on the broadcast tonight, making it safer to shop for food. tonight what the feds did today that will actually help and what it exposed about where so much of our food comes from. hearing his voice for the first time. the man charged with keeping those three young women captives for a decade, and the deal he struck today that will decide his future. scandal. the real tv show playing out on both coasts now. big city politicians in sex scandals while the people are fed up with bad behavior. and who would do it? who would deface a national treasure by throwing paint on the monument and memory of our 16th president? "nightly news" begins now.

good evening. the federal government did something today that just might make life better and safer in american homes. they are reacting to outbreaks of food-borne illnesses so the government is proposing sweeping new rules to make sure food sold and consumed in this country is safer and by a lot. along the way we have learned fully 70% of the fresh fruit and vegetables here in the u.s. are imported from other countries. only 2% of it inspected before we buy it. it's where we begin tonight with our chief medical editor dr. nancy snyderman. nancy, good evening. >> good evening, brian. over 3,000 people die every year in this country from food-borne related illnesses. today's proposed measures aim to reduce the risks posed by the complexity of a global food system. paul littlejohn of suburban ft. worth blames a bag of grapes for making him so sick, he had to go to his doctor.

>> he said, yeah, there is an intestinal bug going around. >> reporter: that intestinal bug is cyclospora, a nasty parasite found on tainted fruits and vegetables and the latest example of health concerns in america's food supply. the centers for disease control is currently investigating two outbreaks of food-borne illness. cyclospora sickened more than 300 people so far. a hepatitis a outbreak infected more than 150 americans across nine states has been tied to pomegranate seeds from turkey. since 2011 8 of the past 19 outbreaks tied to food are from products brought in from around 150 countries from around the world. >> everybody wants a safer food supply. everybody benefits. at the end of the day we see this as win-win-win. >> reporter: the new rules ensure that food produced abroad is subject to the same safety standards as food produced domestically. it's been more than two years since president obama signed food safety legislation. critics wonder why it's taken so long.

>> proposed rules aren't going to make us safer. it is critically important they move them to completion as soon as possible. >> reporter: walking down the grocery aisle you can't miss vast amounts of food from other countries. 50% of our fresh fruit, 20% of our vegetables, and 80% of our seafood is from abroad. experts say no one is recommending a boycott of foreign produce. today's announcement is a big step forward in making sure that food that is good for you is also safe. >> for fruits and vegetables of the season, the greatest likelihood is it's grown in america. if you want something out of season, try the frozen food department. >> if you are not sure, read your labels carefully. look at the country of origin. it's always on the package. if you're not sure, pass. in the meantime, wash your hands, then wash your fruits and vegetables carefully. today, brian, i have to say every trade organization representing the food industry applauded the move from the fda and said it is about time. >> impactful message there at the end about frozen food, too. nancy snyderman, thank you, as

always. now we go to cleveland where today we heard for the first time from the man who held the three women captive in his home for a decade before they broke free. it was a grisly story. he has agreed to a deal that will spare his life while also guaranteeing he will spend the rest of his days in prison. nbc's kevin tibbles in cleveland tonight with the story. kevin, good evening. >> reporter: brian, in court today ariel castro never apologized or even acknowledged the horrors that went on in that house. >> do you understand, mr. castro, that upon entering this plea you will never be released from prison? >> i do understand it. >> reporter: a life sentence without parole plus 1,000 years for kidnapping three young women and holding them hostage in this run-down cleveland house for a decade. 53-year-old ariel castro also pled guilty to murder for causing one of his victims to miscarry a baby after beating her. >> i knew i was going to get

pretty much the book thrown at me. >> he's never coming out except nailed in a box or an ash can. >> reporter: outside court, many in cleveland expressed relief. >> let this guy go to jail, rot away. >> reporter: castro told the judge he had an addiction to pornography, adding he had been abused. >> i was also a victim as a child. >> reporter: castro's victims were not in court but earlier this month released video statements. >> i want everybody to know how happy i am. >> thank you for your support. >> we need to rely on god as being the judge. >> reporter: through their lawyer today they said they were relieved by the plea. castro asked to see the daughter he fathered with one of his captives. >> i miss my daughter very much. >> that decision will be up to her as to whether or not she ever wants to see her father. it will not be up to him. >> reporter: castro will be

sentenced august 1st. his victims will be given the chance to make a statement at that time. the house is set to be demolished. brian? >> kevin tibbles in cleveland on the story for us tonight. kevin, thanks. heading into the weekend tonight, we are watching not one but two tropical storms churning over open water in both the atlantic and the pacific. we have asked weather channel meteorologist jim cantore to join us with an update from headquarters. hey, jim, good evening. >> reporter: hey, brian. good evening to you. we are talking about two storms that probably won't become hurricanes and one, quite frankly, is on life support. dorian moves west as a 45 mile per hour tropical storm. if it stays together at all it may impact with showers and storms florida on wednesday. flossie got our attention. winds up to 60 miles per hour. moving west-northwest at 20. what makes it impactful is the chance that it could come over the big island as early as monday morning with showers, thunderstorms, and waves as well. we don't think flossie will become a hurricane. all the models pretty much in

agreement as to where it is going to go. any time you have a tropical system, even as a weakening tropical system, it has a chance to impact the islands with waves and wind. the last storm to impact hawaii, flossie in 2007. >> at least we have interesting list of names for this year. jim cantore, weather channel headquarters. have a good weekend yourself. tonight the investigation into that deadly high speed train crash in spain is now centering on the train's driver who was at the controls and the question, why was the train going so fast into that turn? in fact, too fast to stay on the tracks. the wreck killed at least 78 people on board including one american. nbc's kier simmons is there for us again tonight. >> reporter: the investigation centers on this man -- francisco garzon, at the controls when the train hurtled from the tracks killing or injuring almost everyone on board. garzon, who was injured himself, is now under arrest. he apparently had a fascination with speed.

on facebook, he boasted about going fast, even posting a photo of a train speedometer showing the equivalent of 120 miles per hour. crash survivor stephen ward of utah recalls seeing the train's speed displayed on a monitor. >> for most of the trip it said about 100 kilometers per hour which is about 60 miles per hour. right before we crashed, just like 30 seconds before i looked up and it said 194 which is about 130 miles per hour. >> reporter: the speed limit at that stretch of track is 50 miles per hour. as the investigation continued today, around 80 people were still hospitalized, half of them at this hospital. 30 in critical condition. doctors say three of their patients are children. robert and his wife of houston were injured. >> i kept talking to her. breathe, breathe. don't stop breathing. we're almost there. we're almost there. >> reporter: among those killed

anna maria cardova of virginia. the twisted wreckage of the crash site has now been cleared. a train set out on the same line today, the first since the accident. no one will forget europe's deadliest crash in decades. keir simmons, nbc news, santiago de compostela, spain. in cairo tonight what's been described as perhaps the largest crowd we have seen yet in tahrir square, perhaps over a million people turning out after friday prayers there and in response to a request by egypt's military which is seeking a mandate to crack down on supporters of former president morsi. he was ousted just over three weeks ago now. today a cairo prosecutor ordered morsi oh officially detained, a signal that he may, indeed, face criminal charges. at this hour halfway around the world, it's saturday morning on the korean peninsula. they are marking the 60th anniversary of the end of the korean war. in south korea, modern and

prosperous in the years since the war, american veterans of the war paid their respects at the national cemetery in seoul. north korea remains an outlaw state, a nuclear nation, poor and isolated. we don't often get a look inside unless the regime has something it wants to show the wider world. that is the case on this anniversary. nbc's ann curry reports tonight from pyongyang. >> reporter: the first thing the government wanted us to see -- its korean war veterans, considered heroes here. many now in their 80s, lined up once again and joined by tens of thousands of others. all of these people are coming to mark the opening of the national cemetery dedicated to what they are calling the martyrs of the korean war. this is essentially north korea's version of arlington cemetery. government minders keep us on the move trying to control what we can see, herding the world's press onto buses, often stopping us from videotaping and warning

us that anti-american sentiment is especially high because of this anniversary. we weren't allowed to see life outside pyongyang where there were reports of deep poverty and widespread hunger. these images were shot by nbc news last year. instead we were shown a flower show to see a begonia and orchid grown to honor the nation's past leaders who are venerated here. amid the flowers, mock-ups of military hardware. we were able to glimpse signs of change in the capital. gleaming new apartment towers likely for the elite. a few more cars on mostly empty streets. most people still get around on foot or by bicycle. there were a few unscripted moments. a widow grieving at the cemetery for her dead husband. proud parents showing off their newborn. they told us they hope he will join the military someday. and bashful schoolgirls breaking into giggles talking to a foreigner.

tonight we were back in the bubble, rushed with patriotic pageant where the crowd went into a frenzy when kim jong-un appeared. key moments of the dynasty appeared on flashcards flipped by 50,000 children. no one does propaganda like north korea. at tomorrow's parade we are expecting to see north korea's newest military hardware. if kim jong-un makes a speech it is possible he will indicate which direction he is leading this nuclear-capable nation. brian? >> ann curry. with our report from pyongyang as saturday morning breaks there. the white house has announced the newest medal of honor recipient. a month from now the president will present the medal to army staff sergeant ty carter for his courageous actions in afghanistan. the married father of three already heavily decorated now back home and based in washington state. still ahead for us this evening, growing outrage after another high profile politician is accused of inappropriate

sexual behavior. part of a string of men behaving badly in office.

tonight we have a story about two big city politicians -- one who had improper contact with women on the web, the other who had improper contact at the office. in the middle here, the people looking on, getting angry, wondering what's become of our politics and one variety of politician in particular. our report tonight from nbc's andrea mitchell. >> reporter: resisting pressure to resign over sexual harassment accusations, today san diego's mayor bob filner said he's taking time out to get help. >> i will be entering a behavior counseling clinic to undergo two weeks of intensive therapy to begin the process of addressing my behavior. >> reporter: seven women have come forward including former staffers. >> i was placed in a filner headlock and moved around as a rag doll while he whispered sexual comments in my ear. >> reporter: their accounts are graphic.

>> he came up, gave me a hug and touch me -- actually groped me on my backside inappropriately. >> very close to me and ran his finger up my cheek like this and he whispered to me, "do you have a man in your life?" >> reporter: filner served 20 years in congress. now party leaders wish he and others would go away. >> the conduct of some of the people we are talking about here is reprehensible. it is so disrespectful of women. what's really stunning about it is they don't even realize it. they don't have a clue. >> reporter: what filner is accused of is different from private consensual sexual misconduct in person or, as with anthony weiner, online. >> it's not dozens and dozens. it is six to ten i suppose. i can't tell you absolutely what someone else is going to consider inappropriate or not. >> reporter: but it raises the questions, why are male politicians always getting in trouble over sex or to paraphrase henry higgins, why can't a man be more like a woman? >> we reward girls who are rule followers.

we tend to reward boys who are rule breakers. >> all of the politicians i have watched have gotten themselves into sexual trouble, it's had to do with egotism. i'm not sure i see degree of egotism that as much among women politicians that i cover. >> reporter: "the new yorker" cover artist said he was inspired by the iconic image of king kong astride the empire state building. filner, weiner, spitzer, sanford, vitter, john edwards, petraeus, the list keeps growing and so far it's all the same sex. andrea mitchell, nbc news, washington. we are back in a moment with the mystery tonight at one of this nation's most treasured landmarks.

somebody did something terrible in washington overnight. they defaced the memory of our 16th president. they splattered green paint on the lincoln memorial. fortunately, police acted fast and they are hopeful it will all come out. a parks service spokeswoman called this heartbreaking which of course it is.

police are combing at surveillance video from last night. because people now record everything every day we have a new look at what it was like to be a passenger on that southwest flight that collapsed its front landing gear by landing nose first at laguardia on monday before skidding down the runway. that was a rough ride. the airport was closed. while the passengers all exited, there were injuries to several of them. haliburton has admitted to destroy evidence in the deepwater horizon oil spill disaster. they've entered into a misdemeanor deal with the feds. they built the well for bp. the case has to do with computer simulation testing that was later destroyed. the disaster pumped almost 5 million barrels of crude oil into the gulf. the cocreator of "the simpsons" decided to give all of his money to charity. sam simon is dying of terminal colon cancer.

he's unmarried, no children, has been active in causes for the needy and helping animals. he told an interviewer recently he expects only to live a few more months. when we come back tonight after a week that flew by, what you will want to see that went by too fast.

finally tonight, an attempt to hit pause and then rewind what was a very busy week dominated at least at the start, by the news from overseas -- the arrival of a new prince -- and all the news that followed that. that means there were things we didn't get to. luckily in the waning moments on friday night there is still time beginning with an incredible sight captured on camera. a tourist in france just noticed something unusual -- what appeared to be almost puffs of smoke at the base of a beautiful seaside cliff. but look a little closer and you notice a huge section of hillside is falling away -- and there it goes. it was blamed on natural erosion, but france just got smaller by a little bit. while a few folks ran away yelling french expletives, luckily no one was directly underneath it. fedex is dealing with

another embarrassing situation. you may remember this -- the now former fedex delivery guy playing fast and loose with somebody's flat screen. now these two have been captured having a good laugh while giving some parcels a good toss, though it is no match for the grand daddy of them all, the baggage mishandler caught on video by an airline passenger in china. hopefully there wasn't china in the boxes. what may be the death officially of the american attention span, new versions of board games for folks who just don't have the time for scrabble or monopoly. the new scrabble flash has light-up tiles for those fighting boredom and allows two players to complete a round in two and a half minutes. the new monopoly empire game lets players buy big name brands like coke and mcdonald's. games are as quick as 30 minutes. to speed things up, there is no more go to jail command. presumably players are rehabilitated. finally this week marked the 50th anniversary of two

different events in the kennedy white house which were unknown to the rest of us at the time. 50 years ago this week, a precocious student from arkansas angled his way to the front of the rose garden to shake the hand of the president. of course bill clinton would grow up to be elected just seven presidents after kennedy. and 50 years ago this week president kennedy placed a spirited phone call from the oval office. he was angered by a picture in that morning's "washington post" that showed the military proudly displaying a newly redecorated hospital room at otis air force base on the cape specifically prepared for mrs. kennedy. the president saw a pr disaster waiting to happen. when jfk calls the air force general in charge he swears like the navy man he once was. historians pointed out decades later this air force general once dated jackie kennedy. all in all he's about to have a very bad day starting when he picks up the phone. >> general.

>> yes, sir. >> the air force has caused itself more grief with that silly bastard. did you see the post this morning? >> yes, sir. >> did you see that fellow's by the bed and the furniture they bought from jordan marsh? what the hell did they let the reporters in there for? are they crazy up there? you just sank the air force budget. they're crazy up there. are they crazy? that silly bastard with his picture next to the bed? >> i'm appalled, but -- >> well, i'm appalled, too. >> all right, sir. >> i want that -- that fellow is incompetent who had his picture taken next to mrs. kennedy's bed if that's what it was. he's a silly bastard. i wouldn't have him running a cat house. are they throwing around money over there? >> well, sir this is -- >> this is obviously a [ bleep ] up. >> as my favorite irish aunt used to say, it got his irish up. the now famous phone call from 50 years ago today. that is our broadcast on a friday night and for this week. thank you for being here with us. lester holt will be here with you this weekend. i'm brian williams.

we hope to see you right back here on monday night. have a good weekend. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com nbc bay area news starts now. good friday evening, everyone. >> drug heading arunning and ho woman captive. both men in jail tonight accused of growing large quantities of pot and holding a 15 year old girl captive in a metal box. the girl in a rural section north of santa rosa. r jessica, the details of what

that girl allegedly went through truly make your stomach turn. the details are all spilled out in these court documents. two men have been charged in federal court. the u.s. attorney's office says these are the two men behind a disturbing marijuana grow operation. investigators say they were not only growing more than a thousand marijuana plants in the rugged countryside of lake county, but had held a 15 year old girl captive there for weeks. the girl was kept locked inside a metal box that was hoisted at an angle for human waste to drain out. the girl who's from los angeles told investigators both men engaged in sex acts with her. >> after 24 years of being a dea, some of these