i'm vinita nair. >> and i'm todd connor, for jeremy hubbard. there's twoping news this morning for the desperate search for four miners. >> overnight, rescue teams were back in the big branch mine. this morning, their families are keeping an anxious vigil. david kerley joins us from there. good morning, david. >> reporter: good morning, vinita and todd. two teams of eight are up inside the upper branch mine, look for the four unaccounted miners. a rescue attempt was made yesterday. but it was turned back because of toxic air. but federal officials say they will search the mine for the four unaccounted miners before 94 hours past. decided to pump nitrogen into the mine, to eliminate the possibility of an explosion. that means, though, that the rescue teams are now working with oxygen masks over their face. that makes the task even harder. they're also carrying four extra masks, as well. their goal to search two refuge or safety chambers, where some of the men may have gotten to. if they did get inside one of those chambers, they could survive. t

jeremy and vinita? >> t.j. winick in washington, thanks. >>> there's a breakthrough in possible punishment on iran over its nuclear prom. the development comes after a meeting with president obama and chinese president hu jintao. china was one of the last members to agree to sanctions. >>> the chinese president is one of dozens of leaders in washington for a nuclear summit, which wraps up today. there's just one item on the agenda. keeping nuclear weapons away from terrorists. yesterday's session got a boost when one country announced it would give up a nuclear stockpile. here's john hendren. >> reporter: for president obama, it was a major coup. >> by the time of the next nuclear security summit in 2012. >> reporter: a show of progress on the first day of a 47-nation nuclear security summit. ukraine has the world's third-largest stockpile of highly-enriched uranium. >> just 50 pounds of high-purity uranium, smaller than a soccer ball, could destroy the downtown of all our capital cities and kill tens if not hu

vinita and todd? >>> just five days before toyota's historic recall, an executive warned colleagues they needed to come clean about those defective accelerators. e-mail from that executive revealed strong concerns that toyota officials were not properly addressing those safety problems. toyota has declined to comment. the automaker has recalled more than 6 million vehicles in the u.s. >>> all right, we're in the stretch run this week. here's the thursday forecast already for you. rain and thunderstorms from the gulf coast through the northeast. there's the threat of gusty winds, hail, and an isolated tornado. rain along the coast in the pacific northwest and snow in the mountains. >> another round of very warm temperatures in the east but not as hot as yesterday. the midwest is much cooler with chicago at only 40 with some snowflakes. l.a. is sunny and 80. >>> well, imagine a plane that doesn't need any fuel. here it is, it's a solar-powered plane. it's only a prototype right now but a man in switzerl

i'm vinita nair. >> and i'm todd connor, in for jeremy hubbard today. the explosion at a west virginia coal mine has now become the nation's worst such disaster in a quarter-century. >> overnight, massey energy announced that 25 of its miners are dead. and the dangerous mission to rescue four more has stopped. when families were told the news overnight, some became hysterical. >> this is taking place at the upper big branch main. t.j. winick is tracking the

jeremy, vinita?>> sonia gallego in london with the latest for us, thanks, sonia. >>> as dozens of world leaders gather in washington for a nuclear security summit, president obama says the single biggest threat is a terror group getting a nuclear weapon. it as threat described in a new film by the country's most famous cold warriors. the president screened it just last week. >> terrorist groups like al qaeda, but not limited to al qaeda, are seeking this nuclear material and would like to make a weapon. they've said so and i believe them. >> i started as a skeptic. terrorists, men in caves, can't do this was more or less what i thought coming in as a veteran intelligence officer. and i think some months and maybe a year or two later, when i realized, oh my god, these guys are actually trying to do this. >> ahead of the summit, president obama meets privately with china's president. the u.s. wants china to agree to stronger sanctions against iran over its nuclear program. >>> a bomb exploded near the

todd and vinita? >> you mentioned the rescuers won't give up. do we have an idea when they will continue or resume the work? >> reporter: right now, all we know is the rescuers will head back into the mine once it is properly ventilated. west virginia's governor says the families of the four coal miners still missing are hoping for a miracle. >> all right. t.j. winick in washington. t.j., thank you very much. >>> massey energy pledged to renew its focus on safety after paying out that record-setting $4.2 million fine last year. as abc news chief investigative correspondent, brian ross reports, there is little proof that massey followed through on that promise. >> reporter: it has a checkered safety record. federal safety records show that this mine alone has had three fatalities over the last 12 years. and in the last year, there are reports of a spike in violations by federal safety officials. six violations alone this year. one just last week. >> the ceo of massey energy, is a controversial figure himself. don blankenship donates lavishly to w

jeremy and vinita? >>> it is day six for thousands of passengers stranded in airports around the globe. >> sharyn alfonsi reports from new york's kennedy airport with their story. >> reporter: the first flight at o'hare airport took off for europe. a plane full of lucky passengers, finally headed to rome. >> been keeping my fingers crossed that this will happen. >> reporter: but thousands of passengers remain stranded. the concourse of jfk looks like a campground. hundreds of passengers are settling in for day six. the red cross, delivering blankets and cots. >> have you had a shower? >> no. >> no shower? >> no shower. >> we don't have extra money to take a hotel reservation. >> reporter: and the only thing that seems to be taking flight, boredom. >> kind of get up, do nothing. and split the day going to a different terminal. a change of scene. >> they say what you can take. >> reporter: and while patience is in short supply, kindness is not. dozens of people, like this woman, went to the airport lookin

todd and vinita? >> t.j. winick in washington, thank you. >>> well, president obama is promising to work for greater safety in the nation's coal mines after that explosion killed 29 workers earlier this month. the president spoke at beckley, west virginia, attendeded by about 3,000 people. >> most days, they'd emerge from the dark mine, squinting at the light. most days, they'd emerge sweaty and dirty and dusted and cold. most days, they'd come home. but not that day. >> before the memorial service, president obama met privately with the families of the miners. >> and before attending the miners' memorial, the president visited with billy graham. according to graham's son, the two men chatted about golf and prayed with each other. >>> and now to the environmental threat off the gulf coast, oil is now gushing off that platform that sank last week. it could go from louisiana to florida. matt gutman reports. >> reporter: for the first time, we got a notion of how long this disaster could last. the coast guard sa

>> reporter: good morning, jeremy and vinita. europe remain stranded. but for all of them there is new hope. a minority, the truly lucky ones, are already on the move. this is a long-awaited sight. a plane leaving denver bound for frankfurt on the other side of the volcanic cloud in the sky that has shut down air traffic in northern europe, sending travelers on a five-day trip to nowhere. >> i am so happy we're getting out of here, yes, i am. >> reporter: european officials announced what they're calling a slow and progressive opening up of european air space. europe will be divided into three zones. open skies, a so-called caution zone where some flights will be permitted, and a much smaller no-fly zone than we've seen in recent days. >> we should see progressively more planes start to fly. >> reporter: around the globe, passengers got creative. in new york, families like the bartons opened up their homes to total strangers like the carr family, stranded en route from disney world and unable to afford a $400 a night hotel room.

jeremy and vinita? six days planes are landing at london's heathrow airport. a jetliner from vancouver, british columbia, was the first to touch down since the volcano in iceland erupted last week. as you can see there are a lot of passengers happy to be back home. officials are warning it will take weeks before everyone reaches their destination. as for the volcanic eruptions which triggered this travel chaos, neal karlinsky says there is hopeful news. >> reporter: iceland's lead scientists got a fresh look from above the volcano and came out with a feeling they haven't had in nearly a week. relief. >> the amount of magma that's coming out of the crater is decreasing. >> is it accurate to say perhaps the worst is over? >> we hope so. >> reporter: in the fallout zone we found scientist skya taking ash samples that she'll bring to a lab for testing. >> hopefully we can predict whether there's a lot more of the magma still to come out. >> reporter: we tagged along as she patrolled the hardest-hit area to

vinita nair has those stories and more. >> oprah winfrey goes mobile. she has her own brand of mobile applications for the iphone, blackberry, and other devices. users can look at video from virgil, liz and audio clips, participate tables, and keep up with tweets. $1.99 for the iphone application, $2.99 for the blackberry. will lure fans pay for most of what is available free online? there's a new way to pay for it. paypal will facilitate applications for iphone and andro it -- android products. apple users will also be able to use paypal for purchases of iphone, ipad, and other devices. the ipad will be allowed into israel. that country was the only one to ban imports of the computer over concerns that its wireless signal could disrupt other services. but those have been dropped after what israel called intensive technical scrutiny. apple has delayed if the ipad's international launch until late may because of the u.s. sales. finally, barnes & noble has added a reed and storefronts into the nook electronic reader. you can browse in a book while inside

vinita nair has those stories and more from abc. >> toyota is said to pay a record fine.apanese auto maker has reportedly agreed to pay $16.4 million for concealing information about a problem with brake pedals on some of its vehicles. toyota will accept responsibility but will admit no wrongdoing. the u.s. transportation department says toyota knew about the brake pedal problems until september -- in september but waited until january to issue a recall. goldman sachs is facing fraud charges if it united states and there is mounting pressure from overseas as well. officials in england and germany want to know more about the charges and they may investigate. both countries bail out banks that lost hundreds of millions of dollars investing with goldman sachs. earnings reports for five major airlines are due this week. most are expecting to show another quarter of red ink. flights grounded by the volcano will not help the bottom line either. travelers can look forward to more add-on fees, slightly higher fares, and cuts to unprofitable routes, especially as some airlines mer

i'm vinita nair. >> i'm todd connor in for jeremy hubbard. >>> the easter sunday earthquake measured.2, rumbling across three states and northern mexico. >> it was centered 20 miles southeast of mexicali where it killed at least two people. one man died when his home collapsed. another was hit by a car after he panicked and ran into the street. david wright has more now from los angeles. >> reporter: the quake struck at 3:40 p.m. pacific time, just along the california/mexico border in baja, california. the epicenter, about an hour and a half's drive from tijuana. it was a huge earthquake, 7.2 in magnitude, and people felt it as far away as here in los angeles and las vegas and phoenix. >> it's probably felt by at least 20 million people at this point. most of southern california is going to have felthis earthquake. >> reporter: near the epicenter people say the shaking was like nothing they'd ever felt before. chandeliers started shaking from the ceilings. things started falling off the walls. it was a terrifying interruption for many, for what was settling in to be easter dinner. h

that's your moneyscope report, i'm vinita nair. >>> wait until you get outside. we're talking fog.n you drive, it may not take too far to run into a thick spot. dense fog advisory through 9:00 a.m. harford, baltimore city county. carol, howard, anne arundel. down south through st. mary's. it's up north in southern pennsylvania. eastern shore not highlighted here. we have school delays in kent and queen ann's county. takes until about 9:00 for this stuff to mix and burn off. we'll have sun returning and high near 70 this afternoon for our two-degree guarantee. some clouds tonight, 45 to 50. back to 70 tomorrow. we'll slip into 60s this weekend. most of sun e sunday could be wet. chance of showers to early next week. let's go back to the roads, 6:24. here's kim. >> some our of earlier accidents in baltimore city have been cleared away. we do have a crash that has conowingo road at castleton road closed this morning. another crash reported in howard county. 29 southbound. we look at our drive times, we'll be up as you make your way on the outer loop. 95 not looking too bad between whi

that's your moneyscope report, i'm vinita nair. >>> good morning, 6:23.have ourselves a warm one to start. ranging from mid-60s to low 70s. not as hot this afternoon. we're aiming for only 84 today. the breeze will kick up, while you see rain on the grass. it's probably going to be late afternoon, between 4:00 and 8:00. we look for the first shower to roll in. tonight, better chance of rain and storms back to 54. more clouds in the afternoon. could be sprinkles if going to the orioles game. cooler day tomorrow. over the weekend, back to 65 on saturday. on sunday, we bring back the sun with high near 70. 6:24, let's go back to the roads with kim. >> crash on the southbound lanes of bw parkway. route 100. causing minor delays in that area. another accident in columbia, parallel lane. that's an injury crash, expect to see vehicles on the scene. drive times in the green. 795 to 70. only about 5 minutes to do that. 95 southbound looking good to the beltway. three or four minute ride. harbor tunnel thruway to the split, going to take you about four minutes this

those are the types of conversations vinita have. what we want is a network that is viable, however that is achieved, whether it is solely dedicated are shared. however that is achieved is what the commission wants and i think what the public needs. >> to take this a little further, what do you think about the fcc and its relationship with congress? we should note here that your father is the majority whip of the house of representatives. >> i have a pretty good relationship with certain members. [laughter] we have had a few hearings, and we are dealing with the difficult issue. you are going to see some friction, which i think is natural. all in all, it has improved immensely over the last eight or nine months. it really has. the exchanges have been relatively friendly. we are challenged war so -- not necessarily on how we run the agency are how it interacts with congress. we are faced with some difficult decisions ahead. we have to do more with less. we have things before us that éúñthe nation needs and wants. the public has spoken

jeremy, vinita. >> what about the reports that we're hearing that the pilot was pressured to land, maybe even by the president himself? >> well, the voice recorder may indicate that if that is true. now, that has been recovered but the contents have not been released publicly. two years ago, the president requested that the pilot land in dangerous conditions. the pilot disagreed. >> thank you. >>> well, leaders from arnold the world are in washington for talks of nuclear security. t.j. winick joins from us washington with a preview. good morning, t.j. >> yeahmy, good morning to you. president obama has already been hard on work on this issue even before the conference begins. just yesterday he met with leaders from such countries as india and pakistan. >> reporter: leaders from around the world are converging on washington on what many feel is the most urgent security issue in the world, how to prevent a devastating nuclear attack. >> the single biggest threat to u.s. security, both short-term, and long-term, would be the ponlt of a terrorist obtaining a nuclear weapon. >> reporter: on s

i'm vinita nair. >>> experts now say the tornado which tore through mississippi had winds of 160 miles an hour and left a path of destruction at least 50 miles long. >> the massive twister was part of a violent outbreak with 54 reports of tornados across seven states. but mississippi clearly took the brunt of it. eric horng reports from yazoo city. >> reporter: in this community of shattered homes, survivors claw through rubble searching for any sign of the familiar. >> i don't know what to do. i'm just totally lost. i have nothing. nothing. there's nothing. i don't know where to begin it, i don't know where to end it. >> reporter: the destruction in yazoo city is measured not in buildings but blocks. from the air you can see the full scope of the catastrophe. on the ground you can feel it. >> the hardest part of moving forward is just to see the community like this, you know. it's so painful. >> reporter: the twister was one of several that carved a path of destruction almost 200 miles long across mississippi, killing at least ten people, including a baby and two other children. morga

i am vinita nair. >>> 6:20. we have 57 degrees. we have breaking news in florida. the space shuttle discovery is beginning its final countdown to lift off. >> let's listen live. >> 20 seconds. t-minus 15 seconds. we have a go. up and ready. 3, two, one. and liftoff of discovery. blazing a trail. >> it is rolling into a headstand position. and going on to the space station. the threengines are now throttling down to reduce stress on the shuttle. discovery is at altitude of 4.7 miles and traveling. >> go at throttle upper. >> roger, go at throttle up. >> performance that will cut capability. >> so far, so good for the space shuttle discovery. it has repair equipment and science experiments. back with more after this. >>> welcome back. we have some lifesaving information. breast feeding can lead to big savings in lives and in money. a study says nearly 900,000 babies and $13 billion could be saved every year to give women breast fed their babies for the first six months of their lives. breast milk contains antibodies. >> save a lot of money on form of a. >> definitely

jeremy and vinita are away this morning. >>> today the government announces new security rules not only for air travel but for ground transportation. part of a chilling assessment of how vulnerable our transit system really is. t.j. winick joins us now from washington with details. good morning. >> reporter: todd, good morning to you. the obama administration is preparing to brief foreign countries and members of congress on these changes to airline security for passengers flying into the u.s. when it comes to terror watch lists the attempted christmas day bombing of a transatlantic flight from amsterdam to detroit was a game changer. >> i was 100% certain that nobody told me the list was bigger. >> reporter: the obama administration is announcing what will be a new crime fighting tool the likes of which the commander in chief promised back in january. >> in the days ahead i will announce further steps to disrupt attacks including better integration of information and enhanced passenger screening for air travel. >> reporter: whereas the no fly and watch list contains specific names now

i am vinita nair. >> the time is 5:21. it's 54 degrees. >> if jason campbell could not get a deal with an nfl team on his own. we have the lowdown on where the skins will try to shop campbell. >> today on "the oprah winfrey show", a superstar brings down the house and then takes the cameras back to the tough neighborhood where she grew up, married to oblige. >> good morning. jason campbell signed a deal with the redskins yesterday. now it's up to the team to get a deal done. carolina, buffalo, opened on a possible trade partners. if the wizard>> this gives wash- point lead. the knicks outscored the wizards to close it out. sergio rodriguez came off the bench to score all 12 of his points down the stretch. theknicks beat the deserts. in baseball, the nationals were in philadelphia for the home opener. the nationals gave up seven runs. in the bottom of the fifth now. it hits the foul pole for a two- run home run. the philadelphia phillies been for a fifth and one starts, their best start since 1993. have a great day, everybo

i'm vinita nair. >> i'm todd connor in for jeremy hubbard today. >>>. >> rescue crews in west virginia out faint hope that the coal miners still trapped underground will emerge' life. >> here's what we know this morning. four miners are still missing. drills have been drilling holes into the mine to release all that built-up it was. family and friends gathered for a church service last night to pray for the victims. at least seven of the 25 bodies have been recover the so far. diane sawyer has the details from west virginia. >> reporter: 61 miners at the mine. it was a shift change. half were nearly out, half were taking over, going in, when the blast happened. and this was an explosion so horrific it picked up steel railings from the track and twisted them like molten pretzels. there is a shaft nearly 6,000 feet and at the end of it, a prayer that there's a sealed chamber where the unaccounted miners still might be alive, might be breathing. but to get to them they must drill through 1,200 feet. the community prays all night and day for their safety. stanley stewart had just started h