and the capita enduring a constant russian onslaught. i asked zelenskyy if kyiv falls is all lost also tonight, th crash in texas killing nine people, including members of a college golf team. the fed raising interest rates for the first time in more than three years what it means for your money. and our exclusive. angelina jolie on stopping violence against women and her criticism of family courts amid a custody battle of her own. >> announcer: this is “nbc nightly news" with lester holt good evening, everyone hours after ukraine's president volodymyr zelenskyy made a virtual appearance before congress, pleading for more american help for his embattled country, president biden unveiled a laundry list of new weaponry the u.s. is sending ukraine. from anti-aircraft and tank systems to bullets. $800 million in new assistance yet still missing the fighter planes zelenskyy has asked for. in zelenskyy's

stirring remarks to congress, he reminded americans that our country, too, had walked in ukraine's shoes, citing the pearl harbor attack and 9/11 zelenskyy presenting a ukrainian government video montage depicting scenes of civilian casualties, and they are growing tonight as the besieged city of mariupol and its civilian residents once again fell into russian cross hairs with devastating results. shortly after his speech, in an nbc news exclusive, i interviewed president zelenskyy. what he told me about world war iii, red lines, and peace talks coming up in a few moments. but first kristin welker starts us off from the white house. >> reporter: with russian forces still raining down bombs around him, ukraine's president zelenskyy today appearing by video link with an emotional appeal to congress and president biden. >> i see no sense in life if it cannot stop the deaths

>> reporter: zelenskyy comparing the russia invasion to some of the most painful moments in american history, pearl harbor, 9/11. >> translator: innocent people were attacked, attacked from air our country experience the same every day. >> reporter: even invoking martin luther king's "i have a dream" speech. zelenskyy saying ukraine has a need for a no-fly zone, which president biden has already rejected, saying it could cause world war iii. >> translator: i need to protect our sky i need your decision, your help, which means exactly the same, the same you feel when you hear the words, "i have a dream." ♪ >> reporter: zelenskyy playing a graphic video of the devastating impact of the russian assault on his homeland, calling on president biden to send more weapons and to unleash tougher sanctions. >> translator: i call on you to do more.

>> reporter: ending his speech with a personal and direct message in english to president biden. >> you are the leader ofat of yo great na i wish you to be leadf the world. being the leader of the world means to be the leader of peace. [ applause ] >> reporter: lawmakers, some in tears, giving him a standing ovation later, president biden for the first time declaring russian president putin a war criminal >> i think he is a war criminal. >> reporter: and announcing $800 million in new military aid to ukraine, including 800 stinger anti-aircraft systems and 100 armed drones new technology called switchblades. >> this could be a long and difficult battle, but the american people will be steadfast in our support of the people of ukraine >> reporter: but no mention of the mig-29 fighter jets poland offered to transfer to ukraine at a u.s. air

base there is growing bipartisan support for that step which president biden ruled out. >> getting these migs in immediately is so critical the longer president biden wastes trying to figure out excuses to not offend putin, it's costing lives in ukraine. >> reporter: today we pressed the president. >> mr. president, what will it take for you to send the polish migs that president zelenskyy is asking for? >> i'm not going to comment on that right now. >> reporter: as for president biden calling putin a war criminal, the white house says he was responding to what he's seen on tv, noting there is still an ongoing international investigation. lester >> kristin welker tonight, thank you. in ukraine the urgent need for that new american fire power as russia steps up its deadly attacks hitting more and more civilian targets richard engel is in kyiv with the latest >> reporter: with round the clock earth shaking bombings, russia is turning ukrainian cities in

its cross hairs into a living hell. at a hospital in mariupol, doctors struggle to handle the flood of injuries and dead many of the images are too graphic to broadcast, but what we can air shows naked, russian brutality against a captive population ukrainian official say russian forces bombed a theater used as a shelter in mariupol and took over another hospital, locking in doctors and patients as human shields. elsewhere, russia bombed a market in kharkiv. >> translator: glory to ukraine >> reporter: while president zelenskyy had congress on its feet, president vladimir putin gave his own speech angry and rambling he accused the west of trying to cancel russia and called the ukrainian government nazis pursuing nuclear and biological weapons, including covid. he vowed to cleanse western-minded russians, calling them traitors not the talk of a man who seems interested in peace

ukrainian and russian negotiators working on a cease-fire are sounding optimistic, but after putin's message today, it's hard to see that happening any time soon lester >> richard engel in kyiv, thank you. and as i mentioned at the top of the program, i spoke to ukraine's presiden zelenskyy today in an nbc news exclusive interview with the help of a ukrainian government provided interpreter. i'd like to begin by asking you the status of negotiations between ukraine and russia there has been some reporting that the framework of a deal is being hammered out, one in which you would renounce nato ambitions, declare neutrality, not allow foreign militaries to base on your land. can you confirm any of that and update us on the status of negotiations >> translator: well, thank you for this question, lester first of all, the negotiations are still in progress. the negotiations are fairly difficult, and

the current conditions of negotiation, i would say, continues any war could be finished at the table of negotiations. >> you delivered a very passionate speech to congress. you once again renewed your call for a no-fly zone as you know, that's a non-starter in this country. but you also made the pitch for an alternative, and that's the fighter planes do you think that president biden is inching closer to perhaps reconsidering transferring fighter planes to ukraine? >> translator: well, this is the choice for the president biden to take and the whole civilized world would need to take hopefully that choic would coincide with the choice of the ukrainian people because currently russia has an advantage in the air our partners can

support us from the standpoint of supporting and supplying of those aircrafts. >> president biden has been very clear he's worried about provocations that could trigger world war iii. do you understand his concern there? and do you agree that it wouldn't take much to end up in world war iii? >> translator: well, nobody knows whether it may have or it already started and what is the possibility of this war if ukraine will fall, in case ukraine will fall. it is very hard to say. and we have seen this 80 years ago when the second world war has started. and there were similar tragedies in the history. nobody would be able to predict when the full-scale war would start and how it will end, who will end. put an end to that

in any case, the war now tends to end up in millions of people lost, people die and millions of buildings destroyed. now we have different technologies, nuclear weapons. in this case, we have the whole civilization at stake. >> the u.s. administration has raised concerns that russia might launch a chemical attack. do you think there is a red line and whether that would be a red line that the u.s. would move forward and become more actively involved in combat >> translator: i believe that russians have already crossed all the red lines when they started shelling civilians. they have killed hundred -- over a hundred children and i don't understand the meaning of red lines. what else should we wait for

for letting russians kill 200, 300 or 400 children >> and then i asked him about the fate of ukraine's capital, the city where he still is tonight with the russian onslaught intensifying if kyiv falls to the russians, does the entire country of ukraine fall to the russians >> well, our people are unconquerable, and this is what our people have clearly demonstrated you can conquer the city you can broke the heart. but you won't be able to force anyone to love someone that is why the heart will always remain with ukrainians. >> president zelenskyy hosted three european leaders this week. he replied he would be happy to do so at the same gabe gutierrez reports

from lviv where many are echoing their president, pleading for the u.s. and nato to do more >> reporter: tonight the weight of the war is etched in these faces. she escaped with her grandchildren from eastern ukraine. "it is very difficult. please help us," she begs this is a makeshift shelter above the lviv train station where medical teams are helping refugees battle deep trauma victor is a psychologist who is volunteering here, but he's also a refugee himself who fled his home in kyiv >> all of us are in permanent stress. >> reporter: this room holds children up to five years old their parents might spend anywhere from several hours to several days here. standing here, what really strikes you is because of the echo in this room when one child cries you really hear it. from babies to teenagers, war is cruel. at a nearby hospital, 15-year-old lara is

battling leukemia while her country fights for its survival "it's horrible," she says "instead of fighting this disease, we have to leave loved ones behind." sometimes physical scars are not what hurts most "it's hard to see her suffer," lara's grandmother says like so many here, they're asking the world to do more weeks into the war, the struggle to board trains like this one to poland repeats itself night after night. as russia intensifies its air attacks, more refugees are making the heart wrenching decision to leave the world they knew behind. lester >> those lines still so long. gabe, thank you. in 60 seconds, tragedy on a texas highway. the deadly crash involving members of a college golf team. and the feds rate hike and what it means for you.

tonight in west texas, the search for answers after the deadly collision of a van carrying members of a college golf team and a pickup truck

morgan chesky is there. >> reporter: tonight it's the mangled wreckage breaking hearts, from the collision killing nine, including seven members of a college golf team. >> it's a very tragic scene. very, very tragic. >> reporter: the accident happened around 8:00 p.m. tuesday. authorities say a team van for the university of the southwest was headed home from a texas tournament when a pickup truck veered into their lane, seconds before impact. >> i've got wrecked vehicles on both sides of the highway, fully involved vehicles. i'm still trying to get up on scene and see what we have. >> reporter: authorities say that head-on collision grew worse when flames engulfed both vehicles burn scars now line the side of the road where bystanders tried desperately to save those trapped inside crews there lifted two students more than 100 miles to hospitals in lubbock where they remain in critical condition. but for six student athletes, their coach, and two others inside the truck, the impact proved fatal

among those lost lacy stone, whose high school coach called her a hard working student and golfer with a constant smile. >> she joked and she sang and she just lived life to the fullest, and it's going to be really hard to not have her around anymore. >> reporter: the university president confirming the team coach, tyler james, was also among those killed and tonight we've learned federal investigators with the ntsb dispatched a team to investigate this accident as students and staff here at the university mourn those lives lost lester >> okay, morgan. thank you. a major move by the federal reserve today aimed at tamin runaway inflation, and it could have a significant impact on your money tom costello is with us tom, what could this mean >> well, lester, this was a quarter point rate hike today. but the fed chairman said there could b six more rate hikes this year as the fed works to bring down 40-year high inflation with americans paying more for everything, food, clothing, cars, gasoline

this is a tightrope, though they hope that higher rates will coo consumer demand, bring inflation under control, while also maintaining the country's strong labor market but higher rates mean consumers will pay more for credit cards, adjustable rate loans and new mortgages. experts advise paying off credit cards and lock in new mortgages rates now. the goal is to bring inflation down from 8% now to 2% within two years. lester >> tom, thanks. up next, a powerful voice in combatting violence against women. our exclusive with angelina jolie

back now with our nbc news exclusive with angelina jolie. jolie was at the white house today to celebrate the renewal of the violence against women act with new provisions she lobbied for alongside ruth glenn of the national coalition against domestic violence they sat down with kate snow. >> reporter: at the white house today, president biden celebrating a milestone with advocates looking on. >> it took time to change the culture, and you did it. >> reporter: angelina, you lobbied for the violence against women act to be reauthorized you were all over capitol hill this day has to feel big for you. >> well, we lobbied. we lobbied >> yes, we did >> this is a long time coming. >> reporter: ruth glenn leads the national coalition against domestic violence what is the significance of this being signed into law? >> many, many survivors who have not had their needs addressed previously

will now have their needs addressed. >> reporter: the act includes kayden's law. we've reported on the seven-year-old who was brutally murdered by her own father following a custody dispute. now federal incentives to set legal standards to minimize the risk of harm to children and provide training for judges hearing custody disputes do you think, absent training, do you think sometimes law enforcement and judges in this country are too quick to dismiss allegations of real abuse? >> i think -- i think this country doesn't recognize what a serious domestic violence and child abuse problem it really has when somebody harms a child, if it's a stranger, the way the law responds is quite strong when it's somebody within a family, within a home, it is responded to less. >> reporter: the bill also expands protections. >> it fills the gaps for our native american sisters and brothers, lgbtqi, the list goes on and on. >> reporter: jolie also pushed for funding for technology

to detect bruises on children of color. >> part of this came from being a mom my children have different skin tones i have noticed over the years, just even with dermatology, that so much of it is based on white skin. it's personal, and i won't say -- i won't say very much, but if somebody comes in and assaults us, you look at me and you look at ruth, you have a better chance of seeing bruises on me. >> reporter: angelina, you said this is personal in passing a moment ago i don't know if you realized you said that, but you said it is personal. >> it is for a lot of people. >> reporter: jolie who has been in her own custody battle told us this about the family court system >> i think once you are exposed to this system, whoever you are, once you are exposed to it and you realize how unbelievably broken this system is, you have to do something to improve it. >> reporter: today at

the white house, she celebrated doing just that kate snow, nbc news, washington up next for us tonight, the power of music in a country at war.

finally, they're doing their part musicians providing much-needed relief from the sounds of war. molly hunter is in western ukraine. ♪ >> reporter: far from the front line, this city soundtrack is different here in the west the lviv philharmonic

orchestra is giving it everything they've got. ♪ 33-year-old daniel grateful to play >> a little gift a little sunshine in heart. >> reporter: you see the sunshine in their heart? >> yes, yes. >> reporter: and like so many young ukrainian men, next week might look different. >> if our army will need my hand and my heart, i ready >> reporter: musicians here, some residents, some new arrivals fighting in their own way. ♪ >> reporter: music producer maxine and the blacks fled the eastern city of kharkiv about a week ago. yesterday he heard singing and today it's a duet of a ukrainian folk song. ♪ around the corner 31-year-old paul is donating all his tips to the military

there are lots of ways to support your country, and this is how you're doing it right now. >> yes and i can play i have played. >> reporter: this is also the sound of a country at war molly hunter, nbc news, lviv. >> beautiful notes being heard around the world tonight. that's "nightly news" for this wednesday. thank you for watching i'm lester holt. please take care of yourself and each other. good night [cheers and applause] ♪ ♪ ♪♪ i don't do yoga never tried pilates ♪ ♪ not many people want me at their parties ♪

♪ tryna find my place some place oh i, oh i, oh i ♪ ♪ i drink a little more than recommended ♪ ♪ this world ain't exactly what my heart expected ♪ ♪ tryna find my way someway, oh i, oh i, oh i ♪ ♪ if you ask the church then i am no believer ♪ ♪ spend sundays asleep i'm just another dreamer ♪ ♪ still tryna find my home sweet home, oh i, oh i, oh i ♪ ♪ i guess i ain't too good for money either ♪ ♪ i got two left feet no i'm no jackson neither ♪ ♪ just tryna find my way

someway, oh i, oh i, oh i ♪ ♪ whoa c'est la vie ♪ ♪ maybe something's wrong with me ♪ ♪ but whoa at least ♪ ♪ i am free oh, oh i am free ♪ ♪ whoa c'est la vie ♪ ♪ maybe something's wrong with me ♪ ♪ but whoa at least ♪ ♪ i am free oh, oh i am free ♪♪ [cheers and applause] >> kelly: y'all, welcome to "the kelly clarkson show"! give it up from my band, y'all! i like to see it. friendship, friendship. that was "free" by ruta mental,

emily requested that one, so what is your connection? i like your dress. >> i like it is too. you are serving today, says. >> kelly: red is a great color. >> it is my power color, thank you for noticing. speak of this song hit a lot of notes for me. not only that women's history month and women are redefining who we are in our families and our work in community, but i emancipated out of the foster care system in my first semester of college for less than 50% will graduate from high school and i went straight to the first historically black college for women in north carolina. i was less than 2% to earn a bachelor's degree. [applause] think he thank you. >> kelly: congratulations. >> i'm also a recent graduate of the harvard school of business education where i earned my

master is. >> kelly: okay! >> when i think about this song it really reminds us that life will continue to happen to us and we are not tethered to the experiences that define us. they were like passengers on the way to experience making and when i think of the song it is a great reminder to keep pushing and find freedom wherever you are and like the song says i am just trying to find my way. [applause] >> kelly: oh, my god. you should write a book. >> thank you. >> kelly: i would read your book. i just want to listen to you talk all day. do you want to show? >> i do actually. we'll talk about that later. [laughter] >> kelly: that is amazing, congratulations. so successful, and overcoming hurdles in your way. you're very inspiring and motivating, very motivating. >> thank you so much. [applause] >> kelly: all right everybody, we've got a lot of fun lined up this hour. the new series i'm going joe versus carol" based on "tiger

king," kai maclachlan is hanging out. in the comedy duo rhett and link is joining us, then we will meet the 2021 kid of the year, there's no way you won't be impressed by this present unless you don't have a heart and soul. and we have a performance from country singer and songwriter jon pardi. cowboy hat. let's get right to our first guest. she's a very talented actress, you've seen her in movies like "mama mia" and "mean girls." you can check her in the new hulu series "the dropout." please check out amanda seyfried! [applause] ♪ ♪ >> that's how you remember it.

>> kelly: it's so cute! >> it's literally from my closet. >> kelly: i love it, my favorite part of the buttons down the center, it is very cute. she walks out, i love your dress, easter when you are 5? i was not that cool. a lot of that going on, that is what i wanted. and that is what you want to? [laughs] i was told this is your first trip away from your kids in a year. >> yeah. >> kelly: how are you? do you need help or anything? it's hard. >> it's a lot of anticipatory dread. the week before i have crazy migraines and it's like really, really hard and then all of a sudden i'm gone and i'm sitting on the plane, i have six uninterrupted hours to crochet. >> kelly: just do nothing. or do all the things i've always wanted to do. i watched "ocean's eleven." i listened to kelly clarkson. >> kelly: good taste.

>> i know! >> kelly: i have that dread, it is anticipatory. something is going to happen to them, i'm not going to be there. i start writing everything and then i got on the plane and i am like, this is amazing! >> and it is sad, i was connected the whole flight to wi-fi, and there is no guilt. we shouldn't have guilt when we finally have time to ourselves and i had a margarita at light, i don't know, 1:00. >> kelly: it's 5:00 somewhere. there is a song. >> it was great. >> kelly: i love that for you and i do appreciate it and know what you're talking about. last time we were here we talked about your farm and it is in the middle of nowhere. i love it, think it is amazing. how are things? >> listen, it's wintertime. yesterday it was 61 when i left into mother's going to be a foot of snow for the problem is if there is wind and ice everything shuts down. nobody gets power. we have two generators. i am a lucky person. we have two