good evening. we begin tonight with a milestone in the effort to create more jobs in america. a key number, an indicator of our recovery, is finally back where it was four years ago. the number of americans requesting unemployment benefits has dropped dramatically. so, we want to break down these numbers. what are the jobs, who is getting them? men, women, younger workers or older workers? and we found some surprises. abc's david muir is here with the answers. david? >> reporter: diane, you and i were talking. this is a real signal that here in america, they are hiring. but tonight, we ask right here what so many americans are asking. who is getting hired? as diane, men or women, how old? where are these so-called new jobs? tonight, a real signal. companies big and small now hiring. number of americans filing for unemployment, the lowest since april '08. the depth of the recession. back then, seven americans fighting for every one job posted. and for months we were stuck at four americans competing for every job. now we finally dip below that. an average of 3.7 americans for every one job. a lot of americans simply want to know, who is getting hired? >> certainly seeing more men getting hired than women. and that's simply because the jobs that have employed men, those industries are coming back. >> reporter: more men hired in manufacturing, automotive, even retail. some dubbing it a man-covery. men willing to take jobs they didn't want before. but women are certainly in the race, too. kara clark wrote me on facebook. she was laid off enough times to make her nervous. she moved home to iowa, began applying everywhere and tonight, she tells us, she's in san francisco, got a job doing e-commerce for the gap. and we wanted to know, where are the highest paying jobs? enough to support a family? they pointed us to technology, health care. >> you see a range between $80,000 to $100,000 for occupational therapists. software engineers, the media is $93,000 a year. >> reporter: and what about age? who is getting hired first? younger or older workers? turns out older. they're looking for some of the more skilled workers? >> yes. if an employer has a choice to get somebody with 10 or 15 years of experience instead of a new grad or somebody with less experience, they are definitely going to hire them. >> reporter: a premium on experienced workers. the harley-davidson plant in wisconsin. workers working out. and given physical therapy on the job. investing in them, to keep workers like 50-year-old debbie, a machinist, on the job. because studies show older workers take fewer sick days, tair less likely to quit and quite simply, they get along bet earl with customers. at duke energy in north carolina, listen to this. it takes eight years and a lot of money spent to train workers on the line. half the techs are over 50. which is why their work day starts with a workout, hoping to stretch their time on the job. older workers more patient with the customers. and just today, president obama signed bipartisan job legislation, aimed to put small business on the fast track to raising money, going public for so many americans dreaming of creating the next facebook. and diane, of course, all of this comes on the eve of that all-important jobs report. first thing in the morning. >> any clue about the percentage it's going to be tomorrow? >> reporter: polling economists across the board, they estimate 200,000, 201,000 jobs. it will be slightly lower than what we've seen, keeping unemployment about the same, as more people enter this force with hope. >> okay, thank you david muir. and now, our washington watchdog on patrol. we have new video to show you. it sparked outrage today and shows those government workers who traveled to las vegas, who spent money on mindreaders and party clowns, all with taxpayers footing the very big bill. here's abc's jake tapper. >> reporter: this video uncovered today shows a federal government employee dreaming about someday being a free-spending commissioner of his agency. ♪ i'd buy everything your field office can't afford ♪ >> reporter: part of a talent contest, the employee rapped his vision of being a commissioner, dispensing cash bonuses to his fellow bureaucrats. ♪ donate my vacation ♪ love to the nation ♪ i'll never be under oig investigation ♪ >> reporter: "never be under oig investigation," he raps. but the video has emerged in the context of an oig investigation, office of inspector general. one that this week cost the job of the actual head of the agency, the general services administration, or gsa. the president asked her to resign because the gsa in 2010 held a boondoggle $823,000 conference at the m resort outside las vegas, one that included $3,200 spent on a mindreader/motivational speaker. >> what's the name of the animal that passed away? >> reporter: and $6,300 for coins and velvet boxes. the gsa, by the way, is tasked in part with helping the federal government keep its costs down. >> the president was outraged by the excessive spending, questionable dealings with contractors and disregard for taxpayer dollars. >> reporter: and now this video pops up. >> this administration knew about this 11 months ago, and they didn't act until the press got wind of it. >> reporter: a spokesman for gsa today called the video -- "another example of the compete lack of judgment exhibited during the conference. our agency continues to be appalled by this indefensible behavior." of course, two years ago, gsa had a different take on the tape. he won an award. diane, in addition to the gsm gsa administrator resigning, four regional commissioners have been put on leave, including the one who wanted this conference to be over the top, at a time that unemployment was almost over 10%. diane? >> all right, jake tapper at the white house with the tape tonight. and in medical news tonight, a new clue about the terrifying number of children in america with autism. there is new evidence that the age of the father may play a role in some cases. and here's abc's medical editor, dr. richard besser. >> reporter: autism is one of medicine's greatest puzzles. another piece was found today. a piece about autistic children with dads older than 30. men like ray segal. >> we first noticed something was going on with our son, because he had a pretty large vocabulary. delta, taxi, bagel. and over a period of time, he lost those words. >> reporter: ray's two sons, oscar and hugo, were each diagnosed with autism in early childhood. it's possible their autism is connected to changes that happened in their dad's genetic material. >> these spontaneous mutations are probably more often inherited, at least in autism from dad, and maybe a little more common in older dads. >> reporter: dads who are over 50, when compared to dads over under 30, have twice the risk of having an autistic child. and this study may help explain why. pointing out spontaneous genetic glitches connected directly to autism. medicine already knows that older parents, moms and dads, have a higher risk of having kids with down syndrome, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. the older the parents, the greater the risk. >> we don't have the answer. we have lots of answers and lots of suggestions. this is often the way with interesting science. it raises more questions than it provides answers. >> reporter: of course, ray and his wife don't know what caused their sons' autism. if anyone knew, this devastating syndrome would be easier to treat. >> let's figure out if autism is one thing or if it's many different things. let's figure out if there's a genetic factor, environmental factor. >> reporter: another piece of the puzzle, with so many more to go. every advance medicine has made begins with basic research. that's where we are now in fighting autism. these new studies are very exciting and they offer incredible promise. >> but what does this mean for men, that men now have to consider that they have a kind of medical biological clock that they have to work against? >> reporter: i think they do. this study showed age was a factor. but it only accounted for about 5% of the increase in autism. so, older men can have children. but i do think that not only women have a biological clock. >> all right, so, go ahead and make your plans but know that this is out there and it is at least a preliminary clue. >> reporter: that's right. >> thank you dr. rich besser. and now we have an update for you on the u.s. soldier being held in a kansas military prison tonight. sergeant robert bales, accused of the massacre of 17 afghan civilians. today, u.s. investigators had their first chance to talk to the witnesses inside those villages. they waited this long, the investigators did, more than three weeks, because of the danger from the afghans so angry at the u.s. and back here at home, the news about the dangerous weather system that spawned those tornadoes in texas and fueled extreme turbulence in the air. tonight, the system is moving east into alabama, florida, georgia and south carolina. and now, they are getting hit by that golf ball-sized hail and winds up to 50 miles an hour. and in parts of missouri, they say they are seeing more tornadoes. and a smoking gun emerged today in that scandal rocking pro football. the allegation that players on the new orleans saints were paid money for hitting players with such brutal force, it knocked them out of games. today, our partners at yahoo sports uncovered a recording and on it, a new orleans coach graphically telling players to inflict injuries in a big playoff game. here's abc's josh elliott. >> reporter: even in the brutal world of the nfl, america's unquestioned secular religion, the words are a stunning sacrilege. >> kill the head and the body will die. >> reporter: you are listening to new orleans saints defensive coordinator gregg williams, firing up his players before a january playoff game against the san francisco 49ers. in the tapes, recorded by a documentary filmmaker and first obtained by yahoo sports, williams seems to exhort the team to deliberately injure 49ers players, targeting old injuries and, in the cases of niners tailback frank gore, his head. >> we've got to do everything in the world to make sure we kill frank gore's head. we want him running sideways. we want his head sideways. >> reporter: but perhaps most troubling, a reference made to a bounty on driving san francisco quarterback alex smith from the game, as williams rubbed his thumb and fingers together, suggesting financial reward. >> we hit [ bleep ] smith right there. remember me. i've got the first one, i've got the first one. >> reporter: the nfl has cracked down on the abuse. suspending williams indefinitely for his role in the bounty program. also suspended? saints head coach sean payton for the whole season and general manager mickey loomis for half of it. meantime, the players association has hired an attorney to defend players against any possible criminal charges. but now this explosive tape brings new pressure on the nfl, to keep clean a sport so violent and for at least one team, so apparently dirty. >> here's why we care and we want to know that there is at least some effort, by the powers that be, to ensure that these are not modern day gladiators who aphoricmetaphorically, bein thrown to the lions. >> josh is here now. so, you've got to explain something to me. what is realistically going to happen next? this is football. are they just going to wink and nod? what's going to happen? >> reporter: they certainly can't. again, roger goodell, the nfl commissioner, has been committed to cleaning up the sport and really keeping it safe for the players. you have to remember, in gregg williams, on that tape, said something else. never apologize for the way you compete, suggesting a business as usual aspect here. and you wonder, well, where is the line? and here is the line. in a hyper-violent sport, the players accept that violence but do not accept the willful intent to maim, to concuss, to end careers or much worse. >> but he wasn't rogue, do you think, or was he a rogue coach? >> reporter: in the years i spent covering the league, i had several instances on different teams of unofficial bounties, usually player to player, high money veterans paying a rookie to maybe knock a guy out. >> makes you wonder if it just doesn't go under ground. >> reporter: indeed. >> thank you, josh elliott. and still ahead, the new crime wave sweeping suburban neighborhoods. your pharmacist held at gunpoint? why your local drugstore may be a danger zone. pharmacist held at gun point? why your local drugstore may be a danger zone. they've been committed to putting clients first. helping generations through tough times. good times. never taking a bailout. there when you need them. helping millions of americans over the centuries. the strength of a global financial leader. the heart of a one-to-one relationship. together for your future. ♪ but does bringing a floor back to life really make us heroes? 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"nightline," of course, here later. and as we said good night, who doesn't know, this is opening day for america's pastime. baseball is back. and all across the country, we gathered up some small but exuberant fans who paid tribute in the way we always do. have a great night. >> are you excited about opening day? >> yes! ♪ take me out to the ball game ♪ take me out to the crowd ♪ buy me some peanuts and crackerjacks ♪ ♪ i don't care if i ever get back ♪ ♪ for it's root root root for the cubbies ♪ ♪ if they don't win it's a shame ♪ ♪ for it's one, two, three ♪ strikes you're out ♪ at the old ball game a bus stop near the oakland airport is where the murder weapon in monday's shooting rampage may have been stashed. >> someone reported seeing a gun in a trash can. police are on the scene to check it out. good evening, i'm cheryl jennings. >> i'm dan ashley. let's turn to lillian kim on the phone tonight. >> police arrived at a bus stop near oikos university. after getting a call from a citizen reported possibly seeing a gun in the trash can. he walked up to it. if there is one it might be underneath garbage. four officers waiting for a city worker to bring a key to unlock the can. the container is enclosed. so as soon as it's unlocked officers goring to take it and dump it to see if there is a gun. and officer in charge thinks is the gun he said he had no idea but they came to follow up on a call received