i'm ben cardin, and i approved this message. on this saturday night, the suspect. new information tonight about the man suspected of killing 16 afghan villagers. new insights from some of those who know staff sergeant robert bales. the heat is on. another day of record-breaking temperatures. how long will it continue? heart of thematter. a new warning about some of the most popular items in the american diet. the shooting. a teenager is killed by the member of a neighborhood watch. the fallout as the fbi gets involved. and the godfather. >> i'm going to make him after offer he can't refuse. >> why an american film classic has endured.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening. the u.s. army sergeant who allegedly murdered 16 afghan civilians is spending his first full day since the massacre on american soil. at a military prison in kansas. as reporters spent this day pounding the ground around the army post he last served on in washington state. trying to piece together a picture of just who sergeant robert bales is. and what could have sent him over the edge. until last week, his story was not all that different from thousands of soldiers. who have honorably served their country. multiple combat deployments and burdened with memories of fallen comrades. and we have more on what we're learning tonight about sergeant bales. miguel, good evening. >> reporter: good evening. shock is the word we keep

hearing in this community. many wonder how a happily married man of two could be responsible for such senseless murders. today, 38-year-old staff sergeant robert bales is in solitary confinement at ft. leavenworth. held in the army's prison in kansas, accused of killing 16 afghan civilians mostly women and children. bales could face the death penalty. 1,800 miles away not far from seattle -- >> it's horrible. i wouldn't want to be over there. >> reporter: bales wife and two children have been moved to a military base for their security. neighbors knew him as a family man, as a doting father they called bob. >> he was always happy. happy guy. full of life. i really wouldn't expect it. >> reporter: despite a clean military record, bales had two misdemeanor charges as a civilian, both dropped in the last decade, including assault on a former girlfriend.

after enlisting in the military after 9/11 he was said to be a strong leader in combat. said to be injured twice during three tours in iraq, bales was quoted in a 2009 military publication saying i have never been more proud of this unit. we discriminated between the bad guys and the noncombatants, helping people that three or four hours before were trying to kill us. bales' civil attorney said he never expected a fourth deployment to afghanistan. >> i know that his two tours in iraq were horrific and he saw people killed literally standing right next to him. and there was an incident right before these allegations where one of his fellow soldiers was mortally wounded. >> reporter: though bales was reportedly injured twice, he never received a purple heart. his wife reportedly blogged about her husband being passed over for promotion. it is very disappointing after all the work that bob has done and all the sacrifices he's made

for love of his country and friends. it's unclear if bales suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and whether it will be part of his defense. >> i think you would have to assume that that's going to be an uphill battle. just on general principles. >> reporter: after more than a decade in the military, bales spent most of his time at joint base lewis-mcchord, just outside the gates at coffee shops and diners today the headline and talk is about one of their own. >> i'm sympathetic to all the soldiers over there. >> reporter: tonight we spent time inside the home of the suspect's former brigade leader. they served three tours together in iraq and were close friends. he said as for the suspect, that he was a heroic soldier who saved several lives overseas and said of all the hundreds of men he was in command of overseas the last person he would suspect to be responsible for a crime like this would be his friend he called bobby. lester? >> miguel alagarr, thank you. for more perspective on this, we turn to the military analyst barry mccaffrey who joins us

from washington. general, taken by itself this is a horrible crime. when you add in other embarrassing and horrible missteps by u.s. forces over there, what's the impact to this country and to fellow soldiers? >> well, it's hard to say. 17,000 killed a decade -- killed and wounded and a decade in combat, the country has grown tired of the war. karzai is a loose cannon. he's throwing kerosene on the glowing embers of this fire. i think we're likely to mark this as a turning point in the war. will the american people continue this, it's going to disappe disappear? the administration is in trouble. they have to get through the presidential election and not have it unravel on them. but i think we're going to start heading for the door. >> barry mccaffrey, general, thank you very much. another big story, the continuing late winter warming trend with several hundred records broken today. the weather channel's kelly cass is tracking it for us.

good evening. >> reporter: good evening, lester. just this past week we have seen nearly 2,000 record highs across the country, and we are set to either tie or break hundreds of records over the next couple of days. we have a ridge of high pressure that is in charge of our weather. we are talking three straight days of temperatures in the 80s around chicago. that is a new record. and it feels more like mid june. bismarck we should be in the low 40s and we have been near 80 degrees. minneapolis, mid to upper 70s where the average high is 42. so people are basically saying what happened to spring? we seem to have jumped right to summer with more records about the go down tomorrow. look at green bay, up to 79 degrees. chicago, another day in the 80s. back into the plains states we are still dealing with potential record highs even down toward the south. 85 degrees in atlanta. if we get there, that will break the record high temperature. just a reminder, never leave the kid and the pets in the car as you run your errands this weekend. the other story we're tracking a big system in the west.

we are talking inches of rain. feet of snow across the higher elevations making it difficult to get around. not only because of the precipitation, but because of gusty winds. we are talking winds gusting as high as 60 or even 70 miles an hour. lester? >> kelly cass, thank you. one more weather note. two weeks after a series of devastating tornadoes in southern indiana, some remarkable images have emerged. surveillance cameras inside henryville junior/senior high school captured the tornado there. and the most dramatic scene was in the skrgym. the force of the tornado and the vacuum, it sucked the debris out of the building, leaving a skeleton of what it was once was. we turn to politics and the republican battle for delegates as they look forward to primaries in puerto rico tomorrow and illinois on tuesday. as they campaign today rick santorum and mitt romney showed their dramatically different styles. ron mott has the latest for us tonight.

>> reporter: if they were movies rick santorum's campaign might be the low key independent breakout. while mitt romney's cast a look of a big-studio blockbuster. fireworks and all. differences in tone and budget that santorum noted at an event today in missouri with signs of romney everywhere. >> and money isn't going to buy this election. vision and character and authenticity and trust are going to win this election >> reporter: from the now famous sweater vest, santorum continues to captivate blue collar conservatives. he pledged to clean up what he called america's pornography pandemic. today, he told voters in illinois he'd win the nomination if they give him a win in tuesday's primary. for his part, mitt romney sought to stoke his campaign with a high energy swing through puerto rico. in the wake of primary losses this week in the deep south to santorum. >> we came here to speak. we learned more by listening. >> reporter: in courting the

vote ahead of the primary on sunday, romney invoked a familiar theme, u.s. statehood which puerto ricans will consider this fall. >> it was ronald reagan who very famously said that it was important for people of puerto rico to have a choice to become a state, and if -- and if -- [ cheers and applause ] if the people of puerto rico choose that path, i will be happy to help lead that effort in washington. >> reporter: but before leaving this afternoon -- >> this is my birthday present. >> reporter: -- he committed to a birthday exchange with wife ann. >> those are macaroons. see that? >> reporter: losing one treat perhaps, hoping voters will deliver another tomorrow. as for the other candidates in this race, newt gingrich has taken the weekend off the trail. meantime, ron paul's campaign manager said the texas congressman knows he will not get the republican nomination and he wants more than just a speaking role at the convention. he's angling for the number two spot on the eventual ticket.

>> ron, thank you. a program note, tomorrow morning on "meet the press," david gregory will be joined by senator john mccain and by actor and activist george clooney. a congressional milestone this weekend. today senator barbara mikulski became the longest serving woman in congress. in her 35 years in the house and the senate, she became known for a number of firsts including first woman to serve in a leadership role in the senate. first female democrat to serve in both houses. and as the newspaper roll call points out one of the first women to wear pants on the senate floor. overseas, another deadly day in syria where two bombs exploded in damascus. nbc's ayman mohyeldin has been following the story from cairo. >> reporter: good evening. twin explosions rang out on saturday morning and more than 20 people were killed and a hundred wounded in the explosions that happened minutes apart.

amateur footage filmed by bystanders show the scenes of chaos. the syrian government put the blame on foreign terrorists working to destabilize and divide the country. and they're arming the opposition group working to overthrow the president bashar al assad. arming the opposition has been a position that some arab leaders have is up importanted despite the concerns by the u.s. and others. the saudi arabian and other governments intend to supply them with military equipment. earlier this week the opposition marked one year since the beginning of an uprising aimed at toppling president bashar al assad. back to you. john demjanjuk died today. he was the retired u.s. autoworker convicted in germany last year of being a guard at a nazi death camp. an accessory to the murder of 28,000 people. ten years ago, demjanjuk was

stripped of the u.s. citizenship, but he denied he was the guard known as ivan the terrible. the german court sentenced him to five years in prison. he was appealing his conviction and died in a nursing home in germany. demjanjuk was 91. all this warm weather we have been having in much of the country made for a near perfect st. patrick's day. this was the scene in new york city as that city and others went green. it was the 251st parade. hundreds of people came out to celebrate. in balmy chicago another tradition was upheld as the river was dyed green. another an irish pub in washington, president obama got into the spirit as he enjoyed a glass of guinness. and in ireland, more than half a million people turned out for that city's parade. one of dozens held in that country. and in england a royal tradition was carried on with someone new on the st. patrick's day. the duchess of cambridge paid a visit to the british army unit known as the irish guard. and presented them with

shamrocks. it was the former kate middleton's first solo military engagement as a member of the royal family. when "nbc nightly news" continues on this saturday evening, new warnings about what you eat and what you drink and the impact on your heart. and an american masterpiece. why the godfather still intrigues us 40 years after its release. i used to love hearing that phrase... but not since i learned i have... postmenopausal osteoporosis and a high risk for fracture. i want to keep acting but a broken bone could change that. so my doctor and i chose prolia® to reduce my risk of fractures. prolia® is proven to help make bones stronger. proven to help increase bone density. i take prolia®. it's different. it's two shots a year. [announcer:] if you take prolia® (denosumab) you should not take xgeva®. prolia® can cause serious side effects, including low blood calcium levels, serious infections...

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we're back with some important health news tonight about diet and its impact on heart disease. there's new evidence about the dangers of sugar drinks and red meat. we get the story from nbc's chief science correspondent robert bazell. >> reporter: every day we make decisions about what to eat and what to drink. >> i go through phases of different soda, you know, pepsi, then there's mountain dew. >> reporter: but what's good for us one day is not the next. that's because research hasn't always been clear. >> back in the late 1970s people were being told to avoid eggs or a little bit later to avoid all fat if you possibly could. but there was actually no evidence, no data supporting that. >> reporter: now, long-term research is steadily revealing that little decisions we make actually carry a lot of weight.

in a new study, researchers at harvard university followed more than 40,000 men over 22 years and found that those consuming just one 12-ounce sugared sweetened drink a day increased their chance of having a heart attack by 20%. two sugary drinks, 42% increase and three a day, 69%. >> it does cause a spike in blood sugar and causes a big burst of insulin. if we do this day after day, that's hanging around. that's not just a spike for a few hours. >> reporter: the american beverage association disagrees and in a response to the study said drinking sweetened beverages does not cause an increased risk of heart disease. adding these findings, quote, could have been the result of other lifestyle changes. another study looking at red meat consumption over 28 years found men and women who ate a serving a day were 13% more likely to die prematurely. the national cattleman's beef association says no one food has

quote been shone to affect mortality. and the scientific evidence to support the role of lean beef in a healthy balanced diet is strong. the results from many students accumulate, what defines a healthy diet is becoming ever more clear. experts suggest eating less red meat and more nuts, poultry and fish as sources of protein. eating fewer refined carbs and staying away from trans fats and going for good fats instead. we know what's good for us and what's not. >> makes me kind of not want to eat it as much. but i probably still will. >> reporter: the real question is do we have the will power to make those healthy choices? robert bazell, nbc news, new york. got a lot more to tell you about tonight. a controversial shooting case in florida. a teenager is dead. the question, was race a factor? , how do you know which ones to follow? the equity summary score consolidates the ratings of up to 10 independent research providers into a single score that's weighted

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was it self-defense or an unjustified overreaction? that's the central question raised by the recent shooting of a 17-year-old teenager in florida by a member of a neighborhood watch group. the shooter has not been arrested. and 911 recordings have just been released. we get the story. >> reporter: 17-year-old trayvon martin was walking to a family friend's home in a gated community when he was shot dead by a neighborhood watch captain. the shooter george zimmermann called police because the teen looked real suspicious. >> this guy looks like he's up

to no good. >> reporter: he also told police the man was walking with his hand in his waist band. he was told not to pursue the teen. >> you following him? >> yeah. >> we don't need you to do that. >> reporter: he ignored the police and soon they engaged in an altervation. several neighbors called 911. >> they're wrestling in the back of my porch. the guy is yelling help. i'm not going outside. >> reporter: then shots rang out. >> so you think he's yelling help? >> yes. >> there's gunshots. >> reporter: when police arrived, they found trayvon martin on the ground, he was only carrying a bag of skittles and iced tea. zimmermann claims he fired in self-defense. but the teen's family disputes that claim. >> that was my baby. and he was pleading for his life. i just don't understand how that self-defense.

you can clearly hear him yelling for help. >> reporter: martin's family claims the shooting was a result of racial profiling and that local authorities are protecting zimmermann, a 28-year-old white hispanic. >> the issue of racial profiling started when a suspicious person was reported because trayvon was black, walking slow and had a hoody on. >> reporter: and tonight, trayvon martin's family is calling on the 23b -- the fbi to investigate. and up next after 40 years, why an american movie masterpiece endures. [ woman ] i was ready for my trip.

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finally tonight, an offer we hope you won't refuse. to watch the story of a piece of american cinematic history that hit the big screen about this time 40 years ago. and after all those years we are still uttering some of hollywood's most memorable lines given to us by the godfather. ♪ >> it's a masterpiece of american cinema. >> i'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse. >> the godfather tells the story of the corleones, an immigrant family from sicily. directed by francis ford coppola, it features some of the most talented actors of our time. >> that's my family, not me. >> for 40 years "the godfather"

has been rated as one of the best movies ever. >> it's hard to think of a film that has the reach and the influence and the durability of "the godfather." >> everyone seems to know a quote from the movie. >> leave the gun. >> released in 1972, a tumultuous time in america, the film is nostalgic and at the same time, tragic. >> it happens to be about crime, but really it's about business. >> it's not personal. it's strictly business. >> and though it is sometimes criticized for the portrayal of negative ethnic stereotypes -- the film has shaped the way we think about organized crime. even for the criminals themselves. >> you had real-life mobsters in new york. the wise guys who were not necessarily imitating old tradition as much as they were imitating what they saw in the

movies. >> mario's restaurant in the bronx was mentioned in the "godfather" book. and coppola wanted to film this scene in the restaurant. owner and executive chef joseph miluchi said it was an offer his father could and did refuse. >> he said he didn't want that stigma of a shooting. we wanted to be known for the food and not the killing in the restaurant. >> but years later he welcomed "sopranos" because they were eating dinner. for him, the godfather brings back memories. >> growing up on arthur avenue and in this neighborhood, you saw a lot of things like that happening. >> don't ask me about my business. >> for everyone else, a look inside the world of mobsters and an american film that's stood the test of time. and of course the corleone family legacy continued to unfold in two more "godfather" films. that's "nbc nightly news" for this saturday.

i'm lester holt. see you tomorrow on "today" and right back here tomorrow night. good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com