taking on the trade unions and crushing them. >> what we've got is an attempt to substitute the rule of the mob for the rule of law. >> reporter: thatcher opposed immigration, forced through radical budget cuts and fought communism. the soviets called her the iron lady and it stuck. >> the iron lady of the western world. >> reporter: in ronald reagan she found her ideological soul mate, a matched pair of cold warriors. she was first to say gorbachev was a different kind of soviet leader and reagan listened. >> i like mr. gorbachev. we can do business together. >> if we had been hostile, if margaret thatcher hadn't said, i believe we can do business with this man, it might have been a different outcome or it might have taken longer. >> reporter: reagan supported thatcher thatcher's war with argentina over the falkland islands, admired her defiance of i.r.a. hunger strikes and her grit. >> the lady is not for turning. >> reporter: thatcher was undaunted by an i.r.a. assassination attempt. >> the conference will go on, as usual. >> reporter: thatcher and reagan had one disagreement, when reagan invaded the commonwealth

island of grenada. >> margaret told president reagan. she said, you know, ronny, this is notification. it's not consultation. >> reporter: as reagan prepared to leave office, thatcher predicted gorbachev would bring down the iron curtain. how would you rate his chances of success of really doing something to open it up? >> i think he's already made changes. i think the greater openness of discussion, debate -- both in the public media and privately is a very great step forward. >> reporter: when iraq invaded kuwait, thatcher famously advised president bush, "now is not the time to go wobbly." after 11 years as prime minister, thatcher was forced out in a public coup. she was portrayed by meryl streep. >> i will not negotiate with criminals or thugs. >> reporter: in 2004 thatcher eulogized reagan on video. >> we have lost a great president, a great american. >> reporter: although ailing she attended the funeral and burial in california. they had a special relationship

as nancy reagan remembered today. >> oh, they did. they certainly did. from the very beginning, the first time they met. of course i loved it that she and ronny were as close as they were. >> reporter: colin powell said today she was a leader first who happened to be a woman but became an inspiration to other women leaders who followed. brian? >> andrea mitchell in our washington newsroom tonight. andrea, thanks. president obama made an emotional speech tonight on gun control, not far from the scene of the massacre at the sandy hook elementary school in newtown, connecticut. and surrounded by family members of the newtown victims. nbc news chief white house correspondent chuck todd traveling with the president with us tonight from west hartford, connecticut. chuck, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. the white house believes this is their last best chance to do

something meaningful to reform america's gun laws. the president used this speech in west hartford to make a powerful plea to washington. on a mission to rekindle the emotional spark that connected newtown with america in december, the president renewed his plea for gun control. >> this is not about politics. this is about doing the right thing for all the families who are here that have been torn apart by gun violence. >> reporter: mr. obama invoked the suffering of the families of the newtown victims. >> and newtown, we want you to know that we are here with you. we will not walk away from the promises we have made. we are as determined as ever to do what must be done. >> reporter: many of the families made their own emotional pleas sunday night on "60 minutes." >> every time, you know, it's somebody else's school, somebody else's town, somebody else's community. until one day -- you wake up and it's not. >> reporter: david wheeler along

with the families of seven other newtown victims will travel to washington tonight with the president on air force one and will join the white house lobbying effort this week. it's an orchestrated media campaign designed to restore the moment for reform and counter the efforts of the pro gun lobby which stalled that momentum. vice president biden with police officials at the white house tomorrow and leading a gun safety discussion thursday on nbc. in between a rare policy speech by the first lady condemning gun violence in her hometown of chicago. all week the newtown families will be lobbying, senator by senator hoping overwhelming public support for increased background checks will convince congress to buck the powerful gun lobby, the nra. this weekend the nra called the bill congress is considering a threat to the rights of law-abiding gun owners. but the president has called on congress simply to act. >> we need a vote. [ chanting ] >> reporter: while it's unclear when they are going to get that vote, the president made a plea to gun owners saying he believes in the second amendment, that he understands their rights and why they want to own a gun. he is simply trying to stop random violence, brian. >> chuck todd traveling with the

president tonight in connecticut. chuck, thanks. this evening a new kind of countdown is under way as the world watches north korea yet again. it is believed they are preparing for the test launch of a missile after weeks of threats toward their neighbors and under the leadership of this untested leader, not yet 30 years old. it is why the free world is watching so closely. our chief foreign correspondent richard engel monitoring developments live from seoul, south korea, again for us tonight. richard, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. north korea said it will pull its $50,000 workers from a joint economic zone. it had been operating with the south as officials in this country braced for that missile test perhaps this week. defenses across asia are at the ready. japan with anti-missile batteries now in place says it will shoot down any north korean missile that threatens its territory.

the u.s., with two american warships and a land-based missile interceptor now in the region would be able to track a missile seconds after launch and could destroy it in flight. a shoot-down would likely not happen if the missile heads out to sea. from north korea, more belligerence. a propaganda video shows attack dogs let loose on an effigy of south korea's defense minister. >> right now we are on the edge, on the brink of something that could be the start of the next interkorean conflict. that's something the world should be aware of. >> reporter: south koreans remain calm but are increasingly asking, "what if"? the city of one million is miles from the north korean border. now city officials are telling residents to be prepared for nuclear, chemical or biological attack. stockpiling food and medicine and knowing how to reach shelter quickly under ground. workers distribute thousands of

pamphlets. what to do if you see a mushroom cloud or if all the birds and fish suddenly die, or if radioactive fallout rains from the sky. the notices are going up in every apartment building. >> this is a map of the shelters. >> yeah. >> reporter: north korea may be bluffing, but pyongyang may not know how far it can push without going over the edge. tensions are so high, brian, south korea initially reported that the north was also preparing another under ground nuclear test. now u.s. officials say they see no evidence of that. brian? >> richard engel watching it all tonight from seoul, south korea. richard, thanks. in a case of curious timing we have pictures of a new weapon the u.s. navy has been testing. a ship-mounted laser cannon that can destroy aircraft. the video released today shows a low-flying drone that gets turned into a fireball,

eventually plunging into the sea after being hit by the invisible beam. remember aimed from a ship at sea and under way. the navy says the laser could be deployed for real as soon as next year. up and down the california coast millions of americans are dealing with strong santa ana winds. increasing the wildfire danger. winds clocked at upwards of 70 miles per hour in places today, knocking down trees while l.a. saw huge waves this afternoon. farther east to the rockies in parts of wyoming, south dakota, colorado, nebraska, they are expecting a large storm, up to two feet in places. as that system moves to the east much of the nation's mid section will be dealing with severe storm and a high risk of tornadoes. in afghanistan this weekend, a bomb attack on a convoy headed for a school killed five americans and the dead included a 25-year-old from a suburb of chicago. she was a young graduate from johns-hopkins and in the same

spirit as all who volunteer to serve their country over seas she loved the idea of the foreign service. our report tonight from stephanie gosk. >> reporter: ann smedinghoff knew the risks in afghanistan. but friends and family say the 25-year-old still loved the job. >> she was so very excited to be in a place where she felt she and our country could make a positive difference. >> reporter: today the body of the young diplomat was flown back to dover air force base along with the remains of army staff sergeant christopher ward. five americans were killed on saturday when a suicide car bomber blew up the convoy. three soldiers and two civilians. the delegation was headed to a school opening in southeastern afghanistan. >> we lost a young foreign

service officer who was just trying to deliver books, bring knowledge to people. books in their own language in order to help them know about the possibilities of life. >> reporter: john kerry met her on his first visit to kabul as secretary of state. she e-mailed this photo to her family. her parents say she often looked for opportunities to reach out to afghans directly, beyond the walls of the embassy. like the time she helped organize a concert for afghan musicians at new york's carnegie hall. christopher lui was one of her close friends. they went on a group cycling trip three weeks ago in jordan. >> she was amazing. so passionate about doing something great for the world. it was so easy to tell that. >> reporter: near her home outside of chicago, ribbons and flags have been hung in her honor. her parents are consoled by the fact that their daughter was doing what she loved. it is this country's loss that she won't have a chance to do more. stephanie gosk, nbc news, new york.

still ahead for us on a monday night, there is health news this evening. the new findings about red meat that have doctors sounding the alarm for a very different reason than we have previously been told. later, why the thoughts of so many went back to the beach today as people remembered a great and enduring star. ♪ beach blanket bingo

as we mentioned earlier there is new research out tonight. it's shedding light on how a diet that's heavy in red meat can lead to heart disease. it is a study of 2600 people that pinpointed a compound that could be the real culprit aside and apart from the saturated fat doctors have long worried about and warned us about. the story from our chief medical editor, dr. nancy snyderman. >> reporter: 68-year-old wink baldwin has always been conscientious about food. eating meat only a few times a week. >> the doctor says, you know,

one of these days we have to think about lowering your cholesterol. it's borderline high. reporter: after his brother had three mini strokes he became seriously concerned about the amount of red meat he was consuming. according to a new study his concern may be warranted. in a report from the cleveland clinic published in nature medicine researchers believe they have found a new link between the consumption of red meat and heart disease. that link is something called carnitine. >> a diet with chronic exposure to carnitine over time actually changes your metabolism and makes you more likely to generate or have a metabolism that contributes to heart disease. >> reporter: most scientists believe red meat increases the risk for heart disease. scientists long suspected that cholesterol and saturated fat are not the only contributors. researchers found carnitine becomes a powerful chemical in the gut of meat eaters. that chemical, tmao, is responsible for increasing the

risk of heart disease. >> we don't need to eat carnitine. our bodies make it naturally from protein. >> carnitine is found in energy drinks and body building supplements. now scientists say they need to study the other products especially in young people. the american meat institute, the industry's largest trade organization says attempts to link cardiovascular disease to a single compound oversimplifies this complex disease. for wink baldwin, he's not taking any chances. he's now a vegan. >> i feel great. since i went on the vegan diet i have lost 15 pounds. >> reporter: thinner, healthier and more thoughtful about his heart and the food he eats. dr. nancy snyderman, nbc news, new york. we are back in a moment with today's new rankings just out of all the airlines from best to worst.

the official airline quality rating is out and there are surprises. here are the most liked airlines in terms of quality. virgin america, jetblue, airtran and delta. united ranked last. hawaiian is at the top of the list for on-time performance. american airlines and expressjet are at the bottom. we'll put the entire list on our website tonight. by the way, it's not just you. consumer complaints directed at the airlines are up a full 20% this past year. skin cancer will kill almost 10,000 americans this year. yet there is staggering new research from yale university that says sun worshippers have a tough time staying away even when they have survived a bout with skin cancer. fully 15% of them say they never stay in the shade. more than a quarter of them say they never wear sunscreen outside. 2% actually admit using an indoor tanning bed in the last year.

the fashion world is remembering a woman who added a lot of color to life. lilly pulitzer. "vanity fair" put it this way in a profile back in 2003. lilly pulitzer epitomized the barefoot pleasures of wealthy waspdom. from nantucket to the hamptons to palm beach, her look was unmistakab unmistakable. her story fascinating. along with her sisters mimsy and flossy she grew up in a wealthy petroleum family, married a pulitzer and enjoyed the good life. but only through hard work could she develop that look. she became a fashion icon. lilly pulitzer was 81. this is a good time to be from louisville. a great american city which is home to a school that this year is proving its athletic chops. tonight, of course, the big dance in the ncaa. louisville versus michigan for the title. the next dance is tomorrow night. louisville versus u-conn for the women's title.

up next here tonight the death of an iconic star brought back a flood of memories tonight for millions of americans. ♪ m-o-u-s-e

frankie avalon put out a

statement today saying, quote, we have lost one of america's sweethearts for generations upon generations. he was talking about annette funicello. just the mention of her name conjures a sweeter era, one of genuine innocence and what the generation before ours called good clean fun. funicello died today after a long brave struggle with m.s. she was 70 years old. tonight nbc's anne thompson has a look back. >> annette! >> reporter: as television came of age, so did annette funicello. ♪ mickey mouse >> reporter: america first fell in love with the talented teenager in 1955 on "the mickey mouse club." ♪ we're mouseketeers ♪ we want to say hello >> reporter: so popular she had her own series within the series. she transitioned to movies. first for disney. ♪ smiling eyes ♪ golden hair >> reporter: but it was on the beach where funicello stole

america's heart again in the 1960s. ♪ beach blanket bingo ♪ that's the name of the game >> reporter: her wholesome image acquiring a glamorous sheen in a series of films with frankie avalon. ♪ >> reporter: in the era of the bikini, funicello was always more modest at the request of walt disney. >> i wore a two-piece sometimes but always covering the naval. that's the running gag. annette has none. >> reporter: she never forgot what made her famous. >> i owe everything to those ears. >> reporter: she married twice and had three children who joined her in a peanut butter commercial. >> hey, are you going to be here tomorrow? >> reporter: in 1987 shooting this reunion movie with avalon, she first felt the symptoms of multiple sclerosis. five years later having trouble walking and fearing some would think she was drunk, funicello went public with the diagnosis. >> people think nothing bad ever

happens to me. but i'm no better. i'm no worse than anyone. i'm one of them. >> reporter: m.s. would steal her ability to speak, to walk and lead to her death at 70. annette funicello, always america's sweetheart. anne thompson, nbc news, new york. and that's our broadcast on a monday night as we begin a new week. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

now. good nevening i'm raj matha. >> and i'm jessica aguirre. no more time off in the office. >> it's the latest fallout on our on going investigation into the da's office altering time sheets. jenna joins us now with the latest. >> excessive and irregular that is how the county executive's office explains giving of administrative leave in place of sick leave. it granted thousands of hours of paid time off to make up for 5% bonus cut in the wake of the county's budget crisis. tonight as the county takes action others are calling it a gift of public funds that may need to be paid back. >> i think your investigation brought up the issue of large

numbers with regard to the use of administrative time. >> reporter: these are the time sheets that tell the story of thousands of hours of requested time off crossed out and given for free allowing employees to bank vacation days. >> the policy allows for administrative leave to be given and gives discretion to the district attorney to do that. >> reporter: it is that discretion the county is now limiting. >> we want to make sure that financially the county is not at risk. >> reporter: by capping the amount of administrative leave to 40 hours per employee during the fiscal leave. for those given 40 hours this year will not be allowed anymore time off. >> it puts a limit on it and nuts tourniquet on the bleeding limb. >> reporter: it came after an investigation which showed leave quadrupled from 2011 to 2012 while vacation time was cut in half. the d.a. says he ordered the

alter to make up for a 5% bonus that was cut. isn't this falsifying a document? >> this is the opposite. >> reporter: we found everything from a cruise out of the country to catching a movie to even taking a sick day converted to administrative leave. that employee says he or she was sick and now it is being changed to administrative leave. >> the documents are changed to reflect that it is administrative leave and we are doing it openly and transparently. >> how can it be transparent when they are altering time sheets? >> reporter: represents the government's attorney association. >> what surprised me the most is there appears to be based upon your thorough investigation there appears to be a conspiracy to