becomes dominant in the u.s. tracking a potential multi-day outbreak of severe weather. al roker is here. new reports, more than seven hours of former president trump's phone logs during the capitol riot are missing and just revealed, when jared kushner will testify before the january 6th committee. will smith apologizing to chris rock for slapping him at the oscars the academy board set to meet. the consequences smith could face and wife jada pinkett smith breaking her silence. the historic law signed by president biden today named in honor of emmett till that many say was long overdue >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt. good evening it may be too early for the world to hol optimism coming from ukraine specifically from a negotiating

table in istanbul. russia announcing they will drastically reduce military operations near kyiv to increase trust. trust is in short supply as russian missiles struck elsewhere, american military officials saying signs of movement may be repositioning of russian forces after failing in attempts to take ukraine's seat of power british military analysts say ukrainian fighters were seeing some success with localized counterattacks to the northwest of kyiv, but caution russian forces impose a serious threat to the capitol. president biden speaking to key allies affirming all are committed to raising costs on vladimir putin richard engel starts us from eastern ukraine. >> reporter: the new talks between russia and ukraine began with deep mistrust

no handshake but after four hours, the most significant progress so far. russia's deputy defense minister announcing russian troops would drastically reduce activity in central ukraine around kyiv and the city of chernihiv. ukrainian officials saying no foreign troops, all have to leave ukraine. but that ukraine would negotiate on the future status of russian backed separatist areas in donbas, leave open the issue of russian-held crimea, and cr exchange for international security guarantees. but is it real progress or a trap russia only agreed to scale back in areas where it was already suffering heavy losses and in the east, russia continues to bomb civilians indiscriminately in mariupol and in kharkiv, where today, andre was recovering in the hallway of a

hospital only there because russian bombs blew out the hospital's windows. andre says he was escaping his home when suddenly i heard the whistle and then i lost consciousness. badly injured in his leg, he says he somehow managed to get his wife and daughter into their car. but as they were leaving, studying to be a hairdresser told him, i'll be with you forever. they would be her final words. andre was recovered by ukrainian troops his injured daughter was taken by relatives, he has no idea where. his wife's remains are still in the car. too dangerous to reach her. >> i can't even imagine how that must feel. >> reporter: i also can't express what's happening inside me, it feels like a dream, a nightmare, but i can wake up while my wife cannot he only has one picture of her

with him, but he can't bear to look at it >> richard, the president signaling a bit of skepticism, says he is not going to read anything into russian statements until he sees what their actions are. >> reporter: well, i think here, lester, there's even more skepticism than that, with many people believing this is just a way for russia to buy time so it can rearm troops and move them from where they haven't been terribly effective around kyiv and bring them out here to the east i can tell you in this city, the russian incoming fire has been more intense tonight than in previous days. >> richard engel, thank you. let's go to the site of the high stakes talks, i'm joined by keir simmons in istanbul. keir, i understand there weren't many signs of trust around that table today. >> reporter: that's right. there were many headlines and talks, one sparked by a warning from the ukrainian foreign

minister telling ukrainians not to eat, drink, touch any surfaces for fear they could be contaminated with poison a russian oligarch was invited by the ukrainians. most pro ukrainians neutrality, a new long-term plan for crimea, and new strategic stability pact with ukraine where the west would defend ukraine's safety all of this, lester, has to be agreed by president putin. tonight russians are saying a meeting is a possibility, something they ruled out until now. lester >> encouraging to know talks are under way. keir, thank you. as the war goes on, some of the first ukrainian refugees have made it to the u.s. after overcoming obstacles at the u.s. border that impact all asylum seekers. antonia hilton has that story from california. >> reporter: this is now home for she and her three children,

adjusting to new life in california, with relatives they never met until a few weeks ago. >> we all had lives, beautiful lives full of happiness and friends. >> it feels like everything has changed in the matter of a couple weeks >> yes >> reporter: they fled ukraine three days after the bombings began, heading for mexico. >> i have family and friends in usa. >> reporter: but sophia was turned away by border patrol twice. how did that leave you feeling >> that moment i was really destroyed. >> reporter: the u.s. border is officially closed to asylum seekers because of title 42, a public health policy put in place during the trump administration that remains under president biden, denying entry due to covid on her third attempt to enter, attorney blane bookie, working with a haitian child saw her and helped her get an exemption. >> every single day that passes it becomes more and more absurd

for the administration to claim title 42 has any basis whatsoever in public health. >> reporter: for months the biden administration under pressure to end title 42 immigration advocates hope it will be lifted in early april reorinasylum process for all refugees. >> the families like sophia from >> reporter: they expect immediate uptick in refugees trying to enter. many waiting in shelters on the border hoping to makooas the po ends sophia is grateful she and her children are safe but her heart is still in ukraine. >> i want them to stay safe, alive. i feel sorry for the guys dying, for all the mothers that will not see their sons anymore >> reporter: antonio hilton, california

turn to the covid threat today the fda authorized a second vaccine booster for older americans, but many remain hesitant about getting the added protection as concern grows over a new variant. anne thompson with late details now. >> reporter: older americans have another chance to roll up their sleeves. the fda today green lighting a second booster of the pfizer and moderna vaccines for anyone 50 and older four months after the first booster. >> think of the fourth shot, second booster, as helping bring you back to the same levels that you had to protect against omicron. >> reporter: the fda approved a second booster for the immuno compromised, including transplant recipients, people undergoing cancer treatment, those with chronic conditions like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. the age range for that group 12

and older for pfizer 18 and up for moderna. >> is a second booster a sign of failure on the part of the first vaccines >> not at all, it is a reminder vaccines are incredible but they naturally decrease over time. >> reporter: while cases are declining in the united states, the rate of decline has slowed ba.2 accounts for 55% of cases so far boosters have been a tough sell of the 217 million fully vaccinated americans, fewer than half, just about 97 million, got the extra shot how much impact will this have on the spike if fewer than half got the first booster? >> it won't have as much impact on the spike itself. what it will impact is how many hospitalizations and unfortunate deaths we will have. >> reporter: by boosting antibodies to reduce the severity of covid. anne thompson, nbc news, new york. the january 6th committee

investigation is coming to a head tonight on multiple fronts with reports of a seven plus hour gap in president trump's phone logs from that day and two more of his former advisers face being held in contempt of congress with more on all of that, here is garrett haake. >> reporter: the january 6th committee taking aggressive new steps to secure cooperation from critical witnesses, fighting to enforce their subpoenas by voting to recommend holding two more top trump aides in contempt of congress. >> it is very important for us not to let people just blow off the congress of the united states. >> reporter: senior aides, dan scavino and peter navarro each claimed executive privilege over conversations with then president trump. >> they refused to show up you can't just say i'm not even going to bother to come. if you believe you have a claim of privilege, you come. >> reporter: mr. trump, standing by false claims about the election in a statement reblicat

tough and smart and not let them get away with the crime of the century. the doj hasn't taken any public action on a december contempt referral for mark meadows. frustrating democrats. >> the justice department has a similar responsibility to take this seriously because this was an attempted coup. >> reporter: committee members debating whether to get testimony from ginni thomas, wife of supreme court justice clarence thomas, after her text messages to meadows to fight election results became public last week, seeking to fill in seven hours of blank space on white house call logs and diaries from the afternoon of january 6th reported by "the washington post" today overall, where is this investigation right now? >> we're still in the investigative phase, still gathering evidence, still chasing leads, still asking for interviews. >> reporter: thursday, the committee expects to land a key senior adviser jared kushner scheduled to appear. lester >> garrett haake on capitol hill, thank you. watching for severe weather tonight. tens of millions at risk of

violent storms and tornadoes the next couple of days. al roker is tracking it. what's the latest? >> right now, we are looking at 20 million people at risk,o strong winds, damaging hail, tornadoes are possible as this make'rreally concerned tomorrow. damaging winds for 35 million people, strong, long track tornadoes, hail as well as the system pushes to the east. tonight, looking for storms, ramping up from texas to missouri tomorrow the destructive line orleans, almost 900 miles. thursday, scattered storms likely in the mid-atlantic in fact, we're looking for 21 million people at risk thursday stretching from new york all the way down into the panhandle of florida. talking anywhere from 3 to 4 inches of rain, could be flash

flooding the thing we're most concerned about, lester, strong winds and nighttime tornadoes. >> all right, al thanks for the update. in 60 seconds, will smith apologizes for the slap in the face at the oscars, and wife jada's new message will it be enough to end the fire storm

will smith waiting to see if the motion picture academy will sanction him for slapping chris rock at the oscars here is miguel almaguer. >> reporter: tonight the academy board of governors are looking over the open handed slap of chris rock seen by 16 million people on television in the u.s. and fueling tens of millions of searches online, set to meet soon, the group could sanction or suspend smith's membership or revoke his oscar even harvey weinstein and roman polanski kept their awards after they were kicked out of the academy. >> this is not the first time craziness has happened on stage. >> reporter: former host, whoopi goldberg, is on the board. >> there are big consequences. >> there have to be.

>> yeah, because nobody, nobody is okay with what happened. >> reporter: with the slap becoming a late night punch line >> it is monday, unless you're chris rock, because i am pretty sure he got slapped into next week. >> reporter: smith didn't apologize to rock on stage sunday night but later did on social media violence in all of its forms is poisonous and destructive. my behavior was unacceptable and inexcusable. i would like to publicly apologize to you, chris. i was out of line and i was wrong. >> releasing it via instagram, i think the damage had already been done, near 24-hour period before he said anything on the matter >> reporter: while rock has yet to speak publicly, tomorrow he is set to kickoff a series of sold out shows in a post today, jada pinkett smith called this a season for healing. smith's mother speaking to the abc station in philadelphia. >> that's the first time i've ever seen him go off

>> reporter: tonight, the lingering shock, the mea culpa and potential consequences miguel almaguer, nbc news. in london, queen elizabeth made her first major public appearance since testing positive for covid-19 last month. she joined her family at a memorial service for her late husband, prince philip, who died last year at age 99. the queen was escorted by her son, prince andrew his first public appearance since a judge dismissed a sexual abuse lawsuit tied to jeffrey epstein, allegations he denied. up next, inside a city preparing for war amid fears that history will repeat itself.

-come on! come on! ready? -all: universal! announcer: from the jurassic... [ screaming ] ...to the animated. from the magical... to the delicious. from the most surprising... to the biggest whoas... and the most memorable awws. from making new friends... to our newest ride,

the secret life of pets: off the leash. ♪♪ picture the best day ever at universal studios hollywood. more now on the war in ukraine and the urgent preparations in odesa where volunteers are bracing for fighting to reach their doorstep molly hunter is inside the port city tonight. >> repor port cit russia's wish list for strategic location on the black sea, home to ukraine's navy but also for its cultural heritage. we can't show you any of the military positions, can't show you check points at almost every single intersection. what i can show you is sandbags, tires. the huge hedgehogs the city is fortified and they're ready for a fight. today we visited a defense

training facility, part black smith, part boot camp, all volunteers igor last fought in kazakhstan after all these years he is starting from scratch. never thought he would have to pick up another gun. when the russians might launch an attack no one here quite knows. >> i believe it can be even in one hour. >> reporter: another is running a volunteer hub until recently a trendy food court. >> oysters and champagne this is second time, the first time they tried to kill us because we were jewish, now because we are ukrainian we are strong. it is our home. >> reporter: defiance runs through the streets of odesa when was this built? >> in 1930 >> yes >> reporter: below them, this bunker is a web of tunnels huge taller than i thought. it is reopen for those choosing

to stay. this is where you come during air raid sirens? people here bracing for impact molly hunter, nbc news, odesa. up next as we continue, almost 70 years after the lynching of emmett till, the new law that's long overdue.

finally, history made at the white house today with the signing of a law named for emmett till that at long last makes lynching a federal hate crime. kristen welker on a day that's been decades in the making. >> reporter: a lifetime ago, but moment that haunted the family of emmett till and the nation nearly 70 years. >> you can't forget that reports only 14 years old, visiting relatives in mississippi when he was accused of whistling at a white woman, then kidnapped, beaten, brutally murdered. his killers never convicted, his mother insisting on an open casket so the world could see what had been done to her child. reverend wheeler parker, the oldest child seen with till is emmett's cousin. parker is the last living relative to witness the abduction. what do you remember about that

moment >> i remember hearing the men talk about 2:30 in the morning i said, we getting ready to die, these people are going to kill us >> reporter: today, reverend parker was at the white house to bear witness once again, this time history being made in his cousin's name. >> i just signed into law the emmett till anti-lynching act. >> reporter: president biden signed the first law that makes lynching a federal hate crime, passed unanimously in the senate this month. >> racial hate isn't an old problem, it is a persistent problem. >> reporter: congress tried and failed to pass anti-lynching laws two times more than a century. it imposes prison term up to 30 years on a person that commits a hate crime that results in death, serious injury, and includes kidnapping, sexual abuse or intent to kill. lawmakers that worked on the bill say it would apply to cases like the 2020 killing of ahmaud arbery, the black man killed by

three white men. the killers were convicted of federal hate crimes. >> took 100 years, over 100 years, but it tells us that there's hope. >> reporter: today's signing a testament to a teenager never forgotten, a step forward in civil rights long overdue kristen welker, nbc news, the white house. that's "nightly news" for this tuesday thank you for watching i am lester holt please take care of yourself and ♪♪ oh i bet you think you're john wayne ♪ ♪ showing up and shooting down everybody ♪

♪ you're classic in the wrong way ♪ ♪ and we all know the end of the story ♪ ♪ 'cause everyone knows someone who kills the buzz ♪ ♪ every time they open up their mouth ♪ ♪ yeah everyone knows someone who knows someone ♪ ♪ who thinks they're cooler than everybody else ♪ ♪ and i think we've seen enough seen enough ♪ ♪ to know that you ain't ever gonna come down ♪ ♪ so why don't you giddy up giddy up ♪ ♪ and ride straight out of this town? ♪ ♪ you and your high horse mmm-mmm ♪ ♪ you and your high horse mmm-mmm ♪ ♪ darling you take the high horse and i'll take the high road ♪

♪ mmm-mmm ♪ ♪ if you're too good for us you'll be good riding solo ♪ mmm-mmm ♪ ♪ you ain't ever gonna come down ♪ ♪ mmm-mmm ♪ ♪ you ain't ever gonna come down ♪♪ [cheers and applause] >> kelly: all right, welcome to "the kelly clarkson show,." one more time for my band y'all! that was kacey musgraves "high horse," julia in our audience requested it, what is your connection to that song? >> thank you so much for playing that song.

>> kelly: i love kacey. it's because i've been a fan of her for so long and when she wrote her's album "golden hour" it was about being in loveost rm "star-crossed" is about her breakup. in my relationship was on the same timeline, so i feel like it's a lot more powerful to me. and the song "high horse" i absolutely love a great song about not letting anyone tell you that they are better than you. >> kelly: that's what i love about her record, she is very raw and honest. as a singer-songwriter she is so cool. thank you for joining us today. everybody you are in for a real good time today. he is one of the og judges on "america idol" who helped to launch my career. i am very thankful. now the host of "name that tune," randy jackson is here! [cheers and applause] then we will meet a san francisco man taking ropes f landfills by turning them into dog leashes. it's theus our spring forward u.

steak continues, we will learn the best things to do in san francisco. i'm excited about that. let's get to our first guest who has one of the most dulcet voices in the world, and that is not a word you throw around lightly or really ever say. our writers are awesome. he has sold over 75 million albums and won four grammys. his new album is called "higher" available wherever you get your music. give it up for michael buble! [cheers and applause] ♪ ♪ [cheers and applause] ♪ ♪ >> kelly: oh, my gosh! >> michael: oh, my goodness. >> kelly: you look very dapper! >> michael: so nice of you to say. >> kelly: we can see people. >> michael: i love that you have a botox station in the back. >> kelly: i have not used it.

>> michael: and your audience is so beautiful. >> kelly: they are here! it has taken us, i love that you notice us, it has taken a minute to get here, michael. >> michael: i notice the second, i saw a guy out there he was so happy, had a blue shirt and suspenders and i thought look at how a -- look at you, dude! you look so lovely r into each other, but was it "the voice"? >> michael: i think so and then we had dinner with blake. >> kelly: that was fun, we all drank. it was good. >> michael: yeah. >> kelly: i love their food. congrats you have a new baby now. y'all make some babies. >> michael: you make beautiful babies too. >> kelly: but two. >> michael: once youith each other. >> michael: we are really excited to be expecting and i'm really lucky that she loves me.

>> kelly: did you want a fourth? or was it like in group c's! >> michael: i wanted a fourth, but it definitely was a whip seed. >> kelly: i feel like third or fourth sari. >> michael: it's just more excited, and i think i wanted -- i am digging myself into a deep hole. >> kelly: she was more excited? >> michael: i like the part about making it so much, you know? and i think that's the part that i was really into that. and what's really funny is so on christmas eve i told the kids, and we are like like there's a baby coming. five and seven, so the 5-year-old he was devastated and we're like oh, no, you don't want it -- he said no, why -- why didn't you invite me when you fell in love i made the baby?

>> kelly: oh, my gosh. >> michael: and i still don't know how to answer that. >> kelly: some things you don't share. we are not that kind of family. my kids are -- they want me to have one. they constantly come home and are like as their baby and i'm like i know it might appear so, but no. they are just dying for me to have a baby because her older sister had a baby so now they just want to baby. if i had a baby they would be so jealous, you do not want me to have a baby. but it's kind of cool. >> michael: it's the greatest thing that willn to me in, i don't want to be all gooey about it. but my little -- my 8-year-old is just growing into a little dude, so i need -- i just mean more. and this is it, i think my wife is done. >> kelly: my little girl is literally almost as tall as me and she is eight. i'm just short. but i'm like what happen? i was like where did it go, i

don't know where it went.