>> mason: the cabin in the woods. this is the headquarters of the two-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 of 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 harvery 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." captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news." >> mason: 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. swrimpgy 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... when it received a $300 million no-bid contract to 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. >> hi, i'm andy. >> reporter: whitefish c.e.o., says his company, which is located in the hometown of xi jinping. >> it's going to help 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 between the mayor of san juan, carmen yulin cruz, and the company. cruz bees the deal with whitefish energy should be void. she described the company as "inadequate" and asked for

transparency. whitefish hit back, threatening to leave writing, "we have 44 linemen rebuilding power lines in your city and 40 more men just arrived. do you want to us send them back or keep working?" 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 truck actually blocked us and prevented us from getting out. the sheriff's department was called and a deputy is speaking about 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 a bankrupt utility company. more now from julianna goldman. >> this is a contract that was determined by the local authorities 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. >> he did ask secretary zinke, just for clarification purposes, and he reiterated once again that we have no role, the federal government, in and specifically he had no role in that contract. >> reporter: but the contract says the federal emergency management agency, or fema, "reviewed and approved," the agreement. today, fema said it was not involved and any language that says it was is inaccurate. >> we're here ready to light up puerto rico. >> reporter: the department of homeland security's inspector general 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 right to review the cost and profit elements of the labor rates." like $462 per hour for a subcontractor site supervisor, and time and a half for anyone work over 40 hours. the i.g. will look for the presence of any inappropriate relationships. 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 president 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 from 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. >> president kennedy died at

1:00 p.m. central standard time. >> reporter: his accused assassin, lee harvery oswald, shot and killed two days later. from the beginning, there were doubters oswald had acted alone, and the new documents are unlikely to silence suspicions of a broader conspiracy. larry sebato, is a j.f.k. scholar. >> even if we had the fullistic 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 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 wrote 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 assassin. 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 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 cuts off, leaving us to wonder the intrp jan crawford, cbs news, washington. >> mason: actress rose mcgowen pleaded 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 just 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. >> 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 number who is sharing her story under the #memoo # toocongress. >> i know what it's like to keep these things hidden. >> reporter: she said 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 howght. >> reporter: the five-term

congresswoman argues the same "boys club" culture exists today because 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 farrenhold settled a harassment lawsuit brought by a former aide. but some 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 doesn't happen more here. and that's why spear and several other congress women 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 senator 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. catalans have long grumbled that they pay too much in taxes to the national government. sumpts of independence jammed the streets of the catalan capital, barcelona. but the party may be short-lived.

spain's prime minister fired catalonia's political leaders and vowed to take direct control of the region. the u.s. military is denying reports that four american soldiers killed in an ambush in niger headquarter 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 la david johnson, two days later. the u.s. has about 800 troops deployed in niger, training and supporting local forces who are battling islamic militants. debora patta has more on this. debora what do we know about the region 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 groups operating along the border between niger and mali, but they have loose exploos 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, and 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 at this village, tongo tongo, to resupply? >> reporter: this is one of the biggest unanswered qeez 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: you can tell us more about the isis efforts to recruit? >> reporter: well, they've been recruiting young men, essentially herders purpose many believe alzah howie is the top-ranked jihadist in the area and he recently pledged loyalty to isis. so it's entirely possible one of these new recruits could have tipped him 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. woods had a variety of medications in his system, include 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 sharks. and later "on the road" strikes gold.

>> mason: two american women who were rescued at sea this week with her dogs are sharing tales of their harrowing ordeal. the moment five months of

desperation turned to joe. jennifer appel wave waved and bw 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 fuiava 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 ninph, now crippled. difficulties thousands of miles off course. there were terrifying moments, including encounters with sharks. >> i went downstairs with the boys and we basically laid huddled 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. then the u.s. navy swooped in and brought them safely to shore. and we're glad they're back. coming up, the hot pursuit of a 10-year-old out for a joy ride. ? then we found out how many years that money would last them. how long do you think we'll keep -- oooooohhh! you stopped! you're gonna leave me back here at year 9? how did this happen? it turned out, a lot of people fell short, of even the average length of retirement. we have to think about not when we expect to live to, but when we could live to. let's plan for income that lasts all our years in retirement. prudential. bring your challenges.

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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 can't have the inmates running the prison." in a statement today, mcnail said i used a figure of speech that was never intended to be taken literally. i would never characterize our player or our league that way. president trump observed a truce with reporters today long enough to invite their kids into the oval 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 mtv in trouble, that question. >> mason: up nsteve hartman rolls back the "on the 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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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 for fast-- or even news for that 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. >> humiliated by a 10 four--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 blackman was kuralt's cameraman. we invited him here to the fen 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 most of kuralt's careers. the highs and the... highers. >> the cameraman was just put through a snaprole 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 when the first one was on. >> reporter: oh, really? >> 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 is saddens izzy that the name "charles kuralt" is fading from our collective conscious. >> it's coming to me. >> 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 their 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.

( laughs ). >> 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 a country that still seems rather fine and strong and enduring. yes, the motor home may be retired, but thanks to izzy blackman 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 blackhan. 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.

a bridge shut down over politics. their biggest triumph was a traffic jam. chris christie and kim guadagno's failures shortchanged our future. after 8 years- incomes are down, costs are up and our economy is crawling. we are better than this. i'm phil murphy together we'll build a stronger, fairer economy that works for every new jersey family. christie and guadagno left new jersey stuck. i'm serious about moving new jersey forward. after 8 years of chris christie, is kim guadagno the change new jersey really needs? guadagno is christie's hand-picked successor. says she's "proud to be part of the christie administration." guadagno was chris christie's right hand as our schools came under attack, critical services were underfunded, and our credit rating was downgraded...11 times. from the bridge to the beach, we've seen it all, and we've had enough. kim guadagno isn't the change we need.

>> here they are. the two women lost at sea for five months. how they and their two dogs survived. >> i honestly believed we were going to die within the next 24 hours. >> then, actress rose mcgowan. >> her message to america in the wake of the me too movement. >> we are strong. we are brave. and we will fight. >> and exclusive, o.j. simpson's ex-girlfriend breaks her silence. down and out. struggling. trying to figure out how she ended up with nothing. >> the drug use, is it every day? >> then, stop that kid. the just released 911 calls. >> the kid is probably going at least 90. >> even his