on the broadcast tonight, signs of life. a lot of news tonight about the economy and for many americans. it's what they have been waiting to hear. health alert. fears tonight of a new epidemic for a child fp hood elness doctors thought they wiped out. secret service. the agent who was with jackie kennedy on the awful day in dallas tells his story. >> and safe landing. the drimatic cockpit tape as the grandmother was forced to take control and bring an airline down una moment of crisis. "nightly news" starts now. good evening.

i'm savannah guthrie in tonight for brian. it's the eve of a much anticipated report. the experts hoping it confirms the signs we're starting to see throughout the economy, that we may finally be in an economy out to last. consumers are out spending and employers are hiring. the number of people in unemployment lines is the longest in three years but there's long way to go to truly come back from the great recession. we begin with sue herrera. >> call it the warm weather effect. retailers today reported stronger than expected sales. the reason, they say, the sun is out and people are buying. >> it's perfect. it's perfect for shopping. >> at target and macy's, sales were up more than 7%. nort strm and gap, 8%. this week, gm, ford, and toyota credited warm weather in part for strong sales. consumer spending jumps in february by the most in seven

months. >> there's no question there's been two effects. the economy has gotten stronger at the same time unseizably warm weather gave us a leg up. how much can be sustained going forward. >> economists worry about a summer slow down when higher gas and food prices will take a bite out of paychecks that aren't growing. even as home sales are picking up, experts are racing for a wave of foreclosures. but businesses are liaring. employers have added an average of 245,000 jobs a month since december. quinn dowtin was hired last month after looking for a full-time job for the last three years. >> have to tempwas horrible because i didn't feel stable. >> one third of employers have added full-time employees this year, the highest since the recession began. they expect to hire ten employeemployee

s at his small brooklyn employee. >> people want to buy the loaf of bread, they want to try something new. they're happy to indulge in something new, which i would say a year ago, two years ago, if might not have been that way. >> the good news is that firing has abated and employment is beginning to pick up. the bad news is it's not happening fast enough to rise all tides and have all boats lift with the tides coming in. >> now, savannah, experts are looking to see about 200,000 new jobs in the report tomorrow, but one thing they say to look for, if the unemployment rate ticks up, it's held steady at about 8.3%, that may be a sign that people are opmystic for their prospects and we'll see a bump up in the figure. >> the one issue everybody thinks about and feels, gas prices. is there a tipping point where high gas prices could empaeril our fragile economy? >> a lot of meme think it's $5 a

gallon. we have seen in it california and some cases, but we haven't seen it on a nationwide basis. $5 takes away the discretionary inkk you might spend at the bakery. >> thank you so much. we want to turn now to the latest on the trayvon martin case. we have new information that may help shed some light on the man who shot martin. here is michael izacough. >> after canvassing the gated community where trayvon martin was shot, fbi agents are moving rapidly to complete their investigation into possible civil rights violations in the death of a black teenager, but george zimmerman's new lawyer said he's not a racist. >> absolutely not. a multinational family. >> the fbi is carefully reviewing zimmerman's neighborhood watch calls to the

sanford police, all made on a nonemergency line and not 911, as widely reported. >> there's, uh, two suspicious characters at the gate of my neighborhood. i have never seen them before. >> since august, he called the police seven times. five times, reporting his suspicions about young men in the area, but he never mentioned the mens' race without being asked. >> is he white, black, or h hispan hispanic? >> black. >> can you describe the two individuals? >> two african-american males. >> the police audiotapes may help the defense that he was not targeting or racially profiling african-americans. >> if zimmerman is only identifying the race of subjects in response to a question, that is very helpful to him because it doesn't establish evidence of a racial motivation on his part. >> the fact that zimmerman was armed and pursued martin did violate sanford police

neighborhood watch directives. last september, he invited police to the complex and presided where an officer in charge of the program offered a power point presentation. they emphasized that neighborhood watch volunteers were not to pursue suspects or carry weapons, an instruction that zimmerman disregarded on the night of the confrontation with trayvon martin. now to presidential politics as mitt romney makes clear he's shifting to his general election strategy. the pressure on rick santorum to get out of the race is growing. chuck todd joins me. there's pressure, but is there any sign that santorum is feeling it and thinking about exiting the race? >> any thought he would be doing soul searching during this time off for the holiday was more like a pep rally. he a private meeting with conservative leaders in washington who used it as a pep talk to tell him they were going to try to push newt gingrich out of the race. there's still this belief among

those in the santorum camp that if gingrich gets out, lines his delegates behind santorum, and if somehow they can thanj the rules in texas and the way the delegates do it in the texas primary in may, that suddenly, they have a viable way forward. that said, when you look at what is going to happen in pennsylvania, and there are some polls that indicate this is not going to be easy for the pennsylvania native, that at some point, the message will be clear to rick santorum, you will lose if you lose pennsylvania, you lose any of the rehabilitation you made in your political career because then you could embarrass yourself a second time. if he gets that message at some point, savannah, then maybe he will bow out. >> all right, chuck todd from the washington bureau, thank you. one more note from politics. white house secretary jay carney told reporters the president thinks women should be allowed to join the all-male augusta national golf club where the masters tournament teed off this morning, and mitt romney said, well, of course, when he was

asked if women should be allowed in. one thing the two can agree on, but augusta will not address the kroenchs, saying it's a private membership matter. overseas in syria, what rebels are calling the worst violence yet in a year-long crackdown by the assad regime that u.s. estimates have cost 9,000 lives. it did not look that way today. a report tonight from cairo. it is how the assad regime is preparing for a cease-fire. just days before a u.n. brokered peace plan is scheduled to go into effect, the military has intensified its attacks across the country, even using air power to attack civilian areas. and on the ground, the violence continues to claim more lives every day. despite sanctions and international pressure on assad to stop. rebel fighters say they will abide by the u.n. deal, promising to lay down their

weapons but not before the syrian military stops its assault. so far, that has not happened, said kofi annan, who brokered the saes fire. >> other abuses continue to be reported daily. >> the spike in violence has showed the largest exodus of people into turkey. 2,000 people today alone fled across the border. they call for both sides to stop fighting by april 12th. but many doubt the assad regime will keep its word. savannah? >> nbc's amin mohuh dean. >> heth news, whooping cough is the kind of illness we think of as a thing of the past, but there's a big outbreak in washington state and it's putting lives at stake. here is dr. nancy snyderman. >> with the birth of her daughter fast approaching, this

woman ignored her cough, dismissing it as a cold, but at two weeks old, her daughter caroline began to show similar symptoms. >> she turned blue and was coughing and choking. >> it was whooping cough, passed to caroline from her mother. that is heard here in the march of dimes public service announcement. >> caroline recovered. one of many in an alarming breakout. >> 640 cases have been reported and confirmed as of march 31st. last year, we had 94. >> and four of those children have died. northern california, oregon, and vermont are also experiencing similar outbreaks. for health officials, it's all about childhood vaccination and booster shots as an adult. >> many people think once you have your booster shots, you don't need to be vaccinated again. you may get a diminished

disease, but you can still transmit the infection and all its veer llts to other susceptible people. >>bo brooke had been vaccinateds a child. >> i had inadvertently given my newborn a potentially life threatening illness that was so easably for vepreventable by getting my booster shot. >> the goal is to make sure at least 90% of the population is vaccinated. why is it important? as we good gin to save more and more lives, cancer patients, patients with chronic immune cases, are the people we have to protect. it's something a shared responsibility for all of us. >> and an old ilnlsz we didn't think we would hear much about anymore. thank you. still ahead, as "nightly news" continues, one of the worst days in american history. mrs. kennedy's secret service agent, the man who climbed onto

the back of the car with her, opens up in a rare conversation about what he saw that awful day. he abrasives in the toothpae actually create those micro fine scratches in the denture, and that's where bacteria can grow and thrive. these are the very bacteria that can cause bad breath. dentists do recommend that you soak your denture in polident. polident doesn't scratch the denture surface, and it kills 99.9% of bacteria that are responsible for causing bad breath. by using polident and soaking your denture every day you can feel confident your dentures fresh and clean. is the pain reliever orthopedic doctors recommend most for arthritis pain, think again. and take aleve. it's the one doctors recommend most for arthritis pain. two pills can last all day. ♪

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get one-on-one help from america's retirement leader. new to an extraordinary new memoir from a man who had a front-row seat to one of the most exhilarating and heart breaki ing times in american history. clint hill was jackie kennedy pfsz secret service agent. he was there with her that day in dallas and all of the days before and after it with a remarkable view of unforgettable moments as they unfolded in our history. for 50 years, he vows never to write the story until now. >> there were many, many happy times, but there were very sad times, very depressing, and painful to do it. >> in 1960, agent hill, code

name dazzle, was assigned to protect the incoming first lady, jaclyn kennedy. >> from the birth of son john -- >> well, i was pacing the floor like an expectant father. >> to vacations in hyannisport. >> they were always active. no matter how young or old. >> to travels around the world. >> she was very down to urkt. you would never have known she came from the background that she did. >> hill says president kennedy and the first lady were especially close the weeks leading up to the fateful trip to dallas. did you have any uneasy feeling as you set out on the motorcade. >> none whatsoever, just a normal big city motorcade that you go through when you're dealing with the presidency. >> clint hill was riding on the side board of the car following the president and first lady when he heard the first shot. what follows was one of the most

tragic images of the day. clint rushing to the limo, and jackie kennedy climbing out onto the truck. >> what was she doing? >> there was material of the president's head that had gone to the right rear. she had gone to the back of the car trying to retrieve the material. i helped her get it to the back seat. when i did that, the president's body fell to its lap, into her lap. >> she said something in that moment. >> she said, they shot his head off. oh, jack, what have they done? >> you arrive at the hospital. there was a moment where mrs. kennedy refused to get out of the car. >> the problem was she didn't want anyone to see him because it was very -- it was a gory situation. and so i took my coat off, my jacket, and i covered his head and his upper back, and then she let go. >> the following days, clint hill witnessed some of the most heart breaking scenes americans have never known about,

including a private viewing of the fallen president. >> mrs. kennedy and bobby approached the casket and stood there, about that time, she turned to me and she said, mr. hill, will you get me a pire of scissors, please? so i ran back to the usher's office and got a pair of scissors, gave them to her, and i stood there and could hear, click, click, click. and i knew what was going on. >> what do you think she did with the scissors? >> she cut a piece of his hair, i'm sure. >> to this day, agent hill is moved by the thought of the scene that came to symbolize the nation, little john john saluting his father. >> that must have broken your heart. >> it still does. >> clint hill continued to be jackie kennedy's secret service agent for one year following the president's assassination. after that, he only saw mrs. kennedy one other time before she passed away. it was at the funeral of robert

f. kennedy. the book is called "mrs. kennedy and me" and we'll have more of our conversation on "nightly news" tomorrow night. up next, the granld mother with the right stuff. you'll hear the dramatic tapes ish as she lands a plane under the most dramatic circumstances. ran. ah, claim trouble. [ dennis ] you should just switch to allstate, and get their new claim satisfaction guarantee. hey, he's right man. [ dennis ] only allstate puts their money where their mouth is. yup. [ dennis ] claim service so good, it's guaranteed. [ foreman ] so i can always count on them. unlike randy over there. that's one dumb dude. ♪ the new claim satisfaction guarantee. dollar for dollar, nobody protects you like allstate. wait. ♪ it's morning in the himalayas... [ male announcer ] it's sweet. it's nutty.

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we told you earlier this week about the 80-year-old grandmother who mustered the courage and the skill to land a small plane after her husband died at the controls. tonight, the minute by minute cockpit tapes of that drama in the sky has been released. here is nbc's kevin tibbles. >> it wasn't a perfect landing, but considering 80-year-old kellen collins isn't a pilopilot was perfect enough. helen and husband john were returning to wisconsin in their cessna when john slumped over the controls and died. >> a hell of a place to be. >> today, a first listen to cockpit voice recordings made as

another pilot scrambled to fly alongside and help guide helen in. >> somebody better get here in a hurry. >> this is going to be a little bit of a flight lesson, but you'll enjoy it. >> in spite of the grave situation, alone at the controls with her husband slumped beside her, she barely raises her voice and gives a panic. when she hears roads are closed as a safety precaution, she asks -- >> don't you have faith in me? >> her main concern, she's out of fuel. >> i have to land fast. >> her first attempt has to be aborted. >> power up, power up, power up. power up. >> i felt very comfortable that i had a comp tnlt person flying the airplane. >> she came in, bounced about 30 feet, and skid to a fault. >> pow er back, power back. power off. power off, power off. oh, okay, you're down.

>> great job, helen. >> she suffered back and rib injuries. but her family says this brave pilot is doing fine. kevin tibbles, nbc news, chicago. >> an uz mazing woman. >> a japanese ghost ship set adrift by the tsunami more than a year ago and drifting across the pacific ever since is in the process now of being sunk. a u.s. coast guard fired cannons on the 174-foot shrimping vessel to punch holes in the hull and sink it. since being found adrift nearby the alaskan coast t was determined to be a navigation hazard and plans to tow it in and salvage it were abandoned today. when we come back, a not so secret obsession for a lot of women, and in one american city, it means lots of jobs. much of a. i checked the schedule and it's not on it. [ laughs ] you never know when advil® is needed. well most people only know one side of my life.

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because it offers a superior level of protection, and because usaa's commitment to serve the military, veterans and their families is without equal. begin your legacy, get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve. where we began, with jobs, and the wildly popular productions that are really heating up the employment market in one american city. we have more on the obsession that is made in miami. >> roll, action. >> there's drama in every corner. a few gun battles.

but mostly, love stories. these are telenovelas, the wildly popular five nights a week spanish language soap operas. the new hot spot for spanish language drama is on english speaking turf, miami. >> we have become a mecca for hispanic productions. we're like a hispanic hollywood. >> five telenovelas are shooting here. >> that's a cut. >> so are a slew of american productions, commercials, and magazine spreads. and television shows. >> i am not bailing now. >> this shoot is for the usa network show "burn notice." >> we shot it, usa ordered it, then miami has just kind of opened its arms saying please come back every year. >> texans open the flood gate. in just a year, production in miami skyrocketed 70%, pumping $250 million into the economy. >> there's more to all this than

just the financial incentives. the hispanic population is booming, and spanish speaking audiences lisking here want to see stories here. >> it's really for mexicans. if you produce it in the states, you have the opportunity to produce a story that relates to hispanics. >> telemundo has three telenovelas in production. >> i spent more time in production than in my apartment. >> he's called the brad pitt of telenovelas. he moved to new york city because the acting jobs had moved. >> i'm in the united states doing what i used to do in mexico. >> ready for a close-up. as the southern city has tranls formed into a telenovela tinsel town. janet shanley, nbc news, miami. >> that's our broadcast for this thursday night. i'm savannah guthrie.

for brian williams and everyone at nbc news, thank you for being with us. we hope to see you right back here with us tomorrow evening. good night, everybody.