>> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt good eveningwhe words have failed to deter, the u.s. and its nat splay of mil fire power in eastern europe might discourage a russian incursion into ukraine. the pentagon tonight placing 8,500 troops on heightened alert status many of them earmarked to join a nato response force should the decision to activate it come tonight russia again saying it has no plans to invade, but its posture, roughly 100,000 troops arrayed at ukraine's doorstep, may speak otherwise. as a precaution, families of american embassy workers have been told to leave the country amid worries russia is already planning the seeds of a political takeover it's where we start tonight with nbc chief foreign correspondent andrea mitchell. >> reporter: with fears rising that russia could invade ukraine, president biden tonight considering a major show of force near russia, putting up to 8,500 u.s. troops on heightened alert, mostly as part of a nato response force. >> military action by russia could come at any time. >> reporter: the president from camp david this weekend, reviewing pentagon proposals to move thousands of u.s. troops to nato countries around ukraine, fly bombers over the region, and send ships to the black sea. nato also putting more troops on stand-by and sending additional fighter jets and warships >> what this is about though is reassurance to our nato allies. >> reporter: this afternoon the president, after a secure video conference from the situation room with european allies, insisting they are united >> i had a very, very, very good meeting, total unanimity with all of the european leaders. >> reporter: but nato is divided ukraine's closest neighbors pleading for help germany stalling on delivery of german-made artillery to ukraine france wanting the european union, not the u.s., to lead talks with russia. russia denies it plans to invade despite sending more troops and jets to ukraine border the u.s. ordering embassy employees and families to leave while they can and warning civilians not to travel to ukraine or russia. upsetting ukraine's government which called those moves excessively cautious and premature. but u.s. intelligence also warns russia could justify invading by toppling ukraine' president and installing a puppet government answering to moscow. >> there are a series of other actions that they've taken in the past and are preparing to take potentially in ukraine. it is important they be put on notice. >> reporter: the u.s. is letting russia know it could slap new export bans on semiconductors, potentially crippling russia's strategic industry and military, from smartphones and tablets to military jets and civilian aerospace. lester >> thank you let's bring in kelly o'donnell from the white house. kelly, do we know when the president will make a decision on any troop deployments? >> reporter: officials tell us in the coming days as the white house monitors putin's troo buildup and we are told the president is considering additional troops in places in eastern european countries that request help to fortify their defenses that would be separate from the troops sent to work for nato lester >> kelly, the president making headlines tonight also about, i guess, a hot mic moment where he is cursing at a fox news reporter let me play that >> thank you, guys >> will you take some questions on inflation then >> this is - >> thank you >> thank you all >> do you think it's a political liability? >> that's a great asset. >> thank you >> more inflation. what a stupid son of a bitch. >> kelly, what is white house saying about this tonight >> reporter: well, we have not heard back from the white house we have asked about this reporters were asking about ukraine because the president has not responded yet about whether he has decided to deploy u.s. troops. clearly it is a critical issue and reporters will ask about it he made the point he does not like when questions are asked about a subject other than the planned event, which in this case was about middle class families and the economy. lester >> kelly o'donnell at the white house, thank you. fears about ukraine and inflation sent the stock market plunging for a while today, the dow dropping more than 1,000 points but then, look at this, a stunning comeback, actually closing up almost 100 points but the ride may not be over. here is tom costello >> unbelievably, we are up across the board for the three major averages. >> reporter: it was a gut-wrenching roller coaster ride on wall street today with last-minute buyers jumping in to pull the market out of a steep nosedive at its lowest point, the dow jones industrial down more than 1,100 points before climbing back and closing up 99, a 1,200-point swing. driving the volatility, concern about a potential russian invasion of ukraine and the global economic fall-out. while at home, corporate earnings are coming in as inflation hits 40-year highs, driving prices higher from the grocery aisles to car lots >> the president does not look at the stock market as a means by which to judge the economy. >> reporter: after the s&p 500 index ran up a stunning 27% in 2021, the market has been sliding for much of this month, with the federal reserv expected to raise interest rates as much as one percentage point this year to tame inflation >> seems like a lot to happen in a year, but, remember, we will still be below where we were with the federal fund's interest rate before the pandemic started. >> reporter: 56% of americans are invested in stocks so what should average investors do in a volatile market? >> long-term investments in the stock market should be five years or more so you don't invest the money to build the deck you don't invest the money to buy a new car. you don't invest the money to generate your income when you are retired. >> tom, the fed is expected to announce this rate hike plan on wednesday. how will this play out this year? >> reporter: three or four quarter-point rate hikes this year are expected depending on whether inflation comes under control, but the global supply chain problems could actually cause inflation to stay rather stubborn this year, lester >> all right tom costello, thank you. let's turn to covid now. while infection rates are now leveling off or dropping in parts of the country, hospitalizations and deaths are still rising health officials are warning we are not out of the woods miguel almaguer with the latest >> reporter: for a nation on the brink of a covid catastrophe, tonight clear signs of optimism and what appears to be the impending end to omicron's dangerous surge. as cases continue their steep decline in pockets of the country, new infections are down 14% across the u.s the climb of new cases over the course of the pandemic reaching peaks and valleys, and now finally after omicron's unprecedented spike experts say the most serious threat may be over by next month >> we would like it to get down to that level where it doesn't disrupt us in the sense of getting back to a degree of normality. that's the best-case scenario. >> reporter: while omicron's wave may crest by mid-february, its wake is still rippling across the country. every day more than 2,200 americans are still dying. 16 states, hit later by omicron, have cases spiking by over 100% >> we have all reached the point where we're just so burnt out. >> reporter: many on the front lines are struggling to see the end to the spike >> things are sort of at unprecedented levels, and the numbers of patients that we're seeing that require emergency acute care services is overwhelming our ability to really supply those services. >> reporter: as the first free n95 masks arrive at select grocery stores and pharmacies in the midwest, americans are also starting to receive their free home covid test kits with millions more expected to arrive in the coming days. tonight, tools aimed at curbing the pandemic coming as the nation hopes to turn the corner miguel almaguer, nbc news some tragic news tonight from baltimore where three veteran firefighters were killed as they fought a fire in a vacant row house. they became trapped after part of the building collapsed a fourth firefighter was pulled out and is in serious condition the mayor there calling it a gut-wrenching tragedy for the city, the fire department, and the families in new york city the man police say was wounded when he fatally shot one officer and injured another on friday has died it comes as a spike in violent crime has some american cities on edge let's get more now from stephanie gosk. >> reporter: the new year is already off to a heartbreaking start for new york city's finest five nypd officers shot so far. >> we're going to get trigger pullers off the streets and guns out of their hands. >> reporter: friday 22-year-old rookie jason rivera was killed his partner, wilbert mora, gravely wounded when they responded to a domestic disturbance call police say lashawn mcneil opened fire using an illegal handgun with an extended magazine capable of holding 40 rounds hundreds gathered to honor rivera on sunday it is not just in new york in houston a deputy was shot and killed during a traffic stop. in d.c. police were responding to a man acting suspiciously when he started shooting, injuring one officer. have you seen violence against police officers at this level in your career >> i have not. i have worked 36 years in law enforcement, and i can tell you it is the worse i have seen it. >> reporter: last year over 300 police officers were shot nationwide, 63 killed. >> we see all of this rhetoric, all of these attacks, these dehumanizing of law enforcement. it is really eroding the respect for our profession. >> reporter: the violence against police comes as major american cities struggle with violent crime. homicides nationwide surged nearly 30% in 2020, and while some cities saw homicides drop back down last year, at least 15 cities broke their all-time records in 2021, including milwaukee, austin, tucson, and philadelphia, which had its highest murder total in over 30 years. in new york mayor eric adams was elected on a promise to fight crime. >> we will not surrender our city to the violent few. >> reporter: now battling a threat against the crime fighters he is relying on officer rivera's funeral will be held here at st. patrick's cathedral on friday. his partner, officer mora, is in an icu tonight fighting for his life lester >> stephanie gosk, thank you. as part of that surge in violent crime, many american cities are seeing a dramatic rise in carjackings. gabe gutierrez has more on that >> reporter: this nypd body camera video from earlier this month shows a brazen carjacking in broad daylight in midtown manhattan. the suspect plowed into parked cars as police tried to stop him. in a separate incident, a 14-year-old suspec was just arrested for this carjacking weeks ago, a particular crime that in new york city surged 55% last year also, in 2021 philadelphia saw an 85% jump a congresswoman's car was recently swiped in broad daylight there so far this year, the city's already reported more than 100 carjackings. >> carjackers have been utilizing a bump-and-run technique where the perpetrators initiate the carjacking by tapping your vehicle with their vehicle. >> reporter: in washington, d.c. a council candidate was carjacked earlier this month. >> as soon as i came out, the vehicle was instantly in my face and guns were pointed in my face. >> reporter: in minneapolis 655 carjackings last year. in cleveland, 433. on new year's eve shane bartek was killed during one. >> mostly shane wanted to be remembered as someone who cared. >> reporter: police stress you should know what the carjacking hot spots are, residential driveways, gas stations while drivers fill up their cars, atms, and streets with poor lighting the main advice police say is be aware of your surroundings, and once you get in your car make it a habit to start the vehicle and drive away immediately, lester. >> gabe gutierrez, thank you. in just 60 seconds the raging battle over masks in schools reaching a fever pitch now in one state, and the supreme court agrees to hear the most serious challenge to college affirmative action in years. in minnesota today the federal trial of three former officers charged in the death of george floyd getting under way today. the three are accused of violating floyd's civil rights by failing to provide medical assistance as a fourth officer, derek chauvin, kneeled on his neck for more than nine minutes. chauvin was convicted last year of murder and sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison let's return now to the pandemic and the explosive situation in virginia over mask requirements in public schools. seven school districts suing the governor today over his order to make them optional. catie beck with that story tonight. >> my children will not come to school on monday with a mask on. >> reporter: to mask or not to mask, a question now reaching a boiling point in virginia's schools >> we must keep our county mask mandate in place. not only do we need it, but we as students demand it. >> reporter: in effect monday, newly elected virginia governor glenn youngkin's executive order allowing parents to decide whether their child should wear a mask at school, undoing the previous statewide mandate. >> it means that our son will be able to breathe more freely, and we -- we have looked forward to this day for a very long time. >> reporter: while some districts are celebrating the new direction, others stand firmly against it, saying it puts children's health and safety at risk at a critical time. several districts refusing to comply with the order and requiring students to continue wearing masks. seven of them now taking youngkin to court, challenging an order they call unconstitutional >> i honestly don't want my kids in masks forever at school. that's just not, you know, feasible but they know it is the right thing to do to protect others. >> reporter: the governor's office responding monday, saying they will defend their order as the legal process plays out and that they're disappointed that these school boards are ignoring parents' rights. youngkin himself tweeting guidance on the ongoing battle over the weekend i urge everyone to love your neighbor, to listen to school principals, and to trust the legal process. lester, this issue is not unique to virginia we are seeing similar school standoffs happening in arizona, florida, and texas many of these fights will end up in court and could take weeks, even months, to be decided. lester >> catie beck, thank you. a major development tonight for the future of affirmative action in college admissions the supreme court will hear an appeal by opponents who say it discriminates against white and asian students pete williams is here. pete, why is the court's decision to hear the case raising alarms >> because this is the most serious threat in decades, lester, to considering a student's race in admissions the court agreed to hear two cases challenging race-conscious admissions at a private school, harvard, and a public one, the university of north carolina at chapel hill. the court has repeatedly ruled that a student's race can be considered as a plus factor in helping schools achieve the educational benefits of a more diverse student body, but two justices who ruled in favor of affirmative action in the past, anthony kennedy and ruth bader ginsberg, are gone they were succeeded by trump appointees brett kavanaugh and amy coney barrett. they haven't written much on the subject but it's likely they'll be more skeptical. the court will hear the case in the next term which begins in october and that means a decision is at least a year away. lester >> thank you for that. up next, as tax season begins, what you need to know about your refund and the new rules. this is the first day of tax season with the irs struggling and some new rules to contend with we asked stephanie ruhle to map out what we can expect. >> reporter: this year filing taxes could be more complicated, from how to file to what to claim, especially if you haven't received what you are entitled to >> the tax credit came and went you never got any money? >> i haven't seen a dime of it yet. >> reporter: bridget gave birth to her son kiernan last march making her eligible for the monthly child tax credit she and her husband were banking on the extra financial help >> i logged on to the irs website so many times this past year trying to figure out how to apply. >> reporter: she never got it and plans to file her taxes as soon as possible to get that money as part of this year's refund >> this tax refund is one of the most important windfalls, probably the largest windfall that most of us get. >> reporter: if you collected unemployment benefits because you were out of work in 2021, this year, unlike last, you will have to pay taxes on the benefits if you didn't get a stimulus check and were entitled to one, claim it on your taxes. and as for the child tax credit, while parents may be owed money there's a caveat >> you may end up owing more than you think because if your income rose throughout the year, for instance, that would be a case when you may not get as much on your taxes as you think. >> reporter: and, most importantly, experts suggest filing electronically, especially if you want to get your refund faster stephanie ruhle, nbc news up next, the epic weekend in the nfl even if you are not a big football fan, what happened in the playoffs this weekend was remarkable the dazzling display of a new generation. here is sam brock. >> reporter: it is rare for a hyped nfl weekend to actually exceed expectations. >> he might be gone! he is! kansas city takes the lead. >> reporter: with the bills/chiefs barn burner sunday night did just that. capping a scintillating 48 hours of football. >> and there it is! >> reporter: that delivered four walk-offs, three game-winning field goals, and a window into a new generation of league leaders. allen, mahomes and burrow, ready to rip the mantle from icons like brady and rodgers. >> we will play teams like this in games like this. >> reporter: precisely what scares the rest of the league, a jaw-dropping young quarterback talent as the faces of the nfl for years, the two number 12s, both suffered razor thin defeats, prompting questions about where they will be next year >> truthfully, guys, i'm thinking about this game and not thinking about anything past five minutes from now. >> reporter: while brady failed to pull off a miracle comeback for the bucs, he has perhaps permanently shifted expectations of what players are capable of doing at this age >> but it is definitely changing the way guys like aaron rodgers or russell wilson look at the rest of their careers. >> reporter: long-time bucs fans just appreciating the ride >> we just watched history, so, you know, they didn't win. he's not god, but he's pretty close >> he's pretty close. >> reporter: a nod to a career that will never be replicated as the nfl now eyes its future sam brock, nbc news, tampa. >> some amazing performances that's "nightly news" for this monday. thank you for watching, everyone i'm lester holt. please take care of yourself and each other. good night >> ball game! ♪♪ thousands of women with metastatic breast cancer are living in the moment and taking ibrance. ibrance with an aromatase inhibitor is for postmenopausal women or for men with hr+, her2- metastatic breast cancer as the first hormonal based therapy. ibrance plus letrozole significantly delayed disease progression versus letrozole. ibrance may cause low white blood cell counts that may lead to serious infections. ibrance may cause severe inflammation of the lungs. both of these can lead to death. tell your doctor if you have new or worsening chest pain, cough, or trouble breathing. before taking ibrance, tell your doctor if you have fever, chills, or other signs of infection, liver or kidney problems, are or plan to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding. for more information about side effects talk to your doctor. ♪♪ be in your moment. ask your doctor about ibrance. covid cases starting to fall. so what happens next? we're talking about why health experts are cautiously optimistic about the end of the emergency stage of the pandemic. and how much could our lives change in the coming months. a wild fire in the middle of what's been a very wet winter. chief meteorologist makes sense of what's going on. and how this is linked to climate change. >> were the rams trying to keep the niner fans from the weekend's big play off game? the drama unfolding over tickets and what oo fans are going to do about it. >> good evening. it has been a long two