on our broadcast tonight, price hike. the cost of gas up again. every day now for over a month, with prices now really hurting everybody who drives. the question tonight is, what's driving this surge? the get-away. president obama's three-day golf outing in florida and the reason why all we can show you is the front gate. tonight, thehite house decision to keep cameras away. incoming. days after an exploding meteor shook the earth, the race to find what's left behind and all eyes are sky ward for signs of more close encounters. and the spectacular sight off the coast of california. dolphins as far as the eye can see. tonight, what may be the best explanation. "nightly news" begins now.

from nbc news world headquarters in new york, this is "nbc nightly news" with brian williams. good evening. it's been called a kind of regressive tax that hurts all americans, and especially if you commute by car. if you filled up prior to the workweek or filled up to head out on a presidents' day holiday break, then you know what has happened to the price of gas, up every day for a month now. and still rising. and those americans with no choice but to buy gas are highly suspicious as to what's causing this increase right now. it's where we begin tonight. tom costello is in bethesda, maryland. tom, good evening. >> reporter: hi, brian. good evening to you. $3.99 at this gas station right here. the timing is not good for this. the economy is fragile, and all the money that is going into gas tanks, it would and could be going into instead groceries, maybe a movie out, maybe a dinner out. at gas stations across the country, customers are asking

the same question. what could possibly send gas prices up 43 cents in a month? that's an extra $8.60 on a 20-gallon car. in chicago, more than that, up 70 cents in a month to 4.$4.22 gallon. for taxi driver ray hubert, that's real money. >> it digs into my pocket. i pay for my own gas, nobody else pays for it. >> reporter: in los angeles, up 50 cents in a month to $4.28, some stations charging more than $5 a gallon. >> it doesn't make sense. we went to vegas last weekend and the prices were like $1.50 less. >> reporter: were portland to portland, gas prices have risen every day for the last month. >> the rising gasoline prices is extraordinary for this time of year. we usually see this happen as we go into the summer driving season. >> reporter: what's going on? analysts say the reasons are many. chinaa is demanding more oil every day to power its growing economy. just as opec cut some of its output. and international sanctions are

reducing the amount of uriniian oil on the world market. at home, refineries are shutting down from maintenance as they prepare to switch to a summer blend. then market speculation and a weaker dollar play a role. in san diego -- >> hey, i'm a waitress. come on. i'm not making 200 grand a year. >> reporter: the price at the pump can quickly add to the cost of the daily commute. a 40-mile round-trip, 22 days a month, averaging 22 mpg at $3.50 a gallon costs $140 a month. at today's average of $3.73 a gallon, $149 a month. at $4.25 a gallon, $170. and at $4.50 a gallon, $180 a month. >> we have to work, so we keep coming to work every day. but you have to put gas in your car to come to work. >> reporter: 43 cents in a month. the national average, $3.73 right now. and the experts are saying they don't think that we will get over $4 a gallon for a national

avera average. but california, illinois, will see over $4 and approaching $5 in the coming weeks, brian. >> a lot of money. tom costello starting us off in bethesda, maryland. thanks. olympic track star oscar pistorius is due back in court tomorrow after spending nearly a week now in a jail in south africa, accused of murdering his girlfriend on valentine's day. tonight we're getting new details on what police may have found inside the pistorius' home. nbc's michelle kosinski with us from pretoria, south africa. good evening. >> hi, brian, oscar pistorius months ago made olympic history. this career had him set to race on four continents in the next few months. nike says it will no longer use him in ads. he is here in jail, preparing to face prosecutors in court tomorrow. oscar pistorius, brought to jail on valentine's day, the day his

girlfriend was shot to death seen in these exclusive pictures, covering his face with his jacket. since then, visits from his family, agent, friends and lawyers. tomorrow he will be back in court for a bond hearing the same day as reeva steenkamp's funeral. >> just taking things one day at a time. and we'll get through tomorrow to remember my sister and all the goodness that she stood for. >> you fall in love with being in love with love. it's just one love everywhere. >> reporter: for many here, it has been chilling to see her in life, in her new reality show that aired this weekend. >> the way that you go out and make your exit is so important. you either made an impact in a positive way or a negative way. >> reporter: newspapers here have been full of sensational details attributed to unnamed police sources. they say investigators are testing pistorius' blood for steroids, which they might have found in his home, that a bloody cricket bat found in the bedroom is now being examined.

police brief steenkamp was shot in pistorius owe bedroom and then through a door. and friends of pistorius both say he frantically called him early that morning. i said to him, what are you talking about? he then repeated himself. there has been a terrible accident. i shot reeva. the other friend reportedly says she arrived at the house to see pistorius carrying a gravely wounded but breathing reeva down the stairs, and that they both tried to save her. police have said pistorius did not call paramedics, and that shouting was heard at the house earlier this night. his family strongly denies this was murder. of a young woman whose big television break is now being shown as a tribute to her spirit. >> just always be true to yourself. and i'm going to miss you all so much. and i love you very, very much. >> reporter: so this bond hearing tomorrow, legal experts feel there is a good chance pistorius will be released on the grounds that he's not a flight risk or dangerous.

but each side will make its case, and in that we should learn much more about why exactly prosecutors are calling this premeditateded murder, brian. >> michelle kosinski, pretoria, south africa for us tonight. thanks. as the horror stories continue to emerge from on board, the coast guard said today they figured out what caused the fire on the carnival cruise ship "triumph" that knocked out the power and left more than 4,000 passengers and crew stranded with no circulating air, hot food or working toilets for four days. fire started, it turns out, when a fuel line connected to a generator leaked oil on to a very hot surface. coast guard officials say it will take up to six months to do a complete investigation. venezuelan president hugo chavez returned after cancer treatment. he has not made an appearance himself. he was taken straight to a hospital. hasn't been seen in public since he left for cuba. but last week the government did

release still photos of him with his daughters and one of them they are looking at a cuban newspaper from last thursday. president obama returns to washington tonight following a presidents' day weekend golf vacation in florida. yesterday's for some was a memorable one, since one of the four was tiger woods. that's a first for both men. the presidential golf outing is a long-time tradition. so is the desire to stay out of camera range, most of the time. though this might be a little different. nbc's andrea mitchell is with us tonight from washington with more. andrea, good evening. >> good evening, brian. the president's downtime is very special time. the white house also has made a commitment to have a small group of reporters following him everywhere he goes. all that blew up this weekend in florida when white house reporters were locked out of an exclusive golf club and only found out that the world's most powerful man was playing a round with the world's most famous golfer on twitter from the golf

channel. when fdr died in warm springs, georgia in 1945, white house reporters were in washington. when president eisenhower had his first heart attack after playing 27 holes of golf outside denver in 1955, the press corps was first told it was indie jegs. ronald reagan rode horseback at his ranch out any coverage. president bill ton had to be carried off tearing his achilles tendon. the traveling press corps, miles away. most americans understand, the presidency is 24/7. presidents deserve time off beyond weekends at camp david. there is also something else at work here, historians say. be prepared to see a different barack obama in the second term compared to the first term. willing to do things that may reflect negatively on him, like playing golf with a controversial figure like tiger woo woods. >> it's true that if he had played golf with tiger woods during the campaign, it might have been interpreted differently. and anything was fair game or a

source of controversy in a campaign. so, of course, he feels more liberated now to do something like that. >> reporter: the white house president corps only found out from the golf channel's tim roseford on twitter and then on air. >> to see them drive off to the first tee, tiger in the passengers seat to play together and they had a blast. >> reporter: while cameras are never howed to see much, president bush 41 welcomed coverage in kennebunkport, president's clinton and obama have seen on martha's vineyard. and president bush 43 talked about terrorism on the golf course. >> i call upon all nations to do everything they can to stop these terrorist killers. thank you. now watch this drive. >> reporter: and this white house was eager to show the president enjoying quality time with john boehner and bill clinton. >> this is not about a trivial issue like a golf game. we don't really care about the president's score. what we care about is access to the president of the united states. whether it's a democrat or a

republican. >> reporter: tonight the white house says that cameras were kept out because the president was playing on a private course and they were planning to announce the round with tiger woods at the end of the day, had it not been tweeted out first. brian? >> andrea mitchell in our d.c. newsroom. thanks. one more note about the president and awful gun violence that has shaken chicago. in a state of the union address, you may recall, he spoke about the murder of a teenage girl a mile from his chicago home. just this past friday, he spoke movingly about the gun violence that plagues part of that city. behind him, a group of students from hyde park academy, one of those students was 14-year-old destiny warren, just hours after she appeared at that event, her own sister, 18, was killed in a hail of gunfire as she walked with a group of friends. police say the shots were meant for someone else. country music singer mindy mccready was just 37 years old when she apparently took her own life yesterday at her arkansas home. today, her short life was being

remembered. the bout with stardom, heart brake, addiction, family trouble and personal loss. our report tonight from nbc's andrea canning. >> reporter: mindy mccready was once at the top of the country music charts. ♪ guys do it all the time >> reporter: on sunday, the singer apparently took her own life on the front porch of her arkansas lake house, a place police had visited just weeks before. >> this is where you found him. on the front porch. >> reporter: it was here she discovered the body of her boyfriend, david wilson. the cause of his death is still under investigation. >> he touched my soul. he was my soul mate. >> reporter: today the country music community is mourning mccready's death. carrie underwood tweeted, so sad for her family. winona judd, it breaks my heart what addiction continues to take from this life. in recent years, mccready had become better known for her problems than her promise.

she struggled with drugs and depression, attempting suicide multiple times. >> mindy was her own worst enemy. she was chasing the success that she had from her album in 1996, and it just didn't come to her. and so she fell into really dark times. >> reporter: a mother of two young boys, creedy was also a fighter. in 2012, she won a bitter custody battle. but after wilson's death, she lost them to foster care. mccready entered a treatment facility, but soon after was released to outpatient care. in her last television interview, she was optimistic. >> how do you keep getting through all these hard times? >> i just keep telling myself that the more suffering that i go through, the greater character i'll have. >> reporter: in a weekend phone call to a friend, mccready talked about a new song, "i'll see you yesterday." ♪ see you yesterday >> reporter: today, he believes it may have been her way of saying goodbye.

mccready leaves her 10-month-old and 6-year-old sons behind. she was 37 years old. andrea canning, nbc news, new york. when we come back here tonight, picking up the pieces. quite literally in russia after that meteor that scared the daylights out of every one. and all eyes to the sky, looking for the next close encounter. later on, the spectacular scene in southern california. no one has quite seen anything quite like it. my bad. tell me you have good insurance. yup, i've got... [ voice of dennis ] ...allstate. really? i was afraid you'd have some cut-rate policy. nope, i've got... [ voice of dennis ] the allstate value plan. it's their most affordable car insurance -- and you still get an allstate agent. i too have... [ voice of dennis ] allstate. [ normal voice ] same agent and everything. it's like we're connected. no we're not. yeah, we are. no, we're not. ♪ ask an allstate agent about the value plan. are you in good hands?

we awoke last friday to the meteor streaking across the russian sky and then we saw the video. thousands of them. and now there are a lot of new questions about whether we're doing enough to be on the lookout for another direct hit with the planet earth. while on the ground, pieces of that space rock are going for a hefty price. the story tonight from nbc's stephanie gosk. >> reporter: after the meteor smashed through the atmosphere,

shattering windows in russia, and nerves around the world, it broke into pieces, meteorites. most landed near this frozen lake. the largest piece may still be under water. the search to find them is on. there are reports that residents are trying to sell the meteorites for as much as $10,000. a lot of money for a rock. but things from outer space can fetch a good price. from collectors like dave keys willing. >> i would love to house a piece of this in my collection and every collector on the planet would. no question about it. >> the famous peek skill meteor was auctioned off for more than $60 to you, caught on camera before it took out the taillight of a chevy malibu. fascination in meteorites and fear has piqued since friday. two triggered a flood of anxious calls to authorities. even though those types of sightings are common. the new vigilance after the meteor in russia is a good thing, says former astro

inaudible, ed lou. >> you can think of this as a giant game of roulette with the whole earth. >> reporter: lou has started an organization looking to build the first-ever, privately funded, deep case telescope to track meteors. he believes people don't truly appreciate the danger. there's only ever been one recorded fatality from a meteorite. 1972 in a farm in venezuela, a meteor streaks through the sky and kills a cow. scientists say the poor thing never stood a chance. today at new york's natural history museum, there wasn't a lot of concern. just curiosity. >> whenever i hear about meteorite falling, i get all excited and stuff. >> reporter: the rocks can tell us a lot says the museum's expert. >> they tell us about the formation of planets. and most importantly and subtly, they tell us about the dynamic history of the solar system. >> reporter: a dynamic history that continues to unfold. sometimes dangerously close. stephanie gosk, nbc news, new york.

>> when we come back, the first lady explains a highly visible decision she made on her 49th birthday. this is $100,000. we asked total strangers to watch it for us. thank you so much. i appreciate it. i'll be right back. they didn't take a dime. how much in fees does your bank take to watch your money? if your bank takes more money than a stranger, you need an ally. ally bank. your money needs an ally. but with advair, i'm breathing better. so now i can be in the scene. advair is clinically proven to help significantly improve lung function. unlike most copd medications, advair contains both an anti-inflammatory and a long-acting bronchodilator working together to help improve your lung function all day.

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the founder of a sports empire, the long-time owner of the l.a. lakers, has died. jerry bus turned them into a powerhouse in sports. for example, think of the stars we know by a single name. magic, karim, kobe and shaq, for starters. bus was a chemist by trade, who remembered waiting in bread lines during the at the precious. he made money in real estate, bought himself a lavish life, and brought brilliance and innovation to sports marketing. jerry bus was 80 years old. history has been made at this year's daytona 500. danica patrick has qualified for the pole position, and will lead the pack for nascar's biggest event on sunday. jeff gordon was able to brag how he was the fastest guy out there during qualifying. he will start alongside patrick on the front row.

office supply stores may be like airlines. there could just be a few big ones left. there are reports today that office maximum and office depot are thinking of becoming one. they would combine forces to go up against the industry leader, staples. she said it with a smile, but first lady michelle obama says her much-discussed and mildly controversial bangs were the result of a mid life crisis on her 49th birthday. in an interview with rachael ray, she joked that they won't allow her to bungee jump, and she can't buy a sports car so instead, she says, she got bangs. up next here tonight, what beautiful thing is going on off the coast of california. aspirin, really? i haven't thought about aspirin for years. aspirin wouldn't really help my headache, i don't think. aspirin is just old school. people have doubts about taking aspirin for pain. but they haven't experienced extra strength bayer advanced aspirin. in fact, in a recent survey, 95% of people who tried it agreed

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a fidelity ira has a wide range of investment choices to help you fine-tune your personal economy. call today and we'll make it easy to move that old 401(k) to a fidelity no-fee ira. finally tonight, the extraordinary sight in southern california, and what it might mean. put it this way. if you've ever spotted a dolphin out on the water in the wild, you know it's really something. but it's something else entirely when dolphins are just about all you can see by the thousands. perhaps even tens of thousands of them on the surface of the water at one time. some people have witnessed just that. we get our report tonight from

los angeles, and nbc's diana alve alvear. >> reporter: at first, there were just a few. then dozens, perhaps thousands of dolphins swimming near san diego. victor and maria morassi captured it on camera. >> it was amazing, dolphins everywhere. >> reporter: in just last month, another mega pod was spotted neara dana point up the coast. they usually travel in smaller groups. so what causes the mega pod? biologists believe it may have to do with the food chain, an all-you-can-eat buffet, tailor-made for dolphins. >> we can suspect the food stocks are coming together and the individual pods are following those food stocks. >> reporter: but explaining how thousands of dolphins congregate to feet at the same place at the same time is still a mystery. >> dolphins are social creatures. whether they're calling their friends to come near, we don't know the answer to that.

once they gather, though, we do know that they are very likely communicating with each other. >> reporter: researchers also say the abundance of food may explain recent sightings of larger-than-normal groups of whales. earlier this year, a pod of 23 gray whales was spotted near the busy port of los angeles. the biggest group naturalist elisa shulman janiger has ever seen. >> it was like 4th of july, fireworks popping up around you. >> reporter: whatever the reasons, the morassis say they feel blessed to have witnessed it. >> i knew i was seeing something that i'll probably never see again in my life. >> reporter: front-row seats to a rare natural phenomenon. diana alvear, nbc news, los angeles. >>. and that's our broadcast on this holiday monday night. thank you for being here with us as we start off a new week. i'm brian williams. we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. >>