines themselves and that's not a pretty picture ahead of this busy summer there are some things that you can do to reduce your stress book early not just flights but also home rentals and hotel rooms we're seeing those go pretty fast and also consider booking something refundable or reserving on points lester lots of great advice sir hi joe ling thanks today is the deadline to file your 2021 taxes but this year the irs is warning your refund could be delayed while it's still working on processing last year's returns here's tom costello first the good news if you filed your tax returns electronically and you're owed a refund that money should arrive 21 days after you file but if you submitted a paper return expect a big delay five to eight months to manually process the paperwork the reason most analysts and the irs say it's understaffed underfunded and using antiquated technology to process claims after processing stimulus checks during the pandemic and the child tax credit the agency started 2022 with a backlog of 8 million returns from last year the biggest challenge we face right now is staffing you know we need more employees to come in to be able to help us in a variety of areas not only our customer service after congress cut its budget by 20 percent the irs was squeezed hard by the pandemic an increased workload fewer employees and offices shut down this was a perfect storm budget cuts higher increases that led to a brain drain at the irs poor technology and then the pandemic while the tax filing deadline was extended during the pandemic not this year today's deadline is hard and fast individuals can request a personal extension but if you owe the irs money you must still send money now the average refund this year thirty two hundred dollars financial planners advice using that money to pay down debt or invest and save so look at how you can take this tax refund and use it as a tool to help build more wealth the irs is hoping to work through its backlog as it hires 5 000 more employees this year lester tom costello thank you up next trees with some pretty amazing powers they help cut down on carbon and stave off climate change but now they're under threat in our series the climate challenge tonight we begin a special series on climate change solutions with the story of a tree it may seem unremarkable to most people but as gotti schwartz discovered it's what you don't see about mangroves that make them so important hidden along mexico's baja coast and emerald oasis home to one of the most underappreciated organisms in the world so everything green that we're seeing around us here these are all mangroves yes this is uh one of the largest forests in mexico climate biologist monica franco says this untouched wetland is a true ecological wonder people that might be used to seeing mangroves do you think that they fully appreciate what they're capable of no i don't think so because they don't understand that they have all these superpowers to fight climate change one superpower the ability to capture about five times more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than tropical rainforests pumping it through their roots and straight into the soil where it's trapped for hundreds of years so these are like co2 depositing pipes that go straight into the yes yes wow the carbon dioxide stored in this mangrove forest is equivalent to emissions released from a quarter of a million vehicles driven for an entire year yet despite all the benefits mangroves are under constant threat from coastal development climate change even humans in the city of la paz a group of women from a fishing village defend this fragile mangrove forest from vandalism and atv writers she says it's about showing the new generations to protect something that their grandparents love for these women it's about finding localized solutions to global problems do you think that this is possible in other places and the benefits of mangroves extend beyond land monica has brought us here to puerto chale where we're hoping to see some of the most magical beneficiaries of the mangroves but for that we got to get on this boat and we got to hope for some good luck turns out mangroves provide essential cover for migrating whales too what do the mangroves do do they protect the nursery of the whales that's exactly what they do grey walls come and give birth and they rest for several months a year and mangroves give this protection around the coastline oh there wow look at that wow look how big that one is it's making a circle around us a natural solution to climate change wow all thanks to these simple trees of the sea gotti schwartz nbc news baja mexico learned a lot there up next we're there for the surprising and uplifting moment for a high school that's been through so much finally some good news for the students of marjory stoneman douglas high the florida school with a painful past our carrie sanders reports on the surprise that was music to their ears and his inspiring america how do you prove the worst day in your school's history is not who you are teachers at marjory stoneman douglas tell students every day never forget the 17 victims honor their legacy by doing your very best that i have somebody special to introduce to you today in parkland florida members of the marjory stoneman douglas marching band found out they're going to the biggest stage in the world the stoneman douglas high school eagle regiment has been selected to represent the great state of florida and perform in new york city in the 2023 macy's thanksgiving day parade stoneman douglas one of only six high schools headed to the macy's day parade one let's have a parade very exciting the kids say in this selfie generation they've learned you achieve as a team results don't matter if you're not having fun with each other if you're not loving each other if you're not caring for each other i think that's first and most important thing three and a half million on this on the route and some of them 40 stories in the air and then over 40 million on television it's an experience unlike any other drum roll please yeah seventeen-year-old eleah boger this is the biggest honor i mean coming out of covid it was super difficult for us but we're super excited to know that you did something right much of the nation knows this school parkland florida because of such sadness now you get to turn the tables absolutely this school's motto is first we have fun the kids from parkland in steppen in tune to march right into america's hearts carrie sanders nbc news parkland florida glad they have something to cheer about that's nightly news for this monday thanks for watching i'm lester holt please take care of yourself and each other good night [Applause] [Music] thanks for watching our youtube channel follow today's top stories and breaking news by downloading the nbc news app you
2022-04-25