captioning sponsored by cbs >> mason: the cabin in the woods. ehis is the headquarters of the c o-person electric company given a massive contract to bring power to more than three million puerto ricans. how did that happen? >> the federal government has nothing to do with this contract. >> mason: also tonight, a member oo congress says, "me, too." >> congress has been a breeding ground for a hostile work environment for far too long. >> did you kill the president? >> no, i have not been charged with that. >> mason: what the just-released j.f.k. files reveal about lee harvey oswald. and steve hartman takes us back half a century to the beginning of the road. >> humiliated by a 104-year-old man.

tonight, some of the places we've been from all these years "on the road." this is the "cbs evening news." >> mason: and this is our western edition. good evening. i'm anthony mason. the trump administration denied today that political connections had anything to do with restoring electrical connections to puerto rico. a huge contract was awarded to a tiny company in whitefish, montana, home town of interior secretary ryan zinke. zinke today said he had nothing to do with the contract. cbs news correspondent david begnaud set out today to find the headquarters of the company somewhere in the middle of nowhere. >> reporter: nestled down this long driveway in whitefish, montana, is a one-story wooden house which is the home of whitefish energy, the tiny energy company with only two full-time employees surprised many. ( doorbell )

there's mail for andy techmanski. when it received a $300 million no-bid contract to help rebuild puerto rico's electrical grid. whitefish has never worked on a project of this size. i mean we're kind of in the middle of nowhere. it's beautiful out here, but it certainly doesn't look like a headquarters for an energy company. a hi, i'm andy techmanski. >> reporter: whitefish c.e.o., andy techmanski, says his company, which is located in the hometown of interior secretary ryan zinke has 300 workers on the ground in puerto rico working to fix the crippled electrical system. >> and it's going to help get the power back on in puerto rico. >> mason: a month after hurricane maria devastated puerto rico, 75% of that island is still without power. the controversy over the no-bid contract set off a twitter feud e tween the mayor of san juan, carmen yulin cruz, and the company. cruz believes the deal with whitefish energy should be void. voided. she described the company as "inadequate" and asked for transparency. whitefish hit back, threatening

to leave, writing: the company later apologized. the company later apologized. as we were leaving, what was said to be the headquarters for whitefish energy, we were headed down this rural road when the man driving this white pickup thuck actually blocked us and prevented us from getting out. t.e sheriff's department was called and a deputy is now speaking with that man. whitefish put out a statement saying they planned to cooperate with any requests from congress and say they're proud of the work they're doing in puerto rico. anthony. >> mason: david begnaud in montana. members of congress are calling for an investigation of the contract, which was awarded by puerto rico's bankrupt utility company. icre now from julianna goldman. s this is a contract that was determined by the local atthorities in puerto rico. >> reporter: white house press secretary sarah huckabee sanders distanced the president from the $300 million contract today, even as mr. trump addressed the controversy with interior secretary ryan zinke during a

previously scheduled meeting. cr he did ask secretary zinke, just for clarification purposes, and he reiterated once again that we have no role, the federal government, and specifically he had no role in that contract. >> reporter: but the contract says the federal emergency management agency, or fema, meeviewed and approved," the agreement. today, fema said it was not emvolved and any language that thys it was is inaccurate. >> we're here ready to light up puerto rico. >> reporter: the department of homeland security's inspector teneral will perform an audit, but there's one aspect of the deal that appears to be off limits. the contract says federal and state officials "don't have the thght to review the cost and evofit elements of the labor rates." like $462 per hour for a subcontractor site supervisor, med time and a half for anyone working over 40 hours. the i.g. will look for the presence of any inappropriate anlationships. in addition to whitefish's

connection to secretary zinke, one of the company's top investors has given tens of thousands of dollars to republicans, including energy secretary rick perry, senators marco rubio, and ted cruz, and ryesident trump. in a statement, zinke said he had absolutely nothing to do with the contract, and he welcomes all investigations into the allegations. late today, house minority leader nancy pelosi called on the contract to be terminated immediately. anthony. >> mason: julianna goldman, thanks. after last-minute negotiations involving the f.b.i. and the c.i.a., president trump last night blocked for now the release of hundreds of records thom the assassination of president john f. kennedy. but he did let thousands of others come out. jan crawford has been poring through the files. >> it will be only a matter of minutes before he arrives. >> reporter: the horror of that november day in dallas still seems to defy understanding. president kennedy killed. ro president kennedy died at 1:00 p.m. central standard time.

>> reporter: his accused assassin, lee harvey oswald, shot and killed two days later. from the beginning, there were doubters oswald had acted alone, cud the new documents are unlikely to silence suspicions of a broader conspiracy. larry sabato, is a j.f.k. scholar. >> even if we had the full veory, there's an army of conspiracy theorists that seems to grow by the year. they're never going to be satisfied. >> reporter: totaling thousands of pages, the documents offer a glimpse into the investigation. they show the f.b.i. knew of a threat against the president's assassin. f.b.i. director j. edgar hoover heote in a memo the night before oswald was shot, "a man called saying he was a member of a committee organized to kill him." dallas police assured the f.b.i. "adequate protection could be given. however this was not done." hoover wrote he was concerned about conspiracy theories and wanted to have something issued

so we can convince the public that oswald is the real nvinssin. the f.b.i. director was also aware oswald had ties to cuba and russia. the documents show oswald was on the f.b.i.'s radar a month before he shot the president. there had been numerous threats against president kennedy. a 413-page memo details those, ranging from the ku klux klan to the mentally ill. as for who, other than oswald, could be responsible, the doubts yield more frustration than explanation, like these questions to a former c.i.a. director: the document abruptly the document abruptly cuts off, leaving us to wonder the answer jan crawford, cbs news, washington. >> mason: actress rose mcgowan neeaded with women today to fight sexual harassment and assault. mcgowan spoke publicly for the

first time since accusing filmmaker harvey weinstein of rape, telling a convention of women activists, "it doesn't ppst happen in hollywood." >> because what happened to me behind the scenes happens to all of us in this society, and that cannot stand, and it will not stand. ha mason: more than 50 women have accused weinstein of sexual misconduct. he has denied all allegations of nonconsensual sex. it happens in congress, too, according to one member who is sharing her story under the #metoocongress. here's chief congressional correspondent nancy cordes. ke i know what it's like to keep these things hidden. >> reporter: california's jackie speier says her "me too" story happened on capitol hill, but in the 1970s when she was a low- level staffer. >> the chief of staff held my face, kissed me, and stuck his tongue in my mouth. >> reporter: the five-term congresswoman argues the same

"boys club" culture exists today ocause congress operates, literally, by its own set of rules. a law passed in 1995 requires congressional victims of sexual harassment or misconduct to undergo 30 days of counseling, then a 30-day mediation period before they can pursue a hearing or a lawsuit. settlements, when they happen, are paid not by members or their offices but by a special u.s. treasury fund. unlike most federal workers, lawmakers and their aides are not required to get sexual harassment training. >> do i use salty language? yup. >> reporter: in recent years, new york's eric massa, and florida's mark foley were forced out for sexual misconduct. in 2015, texas congressman blake farenthold settled a harassment lawsuit brought by a former aide. but some female lawmakers believe the problem runs much deeper.

>> because congress has been a breeding ground for a hostile work environment for far too long. >> reporter: house speaker paul ryan said last week it would be naive to think harassment hiesn't happen more here. had that's why speier and several other congresswomen are telling their stories. they want to encourage female staffers to speak out, despite the special obstacles here on capitol hill, anthony. >> mason: nancy cordes. thanks, nancy. this program note: republican r nator bob corker of tennessee, an outspoken critic of president trump is john dickerson's guest this sunday on "face the nation." spain is facing a serious crisis. lawmakers in the catalonia region voted to declare independence. ngtalans have long grumbled that they pay too much in taxes to the national government. supporters of independence jammed the streets of the catalan capital, barcelona. cet the party may be short- lived. spain's prime minister fired e talonia's political leaders

and vowed to take direct control t the region. the u.s. military is denying reports that four american soldiers killed in an ambush in niger had been left behind by rescuers. the battle with islamic militants on october 4 lasted two hours. three of the bodies were recovered that day. the fourth, of sergeant ladavid johnson, two days later. the u.s. has about 800 troops deployed in niger, training and supporting local forces who are mttling islamic militants. debora patta has more on this. debora what do we know about the region where the u.s. troopers were ambushed? >> reporter: this is one of the most remote and lawless regions in the world right now. there are more than a dozen extremist groups operating along the border between niger and mali, but they have loose and shifting alliances. essentially, they're a mix of al qaeda, isis, and even criminals. this is also a major hub for the trafficking of weapons and arms,

ead there is absolutely no government control here. so it would have been dangerous for u.s. troops. >> mason: why, debora, would u.s. and nigerian troops stopped er this village, tongo tongo, to re-supply? >> reporter: this is one of the biggest unanswered questions we have. this village in the border region where isis has been recruiting recently so the presence of u.s. soldiers would have attracted immediate attention. >> mason: can you tell us more about the isis efforts to recruit? >> reporter: well, they've been recruiting young men, essentially herders purpose many believe al-zawahiri is the top- esnked jihadist in the area and he spent some time working with al qaeda in mali and recently pledged loyalty to isis. so it's entirely possible one of these new recruits could have tipped al-zawahiri off about the presence of u.s. troops. >> mason: debora patta, thank you very much, debora.

tiger woods pleaded guilty today to reckless driving in florida. the golf great was sentenced to a year's probation and a diversion program that will require random drug tests. e ods had a variety of medications in his system, including pain killers and a sleep drug when he was found last may unconscious in his car. coming up next on the cbs evening news, they were stranded at sea, surviving storms and " arks. and later "on the road" strikes gold. .

>> mason: two american women who were rescued at sea this week with their dogs are sharing details of their harrowing ordeal. the moment five months of desperation turned to joe. jennifer appel waved and blew kisses.

zeus and valentine wagged and barked with excitement. >> when we saw you guys it was, "oh, god! we've been saved! !> reporter: appel and tasha fuiaba set sail from hawaii in may, bound for tahiti. their adventure took a dangerous turn when a storm swamped their engine and damaged their mast. the 50-foot "sea nymph," now crippled drifted thousands of miles off course. there were terrifying moments, including encounters with enarks. >> i went downstairs with the boys and we basically laid siddled on the floor and i told them not to bark because the sharks could hear us breathing. breathing. >> mason: they were running low on food and hope when help finally arrived. >> i honestly believed we were going to die within the next 24 hours. >> mason: a taiwanese fishing boat spotted the weary sailors 900 miles off japan.

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>> mason: police in ohio were led on a high-speed chase by a 10-year-old boy. he took off in cleveland yesterday in a car owned by his mother's boyfriend. the hour-long pursuit topped 100 miles an hour. here, he's driving on the grass alongside an interstate. when troopers finally cut him off and caught him, they say he spit at them. he's charged with felony fleeing and eluding. earlier this month, the boy took his mom's car for a joy ride. the owner of the n.f.l.'s houston texans apologized today. espn reported robert mcnair told other owners he didn't want players kneeling before the national anthem because, "we

ben't have the inmates running the prison." in a statement today, mcnair said, "i used a figure of speech that was never intended to be taken literally. i would never characterize our players or our league that way." president trump observed a truce with reporters today long enough en invite their kids into the toal office for an early halloween celebration. >> these are beautiful, wonderful children. oooh, you're going to grow up to be like your parents? ummm... don't answer. that can only get me in trouble, that question. >> mason: up next, steve hartman rolls back the "on the road" odometer to mile one. road" odometer to mile one. "volatile markets." something we all think about as we head into retirement. it's why brighthouse financial

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♪ >> i'm charles kuralt. one day in 1967, i thought i'd take a ride and see what was going on in the countryside. >> mason: it was 50 years ago this week that charles kuralt first went "on the road." tonight, steve hartman throws it into reverse and takes us back to the start of a journey to the heart of america. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: the "on the road" motor home wasn't the fastest way to find a news story, but charles kuralt wasn't looking matter-- at least not in the trouble sense. no, this man was a different kind of journalist. he didn't investigate people. he simply admired them. >> reporter: humiliated by a ea4--year-old man. oh! he said he was the best, and i trusted him.

>> there you go! >> reporter: nobody could accuse you of wasting any string lately. >> no. >> reporter: charles kuralt, legendary creator of "on the road" died 20 years ago, but his biggest fan is alive and well. what year did you start at cbs? >> 1966. >> reporter: izzy bleckman was kuralt's cameraman. we invited him here to the henry ford museum outside detroit where "on the road" is celebrated 365. you recognize this? >> yeah. oh, my. >> reporter: the exhibit has been here for years. >> oh, my. >> reporter: but this was his first time seeing it. >> charles had a saying. he said, "you're making my heart beat fast." >> reporter: izzy was there for ars. of kuralt's careers. tie highs and the... highers. >> the man moaning in the background is our cameraman. i had just been put through a snap roll by a little old lady of 80. >> reporter: but izzy says "on the road" almost didn't get off the ground, said management wasn't thrilled with the idea at

first. why would they say no? >> because they didn't see what he saw, i guess. what i heard was the telephones lit up pretty hard that night , i the first one was on. >> reporter: oh, really? gh people said, "it's about time we saw a little something else about america. >> reporter: it gets three miles to the bushel. >> reporter: it was the beginning of one of the most successful segments in news history, which is why it saddens izzy that the name "charles kuralt" is fading from our cllective conscious. >> it's coming to me now. >> reporter: people are forgetting who started this. >> what's his name. >> reporter: charles kuralt. >> no. >> reporter: doesn't ring a bell? >> no. >> reporter: i even asked a group of cbs news interns, "who's heard of charles kuralt?" and if you look way in the back you'll see two people raise lleir hands, and one of them was my intern. what is lost if america forgets who charles kuralt is? >> well, i don't think you're going to let them do that. halaughs ) >> that's your mission is to

keep doing it and keep us in awe. >> reporter: fortunately, there's still plenty of awe left in america. in fact, what strikes me today is the same thing that struck kuralt: that despite the negative headlines, the back roads connect up-- >> reporter: a country that still seems rather fine and strong and enduring. >> reporter: yes, the motor home may be retired, but thanks to izzy bleckman and charles kuralt, today there's still a vehicle for telling the stories we believe matter most. steve hartman, "on the road" in detroit. >> mason: god bless charlie kuralt and izzy bleckman. one great cameraman who i worked with, too. they showed us something else about america. that's the cbs evening news. i'm anthony mason in new york. thanks for watching. see you tomorrow on "cbs this morning saturday." good night. captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

those flames... kpix 5 news starts with breaking news in san jose. take a look at the flames. thick black smoke is coming from dozens of cars that burned so hot that many of them appear to have melted. there was a property full of the vehicles, it looks like someone's personal salvage yards.>> the flames started near pleasant acres drive shortly after 4:00 this afternoon. chopper five is still over the area. firefighters have been working to keep the flames from spreading to homes in the area. winds are about 10 miles an hour, and we've been giving you live coverage of this fire since our 5:00 news. we are there with new information that we just learned within the last 30 minutes.>> reporter: unfortunately, they are looking for what may be an elderly

gentleman who lived on the property. apparently from the neighbors, a man lived there possibly by himself on what is honestly a ramshackle property. it is difficult to tell from our vantage point, we are behind the fire you can see they are still putting water on the fire. we do understand that there may be a search underway for the gentleman. there has also been a man that hopped the fence in front of us just a few minutes ago and retrieved a couple dogs that were cowering on one side of the property trapped by the flames. he may be associated with the home or a relative. he was assisting firefighters and searching. i could hear them calling out names. it was difficult to tell whether he was searching for a human or other dogs