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 respo
american military forces? plus, georgia judges clear the way for a special grand jury to help investigate if donald trump illegally pressured officials to overturn the election loss in that state. and president biden caught on a hot mike, this time, using the language to in sult a fox news reporter. the question, what did they discuss in the follow-up phone call? it s way too early for this. good morning. welcome to way too early the show knows all too well the dangers of a hot mic. i m jonathan le mire. we ll start with the news. the pentagon has put thousands of u.s. troops on high alert as fears increase that russia may invade ukraine again. chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitch am has the details for us. reporter: with fears rising that russia could invade ukraine, president biden considering a major show of force near russia putting up to 8500 u.s. troops on heightened alert mostly as part of a nato response force. military action from russia could
o donnell: breaking news: a judge blocks president biden s plan to let migrants claim asylum at the border for the first time in two years. tonight s other top headlines: the u.s. says it will keep 100,000 troops in europe for the foreseeable future. secret service scandal: why two officers were sent home from president biden s asia trip. and, the w.h.o. confirms an outbreak around the globe of monkeypox, with 80 cases so far. tonight, the warning about the rare disease here in the u.s. and, on the road, with the story of one lucky cat, and the family that never gave up hope. this is the cbs eveng news with norah o donnell, reporting from the nation s capital. o donnell: good evening to our viewers in the west and thank you for joining us on this friday night. tonight, you may have noticed that filling up your car or truck is especially painful right now. well, you re not alone, as gas prices are an all-time high. the national average for regular gas now stands at $4.
Also the moment late today, the president caught on a hot mic cursing at a fox news reporter. what he said also tonight, the wild ride on wall street, the dow plunging more than 1,000 points before clawing its way back into the green what s causing the stock volatility the new signs omicron may be in retreat. infections down 14% in a week dr. fauci on when the wave might finally peak and the major new lawsuit filed over masks in school. the supreme court taking up a potential landmark case. could the justices overturn affirmative action at colleges just in, three firefighters killed in a row house inferno in baltimore. what we re learning. news tonight on the man suspected of killing an nypd officer and wounding another. the growing concern over rising violent crime in america s cities the first date to file your taxes. the urgent alert from the irs and how to get your refund faster
That this comes to nothing and putin doesn t engage and sort of backs off, in the face of western unity and western resolve, but at the moment as i say, i think we re in a very perilous instance in international diplomacy in which war is a realistic outcome in the coming days if not weeks. ominous words to be sure. putin no doubt has enhanced russia s standing in the world and his relationship with xi jingping of china something to watch. we appreciate it and hope you come back soon. still ahead, the wild ride on wall street continues. we ll go live to cnbc for a look at the markets ahead of the opening bell. plus, new developments in london. as police are now looking into parties thrown by boris johnson. .