on our broadcast this monday night, the max, the feds hit toyota with the maximum possible fine for those defective gas pedals. is this the beginning. game on. tiger woods gets ready for the masters and meetshe press. shakeup. a california earthquake hits southern california. how bad was it and what is to come. and the underdogs. they seemingly came out of nowhere. tonight they play for all the marbles and now you will know their names. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television

good evening. we begin with a breaking news story out of west virginia where there has been an accident and apparent explosion in a coal mine. getting coal out of the ground is a daily part of life in that part of the country. it appears disaster has struck the mining industry once again. ron allen has been following this story since the first word of possible loss of life and miners trapped underground. >> reporter: it is difficult to tell exactly what has happened. an explosion in a coal mine can be a difficult and deathly situation. 21 miners are unaccounted for. a mine run by the performance coal company. the explosion happened around 3:30 eastern time. emergency crews and state investigators are racing to the scene to figure out exactly what has happened. families of the miners are also

certainly hoping for the best possible news and fearing the worst and gathering for word about the situation. coal mines like this one in west virginia tend to be in close-nit communities where generations of families have worked the mines. it is unknown exactly how many are trapped, how many may be injured and how many may have perished in what is described as an explosion in a coal mine in west virginia. 21 unaccounted for. >> ron allen on this still breaking story. ron, thanks. the transportation department announced today it is hitting toyota with a fine for failing to report accelerator problems to safety officials in a timely manner. they are hitting the company for the maximum amount allowable. our report from phil lebeau. >> reporter: six months after toyota learned of a problem with sticky gas pedals the japanese auto maker is facing a fine for

not moving fast enough. in fining toyota $16.4 million, secretary of transportation ray lahood says toyota failed to live up to its legal obligations. worst yet, they knowingly hit a dangerous defect for months from u.s. officials. toyota responded saying we have already taken a number of important steps to improve our communications with regulators and customers on safety-related matters as part of our overall commitment to quality assurance. >> safety is first and they are going to have to obey the law. >> reporter: the law requires all automakers to tell the department of transportation within five business days if they find a defect. according to the d.o.t. toyota has known of a defect with sticky gas pedals since at least september 29th but nearly four months passed before toyota recalled 2.3 million vehicles with faultily pedals.

a week later toyota said it would fix the problem by modifying the pedals. 1.2 million have been repaired. toyota can afford to pay a penalty of $16 million, this fine will be costlier in terms of the company's efforts to rebuild consumer trust. toyota could face more fines from the federal government as the department of transportation continues to investigate how the company handled three recent recalls including this one for sticky gas pedals. brian? >> phil lebeau, thanks for that. we have an update on a continuing american spectacle. tiger woods has decided to come back to the game of golf. he is in the masters tournament. to avoid getting hounded by questions, today he took questions from selected members of the media. our report from nbc's kerry sanders in augusta, georgia. >> welcome back, tiger! >> reporter: tiger woods back on the course today with friendly

fans. just about everyone following him during practice held a camera to record the moment. inside the clubhouse at his first press conference since his car accident last fall, selected media, mostly sports reporters were allowed access and tiger spoke first about his fans. >> coming into today i didn't know what to -- what to expect with regards to reception and i tell you what, the galleries couldn't be nicer. it was just incredible. >> reporter: he would not say if the sleeping medication ambien played a part in the thanksgiving weekend accident. >> the police investigated the accident and they cited me 166 bucks. it is a closed case. >> reporter: he would not define what therapy he has been in. >> that is personal. >> reporter: he did share how his secret life cost him.

>> i missed my son's first birthday. something i regret and probably will for the rest of my life. >> reporter: he answered nagging questions, did he use performance-enhancing drugs. >> i have never taken any illegal drug ever. >> reporter: his canadian doctor is under federal investigation for allegedly distributing performance-enhancing drugs to other athletes. is tiger participating in that probe? >> full cooperation whenever they need me. as of now they haven't asked for my time. >> i think he owes people some sort of explanation of what happened and why he wound up flat on his back outside on the street in his house. >> reporter: the news was not what tiger woods said but rather that he spoke at all. the competition here begins on thursday. if tiger woods makes it to the finals and wins the masters, the one person who will not be here with him, his wife, elin.

brian? >> kerry sanders in augusta, georgia. thanks. a lot of people on the west coast are being warned to be ready for aftershocks after yesterday's powerful 7.2 earthquake that left at least two people dead. the quake was centered in mexico but felt by an estimated 25 million americans as far away as arizona and nevada, but mostly in southern california where tonight our own george lewis is near the epicenter. george, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. building inspectors have said 80% of the buildings in calexico, california, are unsafe to enter. a blow to a community hard hit by the recession. as inspectors surveyed the extensive damage, merchants began cleaning up. at the 99 cent store goods were strewn all over the aisles while

clerks tried to keep the business going. there is plenty of home video when the earthquake hit, panic in the streets of mexicali. on twitter, a sloshing swimming pool in california. it is remarkable that no one of the u.s. side of the border was killed. it was a different story south of the border in mexicali where building standards are lax and structures such as this parking garage collapsed. two people on the mexico side were killed and scores injured. after mexicali general hospital was closed after water and electricity failed doctors treated patients outdoors. this man surveyed what was left of his restaurant supply business. >> it started like a normal earthquake, we are used to them. suddenly it was heavy and really bad. >> reporter: scientists believe it started on the la gulaguna s.

forming the tectonic plates that bump against each other they cause earthquakes. >> i think you can consider the whole band of faults in southern california and into northern california to be part of the plate boundary of which the san andreas fault takes 60% of that. >> reporter: her pager was warning of a magnitude. there have been 200 aftershocks of magnitude three or greater. it is an understatement to say nerves are on edge. >> george lewis in southern california, george, thanks for that. now to the child abuse charges that have rattled the catholic church to its foundations. late today an accusation from the recent past and the priest who so far has not answered for

it. nbc's ann thompson has the story from rome tonight. ank, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. most of the cases involved in this crisis are decades old. this one allegedly happened six years ago and involves a priest who was still working. half a world away from where the abuse allegedly occurred. today pope benedict greeted the faithful, retreated after a pressure-packed holy week. the easter celebrations clouded by allegations vatican officials, perhaps the pope himself, helped cover up child abuse by priests. and tonight another salvo, this time from minnesota where two teenage girls say they were raped by a priest in 2004 and 2005. authorities in minnesota are trying to extradite the father from southern india where he now serves with what attorneys say is the approval of the vatican.

>> all roads lead to rome and the top officials there. >> reporter: the bishop of minnesota brought the allegations to the vatican's attention but by that time the priest was in india. charges the priest denies. now the vatican's attorney in the united states in a statement tonight says that the vatican has cooperated with american law enforcement officials and he further says that the vatican recommended that father paul be defrocked however, his bishop in india refused to do so. brian. >> ann thompson reporting from rome. a u.s. consulate in northwest pakistan was the target of at least two suicide bombings today. vehicles packed with explosives killed at least four people. they detonated at security

checkpoints after failing to breach the fortified come pound. secretary of state hillary clinton says she was "outraged and deeply saddened by the attack." when our broadcast continues on a monday night, the new challenge for the people of haiti, already living on the edge after that huge earthquake. killers from indiana pull it off one more time in the big game? get the facts at remax.com. it's a great place to see all the listings in thousands of cities and towns. with tax credits for buyers, low interest rates and down-to-earth prices, the dream of owning a home seems more attainable than ever. find out what an experienced re/max agent can do for you. nobody sells more real estate than re/max. visit remax.com today. i just want fewer pills and relief that lasts all day. take 2 extra strength tylenol every 4 to 6 hours?!? taking 8 pills a day...

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and the city of port-au-prince nearly 12 weeks after that nation suffered such devastation. ever since the quake hit, haiti has been dreading something else. it has now arrived, sadly. the rainy season. our chief medical editor dr. nancy snyderman reports tonight from port-au-prince. >> reporter: the rains unrelenting came at night and continued through morning turning dusty port-au-prince into mud. the only refuge for 2 million haitians a plastic tarp or tent. >> i'm sleeping, okay, i wake up, my shoes like that. >> reporter: with theed a vept of the rainy season every part of port-au-prince is affected including this camp school and clinic knocked out of commission. haitians woke up to a steady rain, muddy and unsafe footing underscoring the real need for safe and permanent housing. evidence of the earth giving way

is everywhere. the problems go beyond the mud. sanitation and clean water were rare, but now with the exception of foreign aid they are almost nonexistent. >> we don't have water. >> reporter: the new latrines are beyond capacity. a toy lel meant to serve 20 people is being used by 500. there is a growing concern the spring rains will trigger the outbreak of disease. a perfect breeding ground for dissenn tear, cholera and malaria. this is the shelter coordinator for an aid worker. home for 2 million is a tent or a tarp for now. >> every four houses get one and after the hurricane season, so beginning next year, every family will get a latrine in our program. >> reporter: a chance to start over and rebuild haiti into a

place that is stronger and safer than it ever was before. dr. nancy snyderman, nbc news, port-au-prince. >> nancy will continue her reporting from there this week on this broadcast. we'll take a break. we are back in a moment with a sure sign of the new season. a special delivery from the president of the united states. [ male announcer ] bobby sinclair. trugreen lawns are easy to spot. that's the hasskamp house. great-looking lawn... hi, bobby. hi, bobby. ...better-looking daughters. i got a solid business plan, too. take the walker's. no trugreen. no thanks. trugreen treats every lawn special. they call it customized service. i call it my ticket to the cover of forbes. [ male announcer ] call 866-trugreen and get a customized plan for a healthy, green lawn, guaranteed. more green, means mo green. [ male announcer ] get a healthy, green lawn today. call trugreen. go greener.

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president obama kept a 100-year tradition alive today by throwing out the first pitch in washington at the nationals home opener against the phillies. the pitch was high and wide, but he avoided the dreaded presidential bounce. associated press reported many more cheers than boos. apparelwise, he split the difference, wearing that jacket and a chicago white sox hat because your team is your team after all. then there's the other part of being president thistime of year. the annual white house easter egg roll. the theme was physical fitness. not surprising given it is the first lady's cause. not in keeping with the traditional season of chocolate

bunnies. there is a new book out on how barack obama got the job in the first place. the book is called "the bridge" written by david remnick, the editor of the new yorker magazine. there are a lot of first time ever reported details, in which he charts obama's rise to the white house especially where race is concerned and find him to be a unique product of his times. >> there are a lot of american characters no matter what the field who make themselves, who create themselves out of what is in the cultural air. it is an american thing, mohammad ali, walt whitman or annie oakley. barack obama grew up in honolulu and had to learn how to be african-american in the absence of african-americans. racial identity is a drama obama had to undergo long after he became comfortable with his own

identity. now he had to play it out in public, in politics. remember, this is a guy who in 2004 goes to the democratic convention in boston and delivers an electrifying speech that makes him a national figure, maybe a world figure and when he gets to logan airport a couple of days later he is pulled aside for extra examination at the security line. he is racially profiled and his campaign manager says what is going on. and obama says, dude, he really said it, dude, don't worry about it. don't sweat it. i have gone through it all my life. he may have not gone through the trials and tribulations of the civil rights generation, he knows what it is to be african-american in this country even at this late date. race is the longest and most painful drama this country has known. so the election of barack obama does not end that, does not solve every ill where race is concerned. far from it, but it was an enormous bridge to the future

that was uplifting to i think many, many people who didn't even agree with him politically. >> there is more of our interview with david remnick on our website nightly.msnbc.com. when we come back, meet the bulldogs, aka, the little engine that could. for insurance, allstate's got a great rep. but for price, it's a different perception. truth is, people who switched their home and car insurance... to allstate saved $503. think it's just hype? call them on it. ♪

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as they always say and liftoff. a predawn liftoff for the space shuttle "discovery." but when the shuttle docks on wednesday we will have a first-time situation in space. four women together on the space station for the first time. the single largest in-space gathering of female astronauts. the milestone comes 47 years after the russians sent the first female cosmonaut into the earth's orbit. it is april so it is fitting march madness has to come to an end. it will tonight. the powerhouse duke against a basketball powerhouse named butler which will be known after this year as the team that came out of virtually nowhere and got

this far, which is causing a kind of madness all its own on the butler campus. our report from nbc's kevin tibbles in indianapolis. >> and butler wins it! butler is going on to the national championship game! >> reporter: the cinderella celebration started saturday night with the defeat of michigan state. >> go bu. >> reporter: and continued on the campus of indiana's butler university today. students grabbing anything with the blue and white of the bulldogs. >> i'm so excited. i couldn't sleep last night. i was so anxious. i want us to win. and, it is like unbelievable. >> we really sucked it up. we are the little school that could. >> reporter: some have called it the ultimate fairy tale, small liberal arts school claws its way to the finals. >> this program has been built on guys ready to contribute to the good of the team and it makes me proud to be their

coach. >> reporter: this tournament has been a homecoming of sorts for the bulldogs. butler isn't even six miles from the massive lucas oil stadium where tonight's tipoff against duke takes place. tonight the cinderella team from the little school up the road gets to go to the big dance in front of 70,000 people and millions more watching on tv. bad news bears they're not. butler's won 25 games in a row, but cinderella, some waiting in line today for last-minute tickets see it differently. >> it is like a david and goliath story. read the bible. david won. >> reporter: the bulldogs play in hinkle fieldhouse where several scenes in the classic "hoosiers" was filmed. >> if you can be the best you can be, i don't care what the scoreboard says at the end of the game, in my book, we are going to be winners. >> reporter: for this year's version of the butler bulldogs a message that very well could ring true tonight.

kevin tibbles, nbc news, indianapolis. that is our broadcast for this monday night. thank you for being with us. i'm brian williams. we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com